My attempt at a Canon Naruto with Chaos Gacha. I don't speak English very well, so I rely heavily on ChatGPT and Google Translate for translations; if anyone knows of a better option or has any tips, I'm all ears.
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A Chaotic Whirlpool - Naruto with the Chaos Gacha
- Thread starter reborn1303
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Chapter 1: Chaos Begins
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2021
- Messages
- 160
- Likes received
- 2,007
Naruto Uzumaki had never been particularly good at keeping his emotions in check, and that afternoon would be no exception.
He could still feel the mental and physical exhaustion after using the Shadow Clone Jutsu to defeat Mizuki. His body hurt, his clothes were dirty, and the revelations about his own life would bother him that night. However, as he walked back to his apartment, none of that could put out the huge smile on his face.
Iruka-sensei had accepted him. He had risked his life to protect him and, finally, had given him the ninja headband he had wanted so badly.
Naruto stopped in the middle of the street and adjusted it on his forehead, making sure the metal plate was perfectly centered. After looking at his reflection in a shop window, he raised both arms with a triumphant smile.
"I did it! I finally did it! Naruto Uzumaki is a real ninja!" Some people passing by turned their heads to look at him, but he didn't care. He was too busy imagining all the things he could do now that he had passed the graduation exam. He still had a long way to go before becoming Hokage, but that had never stopped him before.
When he reached his apartment, he practically threw the door open. He left his sandals to one side, entered the room, and looked at himself again in the little mirror on the wall. The headband was still there. It hadn't disappeared while he was walking, and it wasn't a dream or any kind of joke.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," he murmured, touching his headband again. "I promise I'll become an incredible Hokage. Just you wait!"
The room fell silent after his declaration. Naruto lowered his arms, satisfied with himself, and began thinking about what he could eat to celebrate his graduation. There might still be some food in the fridge. If not, he could always stop by Ichiraku the next day and order an extra-large bowl.
That was when it arrived, practically echoing inside his head as if someone had shouted it right into his ear.
[Welcome to the Chaos Gacha! You have been selected as the next lucky participant. The Lady of Luck, or perhaps Fate itself, might have its eyes on you if you managed to be selected, but I don't care about that! So let's get the show on the road. Let's gamble!]
Naruto jumped and clutched his head.
"What...?" He turned toward the door and then the window, looking for some sign that someone was playing a trick on him. "Hey! Who's there? If this is a joke, I'm warning you, it isn't funny!"
There was no answer.
Naruto took a few steps, checked behind the door, and even looked under the bed. He might not be the best ninja, but he was sure he could find someone inside his own apartment. After confirming that he was alone, he scratched his head in confusion.
"A gacha? What the heck is that?" The term meant nothing to him. However, before he could keep wondering what was happening, three sharp chimes rang in his ears.
[You have obtained X1 Random Bronze Ticket for successfully passing the Ninja Academy graduation exam!]
[You have obtained X1 Random Silver Ticket for defeating Mizuki!]
[You have obtained X1 Random Gold Ticket for learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
Naruto blinked. The information came with a strange sensation, as though he had just received something he couldn't see or touch. Nevertheless, he could feel the tickets there. It was as certain as knowing he was wearing his ninja headband.
Naruto's mouth fell open in astonishment. Three tickets. One for graduating, another for defeating Mizuki, and one more for learning the technique that had changed the outcome of the fight. Suddenly, what had begun as a rather unsettling experience was turning into something that completely captured his attention.
"Wait a second!" he exclaimed, pointing at himself. "I have three of those things? And what am I supposed to do with them?"
The answer came instantly.
[Would you like to use your tickets?]
Naruto remained still for a few moments. He still wasn't sure what this Chaos Gacha was, but being rewarded for his accomplishments made sense. Besides, if there was a chance to obtain something useful for his dream of becoming Hokage, he wasn't going to waste it.
"Yes, of course I want to use them," he said aloud. Light suddenly flashed, accompanied by the sound of coins falling. In his mind, he saw a huge roulette wheel spinning so fast that he couldn't make out anything on it. In less than a second, it spun and stopped three times, and an announcement appeared in his mind.
You have used a random Bronze Ticket!
[Impact]
|Uncommon Ability|
You are able to amplify the physical impacts of your attacks by expending energy, making your punches and kicks, etc. deal more damage, but this does not amplify your stats, only the impact of your hits.
Naruto read the description, going over every detail with growing interest. An ability that let him hit harder without having to increase his muscles' strength sounded pretty good. He could feel that it was ready to be assigned whenever he wanted; the information seemed to have settled into his head along with the reward, giving him a basic understanding of what he had just obtained.
"This is awesome!" he said, clenching a fist in front of his face. "Imagine punching an enemy and sending him flying!"
A second announcement interrupted his imagination.
You have used a random Silver Ticket!
[Megaphone]
|Common Ability|
Allows the user to amplify their volume to disorientating levels, being able to shout loud enough to be heard over a loud concert or loud enough to disorient targets.
Naruto frowned as he finished absorbing the explanation.
"Seriously? Just shouting louder?" He cupped both hands around his mouth and was about to try it right then and there, but remembered that he was in his apartment and that his neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate him testing an ability like that at this hour.
"Hehehe. This will be useful for a few pranks," he said as a mischievous smile began to form on his face.
The third announcement arrived shortly afterward.
You have used a random Gold Ticket!
[Relentless Stamina]
|Elite Trait|
Your stamina is ridiculous, even as a regular human you could run a marathon and not be winded, you also recover from exhaustion really fast and it takes a lot to get you exhausted.
Naruto stared at his hands, trying to find some difference. He didn't feel as though his muscles had changed or his body had suddenly transformed. Even so, he could feel himself recovering energy, and the pain in his body quickly faded until he felt as good as new.
"I can move around a lot more without getting tired?!" His smile widened. "That's incredible! Good luck trying to catch me now, bastards!"
With his newfound energy, the room seemed much less cramped. Naruto began pacing back and forth, practically bouncing with joy as he imagined everything he could do with those rewards. He could already see how the Impact ability would make a lethal combo with his Shadow Clones, and if he learned to use his voice to disorient his enemies first, they wouldn't stand a chance. With that stamina, he could keep fighting long after his opponent was down to his last breath.
He didn't know whether any of this was some kind of strange technique, an illusion, or something even the best ninja in Konoha knew nothing about. What he did know was that the three rewards had appeared after real events in his life and that, for some reason, they now belonged to him.
Naruto approached the window. Outside, the village continued its usual routine, completely unaware of what had just happened in that little apartment. To anyone looking at him, Naruto Uzumaki would be nothing more than a brat who had just passed the graduation exam and was probably planning his next prank.
Naruto touched the ninja headband on his forehead again. The metal plate glimmered faintly in the light coming through the window, reminding him of everything that had happened that day and how much he still had to prove. His dream remained the same: to become Hokage and make everyone in the village acknowledge his existence.
The strange Gacha wasn't going to change that.
But maybe it could help him achieve it.
Now he had one more reason to train, three new rewards to understand, and a mysterious opportunity that might allow him to obtain many more. For Naruto, that was enough.
His first night as a ninja had just become much more interesting than he could have imagined.
He could still feel the mental and physical exhaustion after using the Shadow Clone Jutsu to defeat Mizuki. His body hurt, his clothes were dirty, and the revelations about his own life would bother him that night. However, as he walked back to his apartment, none of that could put out the huge smile on his face.
Iruka-sensei had accepted him. He had risked his life to protect him and, finally, had given him the ninja headband he had wanted so badly.
Naruto stopped in the middle of the street and adjusted it on his forehead, making sure the metal plate was perfectly centered. After looking at his reflection in a shop window, he raised both arms with a triumphant smile.
"I did it! I finally did it! Naruto Uzumaki is a real ninja!" Some people passing by turned their heads to look at him, but he didn't care. He was too busy imagining all the things he could do now that he had passed the graduation exam. He still had a long way to go before becoming Hokage, but that had never stopped him before.
When he reached his apartment, he practically threw the door open. He left his sandals to one side, entered the room, and looked at himself again in the little mirror on the wall. The headband was still there. It hadn't disappeared while he was walking, and it wasn't a dream or any kind of joke.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," he murmured, touching his headband again. "I promise I'll become an incredible Hokage. Just you wait!"
The room fell silent after his declaration. Naruto lowered his arms, satisfied with himself, and began thinking about what he could eat to celebrate his graduation. There might still be some food in the fridge. If not, he could always stop by Ichiraku the next day and order an extra-large bowl.
That was when it arrived, practically echoing inside his head as if someone had shouted it right into his ear.
[Welcome to the Chaos Gacha! You have been selected as the next lucky participant. The Lady of Luck, or perhaps Fate itself, might have its eyes on you if you managed to be selected, but I don't care about that! So let's get the show on the road. Let's gamble!]
Naruto jumped and clutched his head.
"What...?" He turned toward the door and then the window, looking for some sign that someone was playing a trick on him. "Hey! Who's there? If this is a joke, I'm warning you, it isn't funny!"
There was no answer.
Naruto took a few steps, checked behind the door, and even looked under the bed. He might not be the best ninja, but he was sure he could find someone inside his own apartment. After confirming that he was alone, he scratched his head in confusion.
"A gacha? What the heck is that?" The term meant nothing to him. However, before he could keep wondering what was happening, three sharp chimes rang in his ears.
[You have obtained X1 Random Bronze Ticket for successfully passing the Ninja Academy graduation exam!]
[You have obtained X1 Random Silver Ticket for defeating Mizuki!]
[You have obtained X1 Random Gold Ticket for learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
Naruto blinked. The information came with a strange sensation, as though he had just received something he couldn't see or touch. Nevertheless, he could feel the tickets there. It was as certain as knowing he was wearing his ninja headband.
Naruto's mouth fell open in astonishment. Three tickets. One for graduating, another for defeating Mizuki, and one more for learning the technique that had changed the outcome of the fight. Suddenly, what had begun as a rather unsettling experience was turning into something that completely captured his attention.
"Wait a second!" he exclaimed, pointing at himself. "I have three of those things? And what am I supposed to do with them?"
The answer came instantly.
[Would you like to use your tickets?]
Naruto remained still for a few moments. He still wasn't sure what this Chaos Gacha was, but being rewarded for his accomplishments made sense. Besides, if there was a chance to obtain something useful for his dream of becoming Hokage, he wasn't going to waste it.
"Yes, of course I want to use them," he said aloud. Light suddenly flashed, accompanied by the sound of coins falling. In his mind, he saw a huge roulette wheel spinning so fast that he couldn't make out anything on it. In less than a second, it spun and stopped three times, and an announcement appeared in his mind.
You have used a random Bronze Ticket!
[Impact]
|Uncommon Ability|
You are able to amplify the physical impacts of your attacks by expending energy, making your punches and kicks, etc. deal more damage, but this does not amplify your stats, only the impact of your hits.
Naruto read the description, going over every detail with growing interest. An ability that let him hit harder without having to increase his muscles' strength sounded pretty good. He could feel that it was ready to be assigned whenever he wanted; the information seemed to have settled into his head along with the reward, giving him a basic understanding of what he had just obtained.
"This is awesome!" he said, clenching a fist in front of his face. "Imagine punching an enemy and sending him flying!"
A second announcement interrupted his imagination.
You have used a random Silver Ticket!
[Megaphone]
|Common Ability|
Allows the user to amplify their volume to disorientating levels, being able to shout loud enough to be heard over a loud concert or loud enough to disorient targets.
Naruto frowned as he finished absorbing the explanation.
"Seriously? Just shouting louder?" He cupped both hands around his mouth and was about to try it right then and there, but remembered that he was in his apartment and that his neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate him testing an ability like that at this hour.
"Hehehe. This will be useful for a few pranks," he said as a mischievous smile began to form on his face.
The third announcement arrived shortly afterward.
You have used a random Gold Ticket!
[Relentless Stamina]
|Elite Trait|
Your stamina is ridiculous, even as a regular human you could run a marathon and not be winded, you also recover from exhaustion really fast and it takes a lot to get you exhausted.
Naruto stared at his hands, trying to find some difference. He didn't feel as though his muscles had changed or his body had suddenly transformed. Even so, he could feel himself recovering energy, and the pain in his body quickly faded until he felt as good as new.
"I can move around a lot more without getting tired?!" His smile widened. "That's incredible! Good luck trying to catch me now, bastards!"
With his newfound energy, the room seemed much less cramped. Naruto began pacing back and forth, practically bouncing with joy as he imagined everything he could do with those rewards. He could already see how the Impact ability would make a lethal combo with his Shadow Clones, and if he learned to use his voice to disorient his enemies first, they wouldn't stand a chance. With that stamina, he could keep fighting long after his opponent was down to his last breath.
He didn't know whether any of this was some kind of strange technique, an illusion, or something even the best ninja in Konoha knew nothing about. What he did know was that the three rewards had appeared after real events in his life and that, for some reason, they now belonged to him.
Naruto approached the window. Outside, the village continued its usual routine, completely unaware of what had just happened in that little apartment. To anyone looking at him, Naruto Uzumaki would be nothing more than a brat who had just passed the graduation exam and was probably planning his next prank.
Naruto touched the ninja headband on his forehead again. The metal plate glimmered faintly in the light coming through the window, reminding him of everything that had happened that day and how much he still had to prove. His dream remained the same: to become Hokage and make everyone in the village acknowledge his existence.
The strange Gacha wasn't going to change that.
But maybe it could help him achieve it.
Now he had one more reason to train, three new rewards to understand, and a mysterious opportunity that might allow him to obtain many more. For Naruto, that was enough.
His first night as a ninja had just become much more interesting than he could have imagined.
Chapter 2 - Team 7
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2021
- Messages
- 160
- Likes received
- 2,007
Naruto still hadn't gotten used to the idea of being a ninja, but that hadn't stopped him from spending much of the morning showing off the headband on his forehead. Whenever he found a reflective surface, he took the opportunity to check how it looked on him, and when he entered the classroom, he quickly drew everyone's attention by proudly pointing at the metal plate as if there were any chance someone hadn't heard that he had passed.
"Look, everyone! Now I really am a ninja!" he announced, lifting his chin with a big, foxlike grin accentuated by the marks on his cheeks.
Most of his classmates were already used to his antics, so he received only a few glances before everyone returned to their own business. Naruto puffed out his cheeks, disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm, but soon recovered his good mood. After all, for once, he didn't feel the need for external validation.
He entered the classroom and sat at his usual desk, already excited about what would happen next in his life as a ninja.
At that moment, the classroom door suddenly opened, and Sakura and Ino's loud argument drew everyone's attention. It didn't take long for them to finish, and Sakura turned to look in his direction. For a moment, he imagined that she wanted to talk to him, only for the girl to shove him aside with a brusque movement that put him in just the right position to see her heading toward Sasuke, the bastard. But just as she was approaching, Ino appeared and blocked her path.
"Sakura, where do you think you're going?" - Ino asked, glancing at Sasuke. - "I'm planning to sit with him."
Sakura pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. "And who said you could decide that for both of us? I want to sit with Sasuke-kun too, so find somewhere else, Ino-Pi."
"Who are you calling Pig?!" - Ino took a step toward her, momentarily forgetting that they were still in class. "Besides, I saw him first!"
"That doesn't mean you have the right to sit beside him!"
As the two began arguing over who had more right to take the seat beside Sasuke, he remained seated at his desk, apparently indifferent to the argument taking place just a few inches away. Naruto, still lying on his desk, looked at the girls, then at the Uchiha, and finally examined him again with a thoroughly confused expression.
He didn't understand what was so special about that bastard. It was true that Sasuke was the top student in class, but that didn't explain why practically every girl seemed ready to fight for a few minutes of his attention. Naruto saw nothing that justified such a commotion.
Determined to find out what he was missing, he approached Sasuke's desk and squatted on top of it, face-to-face with the boy. Sasuke looked up and found Naruto staring intently at him, so close that it was impossible to ignore him.
"What do you want now?" Sasuke asked with obvious irritation.
Naruto didn't answer right away. He continued examining him, tilting his head slightly as he tried to find some extraordinary feature in his face. "I just don't get it. Sakura, Ino, and all the others are going crazy over you, but when I look at you, I don't see anything special. What are you supposed to have?"
Sasuke, irritated, looked Naruto straight in the eyes as if deciding whether it was worth answering him. This didn't stop Naruto from continuing to stare, far too absorbed in his examination. Sakura and Ino's protests continued beside them, growing louder as neither managed to get the upper hand.
It was then that a student standing behind Naruto turned to look at the ongoing argument and accidentally hit him with his elbow.
"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed as he lost his balance.
He tried to brace himself against the desk to keep from falling, but the movement sent him straight forward. Sasuke didn't even have time to turn his head before Naruto collided with him. For an instant, they both froze, their lips accidentally pressed together and their eyes wide with surprise, while the rest of the classroom fell into deep silence.
Naruto was the first to pull away. He fell backward, landing clumsily on the floor, and clutched his throat, gagging and spitting as he tried to get rid of the feeling. Sasuke, meanwhile, remained seated for a few seconds, his expression of disbelief soon giving way to disgust. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as if trying to erase what had just happened, spitting on the floor as he was about to move to show the blond how displeased he was.
Sakura and Ino were already reacting on both their behalf.
"NARUTO!!!" Sakura screamed in horror, while Ino pointed at him with such indignation that she looked ready to leap at him. "How dare you kiss Sasuke?!"
"I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!!!" Naruto defended himself, still on the floor. "THAT GUY PUSHED ME!!!" He got up to point at the guy who had been standing behind him.
The student was nowhere to be seen, because the moment he realized what had happened, he ran out of the classroom. The girls were too angry to pay attention to him and focused on the only other responsible they could find.
Sakura, Ino, and all the other girls were even angrier, while Sasuke continued wiping his mouth with an increasingly uncomfortable expression. The commotion grew, and just as it seemed ready to explode, the classroom door flew open and Iruka-sensei raised his voice just before the girls could throw themselves at Naruto.
"That's enough!" the teacher ordered, silencing them with a stern look. "It was an accident. Naruto, stop shouting and return to your seat; everyone else, stop making a scene."
Naruto immediately took advantage of the interruption to get up and move away from Sasuke, still muttering that what happened hadn't been his fault. Just as he returned to his seat, an announcement echoed inside his mind.
[You have obtained X1 Bronze Ticket for having your first kiss!]
[You have obtained X1 Bronze Ticket for stealing Sasuke Uchiha's first kiss!]
Naruto stopped mid-step. The surprise made him forget, for a moment, the embarrassment and disgust he felt. His eyes widened a little. He had obtained two new tickets. He wasn't sure why the Gacha considered what had happened an achievement worthy of a reward, especially considering it had been an unpleasant accident, but he wasn't going to argue when he was being rewarded.
A smile began to form on his face, and Sakura noticed it immediately.
"What are you laughing about, Naruto?" she asked suspiciously.
"N-Nothing!" he answered too quickly, recovering himself and sitting up straight. "It's nothing, Sakura-chan!"
She narrowed her eyes, unconvinced, before turning to look at Iruka. Naruto did the same, although his attention wasn't on his teacher. Two more tickets meant two more chances to obtain abilities or other rewards, and the idea was exciting enough that he quickly forgot what he had just suffered. If things continued like this, perhaps he could get something really useful before his ninja training began.
After finishing his speech about their graduation, Iruka-sensei began explaining how the teams would be formed. Naruto straightened up, paying attention to each name as it was announced. This was more important than what had just happened: the teams would determine who he started working with and who his instructor would be. He had reached this point after years of effort, and he was ready to find out what awaited him.
The names were assigned to the different groups one after another until it was finally Naruto's turn.
"Team 7 consists of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Their jōnin instructor is Kakashi Hatake."
Naruto took barely a second to react. "What?! Why do I have to be on the same team as that bastard?!"
Sakura stood up almost at the same time, although her complaint went in a very different direction. "Iruka-sensei! Why do I have to be with Naruto?!"
Iruka sighed as he saw the two start complaining the moment he finished listing the members. He explained that the teams had been organized to balance the graduates' abilities and could not be formed solely according to personal preferences. Naruto protested that he could work perfectly well alone, but Iruka decided to ignore the declaration, knowing that arguing with the blond at that moment would do him no good.
Sasuke, for his part, didn't seem particularly concerned about the team's composition. His indifference irritated Naruto, although beneath the complaints was a feeling he couldn't ignore. He had a team, teammates to train with, and an instructor who would teach him to become a real ninja. He wasn't sure what working with Sakura and Sasuke would be like, but that didn't change the fact that his life had just taken another step forward.
"Look, everyone! Now I really am a ninja!" he announced, lifting his chin with a big, foxlike grin accentuated by the marks on his cheeks.
Most of his classmates were already used to his antics, so he received only a few glances before everyone returned to their own business. Naruto puffed out his cheeks, disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm, but soon recovered his good mood. After all, for once, he didn't feel the need for external validation.
He entered the classroom and sat at his usual desk, already excited about what would happen next in his life as a ninja.
At that moment, the classroom door suddenly opened, and Sakura and Ino's loud argument drew everyone's attention. It didn't take long for them to finish, and Sakura turned to look in his direction. For a moment, he imagined that she wanted to talk to him, only for the girl to shove him aside with a brusque movement that put him in just the right position to see her heading toward Sasuke, the bastard. But just as she was approaching, Ino appeared and blocked her path.
"Sakura, where do you think you're going?" - Ino asked, glancing at Sasuke. - "I'm planning to sit with him."
Sakura pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. "And who said you could decide that for both of us? I want to sit with Sasuke-kun too, so find somewhere else, Ino-Pi."
"Who are you calling Pig?!" - Ino took a step toward her, momentarily forgetting that they were still in class. "Besides, I saw him first!"
"That doesn't mean you have the right to sit beside him!"
As the two began arguing over who had more right to take the seat beside Sasuke, he remained seated at his desk, apparently indifferent to the argument taking place just a few inches away. Naruto, still lying on his desk, looked at the girls, then at the Uchiha, and finally examined him again with a thoroughly confused expression.
He didn't understand what was so special about that bastard. It was true that Sasuke was the top student in class, but that didn't explain why practically every girl seemed ready to fight for a few minutes of his attention. Naruto saw nothing that justified such a commotion.
Determined to find out what he was missing, he approached Sasuke's desk and squatted on top of it, face-to-face with the boy. Sasuke looked up and found Naruto staring intently at him, so close that it was impossible to ignore him.
"What do you want now?" Sasuke asked with obvious irritation.
Naruto didn't answer right away. He continued examining him, tilting his head slightly as he tried to find some extraordinary feature in his face. "I just don't get it. Sakura, Ino, and all the others are going crazy over you, but when I look at you, I don't see anything special. What are you supposed to have?"
Sasuke, irritated, looked Naruto straight in the eyes as if deciding whether it was worth answering him. This didn't stop Naruto from continuing to stare, far too absorbed in his examination. Sakura and Ino's protests continued beside them, growing louder as neither managed to get the upper hand.
It was then that a student standing behind Naruto turned to look at the ongoing argument and accidentally hit him with his elbow.
"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed as he lost his balance.
He tried to brace himself against the desk to keep from falling, but the movement sent him straight forward. Sasuke didn't even have time to turn his head before Naruto collided with him. For an instant, they both froze, their lips accidentally pressed together and their eyes wide with surprise, while the rest of the classroom fell into deep silence.
Naruto was the first to pull away. He fell backward, landing clumsily on the floor, and clutched his throat, gagging and spitting as he tried to get rid of the feeling. Sasuke, meanwhile, remained seated for a few seconds, his expression of disbelief soon giving way to disgust. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as if trying to erase what had just happened, spitting on the floor as he was about to move to show the blond how displeased he was.
Sakura and Ino were already reacting on both their behalf.
