Projection—Naruto

A blinding white light flashed, and an entirely unknown world unfolded before them.

The sky was blue, with wisps of clouds drifting lazily across it. The bright morning sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting sparkling patterns on the ground. All around them stretched an endless forest, its trees swaying gently in the cool autumn breeze. The leaves rustled softly in the wind, and wildflowers swayed, still in full bloom. The occasional chirp of birds from deep within the forest only enhanced the peaceful, tranquil atmosphere.

"What is this…?" Saber, wide-eyed, glanced around in disbelief. "A Reality Marble? How could this be possible?"

"Welcome to my world," the beautiful girl standing before them smiled, spreading her arms wide. "I've never used this power before. You're the first to witness my world, so please, enjoy it to the fullest."

"No… This isn't a Reality Marble," Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed, his usually haughty expression replaced with a rare look of seriousness.

"That's right," Iskandar added, patting a massive tree beside him. "This isn't a Reality Marble. This is a real world."

As someone who also possessed a Reality Marble, and with Gilgamesh's mastery of treasures that transcended worlds, it didn't take long for the two to realize that what they were seeing wasn't some magical projection but a true physical reality.

"A real world…?" Saber's pupils contracted in shock. "How could a human possess such power?"

"Yes, this is no Reality Marble, but an actual world. And it belongs to me," Kaguya said with a soft smile. "Now, let me clean up this trash before we continue our conversation." She turned, casting a cold glance at the Assassin duplicates standing in the distance.

"What an interesting development," Gilgamesh murmured to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, a smirk forming on his lips. "This is getting more and more intriguing."

The Assassin clones, upon hearing that it wasn't a Reality Marble but the real world, relaxed slightly. One of them scoffed, "So it's the real world, huh? That means we have nothing to fear. How stupid, choosing to fight in a forest! Does she not know who we are? We're Assassins! She's walked right into her own doom."

"Hahahaha!"

The Assassins laughed, dismissing Kaguya as a mere ornamental beauty—perhaps pleasing to the eye, but certainly no threat.

Kaguya lowered her head slightly, her lips curling into a faint smile. "You fools. You don't even realize that death is staring you in the face. Very well, let me show you my true power."

With that, she raised her alabaster arm and softly muttered, "Projection: Naruto."

The ground beneath their feet began to crack and tremble, the earth swirling and twisting as it rose up to form human shapes. These figures, each dressed in unfamiliar clothing for this era, stood silently around Kaguya. To those who had watched Naruto, they would instantly recognize them: the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, Namikaze Minato, Senju Tobirama, and more. Even members of the Otsutsuki clan, such as Kinshiki and Momoshiki, stood among them.

"Oh?" One of the Assassins looked at the figures, seemingly surprised. But after a brief inspection, his expression turned scornful. "They're just clay figures! You're nothing but an arrogant girl playing with dolls. How pathetic. You think these mud puppets will be enough to defeat us? It's an insult."

As he spoke, the bodies of Otsutsuki Kinshiki and Momoshiki began to crumble, dissolving back into the earth from which they had been summoned.

Kaguya frowned slightly, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "It must be due to a lack of chakra," she muttered.

Kaguya's Mirror Flower, Water Moon ability allowed her to project not only objects but also people she knew, albeit not at their full strength. Even so, they were formidable. However, the amount of chakra required was immense, and even Kaguya was feeling the drain.

"Hahaha."

The Assassin clones laughed wildly, completely underestimating the silver-haired girl in front of them. If they had held any concern earlier, it was now gone, convinced that Kaguya was merely bluffing.

But Gilgamesh, Iskandar, and even Saber did not share their dismissive attitude. They remained on guard, their expressions solemn as they sensed the true danger lurking beneath Kaguya's calm demeanor.

"Well, it doesn't matter if the projection didn't work," Kaguya said with a light chuckle. "Handling a few rats hiding in the shadows is more than manageable."

Her projected ninjas' eyes flashed coldly as they moved, each like a released arrow, charging toward the Assassins with blinding speed.

"Ridiculous! You think you can crush us—What?!"

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The ground suddenly trembled violently. Soil churned and rocks shattered as countless trees burst forth from the earth, growing rapidly into towering giants. Vines shot out from the trees like serpents, wrapping themselves around several of the Assassin clones.

Blood splattered everywhere.

The captured Assassins were squeezed until their bodies burst, crushed by the relentless grip of the vines.

The remaining Assassins, who barely managed to evade the initial onslaught, retreated hastily, their faces pale as they stared in horror at the living forest around them. "What is this? Magic? Is she a mage?"

Before they could react, a chilling voice came from behind them.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique."

One of the Assassin clones trembled violently, turning around just in time to see several massive fire dragons, their fierce, scorching forms barreling toward him.

It was too late to dodge.

"Ahhhh!"

The Assassin clone screamed as the fire engulfed him, burning his body to ash within moments.

"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"

"Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags!"

"Shinra Tensei!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions erupted one after another, fire and smoke filling the air as shockwaves tore through the forest, leaving it in ruins. Limbs and leaves were sent flying in all directions.

Within less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the entire Assassin force had been decimated by Kaguya's ninja projections.

The last remaining Assassin clone leaned against a tree, panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat. His face was etched with terror. He hadn't anticipated that these seemingly insignificant figures could possess such overwhelming power—power on par with, if not exceeding, that of Heroic Spirits.

Now, he regretted everything. Why had he foolishly provoked such a powerful opponent? Cursing Kirei Kotomine for deceiving him, the Assassin clone wished he had known earlier just how formidable Kaguya and her ninjas truly were.

Still, he felt a sliver of hope. After all, as an Assassin, his specialty lay in stealth. If he could remain hidden long enough, perhaps he could survive.

But just then, a voice echoed through the air.

"Planetary Devastation (Chibaku Tensei)."

At that moment, something blocked out the sunlight. A powerful sense of impending doom gripped the Assassin's heart, and he looked up in horror, his pupils contracting sharply.