"I won't let you hurt Hikari! You'll have to kill me first!"
Naruto spread his arms, shielding Hikari from harm. As he watched Yatsume Yurei's lightning-charged fingers slowly aim toward him, fear crept into his heart.
But this was his way of calling for help.
Ever since he was a kid, whenever he faced a life-or-death crisis, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, always appeared by his side without fail. Over the years, it had never been any different.
Naruto wasn't naive.
He knew the Hokage must have some way of finding him.
As long as I'm in danger, Sandaime-jiji will show up like always!
That way, Hikari could survive!
With unwavering resolve, Naruto positioned himself in front of Hikari, fearless even in the face of the ultimate spear capable of piercing steel.
"Heh, your wish is granted!"
Yatsume Yurei raised his right hand, the Raiton (Lightning Release) at his fingertips crackling with wild arcs of electricity.
A glint of excitement flashed in Hikari's eyes.
The more concentrated the Raiton spear became, the stronger its power—but the stray lightning arcs signaled that the enemy's control was slipping. Combined with the fact that Yurei's chakra was nearing its limit, everything pointed to one thing: his strength was waning.
Hikari gathered Fuuton (Wind Release) in her right hand while her left was cloaked in the tailed beast's chakra cloak.
She wasn't worried about Naruto's safety.
With the Kyuubi, Asura, Kushina, and Minato Namikaze residing within him, Naruto's body was practically a mahjong table of powerful souls. Even the Sage of the Six Paths was keeping watch from above.
There was no way a shinobi from Kumogakure could challenge that.
If they could just unleash the power within Naruto, the tide of battle would turn completely!
With a spark of inspiration, Hikari placed her left hand on Naruto's stomach.
Naruto jumped, startled. "Hikari, what—?!"
"No time to talk! Focus and feel!" Hikari couldn't explain; time was too tight.
Relying on Naruto entering a near-death state to trigger the Kyuubi's power was too passive. She needed to use the power of the Sanbi (Three-Tails) to draw the Kyuubi's attention and pull out its chakra directly.
Here goes!
The fiery red tailed beast cloak transformed into pure tailed beast energy, which Hikari gently channeled into the acupoints on Naruto's abdomen.
"Urgh!!"
Naruto shuddered.
The chakra looked like blazing fire, red and vibrant, but as it entered his body, it felt icy—not the sharp cold of ice cubes, but the eerie, temperatureless chill of deep ocean water.
The cold invaded relentlessly.
Naruto felt as if he were sinking to the ocean floor.
Swish—swish—
The sound of water echoed in his mind.
Suddenly, Naruto's eyes snapped open. In a vast, dark prison, two enormous vertical pupils stared back at him from the shadows.
"You… you're—"
"Tch—the scent of the Sanbi? Interesting little girl!" the creature rumbled.
Naruto turned to see Hikari's figure standing beside him in this boundless watery prison.
"Hikari, where are we? And that monster—"
"Don't panic. This is the depths of your heart. That's the source of what they call your 'monster,'" Hikari said, pointing to the colossal red fox in the prison, her eyes filled with awe.
She had never seen such magnificent chakra.
Forgive me for using 'magnificent'—it's not quite right, but I can't find a better word.
The fiery red chakra was overwhelming, as if it could fill the entire world.
If Hikari's chakra was a single drop of water, Naruto's was a massive tank. But the Kyuubi's vibrant Yoton (Yang Release) chakra? It was an endless ocean.
Is this the power of the Kyuubi, said to have infinite chakra?
Even just half of its Yang chakra held such might.
Hikari unconsciously licked her lips.
It wouldn't take much.
If she could just get three bites of the Kyuubi's flesh, she could outlast that old man outside. Even if she couldn't beat him, she could drown him in chakra.
This is the Kyuubi!
In the sealed prison, the Kyuubi, Kurama, lounged with its belly up, gazing down at the figure radiating the scent of the Sanbi's Isohama.
"I smell greed," it said.
"I've never hidden it, Kurama!" Hikari replied boldly.
Kurama's eyes flickered with nostalgia and surprise. After all these years, it hadn't expected to hear its true name from someone else's mouth.
Sensing the information within Hikari's chakra, it paused.
Moments later, it spoke. "The Byakugan's power… and an incomplete Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)? Are you a descendant of Hamura?" Kurama's eyes widened, studying Hikari's small frame closely.
