"Ah——"

The man screamed and rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the black flames burning on his body.

But the flames clung to him like a curse etched into his bones. No matter how he rolled, they wouldn't go out.

Swish, swish, swish——

Almost simultaneously with the attack on the man, the other three Iwagakure shinobi charged at Spore Clone No. 1 from three directions with their weapons.

Just as their weapons were about to pierce Spore Clone No. 1—

Buzz——

An orange-red half-skeletal figure formed around his body, shielding both him and the unconscious Uzumaki Naruto.

Crack——

The weapons struck the skeletal defense and shattered instantly.

The half-skeleton Susanoo extended two giant skeletal hands and grabbed two of the three attackers.

"Ah——"

One of the men managed to dodge, but the woman was caught by the massive skeletal hand.

She was crushed instantly, letting out a heart-wrenching scream before being turned into pulp.

"Use ninjutsu!"

Seeing two more comrades die in such a short time, the middle-aged man shouted in anger and fear.

Because they were transporting the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, they had initially refrained from using ninjutsu, choosing to attack Uchiha Fugaku physically.

But now, they could no longer hold back.

"Earth Style: Earth Spear—"

The middle-aged man formed a seal and pressed his hands to the ground.

Sharp stone spears shot up from beneath and around them, including directly under Spore Clone No. 1.

However, thanks to the insight of the Sharingan, Spore Clone No. 1 had already detected the attack before the spikes emerged and dodged swiftly.

"Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique."

Another Iwagakure shinobi's right hand was coated in stone, transforming into a large rock fist which he swung at Spore Clone No. 1.

The clone raised his skeletal right hand and blocked it.

Crack—

The stone fist shattered on impact, and the skeletal hand countered with a crushing strike.

The Iwagakure shinobi's bones shattered with an audible crack, and he coughed up blood and internal organs.

He flew backward violently and didn't move again.

"Earth Style: Rock Concealment Technique—"

With another companion down, the middle-aged man was the last one left.

He looked at Spore Clone No. 1 in terror and activated the invisibility technique before vanishing from sight.

As the sole survivor, he knew he couldn't hope to defeat "Uchiha Fugaku."

The mission had failed—retreat was his only option.

However, Spore Clone No. 1 had no intention of letting him escape.

The Rock Concealment Technique might fool ordinary shinobi, but it couldn't hide from the Sharingan.

Under the Sharingan's gaze, his position was perfectly visible.

"Ten-Fist Sword—"

A gourd-shaped weapon appeared in Susanoo's right hand.

A fiery sword extended from the gourd, blazing with intensity.

The sword pierced the invisible man, then retracted, drawing his body into the gourd.

As the flaming blade returned to its container, the man's body twisted uncontrollably and was sucked in, vanishing without a trace.

The five Iwagakure shinobi who had kidnapped Uzumaki Naruto were all dead.

They weren't weak; each of them possessed the strength of an elite jonin.

But unfortunately for them, they had encountered Spore Clone No. 1.

This clone not only possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan but also a body that could endure its usage without side effects.

With such reckless power, even elite jonin couldn't last long.

Uzumaki Naruto, still unconscious due to an illusion, remained unaware. Spore Clone No. 1 didn't wake him but hoisted him over his shoulder and began heading back.

Roughly half an hour later, he encountered Uchiha Fugaku, who was sprinting at full speed using the Body Flicker Technique.

He handed Naruto over to Fugaku and then vanished underground using the Mayfly Technique, returning to Konoha unseen.

"The rescue of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is complete."

Uchiha Fugaku placed Naruto on the ground and dispelled the illusion cast on him.

The second reputation-building mission was done.

Just as planned, Uzumaki Naruto had been rescued without a hitch.

"I really have to thank Iwagakure," Fugaku smirked to himself.

In a way, Iwagakure had become his "benefactor." Just when he needed a way to boost his reputation, they conveniently provided it.

First, they hired Orochimaru to disrupt Konoha, giving him the opportunity to capture an S-rank criminal.

Then they kidnapped Naruto, allowing him to pull off a high-profile rescue.

"Bad guy... ah, uncle, it's you. Where's the bad guy?"

Uzumaki Naruto slowly regained consciousness, sitting up in a panic.

But when he saw Fugaku's face, he relaxed.

He recognized him as the husband of the kind lady who often gave him food.

"I've already driven him off."

Uchiha Fugaku smiled.

He had no intention of brainwashing Naruto like the Third Hokage once did. In his opinion, that wasn't necessary.

But gaining Naruto's favor while he was at it? That was perfectly acceptable.

"Uncle, you're amazing!"

Naruto's face lit up.

He had been captured so easily before—completely helpless.

Now, seeing this "uncle" beat them all, he was full of admiration.

"Let's go. I'll take you back to Konoha."

Uchiha Fugaku picked up Naruto with his left arm, then leapt onto a tree branch.

From there, he used one tree after another as footholds, bounding his way back toward the village.

On the way, he sent out a signal flare to inform the other teams that Naruto had been rescued.

When they saw the signal, the rest of the search parties converged.

"Chief Fugaku..."

When they saw Naruto being carried back by Uchiha Fugaku, many of the shinobi wore complicated expressions.

Not long ago, he had captured Orochimaru.

Now, he had rescued the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

In one day, he had achieved two feats that would shake the village.

And the strength he displayed had left everyone stunned.

"Thankfully, he was rescued..."

Back in Konoha, the Third Hokage awaited their return at the gates.

Though he was glad that Naruto had been saved and the village hadn't lost such an important asset...

What made him uneasy was the fact that it was Uchiha Fugaku who had done it.

After capturing Orochimaru, Fugaku's reputation among the village clans had soared.

Now, after rescuing Naruto, his popularity would rise to an even higher level.

A deep sense of dread began to grow in the Third Hokage's heart.

If Uchiha Fugaku were to run for the position of Hokage now… wouldn't he stand a real chance?

(End of this chapter)