"I was talking about innocent ANBU!"
"Not those lackeys of that old dog who kidnapped Sasuke and Sakura just to use me!"
Lock's gaze turned ice-cold as it shifted between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
Danzo ignored him completely.
Instead, taking advantage of the internal struggle between Lock and Naruto, he subtly gestured to the two shinobi behind him to retrieve Sai.
The moment they touched Sai's body, both men recoiled.
Their hands were instantly scorched by terrifying heat.
The Hyūga ninja immediately activated his Byakugan. Veins bulged around his eyes as he examined Sai's chakra network, then his expression darkened.
"My lord… the violent Nine-Tails chakra has completely eroded every meridian in Sai's body."
"There is no way to suppress this chakra… unless…"
He did not finish the sentence. His gaze shifted toward Lock, whose expression flickered between two conflicting wills.
Only Lock could withdraw the chakra.
Across the room, Hiruzen heard the conclusion clearly.
He did not respond to Lock's accusations. Instead, his voice hardened as he addressed Naruto directly.
"Naruto! Take back control of your body immediately!"
"Do not allow these shinobi who protect you to lose their innocent lives because of your hesitation!"
"Think of their families. Their children. They will hate you—just like the villagers who once suffered under the Nine-Tails!"
"When leaves dance, the fire burns on. A Hokage sacrifices himself for the village—never the village for himself!"
Each word struck like a hammer.
Inside the mental space, Naruto's resistance wavered violently.
Lock had originally calculated he could delay six or seven seconds using the fragment of Ashura chakra he possessed.
But Hiruzen's words accelerated Naruto's will.
Only five seconds passed before Lock felt his consciousness being forced backward, more than half already sinking into the depths of the body.
Still—
His objective had already been achieved.
Seeing the ANBU on the ground, barely clinging to life, Lock stopped resisting.
He willingly released control.
The moment Lock withdrew, the raging Nine-Tails chakra outside vanished completely.
Naruto regained control instantly.
"Lock's been suppressed!" Naruto shouted urgently. "Third Grandpa, hurry and save them!"
Hiruzen exhaled quietly in relief.
He raised a hand.
"Medical squad—move in immediately."
"Yes!"
Several ANBU disappeared in flickers of motion.
On Danzo's side, Fu Yamanaka stepped forward at once, green medical chakra gathering in his palms as he attempted treatment.
But the instant his hands neared Sai's chest—
Sai's breathing stopped.
His pupils dilated.
The faint spark of life vanished.
Not just Sai.
One by one, the surrounding ANBU followed the same fate.
Their bodies, already destroyed from within, could no longer endure after the Nine-Tails chakra disappeared.
Fu Yamanaka slowly withdrew his hands, shame filling his expression.
"My lord… I was too late. Sai succumbed to his injuries."
"I accept punishment."
Danzo wiped the dried blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke calmly.
"This is not your fault."
Then his gaze shifted.
First toward Naruto, kneeling in visible remorse.
Then toward Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen," he said coldly, abandoning all formal address, "so many of the village's core forces have been killed or crippled."
"Are you satisfied now?"
He had lost a base, elite subordinates, and his most promising tool—all while being humiliated publicly.
All of that resentmentis now focused entirely on Hiruzen.
"By tomorrow," Danzo continued, voice sharp, "I want to see the restoration of Root's funding."
"Otherwise, I will unite the elders and the Daimyo to impeach you."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode out, his followers close behind.
Silence filled the office.
Moments later, the medical team arrived.
Their work ended quickly.
There was nothing left to treat.
Naruto's guilt crushed him.
Inside his mind, he repeatedly called out to Lock—but received no answer.
Looking at Hiruzen, whose face had lost its usual warmth, Naruto bit his lip before suddenly dropping to his knees.
His forehead struck the floor.
"Third Grandpa, I'm sorry!"
"I'll accept punishment in Lock's place!"
"Any punishment!"
Hiruzen's expression softened slightly.
"He is him. You are you," he said gently. "You do not need to bear responsibility for his actions."
"Do not let him influence your Ninja Way."
Truthfully, Naruto's delayed return earlier had unsettled Hiruzen. For a moment, he had feared Naruto might willingly side with Lock.
But seeing Naruto's remorse now reassured him.
The child remained exactly as he had molded him.
He continued calmly.
"Why did it take you so long to regain control this time?"
"In the past, you could reclaim your body instantly."
Naruto lowered his head, already having considered the answer.
"It's probably because Lock is much stronger than me now."
"Ever since the Land of Waves, after he mastered more of the Nine-Tails' chakra… I can feel that he can seize control anytime."
"The initiative is still mine… but if he resists, I can't immediately take it back anymore."
That realization was one reason Naruto had begun training so desperately.
He had even briefly considered letting Lock live his life for him—a thought that frightened him afterward.
Hiruzen frowned.
"You still cannot use even one tail's worth of chakra?"
Naruto shook his head in shame.
"I can't sense the Nine-Tails' chakra at all… and Lock refuses to teach me."
Because of the Five Elements Seal, Naruto remained completely cut off from Kurama's power.
Hiruzen suppressed his irritation.
Minato's son… yet so lacking in talent, he thought bitterly.
Compared to Lock's terrifying growth, Naruto seemed painfully ordinary.
He silently resolved to accelerate the search for Jiraiya.
Only Jiraiya could properly guide Naruto now.
"Do not worry," Hiruzen said kindly. "I will find you a better teacher—someone who can help you control the Nine-Tails' power."
"For now, continue training with Asuma and build your foundation."
Naruto's eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you, Third Grandpa! I won't disappoint you! I'll definitely become Hokage someday!"
Outside, the image of warmth and trust continued.
Inside the mental world, however—
Lock stood before the system interface, expression unreadable.
[blackening value +3000]
[Current blackening value: 3000]
[Main personality trust and dependence: 42% (Non-droppable: 42%)]
Lock's lips curved faintly.
Naruto was still exactly what he appeared to be—
easy to guide,
easy to influence,
and above all…
easy to use.
---
A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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