With a roar, Naruto lunged. His speed had doubled, but his form was sloppy it looked rage-driven. Sasuke dodged narrowly, but Naruto kept coming, swiping and smashing around like a wild beast.
"Naruto! You're losing it!" Sasuke shouted, jumping back again.
"SHUT UP!" Naruto howled, his voice layered with a feral growl.
His features twisted his nails lengthened, and his whisker marks deepened. One tail of chakra flickered behind him as he panted heavily.
{You fool! Pull back! You're not ready!} Kurama snarled in his mind.
But Naruto didn't hear him. The frustration of always being behind Sasuke, the pressure, the teasing, all of it boiled over.
"I'LL SHOW YOU!" he screamed, charging again.
Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly. He moved to counter, but Naruto's erratic chakra lashed out like a wild wave. A direct clash sent both flying, but Naruto landed on all fours, snarling like an animal.
Kakashi stood up slowly, his eyes narrowing. "That's enough."
But Naruto wasn't stopping. Another tail threatened to form. His chakra raged in all directions, trees bending from the pressure.
"Stop, Naruto!" Sakura shouted.
Kakashi blurred and appeared in front of Naruto as he lunged again. In a flash, Kakashi's palm glowed with a sealing pattern as he pressed it onto Naruto's gut.
A surge of light burst from the point of contact. Naruto froze and gasped, and the red chakra flickered violently and then vanished.
"K-Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto dropped to the ground, panting heavily, eyes wide with shock.
"You let your emotions take over. This is why I said not to rush." Kakashi crouched beside him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
Naruto looked at his trembling hands. "I-I couldn't stop… Sasuke-he-"
"You got frustrated," Kakashi said gently. "And Kurama's chakra fed off it. That power doesn't listen to you. Not yet."
Sasuke walked over slowly, brushing off the dust. "You're not ready, dobe."
"Shut up…" Naruto said as he glared up at him.
"You could've seriously hurt someone." Sasuke sighed and looked away.
Naruto's fists clenched, but Kakashi shook his head. "He's right. You almost lost control. You've made progress, Naruto, but it takes time."
Kurama's voice rumbled again in Naruto's mind. {You're lucky your teacher's good at seals. That could've ended badly.}
"I just… wanted to catch up." Naruto flopped onto his back, exhausted.
Kakashi smiled slightly. "And you will. But not by skipping steps. You'll train, like always. You'll fall, and get back up. That's your way, isn't it?"
"Yeah… I guess it is." Naruto looked at him and nodded slowly.
Sakura and Ranmaru rushed over to check on him, while Anko muttered from the side, "Drama queens, all of them."
"They're kids." Kurenai chuckled.
Sasuke looked down at Naruto one more time. "Try not to blow up next time, moron."
"No promises…" Naruto said as he gave a weak thumbs-up.
….
Kakashi stood in the center, arms crossed and eyes calm. Sasuke leaned against a tree, arms tucked, while Naruto sat on the ground with his legs crossed, pouting. Ranmaru and Sakura sat at the edge watching quietly, while Anko lounged lazily on a log, munching on dango.
"Alright Naruto," Kakashi said, tilting his head. "We'll try again. Focus and meditate. I'll guide you in, and Kurama will do the rest. Try not to mess it up this time."
Naruto grumbled. "Yeah yeah, don't mess up. Easy for you to say, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi gave a small smirk and activated his Sharingan. In seconds, Naruto's eyes glazed and he fell into the mindscape. Inside, the dark sewer-like area greeted him, water rippling at his feet. The massive gates of Kurama's cage loomed ahead, and two red eyes glowed behind them.
"Oh, it's you again," Kurama snorted, stretching lazily. "What do you want this time, you little furball?"
"Oi! I'm not a furball! You're the one with the fur!" Naruto snapped, stomping through the water.
Kurama gave a toothiest grin. "And you're the one with the brain the size of a rice grain."
"Hey! I've gotten way smarter! Kakashi-sensei even said so!"
"Yeah?" Kurama scoffed. "Then why did you fall flat on your face yesterday? Trying to balance my chakra and ended up farting instead of flaring."
"I didn't fart! That was… wind-style training!" Naruto's face went red.
"Sure it was, kid." Kurama barked a laugh.
"Whatever!" Naruto crossed his arms. "Let's just do this! Kakashi-sensei said I need to learn this or I'll lose to Sasuke again!"
Kurama's tone instantly shifted. "So this is about him?"
Naruto nodded with a pout. "He's just so strong now. With the Sharingan, and the Rasengan, and that creepy new seal given to him by Kakashi-sensei, he's flying now too! I can't let him get ahead of me forever."
"Fine. Then stop whining and listen for once. Sit." Kurama narrowed his eyes.
Naruto sat.
"Close your eyes."
He did.
"Now breathe."
Naruto sucked in a deep breath and blew out loudly.
"Are you trying to sound like a broken vacuum?" Kurama snapped.
"Shut up! I'm breathing!"
Kurama groaned. "Fine. Focus on the chakra around you. Feel the warm chakra. That's mine. Pull it slowly. Not too much. You don't want to explode. Again."
Naruto concentrated. Slowly, he began drawing the chakra in. Red and orange energy swirled around him in the mindscape.
Outside, in the real world, faint flickers of red chakra began to wrap around Naruto's body.
"So he's finally learning to control it…" Sasuke watched with narrowed eyes.
"Think he's gonna blow up again?" Anko elbowed Kurenai, whispering,
"Don't jinx it," Kurenai whispered back.
Suddenly, Naruto twitched. A spark of jealousy surged in his heart as he thought about Sasuke beating him in their last spar. The memory of everyone praising Sasuke's seal burned in his head.
"I'll show them I'm just as good!" he muttered.
Kurama's eyes widened. "Wait, DON'T pull that much!"
Too late.