"Throwing another tantrum? What are you doing here this time?"
The Nine-Tails grew alert the moment it sensed Xia Li's presence. Even the massive body lying before the gate instinctively shifted back a few steps—it still remembered what had happened last time.
Xia Li naturally noticed its reaction and found it slightly amusing. "Nine-Tails—Kurama—I came to ask you something."
"Hah? What makes you think I'm your uncle? You dare question me?" the Nine-Tails roared. Because of that absurd remark alone, its chakra suddenly flared violently and surged toward Xia Li.
"Yes… that's the feeling." Xia Li sensed the difference in the Nine-Tails' chakra and muttered softly. Then she asked in confusion, "I suspect ordinary people's chakra also contains willpower—but I can't seem to perceive it."
After all, just like the Nine-Tails' ability to sense malice, it couldn't simply detect things out of nowhere. It should require spiritual energy to perceive. Not everyone has chakra, but as long as someone is alive, they possess spiritual energy.
Hearing Xia Li's question, the Nine-Tails paused. Its chakra gradually subsided. Then it clutched its stomach with one paw and burst into loud laughter, as if Xia Li had told the greatest joke in the world—mocking her for overestimating herself.
"What's so funny? Your malice-sensing ability isn't baseless, is it?" Xia Li frowned.
"Hmph. You brat know quite a bit," the Nine-Tails said, gradually calming down. "Yes, I can sense malice. But I'm certain you'll never master it. If you could, you wouldn't be a ninja. Ninja power is something that can be controlled."
Xia Li fell silent. Ninjas generally rely on chakra to wield their strength. Did that mean malice-sensing wasn't part of the chakra system? That seemed impossible.
She thought for a moment. Her perception mainly focused on chakra—but did she truly need chakra to sense things? She wasn't sure. It didn't seem necessary… yet she couldn't confirm it either.
"So give it up, kid," the Nine-Tails said mercilessly.
"Then I suppose there's nothing I can do," Xia Li sighed.
The Nine-Tails nodded, satisfied, and retreated deeper into the space. It had been furious about being suppressed last time—this felt like revenge.
"By the way, you and Naruto are getting along fine, right? He's not too bad, is he?" Xia Li asked casually.
"Hmph. What difference does it make? Don't they all just want to use the power of a Tailed Beast?" the Nine-Tails sneered, though it sounded less angry this time.
That in itself revealed something.
Xia Li smiled and nodded. "Sounds like you two are getting along pretty well."
"Hey, brat! Are you even listening to me?!" the Nine-Tails roared.
"I am. But stop yelling. You're huge—when you roar, it's terrifying," Xia Li said, covering her ears in dissatisfaction.
"Don't call me that name!" the Nine-Tails shouted again. At the same time, it felt something strange. Why wasn't this person afraid of it like other ninjas?
Even wrapped in its chakra, she should have sensed the malice within it. That had been the whole point earlier. So why wasn't she afraid? And why didn't she seem particularly interested in its power?
"Fine, Kurama. I know Kurama. From now on, I won't 'know' Kurama anymore," Xia Li said teasingly.
"…" The Nine-Tails was momentarily speechless. Irritation surged again—but it stopped itself. There was no point roaring. She wouldn't be scared anyway.
"By the way, don't you think Naruto looks a bit like you? Especially those whisker marks on his cheeks—they're almost identical to yours," Xia Li continued lightly. "Maybe he inherited your genes."
That was the final straw.
"How dare you slander a noble fox like that?!" the Nine-Tails roared. "Don't spout nonsense!"
"Nonsense? Then how do you explain the whiskers?" Xia Li laughed softly at the fox's silence.
With that, she left.
The Nine-Tails stared at the spot where she had disappeared and recalled Naruto's face.
Six whisker marks…
Impossible.
And yet… for some reason, the boy did seem slightly more pleasing to look at now.
Chapter 124: The Protagonists' Transformation and a Wave of Blood
When Xia Li returned from that inner space, only an instant had passed in reality. Sakura noticed nothing unusual.
Though Xia Li had joked about it, she knew the truth couldn't be that simple. As for the real reason… perhaps Kushina had indeed been subtly influenced by the Nine-Tails' chakra. She didn't know for sure. Maybe it was simply something the author had never explained.
Soon, Naruto and Sasuke resumed their training rivalry, each determined to prove they could learn faster.
