Rasa sensed a flicker of unease.
But he could only watch.
Gaara held Naruto in his monstrous grip, victory seemingly assured.
Yet Gaara wasn't content with a simple kill.
"You have the same monster inside you," he growled, dragging Naruto closer. His grotesque, beastly face loomed inches away, eyes wild, hot breath blasting Naruto as his raspy, frenzied voice echoed. "Come on, Naruto—shed your human mask! Become like me! Show them your true face!"
His monstrous claws tightened, Gaara's chakra burrowing into Naruto's body.
He was searching for the beast within.
He wanted Naruto to transform, to become a monster too.
To make the crowd fear, shun, and abandon him, just as they had Gaara.
"Damn it!" Naruto's face flushed red, struggling fiercely.
His abdomen burned, a primal rage clawing at his mind.
In an instant, he found himself in a dark void. Before him loomed a massive, orange-red beast, its form bubbling like molten foam.
"What—what is this?" Naruto gasped, startled.
The beast stirred, opening eyes brimming with malice and hatred.
"Hmph," its guttural breath filled the space, followed by a demonic whisper. "It's Shukaku, kid. You're about to die. Want my power? All it takes is hatred, rage, vengeance—and you'll wield strength like that."
The Nine-Tails, sealed too long, seethed with resentment.
It tempted Naruto, urging him to embrace fury, to unleash its power and spiral into destruction.
Gulp.
Naruto swallowed hard, realization dawning.
The Nine-Tails—the source of his childhood isolation, the reason adults feared and shunned him.
"Speak! Say you want power!" the Nine-Tails roared, its bubbling form surging toward Naruto, as if to engulf him.
Naruto felt it—a flood of chakra welling in his gut, laced with overwhelming emotions.
Hatred. Madness. Loneliness.
Under Shukaku's chakra and his own dark emotions, the seal began to waver.
In the arena, Naruto, still clutched in Gaara's grip, groaned in pain. Orange-red chakra seeped from his body. His eyes narrowed into slits, his expression growing feral, his teeth and nails lengthening.
A chilling aura spread.
The crowd's unease deepened, Hiruzen's earlier words unable to quell it.
This aura was unforgettable to Konoha's people—a terror that had once brought them immense suffering.
"That's it! Just like that!" Gaara scanned the stands, his voice a gleeful shriek. "Become a monster, Naruto! Embrace the same misery, hatred, and slaughter—that's our purpose!"
He couldn't wait to see Naruto transform, lose everything, and face rejection.
"This isn't good," Jiraiya muttered, stepping forward.
"Don't," Tsunade blocked him.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya's face was grim. "You know what happens if the Nine-Tails' seal breaks here."
"I know," Tsunade said, her fists clenched, a faint holy glow shimmering on her skin. "But… give Naruto a little more time."
To her, Naruto was too much like Nawaki.
If he truly aimed to be Hokage, mastering the Nine-Tails was a hurdle he had to face.
So… just a bit longer.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya said firmly, "I'll give him until the third tail appears."
Beyond that, he couldn't reseal the Nine-Tails without risking Naruto's life.
Tsunade said nothing, her focus absolute, the holy light on her skin intensifying.
For Naruto, the flood of negative emotions and the crowd's panic were overwhelming.
If he truly became a monster, lost control—would he lose everything? Would his comrades reject him, or worse, would he hurt them?
The seal's tiny crack, under the Nine-Tails' influence, threatened to widen.
Then—
"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?!" a furious voice cut through.
"Sasuke…" Naruto turned his head with effort.
Sasuke stood in the stands, one foot on a chair, his face a rare mask of anger.
"Even if you're a dead-last, you're not pathetic enough to lose to this guy!" Sasuke snapped, glaring at Gaara. "He's not even a can opener! Whether you use your own power or turn into a monster like him, just don't lose to this trash!"
"Hm?" Shen Mo glanced at Sasuke, surprised, then nodded in understanding.
Sasuke didn't want to tread his brother's heartless path. That resolve made him value his "comrades" more.
And Naruto?
Those words ignited a spark of courage, the support of a true friend.
"I'm not a dead-last, you jerk!" Naruto shouted, grinning despite his mock anger. Facing Gaara, veins bulged on his neck as the Nine-Tails' chakra fueled his strength. Slowly, he began to pry Gaara's monstrous claw apart.
"You… heard him, right?" Naruto forced out, straining. "Even if… I become… a monster… my comrades… Sasuke… they'll still stand by me!"
"Then I'll kill them! I'll slaughter them all!" Gaara roared, his jealousy and hatred boiling over, his claw squeezing harder.
But it didn't crush Naruto as before.
His resolve wavered.
"I… will stop you!" Naruto's eyes burned with unyielding determination. With a surge of raw power and a defiant yell, he tore free from Gaara's grip.
He didn't leap away.
Instead, he pulled out a scroll and lunged at Gaara.
"This is the Hokage's secret ultimate technique! Naruto's Grand Sealing Jutsu!"