Naruto: A blade in the Shadows

Chapter 3: A Game of Shadows

Mizuki sneered, his confidence swelling despite the presence of Naruto's ominous scimitars. "You think some flashy weapons are going to scare me, brat? You've got no idea who you're dealing with!"

Naruto tilted his head, giving Mizuki a lazy smile. "You know, sensei, I was hoping you'd say that. Makes the game more fun."

Game?" Mizuki asked, his sneer turning into a confused frown.

Naruto pointed one of his scimitars at him. "Yeah. I'm a big fan of games. Let's start with something easy

"Shall we start with something simple? A game of spinning tops."

Mizuki's confusion was evident. "Spinning tops? What are you talking about?"

Naruto raised one of his blades and gave it a lazy twirl, a gust of wind emanating from the motion. "This game is called Bushōgoma. It's simple: I spin, and the wind does the rest. Let's see how well you can keep up."

Before Mizuki could respond, Naruto began to spin in place, his blades held at opposite angles. The motion created two arcs of wind that quickly merged into a vortex, forming a massive spinning circle of air. The wind howled as it charged toward Mizuki, who barely leapt out of the way in time.

The vortex changed direction midair, homing in on Mizuki like a living entity. It struck the ground near him, erupting into a tornado-like storm that pulled him into its grasp. Mizuki shouted as he fought to keep his footing, his weapons useless against the powerful winds.

Hidden in the shadows, Shikaku narrowed his eyes. That's no ordinary technique. Where did Naruto learn this?

Naruto stopped spinning, his swords returning to rest on his shoulders. The winds began to die down, leaving Mizuki disoriented and battered. "Not bad," Naruto said casually. "But I think you'll like the next game better."

Mizuki stumbled to his feet, glaring daggers at Naruto. "Enough of your stupid games! I will kill you brat?"

Naruto ignored him, lowering his swords. "This one's called Kageoni. It's a shadow game. The rule is simple, whoever gets their shadow stepped on loses."

Mizuki's eyes darted to the ground, where the moonlight cast their long shadows across the clearing. His lip curled into a sneer. "Shadows? That's all?"

Naruto's grin widened as he melted into the shadows at his feet, disappearing from sight. "Not quite. You see, I can hide in shadows... and control them."

(Naruto hides the fact that Mizuki can also hide in the shadows and control them during the game)

Suddenly, multiple shadow clones of Naruto emerged from the surrounding darkness, their blades drawn. Mizuki spun around, his eyes wide as he tried to track them all.

"Which one's real?" Mizuki snarled, swinging wildly at the nearest clone. The shadow clone dissipated into darkness, only for another to appear behind him.

As Mizuki turned, Naruto's voice echoed from all directions. "Careful, Mizuki-sensei. If I step on your shadow, it's game over."

Mizuki growled in frustration, slashing at another clone, only to realize too late that his own shadow had begun to stretch unnaturally. The real Naruto emerged from the darkness, stepping squarely onto Mizuki's shadow.

Mizuki froze as a sharp chill ran up his spine. He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. "What... what is this?"

"You lose," Naruto said, his voice calm but cold.

Mizuki screamed as the shadow beneath him twisted unnaturally, rising up like tendrils to constrict his arms and legs. One tendril lashed out, slamming into Mizuki's side with enough force to send him stumbling backward.

"Your shadow can be a dangerous thing," Naruto remarked, stepping back into the moonlight. "Be careful where you stand."

Shikaku's keen eyes analyzed every move. His worry began to wane, replaced by curiosity and pride." He's more skilled than I thought... but where did he get these powers?"

Naruto stepped closer, dismissing the shadows. "Still want to play?" he asked, his tone almost teasing.

Mizuki glared at him, sweat dripping down his face. "You... you're a freak!"

Naruto chuckled, tapping one of his scimitars against his shoulder. "Name-calling, Mizuki-sensei? I thought teachers were supposed to set an example."

Mizuki regained his footing, clutching his side. "Enough of your stupid games! Fight me for real!"

Naruto shrugged, a lazy grin spreading across his face. "Alright, let's play Kageokuri."

Mizuki frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Figure out which one of me is real," Naruto said simply.

Before Mizuki could respond, Naruto blurred out of sight, and the clearing was suddenly filled with flickering afterimages of him. Each afterimage appeared to dart toward Mizuki before vanishing, leaving him spinning in circles, unsure of where the real Naruto was.

Mizuki slashed at one image, only for his kunai to pass harmlessly through it. Another afterimage leapt at him from the side, causing Mizuki to panic and swing wildly.

"You're wasting energy, Mizuki-sensei," Naruto's voice taunted.

The afterimages weren't entirely realistic, faint and flickering like distorted shadows. Mizuki's weak Reikaku(Reiatsu Sense) made the game easier for him.

Finally, Mizuki lunged at an afterimage, only to feel cold steel press against his back.

"Wrong again," Naruto whispered in his ear, his blade resting lightly on Mizuki's shoulder.

Naruto stepped back, spinning his scimitars in his hands. "Let's make this even more fun. Time for Irooni. Here's how it works: I pick a color, and my attacks will only count if they match that color. Let's go with... green."

(Naruto again withheld that Mizuki can use the ability too)

Mizuki stiffened, glancing at his own green flak jacket. "What kind of nonsense..."

Before he could finish, Naruto dashed forward, his blades slicing through the air. Mizuki raised his kunai to block, but Naruto's first strike was a feint, drawing Mizuki's defense away from his torso.

Naruto followed up with a clean slash across Mizuki's jacket, cutting through the fabric and grazing his skin.

"Green," Naruto said calmly, stepping back.

Mizuki staggered, his hand flying to his chest. Blood seeped through the torn jacket where Naruto had struck him.

"See?" Naruto said, his tone light. "If I didn't call the right color, it wouldn't have worked. But since you're wearing so much green, my strikes hurt a lot more."

Mizuki gritted his teeth, charging at Naruto with a roar. This time, Naruto didn't move, letting Mizuki close the distance before sidestepping gracefully.

Naruto spun, his blade carving through Mizuki's jacket again, creating another deep gash. "Green," he repeated, his voice almost mocking.

Mizuki dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as his strength began to fade.

Naruto sighed, his playful demeanor replaced by a cold seriousness. "You made the wrong choice, Mizuki. You could've been a teacher who helped people. Instead, you tried to use me. You lose, Mizuki-sensei."

Shikaku stepped out from the shadows, his expression unreadable. "That's enough, Naruto. He's done."

Naruto sighed, lowering his blades. The scimitars dissolved into black mist, disappearing entirely.

"You're no fun, Dad," Naruto said, turning back toward Mizuki. "And here I thought we could play a little longer."

Mizuki collapsed, trembling with fear and pain. "You... you're not human..."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, his smile returning. "Maybe not. But you should've thought of that before trying to mess with me."

Shikaku placed a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder, steering him away from the defeated man. "Let's report this to the Hokage. You've done enough for one night."

Naruto nodded, his usual carefree demeanor slipping back into place. "Fine, but you owe me a game of shogi when we get back."

Shikaku sighed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "You're relentless, kid."

Tbc