The Cursed Seal-enhanced Jūgo let out a furious roar and slammed his massive arm into the ground.
Boom!
The earth exploded as a huge crater formed where Naruto had been standing.
Fortunately, Naruto reacted instantly, leaping backward and narrowly avoiding the devastating blow.
At the same time, Fū and Sai had already taken to the sky.
As the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, Fū possessed the unique ability to fly using Chōmei's wings. Beside her, Sai rode one of his ink birds created through the Super Beast Scroll, giving the two complete control of the battlefield from above.
Without hesitation, they launched a coordinated assault.
"Hidden Technique: Wing Strike!"
"Super Beast Scroll: Eagle Hunt!"
Fū swung her wings, releasing razor-sharp chakra currents that sliced through the air like invisible blades.
At the same time, Sai's ink eagles and giant squid rushed toward Naruto from multiple directions.
Naruto looked up with an excited smile.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Rather than retreating, he welcomed the attack head-on.
"Wind Style: Storm Palm!"
He clapped his hands together.
A violent burst of Wind Release chakra erupted from his body, creating a massive storm that swept across the battlefield.
Even without activating Wind Release Chakra Mode, Naruto's enormous chakra reserves and extraordinary vitality allowed him to unleash power far beyond that of an ordinary shinobi.
The raging winds collided with Fū's Wing Strike and Sai's ink beasts.
Boom!
The sky filled with roaring wind, scattered ink, and flying debris.
Dust covered the battlefield, completely hiding Naruto from view.
Suddenly, Karin pointed into the dust cloud.
"Over there!"
Naruto frowned.
I already used the wind to conceal both my chakra and my presence...
She still found me?
Guided by Karin's sensory abilities, Jūgo, Sai, and Fū immediately charged toward Naruto's location.
Karin's Kagura Mind's Eye truly deserved its reputation as one of the strongest sensory techniques in the ninja world.
It could detect not only chakra signatures but also their nature, quantity, location, and even emotional fluctuations.
The three attackers struck simultaneously.
"Multiple Lotus Barrage!"
"Super Beast Scroll: Full Armor!"
"Spore Dust Explosion!"
Jūgo unleashed a torrent of Cursed Seal chakra.
Sai's massive ink beast lunged forward.
Fū scattered explosive scales while creating powerful gusts with Chōmei's wings, turning the battlefield into a massive explosion.
Watching their perfectly coordinated attack, Naruto couldn't help smiling.
"Excellent."
"Then I'll stop holding back."
He clasped his hands together.
Wind Release chakra surged wildly around him, forming a massive tornado that enveloped his entire body.
This was...
Wind Release Chakra Mode!
Carried by the powerful winds, Naruto shot high into the sky.
Then he unleashed his counterattack.
"Hurricane Style!"
"Wind Oscillation: Pressure Damage!"
A gigantic sphere of compressed wind exploded into existence before blasting toward his opponents.
The attack resembled a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
Its terrifying pressure instantly dispersed every incoming technique before continuing forward with unstoppable force.
Even this...
Was Naruto deliberately holding back.
The three immediately realized the danger.
"Hidden Technique: Cocoon!"
"Super Beast Scroll: Guardian!"
Jūgo chose a different approach.
Rather than defending, he charged forward.
"Axe Strike Explosion!"
Unfortunately...
The difference in strength was overwhelming.
The powerful shockwave blasted all three of them into the air.
Watching them fall, Karin rushed forward in panic.
"Are you alright?"
Because Naruto had restrained his attack, Sai and Fū managed to defend themselves in time.
Jūgo, however, had charged directly into the explosion while consumed by the Cursed Seal's rage.
Blood covered his face, yet he showed no sign of pain.
"Karin!" Sai called out.
"He's completely lost control."
"Are you really planning to let him bite your arm again?"
Karin hesitated.
Before she could answer, Fū stepped forward.
"I'll keep Naruto busy."
"You help Jūgo recover first."
Karin nodded gratefully.
