Before completely losing consciousness, Naruto responded,
"I want power that everyone will acknowledge!!"
Inside the seal space, Carl's lips curved slightly. After Naruto said those words, Carl could clearly feel the power of the seal loosen just a bit.
But because Naruto's body had taken two heavy blows, he had already completely fainted.
Darkness burned off Carl like flames.
The terrifying aura made even the Nine-Tails, who had been crouching behind Carl all this time, shudder.
It rumbled in a deep voice,
"You... are you planning to take this brat's body?"
Carl turned his head at those words and smirked with disdain.
"I have no interest in stealing someone else's body. I still have my own, you know."
"Then what are you planning...?"
"I just want to borrow Uzumaki Naruto's body for a bit and experience the world of ninjas for myself."
Although the seal had weakened, the power-restricted Carl still couldn't break free completely.
At most, he could send his consciousness out for now.
Dark, tide-like power erupted completely from Carl's body, instantly filling the entire seal space.
...
Outside, Iruka saw Naruto lying motionless on the ground for a long time and stepped forward again, intending to pick him up and take him to the infirmary.
The surrounding students didn't spare another glance at Naruto on the ground.
Their eyes were all fixed on Sasuke, the victor of the match.
Iruka crouched beside Naruto, looking at his battered form.
He sighed softly and was just about to reach out to check on Naruto when—
Boom!!!
Black "flames" suddenly erupted across Naruto's body.
A dark tornado shot skyward, and the once-clear sky instantly turned gloomy.
Everyone present froze at the sudden, shocking scene.
The Third Hokage's pupils shrank sharply as he thought,
"Not good! This dark aura... could it be the Nine-Tails?!"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Naruto slowly rose to his feet, lifting his gaze toward the crowd before him.
Those originally bright-blue eyes had now transformed into a dazzling gold.
Surrounded by that swirling darkness, they shone with an almost divine radiance.
Other than the eye color, Naruto's face hadn't changed at all.
Yet in everyone's hearts, the same thought surfaced—
This was no longer the Naruto they knew.
Such overwhelming dominance, such a towering, aloof presence—it was impossible for it to belong to Naruto.
Sasuke stared solemnly at the surging aura around Naruto, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
But Naruto didn't spare anyone a glance.
He merely lowered his head to look at his own body and rolled his neck slightly.
The raging black aura instantly withdrew back into him.
Iruka finally snapped out of his daze.
He swallowed nervously.
"Naruto, you…"
A smile appeared on Naruto's face—one so unfamiliar it made Iruka uneasy.
Naruto raised his hand slightly, and for some reason, with just that gesture, Iruka instinctively shut his mouth.
Sweeping his gaze casually over the crowd, Naruto said evenly,
"The assessment isn't over yet, right?"
Iruka, a bit dazed, nodded.
Naruto turned his eyes to Sasuke.
The moment Naruto's gaze landed on him, Sasuke felt his hair stand on end.
He immediately dropped into a battle stance—so different from the casual attitude he'd shown earlier.
But Naruto only glanced at him briefly before looking away.
"Forget it," he said, shaking his head. "I can't be bothered. All of you, come at me together."
The moment those words fell, silence descended over the entire field.
Then came a burst of shocked murmurs.
"Is he kidding? Did that beating scramble his brain?!"
"No wonder he suddenly seems like a completely different person—turns out he's lost his mind!"
"But what about that black aura just now…"
At that, the crowd fell silent again.
What they had just witnessed had been far too terrifying.
So terrifying that many subconsciously chose to ignore it, pretending it had been some kind of illusion.
But if it had been an illusion, how could everyone have seen the exact same thing?
Sasuke's expression darkened as he said coldly,
"Whatever happened to you just now isn't enough to close the gap between us. I advise you to face reality… dead last."
If it had been the old Naruto, hearing that insult would have sent him into a rage.
But now, Naruto merely smiled faintly, then slowly raised his hand toward Sasuke.
Seeing him take what looked like a battle stance, Sasuke frowned.
Despite calling Naruto dead last, that overwhelming presence made Sasuke instinctively cautious.
He raised his guard, planning to test Naruto's strength first.
The next moment, Naruto's hand snapped into a fist, striking the air with a short, explosive punch.
A visible shockwave blasted forth.
Before Sasuke could even react, the force slammed into him and sent him flying like a cannonball into the crowd behind him.
Students were knocked over in a chain reaction.
Some were hit so hard they passed out on the spot.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Naruto stayed where he was, arms crossed, watching the commotion like it was a show.
When the dust settled, everyone looked at him differently now.
Fear.
That was what filled their eyes.
Before, under the influence of the adults, the kids had feared Naruto.
But when they realized he had no great power—was even weaker than them—that fear turned to scorn.
Now, that fear was back.
And stronger than ever.
One blow.
That was all it had taken to knock out Sasuke, the top student.
So when Naruto stood there and issued his challenge again, no one dared make a sound.
Not even a breath.
Sasuke lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
Seeing no one stepping forward, Naruto shook his head in disappointment.
"In the end, you're all just a bunch of kids…"
Then he suddenly looked up at the Third Hokage, smiling faintly.
"Honorable Hokage-sama, why don't you take their place and finish this assessment for them?"
The Third's eyes locked on Naruto.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, he slowly rose to his feet.
Whoosh!
Two masked ANBU instantly appeared beside him.
One spoke in a low voice,
"Hokage-sama, let me—"
The Third raised his hand to stop him, then stepped forward toward Naruto.
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg