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After stepping out of the house, Naruto was greeted by a scene of utter devastation. Craters pockmarked the ground, collapsed earth stretched across the landscape, and countless trees lay uprooted. Two layers of stone walls had been shattered in the battle, but at least their thickness had provided some resistance—otherwise, the entire structure would have crumbled.
Still feeling weak from his incomplete recovery, Naruto didn't venture far. He simply took a few steps outside the door, pulled out some food, and began eating.
He wasn't particularly concerned about whether Sakura had eaten or not. There was still plenty of leftover food in the room from yesterday. Besides, Sakura had been keeping watch all night, not fasting for religious reasons—she didn't need to starve herself.
After finishing his meal, Naruto sat by the doorway and activated his Wind Release technique, sending gusts of wind into the house. If nothing else, it would prevent anyone inside from suffocating due to poor ventilation. After all, he had more chakra than he could possibly use.
---
The dimly lit streets, splattered with blood, the lifeless bodies of his parents on the ground, and his older brother standing over them with a blade—this nightmare replayed itself endlessly in Sasuke's mind.
"My foolish little brother...
If you wish to kill me, then harbor hatred and curse me.
Live on in ugly desperation, running away just to survive.
And one day, when you gain eyes like mine, come before me."
Itachi held his katana, his Mangekyō Sharingan piercing through Sasuke's heart like a dart.
Suddenly, a snake-like figure emerged, whispering seductively, "Do you desire power?"
Sasuke tried to speak but found himself unable to utter a word.
"Then I shall grant you power. If you seek even more, come find me."
Sasuke felt the surge of newfound strength coursing through him, only to be reminded of the words Naruto had spoken after defeating him for the first time:
"Is this all you've got?"
With that memory lingering, he jolted awake.
Bolting upright, Sasuke clenched his fists, testing the unfamiliar energy coursing through his body.
"Sasuke-kun, you're awake!" Sakura exclaimed, her excitement palpable. It seemed Sasuke had completed his transformation as well.
Violet chakra swirled around Sasuke, accentuating his cold, stoic features. Blood-soaked bandages wrapped parts of his body, the crimson droplets caught in the vortex of his chakra, adding a striking contrast to its eerie glow.
Sakura was utterly captivated. This transformed version of Sasuke was leagues above Naruto's red orb form. Clearly, aliens came in different varieties.
[Could they be from different planets? Maybe they're undercover spies, hiding their identities from each other?] Sakura's imagination ran wild. She convinced herself this made sense. Otherwise, why would Naruto transform only after Sasuke passed out? And why hadn't Sasuke transformed earlier, even when he was getting beaten down?
"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked, flashing a smirk tinged with arrogance. His piercing gaze, combined with the mesmerizing aura of his cursed seal chakra, gave him the air of a dark prince.
Reaching out, Sasuke grabbed a chunk of the stone wall, crushing it effortlessly. [With this power, I should finally be able to defeat him.]
"He's outside!" Sakura replied immediately, too dazzled by Sasuke's new appearance to think twice. She fantasized about how handsome their future son would be if she were lucky enough to marry him.
"Wait, what about the enemy?" Sasuke suddenly remembered. Before losing consciousness, he recalled seeing Naruto attacking their opponent. Based on his understanding of Naruto, unless he was dead, there was no way he'd stop fighting. Yet now, the silence outside indicated that Naruto was alive, which meant... the enemy must have been defeated?
"Naruto transformed and drove them off," Sakura explained cautiously. While she viewed Sasuke as an alien ally, Naruto was still her teammate who treated her kindly. She didn't want to reveal too much.
"Transformed???" Sasuke furrowed his brow, utterly confused, and stepped outside.
"You're here," Naruto said without turning around. The massive chakra fluctuations behind him were impossible to ignore.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted in acknowledgment.
"You shouldn't have come."
"???" Sasuke couldn't help but feel disoriented. Why did both teammates seem so unrecognizable after waking up? Had he been unconscious for years?
Naruto turned to face him, momentarily stunned by Sasuke's sharp features. [Damn it, Kishimoto, did you really have to make Sasuke look THIS good?]
Sasuke noticed Naruto's pale complexion and the exhaustion evident in his stance. Though he initially harbored intentions of challenging Naruto, this version of him looked far too worn out—similar to how he had appeared during their fight against Zabuza. Even without the added boost of his cursed seal chakra, Sasuke knew he could easily overpower Naruto in this state.