"Thank you!"
Fū immediately charged back toward Naruto.
Meanwhile, Sai quickly created an ink clone to restrain the rampaging Jūgo while Karin continuously injected chakra into him, helping suppress the berserk transformation.
When Jūgo finally began calming down, Karin rolled up her sleeve.
"Hurry."
"Bite me."
Her arm was already covered with old bite marks.
Jūgo looked at it briefly before slowly shaking his head.
"No."
"I'm alright now."
Watching the scene unfold, Naruto nodded approvingly.
Individual strength alone wasn't enough.
The true power of a team came from trust, cooperation, and supporting one another.
Although Team Eleven consisted of people with very different backgrounds, they were gradually becoming genuine comrades.
"Excellent!"
Naruto gave them a thumbs-up.
"That's exactly what I wanted to see."
"Again!"
The brutal training continued.
---
As the days passed, Naruto's relentless training rapidly strengthened the younger generation of Konoha.
Everyone was pushed to their limits every single day.
However, they couldn't train continuously forever.
As shinobi—especially experienced chūnin—they still had missions to complete.
Team members were constantly coming and going.
One day, Ino-Shika-Chō would leave the village alongside Asuma.
The next day, Team Eight would depart under Kurenai's command.
Naruto himself was no exception.
Now a full-fledged jōnin capable of handling A-rank and even S-rank missions, he had become one of Konoha's greatest military assets.
As Tsunade and Jiraiya had predicted, Akatsuki temporarily ceased its activities after failing to capture the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, Yagura.
Their hunt for the Tailed Beasts came to a halt.
Even their mercenary operations became increasingly rare.
Although occasional reports of famous shinobi being assassinated still surfaced, the ninja world entered a period of uneasy peace.
Everyone understood one thing.
It was merely the calm before the storm.
Under these circumstances, Tsunade insisted that Naruto begin undertaking increasingly dangerous missions.
Only through real combat, she believed, could his strength and experience continue growing.
Not everyone agreed.
The conservative elders, led by Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, strongly opposed sending the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki outside the village.
If Naruto were captured by Akatsuki...
Everything would be lost.
Tsunade ignored their objections.
Over the following months, Naruto continued refining both Wind Release Chakra Mode and his newly developed Hurricane Style while leading missions throughout the Land of Fire.
As a jōnin, he was no longer limited to leading Team Seven.
Depending on the mission, he selected different teammates.
For reconnaissance, infiltration, and intelligence gathering, Team Eight remained the best choice.
Whenever strategy and analysis were required, Shikamaru was indispensable.
For direct assaults and high-speed combat, Guy's team was unmatched.
Team Eleven excelled in versatility.
With Jūgo's overwhelming offensive power, Karin's sensory and medical abilities, and Sai's aerial support and reconnaissance, they could adapt to nearly any battlefield.
Still...
Whenever Naruto anticipated an especially difficult mission, he always chose Sasuke and Hinata.
Team Seven remained the strongest team.
More importantly, they understood each other better than anyone else.
Their teamwork was unmatched.
As Team Seven's leader, Naruto understood that his responsibility extended beyond simply becoming stronger himself.
He had to help every member of the next generation grow stronger as well.
---
While Naruto and the younger generation trained tirelessly, the rest of the ninja world was also changing.
Although Akatsuki had largely disappeared from public view, no one believed the organization had truly abandoned its ambitions.
The repeated disappearances of Jinchūriki, attacks on Tailed Beasts, and assassinations of powerful shinobi had pushed every hidden village to its limit.
The Five Great Nations could no longer ignore the growing threat.
Recognizing the danger, Tsunade proposed a Five Kage Summit, inviting the leaders of the other great villages to discuss a united response against Akatsuki.
The proposal was quickly accepted.
The meeting would be held in the neutral Land of Iron, home of the samurai.
For the entire ninja world...
The Five Kage Summit represented the highest level of political authority.
And before long...
The greatest gathering of leaders in the shinobi world was about to begin.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)