"No, that can't be! Even with my activated Sharingan I couldn't beat her! And you're saying that the dobe succeeded where I failed?" Sasuke retorted, still having bandages wrapped around his body.
"It's true, Sasuke-kun. Naruto singlehandedly defeated Haku, and not too long after that he did away with Gatō after he slaughtered his entire army in seconds. Honoka-san sealed all of the corpses away before throwing the scroll over the bridge. It was unlike anything I ever saw, and the appearance Naruto had with that red chakra was frightening."
"Red chakra?" Sasuke asked.
"Naruto radiated it after Haku was wounded by Gatō's men, when she took two arrows in the back for Zabuza. But that chakra was filled with so much bloodlust, hate, and animosity. It even changed Naruto's physical appearance to be more savage as he grew fangs, claws, and his eyes turned red with black vertical slits for pupils," Sakura explained. Sasuke saw how Kakashi didn't bother to stop Sakura from explaining the story of what took place, indicating that Sakura wasn't exaggerating in her explanation of the events.
"How could the dobe radiate red chakra? There's no record of anyone in Konoha having such a chakra, and it can't be some kind of bloodline limit either. Do you know anything about this, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.
"Naruto has always been a ninja whose background was filled with many secrets. He will not discuss them with others unless he trusts those people with those secrets," Kakashi answered.
"You obviously know something about him that we don't know. Why don't you enlighten us about that red chakra you, Sakura, and Tazuna saw," Sasuke suggested.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. All I can tell you is that it's an S-ranked secret that I cannot divulge under penalty of death. The only people who can disregard that law are the Hokage, if he feels the absolute need to, and Naruto, who possesses that chakra," Kakashi clarified.
Sasuke wasn't pleased with that explanation, but he couldn't press the topic further.
"And as for that dark side of Naruto you saw, Sakura, all ninja possess a frightening dark side to themselves, one that could become monstrous if not continuously kept in check. There have been occasions when some had lost their sense of humanity when the art of killing became their only purpose and pleasure in life, while others couldn't handle the feeling of guilt that came with taking another person's life. But from what we saw of Naruto's actions, it's clear that Naruto has no hesitation to kill when the time calls for it, though he doesn't allow the art of killing to consume him as it has done to others before him," Kakashi stated.
Sakura inquired, "But what about those seal writings that appeared around Naruto's body and face? How do you explain that?"
"I can't, as I myself have never seen them before. I did ask Naruto about them but he refused to explain to me what those seals were, and requested that I don't try to force it out of him," Kakashi answered.
"Do you suppose Honoka-san gave him those seals?" Sakura asked.
"Honoka, not likely, regardless of how close she and Naruto are. I doubt that she has any familiarity with those seals we saw anyway. As for people outside Konoha who are affiliated with complex seals, I think it could be the work of one of the Sannin, but none of them have stepped foot in Konoha in years. This only adds to the mystery of Uzumaki Naruto. Aside from everything we were recently told by him and his distant cousin, there's so much we don't know about him," Kakashi enlightened.
"Like who he really is," Sakura remarked lowly. Though she said it in undertone, both Kakashi and Sasuke heard her words. Kakashi understood where Sakura was coming from, while Sasuke was deep in thought about her words centering on the blond Genin. Just then, perverted giggles were heard from the front of the house as the door opened with two people stepping into the house.
"Do you seriously have to read that smut around me Naruto-kun? It's inappropriate!" Honoka said with annoyance. Naruto blushed and smiled as he continued reading the contents of his favorite orange book.
"I have to catch up with my reading, Honoka-nee! I'm already half a week behind schedule, and the next series will start soon!" Naruto said with his eyes glue to his book, never missing a step as he and Honoka walked over to Kakashi and the group. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, did we missing anything?"
"Nothing important. How was your trip through town today?" Kakashi asked. Naruto said, "Everyone is starting to get their lives back together and fixing the damage Gatō has done. The people were all happy and praising us for getting rid of Gatō once and for all. By the way, where's Zabuza?"
"He's back at his hideaway with Haku. He's been watching over her since yesterday when Honoka was done treating her injuries. Your little speech at the bridge really struck home with him," Kakashi said.
"I'm happy to see that I was able to reach out to him. Despite everything I said about Zabuza after I defeated Haku, the cutie still saw the good in him that none of us knew of. It was quite surprising," Naruto commented with a smile.
"What's surprising, dobe, is everything we've been seeing of you for the past few days. Even I'm having a difficult time accepting what Kakashi and Sakura said about what took place at the bridge. You mind giving us an explanation for your mysterious seals, that red chakra of yours, and why you don't have a single injury despite having been a pincushion like me?" Sasuke interrogated.
"Yes, I do mind. Like I told you months ago at the ninja academy, as ninja we're all entitled to our own secrets. It's what gives us the element of surprise, thus making us unpredictable to our enemies. Besides that, there will always be spies lurking around," Naruto answered. Sasuke didn't like that Naruto was proving to be stronger and smarter than he was. His pride wouldn't allow him to be second to Naruto, their graduating class's dead last. As Sasuke was about to say something further, Inari, Tsunami, and Tazuna entered the house.
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