Chapter 42: Violation Level: 7 (Let Me Show You Something Precious)
In the damp, chilly sealed space, a boy and a fox faced each other in silence across a red-barred gate, one standing high, the other low.
Plop.
Plop.
Plop.
Water dripped from the unseen ceiling of the pitch-black cell, emphasizing the eerie silence within the sealed space.
"Human, you… how do you know my name?"
The Nine-Tails couldn't hold back any longer. It was the first to speak, breaking the silence as it fixed a piercing gaze on Naruto.
Hands in his pockets, draped in a loose black robe, Naruto's expression was one of indifference. His half-lidded eyes—like dead fish—looked back at the beast as he replied.
"Heard it from someone."
"You're lying!" The Nine-Tails immediately exploded with rage, baring its fangs as it roared, "Despicable human, do you still intend to deceive me?!"
"Human? Are you calling me that?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Despicable human, once I get out, I'll tear you to shreds!"
"Looks like you still haven't figured out the situation, Kurama." Naruto tilted his head back, a smile spreading across his face as he suddenly pointed at the beast.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Haha, just messing with you. You should've seen your face just now." Naruto grinned.
"Damn you! You dare mock me?!"
The Nine-Tails roared with fury, its crimson chakra beginning to stir as though it would lash out again.
But this time, Naruto's smile vanished in an instant. His face turned solemn as he raised his hand and pointed at the beast from afar.
"Bind it."
At his command, the red-barred gate began to contract inward at incredible speed, rapidly shrinking the Nine-Tails' space.
"ROAR!!!"
"Damn you! What did you do?! AHH!!!"
The Nine-Tails' furious bellows echoed through the space as the red bars shook violently under its pounding.
[Four Symbols Seal, Max Level.]
Naruto stood calmly where he was, waiting patiently for the beast's rage to subside. Eventually, the sealed space fell silent once more.
"Human…"
"I'll be back, Kurama. I hope next time we can have a pleasant conversation." With that, Naruto's consciousness flickered and departed the sealed space.
When his vision cleared, Naruto was standing in the apartment hallway. Outside, the heavy rain had mostly stopped. He reached into his pocket, searching for his key.
Just as he pulled the key out with a jingle, footsteps sounded from the far end of the hall—more than one person.
After what had just happened, Naruto's brows knitted tightly. His gaze locked firmly on the stairwell.
"Naruto!"
A girl's voice—bright, lively, and so at odds with death and blood. Her slender neck swayed slightly with her long, sakura-pink hair, fair and flawless.
Sakura emerged from the hallway, smiling as she waved to Naruto from afar. The post-rain golden sunlight shone through every strand of her hair.
Behind her followed two others: the languid Kakashi and the ever-cold Sasuke.
"Yo, Naruto." Kakashi had been to Naruto's place before, but this was his first time entering through the front door, and he seemed oddly unaccustomed to it.
It wasn't hard to see why—Anbu always preferred rooftops, window ledges, and other animal-like perches. No wonder they wore animal masks.
Sasuke's eyes didn't so much as flicker as he approached. His gaze lingered briefly on the blonde, who was just about to open his door—particularly on that bare forehead, devoid of a ninja headband. His lips curled with a mixture of disdain and disappointment.
"Tch."
"Sakura? Kakashi-sensei? Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, one hand hidden behind his back, ready to trigger the Four Symbols Seal at any moment.
"The Chūnin Exams…" Sakura gathered her courage and shouted, "We all want to take them with you, Naruto!"
"Huh?"
Naruto tilted his head, his hidden hand slowly relaxing.
...
Root Organization's underground office.
"Lord Danzō, the mission failed. The target… is dead."
Kneeling on one knee, a Root operative wearing a teal-patterned mask delivered his report. Behind his desk, Danzō, his right eye wrapped in bandages, sat in silence, his face grim.
"Dead?" Danzō asked coldly. "And the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"
"He…"
"Speak!" Danzō barked, glaring at the ninja.
Cold sweat ran down the operative's back as he mechanically answered.
"The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki… swallowed the target."
"Swallowed?"
"It was a sealing technique!" the Root ninja reported truthfully. "Most likely the Uzumaki clan's Four Symbols Seal. The target was drawn into the seal."
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Danzō tapped his desk, his face like ice as he spoke.
"Inform the Third Hokage: the jinchūriki qualification test has failed. The target exceeds Root's containment value."
"Provisional Violation Level: 7."
In Root, Danzō's orders were absolute. No one ever questioned them. The ninja responded with a single "Yes" before vanishing.
Elsewhere, the Third Hokage sat smoking his pipe, his face set in deep contemplation as he stared at two reports on his desk.
One was Root's failed mission report; the other, a petition from Team 7 requesting Naruto's reinstatement in the Chūnin Exams.
It bore not only Sakura's and Sasuke's signatures but also an unexpected letter of responsibility from Kakashi—complete with handprint and formal seals.
"Lord Hokage, this…" said Homura, standing stiffly beside him, his expression just as grim. "The jinchūriki's power has already exceeded the village's control."
"Not yet," Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of white smoke. His face was withered like old bark, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.
"Kakashi's mission report from the Land of Waves mentioned Naruto's jutsu—scalding magma. That's the Kekkei Genkai of Iwagakure's Four-Tails jinchūriki, combining Earth and Fire Release into Lava Release."
"A tailed beast… jinchūriki?" Homura was stunned. "How could Naruto possess a jutsu belonging to Iwagakure's jinchūriki?"
"Unknown," the Third Hokage replied gravely. "Originally, I only wanted to confirm whether Naruto had been swapped in the Land of Waves… possibly by that so-called Ninja God who's appeared recently."
"His recent actions are strange—sudden wealth, unexplained strength… But only an Uzumaki could wield the Four Symbols Seal, and only Naruto can contain the Nine-Tails…"
Hiruzen sighed, closing his eyes as he gave his final order.
"Tell Anbu to cease surveillance of the jinchūriki."
"But… Lord Hokage, without supervision, isn't that too dangerous?"
"After all…" Homura's gaze fell to Root's report, where the words stood out in stark black ink:
[Violation Level: 7]
"Lord Hokage, there are only ten violation levels in total, correct?" Homura swallowed nervously. "Yet the Nine-Tails' danger level is only six…"
"The Four Symbols Seal is a dangerous technique—it can seal the Nine-Tails, and even anything else entirely," Hiruzen explained, voice steady.
"Root has always exaggerated threats, ignoring the individual. But humans have emotions; even weapons can be guided."
"Sunlight, flowers, bonds of friendship, budding love, the acknowledgment of the village—these are the best ways to preserve a weapon."
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