"NARUTO!!!" Sakura screamed in horror, while Ino pointed at him with such indignation that she looked ready to leap at him. "How dare you kiss Sasuke?!"
"I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!!!" Naruto defended himself, still on the floor. "THAT GUY PUSHED ME!!!" He got up to point at the guy who had been standing behind him.
The student was nowhere to be seen, because the moment he realized what had happened, he ran out of the classroom. The girls were too angry to pay attention to him and focused on the only other responsible they could find.
Sakura, Ino, and all the other girls were even angrier, while Sasuke continued wiping his mouth with an increasingly uncomfortable expression. The commotion grew, and just as it seemed ready to explode, the classroom door flew open and Iruka-sensei raised his voice just before the girls could throw themselves at Naruto.
"That's enough!" the teacher ordered, silencing them with a stern look. "It was an accident. Naruto, stop shouting and return to your seat; everyone else, stop making a scene."
Naruto immediately took advantage of the interruption to get up and move away from Sasuke, still muttering that what happened hadn't been his fault. Just as he returned to his seat, an announcement echoed inside his mind.
[You have obtained X1 Bronze Ticket for having your first kiss!]
[You have obtained X1 Bronze Ticket for stealing Sasuke Uchiha's first kiss!]
Naruto stopped mid-step. The surprise made him forget, for a moment, the embarrassment and disgust he felt. His eyes widened a little. He had obtained two new tickets. He wasn't sure why the Gacha considered what had happened an achievement worthy of a reward, especially considering it had been an unpleasant accident, but he wasn't going to argue when he was being rewarded.
A smile began to form on his face, and Sakura noticed it immediately.
"What are you laughing about, Naruto?" she asked suspiciously.
"N-Nothing!" he answered too quickly, recovering himself and sitting up straight. "It's nothing, Sakura-chan!"
She narrowed her eyes, unconvinced, before turning to look at Iruka. Naruto did the same, although his attention wasn't on his teacher. Two more tickets meant two more chances to obtain abilities or other rewards, and the idea was exciting enough that he quickly forgot what he had just suffered. If things continued like this, perhaps he could get something really useful before his ninja training began.
After finishing his speech about their graduation, Iruka-sensei began explaining how the teams would be formed. Naruto straightened up, paying attention to each name as it was announced. This was more important than what had just happened: the teams would determine who he started working with and who his instructor would be. He had reached this point after years of effort, and he was ready to find out what awaited him.
The names were assigned to the different groups one after another until it was finally Naruto's turn.
"Team 7 consists of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Their jōnin instructor is Kakashi Hatake."
Naruto took barely a second to react. "What?! Why do I have to be on the same team as that bastard?!"
Sakura stood up almost at the same time, although her complaint went in a very different direction. "Iruka-sensei! Why do I have to be with Naruto?!"
Iruka sighed as he saw the two start complaining the moment he finished listing the members. He explained that the teams had been organized to balance the graduates' abilities and could not be formed solely according to personal preferences. Naruto protested that he could work perfectly well alone, but Iruka decided to ignore the declaration, knowing that arguing with the blond at that moment would do him no good.
Sasuke, for his part, didn't seem particularly concerned about the team's composition. His indifference irritated Naruto, although beneath the complaints was a feeling he couldn't ignore. He had a team, teammates to train with, and an instructor who would teach him to become a real ninja. He wasn't sure what working with Sakura and Sasuke would be like, but that didn't change the fact that his life had just taken another step forward.
That same afternoon, the newly graduated students gathered to wait for the jōnin who would be in charge of their respective teams. At first, the place was full of students talking about their new teammates and trying to guess what their instructors would be like. The jōnin-sensei began appearing one by one, calling their students and leaving with them to explain their first duties.
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stayed behind, waiting for theirs to appear.
For the first few minutes, Naruto sat calmly. He was convinced their instructor would arrive soon, explain what they had to do, and take them on some exciting mission. However, when several teams had already left and Kakashi still hadn't appeared, he began looking toward the entrance with growing impatience.
"How long is he going to take?" he asked, resting one hand on his knee as he leaned forward.
Sakura didn't have an answer either. She suggested that perhaps their instructor had run into some trouble, but Naruto replied that this didn't explain why all the other jōnin had managed to arrive on time. Sasuke simply watched the entrance, apparently less concerned about the delay, although he had no intention of leaving without meeting the person they had been assigned.
Another hour passed, and then another. The group of students dwindled as the last instructors arrived and left with their teams. Naruto went from pacing back and forth to sitting on the ground, and then ended up lying flat on his back, staring at the sky with an expression of utter boredom. Sakura checked the time from time to time, while Sasuke remained seated without saying much.
The sun moved quickly across the sky as evening approached, and the place that had once been full of students was practically empty. At last, there was no team left waiting except the seventh.
Naruto sat up, indignant that they still hadn't received any word from their instructor. "This is ridiculous! Everyone else has already left! What kind of sensei did they assign us?"
Sakura let out a sigh and remarked that perhaps he had forgotten about them, a possibility Naruto found even more insulting. Sasuke, however, suggested that the delay might be a test to evaluate their patience. Naruto thought about it for a few seconds before crossing his arms.
"Well, if that's his way of training us, I already hate him," he declared, convinced that any ninja worth his salt would have arrived hours ago.
That was when a silver-haired figure appeared, walking calmly toward them. The man wore his ninja headband tilted over his forehead, a mask covering the lower half of his face, and held a book in one hand, as though arriving several hours late to his first meeting with a team of newly graduated students were perfectly normal.
"Hello," he greeted them, casually raising one hand.
Naruto sprang to his feet and pointed at him, unable to contain all the anger he had accumulated while waiting. "Where the hell have you been?!"
"I got lost on the path of life," their sensei said, tilting his head slightly without showing the slightest sign of embarrassment.
Naruto stared at him, mouth hanging open, unable to come up with an immediate response. Sakura put a hand to her forehead, while Sasuke seemed to have lost any expectation that this meeting would be normal. If that was their instructor, life on Team 7 promised to be much more complicated than they had imagined.
After introducing himself as Kakashi Hatake, their new sensei, the jōnin explained that he wanted to get to know them a little better before beginning their training. He asked them to talk about their likes, dislikes, dreams, and what they wanted to achieve as ninja. Naruto found the request strange, since he was convinced that his name and his dream were the only things that really mattered, but he quickly volunteered to go first.
He introduced himself enthusiastically, talking about his love of Ichiraku ramen and how much he hated having to wait for it. Then he declared that his dream was to become Hokage, without hesitating for even an instant. He said it with the same conviction with which he had set out to graduate, and for a moment Kakashi looked at him attentively before returning to his book and moving on to his teammates.
When it was Sakura's turn, she adjusted her hair and began speaking with a rather shy smile. She mentioned that she liked spending time with Sasuke and enjoyed the things girls her age usually enjoyed, although she didn't mention anything directly; she did give Naruto an annoyed look when she talked about her dislikes.
Finally, Kakashi turned his gaze to Sasuke, who had listened without showing much interest until then.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things I dislike and few things I like," he began, his voice much more serious than his teammates'. "I don't have a dream. I have an ambition, and I intend to make it a reality."
Sasuke slightly clenched his hands as he continued, making it clear that his goal was to restore his clan and kill a particular man.
Kakashi's expression changed subtly, although he didn't ask any questions about the declaration. When the introductions were over, he stood up and informed them that the next day they would begin a mission. Naruto immediately regained his enthusiasm and asked what kind of mission it would be, but Kakashi merely told them they would find out when the time came. Before Naruto could insist too much, his sensei was already leaving, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Sakura said goodbye shortly afterward, and Sasuke didn't take long to leave either. Naruto left a little later, remembering the tickets he had obtained that morning. If he had to wait until the next day to begin his first mission, he could still use the day to see what new abilities he would get and try out the ones he had obtained the day before.
Naruto looked for a secluded training ground, far from the more heavily traveled paths: a simple clearing among the woods from which Konoha got its name, with a few thick wooden logs in the middle for practice. When he reached them, he sat down and focused on the two tickets he had obtained.
He used both tickets, and the noise and light he had come to associate with the Chaos Gacha appeared as he waited for the results.
You have used a random Bronze Ticket!
[Hustle]
|Common Ability|
Yomi Hustle - "It may be your only move" allows you to "Hustle" your opponents by performing a gesture, whether it's snapping your fingers and giving a taunting smile or lying down on a lawn chair mid-fight, your hustle must at least last half a second. When you successfully complete a Hustle, you regain some energy and stamina. The longer your hustle goes on, the more you will recover energy. Effectiveness depends on how stylish and aggravating you were. Can only be used in active combat against an enemy who means you genuine harm.
Naruto tilted his head as he received the information. He understood why someone would want to look cool while fighting. or simply wanting to mock an opponent, but even to him this seemed like an inconvenient ability (especially considering his [Unrelenting Stamina] trait), with somewhat complicated conditions: he had to be fighting someone who genuinely wanted to hurt him. Without an enemy in front of him, he couldn't fully test how it worked, although the idea was strange enough that he wanted to try it as soon as he had the chance.
"What kind of ability is this?" he murmured, scratching his head. "Well, I guess I'll find out what it's good for."
The second result appeared shortly afterward.
[Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception]
|Trash Ability|
These mystical eyes allow the user to supernaturally perceive the depth of an object or location in relation to something else.
Naruto frowned when he read the classification, but decided to try it before judging it. He activated the ability and looked around. There were no flashes or spectacular transformations; he simply began perceiving distances between objects with a precision he hadn't had before. He could more easily tell what was near, what was far away, and the distance between a branch and a tree or a stone and the ground in front of him.
He moved around the clearing, observing different objects from several angles. He even threw a small stone and followed its trajectory with his eyes, surprised by how clearly he could understand its position in space.
"Oh! This could help me aim better," he says with a smile as he continued testing his new eyes.
Then he remembered the ability he had obtained the previous night and decided to switch from his mystical eyes to Impact. He tried to do it mentally, but nothing happened. He tried again, concentrating harder this time, and got exactly the same result.
Naruto frowned. That was when more information about how these abilities worked came to him: the active ability slot had a cooldown period after changing the equipped ability. He had to wait five minutes before he could change it again.
"Five minutes? I have to wait five minutes every time I want to switch?!" he protested, although there was no one nearby to hear him.
Naruto would have to get used to that limitation and think carefully about which ability he wanted available at any given moment.
While he waited, he decided to test another reward he had obtained the previous night: Unrelenting Stamina. To test it, he began running around the clearing, first at a moderate pace and then gradually increasing his speed to the maximum, convinced that sooner or later he would start getting tired.
But exhaustion took much longer than expected to set in. He kept running until he had completed numerous laps; he even began jumping between the tree branches, moving erratically with the help of the mystical eyes, which gave him a better understanding of his surroundings. When he finally stopped, he was barely panting. His breathing also recovered surprisingly quickly.
"This is incredible!" Naruto shouted, his eyes widening in amazement as he grinned from ear to ear.
When the waiting period ended, he changed the equipped ability again. The mystical eyes disappeared from their slot, leaving him feeling slightly dizzy, and Impact took their place. Naruto clenched a fist, recalled the information he had received, and focused his chakra into his fist before punching a tree trunk.
THUMP!
The impact echoed through the clearing, and Naruto immediately pulled his hand back, shaking his fingers. The trunk now had a small crater a little larger than his hand,
"Ow, ow, ow! Hehehe, it really worked!" he exclaimed, though he soon smiled again. "I have to learn how to use it properly!"
Next, he tried Megaphone, taking a breath before shouting toward the forest. His voice thundered among the trees with such intensity that several birds took flight. Naruto stood still for a moment, surprised by the volume he had managed to reach, before starting to laugh in satisfaction. The ability could be useful for disorienting an enemy or making himself heard from far away, although he would have to be careful not to affect his teammates with it.
After experimenting for quite a while, Naruto understood another of the Gacha's limitations. Although he possessed several abilities, he only had one slot available to equip one active ability at a time. He could switch between them, but each switch activated the cooldown period, and he wouldn't be able to use several simultaneously until he obtained more slots. He wasn't sure how he would get more, but he believed he would eventually figure it out.
Naruto sat under the tree and mentally reviewed everything he had discovered. He had four active abilities among the rewards he had obtained so far: Impact, Megaphone, Hustle, and the mystical eyes. Unrelenting Stamina was added to those. He still didn't know which option would be best for his future missions, but at least he now had some experience using them.
Finally, he stood up and brushed off his clothes. The next day he would have his first mission with Team 7, and although he still thought Kakashi was a pretty strange guy, he couldn't deny that he was excited to find out what awaited them. He had new abilities to master, a trait that would allow him to train for longer, and an entire road ahead of him before he became Hokage.
"All right!" he declared, clenching a fist with determination. "Tomorrow will be the beginning of my great career as a ninja!"
His voice echoed through the clearing as he returned to the village. Naruto had no way of knowing what kind of mission Kakashi would assign them. But for now, he was satisfied with what he had obtained and eager to discover what other rewards awaited him in the future.
Naruto pulls and visual Guide
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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[Impact]
|Uncommon Ability|
You are able to amplify the physical impacts of your attacks by expending energy, making your punches and kicks, etc. deal more damage, but this does not amplify your stats, only the impact of your hits.
[Megaphone]
|Common Ability|
Allows the user to amplify their volume to disorientating levels, being able to shout loud enough to be heard over a loud concert or loud enough to disorient targets.
You have no idea how close this one came to being [Bitch Breaker]; I thought it had landed there, but the wheel kept spinning just enough to move to the next one.
[Relentless Stamina]
|Elite Trait|
Your stamina is ridiculous, even as a regular human you could run a marathon and not be winded, you also recover from exhaustion really fast and it takes a lot to get you exhausted.
[Hustle]
|Common Ability|
Yomi Hustle - "It may be your only move" allows you to "Hustle" your opponents by performing a gesture, whether it's snapping your fingers and giving a taunting smile or lying down on a lawn chair mid-fight, your hustle must at least last half a second. When you successfully complete a Hustle, you regain some energy and stamina. The longer your hustle goes on, the more you will recover energy. Effectiveness depends on how stylish and aggravating you were. Can only be used in active combat against an enemy who means you genuine harm.
[Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception]
|Trash Ability|
These mystical eyes allow the user to supernaturally perceive the depth of an object or location in relation to something else.
[Mystic Eyes of Flame]
|Elite Ability|
Type Moon - Allows the user to increase the temperature of and spontaneously combust any target in their line of sight. The stronger the target the more energy they have to expend. While active their eye turns red while harboring the image of three overlapping triangles
In Action
[Novice Math]
|Common Skill|
You are good at calculating things in your head and doing calculations on the spot. You can solve most math problems you would be able to solve, rather easily in your head instead of writing things down like a human calculator.
[Green Spandex]
|Common Item|
Naruto - A green spandex suit filled to the brim with the power of YOUTH!!!!! While wearing this suit and nothing else, gains from physical training and stamina recovery are slightly enhanced. YOUTH!!!!!!
[Fire Claws]
|Uncommon Ability|
Unordinary - Allows you to grow your fingernails into very durable and sharp claws that you can cover in very hot flames. These claws can even carve apart and melt metal.
[Adept Discipline]
|Rare Skill|
Your dedication and focus are admirable. You are very disciplined, being able to focus on tasks without falling to distractions, you are able to grit your teeth and get it done, even when in pain you can push on. You are able to push through discomfort, annoyance, and pain to get whatever job you need to get done. It is hard to use mental abilities on you.
[Wendigo Form]
|Elite Ability|
Allows the user to transform into a Wendigo a man eating cryptid or a hybrid at will. As a wendigo, they have greatly enhanced physical prowess, immunity to ice based abilities, great ice affinity and the abiltiy summon blizzards and snowstorms into existence. However, instead of consuming energy, this ability consumes hunger, the longer it is active for and the more the user uses the ability the more their desire to eat human flesh grows. If the user grows too hungry the ability cannot be maintained, however if the hunger is sated, the next time the form is used, it will be slightly stronger.
|Uncommon Ability|
You are able to amplify the physical impacts of your attacks by expending energy, making your punches and kicks, etc. deal more damage, but this does not amplify your stats, only the impact of your hits.
[Megaphone]
|Common Ability|
Allows the user to amplify their volume to disorientating levels, being able to shout loud enough to be heard over a loud concert or loud enough to disorient targets.
You have no idea how close this one came to being [Bitch Breaker]; I thought it had landed there, but the wheel kept spinning just enough to move to the next one.
[Relentless Stamina]
|Elite Trait|
Your stamina is ridiculous, even as a regular human you could run a marathon and not be winded, you also recover from exhaustion really fast and it takes a lot to get you exhausted.
[Hustle]
|Common Ability|
Yomi Hustle - "It may be your only move" allows you to "Hustle" your opponents by performing a gesture, whether it's snapping your fingers and giving a taunting smile or lying down on a lawn chair mid-fight, your hustle must at least last half a second. When you successfully complete a Hustle, you regain some energy and stamina. The longer your hustle goes on, the more you will recover energy. Effectiveness depends on how stylish and aggravating you were. Can only be used in active combat against an enemy who means you genuine harm.
[Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception]
|Trash Ability|
These mystical eyes allow the user to supernaturally perceive the depth of an object or location in relation to something else.
[Mystic Eyes of Flame]
|Elite Ability|
Type Moon - Allows the user to increase the temperature of and spontaneously combust any target in their line of sight. The stronger the target the more energy they have to expend. While active their eye turns red while harboring the image of three overlapping triangles
In Action
[Novice Math]
|Common Skill|
You are good at calculating things in your head and doing calculations on the spot. You can solve most math problems you would be able to solve, rather easily in your head instead of writing things down like a human calculator.
[Green Spandex]
|Common Item|
Naruto - A green spandex suit filled to the brim with the power of YOUTH!!!!! While wearing this suit and nothing else, gains from physical training and stamina recovery are slightly enhanced. YOUTH!!!!!!
[Fire Claws]
|Uncommon Ability|
Unordinary - Allows you to grow your fingernails into very durable and sharp claws that you can cover in very hot flames. These claws can even carve apart and melt metal.
|Rare Skill|
Your dedication and focus are admirable. You are very disciplined, being able to focus on tasks without falling to distractions, you are able to grit your teeth and get it done, even when in pain you can push on. You are able to push through discomfort, annoyance, and pain to get whatever job you need to get done. It is hard to use mental abilities on you.
[Wendigo Form]
|Elite Ability|
Allows the user to transform into a Wendigo a man eating cryptid or a hybrid at will. As a wendigo, they have greatly enhanced physical prowess, immunity to ice based abilities, great ice affinity and the abiltiy summon blizzards and snowstorms into existence. However, instead of consuming energy, this ability consumes hunger, the longer it is active for and the more the user uses the ability the more their desire to eat human flesh grows. If the user grows too hungry the ability cannot be maintained, however if the hunger is sated, the next time the form is used, it will be slightly stronger.
Last edited:
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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I think it's an issue with the Spanish translation; Naruto usually says "Creelo" or "de veras" though sometimes he simply doesn't say it. I write it that way, but I think the AI doesn't understand it and translates it literally. I'll check on that later.
Tsukimira94
Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?
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When you run it through the AI, try to have it add that verbal tic where it seems appropriate—though not too excessively. Great work; the fic looks interesting. Do you already have it in Spanish so I can bookmark it? Is it on AO3 or somewhere like that?
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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no la verdad es que no, solo he subido aqui traducido
no tengo cuenta de AO3(y no por falta de intentos) y no uso muchas más páginas aparte de esta y ao3
Chapter 3 - The Bell Test
New
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character speaking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character thinking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - Gacha, loud or threatening voices, jutsus, or simply words that I want to highlight
For the first time in his life, Naruto Uzumaki was wondering whether becoming Hokage was worth having to get up at such an ungodly hour.
Dawn had not quite broken when he left his apartment and began walking toward the training ground Kakashi had told them about the previous day. Konoha's streets were practically deserted, the early morning air was quite cool, and no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he was excited about his first mission, he couldn't help yawning every few minutes.
At least he'd managed to get some sleep. After returning home the previous afternoon, he'd spent quite some time thinking about the abilities he'd obtained from the Gacha and how he might use them during a real mission. The temptation to keep experimenting had been strong, but he'd eventually decided to go to bed. He didn't want his new sensei to find him asleep during his first mission.
When he reached the field, he discovered that Sasuke was already there, leaning against one of the trees with his arms crossed. The Uchiha looked as wide awake as ever, something Naruto found particularly irritating considering the considerable effort he was making to keep his eyes open.
"Hey, teme! How long have you been here?" Naruto asked, raising a hand in greeting before yawning again.
"Just got here," Sasuke replied without bothering to change his posture.
Naruto grunted and dropped onto the grass. Just a few minutes later Sakura appeared, walking with considerably less enthusiasm than usual and covering her mouth as she tried to stifle a yawn. However, when she saw that Sasuke was already waiting, she immediately straightened up and tried to hide her exhaustion.
"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" she greeted him with a smile before focusing on Naruto, who was practically lying on the grass. "What are you doing down there?"
"Trying not to fall asleep," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "Why do we have to come so early? Even the old man at the ramen stand isn't awake at this hour!"
Sakura sighed, though she couldn't really argue with that complaint. She would have preferred to stay in bed a little longer herself, but Kakashi had been quite clear about their meeting time. The three of them eventually settled near the training posts as they waited for their instructor to arrive.
And they waited.
The sun began to rise above the trees, the temperature gradually increased, and the first sounds of morning replaced the silence of dawn. Naruto went from sitting down to pacing back and forth, then sat down again and eventually started pulling small blades of grass out of sheer boredom. Sakura checked the time every so often, while Sasuke remained with his arms crossed, seemingly calm, although the way his fingers tapped against his arm made it quite clear that he, too, was losing patience.
By the time the morning was well underway, Naruto abruptly jumped to his feet.
"That damn sensei has done it again! Why does he make us come so early if he's just going to show up whenever he feels like it?!"
"You're not the only one who's annoyed, Naruto!" Sakura snapped, having stopped trying to hide her irritation. "We've been waiting for hours!"
Sasuke said nothing, but his gaze remained fixed on the entrance path. If Kakashi was trying to test their patience, he could at least be sure he was succeeding in irritating all three of his students.
Finally, when the sun was fully illuminating the training ground, a silver-haired figure appeared, strolling calmly between the trees with one hand in his pocket and the other raised in a casual greeting.
"Good morning," the silver-haired man said with a relaxed expression and a soft voice.
Naruto felt as though a vein was about to burst in his forehead.
"GOOD MORNING?! WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR HOURS!!!"
"You told us to come early!" Sakura added, pointing at him accusingly. "Why are you always late?!"
Kakashi stopped in front of them and seemed to consider the question for a few seconds. Then he tilted his head slightly, as though he'd just remembered something important.
"Well, you see... A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take a different route."
Naruto stared at him. He'd heard and made plenty of excuses in his life, but that was by far the stupidest he'd ever heard.
"A BLACK CAT?! THAT'S IT?!"
Kakashi shrugged, apparently satisfied with his explanation, and walked toward the three wooden posts in the center of the field. Sasuke followed him with his eyes without commenting, although his expression suggested that he hadn't believed a single word, either.
Naruto was still grumbling when Kakashi took out a small alarm clock and placed it on one of the posts. He adjusted its hands to noon and, once satisfied, turned back toward his students. "All right. We have until twelve to complete the test."
That immediately caught Naruto's attention. He straightened up and watched Kakashi take out two small silver bells hanging from strings. He jingled them softly before fastening them to his belt on one side of his waist.
"Your objective is quite simple: take these bells from me before the alarm goes off. You may use any technique you know, and I have no intention of making things easy for you."