His will to fight drained instantly, and the violet chakra faded as quickly as it had surged. Gasping for breath, Sasuke slumped onto the ground.
"This..." Sasuke stared at his trembling hands, the stark contrast between his earlier strength and his current weakness leaving him frustrated.
Naruto sat beside him and asked, "Did you feel it?"
"Hn," Sasuke muttered, his usual aloofness masking his inner turmoil.
"Sasuke, remember this: power that isn't under your control isn't truly yours," Naruto said earnestly.
He didn't want Sasuke relying on such unstable forces. Overuse could lead to something akin to what happened with Kimimaro—a loss of self. Of course, if Sasuke could master it, he wouldn't object. But clearly, Sasuke couldn't handle it yet.
"What about your transformation?" Sasuke countered, implying that if Naruto could use it, why couldn't he?
"???" Naruto blinked in confusion. [When did I ever say I could transform? Did I accidentally pick up an Ultraman transformation device somewhere?]
[What exactly did Sakura tell Sasuke?] Naruto thought, scratching his head.
After a moment of contemplation, he leaned closer to Sasuke and whispered, "You know how some classmates call me a monster, right?" He trusted Sasuke to keep quiet about sensitive matters. "There's a beast sealed inside me. When I passed out, its chakra leaked through the seal and took control of me, causing me to lash out blindly."
Naruto spoke truthfully—his blackout, the loss of control, and the chaotic attack were all accurate descriptions, though he conveniently omitted the fact that he hadn't landed a single blow on the enemy.
"Is it strong?" Sasuke whispered.
Having some knowledge of sealing techniques, Sasuke understood that any power capable of leaking through a seal and dominating Naruto must be extraordinary. What kind of monstrosity was sealed inside him? The thought sent shivers down his spine.
Inside Naruto's mindscape, Kurama flicked his tail, sending Naruto flying back into the cola pool. "Brat, clean this pool again!"
Realizing he might have inadvertently revealed too much, Naruto sheepishly returned to scrubbing the oversized bowl. [This thing is harder to clean than I thought.]
"Yeah, it's incredibly powerful," Naruto admitted quietly.
Kurama snorted. [I'm stronger than a spinning top, brat. Don't forget that.]
Sasuke remained silent, lost in thought. He didn't care where the power came from—he just wanted to kill Itachi.
Seeing that his earlier attempt hadn't fully resonated with Sasuke, Naruto pressed on with his lecture.
"I'm not forbidding you from using it. But foreign power can corrupt your mind and erode your body. No matter the source, once you learn to control it, you can wield it however you please."
Naruto held up his hand, conjuring a small wisp of Kurama's chakra in his palm and presenting it to Sasuke.
"What is that?! That monster's power?" Sasuke exclaimed, sensing the oppressive aura emanating from the tiny flame. Though faint, it was unmistakably potent.
"Yeah, I can only control a minuscule amount that leaks out," Naruto explained honestly. Indeed, it was just a fraction of Kurama's chakra.
Continuing his explanation, Naruto elaborated, "If you want to harness this power, try my approach. Seal it away first, then gradually learn to control the small amounts that seep out."
"I remember you saying you wanted to kill someone. But I hope you do it as Uchiha Sasuke, not as some mindless beast controlled by rage. If you let the power consume you and turn into a monster, then killing him won't count as achieving your goal—it'll just be another random act of violence. Understand?"
Sasuke fell silent, digesting Naruto's words.
Naruto didn't press further. His limited experience with motivational speeches left him struggling for additional arguments.
Time passed slowly.
Early the next morning, after a full night's rest, the trio set off toward the tower. Orochimaru hadn't sent reinforcements to attack them. Having already tested Sasuke's abilities, he knew the Sound Four wouldn't stand a chance against them—even less so after receiving the cursed seal. Since they still couldn't win, why bother sending them? As for the scrolls, Orochimaru hadn't managed to steal them anyway.
With the scrolls safely in hand and their injuries healed, the three traveled leisurely, setting up shelters each night to rest.
Finally, on the fifth morning, they arrived at the tower.
They didn't encounter Kabuto, who avoided them since he wasn't familiar enough with them to risk approaching casually.
Standing before the inscriptions on the wall, Naruto retrieved the scroll, opened it, and summoned an unfamiliar examiner via reverse summoning. Glancing at the clock, the examiner announced their successful completion of the second phase.
[Originally, it was supposed to be Iruka, but he's currently hospitalized after being kicked by Sasuke. This guy's filling in for him.]
At this point, there were thirty minutes left until the deadline.