Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"Sixth match, Rock Lee vs. Haruno Sakura, begins now!"

Hayate waved his hand and quickly stepped back to give them space.

"Come out, Squirtle!"

Lee shouted, pressing the button and throwing the Poke Ball.

Bang!

Accompanied by a puff of white smoke, Squirtle appeared on the field with a confused look on his face.

"Naruto asked you to participate in this match."

Lee explained.

Squirtle turned to face Sakura, and its confusion quickly morphed into anger, "Squirtle!"

Remembering how Sakura had insulted it a month ago and he was powerless to do anything Squirtle felt a surge of righteous fury. Now, after one month of intense training, it was finally ready to face her.

Tap tap tap!

With a firm step forward, Squirtle dashed at high speed towards Sakura. After training with Lee, its Taijutsu had improved considerably, and its speed alone now outmatched that of many Genin.

Before Sakura could react, Squirtle had closed the gap and, using the momentum, rammed its head into her stomach.

It can't be helped, as Squirtle is only half a meter tall, so hitting the abdomen is the best choice.

Bang!

The impact sent Sakura tumbling backward several meters. Her originally exquisite attire was now completely covered in mud, and she looked completely dusty.

Seeing Squirtle preparing for another attack, Sakura hastily protested, "Referee, this isn't fair! Why are they both fighting me at once?"

But Hayate didn't intervene, and only explained, "Summoned Beasts are considered part of a ninja's skill set and are allowed in matches. If you have a Summoned Beast, you can also use it."

Summoned Beast, like Tenten's Ninja Tools, Gaara's gourd, Kiba's Akamaru, or even Kankuro's puppets, all counted as fair game in battle.

That's why Naruto just gave the Poke Ball to Lee.

Bang!

Before Sakura could fully get back to her feet, Squirtle charged again, this time ramming her right under the chin as she tried to rise.

If Sakura had been mid-sentence, the impact might have led to a tragic accident with her biting her tongue. Even so, this headbutt left her dizzy and disoriented.

Seeing this, Naruto was speechless. Normally, Sakura's strength shouldn't be so bad. It was obvious that Sakura hadn't practiced for a month and had been staying at home doing nothing, which led to her strength decreasing instead of increasing.

Naruto had actually crafted a full setup to let the crowd pressure her. But now, it was evident that none of that would even be necessary, and Squirtle alone could win this fight without him lifting a finger.

Sakura had become the very definition of 'a joke with no punchline'!

However, at this moment, murmurs began to ripple through the audience.

"Poor Sakura, she's just a young girl being pummeled by Lee's Summoned Beast."

"Look! Sakura's standing up again. She's really resilient."

"Too bad, though. She doesn't stand a chance in a two-on-one match. But at least in the next round, Gaara will be there to teach Lee a lesson… talk about karma."

Hearing this, Naruto became annoyed.

Though there weren't many people openly criticizing Lee or feeling sorry for Sakura, the few voices were enough to ignite his fury.

'People spouting off without understanding the situation… Looks like no matter where you go, audiences are always the same, just here to stir things up.'

Seeing that Tenten was about to argue with everyone, Naruto stopped her and said calmly, "There'll always be clueless people spewing garbage. They're probably full of crap themselves, so all they can do is spread more of it. Don't bother with these sickening types."

"But both Lee and Squirtle were being misunderstood!" Tenten frowned, her face etched with worry.

"I trust someone will step up and speak some sense." Naruto said, then sat in his seat and stopped talking.

Speaking sense?

Naruto knew that the crowd mostly just followed whatever opinion was trending. Truly fair-minded people were rare, and the few that existed often only saw a surface-level perspective influenced by distorted information. More often than not, people who believed they were being fair ended up reinforcing the wrong side.

What Naruto has to do is to guide the direction of public opinion!

In order to make Sakura socially dead, Naruto had already set up multiple shadow clones before the match begins, transforming them into various appearances and scattering them throughout the audience.

However, before Naruto could take the initiative, he encountered idiots who was deliberately messing up the pace.

However,, this is also a good opportunity for Naruto's shadow clones to show their skills and completely stir up public opinion.

When Naruto made the gesture that had been discussed in advance, the shadow clones in various sections of the venue instantly started speaking up.

"Sakura? A helpless girl? This is the harsh world of Shinobi. If you're not up to the task, just go home. Stop pretending to be some helpless damsel!"

"Besides, didn't everyone have a month to train for this final? Look at her clumsy moves… she's slower than an Academy's student. She's clearly wasted a whole month."

"Look carefully! Sakura's complaining about being two-on-one? Lee hasn't even stepped in!"

"And so what if he does? Having a Summoned Beast proves Lee's strength! In the Shinobi World, strength speaks for itself. Since when did people start making excuses for the weak? Pathetic!"

"By the way, speaking of Sakura, I also heard a story that was circulated in the village. It said that Sakura called the Summoned Beast a 'vile beast'. Every Shinobi treats their Summoned Beasts as family and friends. No wonder her comrades were disgusted enough not to train with her."

"In that case, the reason why this Summoned Beast attacked so fiercely was also for revenge. No wonder the attack was so fierce. I understand now."

"Calling a comrade a vile beast? Sakura doesn't deserve to be a Shinobi. Go, Squirtle! Take her down… I'm rooting for you!"

"I support that too!"

Each clone played a different role in the crowd, from rebuking misguided comments to revealing the truth.

And thanks to Sandaime's efforts over the past month to spread the real story, many in the audience had already heard rumors about Sakura's past behavior.

Suddenly, the people who were originally angry at Lee and Squirtle turned their anger towards Sakura, and public opinion completely reversed!

Everyone in the audience condemned Sakura, thinking that Sakura was a vile beast in human form and treated her companions like that. She was really unworthy of being a Shinobi!

Taking this opportunity, the shadow clones in the audience took the lead and shouted, "Sakura, you don't belong here! Get out of here!"

"Get out!"

"Get out!"

Hearing the jeers, Sakura's face turned deathly pale. The physical pain and the humiliation of the match were nothing compared to this psychological blow.

Being ostracized and condemned by everyone hurt her in a way that struck deep.

She tried to stand up to defend herself, but Squirtle's relentless attacks didn't allow her a chance to speak.

Bang, bang, bang!

Squirtle's repeated strikes left her too battered to rise, utterly defeated and miserable.

Taking a deep breath, Squirtle tried to launch a water-based attack, but lacking the strength, it only managed to spit a mouthful of saliva in her face.

Although not very offensive, it is extremely insulting.

Sakura, who had spit on her face and became the subject of intense scorn, was so exhausted that she fainted on the spot.

However, the crowd's condemnation only grew louder. Naruto watched the scene unfold, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

'After this, Sakura is completely dead socially...'