The day after Rock Lee's battle, Naruto sought out Might Guy, who was visiting Lee in the hospital. Guy assumed at first that Naruto had come to see Lee, but he quickly realized the boy's intent was different.
Naruto didn't waste time with pleasantries. His voice was steady, direct.
"Sensei Guy, I want to learn the Eight Gates."
Guy froze, his usually cheerful face overtaken by shock. "What? Naruto… you want to learn the Eight Gates Released Formation?" His disbelief was palpable—why would Naruto of all people pursue such a path?
He pressed, "Naruto, tell me—why do you seek this power?"
"Because I need to become stronger. The Eight Gates break through the body's limits, and that makes them worth studying," Naruto answered without hesitation. With someone like Guy, honesty was better than excuses.
Guy's expression hardened. "You must understand, Naruto—the Eight Gates aren't a technique you can simply learn on a whim. Without years of discipline, the body cannot withstand that overload. You've seen Lee's condition. At best, it's exhaustion like his… at worst, a lifetime in a wheelchair. You must think carefully."
Naruto met his gaze without wavering. "I've already thought it through. I want to master it."
Guy hesitated. If he refused, it would feel like an insult—Naruto wasn't just any shinobi now, he was the hero of the village, someone who had already stood alongside Kage in battle. Finally, Guy sighed, his teeth flashing in his familiar grin.
"Very well. Meet me at Training Ground Three tomorrow at seven. We'll begin then."
Naruto gave a short nod. "Understood. I'll leave these fruits for Lee." With that, his body dissolved into smoke as a shadow clone dispelled.
Far from Konoha, beyond its walls and watchful eyes, a different Naruto moved under another guise.
In the shadowed forests outside Taki Village, the Nine-Tails' chakra vessel—Naruto's darker double—wore the uniform and mannerisms of a Root operative. Even his aura mimicked Danzo's agents.
Two Taki-nin on patrol spotted him immediately.
"Stop right there! State your name and purpose!"
Naruto raised a placating hand, voice calm but commanding. "There's no need for alarm. I was sent by Konoha's Elder Danzo, here to offer formal condolences."
The guards exchanged skeptical looks. "Danzo? From Konoha?" Suspicion lingered in their eyes, but Naruto produced forged papers with practiced ease. One guard kept watch while the other hurried back to report.
Within minutes, the village elder received word. He muttered darkly, "Danzo, the old fox himself? Rare, indeed. Let's see what scheme he's spinning now. Bring this envoy before me."
Escorted into the village, Naruto felt it immediately—the faint, distinct chakra signature of the Seven-Tails' host. His true goal was close. The Akatsuki's hunt for the tailed beasts was progressing, but Naruto couldn't allow them to resurrect the Ten-Tails prematurely. If that happened, the world would spiral into disaster. Until his own plans were complete, the Jinchūriki needed to be under his control.
Facing the elder of Taki, Naruto presented his forged message. "This is a letter from Elder Danzo."
The elder's eyes scanned the scroll, and within seconds his face twisted with fury. "So Danzo dares demand our Seven-Tails Jinchūriki? Tell him he's delusional! Taki is no one's pawn—least of all Konoha's!" He slammed the scroll shut, his voice booming through the chamber. "If Tsunade has the Hokage's seat, then she will answer to me directly. As for you, return to your master and tell him Taki will not bow."
Naruto's lips curved into a cold, mocking smile. "You mistake me. When Danzo desires your Jinchūriki, it should be considered an honor. Do you really think Taki can defy him?"
The elder rose, rage flashing in his eyes, but he never had the chance to strike. Naruto moved faster than their senses could track—within heartbeats, the elder and his three guards collapsed, unconscious on the floor. Alive, but utterly incapacitated.
There was no more need for pretense. Naruto's clone dissolved into a blur, racing toward the source of the chakra he had felt earlier.
In a secluded training ground near the village's heart, the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki—Fu, a young kunoichi with short green hair and wary eyes—looked up in surprise as he appeared.
"Who are you? I've never seen you around the village."
Naruto didn't bother answering. In one swift movement, he struck her with the blunt edge of his blade, rendering her unconscious. He caught her before she could fall, hoisting her over his shoulder.
"The Akatsuki won't have you," he muttered, already vanishing into the trees. "Not yet. You'll serve my purpose first."
The shadows of the forest swallowed him whole, leaving Taki Village behind—its leaders unconscious, its Jinchūriki stolen, and its fate shaken by a phantom wearing the mask of Konoha's darkest root.
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