Naruto smiled at that. Finally, they were going to do something interesting. However, his smile vanished when Kakashi pointed to the training posts and explained that anyone who failed to get a bell would end up tied to one of them, forced to watch while the others enjoyed their lunch.
"What?! That's cruel!" Naruto protested, especially because he'd skipped breakfast that morning in his hurry.
"Kakashi-sensei... There are only two bells," Sakura pointed out, having noticed a problem with the way the test was set up.
"Very observant, Sakura," Kakashi replied, lifting one of them slightly. "That means at least one of you won't be able to get one. Whoever ends up without a bell will fail and be sent back to the Academy."
The news hit the three genin like a bucket of cold water.
Naruto looked at the bells and then at his teammates. The possibility of returning to the Academy, after everything he'd gone through to graduate, was something he didn't even want to consider. Sakura didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about the idea either, glancing sideways at Sasuke, while he watched Kakashi with an increasingly serious expression.
"And one last thing," the jōnin continued as he walked leisurely away from his students. "If you want to get one of these bells, you'll have to come at me with the genuine intention of killing me. If you hold back, you won't stand a chance."
Naruto felt a shiver at those words. Attacking someone like Mizuki was not the same as deliberately attacking his own instructor, but Kakashi's expression left no room for doubt: he was serious.
None of the three replied. Naruto quickly checked the equipment in his ninja pouch, Sakura inspected her weapons, and Sasuke prepared in silence while Kakashi assessed their preparations.
"All right. Begin," the older ninja said. The three genin needed no further prompting and immediately scattered among the trees.
Naruto landed on a thick branch and crouched behind the trunk, watching the field from an elevated position. Kakashi remained in the same place, seemingly unconcerned, while waiting for one of them to decide to attack. Naruto could make out some movement among the nearby branches, but he wasn't sure where Sakura and Sasuke had hidden themselves.
For the first time since arriving at the field, he allowed himself to seriously consider the possibility of failure.
There were only two bells.
Even if all three managed to work together well enough to snatch them from Kakashi, one of them would have to return to the Academy. Naruto clenched his fists as he remembered all the times he'd failed the graduation exam, his classmates' mockery, and that night when Mizuki tricked him into stealing the forbidden scroll.
He couldn't go through all that again.
Not after Iruka-sensei had risked his life to protect him. Not after finally receiving that forehead protector that meant so much to him.
"I'm not going to fail. Not now that I've come this far."
Naruto looked up at Kakashi, remembering the ability he'd tested the day before. Impact could increase the power of his blows. For the moment, he couldn't see how Megaphone could be useful, and considering that switching between abilities required some time, at least he could prepare himself before starting the fight.
Naruto smiled slowly. He had never been particularly patient, and staying hidden while waiting for a perfect opportunity had never been his style.
He jumped from the branch and landed in front of Kakashi, several meters away.
From their hiding places, Sakura and Sasuke watched in surprise as Naruto voluntarily abandoned the cover of the trees. Neither seemed to understand what he hoped to accomplish by facing a jōnin directly.
"Well, now. I thought you'd stay hidden a little longer, Naruto," Kakashi remarked as he turned toward the blond.
"I don't need to hide to take those bells from you!" Naruto answered, pointing at him with a defiant smile. "Get ready, Kakashi-sensei!"
The jōnin watched him for a moment before taking out a small book and opening it to his marked page. Naruto frowned when he saw him start reading so casually.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" the blond demanded, bewildered.
"Reading, of course," the older ninja said as he calmly turned a page without even looking up for a second.
"I can see you're reading! But why?!"
Kakashi turned a page with absolute calm.
"Don't worry. Your attacks are so weak that I can stop them even while reading. So it doesn't matter if you attack me."
That produced exactly the reaction he wanted.
"WEAK?! I'LL SHOW YOU HOW WEAK MY PUNCHES ARE, DATTEBAYO!"
Naruto charged forward and, as he covered the final few meters, focused his attention on Impact, making sure the ability was equipped. He felt his chakra respond to his will, gathering in his arm as he threw a punch directly at Kakashi's face.
The jōnin raised a hand without taking his eyes off the book.
THUMP!
Kakashi's palm intercepted the blow.
Naruto felt his knuckles strike solid resistance, but the additional impact quickly made itself felt. The force of the attack was considerably greater than his instructor had calculated, and Kakashi's one visible eye widened slightly as he felt the pressure against his hand.
"Hmm?" Kakashi looked up from his book for a second to examine Naruto's fist before returning to his reading.
It wasn't enough to break his guard or force him backward. Kakashi was an experienced jōnin and the difference between their abilities was still enormous, but that blow had carried far more power than a recent graduate should possess.
Naruto, of course, wasn't about to stop and analyze the result.
Taking advantage of Kakashi having one hand occupied, he launched a kick toward his side. The jōnin ducked calmly, allowing the leg to pass over his head, and before Naruto could regain his balance, he vanished from his field of vision.
A presence immediately appeared behind him.
"Huh?"
"Naruto, there's something you should learn about Shinobis." The boy tried to turn around, but Kakashi had already brought his hands together to form a rather strange seal. From the trees, Sakura and Sasuke watched the scene with growing alarm. Judging by the position of his fingers and the seriousness with which Kakashi had spoken, both thought he was about to use some dangerous technique.
"Konoha's secret technique!" Kakashi announced.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Wait, wait...!"
"One Thousand Years of Death!" With those words, the older ninja moved. Naruto's scream echoed across the field as the technique violently launched him forward. His body flew through the air before he finally plunged headfirst into the nearby lake, water splashing all around him.
Sakura stood motionless, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Sasuke said nothing either, although the disbelief on his face was quite difficult to hide, and with every passing second he lost a little more faith in his sensei's seriousness.
Meanwhile, back in the training ground clearing, Kakashi opened his book again.
"Well, that should teach him not to let his guard down."
An indignant voice came from the lake.
"DAMN YOU, KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!" Naruto shouted as he dragged himself out of the water, completely soaked and spitting as he tried to catch his breath. It had been humiliating, and the pain he still felt did nothing to improve his mood. However, thanks to Relentless Stamina, the effort of his attack and the fall had barely affected his energy reserves. After shaking the water out of his hair, he looked back at Kakashi with a defiant smile.
"You can laugh all you want, but someday I'm going to become Hokage! Then we'll see who's laughing, dattebayo!"
Kakashi looked up slightly.
"Oh, really? Then you'd better start by getting one of these bells."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face.
As he spoke, several figures shot out of the water and the surrounding woods: Naruto's shadow clones, which he'd summoned while he was in the water.
Kakashi watched the clones with renewed interest.
"So, the rumors are true. He really can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu at will."
Naruto gave him no time to think further. Two clones attacked from the sides while three others descended from the branches, forcing Kakashi to retreat to avoid being surrounded. Contrary to what one might expect from someone like Naruto, the movements seemed purposeful: each clone tried to limit Kakashi's options while the others looked for an opening.
One of them threw a kick from the left, forcing the jōnin to lean toward the right, where another clone was already waiting with a punch. Kakashi blocked the punch, but once again felt that additional pressure he'd noticed in the original Naruto's blow.
Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed. "Interesting. He can do it consistently."
The clone that had thrown the punch immediately vanished in a cloud of smoke, before Kakashi could even strike it.
Naruto noticed it too.
He didn't need to pause for long to understand what had happened. His clones could use Impact just as he could, but the amount of chakra they received when created was limited, and using the ability at full power consumed a large part of those reserves. Some could maintain it for longer, but others ended up dispersing after a single especially powerful blow.
"So they can use my abilities too!" Naruto's grin widened as he circled Kakashi, blending in with the clones and waiting for the right moment to reveal himself while the clones kept up the pressure.
That opened up a lot of possibilities.
Two clones lunged at the jōnin simultaneously, one trying to grab his arms while the other sought to immobilize his legs. Kakashi spun around and managed to prevent them from completely catching him, but a third Naruto appeared behind him and threw a kunai toward one side, forcing him to alter his movement to dodge it.
That was exactly the opportunity the original had been waiting for.
Naruto darted forward from one side and extended his hand toward the bells, taking advantage of the fact that Kakashi seemed to have his attention divided among the copies.
His fingers almost brushed one of them.
However, Kakashi turned at the last instant and avoided him by mere centimeters. "Hmm, this brat is full of surprises. He really is his father's son. Looks like I won't be able to keep reading."
"Almost, Naruto. That was a good attempt," the jōnin said aloud, looking at the blond with a little more attention as he raised his eyes fully from his book.
Before Naruto could try again, the jōnin moved and rapidly struck the clones attempting to surround him. The copies vanished one after another in clouds of smoke. Before Naruto could process what had just happened, a hand emerged from the smoke and headed straight for his face. The blow sent him flying several meters backward.
The boy rolled across the ground but got up almost immediately. The blow had hurt, although his extraordinary stamina allowed him to recover much faster than Kakashi had expected.
"I'm not finished yet! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!!!" Naruto created more clones and renewed the attack. Over the next several minutes, Kakashi had to defend himself against a series of offensives that, while nowhere near posing a real threat to him, were certainly surprising to see from a recent graduate, especially one with Naruto's reputation.
The clones attacked from behind when Kakashi focused on the ones in front of him, used the trees to change direction, and tried to force him into positions from which the original could reach the bells. Naruto made mistakes, naturally, and on more than one occasion missed opportunities by charging in too soon, but he was learning to coordinate his movements as he fought.
Kakashi began paying closer attention.
Those enhanced blows were still easy for someone at his level to stop, but the technique was peculiar. He had seen many variations of this type of chakra-based jutsu, and this one stood out because it wasn't simply an increase in strength. Even when the clones disappeared after attacking, the extra pressure of the impact could become troublesome if Naruto managed to land several blows in succession.
However, the gap in experience and skill was still far too great.
When Naruto tried to repeat a maneuver to surround him, Kakashi suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke. The boy barely had time to wonder what had happened before he discovered that one of his clones was right in front of him, charging with a chakra-filled fist.
"Huh?! Wait!"
The clone didn't have time to stop either.
THUMP!
The blow struck Naruto directly in the stomach, folding him in half. At the same time, the original, who had already started throwing his own punch toward the spot where he expected Kakashi to be, ended up connecting with the clone instead.
Both blows carried Impact's additional power. The clone vanished in smoke after the exchange, and Naruto dropped to his knees, clutching his abdomen as he tried to catch his breath.
"Ugh...! Damn it!"
From a nearby branch, Kakashi watched the result of his substitution jutsu. It was a classic that his own sensei loved to use, taking advantage of the fact that Naruto and his clones had been focused on maintaining the offensive and none of them was paying attention to anything but their target.
Naruto stayed on the ground for a few seconds, rubbing his stomach. That blow had been far more painful than he'd expected, and now he understood better why some of his clones vanished after using Impact at full power.
"Damn! That really hurt!"
Even so, the pain gradually began to fade as he recovered his breath. Naruto raised his head and spotted one of the silver bells resting on the grass, apparently knocked loose during the fight.
His eyes lit up.
"A bell!" He quickly moved toward it and reached down to pick it up.
The ground shifted beneath his feet.
"HUH?!"
A rope tightened around his ankle and, before he could react, Naruto was yanked upward, ending up hanging upside down from a branch while the bell he'd tried to pick up remained peacefully on the ground.
Kakashi appeared before him a few seconds later, picking up the bell from the ground. "Well, Naruto. Looks like you found a trap."
"I ALREADY NOTICED!!!"
The jōnin laughed and watched the boy swing back and forth.
"I have to admit your attack was quite impressive. You used your clones much better than I would have expected and didn't hesitate to attack me with all your strength. You also showed quite a lot of endurance by continuing to fight after taking several hits. I'm starting to like you."
Naruto stopped swinging for a moment, surprised by the praise.
"Really?"
"But you were also too naïve," Kakashi continued, wiping the proud expression off the boy's face. "You let the excitement of the fight carry you away and fell into a rather obvious trap. A ninja must pay attention to his surroundings, especially when using jutsu that can be turned against him. If your enemy manages to trick you into attacking the wrong target, all that strength will be useless."
Naruto frowned as he tried to process his instructor's words.
He didn't like admitting it, but Kakashi was right.
Kakashi continued explaining that a true ninja needed to see beyond and recognize the hidden intentions behind an enemy's actions. However, before he could finish his explanation, a group of kunai and shuriken shot out from the trees.
Sasuke had decided to attack, attempting to take advantage of his instructor's apparent distraction.
The weapons struck Kakashi's body directly, piercing him before Naruto's astonished eyes.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!" the blond shouted, surprise and anger evident in his voice. "HEY, TEME! ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU WENT TOO FAR THIS TIME!"
A cloud of smoke appeared where the jōnin had been.
When it cleared, all that remained was a wooden log pierced by the weapons.
"Again?!" Naruto said, eyes wide.
From the forest, Kakashi calmly watched Sasuke change position after his attack.
"So that's where you were."
Naruto, meanwhile, was still hanging upside down.
"Damn Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto swung slightly as he tried to reach the rope holding his ankle. His instructor's lecture kept going around in his head and, as much as he wanted to complain, he knew he'd made several mistakes, which he kept replaying in his mind. He'd let himself be provoked when Kakashi took out his book, attacked without thinking much about the possibility of a substitution—one of the Academy's three basic jutsu—and finally fallen into a trap that hadn't even been particularly well hidden.
It wasn't pleasant to admit.
But if he wanted to become Hokage, he'd have to improve.
Naruto managed to pull a kunai from his pouch and, after few attempts, reached the rope with its blade. One quick cut was enough to free him. His body began to fall, but he managed to turn in midair and land on both feet with a little flip.
"Ha! That was easy!"
He'd barely straightened up when a scream echoed from somewhere in the forest.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
Naruto immediately recognized Sakura's voice.
"Sakura-chan?" He turned toward the sound, trying to work out what had happened among the trees. It didn't sound like the girl was merely surprised; she'd screamed as if she'd seen something horrible.
Naruto took a step forward, ready to go check on her.
The ground shifted beneath his feet again.
"EH?!"
A second rope tightened around his ankle and violently lifted him off the ground, leaving him hanging upside down in almost exactly the same position as before.
Naruto remained motionless for several seconds.
Then he lowered his head and looked at the rope.
It was practically identical to the last one.
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!!"
His scream echoed throughout the training ground, although this time no one appeared to make fun of him. Naruto struggled against the rope, angry with himself for falling into the same trap twice, until he finally decided to stop and take a better look at his surroundings.
From that position he could see a large part of the field. The training posts stood near the center, the clock was still counting down the remaining time and, a little farther away, was the strange stone he'd seen when he'd arrived that morning.
A couple containers of food sat beside it.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
He immediately recognized the bentō Kakashi had brought for lunch. His stomach responded with a growl so loud that for a moment he thought someone else might have heard it.
He hadn't eaten breakfast.
He'd spent much of the morning waiting for Kakashi and then expended a considerable amount of energy fighting him. Although Relentless Stamina allowed him to endure physical exertion much better, that didn't mean he could completely ignore hunger.
Naruto stared at the containers for a few seconds.
Then he looked back at the rope holding him suspended.
An idea began to form in his head.
He managed to free himself again and, after carefully checking that there wasn't another rope hidden beneath his feet, approached the food containers. He looked around before lifting one of the bentō and opening it.
The smell was enough to make him almost completely forget about the exam.
"Food!" Naruto picked up the chopsticks and was just about to bring the first bite to his mouth when a hand appeared on his shoulder.
"Naruto..."
The boy froze and turned his head very slowly.
Kakashi was behind him, his single visible eye staring straight into Naruto's as if it were about to pierce through his head.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Naruto smiled nervously, still holding the chopsticks.
"Uh... Checking whether the food is in good condition?"
Kakashi watched him in silence.
Naruto swallowed.
A few minutes later he was tied to the center post of the training ground, his arms immobilized behind his back and an expression of absolute resentment on his face.
When the clock finally struck noon, Kakashi gathered the three genin in front of the training posts. Naruto remained tied to the middle one, still regretting that he hadn't managed to eat even a single bite, while Sakura and Sasuke listened in silence.
Neither of them had obtained a bell.
The test was over.
Kakashi watched them for a few moments before speaking.
"I've made a decision. All three of you are expelled from the ninja training program."
Naruto was the first to react, snapping his head up.
"WHAT?!"
Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief, while Sasuke frowned.
Kakashi continued without changing his tone. "You haven't shown that you're ready to become real ninjas. You act like spoiled children who think this is all a game, and none of you seems to understand what it means to work as a shinobi."
Sasuke was the first to react. He lunged at Kakashi with the clear intention of attacking him, but the jōnin intercepted him effortlessly and pinned him to the ground before he could complete his movement.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Kakashi said, keeping him restrained. "You think being strong or knowing a few techniques is enough to become ninjas. You don't understand that a real mission could cost you your lives if you make the wrong decisions."
Naruto watched the scene with growing concern. He'd expected more criticism, but not for Kakashi to declare them completely unfit to continue.
"But we tried!" he protested. "I did everything I could to get those bells!"
"That's precisely your problem, Naruto. You tried to do everything on your own," the older ninja replied sternly.
The boy closed his mouth.
Kakashi continued speaking, this time addressing all of them while still pinning the Uchiha down.
"They put you in a team for a reason, but none of you stopped to think about it. Naruto charged at me without considering that he had two teammates who could help him. Sakura spent much of the test worrying only about Sasuke and didn't even try to help Naruto when he was hanging from a tree, completely defenseless. And you, Sasuke, are so convinced you're better than the other two that you'd rather work alone than accept their help."
Sasuke gritted his teeth but didn't reply.
Sakura lowered her gaze slightly.
Naruto, for his part, remembered the way he'd come out of hiding to attack Kakashi without consulting his teammates. At the time it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world, but now he was beginning to understand what his instructor was trying to tell them.
"A shinobi must be able to work with his team," Kakashi continued, visibly frustrated. "Individual skills are important, but they mean nothing if the members of a group are incapable of cooperating. And above any individual, even above the team itself, is the mission. If you don't understand that, your decisions will end up causing an operation to fail or your teammates to die."
"But Kakashi-sensei... There were only two bells. Even if we'd worked together, one of us would have had to fail," Sakura protested softly.
Kakashi watched her for a moment.
"Exactly. That was the point of the test. I wanted to see whether you were capable of setting aside your own interests and putting the team's well-being above your personal desires, even when it seemed that doing so would mean losing your chance to pass."
All three remained silent.
Then Kakashi took out a kunai and placed it near Sasuke's neck, still keeping him immobilized.
"Imagine we're on a real mission, Sakura, and an enemy manages to capture Sasuke. He orders you to kill Naruto if you want to save Sasuke's life. What would you do?"
Sakura froze.
Naruto stopped moving too.
Kakashi didn't press the blade against his student's neck, but the threat represented by the example was perfectly clear.
"Would you kill Naruto to save Sasuke? Or would you let Sasuke die? On a mission, you may face these kinds of situations. If you don't trust your teammates and can't work together, not only will the mission fail, but someone will die." Kakashi withdrew the kunai and allowed Sasuke to get up. Then he looked toward the memorial stone near the field.
"See that stone? The names carved on it belong to ninjas who died serving the village. They're remembered as heroes because they gave their lives while carrying out their duty."
Naruto watched the stone silently. Until then, he'd barely paid any attention to it, except when he'd seen the bentō beside it. Now he understood that the monument represented something far more important than a simple resting place.
Kakashi put away the kunai as he slowly approached the stone and placed a hand on it, his fingers tracing a few names that only he could see.
"The names of some of my friends are carved there." The words were spoken with a calmness more unsettling than any of his earlier scoldings. Naruto didn't know what to say, and for once he didn't feel the need to say anything. Sakura lowered her gaze, while Sasuke remained motionless.
Kakashi let the silence stretch for a few seconds before turning around.
"I'll give you one last chance."
Naruto immediately raised his head.
"Really?!"
"Don't get too excited. The second part will be harder. You'll have three additional hours to get one of the bells, and this time I won't hold back."
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a glance.
"You can use the time to eat lunch before continuing. You'll need to recover your strength," Kakashi said as he collected the food containers and placed them in front of his students.
Naruto smiled hopefully, but his expression vanished when his instructor pointed to the post he was still tied to.
"Except you, Naruto. You tried to break the rules and eat lunch before the test was over, so you'll stay tied up and go without food."
"WHAT?! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"
Kakashi ignored the protest and turned toward the other two.
"And one warning: if either of you tries to give him food, you'll fail immediately. I make the rules, and you follow them." After that final warning, he vanished among the trees, leaving Team 7 alone once again.
For a few moments, none of the three said anything.
Naruto remained tied to the middle post, watching in absolute misery as Sakura and Sasuke opened their respective bentō. The smell of food reached him almost immediately, making his stomach growl so loudly that Sakura looked up.
"Naruto..."
"Don't say anything, Sakura-chan!" he replied, trying to maintain a little dignity as he looked away. "I can manage without eating! I'm going to get one of those bells, even if I have to do it on an empty stomach, dattebayo!"
The declaration would have been much more convincing if his stomach hadn't complained again immediately afterward.
Sakura watched him with a mixture of pity and concern, but immediately remembered Kakashi's warning. If she tried to help him, she'd lose her chance to become a ninja.
Sasuke, meanwhile, sat in front of his food without touching it.
He'd listened carefully to everything Kakashi had said. Their instructor had criticized them for not working as a team, thinking only of their own interests and being unable to consider their teammates' needs. Yet now he'd ordered them to leave one of their number without food before continuing a test that would require all their energy.
Sasuke glanced briefly at Naruto.
The blond was still looking away, trying to ignore the smell of food.
"Naruto," the Uchiha said as he got up and approached the still-tied boy with his chopsticks raised.
"What do you want, teme?"
"Eat." Sasuke held a portion of food in front of him.
"Huh?" Naruto murmured, staring at him.
"If you're too hungry to move, you'll only get in the way during the second test. We need to be in good condition if we want to get those bells," the Uchiha explained in a firm, clear voice, without a trace of doubt.
Naruto opened his mouth, surprised by the offer. For an instant he remembered Kakashi's warning and glanced toward the trees, expecting his instructor to appear and punish them.
"But Kakashi-sensei said you weren't allowed to give me food!"
"He's not here," Sasuke replied calmly. "Besides, if we're going to work together, there's no sense in letting one of us be weakened."
Sakura watched the scene for a few seconds before understanding what Sasuke was doing. She looked at her own lunch, then at Naruto, and finally remembered Kakashi's words about the importance of teamwork.
She smiled slightly.
"He's right, Naruto. If we're going to pass the test, we need you to be in good enough condition to help us." Sakura approached with her chopsticks too, offering him some of her food.
Naruto looked at both of them with an expression somewhere between surprise and emotion. He'd expected many things from that day, but this show of kindness from his teammates definitely hadn't been one of them.
"Guys..." he murmured before smiling broadly. "Thanks!"
He opened his mouth to accept the first bite.
Then a cloud of smoke appeared in front of them.
"CAUGHT YOU!!!" Kakashi appeared out of nowhere with such a stern expression that all three genin froze completely.
Sakura immediately withdrew her chopsticks, Sasuke went on guard, and Naruto felt as if the food were caught in his throat even before he'd managed to taste it.
"I told you that anyone who fed Naruto would fail," Kakashi reminded them, looking at each of them in turn. "You disobeyed a direct order from your instructor."
For a few seconds, none of them could come up with a suitable answer.
Kakashi remained motionless.
Then, to his students' utter surprise, his expression changed. The severity vanished from his visible eye, and a smile began to form beneath his mask. "Congratulations."
Naruto blinked in surprise.
"All three of you pass."
For an instant, no one reacted.
"We passed?!" Sakura was the first to respond.
Kakashi nodded calmly.
