Kurama once said:
"When fighting, don't hold back! If you already know your opponent's techniques, go straight for the big moves! When they think you're just testing the waters, hit them hard! Even if you can't take them down, leave them with a psychological scar! Don't be like Kakashi, testing and testing until he tests himself into a corner!"
Think about when Kakashi faced Zabuza. Kakashi wasn't weak at all, but he insisted on probing Zabuza's techniques before fighting. Meanwhile, Zabuza didn't bother with all that back-and-forth and just took advantage of Kakashi's probing to turn the tables on him.
That's why Kakashi, despite being so strong, ended up making it a 50-50 fight.
Of course, this approach is how most ninjas fight. Kakashi is a traditional ninja, and with the Sharingan constantly draining his chakra, he has to carefully manage every bit of chakra he uses. That's why he rarely unleashes high-power Ninjutsu without reason.
But this kind of approach clearly doesn't work for Naruto. He's not someone who needs to probe his opponent, nor does he have as many techniques to do so. For him, holding back is just wasting his incredible chakra reserves.
Naruto thought this made a lot of sense, so his strategy now is basically to go for big moves whenever he finds an opening. After all, he has plenty of chakra and Kurama to back him up.
As Kurama said:
"There's nothing a single Tailed Beast Bomb can't solve. If it can't, it's because you didn't use enough power."
Naruto bent down slightly, his face growing serious. He stretched out his hands in front of him as red and blue chakra began to form once again.
"If the small Tailed Beast Bomb doesn't work, I'll use the large one."
After all, this isn't Konoha, and there's no one else around.
"It's that move again!" Kimimaro's eyes narrowed as he charged forward without hesitation, aiming his right hand at Naruto.
"Shikotsumyaku: Ten Finger Bullets!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb is powerful, no doubt about it, but its charge time is a real flaw. Plus, since Naruto is a Jinchuriki and not the actual Tailed Beast, it takes him even longer to gather the energy compared to Kurama.
This isn't an issue against ordinary ninjas, but if he were up against someone like Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, or the Raikage, that charge time would be a glaring weakness they'd exploit in a heartbeat.
Kimimaro wasn't on their level, but he wasn't weak either. The moment Naruto started charging, Kimimaro immediately went on the offensive to interrupt him.
Naruto had already seen the power of the Ten Finger Bullets. If he kept trying to charge up, he'd most likely get hit. And with Kimimaro closing in, Naruto had two choices: either endure Kimimaro's attacks to complete the Tailed Beast Bomb or abandon it and dodge.
Naruto didn't hesitate—he chose to dodge.
The Ten Finger Bullets might only be one of Kimimaro's weaker Ninjutsu, but they were still enough to break through the Nine-Tails' cloak. If Kimimaro went all out, Naruto wasn't sure if he could survive. Trading blows recklessly or going for an all-or-nothing move without a clear plan would just be suicidal.
Naruto dispersed the chakra he was gathering and used the crimson chakra of the Nine-Tails to form claws, blocking the Ten Finger Bullets. At the same time, he used his other hand to fend off Kimimaro's attack.
The fox cloak already had strong defensive and corrosive properties, and this corrosive effect could even be used offensively. For ordinary people, contact with tailed beast chakra would mean severe injury or death.
Kimimaro was clearly surprised that Naruto had managed to block his attack directly. However, his surprise only lasted a moment. The next second, he gripped two bone swords and attacked like a swordsman.
He wasn't going to give Naruto any time to gather chakra again. Even a small Tailed Besat Boom was something he didn't want to face a second time.
Naruto maintained a calm expression as he moved in sync with Kimimaro. The chakra from Kurama reinforced his body, but even in his One-Tail state, matching Kimimaro in Taijutsu was proving difficult—especially since Kimimaro was already using his Curse Mark Level 1 state.
As this thought crossed his mind, the crimson chakra around Naruto became more pronounced. The fiery red chakra boiled like scalding water as the Taijutsu battle between the two raged on. Behind Naruto, the single tail swayed gently, hinting that a second tail was about to emerge.
At that moment, both Naruto and Kimimaro's expressions changed simultaneously. Kimimaro frowned deeply, while Naruto's eyes lit up. Almost in perfect sync, the two leapt backward, retreating to positions dozens of meters apart.
The ground trembled, and a cold voice echoed from the distance.
"Sand Coffin!"
As the two backed away, the ground suddenly surged with yellow sand, rolling forward like waves and rushing toward Kimimaro. His face darkened as he leapt back again, narrowly evading the Sand Coffin's grasp.
Naruto looked up toward the sky. Behind him, Gaara stood with arms crossed, floating in the air atop yellow sand. Kankuro and Temari flanked him, their gazes toward Naruto soft and warm.
"Little panda!" Naruto shouted in surprise upon seeing Gaara. His words left Gaara momentarily stunned.
Kankuro and Temari, who were about to speak, froze mid-action. They glanced at Gaara, then burst into laughter.
Gaara snapped out of his daze, his face puzzled.
"What's a little panda?"
Having spent years detached from the world, he genuinely didn't know what the term meant.
Kankuro and Temari exchanged a glance but chose not to explain. Instead, their smiles grew even broader.
Naruto felt a bit awkward. He had heard Kurama describe Gaara that way before and thought it was fitting, so the term had stuck in his mind. Seeing Gaara just now, he blurted it out without thinking.
"Um, it's just a nickname, nothing insulting, I promise."
"Really?" Gaara nodded, accepting the explanation. With a serious expression, he said,
"Using nicknames between friends can bring them closer. I'll remember that, Naruto."
Naruto clutched his chest, feeling a pang of guilt.
Gaara pondered for a moment and then asked Naruto,
"Shukaku says that, as friends, I should also give you a nickname. How about... Little Fox?"
Naruto froze, and the guilt in his heart disappeared instantly.
"Let's not do that," he said with an awkward laugh.
"Just calling me Naruto is fine. I'll call you Gaara. That nickname was just something I said without thinking. It might not be very respectful, so let's drop it."
"Is that so?" Gaara thought for a moment before replying,
"I don't mind. If you like it, you can keep calling me Little Panda."
Naruto: "…"
His conscience started to ache again.
"Ahem," Naruto coughed, ignoring his internal turmoil. Looking at Gaara, he asked,
"Are you here to support us? How's your injury? And you mentioned Shukaku—did you already talk to him?"
"My injury is fine," Gaara nodded briefly and then fell silent.
Naruto blinked in confusion.
"So… what about the other two questions?"
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