Uzumaki Naruto, a person whose chakra levels surpassed Kakashi's by hundreds of times upon graduation, a person who could skillfully use the Transformation Jutsu and even developed the Sexy Technique before graduating, a person who completed the three-stage training of the Rasengan in less than a week and mastered its use.
All this, Naruto achieved while his chakra was influenced by Kurama.
What if Naruto was free from Kurama's influence?
He'd probably be a super-genius who could master the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu in less than half a day, learn to walk on water within a day, grasp the Rasengan within a week, learn Summoning Jutsu in a month, master Senjutsu in two months, and then develop the S-rank ninjutsu, the Rasenshuriken.
Naruto is a genius; he was never the last in line. Only three people in the entire ninja world recognized this: Jiraiya, his mentor who trusted Naruto from the beginning to the end, Minato who entrusted everything to Naruto, and Kushina who offered her life to give Naruto the worst birthday blessing.
Only these three believed in Naruto's talent from the start and were convinced he would grow into an incredible ninja.
"You're not the weakest, you are Konohagakure Genin, Uzumaki Naruto," Neji said with a smile.
In his inner world, Kurama grinned, watching the scene unfold: "See, even without my chakra, you can achieve this much."
Naruto looked at Neji before him, somewhat dazed, his grip unconsciously loosening: "Do you think just by saying that, I'll let you go?"
It was a facade of toughness, perhaps.
Neji shook his head with a smile: "No, the fight isn't over yet. I just thought of that saying when I looked at you."
Taking a deep breath, Neji continued: "You're right. Blaming everything on fate and living in self-pity, that's me."
"I haven't seen through it, and maybe I never will. But as you said, 'You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate.' I retreated when faced with the truth, so I submitted to fate. I was afraid when I could have found answers, so my heart died."
"I believed fate was unchangeable, like the main and branch families of the Hyuga. I am from the Hyuga branch family; it's the arrangement of fate, and Miss Hinata is from the main family, so... no matter how hard I try, how much effort I put in, I am just... a dog of the main family."
"Naruto, do you know the feeling of giving your all, yet feeling helpless?"
A tear rolled down Neji's cheek, the sunlight that once felt warm was now reflected by the tear, cutting across Neji's forehead like a cold, sharp knife, leaving behind a caged bird. What else could he do but wallow in self-pity?
Naruto, taken aback, took a deep breath, imitating Neji. Then, under the incredulous stares of everyone, he released his grip on Neji, looking earnestly into his eyes: "No one... understands that feeling better than I do."
"You..." Neji looked at his hands, slightly dazed.
"Don't get me wrong, I just want to show you that I'm not weak," Naruto said as he bent down to pick up Neji's fallen forehead protector. He looked at the Konohagakure symbol on it, his expression turning somber, "No matter how hard I try, no one wants to give me a chance."
"Fruits that I've touched, they'd rather throw them away than sell them to me. Toys that I've played with, they'd rather crush them underfoot than sell them to me. Masks that I like, they'd rather discard them on the ground than give me a glance."
Naruto let out a self-deprecating laugh, "I used to wonder, why do they hate me? Why doesn't anyone like me? I'm just... just an ordinary kid from Konohagakure, why?"
Neji's gaze was distant, "Why?"
"I don't know," Naruto shook his head, then suddenly smiled, a smile as warm as the sun in the cold winter, shining on all the creatures struggling to survive in the chill.
He continued smiling, "I don't know, and I don't want to know. That's why I want to become Hokage. I want to tell everyone that I, Uzumaki Naruto, will earn their recognition. When I become Hokage, I want everyone to know that I am a ninja of Konohagakure!"
"That's why I can't stand it!" Naruto gripped the forehead protector tightly, "I can't stand it when you attribute everything to fate! I can't stand your so-called surrender because you can't win! And I can't stand...
you calling me the weakest!"
"So I will win, I will defeat you, and I will show you that I'm not the dead last! I am someone who will become Hokage!" Naruto extended his hand, his eyes resolute as he handed the forehead protector to Neji, "Being afraid of failure means you'll never succeed, and fearing death means living a life of submission. I don't want to be like that, so I will become Hokage..."
"Not for anyone else."
Neji seemed to be in a trance, as if he saw a stranger standing before him, with golden hair and a confident, sunny smile. And for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a flash of red hair, a proud, uplifted laugh.
But a blink later, he realized it was all an illusion.
Taking a deep breath, Neji accepted the forehead protector from Naruto's hand. In the silent attention of all, he slowly placed the protector on his forehead.
Naruto watched this scene with a smile until Neji had put on the protector. Then he turned and walked away, stopping a dozen meters opposite Neji. Turning back to face Neji, he declared, "I will win, breaking the fate you speak of."
Neji looked at their positions, as if everything had returned to the start of the match. He took a deep breath, and something new seemed to appear in his eyes.
Taking his stance, Neji faced Naruto, "I will win, not because of fate, but because I want to win."
"Kurama..." Naruto reached out to Kurama again. This time there was no shouting, no begging, just the usual firm stance in front of the prison gate.
Kurama, looking at Naruto standing outside the prison gate, couldn't help but smile wider, his fierce teeth bared, a suffocating power flowing through the space, "Go ahead."
As the Nine-Tails beast, I acknowledge you, Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto's eyes snapped open, his blood-red chakra surged suddenly, his eyes turned into vertical pupils, his teeth sharpened, and the whisker marks on his face became more pronounced, as if in this moment, Naruto had transformed into a wild beast.
But at that moment, the blood-red aura gathered again, enveloping Naruto like armor, the endless blood-red chakra flowing like water, with two vertical ears twitching atop his head, and a blood-red tail rising behind him.
The Fox's Cloak, the One-Tail form.
Enter the stage!
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