"That's right. The real test was never about getting the bells. I wanted to see whether you were capable of putting your teammates' needs above orders that seemed designed to set you against each other. The previous teams did exactly what I told them, competed against each other, and ended up failing because they never understood the purpose of the exam."
Naruto looked at Sasuke, then Sakura, and finally back at his instructor, feeling an enormous wave of emotion growing in his chest.
They'd passed.
All three of them.
"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are considered scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum," Kakashi said, casting one last glance toward the memorial stone before continuing.
The words carried a seriousness none of the three could ignore. Naruto remembered Kakashi's warning about the friends whose names were engraved on that stone and understood that, as strange as the exam had been, his instructor truly believed what he was saying.
Then his emotions finally got the better of him.
"YEEEEEES!!! WE DID IT!!! WE'RE REAL NINJAS, DATTEBAYO!!!" Naruto began wriggling with joy against the post, unable to raise his arms because he was still tied up. His eyes were slightly wet, and a huge smile covered practically his entire face. After spending so many years trying to graduate, he'd finally passed his first test as a genin and could continue moving toward his dream.
It was in the middle of that celebration that he heard a familiar sound.
[You have obtained X1 Gold Ticket for passing Hatake Kakashi's bell test!]
Naruto went still.
The smile remained on his face, but for a moment he stopped squirming and opened his eyes in surprise. "Another gold ticket!"
Kakashi noticed the sudden change in his behavior. The boy had gone from celebrating to standing completely still in the space of a second, something rather strange even for Naruto. However, after observing him briefly, he decided not to ask.
Sakura and Sasuke noticed the change immediately as well, but considering how happy they each were, neither mentioned it.
"All right. I'll see you here tomorrow, Team 7." With that farewell, Kakashi vanished among the trees.
Sakura immediately approached the post and began cutting the ropes holding Naruto with a kunai. Sasuke watched with his arms crossed.
"Ahhh! Finally! I thought I was going to be tied up forever!" the blond exclaimed as he began stretching.
Sakura shook her head.
"That's what you get for trying to steal lunch," the girl retorted, though there was no animosity behind her tone.
"I was hungry!" Uzumaki replied with a big smile, as though that excused him.
Sasuke turned around.
"See you tomorrow."
Naruto raised a hand in farewell while Sakura hurried after the Uchiha. It didn't take long for them to disappear among the trees, leaving the training ground silent once more.
Naruto stayed there a while longer, looking at the place where he'd spent much of the day.
He'd taken some pretty painful hits, fallen into the same kind of trap twice, and nearly ended up back at the Academy. However, he'd also learned several important things about his own abilities and, more importantly, managed to pass alongside his teammates.
Besides, he had a gold ticket waiting.
"Hehehe! Let's see what I get this time!" Naruto smiled.
He sat on the grass and focused his attention on the ticket he'd just received. The familiar sensation of the Gacha returned, accompanied by the sounds and flashes characteristic of it. In his mind, the enormous roulette wheel appeared, spinning at great speed until it finally stopped.
You have used a random Gold Ticket!
[Mystic Eyes of Flame]
|Elite Ability|
Type Moon - Allows the user to increase the temperature of and spontaneously combust any target in their line of sight. The stronger the target the more energy they have to expend. While active their eye turns red while harboring the image of three overlapping triangles
Naruto read the description in his mind and remained silent for a few seconds.
Then his eyes widened.
"I can set things on fire just by looking at them?!" the blond thought excitedly.
This was completely different from his previous rewards. Impact could make his blows more powerful, and Megaphone allowed him to use his voice to disorient an enemy, but causing fire simply by looking at something seemed like an ability on another level.
Naruto immediately stood up, excited to try it.
Then he remembered that he had Impact equipped and would need to change abilities to use his new mystic eyes. Fortunately, quite some time had passed since his last switch, so the slot was already available. He focused on the new reward and made the switch.
The sensation was similar to what he'd experienced with the Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception, although this time he noticed a slight change in his vision. A faint reddish glow appeared around the edges of his field of view, without hindering his ability to distinguish the objects in front of him at all. Everything still looked normal, but he could feel his chakra responding in a strange way whenever he focused his gaze on something.
Naruto couldn't see his own eyes, but if he'd had a mirror in front of him, he would have discovered that his irises had taken on an intense red color, shining intensely as if they were rubies.
He looked around, searching for something suitable to test the ability on. He didn't want to accidentally set a tree on fire or cause a disaster in the middle of the training ground, especially after passing the exam.
That was when he noticed the pieces of rope left on the ground after Sakura had untied him.
"Perfect!" Naruto approached them and crouched slightly, focusing his gaze on one of the ropes. The information needed to use the ability was already in his mind, just as it had been with his previous rewards. He knew how to direct his chakra toward the target and how to produce the effect.
He decided to start with a small amount.
The result was immediate: three triangles appeared in rapid succession on the rope.
.
FWOOSH!
The rope burst into flames suddenly and violently, burning away so quickly that Naruto barely had time to step back before it had been reduced to ashes.
"WHOA?!" Naruto's eyes widened, surprised by how quickly it had happened. He'd expected the rope to start heating up slowly or for a small flame to appear, but instead it had burned almost instantly.
He crouched beside the ashes, studying them with a mixture of excitement and caution.
"That was incredible!" he murmured, though he then looked toward the trees surrounding the field. "But... if I'd tried testing it on one of those..."
Naruto swallowed.
The idea of starting a fire in Konoha didn't particularly appeal to him. He'd already had enough trouble with the destruction of such an important part of the village, and this ability seemed far more dangerous than he'd initially imagined
He straightened up and deactivated the eyes, allowing his vision to return completely to normal.
"I definitely need to learn to control this better," the blond thought as he looked again at the charred remains on the ground.
Perhaps Kakashi-sensei could help him. After all, he was a jōnin and surely knew many strange techniques. Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to tell him everything about the Gacha, but perhaps he could ask how to better control an ability that produced fire through chakra.
With that decision made, he gathered his things and began walking back toward the village.
The sun was already well into its descent, and the sky was beginning to take on the colors of sunset. Naruto raised his head as he walked, watching the clouds drift slowly above Konoha.
It had been a pretty long day.
Naruto smiled as he adjusted his forehead protector.
If this was how things were starting, he couldn't wait to find out what awaited them next.
I will try to update at least once a week. I'm not very consistent with these things, so I might occasionally forget. In any case, if you run into any issues, please let me know. While I can read English fluently, I find it difficult to write or translate into it, so I rely on AI-based translation. If anything sounds odd or could be improved, please let me know.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character thinking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - Gacha, loud or threatening voices, jutsus, or simply words that I want to highlight
For the first time in his life, Naruto Uzumaki was wondering whether becoming Hokage was worth having to get up at such an ungodly hour.
Dawn had not quite broken when he left his apartment and began walking toward the training ground Kakashi had told them about the previous day. Konoha's streets were practically deserted, the early morning air was quite cool, and no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he was excited about his first mission, he couldn't help yawning every few minutes.
At least he'd managed to get some sleep. After returning home the previous afternoon, he'd spent quite some time thinking about the abilities he'd obtained from the Gacha and how he might use them during a real mission. The temptation to keep experimenting had been strong, but he'd eventually decided to go to bed. He didn't want his new sensei to find him asleep during his first mission.
When he reached the field, he discovered that Sasuke was already there, leaning against one of the trees with his arms crossed. The Uchiha looked as wide awake as ever, something Naruto found particularly irritating considering the considerable effort he was making to keep his eyes open.
"Hey, teme! How long have you been here?" Naruto asked, raising a hand in greeting before yawning again.
"Just got here," Sasuke replied without bothering to change his posture.
Naruto grunted and dropped onto the grass. Just a few minutes later Sakura appeared, walking with considerably less enthusiasm than usual and covering her mouth as she tried to stifle a yawn. However, when she saw that Sasuke was already waiting, she immediately straightened up and tried to hide her exhaustion.
"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" she greeted him with a smile before focusing on Naruto, who was practically lying on the grass. "What are you doing down there?"
"Trying not to fall asleep," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "Why do we have to come so early? Even the old man at the ramen stand isn't awake at this hour!"
Sakura sighed, though she couldn't really argue with that complaint. She would have preferred to stay in bed a little longer herself, but Kakashi had been quite clear about their meeting time. The three of them eventually settled near the training posts as they waited for their instructor to arrive.
And they waited.
The sun began to rise above the trees, the temperature gradually increased, and the first sounds of morning replaced the silence of dawn. Naruto went from sitting down to pacing back and forth, then sat down again and eventually started pulling small blades of grass out of sheer boredom. Sakura checked the time every so often, while Sasuke remained with his arms crossed, seemingly calm, although the way his fingers tapped against his arm made it quite clear that he, too, was losing patience.
By the time the morning was well underway, Naruto abruptly jumped to his feet.
"That damn sensei has done it again! Why does he make us come so early if he's just going to show up whenever he feels like it?!"
"You're not the only one who's annoyed, Naruto!" Sakura snapped, having stopped trying to hide her irritation. "We've been waiting for hours!"
Sasuke said nothing, but his gaze remained fixed on the entrance path. If Kakashi was trying to test their patience, he could at least be sure he was succeeding in irritating all three of his students.
Finally, when the sun was fully illuminating the training ground, a silver-haired figure appeared, strolling calmly between the trees with one hand in his pocket and the other raised in a casual greeting.
"Good morning," the silver-haired man said with a relaxed expression and a soft voice.
Naruto felt as though a vein was about to burst in his forehead.
"GOOD MORNING?! WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR HOURS!!!"
"You told us to come early!" Sakura added, pointing at him accusingly. "Why are you always late?!"
Kakashi stopped in front of them and seemed to consider the question for a few seconds. Then he tilted his head slightly, as though he'd just remembered something important.
"Well, you see... A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take a different route."
Naruto stared at him. He'd heard and made plenty of excuses in his life, but that was by far the stupidest he'd ever heard.
"A BLACK CAT?! THAT'S IT?!"
Kakashi shrugged, apparently satisfied with his explanation, and walked toward the three wooden posts in the center of the field. Sasuke followed him with his eyes without commenting, although his expression suggested that he hadn't believed a single word, either.
Naruto was still grumbling when Kakashi took out a small alarm clock and placed it on one of the posts. He adjusted its hands to noon and, once satisfied, turned back toward his students. "All right. We have until twelve to complete the test."
That immediately caught Naruto's attention. He straightened up and watched Kakashi take out two small silver bells hanging from strings. He jingled them softly before fastening them to his belt on one side of his waist.
"Your objective is quite simple: take these bells from me before the alarm goes off. You may use any technique you know, and I have no intention of making things easy for you."
Naruto smiled at that. Finally, they were going to do something interesting. However, his smile vanished when Kakashi pointed to the training posts and explained that anyone who failed to get a bell would end up tied to one of them, forced to watch while the others enjoyed their lunch.
"What?! That's cruel!" Naruto protested, especially because he'd skipped breakfast that morning in his hurry.
"Kakashi-sensei... There are only two bells," Sakura pointed out, having noticed a problem with the way the test was set up.
"Very observant, Sakura," Kakashi replied, lifting one of them slightly. "That means at least one of you won't be able to get one. Whoever ends up without a bell will fail and be sent back to the Academy."
The news hit the three genin like a bucket of cold water.
Naruto looked at the bells and then at his teammates. The possibility of returning to the Academy, after everything he'd gone through to graduate, was something he didn't even want to consider. Sakura didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about the idea either, glancing sideways at Sasuke, while he watched Kakashi with an increasingly serious expression.
"And one last thing," the jōnin continued as he walked leisurely away from his students. "If you want to get one of these bells, you'll have to come at me with the genuine intention of killing me. If you hold back, you won't stand a chance."
Naruto felt a shiver at those words. Attacking someone like Mizuki was not the same as deliberately attacking his own instructor, but Kakashi's expression left no room for doubt: he was serious.
None of the three replied. Naruto quickly checked the equipment in his ninja pouch, Sakura inspected her weapons, and Sasuke prepared in silence while Kakashi assessed their preparations.
"All right. Begin," the older ninja said. The three genin needed no further prompting and immediately scattered among the trees.
Naruto landed on a thick branch and crouched behind the trunk, watching the field from an elevated position. Kakashi remained in the same place, seemingly unconcerned, while waiting for one of them to decide to attack. Naruto could make out some movement among the nearby branches, but he wasn't sure where Sakura and Sasuke had hidden themselves.
For the first time since arriving at the field, he allowed himself to seriously consider the possibility of failure.
There were only two bells.
Even if all three managed to work together well enough to snatch them from Kakashi, one of them would have to return to the Academy. Naruto clenched his fists as he remembered all the times he'd failed the graduation exam, his classmates' mockery, and that night when Mizuki tricked him into stealing the forbidden scroll.
He couldn't go through all that again.
Not after Iruka-sensei had risked his life to protect him. Not after finally receiving that forehead protector that meant so much to him.
"I'm not going to fail. Not now that I've come this far."
Naruto looked up at Kakashi, remembering the ability he'd tested the day before. Impact could increase the power of his blows. For the moment, he couldn't see how Megaphone could be useful, and considering that switching between abilities required some time, at least he could prepare himself before starting the fight.
Naruto smiled slowly. He had never been particularly patient, and staying hidden while waiting for a perfect opportunity had never been his style.
He jumped from the branch and landed in front of Kakashi, several meters away.
From their hiding places, Sakura and Sasuke watched in surprise as Naruto voluntarily abandoned the cover of the trees. Neither seemed to understand what he hoped to accomplish by facing a jōnin directly.
"Well, now. I thought you'd stay hidden a little longer, Naruto," Kakashi remarked as he turned toward the blond.
"I don't need to hide to take those bells from you!" Naruto answered, pointing at him with a defiant smile. "Get ready, Kakashi-sensei!"
The jōnin watched him for a moment before taking out a small book and opening it to his marked page. Naruto frowned when he saw him start reading so casually.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" the blond demanded, bewildered.
"Reading, of course," the older ninja said as he calmly turned a page without even looking up for a second.
"I can see you're reading! But why?!"
Kakashi turned a page with absolute calm.
"Don't worry. Your attacks are so weak that I can stop them even while reading. So it doesn't matter if you attack me."
That produced exactly the reaction he wanted.
"WEAK?! I'LL SHOW YOU HOW WEAK MY PUNCHES ARE, DATTEBAYO!"
Naruto charged forward and, as he covered the final few meters, focused his attention on Impact, making sure the ability was equipped. He felt his chakra respond to his will, gathering in his arm as he threw a punch directly at Kakashi's face.
The jōnin raised a hand without taking his eyes off the book.
THUMP!
Kakashi's palm intercepted the blow.
Naruto felt his knuckles strike solid resistance, but the additional impact quickly made itself felt. The force of the attack was considerably greater than his instructor had calculated, and Kakashi's one visible eye widened slightly as he felt the pressure against his hand.
"Hmm?" Kakashi looked up from his book for a second to examine Naruto's fist before returning to his reading.
It wasn't enough to break his guard or force him backward. Kakashi was an experienced jōnin and the difference between their abilities was still enormous, but that blow had carried far more power than a recent graduate should possess.
Naruto, of course, wasn't about to stop and analyze the result.
Taking advantage of Kakashi having one hand occupied, he launched a kick toward his side. The jōnin ducked calmly, allowing the leg to pass over his head, and before Naruto could regain his balance, he vanished from his field of vision.
A presence immediately appeared behind him.
"Huh?"
"Naruto, there's something you should learn about Shinobis." The boy tried to turn around, but Kakashi had already brought his hands together to form a rather strange seal. From the trees, Sakura and Sasuke watched the scene with growing alarm. Judging by the position of his fingers and the seriousness with which Kakashi had spoken, both thought he was about to use some dangerous technique.
"Konoha's secret technique!" Kakashi announced.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Wait, wait...!"
"One Thousand Years of Death!" With those words, the older ninja moved. Naruto's scream echoed across the field as the technique violently launched him forward. His body flew through the air before he finally plunged headfirst into the nearby lake, water splashing all around him.
Sakura stood motionless, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Sasuke said nothing either, although the disbelief on his face was quite difficult to hide, and with every passing second he lost a little more faith in his sensei's seriousness.
Meanwhile, back in the training ground clearing, Kakashi opened his book again.
"Well, that should teach him not to let his guard down."
An indignant voice came from the lake.
"DAMN YOU, KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!" Naruto shouted as he dragged himself out of the water, completely soaked and spitting as he tried to catch his breath. It had been humiliating, and the pain he still felt did nothing to improve his mood. However, thanks to Relentless Stamina, the effort of his attack and the fall had barely affected his energy reserves. After shaking the water out of his hair, he looked back at Kakashi with a defiant smile.
"You can laugh all you want, but someday I'm going to become Hokage! Then we'll see who's laughing, dattebayo!"
Kakashi looked up slightly.
"Oh, really? Then you'd better start by getting one of these bells."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face.
As he spoke, several figures shot out of the water and the surrounding woods: Naruto's shadow clones, which he'd summoned while he was in the water.
Kakashi watched the clones with renewed interest.
"So, the rumors are true. He really can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu at will."
Naruto gave him no time to think further. Two clones attacked from the sides while three others descended from the branches, forcing Kakashi to retreat to avoid being surrounded. Contrary to what one might expect from someone like Naruto, the movements seemed purposeful: each clone tried to limit Kakashi's options while the others looked for an opening.
One of them threw a kick from the left, forcing the jōnin to lean toward the right, where another clone was already waiting with a punch. Kakashi blocked the punch, but once again felt that additional pressure he'd noticed in the original Naruto's blow.
Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed. "Interesting. He can do it consistently."
The clone that had thrown the punch immediately vanished in a cloud of smoke, before Kakashi could even strike it.
Naruto noticed it too.
He didn't need to pause for long to understand what had happened. His clones could use Impact just as he could, but the amount of chakra they received when created was limited, and using the ability at full power consumed a large part of those reserves. Some could maintain it for longer, but others ended up dispersing after a single especially powerful blow.
"So they can use my abilities too!" Naruto's grin widened as he circled Kakashi, blending in with the clones and waiting for the right moment to reveal himself while the clones kept up the pressure.
That opened up a lot of possibilities.
Two clones lunged at the jōnin simultaneously, one trying to grab his arms while the other sought to immobilize his legs. Kakashi spun around and managed to prevent them from completely catching him, but a third Naruto appeared behind him and threw a kunai toward one side, forcing him to alter his movement to dodge it.
That was exactly the opportunity the original had been waiting for.
Naruto darted forward from one side and extended his hand toward the bells, taking advantage of the fact that Kakashi seemed to have his attention divided among the copies.
His fingers almost brushed one of them.
However, Kakashi turned at the last instant and avoided him by mere centimeters. "Hmm, this brat is full of surprises. He really is his father's son. Looks like I won't be able to keep reading."
"Almost, Naruto. That was a good attempt," the jōnin said aloud, looking at the blond with a little more attention as he raised his eyes fully from his book.
Before Naruto could try again, the jōnin moved and rapidly struck the clones attempting to surround him. The copies vanished one after another in clouds of smoke. Before Naruto could process what had just happened, a hand emerged from the smoke and headed straight for his face. The blow sent him flying several meters backward.
The boy rolled across the ground but got up almost immediately. The blow had hurt, although his extraordinary stamina allowed him to recover much faster than Kakashi had expected.
"I'm not finished yet! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!!!" Naruto created more clones and renewed the attack. Over the next several minutes, Kakashi had to defend himself against a series of offensives that, while nowhere near posing a real threat to him, were certainly surprising to see from a recent graduate, especially one with Naruto's reputation.
The clones attacked from behind when Kakashi focused on the ones in front of him, used the trees to change direction, and tried to force him into positions from which the original could reach the bells. Naruto made mistakes, naturally, and on more than one occasion missed opportunities by charging in too soon, but he was learning to coordinate his movements as he fought.
Kakashi began paying closer attention.
Those enhanced blows were still easy for someone at his level to stop, but the technique was peculiar. He had seen many variations of this type of chakra-based jutsu, and this one stood out because it wasn't simply an increase in strength. Even when the clones disappeared after attacking, the extra pressure of the impact could become troublesome if Naruto managed to land several blows in succession.
However, the gap in experience and skill was still far too great.
When Naruto tried to repeat a maneuver to surround him, Kakashi suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke. The boy barely had time to wonder what had happened before he discovered that one of his clones was right in front of him, charging with a chakra-filled fist.
"Huh?! Wait!"
The clone didn't have time to stop either.
THUMP!
The blow struck Naruto directly in the stomach, folding him in half. At the same time, the original, who had already started throwing his own punch toward the spot where he expected Kakashi to be, ended up connecting with the clone instead.
Both blows carried Impact's additional power. The clone vanished in smoke after the exchange, and Naruto dropped to his knees, clutching his abdomen as he tried to catch his breath.
"Ugh...! Damn it!"
From a nearby branch, Kakashi watched the result of his substitution jutsu. It was a classic that his own sensei loved to use, taking advantage of the fact that Naruto and his clones had been focused on maintaining the offensive and none of them was paying attention to anything but their target.
Naruto stayed on the ground for a few seconds, rubbing his stomach. That blow had been far more painful than he'd expected, and now he understood better why some of his clones vanished after using Impact at full power.
"Damn! That really hurt!"
Even so, the pain gradually began to fade as he recovered his breath. Naruto raised his head and spotted one of the silver bells resting on the grass, apparently knocked loose during the fight.
His eyes lit up.
"A bell!" He quickly moved toward it and reached down to pick it up.
The ground shifted beneath his feet.
"HUH?!"
A rope tightened around his ankle and, before he could react, Naruto was yanked upward, ending up hanging upside down from a branch while the bell he'd tried to pick up remained peacefully on the ground.
Kakashi appeared before him a few seconds later, picking up the bell from the ground. "Well, Naruto. Looks like you found a trap."
"I ALREADY NOTICED!!!"
The jōnin laughed and watched the boy swing back and forth.
"I have to admit your attack was quite impressive. You used your clones much better than I would have expected and didn't hesitate to attack me with all your strength. You also showed quite a lot of endurance by continuing to fight after taking several hits. I'm starting to like you."
Naruto stopped swinging for a moment, surprised by the praise.
"Really?"
"But you were also too naïve," Kakashi continued, wiping the proud expression off the boy's face. "You let the excitement of the fight carry you away and fell into a rather obvious trap. A ninja must pay attention to his surroundings, especially when using jutsu that can be turned against him. If your enemy manages to trick you into attacking the wrong target, all that strength will be useless."
Naruto frowned as he tried to process his instructor's words.
He didn't like admitting it, but Kakashi was right.
Kakashi continued explaining that a true ninja needed to see beyond and recognize the hidden intentions behind an enemy's actions. However, before he could finish his explanation, a group of kunai and shuriken shot out from the trees.
Sasuke had decided to attack, attempting to take advantage of his instructor's apparent distraction.
The weapons struck Kakashi's body directly, piercing him before Naruto's astonished eyes.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!" the blond shouted, surprise and anger evident in his voice. "HEY, TEME! ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU WENT TOO FAR THIS TIME!"
A cloud of smoke appeared where the jōnin had been.
When it cleared, all that remained was a wooden log pierced by the weapons.
"Again?!" Naruto said, eyes wide.
From the forest, Kakashi calmly watched Sasuke change position after his attack.
"So that's where you were."
Naruto, meanwhile, was still hanging upside down.
"Damn Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto swung slightly as he tried to reach the rope holding his ankle. His instructor's lecture kept going around in his head and, as much as he wanted to complain, he knew he'd made several mistakes, which he kept replaying in his mind. He'd let himself be provoked when Kakashi took out his book, attacked without thinking much about the possibility of a substitution—one of the Academy's three basic jutsu—and finally fallen into a trap that hadn't even been particularly well hidden.
