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You can now get early access to Chapter 72 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon. You can also read up to Chapter 13 of Naruto: Satoru Senju.
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During the following month, Naruto kept training like never before.
Although he used to train regularly with some of the chat group members since discovering that function, he had never trained as hard as he was now.
It was no longer just about being the strongest, but about protecting those he cared for.
And if that meant crushing anyone who tried to hurt them, then so be it.
Naruto had begun to draw up a list of people who needed to die.
In just one month of training, Naruto had managed to master the Faded Rasengan, the Ōdama Rasengan, and even the Rasen-Shuriken!
Meanwhile, Sasuke was training under the strict guidance of Izuna, with the support of his mother, Mikoto.
Naruto didn't know what Sakura had been doing with her time, but he hoped she had been training too.
Maybe Kakashi had kept training her? Or maybe Sakura hadn't even bothered to train?
Naruto didn't know, and honestly, he didn't care.
Right now, he was focused on Karin.
"Engraving Finger Seal!" shouted Karin, slamming her fingers hard against Naruto's stomach.
Naruto winced from the hit. It was uncomfortable. Annoying. But he was used to it. Karin had been testing her techniques on him for days as if he were a training dummy.
"Sealing Technique: Lion's Roar Lock!"
The kanji 封印式 (Fūin-shiki) appeared on his skin, glowing with an intense red light. In an instant, Naruto felt all the chakra points in his body close.
It was as if he had been turned off from the inside. A feeling of emptiness, as if his body stopped responding. He felt weak instantly.
"Damn it…" he growled. "This is the last time I let you use me as a test dummy…"
Karin smiled like a little girl and threw herself at his neck, hugging him and jumping with joy.
"I finally did it! TAKE THAT, PERVY SAGE!"
Jiraiya, to the side, grimaced in annoyance.
Jiraiya had bet with her that she wouldn't be able to learn that sealing technique in less than a week. Karin had proven she was more than capable.
Now Jiraiya would have to treat them to ramen for an entire week.
Karin undid the sealing technique, and Naruto felt the chakra flow return to his body. It was like a breath of fresh air.
Naruto could have canceled the sealing technique on his own, but he let Karin do it.
While Karin celebrated and Naruto patted her head, dry clapping interrupted the scene.
The three of them turned at the same time. Naruto noticed how Karin's body began to tremble after recognizing the man.
Her chakra, once cheerful and euphoric, became chaotic, dense.
Naruto could feel Karin's emotions. She was terrified.
Naruto's gaze sharpened when he recognized the figure approaching with a confident and arrogant stride.
"Karin, I've allowed you to play for a long time because you've shown progress… But it's time to return to Kusagakure."
Naruto recognized him as Zōsui.
Naruto looked at him with clear murderous intent.
The Kyūbi's chakra began to leak from his body, swirling around him like a crimson mist.
Jiraiya frowned. He felt this was dangerous.
Jiraiya had no idea Naruto could control the Kyūbi's chakra.
Zōsui also stopped. Not out of fear, but out of caution. Even someone as arrogant as him could sense the threat Naruto represented.
After all, no one wanted to face a Jinchūriki, no matter how young.
"Let's go, Karin. It's time to go home. Don't make me angry."
Karin stood firm behind Naruto. Trembling. She didn't say a word. She didn't try to resist physically, but she didn't take a single step forward either.
Naruto understood. More than anyone, he understood.
Karin didn't need to say it. Her fear was palpable. She was paralyzed. Terrified. Clinging to him so tightly her fingers dug into his back.
Naruto stepped forward. His voice, icy.
"Yeah… I'm afraid that's not going to happen."
Jiraiya, more perceptive than anyone, understood what was about to happen.
"DON'T DO ANYTHING RASH, BRAT!"
Too late.
A large amount of chakra began to concentrate in Naruto's hand.
A deafening sound burst from his hand, like hundreds of birds screaming in unison.
Naruto vanished.
Just one second.
And then, silence.
Jiraiya slowly turned his head.
Zōsui was there, trembling, eyes wide.
Naruto's hand was piercing his chest. Buried up to the forearm.
Zōsui coughed blood. Tried to speak. But couldn't.
Naruto slowly pulled his hand out. Blood poured from Zōsui's chest like a waterfall.
Naruto's arm was completely covered in blood almost up to the shoulder.
"I promised myself I'd kill you when I had the chance." Naruto looked up, expressionless. "And no one can say I'm not a man of my word."
Zōsui fell to his knees. He was still breathing.
He tried to crawl. With each movement, he left a trail of blood on the ground.
He looked up at Karin, eyes pleading, extending a trembling hand.
Naruto, completely calm, placed a foot on his back. He immobilized him effortlessly.
"No, no… don't crawl to her. You don't even deserve that."
Naruto crouched down and brought his bloodied arm close to Zōsui's mouth.
"I can heal you too… you know? Karin isn't the only one who can. Come on, just one bite."
Zōsui, desperate, opened his mouth and tried to bite him.
Naruto pulled his arm back at the last second.
"Almost! So close! Come on, try again."
Zōsui tried again. Once, twice, five times. Each time weaker. Slower.
Each time he got close, Naruto pulled his arm away with an amused smile.
Naruto had never felt pleasure in seeing someone suffer. It wasn't like him, not even in a fight. But in that moment, with Zōsui at his feet, something was different. Something inside him changed.
Zōsui hadn't just made Karin suffer her whole life. He had also destroyed her mother before her, breaking her spirit, using her as a tool, as an object.
Naruto felt no remorse. On the contrary, he wanted to see Zōsui bleed again and again. He dreamed of healing him, just to hurt him again. Leaving him on the brink of death, dragging him to that threshold between unbearable pain and false hope. Repeating the process until there was nothing left of him but fear and agony.
And the most disturbing part wasn't the desire itself, but the fact that he had nearly gone through with it.
Not even he could explain how he had managed to stop himself.
Zōsui made a low sound, like a moan, as his face sank into the ground. His body began to convulse.
And then, he died.
With his mouth slightly open, just a centimeter from the arm he could never reach.
In his eyes, there was still a spark of hope. The hope of healing his wounds.
Jiraiya didn't say anything. Not throughout the entire scene.
Only when Naruto stood up and shook off his bloodstained arm did he finally speak.
"That… was cruel."
He knew it. He knew Karin's story. Everything Zōsui had done. The marks. The scars.
Jiraiya had found out over the month he had spent with them.
Not even Jiraiya himself had considered handing Karin over. Not for a second.
But killing him in Konoha… in the middle of the Chūnin Exams…
"Kusagakure won't dare make any move against Konoha, if that's what you're worried about," Naruto replied dryly.
Jiraiya frowned. He already knew that. Kusagakure was no match for Konoha. But still...
Zōsui wasn't just any jōnin. He was a high-ranking official. A representative of Kusagakure.
If Kusa decided to ally with other villages… what if another Great Ninja War broke out? When that happened, Konoha wouldn't be able to count on Kusagakure because of this incident.
Jiraiya felt a headache slowly settling into his skull.
"I'll take care of covering everything up. Go home for today. Rest."
Naruto nodded indifferently. But he had no intention of resting.
Karin looked at the corpse for a long time.
She wasn't happy. She was sad.
Not because of Zōsui's death. But because she didn't have the strength to do it with her own hands.