Chapter 293: Real or Not

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 293: Real or Not

Roshi had seen enough. The rumor about Naruto's ability to absorb the Bijuu was no longer a rumor. He had witnessed it with his own two eyes and realized that he needed to get away from here. Fighting was no longer an option… victory was impossible, no matter how much he wanted to avenge his Kage.

The beast screamed inside his mind to hurry up and get away.

Roshi had never cared for what the beast wanted. For him, it was nothing more than a tool for his use. But for once in his life, the two of them were in agreement.

The Jinchūriki made use of all the chakra he could get from the beast to enhance his speed and power. Four tails appeared behind him, meaning that he was pushing his seal to its very limits and taking a big risk of breaking it.

He was fully ready to fight for his life as he passed by several clones of Naruto, but none of them seemed to be paying any attention. There were countless of them, as far as his eyes could see.

The ones in the inner circle were distracted, performing different actions...some were meditating, others practicing martial arts, and others were channeling chakra in different ways.

Roshi had no idea how Naruto was able to process all of that or for how long he had been doing this. However, none of that was important to him right now. He just had to get away. He could not let the Bijuu inside of him fall into Naruto's hands.

Ahead of him was the last line of clones, the ones who had formed some sort of barrier. According to what Naruto had revealed to them before, this barrier could prevent anyone from entering or leaving, even by teleportation. "But he didn't say what would happen if enough clones were destroyed. If I can force them to take down the barrier, even if momentarily… I'll be out in a second."

Roshi jumped over some of the distracted clones and aimed his attack at the ones creating the barrier. His fist smashed the ground in front of the last line.

"Lava Release… Grand Geyser!" This was his most destructive attack, capable of affecting a large area.

An eruption of lava burst from the ground, immediately engulfing a dozen clones nearby.

The clones disappeared in puffs of smoke as soon as they began to burn.

"Yes! Come on, let me out!" Roshi shouted, hoping that the real Naruto remained distracted with the others while he escaped.

"Hmm… it doesn't seem to be working."

Roshi was startled when he heard a voice behind him. When he turned around, he found himself staring at Naruto, who was only a few inches away.

"Maybe you should try destroying a few more," Naruto suggested.

"No! You are—" He glanced into the distance and spotted another Naruto, this one facing an enraged Raikage. "You're just a clone." Roshi's four tails lashed out, smashing toward the enemy in front of him.

Or at least, they tried.

Naruto avoided three of them while grabbing the fourth tail. He then yanked Roshi forward and kicked him in the chest.

Roshi coated his hands with fiery red chakra. "Lava Release… Volcanic Smash!" He delivered a devastating barrage of punches, each coated in deadly lava.

Naruto blocked every single one. His own chakra coat protected him from any damage.

"That's impossible…" Roshi was getting frustrated. How could he have so much trouble destroying a single clone? There were millions of them all around him. That meant Naruto's chakra had to be divided by that number as well.

This made him hesitate. "Are you… the real one?"

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm just a clone, and the real one is back there, facing the angry Raikage. Or maybe we're both clones, and the real me was never here in the first place… who knows?"

"Tsk!" Roshi knew his situation was getting worse with every second. He couldn't maintain his fully powered state for long.

With this in mind, he made a bet. Assuming this one was a clone, he would have to ignore it and try to break through the barrier no matter what.

"Lava Release… Lava Armor!" Roshi covered himself in a layer of molten lava, enhancing his attacks and burning anyone who tried to touch him.

He then went to unleash hell upon the clones maintaining the barrier.

'Maybe if I destroy another dozen, it'll do it.'

"Water Release… Spiraling Torrent Rasengan!"

Roshi heard the voice behind him. Before he could turn around, he was blasted by a torrent of water that slammed him against the barrier.

The impact felt like hitting a steel wall, followed by excruciating pain. The jutsu was tearing away his armor, along with his flesh and bones.

Clone or not… Naruto using a water jutsu was not something he had expected. No intel they had on him mentioned anything beyond fire and wind.

"Not many know this, but… every time I consume a Bijuu, I gain more than just chakra. My elemental affinities also improve. When I ate that turtle-looking Bijuu, I acquired enough water affinity to play around with that element. A few days of having my clones practice was enough to come up with some interesting moves." Naruto explained as he approached.

"Urgh…" Roshi lay on the ground, barely able to move. He glanced at Naruto, still wondering if he had been bested by the real one or if he would suffer the humiliation of being killed by a mere clone.

"I can tell what you're thinking." Naruto told him. "Allow me to share another piece of information." He knelt beside Roshi and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Only the real me can do this…"

Roshi felt a powerful force pulling everything from him. He heard the beast inside screaming wildly.

"Cosmic Assimilation… Absorb!"

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