It wasn't pleasant to admit.
But if he wanted to become Hokage, he'd have to improve.
Naruto managed to pull a kunai from his pouch and, after few attempts, reached the rope with its blade. One quick cut was enough to free him. His body began to fall, but he managed to turn in midair and land on both feet with a little flip.
"Ha! That was easy!"
He'd barely straightened up when a scream echoed from somewhere in the forest.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
Naruto immediately recognized Sakura's voice.
"Sakura-chan?" He turned toward the sound, trying to work out what had happened among the trees. It didn't sound like the girl was merely surprised; she'd screamed as if she'd seen something horrible.
Naruto took a step forward, ready to go check on her.
The ground shifted beneath his feet again.
"EH?!"
A second rope tightened around his ankle and violently lifted him off the ground, leaving him hanging upside down in almost exactly the same position as before.
Naruto remained motionless for several seconds.
Then he lowered his head and looked at the rope.
It was practically identical to the last one.
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!!"
His scream echoed throughout the training ground, although this time no one appeared to make fun of him. Naruto struggled against the rope, angry with himself for falling into the same trap twice, until he finally decided to stop and take a better look at his surroundings.
From that position he could see a large part of the field. The training posts stood near the center, the clock was still counting down the remaining time and, a little farther away, was the strange stone he'd seen when he'd arrived that morning.
A couple containers of food sat beside it.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
He immediately recognized the bentō Kakashi had brought for lunch. His stomach responded with a growl so loud that for a moment he thought someone else might have heard it.
He hadn't eaten breakfast.
He'd spent much of the morning waiting for Kakashi and then expended a considerable amount of energy fighting him. Although Relentless Stamina allowed him to endure physical exertion much better, that didn't mean he could completely ignore hunger.
Naruto stared at the containers for a few seconds.
Then he looked back at the rope holding him suspended.
An idea began to form in his head.
He managed to free himself again and, after carefully checking that there wasn't another rope hidden beneath his feet, approached the food containers. He looked around before lifting one of the bentō and opening it.
The smell was enough to make him almost completely forget about the exam.
"Food!" Naruto picked up the chopsticks and was just about to bring the first bite to his mouth when a hand appeared on his shoulder.
"Naruto..."
The boy froze and turned his head very slowly.
Kakashi was behind him, his single visible eye staring straight into Naruto's as if it were about to pierce through his head.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Naruto smiled nervously, still holding the chopsticks.
"Uh... Checking whether the food is in good condition?"
Kakashi watched him in silence.
Naruto swallowed.
A few minutes later he was tied to the center post of the training ground, his arms immobilized behind his back and an expression of absolute resentment on his face.
When the clock finally struck noon, Kakashi gathered the three genin in front of the training posts. Naruto remained tied to the middle one, still regretting that he hadn't managed to eat even a single bite, while Sakura and Sasuke listened in silence.
Neither of them had obtained a bell.
The test was over.
Kakashi watched them for a few moments before speaking.
"I've made a decision. All three of you are expelled from the ninja training program."
Naruto was the first to react, snapping his head up.
"WHAT?!"
Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief, while Sasuke frowned.
Kakashi continued without changing his tone. "You haven't shown that you're ready to become real ninjas. You act like spoiled children who think this is all a game, and none of you seems to understand what it means to work as a shinobi."
Sasuke was the first to react. He lunged at Kakashi with the clear intention of attacking him, but the jōnin intercepted him effortlessly and pinned him to the ground before he could complete his movement.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Kakashi said, keeping him restrained. "You think being strong or knowing a few techniques is enough to become ninjas. You don't understand that a real mission could cost you your lives if you make the wrong decisions."
Naruto watched the scene with growing concern. He'd expected more criticism, but not for Kakashi to declare them completely unfit to continue.
"But we tried!" he protested. "I did everything I could to get those bells!"
"That's precisely your problem, Naruto. You tried to do everything on your own," the older ninja replied sternly.
The boy closed his mouth.
Kakashi continued speaking, this time addressing all of them while still pinning the Uchiha down.
"They put you in a team for a reason, but none of you stopped to think about it. Naruto charged at me without considering that he had two teammates who could help him. Sakura spent much of the test worrying only about Sasuke and didn't even try to help Naruto when he was hanging from a tree, completely defenseless. And you, Sasuke, are so convinced you're better than the other two that you'd rather work alone than accept their help."
Sasuke gritted his teeth but didn't reply.
Sakura lowered her gaze slightly.
Naruto, for his part, remembered the way he'd come out of hiding to attack Kakashi without consulting his teammates. At the time it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world, but now he was beginning to understand what his instructor was trying to tell them.
"A shinobi must be able to work with his team," Kakashi continued, visibly frustrated. "Individual skills are important, but they mean nothing if the members of a group are incapable of cooperating. And above any individual, even above the team itself, is the mission. If you don't understand that, your decisions will end up causing an operation to fail or your teammates to die."
"But Kakashi-sensei... There were only two bells. Even if we'd worked together, one of us would have had to fail," Sakura protested softly.
Kakashi watched her for a moment.
"Exactly. That was the point of the test. I wanted to see whether you were capable of setting aside your own interests and putting the team's well-being above your personal desires, even when it seemed that doing so would mean losing your chance to pass."
All three remained silent.
Then Kakashi took out a kunai and placed it near Sasuke's neck, still keeping him immobilized.
"Imagine we're on a real mission, Sakura, and an enemy manages to capture Sasuke. He orders you to kill Naruto if you want to save Sasuke's life. What would you do?"
Sakura froze.
Naruto stopped moving too.
Kakashi didn't press the blade against his student's neck, but the threat represented by the example was perfectly clear.
"Would you kill Naruto to save Sasuke? Or would you let Sasuke die? On a mission, you may face these kinds of situations. If you don't trust your teammates and can't work together, not only will the mission fail, but someone will die." Kakashi withdrew the kunai and allowed Sasuke to get up. Then he looked toward the memorial stone near the field.
"See that stone? The names carved on it belong to ninjas who died serving the village. They're remembered as heroes because they gave their lives while carrying out their duty."
Naruto watched the stone silently. Until then, he'd barely paid any attention to it, except when he'd seen the bentō beside it. Now he understood that the monument represented something far more important than a simple resting place.
Kakashi put away the kunai as he slowly approached the stone and placed a hand on it, his fingers tracing a few names that only he could see.
"The names of some of my friends are carved there." The words were spoken with a calmness more unsettling than any of his earlier scoldings. Naruto didn't know what to say, and for once he didn't feel the need to say anything. Sakura lowered her gaze, while Sasuke remained motionless.
Kakashi let the silence stretch for a few seconds before turning around.
"I'll give you one last chance."
Naruto immediately raised his head.
"Really?!"
"Don't get too excited. The second part will be harder. You'll have three additional hours to get one of the bells, and this time I won't hold back."
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a glance.
"You can use the time to eat lunch before continuing. You'll need to recover your strength," Kakashi said as he collected the food containers and placed them in front of his students.
Naruto smiled hopefully, but his expression vanished when his instructor pointed to the post he was still tied to.
"Except you, Naruto. You tried to break the rules and eat lunch before the test was over, so you'll stay tied up and go without food."
"WHAT?! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"
Kakashi ignored the protest and turned toward the other two.
"And one warning: if either of you tries to give him food, you'll fail immediately. I make the rules, and you follow them." After that final warning, he vanished among the trees, leaving Team 7 alone once again.
For a few moments, none of the three said anything.
Naruto remained tied to the middle post, watching in absolute misery as Sakura and Sasuke opened their respective bentō. The smell of food reached him almost immediately, making his stomach growl so loudly that Sakura looked up.
"Naruto..."
"Don't say anything, Sakura-chan!" he replied, trying to maintain a little dignity as he looked away. "I can manage without eating! I'm going to get one of those bells, even if I have to do it on an empty stomach, dattebayo!"
The declaration would have been much more convincing if his stomach hadn't complained again immediately afterward.
Sakura watched him with a mixture of pity and concern, but immediately remembered Kakashi's warning. If she tried to help him, she'd lose her chance to become a ninja.
Sasuke, meanwhile, sat in front of his food without touching it.
He'd listened carefully to everything Kakashi had said. Their instructor had criticized them for not working as a team, thinking only of their own interests and being unable to consider their teammates' needs. Yet now he'd ordered them to leave one of their number without food before continuing a test that would require all their energy.
Sasuke glanced briefly at Naruto.
The blond was still looking away, trying to ignore the smell of food.
"Naruto," the Uchiha said as he got up and approached the still-tied boy with his chopsticks raised.
"What do you want, teme?"
"Eat." Sasuke held a portion of food in front of him.
"Huh?" Naruto murmured, staring at him.
"If you're too hungry to move, you'll only get in the way during the second test. We need to be in good condition if we want to get those bells," the Uchiha explained in a firm, clear voice, without a trace of doubt.
Naruto opened his mouth, surprised by the offer. For an instant he remembered Kakashi's warning and glanced toward the trees, expecting his instructor to appear and punish them.
"But Kakashi-sensei said you weren't allowed to give me food!"
"He's not here," Sasuke replied calmly. "Besides, if we're going to work together, there's no sense in letting one of us be weakened."
Sakura watched the scene for a few seconds before understanding what Sasuke was doing. She looked at her own lunch, then at Naruto, and finally remembered Kakashi's words about the importance of teamwork.
She smiled slightly.
"He's right, Naruto. If we're going to pass the test, we need you to be in good enough condition to help us." Sakura approached with her chopsticks too, offering him some of her food.
Naruto looked at both of them with an expression somewhere between surprise and emotion. He'd expected many things from that day, but this show of kindness from his teammates definitely hadn't been one of them.
"Guys..." he murmured before smiling broadly. "Thanks!"
He opened his mouth to accept the first bite.
Then a cloud of smoke appeared in front of them.
"CAUGHT YOU!!!" Kakashi appeared out of nowhere with such a stern expression that all three genin froze completely.
Sakura immediately withdrew her chopsticks, Sasuke went on guard, and Naruto felt as if the food were caught in his throat even before he'd managed to taste it.
"I told you that anyone who fed Naruto would fail," Kakashi reminded them, looking at each of them in turn. "You disobeyed a direct order from your instructor."
For a few seconds, none of them could come up with a suitable answer.
Kakashi remained motionless.
Then, to his students' utter surprise, his expression changed. The severity vanished from his visible eye, and a smile began to form beneath his mask. "Congratulations."
Naruto blinked in surprise.
"All three of you pass."
For an instant, no one reacted.
"We passed?!" Sakura was the first to respond.
Kakashi nodded calmly.
"That's right. The real test was never about getting the bells. I wanted to see whether you were capable of putting your teammates' needs above orders that seemed designed to set you against each other. The previous teams did exactly what I told them, competed against each other, and ended up failing because they never understood the purpose of the exam."
Naruto looked at Sasuke, then Sakura, and finally back at his instructor, feeling an enormous wave of emotion growing in his chest.
They'd passed.
All three of them.
"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are considered scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum," Kakashi said, casting one last glance toward the memorial stone before continuing.
The words carried a seriousness none of the three could ignore. Naruto remembered Kakashi's warning about the friends whose names were engraved on that stone and understood that, as strange as the exam had been, his instructor truly believed what he was saying.
Then his emotions finally got the better of him.
"YEEEEEES!!! WE DID IT!!! WE'RE REAL NINJAS, DATTEBAYO!!!" Naruto began wriggling with joy against the post, unable to raise his arms because he was still tied up. His eyes were slightly wet, and a huge smile covered practically his entire face. After spending so many years trying to graduate, he'd finally passed his first test as a genin and could continue moving toward his dream.
It was in the middle of that celebration that he heard a familiar sound.
[You have obtained X1 Gold Ticket for passing Hatake Kakashi's bell test!]
Naruto went still.
The smile remained on his face, but for a moment he stopped squirming and opened his eyes in surprise. "Another gold ticket!"
Kakashi noticed the sudden change in his behavior. The boy had gone from celebrating to standing completely still in the space of a second, something rather strange even for Naruto. However, after observing him briefly, he decided not to ask.
Sakura and Sasuke noticed the change immediately as well, but considering how happy they each were, neither mentioned it.
"All right. I'll see you here tomorrow, Team 7." With that farewell, Kakashi vanished among the trees.
Sakura immediately approached the post and began cutting the ropes holding Naruto with a kunai. Sasuke watched with his arms crossed.
"Ahhh! Finally! I thought I was going to be tied up forever!" the blond exclaimed as he began stretching.
Sakura shook her head.
"That's what you get for trying to steal lunch," the girl retorted, though there was no animosity behind her tone.
"I was hungry!" Uzumaki replied with a big smile, as though that excused him.
Sasuke turned around.
"See you tomorrow."
Naruto raised a hand in farewell while Sakura hurried after the Uchiha. It didn't take long for them to disappear among the trees, leaving the training ground silent once more.
Naruto stayed there a while longer, looking at the place where he'd spent much of the day.
He'd taken some pretty painful hits, fallen into the same kind of trap twice, and nearly ended up back at the Academy. However, he'd also learned several important things about his own abilities and, more importantly, managed to pass alongside his teammates.
Besides, he had a gold ticket waiting.
"Hehehe! Let's see what I get this time!" Naruto smiled.
He sat on the grass and focused his attention on the ticket he'd just received. The familiar sensation of the Gacha returned, accompanied by the sounds and flashes characteristic of it. In his mind, the enormous roulette wheel appeared, spinning at great speed until it finally stopped.
You have used a random Gold Ticket!
[Mystic Eyes of Flame]
|Elite Ability|
Type Moon - Allows the user to increase the temperature of and spontaneously combust any target in their line of sight. The stronger the target the more energy they have to expend. While active their eye turns red while harboring the image of three overlapping triangles
La madre que lo pario maldito gacha de mierda, otro par de ojos mágicos
Then his eyes widened.
"I can set things on fire just by looking at them?!" the blond thought excitedly.
This was completely different from his previous rewards. Impact could make his blows more powerful, and Megaphone allowed him to use his voice to disorient an enemy, but causing fire simply by looking at something seemed like an ability on another level.
Naruto immediately stood up, excited to try it.
Then he remembered that he had Impact equipped and would need to change abilities to use his new mystic eyes. Fortunately, quite some time had passed since his last switch, so the slot was already available. He focused on the new reward and made the switch.
The sensation was similar to what he'd experienced with the Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception, although this time he noticed a slight change in his vision. A faint reddish glow appeared around the edges of his field of view, without hindering his ability to distinguish the objects in front of him at all. Everything still looked normal, but he could feel his chakra responding in a strange way whenever he focused his gaze on something.
Naruto couldn't see his own eyes, but if he'd had a mirror in front of him, he would have discovered that his irises had taken on an intense red color, shining intensely as if they were rubies.
Thanks to @Aeonicist, who provided me with information about eyes and how they work.
He looked around, searching for something suitable to test the ability on. He didn't want to accidentally set a tree on fire or cause a disaster in the middle of the training ground, especially after passing the exam.
That was when he noticed the pieces of rope left on the ground after Sakura had untied him.
"Perfect!" Naruto approached them and crouched slightly, focusing his gaze on one of the ropes. The information needed to use the ability was already in his mind, just as it had been with his previous rewards. He knew how to direct his chakra toward the target and how to produce the effect.
He decided to start with a small amount.
The result was immediate: three triangles appeared in rapid succession on the rope.
FWOOSH!
The rope burst into flames suddenly and violently, burning away so quickly that Naruto barely had time to step back before it had been reduced to ashes.
"WHOA?!" Naruto's eyes widened, surprised by how quickly it had happened. He'd expected the rope to start heating up slowly or for a small flame to appear, but instead it had burned almost instantly.
He crouched beside the ashes, studying them with a mixture of excitement and caution.
"That was incredible!" he murmured, though he then looked toward the trees surrounding the field. "But... if I'd tried testing it on one of those..."
Naruto swallowed.
The idea of starting a fire in Konoha didn't particularly appeal to him. He'd already had enough trouble with the destruction of such an important part of the village, and this ability seemed far more dangerous than he'd initially imagined
He straightened up and deactivated the eyes, allowing his vision to return completely to normal.
"I definitely need to learn to control this better," the blond thought as he looked again at the charred remains on the ground.
Perhaps Kakashi-sensei could help him. After all, he was a jōnin and surely knew many strange techniques. Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to tell him everything about the Gacha, but perhaps he could ask how to better control an ability that produced fire through chakra.
With that decision made, he gathered his things and began walking back toward the village.
The sun was already well into its descent, and the sky was beginning to take on the colors of sunset. Naruto raised his head as he walked, watching the clouds drift slowly above Konoha.
It had been a pretty long day.
Naruto smiled as he adjusted his forehead protector.
If this was how things were starting, he couldn't wait to find out what awaited them next.
I will try to update at least once a week. I'm not very consistent with these things, so I might occasionally forget. In any case, if you run into any issues, please let me know. While I can read English fluently, I find it difficult to write or translate into it, so I rely on AI-based translation. If anything sounds odd or could be improved, please let me know.
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Bronnkindofguy96
Master of the third eye and professional gooner
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Bootleg amaterasu.
August D. Helsing
Making the rounds.
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The Mystic Eye of Flame is non-canon, but its based off of the artificial mystic eye that is Yvette L. Lehrman's Ruby Mystic Code. Since its a Red coloured mystic eye, it should generally just look like a red coloured eye that glows in the dark. It overlaps three orange triangles on whatever the user is looking at, and just after the third is applied, it explodes. I can't find it, but I do remember seeing it at some point. I'll keep looking, but thats the gust of it.
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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Thank God. Seriously, thanks—I'm going to edit this. Plus, the three triangles give me something to work with. I was trying to figure out how to balance Naruto having Amaterasu, with its power scaled based on chakra—something that the bastard has in spades.
Edit: Using the owner's name, I found a GIF showing how the eyes work. It's still instantaneous, but at least now I know what it looks like and how it functions.
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Sweet Peaches
Know what you're doing yet?
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"Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception" and "Mystic Eyes of Flame" is a curious coincidence, which is likely to confuse things nicely.
When Naruto explains his pseudo-Amaterasu to Kakashi, the latter will be shocked: Amaterasu is one of the final evolutions of the Sharingan and Naruto is not an Uchiha nor does he have the regular Sharingan, at least as far as anyone knows.
Naturally, Kakashi will want to know whether Naruto has any other Sharingan-related abilities or anything else that has to do with his eyes. At that point Naruto (being Naruto) may something like "Um, yeah, I have this ability to see things better, kind of like improved depth perception, but it's not very useful and I can't use it when I have my Flame eyes active."
The explanation will apparently confirm that Naruto has some kind of mutated dōjutsu, perhaps a bizarre cross between the Sharingan and the Byakugan. I am sure Sasuke and the Hyūga elders will be happy to learn that they have a new relative!
When Naruto explains his pseudo-Amaterasu to Kakashi, the latter will be shocked: Amaterasu is one of the final evolutions of the Sharingan and Naruto is not an Uchiha nor does he have the regular Sharingan, at least as far as anyone knows.
Naturally, Kakashi will want to know whether Naruto has any other Sharingan-related abilities or anything else that has to do with his eyes. At that point Naruto (being Naruto) may something like "Um, yeah, I have this ability to see things better, kind of like improved depth perception, but it's not very useful and I can't use it when I have my Flame eyes active."
The explanation will apparently confirm that Naruto has some kind of mutated dōjutsu, perhaps a bizarre cross between the Sharingan and the Byakugan. I am sure Sasuke and the Hyūga elders will be happy to learn that they have a new relative!
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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Well, honestly, yeah—imagine a Byakugan that could set things on fire within its field of vision."Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception" and "Mystic Eyes of Flame" is a curious coincidence, which is likely to confuse things nicely.
When Naruto explains his pseudo-Amaterasu to Kakashi, the latter will be shocked: Amaterasu is one of the final evolutions of the Sharingan and Naruto is not an Uchiha nor does he have the regular Sharingan, at least as far as anyone knows.
Naturally, Kakashi will want to know whether Naruto has any other Sharingan-related abilities or anything else that has to do with his eyes. At that point Naruto (being Naruto) may something like "Um, yeah, I have this ability to see things better, kind of like improved depth perception, but it's not very useful and I can't use it when I have my Flame eyes active."
The explanation will apparently confirm that Naruto has some kind of mutated dōjutsu, perhaps a bizarre cross between the Sharingan and the Byakugan. I am sure Sasuke and the Hyūga elders will be happy to learn that they have a new relative!
That's the kind of shit any old geezer would want for his clan.
Chapter 4 — The Awakening of the Will of Fire, Naruto Uzumaki's Conviction
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reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character speaking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character thinking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - Gacha, loud or threatening voices, jutsus, or simply words that I want to highlight
Naruto was having a particularly pleasant dream in which he had finally become Hokage. The entire village had gathered to celebrate his appointment, Iruka-sensei was crying with pride among the crowd, and the old Hokage had just handed him his hat. Even Sasuke had been forced to acknowledge that he was the most incredible ninja in Konoha, while Sakura kept shouting excitedly that she would marry him.
Everything was going perfectly until a high-pitched bell rang inside his head.
TINGGG!
"What?! Who's attacking?!" Naruto shouted as he abruptly opened his eyes and almost fell out of bed.
He quickly sat up, searching the shadows of his room for an enemy, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Morning light was beginning to filter through the window, and his apartment was as messy as he'd left it the night before.
Then the announcement that had interrupted his dream appeared.
[Congratulations! You have obtained your fifth ability. You have unlocked one additional slot for equipping abilities!]
Naruto blinked as he processed the information. He had spent so much time thinking about how to make use of his rewards that he had completely forgotten about that possibility. Until now, he'd only been able to keep one ability equipped, but with five in his possession, he'd just obtained a second slot.
His sleepy expression immediately vanished.
"SERIOUSLY?! I CAN USE TWO AT THE SAME TIME NOW?!" The smile that spread across his face would have been rather worrying to anyone who knew him. "HAHAHA! THIS IS AWESOME, DATTEBAYO!"
He jumped out of bed and began pacing around the room as he mentally reviewed his options. He had Impact, Megaphone, Hustle, Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception, and Mystic Eyes of Flame. All of them seemed useful in their own way; however, it didn't take him long to decide what to do with his new slot.
Mystic Eyes of Flame was by far the most impressive reward he'd obtained so far. It was also the most powerful, considering what had happened to the pieces of rope after Kakashi's exam.
Even so, having that ability available could prove extremely useful.
He decided to keep Mystic Eyes of Flame permanently equipped in one of his two slots, leaving the other free until he needed one of his remaining abilities. That way, he could use his new eyes without constantly having to switch abilities and would retain some flexibility if an unexpected situation arose.
"Perfect! Now I just need to learn how to use these eyes without burning everything I look at," Naruto said aloud to himself, pleased with his decision.
Although this reminded him of something he'd thought about the day before.
Perhaps Kakashi-sensei could help him.
When Naruto reached the area around the Hokage Tower, he found his teammates waiting beside the main entrance. Sakura was talking to Sasuke, although, as usual, it was clear that she was putting considerably more enthusiasm into the conversation than the Uchiha. Kakashi stood nearby, quietly reading his inseparable book.
"Good morning! Wow, Kakashi-sensei, I didn't know you could show up early!" Naruto smiled at his instructor, letting the little jab hang in the air.
The jonin looked up from his reading and gave him a carefree smile.
"Good morning, Naruto. I see you're in a good mood today."
"Of course! Today we'll have our first real mission!"
Sakura sighed at her teammate's enthusiasm, although she was also quite interested in finding out what sort of work they'd be assigned. Kakashi explained that they needed to report to the mission office, where they would begin receiving assignments appropriate for newly graduated genin. Those jobs would help them learn to cooperate while gaining experience outside the Academy's controlled environment.