It was difficult to compare. Sasuke had superior talent for ninjutsu, but Chidori was extremely hard to master. Naruto could accelerate learning through Shadow Clones, yet his ninjutsu aptitude lagged behind Sasuke's. On top of that, he was also practicing Xia Li's version of Gale Palm—a technique no easier than a B-rank jutsu.
By the time Kakashi fully recovered, neither had made significant progress. That was hardly surprising. Chidori wasn't easy to learn. Naruto had only grasped the basics of Gale Palm; he was nowhere near mastery. Xia Li's enhanced version was even further beyond his reach.
At this rate, Naruto would need to thoroughly master the basic version first before worrying about anything else.
However, they wouldn't have time to learn new techniques during this mission. After Zabuza's previous defeat, Gatō had hired more ninja.
In Xia Li's view, though, none of them were on Zabuza's level. Gatō was probably hoping to overwhelm them with numbers.
Seeing this, Xia Li's eyes flashed. She called Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura over.
It was time for change.
"You really want us to kill them?" Naruto swallowed and asked.
"Yes. That is a ninja's fate. When you encounter enemy ninja during a mission, this is usually how it ends," Xia Li said. "And if you don't kill them, Dazuna's family may suffer retaliation later."
"I understand." Naruto lowered his head.
Sasuke and Sakura said nothing, but their expressions were grim.
"If you regret it now, you can withdraw," Kakashi added. "But then I'd advise you not to become ninja."
The three clenched their teeth. Quit being ninja? Impossible.
They moved.
Kakashi and Xia Li remained hidden in the shadows.
This scene hadn't existed in the original story. Naruto had rarely taken lives directly. But Xia Li believed that wasn't realistic. The world of ninja was brutal. She didn't want Naruto to become heartless—but at the very least, he shouldn't hesitate when facing enemies.
In her view, there were people Naruto never should have forgiven.
The result, however, was better than expected. Sasuke and Sakura were top students. They had long understood the cruelty of the ninja world. They just hadn't expected it to come so soon.
Naruto forced himself through it—but he endured.
"Alright. That's enough," Kakashi said, forming hand seals. Dozens of Shadow Clones appeared. For dealing with this level of enemy, clones were sufficient.
"Xia Li, remind me not to intervene," Kakashi said.
"I have something else to do," she replied, watching Gatō flee after seeing his hired ninja fail.
She disappeared.
Kakashi was startled. That wasn't just Body Flicker. Combined with rumors… was it his teacher's technique?
"White Fang… Yellow Flash…" Kakashi murmured, his expression complicated.
"Hmm? It's you?" Xia Li said, surprised to see familiar faces—Zabuza and Haku.
"Why wouldn't it be us?" Zabuza replied, visibly relieved when he saw Kakashi wasn't present.
"What, round two? This time it has nothing to do with that Water Style guy," Xia Li said casually.
"Hmph. Without Kakashi, you think you can threaten us?" Zabuza sneered.
"First, I can call him here instantly. Second, you're not fully recovered, are you?" Xia Li said calmly, glancing at his wounds.
Zabuza's injuries were more severe than in the original timeline. He hadn't fully healed.
"Want to test it?" Xia Li asked, spinning her Flying Thunder God kunai lightly in her hand.
Haku stepped forward. "Zabuza-sama's objective… may actually align with yours."
"Gatō? You want to kill your employer?" Xia Li raised an eyebrow.
"Hmph. Wouldn't you?" Zabuza shot back.
"Won't that hurt your reputation in the bounty world?"
"No one would know—if you hadn't shown up," Zabuza said coldly.
The air grew tense.
Xia Li considered her options. She could defeat them given enough time—but she didn't have that luxury. Kakashi would return soon, and Naruto's mental state after his first kill needed attention.
"Half for you, half for me. Otherwise, I call Kakashi right now," she said bluntly.
Zabuza cursed.
In the end, Haku persuaded him. They agreed—on the condition Xia Li wouldn't reveal that they killed their employer.
She agreed. She wouldn't act personally—Zabuza would handle it.
To him, killing wasn't a burden.
The two sides completed their grim cooperation. The remaining men were ordinary civilians—no resistance to speak of.
But when Xia Li looked at what she obtained, she fell silent.
It was far less than she had expected.
"Enough," Haku explained calmly. "Most people don't carry their entire fortune with them. We investigated and confirmed he had cash and valuables on him—so we acted."
Xia Li nodded quietly.
Sometimes reality was simply less profitable than imagination.
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