The eyes of the gathered parents turned grim.
Among them, Shikaku's face had gone slightly pale—his jutsu had been ripped apart, and even as a jōnin, he suffered backlash from the severed connection.
"It really was the Nine-Tails' chakra…"
"What now? Should we restrain and seal him?"
"Wait… If we force him too hard, we might make it worse—he could unleash even more of the Bijū chakra…"
…
Nervous murmurs spread among the parents, until Inoichi took a step forward and spoke up:
"Uzumaki Naruto, calm down. No one here is your enemy. We're only trying to help you. Take a deep breath…"
Naruto shot them a cold glance, said nothing, and simply turned to walk toward the Academy.
With every step he took…
The malevolent crimson chakra slowly dissipated.
Only then did the shinobi parents finally relax, wiping the sweat from their foreheads. Moments ago, they'd truly feared he would go berserk.
They would've survived—but the children nearby… they wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Sigh…"
Inoichi looked at the shaken crowd—the panicking parents, the crying children—and let out a heavy breath:
"That was… by far the worst entrance ceremony in history."
The others nodded, all of them feeling the same.
…
The news quickly reached Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage's face turned ashen. He dropped the speech script in his hand and immediately rushed to the Academy.
"Where's Naruto!? Is he okay!?"
He looked around at the present jōnin, panic written all over his face—as if dreading the answer he might receive.
Shikaku quickly stepped forward and gave a full report of what had happened.
When he finished, Hiruzen's face was dark and stormy.
"Idiots!!" he roared.
"I explicitly ordered that no one was to bully Naruto! Who dared to throw that rock at him!?"
The shinobi exchanged uncomfortable looks, all silently bitter.
Yes, he had given the order. But he had never established any consequences for breaking it.
So, of course, the villagers didn't care.
And this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. But the Hokage had never punished them before.
Only now, when Naruto had finally retaliated—and even released the Nine-Tails' chakra—did Hiruzen finally panic.
As the Hokage, he instantly realized the heart of the problem. His face grew even darker.
Changing the subject, he asked, "You said Naruto's strength was abnormal? Could it be the Nine-Tails' doing?"
Inoichi and Hiashi shared a glance. The former spoke first:
"Hokage-sama, I checked his body personally. There were no chakra fluctuations. It was purely raw strength."
Hiashi added, "With my Byakugan, I saw that Naruto's body is… incredibly powerful. It's nothing like a child's physique."
Chōza chimed in as well, recounting how he had clashed with Naruto and lost in a contest of sheer strength.
Hiruzen frowned deeply.
"That doesn't make sense…"
He knew Naruto's circumstances. The boy received only minimal support—barely enough to survive, let alone grow this strong.
"Unless…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"…Could it be a dormant Kekkei Genkai from the Senju Clan?"
The shinobi around him looked confused. Chōza couldn't help but ask:
"Hokage-sama… what does this have to do with the Senju?"
Realizing his slip, Hiruzen quickly gave a vague excuse and brushed it off.
But internally, gears were turning.
Naruto's parents were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
Minato, though a Hokage, was a civilian with no notable lineage.
But Kushina… she was the princess of the Uzumaki Clan. The last direct descendant of her bloodline.
Historically, the Uzumaki and Senju Clans had been close allies—tied by blood and marriage.
For instance, Senju Hashirama's wife was Uzumaki Mito.
It wasn't impossible that Kushina's bloodline had inherited some traces of Senju power—perhaps enough to pass on to Naruto.
"…But still, there are doubts."
Even if the Senju genes were present, after so many generations, they should've been diluted and dormant.
It shouldn't be possible to awaken them so strongly.
Then again, the Senju were known for one thing—monstrous strength.
Even without chakra techniques, their pure taijutsu could shatter stone and level hills.
Hiruzen fell into thought—and made up his mind.
He would go personally to see Naruto.
…
Inside the nearly empty classroom…
Naruto sat at the back near the window, casually watching the clouds drift by.
This was his true body.
Back in Satomi Hill Villa, over a thousand shadow clones were continuing his intense taijutsu training.
Recalling the earlier events, Naruto closed his eyes and reached within.
He tried again to speak to the Nine-Tails.
"Kurama. Was that your help back there?"
Though he possessed a powerful body due to the pirate world, he was still a child—and his time there had been short.
That brute strength alone wouldn't have been enough to break free from a jōnin's shadow binding.
That power came from Kurama.
But as always, there was no response.
Naruto sighed—this time, with less patience.
He focused his consciousness… and attempted something new.
To open a door.
A door of will.
"Door of the Mind."
The power of the Devil Fruit—true to its conceptual nature—granted him the ability to try.
After a few focused attempts—
A door truly appeared before him.
An ethereal gateway, within his mental space.
He stepped through it.
The world spun.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in darkness.
Far ahead was the red wooden gate of the seal. The world was heavy, quiet, and cold.
"Kurama…"
He stepped before the gate.
ROAR!!!
A thunderous roar echoed out.
Two blazing lantern-like eyes ignited in the dark.
Then—a colossal orange beast, its nine tails stretching like an infernal storm behind it.
Like a living catastrophe descending upon the world.
The Kyūbi no Yōko.
The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.
It lowered its head and stared down at him, seething.
"UZUMAKI NARUTO!!!"
Kurama's voice raged like an earthquake.
"You little brat! You DARED to threaten me! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!!!"
From within the seal, the Kyūbi's chakra surged.
Violent, malevolent, and boundless—like a tsunami crashing through the bars.
The crimson chakra enveloped Naruto.
Evil whispers, destructive thoughts, and demonic urges filled his mind.
But Naruto stood calmly.
Unmoved.
He looked up.
"Kurama," he said flatly.
"…Do you want to be free?"
(End of Chapter)
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