Kurama had been peacefully grilling meat in the sealed space when, to his shock, the brat actually went ahead and did what he said he would.
Can ninja techniques even be recklessly experimented on like this? Kurama, though not skilled in ninjutsu himself, knew well enough that carelessly messing with jutsu could lead to a quick death. Even if Naruto was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, he could easily end up dead from chakra running amok.
Yet, what stunned Kurama most was that the kid didn't die on the spot. In fact, he actually managed to produce something from his reckless efforts. Kurama could feel Naruto's life force rapidly depleting, but at the same time, the Bijuu chakra within him was uncontrollably repairing his body. A balance was struck, and for now, Naruto wouldn't die.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was in disbelief. He had never been so shaken in his entire life. What is this child, some kind of monster? The fact that Naruto managed to open the Eight Gates based on the chakra circulation path Kakashi provided... It's a miracle he didn't die on the spot.
He hadn't anticipated such a situation. And now, Kakashi could see that if Naruto kept pushing himself, the wild chakra would tear him apart. His body was already in terrible condition, only kept alive by his rapid healing. Had his recovery not been so swift, he would have died using this technique already, let alone still be moving now.
Naruto, however, was oblivious to Kakashi's concerns. His ears were filled with the roar of rushing wind, unable to hear anything else.
Naruto estimated that his current strength was about three times his normal state. His speed and power had increased dramatically, though he had no idea why his chakra was being consumed so quickly. If Kurama knew what Naruto was thinking, he would've scoffed, If it weren't for your ridiculous amount of chakra and the fact that my chakra is fixing your body... you'd be dead by now!
"This is incredible!" Naruto had no real concept of how strong he was right now, having never seen the Eight Gates in action. He only knew that he felt overwhelmingly powerful.
Looking at the forest ahead, he thought of a way to test his newfound strength. Slowly, he crouched down, placing his hands on the ground in a runner's stance, preparing to push his limits.
"Uzumaki Naruto!!!" Kakashi's shout was filled with panic. "Stop right now!"
Kakashi was on the verge of a breakdown. The Third Hokage had entrusted him to watch over Naruto, and yet this kid always found new ways to terrify him. He had seen with his Sharingan that Naruto's body was already at its breaking point, and now the boy seemed determined to push himself even further. Kakashi had no desire to face the aftermath of Naruto's corpse lying there, or worse, the news of the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki dying in Konoha the next day. The consequences would be catastrophic. The Third would have his head.
Just as Kakashi shouted, there was a deafening boom, and Naruto shot forward, leaving a streak of red light in his wake. Everything in his path was obliterated, his starting point marked by a massive crater. This level of destruction was akin to Tsunade's monstrous strength.
Kakashi sighed deeply, covering his face. "This is bad... really bad..." He could already imagine himself being pounded into the ground by his sensei and his wife in the afterlife.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage had just finished lunch and was strolling through the streets of Konoha, hands clasped behind his back. Earlier, he had seen Naruto and Kakashi working on jutsu by the river, which had delighted him. Finally, the kid is doing something other than Taijutsu training. Kakashi is truly a dependable ninja! He'd been so pleased that he had an extra bowl of rice with lunch.
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from the eastern part of the village. The Third's eyes widened, and in a few swift movements, he was on a rooftop, surveying the situation.
"What's going on!?" he demanded.
The Anbu appeared around him, exchanging nervous glances. None of them dared to speak first.
Seeing their hesitation, the Third Hokage's expression darkened. "Speak up! Is it the Cloud? Or the Stone?" He snorted. "How bold of them to attack our village during peacetime!"
The Third didn't even need to think twice. Such a massive commotion had to be the work of those brutes from the Cloud Village.
"Uh... Lord Third..." one of the Anbu finally spoke up, "It's... it's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."
"What!?" The Third Hokage choked, coughing uncontrollably. His fury rising, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Our own? This kid... is he trying to defect?
Unable to make sense of it, the Third Hokage decided to see for himself. Moving toward the east, he saw trees and buildings being torn apart in a line of destruction. He even began to wonder if the Nine-Tails had gone out of control.
At the same time, Anbu, Jonin, and even members of Root were converging toward Naruto's location. The red streak of light heading toward the village's barrier left no doubt—something needed to be done immediately.
"This feels amazing!" Naruto couldn't contain his excitement. His speed was so fast that he couldn't even see the world around him clearly anymore. For a moment, he felt like the Flash, leaving behind a red streak wherever he ran.
But something felt off—his heart was racing faster and faster.
"Brat, a lot of people are coming your way," Kurama's voice sounded from within him, but Naruto couldn't process anything. His surroundings had become a blur, and worse, he couldn't control his body. His legs continued to propel him forward at an alarming rate, making stopping impossible without gradually slowing down—something that would take far too much time.
"Naruto! Stop! The village barrier is up ahead!" The voices of several Jonin echoed behind him.
At this point, nearly every available ninja in the village had gathered. The last time the entire village mobilized like this was during the Nine-Tails' attack years ago.
"Lord Third!" Kakashi appeared in front of the Third Hokage, his face filled with guilt. He could see the Hokage's expression, clearly thinking, Is this how you're supposed to be watching over him?
"What the hell is going on?" the Third demanded.
"Naruto... tried experimenting with a forbidden technique. He's lost control." Kakashi's voice was strained. "If we don't stop him soon, he could die from chakra overload."
Hearing this, the Third felt his blood pressure spike. Frantically searching his person, he realized he didn't have his blood pressure medicine with him.
Kakashi said they were practicing ninjutsu by the river... How did things spiral out of control like this? I was gone for just one meal, and now the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki is on the verge of death?
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the Third gave his orders. "Use defensive jutsu to stop Naruto! If he crashes into the barrier at that speed, we won't even need to worry about chakra overload—he'll die on impact."
With his command, the surrounding ninjas sprang into action. For the second time in Konoha's history, the village united to prevent its Jinchuriki from self-destructing.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" "Water Style: Water Wall!"
A series of defensive jutsu rose up ahead of the barrier, with earth walls followed by water barriers to slow Naruto down. The spectacle was so immense that many villagers believed an enemy force was attacking.
As Naruto neared the barrier, the chaotic blur of his vision began to clear, and he could just make out... blue? Before he could make sense of it, water splashed against his face, followed by the deafening sound of impacts and the shattering of bones.
Naruto didn't even have time to scream in pain before everything went black, and he crashed to the ground unconscious.
He had plowed through ten earth walls before finally stopping. Looking back at his path, the eastern side of the village had been carved into a ten-meter-wide trench, leaving destruction in his wake.
The Third Hokage, his face grim, slowly approached Naruto. Honestly... he wasn't sure the boy would survive. He felt a mixture of sorrow at the thought of losing Naruto, and dread at the idea of Konoha losing the Nine-Tails.
Ever since this kid was born... why does it feel like Konoha's luck has worsened by the day?
As the Third reached Naruto, the boy was barely breathing. It looked like the end for him.
A team of medical ninjas rushed over, immediately surrounding Naruto and assessing his injuries.
"What's the situation?" the Third asked urgently.
"Lord Third..." one of the medics hesitated, "His entire skeletal system is shattered... and his internal condition is even worse. His heart has already stopped."
"He's... he's..."
Just as the medic was about to declare Naruto's death, they suddenly heard the faint thud of his heart restarting.
"Wait! He's still salvageable!"
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