Ebisu-sensei was left fending off attacks from all directions, utterly overwhelmed, and had already taken quite a few blows to his body.
As he dealt with Uzumaki Naruto's shadow clones, Ebisu-sensei thought to himself:
"This guy Uzumaki Naruto actually has this much chakra."
A bitter feeling welled up inside Ebisu-sensei as he realized he had severely underestimated Uzumaki Naruto's strength.
By this point, Ebisu-sensei was struggling to keep up. Obvious openings appeared in his defense, and several shadow clones seized the opportunity to strike him.
"Damn it!"
Ebisu-sensei gritted his teeth and forced himself to steady his stance.
Naruto wore a smug expression, standing off to the side and directing his shadow clones to ramp up the attack.
Just as Ebisu-sensei was still recovering from his shock, Naruto formed hand seals once more to release the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. One by one, shadow clones steadily emerged across the field until their numbers finally reached ten thousand.
Ebisu-sensei was completely dumbfounded, his jaw dropping wide open and his eyes filled with utter despair.
"This... how is this possible?"
Ebisu-sensei muttered to himself.
Ten thousand shadow clones shouted in unison, a deafening roar that felt as though it might flip the entire training ground upside down. Ebisu-sensei was crushed under the sheer pressure of this overwhelming presence, leaving him barely able to breathe.
Young Master Konohamaru was also struck speechless by the spectacular sight, standing frozen in his tracks.
Naruto burst into a triumphant laugh and said:
"Ebisu-sensei, you give up now, don't you?"
Those ten thousand shadow clones thoroughly exhausted Ebisu-sensei, wearing him down until he collapsed onto the ground, completely helpless before finally losing consciousness altogether.
Lying on the ground, Ebisu-sensei panted heavily, his vision blurred, having long since lost the strength to fight back.
Seeing this, Naruto waved both hands and dispelled the shadow clone technique.
"Hmph, that'll teach you to underestimate me!"
Naruto muttered.
Konohamaru was thrilled by Boss Naruto's victory, but he quickly dashed over to check on Ebisu-sensei's condition and said:
"Ebisu-sensei, are you alright?"
Naruto walked over as well and said to Konohamaru:
"Don't worry, Ebisu-sensei is just worn out and passed out. He'll be fine after getting some rest."
Konohamaru let out a sigh of relief and said:
"Boss Naruto, you are way too amazing! You can actually keep using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique like that."
After seeing Ebisu-sensei collapse in front of him, Naruto brushed off the leaves that had clung to him during the battle.
Then, Naruto dusted off his hands, a victorious smile spreading across his face.
"Let's see if he dares to look down on me again."
Naruto muttered to himself once more.
Konohamaru gazed at Boss Naruto with a look of absolute adoration and said:
"Boss Naruto, you are truly amazing! I'm going to grow up to be just as strong as you, Boss Naruto!"
Naruto patted Konohamaru on the head and said:
"As long as you train hard, you definitely can."
At that moment, a gentle breeze swept by, causing the leaves to rustle as if they too were cheering for Naruto's victory.
Konohamaru hurriedly continued praising Boss Naruto, saying:
"You're so cool, Boss Naruto."
Konohamaru's eyes shone with excitement, his cheeks flushed red from the thrill.
Naruto flashed a cheeky grin and said:
"Well of course! Keep following my lead, and you can be just as awesome."
Konohamaru nodded vigorously and said:
"Yeah, I'll definitely work hard to learn!"
Just then, Ebisu-sensei slowly stirred back to consciousness on the ground and said weakly:
"Uzumaki Naruto... you brat..."
Naruto walked over to Ebisu-sensei, extended a hand, and said:
"Ebisu-sensei, get up. We were just sparring."
After a brief hesitation, Ebisu-sensei took Naruto's hand and let himself be pulled up.
"I have to hand it to you this time, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto replied casually:
"Oh, it was nothing much."
A proud smile played on Naruto's face, though his eyes revealed genuine sincerity.
Konohamaru was bouncing up and down with excitement nearby, saying:
"Boss Naruto, how is that 'nothing much'? That was super-duper amazing, okay?!"
Ebisu-sensei straightened up, dusted off his clothes, and said:
"Naruto, even though you got the upper hand this time, don't get cocky. You still have a long road of training ahead of you."
Naruto scratched the back of his head and said:
"I know, Ebisu-sensei."
A gentle breeze drifted past, and sunlight bathed the three of them, as if drawing a warm conclusion to this small skirmish.
Naruto then turned to tutor Konohamaru, saying:
"Listen up, Konohamaru. This move is called the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. It divides your chakra evenly to summon solid clones of yourself, and the hand seal goes like this. Got it?"
Konohamaru opened his eyes wide, nodded earnestly, and said:
"Boss Naruto, I memorized it, but it sounds so difficult."
Naruto patted Konohamaru on the shoulder and said:
"Don't worry, everything feels hard at first. You'll get the hang of it with more practice."
Ebisu-sensei let out a soft snort from the side and said:
"I just hope you don't corrupt Young Master Konohamaru."
Naruto shot Ebisu-sensei a sidelong glance and said:
"Just you wait and see, Ebisu-sensei. Konohamaru is going to learn it."
As Naruto spoke, he began demonstrating the hand signs.
With nimble fingers, Naruto swiftly formed the hand seals while continuously explaining the key points of each movement:
"Look, Konohamaru, first you do this, then that. The movements need to be fast and fluid."
Konohamaru stared unblinkingly at Boss Naruto's movements, trying his hardest to commit every detail to memory, and said:
"Boss Naruto, I think I'm starting to get it."
Naruto smiled and encouraged Konohamaru, saying:
"Great, just like that. Go ahead and practice it a few more times."
Ebisu-sensei stood off to the side with his arms crossed. Although his face still wore a skeptical expression, a hint of focused attention had crept into his eyes.
Konohamaru was extremely bright; after watching Naruto demonstrate it once, he understood what to do and immediately began working hard at it by himself.
Konohamaru's little face tightened with fierce concentration as he attempted the hand seals, muttering under his breath:
"First like this, then like that..."
Sweat dripped down Konohamaru's forehead, but he paid it no mind whatsoever.
Naruto watched from the side, his eyes filled with satisfaction and warmth, and said:
"You can do it, Konohamaru! Give it your all!"
Ebisu-sensei couldn't help but nod slightly as well, saying:
"As expected of the Third Hokage's grandson, Young Master Konohamaru truly has incredible aptitude."
Konohamaru tried again and again. Though he occasionally made mistakes, he never grew discouraged and kept pressing forward with unwavering persistence.
Observing everything through a crystal ball, the Third Hokage sat in his chair and said:
"You really are a handful, Naruto."
A helpless yet affectionate smile touched the Third Hokage's face, his eyes brimming with tenderness.