Naruto barely listened to that last explanation. He had something far more important to ask his sensei, and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! There's something I want to show you," the blond said, interrupting his sensei.
"Oh, really? What is it?" the jonin replied, slipping his book into his back pocket, intrigued by his new student's tone.
Naruto looked around to make sure there weren't too many people nearby, then pointed to his eyes.
"Yesterday, after we finished the test, I started feeling something strange here. At first I thought I'd gotten dust in my eyes during the fight, but when I tried to figure out what was happening, I discovered I could do something incredible."
"And what's so incredible about it?" Kakashi tilted his head slightly.
"I can set things on fire just by looking at them!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically.
Sakura's reaction was immediate.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about, Naruto?!"
"It's not nonsense! I really did it!"
Sasuke, who had remained practically indifferent to the conversation until then, looked up.
"Your eyes can produce fire?"
Naruto turned toward him, surprised to have caught his attention.
"Exactly! Although I still can't control them very well. Yesterday I tried to burn a piece of rope, and it turned to ashes almost instantly."
Kakashi, meanwhile, was staring intently at Naruto's face.
Outwardly, his expression barely changed, but the information had sparked his interest in a way Naruto could hardly have imagined.
"A dojutsu that produces combustion?" The jonin studied the boy carefully. He knew his parents' history rather well and had never heard of Minato possessing anything like that. Nor had Kushina shown any sign of having a dojutsu during the years he'd known her. "Could it be something related to the Uzumaki clan?"
It wasn't impossible for clans to have secret abilities—they were ninja, after all—but this was still quite strange. The Uzumaki were known for their enormous vitality, their chakra reserves, and their extraordinary sealing techniques, not for possessing eyes capable of setting targets ablaze.
Meanwhile, Sasuke stepped a little closer to Naruto.
"Show me," the Uchiha demanded with an intense stare.
Naruto blinked.
"Huh?"
"Your eyes. I want to see them."
To anyone else, the Uchiha's interest wouldn't have been difficult to understand. Sasuke knew better than any of his teammates how important a dojutsu could be, and although he had yet to awaken his own Sharingan, learning that Naruto had developed an unknown one aroused a curiosity he rarely displayed.
Naruto smiled proudly and activated Mystic Eyes of Flame.
His irises immediately turned an intense red, bright and deep, like two rubies lit from within. His pupils remained perfectly visible and unchanged, but the new color was striking enough to draw a small exclamation from Sakura, who stood a little farther away.
"Wow! Naruto, your eyes look really pretty!"
The blond was startled by the compliment and ended up scratching the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile, a faint blush coloring his face.
"Hehehe! You think so, Sakura-chan?"
"Yeah. They look like gemstones."
Sasuke, on the other hand, examined the eyes much more carefully. Although they seemed unrelated to the Sharingan or any other dojutsu he'd heard of, they still held his attention.
"Can you use them whenever you want?"
"Of course! Well, kinda I can activate them, but I still have trouble deciding how much things burn."
"And how do you know what to do?"
Naruto thought for a few seconds. For some reason, he still didn't feel comfortable telling them about the Gacha, so he merely explained that when he'd first activated them, he'd felt as if he instinctively understood how to direct his chakra.
Kakashi silently watched the exchange. "We'll definitely have to investigate this."
"Well, Naruto, it looks like you've discovered something quite interesting," he finally commented, returning to his usual carefree tone. "We'd better inform the Third Hokage. If it really is an unknown dojutsu, we should understand exactly how it works before you try using it during a mission."
Naruto nodded immediately.
"That's exactly what I was thinking! Maybe the old man knows how to keep it from burning things so quickly!"
Sakura looked toward her teammate.
"Shouldn't you stop calling him an old man? He's the Hokage."
"But that's what I always call him!"
Kakashi let out a small laugh before leading them into the tower.
On their way to the mission office, they ran into Iruka, who was carrying several documents under his arm. The former Academy instructor had volunteered to help temporarily with the registration and distribution of assignments, using his experience with genin to help them choose missions suited to their difficulties, so he wasn't surprised to run into some of his former students.
"Good morning, Team 7," he greeted them with a smile. "I see you survived your test."
Naruto immediately raised a fist.
"Of course, Iruka-sensei! It was super easy!" Naruto raised his fist enthusiastically, a broad grin adorning his face.
Sakura gave him an incredulous look.
"Naruto, you ended up tied to a log."
"That was part of my strategy!"
Sasuke let out a small snort, although Iruka decided not to ask too much about what had happened. Knowing Naruto, he'd probably end up hearing a considerably more heroic version of events than what had actually occurred.
However, before he could continue, Naruto approached him with a mysterious smile.
"Iruka-sensei! Look at this!" the Uzumaki said, activating his eyes again so that brilliant red replaced their usual blue.
Iruka stopped dead in his tracks.
"Naruto... what happened to your eyes?"
The boy enthusiastically began explaining what he'd discovered the day before, describing how he could cause fires with his gaze and how he'd reduced a piece of rope to ashes almost instantly. Iruka listened to every word with growing concern, especially when he realized that Naruto had tested that ability completely alone.
"Naruto! And it occurred to you to experiment with something like that without asking for help?!"
"But nothing bad happened!" the blond replied with a foxlike grin, his hands behind his head.
"That doesn't mean it was a good idea!" the older ninja scolded him.
Kakashi intervened before Iruka could begin one of his usual lectures.
"We're actually on our way to inform the Hokage. If you don't mind, you could come with us. I imagine he'll want to hear what Naruto has to say."
Iruka sighed and adjusted the documents under his arm.
"All right. I have some reports to deliver to him anyway."
Kakashi nodded, and Naruto smiled in satisfaction as they continued toward the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was reviewing some documents when he heard a knock at his door. After inviting them in, he looked up and found Kakashi accompanied by his three students and Iruka.
Naruto's presence soon brought a small smile to his wrinkled face.
"Good morning, Naruto. I see you've finally begun your career as a ninja," the legendary shinobi said, clearly happy to see his ward.
"Of course I have, Jiji! And you'd better get ready, because one day I'm going to take that hat of yours!" the blond declared confidently.
Hiruzen let out an amused laugh.
"Then you'd better keep training. Becoming Hokage isn't exactly easy."
"I know that!"
Kakashi waited until their exchange was over before explaining the reason for their visit. When he mentioned that Naruto had apparently developed a dojutsu capable of causing spontaneous combustion, the elderly Hokage's expression remained calm, although his thoughts were very different. "A dojutsu? Naruto?"
Hiruzen had known Minato and Kushina personally. He also possessed a considerable amount of information about the Uzumaki clan, particularly because of the old ties between Konoha and Uzushiogakure. As far as he knew, no ocular ability of that kind had ever existed among its members.
It was baffling, a difficult feat when it came to someone who had seen as much as he had.
"Naruto, could you show me those eyes?" he finally asked.
The boy nodded and activated the ability.
Hiruzen watched carefully as his irises took on that intense red color. There were no marks or symbols on them, and his pupils retained their normal appearance, but the glow was clearly supernatural.
"Interesting..."
Sasuke also paid attention to the Hokage's reaction. If even someone with the old man's knowledge seemed unfamiliar with that ability, perhaps it was something truly exceptional.
"Do you know what it is, Jiji?" Naruto asked.
Hiruzen shook his head slightly.
"I'm not sure. But if your eyes work as you say, we'd better test their capabilities somewhere appropriate," the old man said, then rose from his desk and took his hat.
"Kakashi, come with me. Iruka, let them know I'll be absent for a while."
The former instructor nodded, although before leaving he cast one last worried glance at Naruto.
"Naruto... try not to set fire to anything you shouldn't."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"
The chosen training ground was far enough from inhabited areas for them to experiment without endangering civilians. At one end stood several logs ordinarily used for practicing.
Hiruzen pointed to one of them and asked Naruto to try producing a small flame on the surface of just one log. Nothing too large; demonstrating that he could raise its temperature enough to produce controlled combustion would suffice.
Naruto nodded and stood in front of the logs.
"All right! I'm going to use very little chakra!" The young boy activated his new ability in an instant.
Everyone saw a triangular shape appear over all three logs in the direction he was looking. A second triangle began overlapping the first almost immediately, followed by a third that completed the pattern.
The three triangles had formed so quickly that none of the genin present managed to distinguish them.
FWOOSH!
All three logs burst into flames.
The fire erupted with such violence that Sakura instinctively stepped back while Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. Within seconds, the wood was engulfed in a blaze so intense that it threatened to reduce it to ashes.
Naruto froze.
"HUH?! BUT I ONLY WANTED TO BURN ONE!"
Kakashi reacted immediately, using a water jutsu to extinguish the flames before they spread to the nearby trees. When the steam began to clear, all three logs were completely charred.
Hiruzen studied the remains for a few seconds. "That amount of chakra..."
Kakashi had reached the same conclusion.
Naruto was using an absurd amount of energy to activate a technique that, in theory, should be controllable with a much smaller flow. The boy had claimed he would use very little chakra, but the amount released would have been enough to power fairly high-ranking jutsu.
"Naruto," Hiruzen finally asked calmly, "how much chakra did you use?"
The boy scratched his head.
"Just a tiny bit. I swear! I tried to do it as gently as possible."
Kakashi stared at him.
"I think we've found the problem."
"What problem?" Naruto replied in confusion.
"Your chakra control." The jonin approached one of the charred logs and pointed at its blackened surface.
"You possess an extraordinary amount of chakra, Naruto, but that doesn't mean you know how to use it efficiently. You're accustomed to using much more energy than necessary to perform even the simplest jutsu. If your eyes respond directly to the amount of chakra you provide them, then your lack of control explains why you end up burning everything so quickly."
Hiruzen nodded in turn.
"The amount of chakra you have available and your ability to control it are two different things. A shinobi can possess enormous reserves and still waste a large portion of them performing a single jutsu. In your case, your eyes seem especially sensitive to that problem."
Naruto looked back at the logs.
"So... my eyes aren't malfunctioning?"
"Not necessarily," Kakashi replied. "In fact, they might be working exactly as they should. The problem is that you're giving them too much energy."
Hiruzen began asking for details about how they worked as they conducted further tests on other nearby targets. Naruto explained that the triangles were supposed to indicate how hot the targets were, with each one raising the temperature until the third, at which point the target caught fire.
That allowed them to establish a provisional explanation of how they worked.
With enough control, he could probably keep a target hot without causing it to ignite, but if he released too much energy, all three triangles would appear almost simultaneously.
"So I just need to learn to use less chakra?" Naruto concluded.
"Exactly," Kakashi replied. "And I know some exercises that can help you."
The jonin picked up a fallen leaf and placed it against his forehead.
"We'll start with something simple. You have to keep a leaf attached using only a steady amount of chakra. If you use too much, you might damage it or send it flying; if you use too little, it'll simply fall."
He then pointed to the nearby trees and explained that, once they mastered that exercise, they could begin practicing walking on vertical surfaces. The next step would be standing on water, a considerably more demanding technique because it required constantly adjusting the flow of chakra.
Naruto listened with growing interest.
"We can walk on walls and on water?!"
"If you learn to control your chakra properly, yes," Kakashi replied.
"That's incredible!"
Sasuke also seemed interested, although for different reasons. Better control would allow him to perform his techniques with greater precision and reduce unnecessary energy expenditure. Sakura, for her part, also quickly concluded that these exercises were vital to their futures as shinobi.
Hiruzen watched the three youngsters before turning back to Kakashi.
"I want you to dedicate part of their training to developing these skills. Naruto needs to learn to control his eyes before using them during a real mission, but all three could benefit from a stronger foundation."
Kakashi nodded.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Naruto looked at the charred logs one last time. "So that's the problem..."
He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He had obtained an incredibly powerful ability, but still didn't know how to use it without completely destroying his targets.
However, the disappointment didn't last long.
If training was what it took, then he'd simply have to work harder.
"All right! I'll master these exercises, and then I'll be able to use my eyes however I want, dattebayo!"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.
"That's the spirit. For now, let's get going."
The following week was quite different from what Naruto had imagined when he dreamed of becoming a ninja.
Instead of immediately starting important missions, Team 7 spent much of its mornings training under Kakashi's supervision. The jonin divided the sessions among chakra-control exercises, combat, and coordination, making sure the three learned to cooperate without relying entirely on their individual abilities.
Naruto quickly discovered that controlling small amounts of chakra was much harder than he'd expected.
During his first attempts, the leaves he placed on his forehead flew off or ended up damaged by excess energy. On one occasion he managed to keep one attached for several seconds, only to become so excited by the result that he tore it apart.
Kakashi examined the remains of the leaf before handing him another.
"Again."
"That's what I've been doing all morning!" Naruto growled.
"And you'll keep doing it until you can hold it there without destroying it," the older ninja replied.
Fortunately, Relentless Stamina allowed him to continue practicing for extraordinarily long periods without experiencing the same exhaustion he would have before. He could make hundreds of mistakes and still have enough energy to try again, although that didn't make the training any less frustrating.
Sasuke, much to Naruto's frustration, progressed considerably faster. After mastering the leaf exercise, he began practicing walking up trees. He managed to take several steps along the vertical trunks before his concentration failed and he slid back to the ground. At other times, he used too much chakra and was launched away from the surface, and although he didn't show it, this irritated him greatly.
Sakura proved to be the most talented of the three when it came to control. She quickly mastered both the leaf exercise and tree walking, to her teammates' surprise. However, when she began practicing on water, she discovered that she would face different difficulties from her companions. Her chakra reserves were somewhat lower than those of an average genin her age, and although she could manage them with great precision, maintaining a constant flow on a moving surface exhausted her relatively quickly.
Kakashi took the opportunity to explain that each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Naruto possessed extraordinary reserves but needed to improve his control; Sakura had excellent precision but needed to improve her stamina; and Sasuke combined good reserves with good control but still had to perfect the stability of his chakra flow.
For Naruto, the most important thing was that he was finally beginning to see results with his eyes.
During the first few days, he still caused things to ignite too quickly, but after days of practicing with leaves, he managed to keep the first triangle over an object without the other two immediately appearing. It was much harder than it looked, and on several occasions he still accidentally set his target on fire, but at least he had stopped instantly destroying whatever he looked at.
Kakashi had forbidden him from using his ability during combat practice, so Naruto experimented with carefully selected stones, branches, and pieces of wood. This let him experience firsthand how different targets had different resistances, as larger ones required more chakra to incinerate, although he still had trouble knowing how much he'd need.
The afternoons, on the other hand, were reserved for D-rank missions.
They were completely unbearable for all three genin.
Team 7's first official mission consisted of painting a fence, a task so simple Naruto could hardly believe someone had paid the village to assign it to a group of ninja. There were no enemies, exciting chases, or impressive techniques. They simply had to complete the work following Kakashi's instructions and return to report that they were done.
Naruto complained for much of the way back, although his bad mood vanished when a familiar bell rang inside his head.
[You have obtained X1 Random Bronze Ticket for completing your first D-rank mission!]
That night, after getting home, he used the ticket, bouncing on his feet with excitement.
You have used a Random Bronze Ticket!
[Novice Math]
|Common Skill|
You are good at calculating things in your head and doing calculations on the spot. You can solve most math problems you would be able to solve, rather easily in your head instead of writing things down like a human calculator.
"Math? Seriously?!" Naruto complained in disappointment.
Of all the things he could have obtained, he'd ended up receiving something related to one of his least favorite subjects at the Academy.
At that moment, a considerable amount of knowledge and practical experience settled into his mind. It wasn't exactly like learning a ninja technique. He simply began to understand numbers better and perform operations that previously would have been rather bothersome.
Out of curiosity, he tried calculating how much money he'd need to save to eat ramen for an entire week.
The answer came almost immediately.
Naruto blinked.
"Well... I guess it is useful after all."
The missions continued over the following days.
Team 7 helped walk pets, performed minor maintenance work, looked after children, and ended up chasing a particularly stubborn cat named Tora, who seemed to consider any attempt to approach him a personal insult.
Naruto quickly discovered that trying to catch an animal that didn't want to cooperate without hurting it was an absolute pain in the ass.
Sasuke didn't seem to enjoy those tasks much either, although he usually just completed them in silence. Sakura tried to maintain a more professional attitude, but during their conversations on breaks she let it show that even she was beginning to wonder when they'd receive an assignment that actually justified the years they'd spent training at the Academy.
Things improved slightly in the mornings, when Kakashi continued teaching them techniques and organizing practice fights. Naruto improved his coordination both with his clones and with his teammates, while Sasuke refined his taijutsu and Sakura proved that her title as the smartest kunoichi of their year was well deserved: although she still wasn't on the same level as her companions, her ability to analyze them was rapidly bringing her closer.
And so, a week passed for Team 7.
By the time they finally completed their fifth D-rank mission, Naruto had promised himself he'd never complain about having to study again if it could save him from this endless routine.
The familiar sound he heard just after handing in their report managed to improve his mood a little.
[You have obtained X1 Random Bronze Ticket for completing five D-rank missions!]
He used the ticket on his way home.
You have used a Random Bronze Ticket!
[Green Spandex]
|Common Item|
Naruto - A green spandex suit filled to the brim with the power of YOUTH!!!!! While wearing this suit and nothing else, gains from physical training and stamina recovery are slightly enhanced. YOUTH!!!!!!
Naruto reread the description for several seconds.
"Why does this thing say my name?" Naruto wondered after reading it for the third time. "A green suit? I think I've seen a guy wearing something like that before."
It didn't seem like a particularly impressive reward, at least until he focused on the benefit it provided. Slightly improving the results of his training might seem like a small thing, but if he kept training at the pace of the previous week, that advantage would accumulate.
As he considered what to do with it, new information appeared in his mind. Just as had happened with the other Gacha rules, he understood that he had a special storage space for items obtained through his tickets, but once he took an item out, he couldn't put it back into storage.
Naruto didn't hesitate long. He saw no reason to postpone it; it was just a suit, and in any case, he could simply put it in his wardrobe. He extracted it and watched it appear in his hands.
It was a one-piece green suit that reminded him a little of pajamas.
Naruto held it between his fingers, feeling the fabric, and tilted his head.
"Well... at least it looks comfortable."
He tried it on and discovered that it fit his body perfectly. The material was stretchy and allowed him to move freely, although Naruto wasn't particularly enthusiastic about abandoning his beloved orange outfit.
He finally decided to wear it beneath his usual clothes during training.
He quickly regretted that decision the following morning. After moving around for a while beneath the morning sun, Naruto discovered that wearing a tight spandex suit beneath his bulky clothing was an excellent way to turn any training session into a hellishly hot experience.
"I'M ROASTING!"
Kakashi watched curiously as Naruto tried to cool off in the shade of a tree.
"Don't you think you're wearing too many clothes to train in this heat?"
"I'm fine!" Naruto answered, although the sweat streaming down his forehead did him no favors. "It's part of my training!"
Kakashi stared at him for a few seconds before turning away, deciding not to argue.
Sasuke looked at him as though he were contemplating the stupidest person in the world, while Sakura simply shook her head.
Even so, Naruto continued wearing the suit during practice sessions. The small benefit it provided seemed to combine quite well with Relentless Stamina, allowing him to recover more quickly and thus train a little longer without ending up exhausted by the afternoon.
That didn't make the heat any less intense, but at least he felt he was getting something in return.
By the end of the week, the three genin had progressed considerably compared to the day of their graduation.
Naruto could now keep several leaves attached to his forehead without destroying them, although he still had to concentrate much harder than his teammates. Sasuke had improved his stability while walking on trees; he still slipped or was launched away from them, but it was a rare occurrence. Sakura, for her part, had managed to stay standing on water, but she still devoted much of her effort to improving her stamina.
They had also improved their coordination. Naruto no longer charged immediately at every target without considering his teammates' positions, and Sasuke was beginning to accept that his companions were more than mere distractions for his own movements. Sakura had taken on the role of strategist, planning formations and responses for different situations, although many of them were still theoretical because they hadn't tested the vast majority.
However, none of those improvements made D-rank missions tolerable.
And after capturing Tora yet again, Naruto's patience finally reached its limit.
When they returned to the mission office, Iruka was waiting for them, papers in hand and a proud smile with which he greeted all his students.
"Well done, Team 7. It looks like you successfully completed another mission."
Naruto let out a growl.
"I'm sick of chasing cats! We're ninja, Iruka-sensei! Ninja! We should be doing real missions!" The blond brought his hands to his head in frustration.
Iruka sighed and reminded him once again that D-rank assignments were important so new teams could gain experience, learn to follow instructions, and demonstrate that they could work together before receiving greater responsibilities.
Naruto, however, had heard more than enough explanations like that over the past few days.
"But we already know how to work together! We've been training all week! Even Kakashi-sensei says we're improving!" the blond growled again as he sat on the floor with his arms crossed.
Sakura crossed her arms as well. Although she didn't agree with the way Naruto was protesting, she couldn't deny her own frustration.
"Iruka-sensei, maybe we could receive something a little more complicated. We've been doing practically the same jobs since we started," the girl said in support of her teammate.
Sasuke nodded slightly in turn. "We're not going to improve much if we keep catching animals."
Iruka opened his mouth to respond, but a familiar voice interrupted him.
"I see Team 7 is quite eager to take on new responsibilities." Everyone turned toward the doorway, where Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching the discussion with a small smile on his wrinkled face. He then explained that the mission system, and the payments for ninja missions, were a fundamental part of the village's economy. D-rank missions were intended for simple tasks that genin could complete without exposing themselves to unnecessary danger, while higher ranks involved greater responsibilities and risks that shouldn't be taken lightly.
"But Jiji, we can't spend our whole lives chasing that damn cat!" Naruto retorted. No matter how much sense it made, he still thought it was stupid that they kept doing D-rank missions.
"No, Naruto. I suppose not." Hiruzen let out a small laugh.
Kakashi, who had remained silent until then, finally intervened.
"Hokage-sama, I must admit that all three have made considerable progress during their training. They still have plenty to learn, but I think they could handle a simple C-rank mission under my supervision."
All three genin visibly brightened at their mentor's words.
Hiruzen watched Kakashi for a few seconds before nodding, deciding to trust his judgment.
"Very well. I think we can find something appropriate."
The old man approached the desk in the center of the room and reviewed the documents in front of him until one caught his attention. He then instructed an assistant to bring the client inside.
Naruto straightened enthusiastically, convinced that the moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
The door opened.
And the man who entered shattered all his hopes.
He was a disheveled-looking old man with a bottle of sake in his hand and a face reddened by alcohol. He walked with some difficulty and regarded Team 7 with an expression somewhere between indifference and disbelief.
"What's this?" he asked, looking at Kakashi and then the three genin. "These brats are going to escort me?"
Naruto felt a vein beginning to bulge on his forehead.
The man took another swig from his bottle and continued inspecting them until his gaze settled on Naruto.
"Especially that short one with the stupid face. Am I really supposed to trust my life to someone like that?"
For a moment, silence reigned in the room.
Then Naruto pointed at the old man, anger plainly visible on his face.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT, YOU DRUNK OLD MAN?!"
Tazuna burst out laughing as he pointed at Naruto.
"Not just short, but loud too."
Naruto tried to advance on him, but Kakashi immediately grabbed the back of his jacket.
"Calm down, Naruto."
"LET GO OF ME, KAKASHI-SENSEI! I'M GOING TO TEACH HIM TO RESPECT THE FUTURE HOKAGE!"
Sakura put a hand to her forehead, deeply embarrassed by the scene. Sasuke seemed to be on the same page as Sakura., simply turning his gaze away from the scene.
Kakashi eventually calmed Naruto enough for the Hokage to explain the details of the assignment.