It had never met Otsutsuki Hamura, but it had heard of his power from the Sage of the Six Paths—the source of all intangible forces, the endpoint of all tangible things.
Shikotsumyaku?
Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai?
Hearing the name from Kurama's mouth, Hikari's eyes lit up.
The path to upgrading Shikotsumyaku was unclear, and even the potential cause of its bloodline disease—possibly tied to vitality—was just a guess with no evidence.
Does Kurama know the secret to advancing Shikotsumyaku?
Her mind raced, but Hikari knew now wasn't the time to ask.
"Kurama, lend us some chakra, will ya?" Hikari pushed Naruto forward, acting chummy.
Kurama glanced at the nervous Naruto and the brazen Hikari, then at the man outside charging his Raiton. Their intentions were clear.
If Naruto died, Kurama would die too.
It would take at least thirty years to revive.
The sensation of sinking into endless darkness, existing in a chaotic void—only those who had died could understand it.
To Kurama, staying in Naruto's body and watching the world was far better than being locked in a dark void for thirty years.
"You managed to find this place, so consider this power your reward!" Kurama said haughtily, raising its neck.
Fiery red chakra seeped from the prison, forming red ripples in the water.
Whoosh!
The red chakra swerved, deliberately avoiding Hikari, and poured entirely into Naruto's body.
"Tch, stingy," Hikari muttered, pouting as she let go of Naruto, letting him be enveloped by the Kyuubi's power.
"Hmph!" Kurama snorted, choosing to ignore her.
It had long sensed Hikari's hungry gaze, like she was eyeing a meal.
Not giving you a bite!
Swish—swish—
The sound of water faded from their ears.
Hikari and Naruto snapped awake.
Time in the Kyuubi's sealed realm seemed to flow differently; less than a second had passed outside. Yatsume Yurei had only just aimed his arm at Naruto's heart.
"Since you want to die, I'll grant both of you that wish."
Cold lightning crackled between his fingers. Yatsume Yurei crouched low, his right leg braced, his body like a sword ready to strike.
Killing two Jinchuriki with one blow.
It would honor the Fourth Raikage's orders—
Boom!
A sudden gust of wind erupted around Naruto.
His blue eyes turned into eerie vertical slits, his canines protruded menacingly, and a deep red demon fox cloak enveloped him, far more vivid than Hikari's pale red one.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Claws sprouted from his hands, and the six whisker-like marks on his cheeks deepened.
In an instant, Naruto had undergone a partial demon fox transformation.
Hikari stepped out from behind him.
Whoosh!
Her pale red tailed beast cloak spread across her body. Her chakra was nearly depleted, but with the power of the Hachimon Tonko (Eight Gates), she could manage one final use of the tailed beast cloak.
The two stood side by side.
"Roar—!"
Naruto's throat, affected by the demon fox transformation, could no longer form words.
But his consciousness remained clear, able to distinguish friend from foe.
"Listen to me, Naruto," Hikari whispered, grabbing the frenzied Naruto. "The enemy's technique can only target one person at a time, so…"
Their hushed exchange was inaudible to Yatsume Yurei.
Faced with two red-cloaked figures, he hesitated, caught in a dilemma.
His Jigokuzuki (Hell Stab) was unmatched in the ninja world, but each maximum-power strike consumed massive chakra.
The gathered Raiton strained his body; he was nearing his limit with this ultimate technique.
Should he kill the Jinchuriki, ensuring Konoha lost the Kyuubi for thirty years? Or target the strange girl, ending this monstrous genius?
Yatsume Yurei curled his third finger.
His forearm, thicker than most people's thighs, tensed with taut muscles, his sword-like fingers pointing at the two like an enraged dragon.
If Konoha's reinforcements arrived, he wouldn't be able to kill either.
He had to take out at least one.
The Kyuubi's potential was immeasurable, and he wasn't confident he could kill Naruto.
But the girl? He'd already tested her limits. After the earlier battle, her stamina and reflexes were no longer at their peak. She was the one he could take down.
His lightning-charged fingers trembled slightly, locking onto Hikari.
It has to be her!
At the south gate of Training Ground Zero, ninja academy students gathered in small groups, chattering about their adventures in the training ground.
Hyuga Neji looked toward the forest's depths, his brow furrowed with worry.
"Neji, what's wrong?" Tenten bent down, waving a hand in front of his face. When he snapped out of it, she handed him a piece of bread their teacher had distributed.
