Chapter Eighteen: Unleashing the Hidden Power
Naruto's hands tightened into fists as he stormed through the dense forest. His defeat at the hands of Orochimaru still burned fresh in his mind. He thought he was getting stronger, but that snake had made a mockery of him and Sasuke. Now, both Sasuke and Sakura were relying on him, and he couldn't let them down. They needed an Earth scroll, and sitting around wouldn't get them any closer.
He glanced back at the cave, where Sakura tended to an unconscious Sasuke. "I'll be back soon," he said firmly. "Just keep an eye on Sasuke. We need that scroll, and I'll get it."
"But, Naruto—" Sakura began, but Naruto was already gone, his eyes focused and determined as he sped through the trees.
After several minutes of searching, he heard voices. Carefully, he crept closer, peering through the leaves. Three Iwagakure genin stood in a clearing, one of them clutching an Earth scroll. A smirk spread across Naruto's face as he stepped forward and called out to them.
"Hey, rock-heads!" he shouted, crossing his arms confidently. "Hand over that Earth scroll, and maybe I'll go easy on you."
The leader, a tall boy with a nasty grin, sneered at him. "Look who it is, a Leaf brat all alone. You think you're a match for us?"
Naruto's smirk only widened. "Guess we'll find out, huh?"
The three Iwa genin didn't waste a second, surrounding him with swift movements. Naruto formed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, three clones appeared beside him, all with the same fierce grin.
One of the Iwa genin lunged at Naruto, swinging a kunai, but Naruto sidestepped, letting a clone tackle the boy and send him sprawling. The second genin came from the side, but Naruto quickly retaliated, shouting, "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" He thrust his palm forward, sending a burst of wind that knocked the enemy back into a tree.
The leader's eyes narrowed as he formed his own hand signs. "Earth Style: Mud Spires!" Jagged pillars of earth erupted from the ground, aiming to impale Naruto and his clones.
Naruto leapt back, but one clone was caught and dispelled instantly. He gritted his teeth. Alright, time to turn things up a notch.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Palm!" he shouted, electricity crackling around his hand as he charged forward. Before the leader could react, Naruto's palm struck him in the chest, sending a powerful shock through his body and knocking him back with a cry of pain.
"You… lightning…?" the leader gasped, struggling to stay upright.
Naruto shot him a cold look. "I've got more than one trick up my sleeve."
The remaining Iwa genin, realizing their leader was down, took a step back, clearly intimidated. But Naruto felt a strange sensation creeping up his neck, a heat that was both foreign and familiar. His vision blurred slightly, and an unusual surge of energy pulsed through him.
Without fully understanding what was happening, Naruto lunged at the last Iwa genin, moving faster than he'd ever moved before. His hand shot out, grabbing the boy's arm with a grip that felt unnatural, too strong. Before he knew it, he'd twisted the genin's arm back, and a sickening crack echoed through the clearing as the Iwa ninja screamed in pain.
The sudden sound snapped Naruto out of his trance. He looked down, horrified, as he realized what he'd done. The strange energy faded, and he released the genin, who staggered back, clutching his broken arm in agony.
"W-what the hell…?" Naruto muttered, staring at his own hands as he felt his heart race. He hadn't meant to hurt the guy that badly—something had taken over him, something beyond his control.
The last Iwa genin quickly fumbled in his bag, pulling out the Earth scroll with trembling hands. "Take it!" he shouted, throwing the scroll at Naruto before backing away with wide, terrified eyes.
Naruto caught the scroll, watching the Iwa team stumble away, clutching their injuries. Part of him wanted to call out, to apologize, but he clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay silent. They were gone, and he couldn't shake the cold weight of guilt that settled in his chest. He'd wanted to win, but… not like this.
He took a shaky breath, his mind racing as he glanced down at his arm, where he could still feel the faintest trace of that burning energy. Was that… the curse mark?
Memories of his encounter with Orochimaru flashed in his mind—the feeling of being helpless, of being so weak against someone like that. Now, he had power, but it was dangerous, unpredictable.
As he made his way back to the cave, he kept replaying the fight in his head, trying to understand what had happened. When he returned, Sakura's relieved expression quickly turned to concern as she noticed the grim look on his face.
"You got it, Naruto?" she asked, glancing at the scroll in his hand.
"Yeah," he said, forcing a small smile. "But… there's something I need to figure out." He glanced over at Sasuke, still unconscious, and clenched his fists again. "I can't let something like that happen again. If I'm going to get stronger… I need to control this."
Naruto's resolve hardened as he sat down, looking down at his hands, determined to make sense of this new power.