The man's name was Tazuna, and he was a bridge builder from the Land of Waves. He needed to return to his country and had requested an escort to protect him on the journey. It was a C-rank mission, so the worst they were expected to face was ordinary bandits.
Naruto immediately regained his enthusiasm.
A mission outside Konoha!
Definitely much better than chasing cats.
The following morning, Team 7 assembled in front of the village's main gates.
Naruto wore his usual outfit, although underneath it he was still wearing the green spandex he'd obtained from the Gacha. The weather was pleasant at that hour, but he knew things would change as the day went on. Even so, he'd decided to endure it. He had an important mission ahead of him and wanted to take advantage of every edge available.
Sakura arrived a little later, followed by Sasuke. Both had their equipment ready for the trip, while Kakashi waited calmly beside Tazuna, who seemed to be recovering from the previous day's excesses.
Naruto looked at Konoha's enormous gates with excitement he could barely contain.
He had never left the village.
He had spent his whole life within its borders and, although he knew stories and how some of the other countries were supposed to be, he'd never had the chance to see for himself what the outside world was like.
"This is incredible! Our first mission outside Konoha, dattebayo!"
"Try not to make too much noise, Naruto. We're only just getting started," Sakura scolded, although she smiled slightly at how excited he was.
"But it's our first C-rank mission! You should be excited too!" the blond replied immediately.
"I am. I just don't need to shout it to everyone."
Sasuke, standing nearby, couldn't help catching some of his teammates' enthusiasm.
"Are we leaving or not?"
Kakashi closed his book and raised a hand.
"All right, Team 7. Let's get moving."
Naruto was the first to pass through the gates.
He couldn't help looking back for a moment, observing the village that had been his home all his life. Then he turned toward the road again and smiled.
He was finally beginning his first adventure outside Konoha.
The journey turned out to be much quieter than Naruto had imagined.
Because Tazuna was a civilian, the group had to travel at a pace that allowed him to keep up without becoming exhausted. That meant walking for hours along country roads, passing through small villages, and occasionally stopping to rest.
Naruto had expected a C-rank mission to involve exciting chases or confrontations with dangerous bandits, but for much of the journey nothing particularly interesting happened.
Kakashi took advantage of the peace to explain a few things about the countries surrounding the Land of Fire.
The Land of Waves was a small nation without a ninja village of its own, so it depended on hiring shinobi from elsewhere when it needed their services. Kakashi also talked about the five great nations and their respective hidden villages, mentioning Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, and Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
Each of those villages was led by a Kage, just like Konoha.
Naruto listened with interest at first, especially when Kakashi explained that the leaders of the great ninja villages held titles equivalent to Hokage. However, after several minutes, he began getting distracted by the scenery.
The trees seemed to stretch endlessly on both sides of the road, and occasionally they could see small farms or houses that didn't look very much like the buildings in Konoha. Everything seemed new to him, even the simplest things.
Sakura continued asking questions about the differences between the villages, while Sasuke listened attentively to Kakashi's explanations.
Naruto focused on the conversation again when he heard C-rank missions mentioned.
"Normally, you shouldn't encounter other ninja on assignments of this kind," Kakashi explained. "Fighting enemy shinobi represents a considerably higher level of danger and usually falls under B-rank missions or above."
Naruto nodded, and although he already knew that, part of him felt slightly disappointed.
Tazuna, on the other hand, let out a small grunt before taking another sip from his bottle. His expression changed for an instant, and he gripped the bottle a little tighter before looking away.
Sasuke watched him for a couple of seconds. He said nothing.
The group continued onward.
The road was relatively clear when Naruto passed near a small puddle beside one edge of it.
He didn't pay it much attention.
It had rained over the past few days in some parts of the region, so finding water pooled on the ground didn't seem particularly strange to him.
Kakashi, however, cast a brief glance at the puddle as he kept walking.
A few seconds later, two figures suddenly emerged from the water.
The attackers wore forehead protectors bearing Kirigakure's symbol and large metal gauntlets connected by a chain covered in blades. As soon as they appeared, they moved with a speed that surprised the three genin and sent the chain directly toward Kakashi.
"You first!" they both shouted at the same time.
The chain wrapped around the jonin's body.
The attackers pulled it simultaneously.
SHRRAAK!
Kakashi's body seemed to tear apart into pieces.
Naruto froze completely.
Sakura's eyes widened in horror, and Tazuna staggered backward, unable to comprehend what he'd just witnessed. Sasuke was also surprised, although his experience allowed him to overcome his shock sooner than his teammates.
What appeared to be Kakashi's remains fell onto the road.
Naruto felt the air leave his lungs. "Kakashi-sensei..."
The two enemy ninja wasted no time celebrating their apparent victory.
"One down," one of them commented, immediately turning toward the genin. "Now the others."
Their gazes settled on Naruto.
The blond was still staring at the spot where his instructor had fallen, completely paralyzed by the shock. He had been in fights before and knew ninja could die during a mission, but seeing what seemed to be Kakashi's body torn apart before his eyes was something he hadn't been prepared for.
The attackers launched their chain again.
This time, Sasuke reacted.
He drew a kunai and threw it precisely toward one of the links, managing to hook the chain against the trunk of a nearby tree. Before the enemies could free it, the Uchiha propelled himself forward and kicked them, forcing them to retreat.
The two ninja landed directly in front of Naruto.
"Naruto, move!" Sasuke shouted.
The shout finally broke the blond's paralysis. Naruto raised his gaze, the enemies were only a few meters away, he could still see the bladed chain and remember how it had apparently torn Kakashi apart.
At that moment, he acted on his own, consumed by a powerful fighting instinct.
He activated Mystic Eyes of Flame.
His irises immediately took on that intense red color, shining like rubies beneath the sunlight. Before the two ninja could prepare to attack.
Naruto concentrated his chakra.
Energy flowed excessively into his eyes. He didn't think about Kakashi's warnings or the control exercises he'd practiced over the past week. He only wanted to stop the enemies before they could hurt anyone else.
The first triangle appeared over both targets, with the second following almost immediately. And before Naruto could understand what he was doing, the third completed the pattern.
FWOOSH!
Both ninja burst into flames.
Fire appeared directly on their bodies, spreading at a terrifying speed. The horrifying scream that erupted from their throats made Naruto instinctively step back.
"AAAAAAAH!" The attackers tried to move, but the flames completely engulfed them. One fell to his knees while the other writhed on the ground, trying to form hand signs in the hope of extinguishing the fire.
Naruto stood motionless, watching the scene unfold before his eyes, the screams continued for a few more moments before fading away.
When the flames finally disappeared, the two bodies lay on the road, completely burned and unrecognizable, although the expressions of suffering on their faces were still obvious.
The silence that followed was much worse than the screams.
Naruto felt his legs begin to shake.
The smell reached him a second later.
It was thick, unpleasant, and completely different from the smell of burnt wood that he'd grown accustomed to over the past few days. Naruto took a step back, unable to tear his eyes away from the remains.
"I... Did I do that?"
His breathing began to quicken.
He'd known his eyes could burn things. He'd seen them reduce ropes to ashes and destroy entire logs, but until that moment he hadn't truly understood what using that ability against a person meant.
The two ninja no longer moved, they would never get up again, they had died in a horrible, painful way. And he was the one who had killed them.
Naruto deactivated his eyes, feeling the reddish glow vanish from his vision. He'd used a considerable amount of chakra in an instant, enough to leave him exhausted. His breathing grew heavy, and he had to brace a hand on his knee to remain steady.
Then he heard a familiar sound.
[You have obtained X1 Random Silver Ticket for taking a person's life for the first time!]
[You have obtained X1 Random Gold Ticket for defeating and killing a chunin-rank ninja while being a genin!]
Two tickets.
In any other situation, Naruto would have been enormously excited to receive rewards of that caliber, this time, he barely reacted. All he could hear were those screams again.
Kakashi appeared on a nearby branch a few seconds later.
He had used a substitution technique to avoid the initial attack and hidden himself with the intention of observing the enemies. He wanted to find out why two Kirigakure ninja were waiting to ambush them and, at the same time, see how his students reacted to a real threat.
However, events had unfolded far more quickly than he had expected.
The jonin looked at the charred bodies, then he looked at Naruto.
"Damn it, I didn't think things would go this way so soon," the older ninja reflected. He hadn't had time to intervene. By the time he realized what Naruto was about to do, both attackers had already been struck by the flames.
Kakashi landed in front of the group.
Sakura turned toward him immediately.
"Kakashi-sensei!" The girl looked close to tears. For several seconds, she'd believed her instructor was dead, and the relief of seeing him alive mingled with the horror of looking at the two enemies' remains.
Tazuna, who was nearby, couldn't take it anymore, he stepped away from the road and began vomiting.
Meanwhile, Sasuke remained motionless, staring at the remains with a rigid expression. the Uchiha had seen blood before; he knew personally what death meant.
This was different.
He had watched two people burn alive before his eyes, and the person responsible was Naruto, the teammate he'd been growing fond of over the past week—the cheerful, lively Naruto he'd begun to consider a friend.
Kakashi approached the blond first.
"Naruto. Naruto, look at me," the jonin said, placing a hand on the shoulder of his student, who was still staring at the bodies.
After a couple of seconds, he finally raised his head.
Kakashi could immediately see how badly affected he was. His hands trembled slightly, the light in his eyes was dimmer, and his characteristic smile was nowhere to be found.
"I..." Naruto swallowed. "I didn't mean to..."
Kakashi wrapped his arms around him and drew him close.
"I know."
Naruto clenched his teeth.
"I only wanted to stop them. I didn't want them to hurt anyone else, but..." His voice cracked slightly.
Kakashi didn't try to overlook the gravity of the situation.
"Listen to me, Naruto. Those men tried to kill us. If Sasuke hadn't reacted, they could have reached you before you had a chance to defend yourself. What happened was the result of a real battle, but I understand that doesn't make what you're feeling any easier."
Naruto lowered his gaze slightly.
Kakashi continued in a calmer tone.
"I'm not going to tell you to forget what happened. Being a ninja means making difficult decisions and living with their consequences. But you mustn't let this destroy you, either. Right now, I need you to calm down and remember that your teammates are still here."
Naruto looked toward Sakura and Sasuke.
The former was still trying to recover, while the latter silently watched the bodies.
Both were alive and Tazuna was all right too.
Naruto took a deep breath. He didn't feel better, but at least he managed to stop shaking quite so much.
Kakashi drew away after making sure he could remain standing and headed toward the corpses. He formed a series of hand signs and used an earth jutsu to open an improvised grave beside the road. Once the remains were buried, he closed the earth over them and compacted it.
Sakura was silently grateful that she no longer had to see them.
Sasuke continued staring at the place where they had disappeared.
Naruto staggered slowly until he ended up sitting beside a nearby tree.
Kakashi gave his students a little time to regain their composure before turning toward Tazuna.
His voice and gaze changed completely.
"I think we have a few things to discuss now."
The bridge builder slowly straightened.
"W-what do you mean?" the builder stammered, suddenly seeming far more sober than before.
Kakashi looked at him with an expression that left no room for jokes.
"You hired us for a C-rank mission. According to the information you provided, our job was to protect you from bandits and other common dangers during the journey. You never mentioned that enemy ninja would be trying to assassinate you."
Tazuna looked away.
Kakashi continued.
"Those two were shinobi from Kirigakure. Their presence turns this mission into something completely different. Facing enemy ninja requires at least a B-rank assignment, and depending on who's behind them, the danger could be even greater."
Sakura raised her head.
"Then this mission is beyond us! We're freshly graduated genin!"
Kakashi nodded.
"You're right. The information we received was incorrect, and the level of danger exceeds what we were assigned."
Tazuna remained silent for a few seconds before beginning to explain that his country was in a desperate situation. The Land of Waves was practically under the control of a powerful businessman named Gato, whose grip on trade and transportation had left much of the population mired in poverty.
The bridge Tazuna was building represented a chance to break that control, but it had also made him a target. He hadn't mentioned the threat because he couldn't afford to pay for a higher-ranked mission.
Kakashi listened to his explanation without interrupting.
Sakura seemed torn between indignation at the deception and concern for those people's situation. Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, silently assessing what he'd just heard.
Naruto, meanwhile, was barely paying attention to the conversation. He was still sitting beside the tree, staring at the place where Kakashi had buried the two ninja.
The screams kept echoing in his memory.
Naruto closed his eyes, trying to erase the memory, when a glimmer caught the corner of his eye. He recognized it as the presence of the Gacha tickets.
The first time the Gacha had given him rewards, he'd been excited. Each new result represented a chance to become stronger, get closer to his dream, and prove that he wasn't the useless idiot so many had believed him to be.
But these two tickets were stained with blood.
Even so, a small part of him decided that the rewards were the perfect distraction. Having made his decision, the familiar roulette wheel appeared in his mind and spun until it stopped.
You have used a Random Silver Ticket!
[Fire Claws]
|Uncommon Ability|
Unordinary - Allows you to grow your fingernails into very durable and sharp claws that you can cover in very hot flames. These claws can even carve apart and melt metal.
Naruto covered his face with his hands.
More fire.
The description immediately brought back the flames engulfing the two ninjas, their desperate screams, and that smell that lingered in his nose. He felt his stomach churn.
"Fire again..."
Before he could dwell on it any longer, the roulette wheel spun again.
You have used a Random Gold Ticket!
[Adept Discipline]
|Rare Skill|
Your dedication and focus are admirable. You are very disciplined, being able to focus on tasks without falling to distractions, you are able to grit your teeth and get it done, even when in pain you can push on. You are able to push through discomfort, annoyance, and pain to get whatever job you need to get done. It is hard to use mental abilities on you.
Naruto felt the change instantly. A profound understanding of how to maintain concentration, endure hardship, and keep working even when his body and mind were begging him to stop.
The memories of what had happened didn't disappear. The screams, the flames, and the smell were still there.
But now he could think about all of it without feeling as though fear were completely sweeping him away. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at his hands, which were still trembling slightly.
He clenched his fists until his knuckles began to ache.
He had made a mistake. He had lost control of a dangerous ability and ended up killing two people in a horrible way. But those men had also tried to kill them. If Sasuke hadn't intervened, perhaps he would have died before he could react.
Naruto took a deep breath.
He didn't want to feel that fear again, and he didn't want to lose control of his eyes again either. He'd spent years working to become a ninja and had finally managed to graduate. He'd found a team, an instructor, and a way to improve that he could never have imagined.
He couldn't allow this horrible experience to make him give all of that up.
"I still have a lot to learn."
Naruto slowly stood up.
Kakashi was finishing explaining to Tazuna that they needed to return immediately and that the village could provide him with a loan to pay for the mission at the appropriate rank.
Sakura seemed to agree completely with her teacher's words. She was still pale. Sasuke, although he maintained a more controlled expression, didn't seem entirely unaffected by what had happened either.
That was when Naruto approached.
"Kakashi-sensei," the blond said, his voice much more determined than it had been only a moment earlier.
The jonin turned toward him.
Naruto stood silent for a few seconds, looking first at his instructor and then at his teammates. His hands still trembled slightly, but he kept them clenched into fists, and his expression had recovered some of his characteristic determination.
"I think we should continue the mission," the blond went on.
Sakura's eyes widened.
"Naruto! After what just happened?!" Sakura exclaimed in alarm.
The blond briefly lowered his gaze toward his hands before answering.
"I'm scared, Sakura-chan. I'm not going to pretend I'm not. Those guys tried to kill us, and I..." He paused, clenching his teeth. "I know what I did. But..."
Kakashi remained silent.
Naruto raised his head again.
"But I trained too hard to get this far. I failed the graduation exam over and over, put up with everyone making fun of me, and kept trying because I knew that someday I'd become a ninja. Now I've finally done it, and I'm not going to back down at the first setback."
Sakura watched him in disbelief. What had happened was far from a small setback, but Naruto's expression made it clear that he wasn't trying to minimize it. He simply refused to let it stop him.
"I don't want to lose control of my eyes again," Naruto continued. "I don't want to feel helpless again when someone tries to attack my teammates. So I'm going to keep training until I learn to use them properly, and if that means I have to work ten times harder, then that's what I'll do."
His voice gradually regained its usual strength.
"Because the next Hokage doesn't give up that easily, dattebayo!"
Kakashi studied the boy for several seconds.
For an instant, Naruto's figure seemed to overlap with that of a blond man he'd known many years ago. The same determination, that way of looking ahead even when circumstances seemed impossible, and a will that burned fiercely.
"Minato-sensei..."
The image shifted briefly.
This time he remembered a dark-haired boy with goggles, someone who had also talked constantly about becoming Hokage and who had never stopped caring about his teammates.
"Obito..."
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye slightly.
There was something of both of them in Naruto. Not just in his appearance or his dreams, but in that stubborn decision to keep moving forward even after facing something many people would have found unbearable.
Sasuke was the next to speak.
"I want to continue too."
Sakura turned toward him.
"Sasuke-kun?"
The Uchiha straightened and looked at the road stretching toward the Land of Waves.
"I'm not going back to Konoha after our first real fight. I still have far too much to learn."
He didn't say it with his usual arrogance. His expression was serious, and although he said nothing else, it was obvious that the confrontation had left a considerable impression on him.
Sakura looked at both her teammates.
She was still afraid.
The possibility of encountering enemy ninja again terrified her, especially after seeing how quickly an apparently simple mission could turn into a deadly situation.
But she also remembered what Kakashi had taught them during the bell test.
They were a team. And if her teammates were determined to continue, she didn't want to be the only one who backed down.
Sakura took a deep breath and raised her hand in a clenched fist.
"All right. I'll continue too."
Naruto smiled slightly upon hearing them, a smaller but much more sincere smile than his usual ones.
Kakashi observed the three genin before finally turning his gaze toward Tazuna.
The bridge builder remained silent. After what he'd just witnessed, he no longer seemed inclined to mock Naruto or his companions. In fact, whenever he looked at the blond, he did so with a caution and respect he'd never shown before the confrontation.
Kakashi sighed.
"Very well. If all three of you are determined to continue, then we'll go on. But I want to make one thing clear: from now on, you'll be much more attentive, and you'll obey my instructions immediately. We don't know what other enemies might be waiting for us, and I don't intend to let anyone die because of an avoidable mistake."
All three nodded.
Naruto looked one last time toward the spot where the two ninja had been buried. After a few seconds, he turned toward the road.
He was still afraid. He still remembered the flames, the screams, and the smell. And he knew he'd probably keep remembering them for a long time.
But he also knew something else: a conviction he'd never felt before, even stronger than his desire to become Hokage. He didn't want to be unable to control his own power ever again.
If his eyes could cause such destruction, then he had a responsibility to learn to use them properly.
Naruto clenched his fists slightly before following his teammates.
The mission had just become far more dangerous than any of them had imagined.
And Team 7 still didn't know that their real challenge was only just beginning.
Author's note: Well, that's it. If you notice anything odd about the way it's written, let me know and I'll try to fix it.
Also, I'm going to keep sticking to the canon for a while.
And before anyone asks the Adept Discipline was completely legitimate; I had planned to use this little trauma as a way to limit the use of the Mystic Eyes of Flame, but the gacha decided to kick me in the balls.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character thinking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - Gacha, loud or threatening voices, jutsus, or simply words that I want to highlight
Naruto was having a particularly pleasant dream in which he had finally become Hokage. The entire village had gathered to celebrate his appointment, Iruka-sensei was crying with pride among the crowd, and the old Hokage had just handed him his hat. Even Sasuke had been forced to acknowledge that he was the most incredible ninja in Konoha, while Sakura kept shouting excitedly that she would marry him.
Everything was going perfectly until a high-pitched bell rang inside his head.
TINGGG!
"What?! Who's attacking?!" Naruto shouted as he abruptly opened his eyes and almost fell out of bed.
He quickly sat up, searching the shadows of his room for an enemy, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Morning light was beginning to filter through the window, and his apartment was as messy as he'd left it the night before.
Then the announcement that had interrupted his dream appeared.
[Congratulations! You have obtained your fifth ability. You have unlocked one additional slot for equipping abilities!]
Naruto blinked as he processed the information. He had spent so much time thinking about how to make use of his rewards that he had completely forgotten about that possibility. Until now, he'd only been able to keep one ability equipped, but with five in his possession, he'd just obtained a second slot.
His sleepy expression immediately vanished.
"SERIOUSLY?! I CAN USE TWO AT THE SAME TIME NOW?!" The smile that spread across his face would have been rather worrying to anyone who knew him. "HAHAHA! THIS IS AWESOME, DATTEBAYO!"
He jumped out of bed and began pacing around the room as he mentally reviewed his options. He had Impact, Megaphone, Hustle, Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception, and Mystic Eyes of Flame. All of them seemed useful in their own way; however, it didn't take him long to decide what to do with his new slot.
Mystic Eyes of Flame was by far the most impressive reward he'd obtained so far. It was also the most powerful, considering what had happened to the pieces of rope after Kakashi's exam.
Even so, having that ability available could prove extremely useful.
He decided to keep Mystic Eyes of Flame permanently equipped in one of his two slots, leaving the other free until he needed one of his remaining abilities. That way, he could use his new eyes without constantly having to switch abilities and would retain some flexibility if an unexpected situation arose.
"Perfect! Now I just need to learn how to use these eyes without burning everything I look at," Naruto said aloud to himself, pleased with his decision.
Although this reminded him of something he'd thought about the day before.
Perhaps Kakashi-sensei could help him.
When Naruto reached the area around the Hokage Tower, he found his teammates waiting beside the main entrance. Sakura was talking to Sasuke, although, as usual, it was clear that she was putting considerably more enthusiasm into the conversation than the Uchiha. Kakashi stood nearby, quietly reading his inseparable book.
"Good morning! Wow, Kakashi-sensei, I didn't know you could show up early!" Naruto smiled at his instructor, letting the little jab hang in the air.
The jonin looked up from his reading and gave him a carefree smile.
"Good morning, Naruto. I see you're in a good mood today."
"Of course! Today we'll have our first real mission!"
Sakura sighed at her teammate's enthusiasm, although she was also quite interested in finding out what sort of work they'd be assigned. Kakashi explained that they needed to report to the mission office, where they would begin receiving assignments appropriate for newly graduated genin. Those jobs would help them learn to cooperate while gaining experience outside the Academy's controlled environment.
Naruto barely listened to that last explanation. He had something far more important to ask his sensei, and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! There's something I want to show you," the blond said, interrupting his sensei.
"Oh, really? What is it?" the jonin replied, slipping his book into his back pocket, intrigued by his new student's tone.
Naruto looked around to make sure there weren't too many people nearby, then pointed to his eyes.
"Yesterday, after we finished the test, I started feeling something strange here. At first I thought I'd gotten dust in my eyes during the fight, but when I tried to figure out what was happening, I discovered I could do something incredible."
"And what's so incredible about it?" Kakashi tilted his head slightly.
"I can set things on fire just by looking at them!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically.
Sakura's reaction was immediate.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about, Naruto?!"
"It's not nonsense! I really did it!"
Sasuke, who had remained practically indifferent to the conversation until then, looked up.
"Your eyes can produce fire?"
Naruto turned toward him, surprised to have caught his attention.
"Exactly! Although I still can't control them very well. Yesterday I tried to burn a piece of rope, and it turned to ashes almost instantly."
Kakashi, meanwhile, was staring intently at Naruto's face.
Outwardly, his expression barely changed, but the information had sparked his interest in a way Naruto could hardly have imagined.
"A dojutsu that produces combustion?" The jonin studied the boy carefully. He knew his parents' history rather well and had never heard of Minato possessing anything like that. Nor had Kushina shown any sign of having a dojutsu during the years he'd known her. "Could it be something related to the Uzumaki clan?"