"Nothing. Thanks."
Neji took the food politely but continued gazing at the sky.
Using his Byakugan, he'd observed the training ground earlier.
At its center, he'd seen a greenish light shoot into the sky. But before he could study it, the light vanished, as if the beam piercing the clouds was just an illusion.
A sudden beast stampede had erupted in Training Ground Zero—could it be tied to that strange light?
Neji felt uneasy.
The students who'd escaped were gathered at the south gate under the teachers' supervision, but Hikari was nowhere among them. Neji knew how strong she was.
A few wild beasts? Even if every beast in Konoha's training grounds banded together, Hikari could handle them with a few blasts of Fuuton chakra.
Using the Kaiten (Rotation) technique as a base, she'd developed a deadly close-range wind barrier, a genius-level ninjutsu concept that even Neji, hailed as the Hyuga branch family's top prodigy, felt inferior to.
Logically, if he could escape the forest, Hikari should've been waiting outside, carefree.
Her absence meant she'd run into serious trouble.
Recalling the teachers' talk of foreign spies, Neji anxiously scanned the forest depths.
Nearby, Tenten nibbled on her bread, pretending to eat daintily. Her eyes occasionally drifted to the upright, melancholic pretty boy.
Seeing Neji focused solely on the forest, ignoring her, Tenten's cute round face puffed up in frustration, and she turned away with a huff.
Neji remained oblivious.
Time passed quickly.
The moonlight grew brighter.
Every so often, teachers in green vests emerged from the forest with a few students.
The makeshift camp grew livelier, the dark forest losing its mystique amid the noise.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, rapid rustling and hurried footsteps echoed from the forest depths.
Leaves cascaded from the treetops.
Neji, ever vigilant, narrowed his Byakugan and locked onto the source.
Step! Step! Step!
Two academy teachers burst from the forest, carrying a bloodied man on their backs.
Behind them followed three students and a dog.
Neji immediately spotted Hinata, her deep blue hair and pure Byakugan unmistakable, her clothes torn by branches, her expression shaken.
Not just Neji—the teachers supervising the students noticed the disheveled group too.
Sensing something was wrong, they rushed to assist. "What happened?"
"Quick, we need a medical ninja! Kazama-sensei is dying!!"
The two teachers' urgent shouts drew more eyes.
Only then did everyone realize the blood-soaked man was Kazama Etsu, the academy's strongest teacher.
"How could this happen to Kazama-sensei?"
Seeing Kazama's mangled arms, a sensitive female teacher covered her mouth in disbelief.
Soon, several medical ninjas ran forward with medical kits.
A faint green glow emanated from their hands, and Kazama's ashen face regained some color under the infusion of Yoton chakra.
While there were many medical ninjas, few could perform Shosen Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique).
They could only use basic medical ninjutsu to stabilize his vitals, awaiting transfer to the hospital for advanced treatment.
Seeing Kazama's condition stabilize, attention turned back to Shino and the others.
"Who's the enemy? How did Kazama-sensei get injured like this?"
"A Kumogakure ninja infiltrated Training Ground Zero!!"
"The enemy's at least an elite Jonin, with chakra reserves over four times Kazama-sensei's!"
Kiba and Shino, catching their breath, quickly added details. Hinata, shy under the scrutiny, nodded repeatedly, confirming their account.
"A Kumogakure elite Jonin?"
The crowd gasped.
As everyone knew, ninja battles depended on environment, compatibility, and secret techniques, making it impossible to precisely rank combat strength.
Thus, ninja ranks were used to gauge ability. You might have Jonin-level strength but not the title, but without that strength, you'd never be a Jonin.
Each ninja village was stringent in selecting Jonin, demanding excellence in every aspect.
This was true for regular ninjas.
But even among Jonin, there were gaps.
Top-tier Jonin could wipe out fifty ordinary Jonin in seconds or hold their own against a Kage. To distinguish these monsters from regular Jonin, unofficial terms emerged.
In a village with a hundred Jonin, roughly the top twenty were elite Jonin. The top ten were renowned, named figures—the village's public face.
The top five were high-ranking, potential Kage candidates, jokingly called "quasi-Kage."
These were either the ninja world's top powerhouses or prominent figures constantly active outside their villages.
At the very least, they were absolute elites among Jonin.
For such a master to appear in the village undetected…
A single thought crossed everyone's minds:
This is big trouble!
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