It wasn't impossible for clans to have secret abilities—they were ninja, after all—but this was still quite strange. The Uzumaki were known for their enormous vitality, their chakra reserves, and their extraordinary sealing techniques, not for possessing eyes capable of setting targets ablaze.
Meanwhile, Sasuke stepped a little closer to Naruto.
"Show me," the Uchiha demanded with an intense stare.
Naruto blinked.
"Huh?"
"Your eyes. I want to see them."
To anyone else, the Uchiha's interest wouldn't have been difficult to understand. Sasuke knew better than any of his teammates how important a dojutsu could be, and although he had yet to awaken his own Sharingan, learning that Naruto had developed an unknown one aroused a curiosity he rarely displayed.
Naruto smiled proudly and activated Mystic Eyes of Flame.
His irises immediately turned an intense red, bright and deep, like two rubies lit from within. His pupils remained perfectly visible and unchanged, but the new color was striking enough to draw a small exclamation from Sakura, who stood a little farther away.
"Wow! Naruto, your eyes look really pretty!"
The blond was startled by the compliment and ended up scratching the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile, a faint blush coloring his face.
"Hehehe! You think so, Sakura-chan?"
"Yeah. They look like gemstones."
Sasuke, on the other hand, examined the eyes much more carefully. Although they seemed unrelated to the Sharingan or any other dojutsu he'd heard of, they still held his attention.
"Can you use them whenever you want?"
"Of course! Well, kinda I can activate them, but I still have trouble deciding how much things burn."
"And how do you know what to do?"
Naruto thought for a few seconds. For some reason, he still didn't feel comfortable telling them about the Gacha, so he merely explained that when he'd first activated them, he'd felt as if he instinctively understood how to direct his chakra.
Kakashi silently watched the exchange. "We'll definitely have to investigate this."
"Well, Naruto, it looks like you've discovered something quite interesting," he finally commented, returning to his usual carefree tone. "We'd better inform the Third Hokage. If it really is an unknown dojutsu, we should understand exactly how it works before you try using it during a mission."
Naruto nodded immediately.
"That's exactly what I was thinking! Maybe the old man knows how to keep it from burning things so quickly!"
Sakura looked toward her teammate.
"Shouldn't you stop calling him an old man? He's the Hokage."
"But that's what I always call him!"
Kakashi let out a small laugh before leading them into the tower.
On their way to the mission office, they ran into Iruka, who was carrying several documents under his arm. The former Academy instructor had volunteered to help temporarily with the registration and distribution of assignments, using his experience with genin to help them choose missions suited to their difficulties, so he wasn't surprised to run into some of his former students.
"Good morning, Team 7," he greeted them with a smile. "I see you survived your test."
Naruto immediately raised a fist.
"Of course, Iruka-sensei! It was super easy!" Naruto raised his fist enthusiastically, a broad grin adorning his face.
Sakura gave him an incredulous look.
"Naruto, you ended up tied to a log."
"That was part of my strategy!"
Sasuke let out a small snort, although Iruka decided not to ask too much about what had happened. Knowing Naruto, he'd probably end up hearing a considerably more heroic version of events than what had actually occurred.
However, before he could continue, Naruto approached him with a mysterious smile.
"Iruka-sensei! Look at this!" the Uzumaki said, activating his eyes again so that brilliant red replaced their usual blue.
Iruka stopped dead in his tracks.
"Naruto... what happened to your eyes?"
The boy enthusiastically began explaining what he'd discovered the day before, describing how he could cause fires with his gaze and how he'd reduced a piece of rope to ashes almost instantly. Iruka listened to every word with growing concern, especially when he realized that Naruto had tested that ability completely alone.
"Naruto! And it occurred to you to experiment with something like that without asking for help?!"
"But nothing bad happened!" the blond replied with a foxlike grin, his hands behind his head.
"That doesn't mean it was a good idea!" the older ninja scolded him.
Kakashi intervened before Iruka could begin one of his usual lectures.
"We're actually on our way to inform the Hokage. If you don't mind, you could come with us. I imagine he'll want to hear what Naruto has to say."
Iruka sighed and adjusted the documents under his arm.
"All right. I have some reports to deliver to him anyway."
Kakashi nodded, and Naruto smiled in satisfaction as they continued toward the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was reviewing some documents when he heard a knock at his door. After inviting them in, he looked up and found Kakashi accompanied by his three students and Iruka.
Naruto's presence soon brought a small smile to his wrinkled face.
"Good morning, Naruto. I see you've finally begun your career as a ninja," the legendary shinobi said, clearly happy to see his ward.
"Of course I have, Jiji! And you'd better get ready, because one day I'm going to take that hat of yours!" the blond declared confidently.
Hiruzen let out an amused laugh.
"Then you'd better keep training. Becoming Hokage isn't exactly easy."
"I know that!"
Kakashi waited until their exchange was over before explaining the reason for their visit. When he mentioned that Naruto had apparently developed a dojutsu capable of causing spontaneous combustion, the elderly Hokage's expression remained calm, although his thoughts were very different. "A dojutsu? Naruto?"
Hiruzen had known Minato and Kushina personally. He also possessed a considerable amount of information about the Uzumaki clan, particularly because of the old ties between Konoha and Uzushiogakure. As far as he knew, no ocular ability of that kind had ever existed among its members.
It was baffling, a difficult feat when it came to someone who had seen as much as he had.
"Naruto, could you show me those eyes?" he finally asked.
The boy nodded and activated the ability.
Hiruzen watched carefully as his irises took on that intense red color. There were no marks or symbols on them, and his pupils retained their normal appearance, but the glow was clearly supernatural.
"Interesting..."
Sasuke also paid attention to the Hokage's reaction. If even someone with the old man's knowledge seemed unfamiliar with that ability, perhaps it was something truly exceptional.
"Do you know what it is, Jiji?" Naruto asked.
Hiruzen shook his head slightly.
"I'm not sure. But if your eyes work as you say, we'd better test their capabilities somewhere appropriate," the old man said, then rose from his desk and took his hat.
"Kakashi, come with me. Iruka, let them know I'll be absent for a while."
The former instructor nodded, although before leaving he cast one last worried glance at Naruto.
"Naruto... try not to set fire to anything you shouldn't."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"
The chosen training ground was far enough from inhabited areas for them to experiment without endangering civilians. At one end stood several logs ordinarily used for practicing.
Hiruzen pointed to one of them and asked Naruto to try producing a small flame on the surface of just one log. Nothing too large; demonstrating that he could raise its temperature enough to produce controlled combustion would suffice.
Naruto nodded and stood in front of the logs.
"All right! I'm going to use very little chakra!" The young boy activated his new ability in an instant.
Everyone saw a triangular shape appear over all three logs in the direction he was looking. A second triangle began overlapping the first almost immediately, followed by a third that completed the pattern.
The three triangles had formed so quickly that none of the genin present managed to distinguish them.
FWOOSH!
All three logs burst into flames.
The fire erupted with such violence that Sakura instinctively stepped back while Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. Within seconds, the wood was engulfed in a blaze so intense that it threatened to reduce it to ashes.
Naruto froze.
"HUH?! BUT I ONLY WANTED TO BURN ONE!"
Kakashi reacted immediately, using a water jutsu to extinguish the flames before they spread to the nearby trees. When the steam began to clear, all three logs were completely charred.
Hiruzen studied the remains for a few seconds. "That amount of chakra..."
Kakashi had reached the same conclusion.
Naruto was using an absurd amount of energy to activate a technique that, in theory, should be controllable with a much smaller flow. The boy had claimed he would use very little chakra, but the amount released would have been enough to power fairly high-ranking jutsu.
"Naruto," Hiruzen finally asked calmly, "how much chakra did you use?"
The boy scratched his head.
"Just a tiny bit. I swear! I tried to do it as gently as possible."
Kakashi stared at him.
"I think we've found the problem."
"What problem?" Naruto replied in confusion.
"Your chakra control." The jonin approached one of the charred logs and pointed at its blackened surface.
"You possess an extraordinary amount of chakra, Naruto, but that doesn't mean you know how to use it efficiently. You're accustomed to using much more energy than necessary to perform even the simplest jutsu. If your eyes respond directly to the amount of chakra you provide them, then your lack of control explains why you end up burning everything so quickly."
Hiruzen nodded in turn.
"The amount of chakra you have available and your ability to control it are two different things. A shinobi can possess enormous reserves and still waste a large portion of them performing a single jutsu. In your case, your eyes seem especially sensitive to that problem."
Naruto looked back at the logs.
"So... my eyes aren't malfunctioning?"
"Not necessarily," Kakashi replied. "In fact, they might be working exactly as they should. The problem is that you're giving them too much energy."
Hiruzen began asking for details about how they worked as they conducted further tests on other nearby targets. Naruto explained that the triangles were supposed to indicate how hot the targets were, with each one raising the temperature until the third, at which point the target caught fire.
That allowed them to establish a provisional explanation of how they worked.
With enough control, he could probably keep a target hot without causing it to ignite, but if he released too much energy, all three triangles would appear almost simultaneously.
"So I just need to learn to use less chakra?" Naruto concluded.
"Exactly," Kakashi replied. "And I know some exercises that can help you."
The jonin picked up a fallen leaf and placed it against his forehead.
"We'll start with something simple. You have to keep a leaf attached using only a steady amount of chakra. If you use too much, you might damage it or send it flying; if you use too little, it'll simply fall."
He then pointed to the nearby trees and explained that, once they mastered that exercise, they could begin practicing walking on vertical surfaces. The next step would be standing on water, a considerably more demanding technique because it required constantly adjusting the flow of chakra.
Naruto listened with growing interest.
"We can walk on walls and on water?!"
"If you learn to control your chakra properly, yes," Kakashi replied.
"That's incredible!"
Sasuke also seemed interested, although for different reasons. Better control would allow him to perform his techniques with greater precision and reduce unnecessary energy expenditure. Sakura, for her part, also quickly concluded that these exercises were vital to their futures as shinobi.
Hiruzen watched the three youngsters before turning back to Kakashi.
"I want you to dedicate part of their training to developing these skills. Naruto needs to learn to control his eyes before using them during a real mission, but all three could benefit from a stronger foundation."
Kakashi nodded.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Naruto looked at the charred logs one last time. "So that's the problem..."
He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He had obtained an incredibly powerful ability, but still didn't know how to use it without completely destroying his targets.
However, the disappointment didn't last long.
If training was what it took, then he'd simply have to work harder.
"All right! I'll master these exercises, and then I'll be able to use my eyes however I want, dattebayo!"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.
"That's the spirit. For now, let's get going."
The following week was quite different from what Naruto had imagined when he dreamed of becoming a ninja.
Instead of immediately starting important missions, Team 7 spent much of its mornings training under Kakashi's supervision. The jonin divided the sessions among chakra-control exercises, combat, and coordination, making sure the three learned to cooperate without relying entirely on their individual abilities.
Naruto quickly discovered that controlling small amounts of chakra was much harder than he'd expected.
During his first attempts, the leaves he placed on his forehead flew off or ended up damaged by excess energy. On one occasion he managed to keep one attached for several seconds, only to become so excited by the result that he tore it apart.
Kakashi examined the remains of the leaf before handing him another.
"Again."
"That's what I've been doing all morning!" Naruto growled.
"And you'll keep doing it until you can hold it there without destroying it," the older ninja replied.
Fortunately, Relentless Stamina allowed him to continue practicing for extraordinarily long periods without experiencing the same exhaustion he would have before. He could make hundreds of mistakes and still have enough energy to try again, although that didn't make the training any less frustrating.
Sasuke, much to Naruto's frustration, progressed considerably faster. After mastering the leaf exercise, he began practicing walking up trees. He managed to take several steps along the vertical trunks before his concentration failed and he slid back to the ground. At other times, he used too much chakra and was launched away from the surface, and although he didn't show it, this irritated him greatly.
Sakura proved to be the most talented of the three when it came to control. She quickly mastered both the leaf exercise and tree walking, to her teammates' surprise. However, when she began practicing on water, she discovered that she would face different difficulties from her companions. Her chakra reserves were somewhat lower than those of an average genin her age, and although she could manage them with great precision, maintaining a constant flow on a moving surface exhausted her relatively quickly.
Kakashi took the opportunity to explain that each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Naruto possessed extraordinary reserves but needed to improve his control; Sakura had excellent precision but needed to improve her stamina; and Sasuke combined good reserves with good control but still had to perfect the stability of his chakra flow.
For Naruto, the most important thing was that he was finally beginning to see results with his eyes.
During the first few days, he still caused things to ignite too quickly, but after days of practicing with leaves, he managed to keep the first triangle over an object without the other two immediately appearing. It was much harder than it looked, and on several occasions he still accidentally set his target on fire, but at least he had stopped instantly destroying whatever he looked at.
Kakashi had forbidden him from using his ability during combat practice, so Naruto experimented with carefully selected stones, branches, and pieces of wood. This let him experience firsthand how different targets had different resistances, as larger ones required more chakra to incinerate, although he still had trouble knowing how much he'd need.
The afternoons, on the other hand, were reserved for D-rank missions.
They were completely unbearable for all three genin.
Team 7's first official mission consisted of painting a fence, a task so simple Naruto could hardly believe someone had paid the village to assign it to a group of ninja. There were no enemies, exciting chases, or impressive techniques. They simply had to complete the work following Kakashi's instructions and return to report that they were done.
Naruto complained for much of the way back, although his bad mood vanished when a familiar bell rang inside his head.
[You have obtained X1 Random Bronze Ticket for completing your first D-rank mission!]
That night, after getting home, he used the ticket, bouncing on his feet with excitement.
You have used a Random Bronze Ticket!
[Novice Math]
|Common Skill|
You are good at calculating things in your head and doing calculations on the spot. You can solve most math problems you would be able to solve, rather easily in your head instead of writing things down like a human calculator.
"Math? Seriously?!" Naruto complained in disappointment.
Of all the things he could have obtained, he'd ended up receiving something related to one of his least favorite subjects at the Academy.
At that moment, a considerable amount of knowledge and practical experience settled into his mind. It wasn't exactly like learning a ninja technique. He simply began to understand numbers better and perform operations that previously would have been rather bothersome.
Out of curiosity, he tried calculating how much money he'd need to save to eat ramen for an entire week.
The answer came almost immediately.
Naruto blinked.
"Well... I guess it is useful after all."
The missions continued over the following days.
Team 7 helped walk pets, performed minor maintenance work, looked after children, and ended up chasing a particularly stubborn cat named Tora, who seemed to consider any attempt to approach him a personal insult.
Naruto quickly discovered that trying to catch an animal that didn't want to cooperate without hurting it was an absolute pain in the ass.
Sasuke didn't seem to enjoy those tasks much either, although he usually just completed them in silence. Sakura tried to maintain a more professional attitude, but during their conversations on breaks she let it show that even she was beginning to wonder when they'd receive an assignment that actually justified the years they'd spent training at the Academy.
Things improved slightly in the mornings, when Kakashi continued teaching them techniques and organizing practice fights. Naruto improved his coordination both with his clones and with his teammates, while Sasuke refined his taijutsu and Sakura proved that her title as the smartest kunoichi of their year was well deserved: although she still wasn't on the same level as her companions, her ability to analyze them was rapidly bringing her closer.
And so, a week passed for Team 7.
By the time they finally completed their fifth D-rank mission, Naruto had promised himself he'd never complain about having to study again if it could save him from this endless routine.
The familiar sound he heard just after handing in their report managed to improve his mood a little.
[You have obtained X1 Random Bronze Ticket for completing five D-rank missions!]
He used the ticket on his way home.
You have used a Random Bronze Ticket!
[Green Spandex]
|Common Item|
Naruto - A green spandex suit filled to the brim with the power of YOUTH!!!!! While wearing this suit and nothing else, gains from physical training and stamina recovery are slightly enhanced. YOUTH!!!!!!
Naruto reread the description for several seconds.
"Why does this thing say my name?" Naruto wondered after reading it for the third time. "A green suit? I think I've seen a guy wearing something like that before."
It didn't seem like a particularly impressive reward, at least until he focused on the benefit it provided. Slightly improving the results of his training might seem like a small thing, but if he kept training at the pace of the previous week, that advantage would accumulate.
As he considered what to do with it, new information appeared in his mind. Just as had happened with the other Gacha rules, he understood that he had a special storage space for items obtained through his tickets, but once he took an item out, he couldn't put it back into storage.
Naruto didn't hesitate long. He saw no reason to postpone it; it was just a suit, and in any case, he could simply put it in his wardrobe. He extracted it and watched it appear in his hands.
It was a one-piece green suit that reminded him a little of pajamas.
Naruto held it between his fingers, feeling the fabric, and tilted his head.
"Well... at least it looks comfortable."
He tried it on and discovered that it fit his body perfectly. The material was stretchy and allowed him to move freely, although Naruto wasn't particularly enthusiastic about abandoning his beloved orange outfit.
He finally decided to wear it beneath his usual clothes during training.
He quickly regretted that decision the following morning. After moving around for a while beneath the morning sun, Naruto discovered that wearing a tight spandex suit beneath his bulky clothing was an excellent way to turn any training session into a hellishly hot experience.
"I'M ROASTING!"
Kakashi watched curiously as Naruto tried to cool off in the shade of a tree.
"Don't you think you're wearing too many clothes to train in this heat?"
"I'm fine!" Naruto answered, although the sweat streaming down his forehead did him no favors. "It's part of my training!"
Kakashi stared at him for a few seconds before turning away, deciding not to argue.
Sasuke looked at him as though he were contemplating the stupidest person in the world, while Sakura simply shook her head.
Even so, Naruto continued wearing the suit during practice sessions. The small benefit it provided seemed to combine quite well with Relentless Stamina, allowing him to recover more quickly and thus train a little longer without ending up exhausted by the afternoon.
That didn't make the heat any less intense, but at least he felt he was getting something in return.
By the end of the week, the three genin had progressed considerably compared to the day of their graduation.
Naruto could now keep several leaves attached to his forehead without destroying them, although he still had to concentrate much harder than his teammates. Sasuke had improved his stability while walking on trees; he still slipped or was launched away from them, but it was a rare occurrence. Sakura, for her part, had managed to stay standing on water, but she still devoted much of her effort to improving her stamina.
They had also improved their coordination. Naruto no longer charged immediately at every target without considering his teammates' positions, and Sasuke was beginning to accept that his companions were more than mere distractions for his own movements. Sakura had taken on the role of strategist, planning formations and responses for different situations, although many of them were still theoretical because they hadn't tested the vast majority.
However, none of those improvements made D-rank missions tolerable.
And after capturing Tora yet again, Naruto's patience finally reached its limit.
When they returned to the mission office, Iruka was waiting for them, papers in hand and a proud smile with which he greeted all his students.
"Well done, Team 7. It looks like you successfully completed another mission."
Naruto let out a growl.
"I'm sick of chasing cats! We're ninja, Iruka-sensei! Ninja! We should be doing real missions!" The blond brought his hands to his head in frustration.
Iruka sighed and reminded him once again that D-rank assignments were important so new teams could gain experience, learn to follow instructions, and demonstrate that they could work together before receiving greater responsibilities.
Naruto, however, had heard more than enough explanations like that over the past few days.
"But we already know how to work together! We've been training all week! Even Kakashi-sensei says we're improving!" the blond growled again as he sat on the floor with his arms crossed.
Sakura crossed her arms as well. Although she didn't agree with the way Naruto was protesting, she couldn't deny her own frustration.
"Iruka-sensei, maybe we could receive something a little more complicated. We've been doing practically the same jobs since we started," the girl said in support of her teammate.
Sasuke nodded slightly in turn. "We're not going to improve much if we keep catching animals."
Iruka opened his mouth to respond, but a familiar voice interrupted him.
"I see Team 7 is quite eager to take on new responsibilities." Everyone turned toward the doorway, where Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching the discussion with a small smile on his wrinkled face. He then explained that the mission system, and the payments for ninja missions, were a fundamental part of the village's economy. D-rank missions were intended for simple tasks that genin could complete without exposing themselves to unnecessary danger, while higher ranks involved greater responsibilities and risks that shouldn't be taken lightly.
"But Jiji, we can't spend our whole lives chasing that damn cat!" Naruto retorted. No matter how much sense it made, he still thought it was stupid that they kept doing D-rank missions.
"No, Naruto. I suppose not." Hiruzen let out a small laugh.
Kakashi, who had remained silent until then, finally intervened.
"Hokage-sama, I must admit that all three have made considerable progress during their training. They still have plenty to learn, but I think they could handle a simple C-rank mission under my supervision."
All three genin visibly brightened at their mentor's words.
Hiruzen watched Kakashi for a few seconds before nodding, deciding to trust his judgment.
"Very well. I think we can find something appropriate."
The old man approached the desk in the center of the room and reviewed the documents in front of him until one caught his attention. He then instructed an assistant to bring the client inside.
Naruto straightened enthusiastically, convinced that the moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
The door opened.
And the man who entered shattered all his hopes.
He was a disheveled-looking old man with a bottle of sake in his hand and a face reddened by alcohol. He walked with some difficulty and regarded Team 7 with an expression somewhere between indifference and disbelief.
"What's this?" he asked, looking at Kakashi and then the three genin. "These brats are going to escort me?"
Naruto felt a vein beginning to bulge on his forehead.
The man took another swig from his bottle and continued inspecting them until his gaze settled on Naruto.
"Especially that short one with the stupid face. Am I really supposed to trust my life to someone like that?"
For a moment, silence reigned in the room.
Then Naruto pointed at the old man, anger plainly visible on his face.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT, YOU DRUNK OLD MAN?!"
Tazuna burst out laughing as he pointed at Naruto.
"Not just short, but loud too."
Naruto tried to advance on him, but Kakashi immediately grabbed the back of his jacket.
"Calm down, Naruto."
"LET GO OF ME, KAKASHI-SENSEI! I'M GOING TO TEACH HIM TO RESPECT THE FUTURE HOKAGE!"
Sakura put a hand to her forehead, deeply embarrassed by the scene. Sasuke seemed to be on the same page as Sakura., simply turning his gaze away from the scene.
Kakashi eventually calmed Naruto enough for the Hokage to explain the details of the assignment.
The man's name was Tazuna, and he was a bridge builder from the Land of Waves. He needed to return to his country and had requested an escort to protect him on the journey. It was a C-rank mission, so the worst they were expected to face was ordinary bandits.
Naruto immediately regained his enthusiasm.
A mission outside Konoha!
Definitely much better than chasing cats.
The following morning, Team 7 assembled in front of the village's main gates.
Naruto wore his usual outfit, although underneath it he was still wearing the green spandex he'd obtained from the Gacha. The weather was pleasant at that hour, but he knew things would change as the day went on. Even so, he'd decided to endure it. He had an important mission ahead of him and wanted to take advantage of every edge available.
Sakura arrived a little later, followed by Sasuke. Both had their equipment ready for the trip, while Kakashi waited calmly beside Tazuna, who seemed to be recovering from the previous day's excesses.
Naruto looked at Konoha's enormous gates with excitement he could barely contain.
He had never left the village.
He had spent his whole life within its borders and, although he knew stories and how some of the other countries were supposed to be, he'd never had the chance to see for himself what the outside world was like.
"This is incredible! Our first mission outside Konoha, dattebayo!"
"Try not to make too much noise, Naruto. We're only just getting started," Sakura scolded, although she smiled slightly at how excited he was.
"But it's our first C-rank mission! You should be excited too!" the blond replied immediately.
"I am. I just don't need to shout it to everyone."
Sasuke, standing nearby, couldn't help catching some of his teammates' enthusiasm.
"Are we leaving or not?"
Kakashi closed his book and raised a hand.
"All right, Team 7. Let's get moving."
Naruto was the first to pass through the gates.
He couldn't help looking back for a moment, observing the village that had been his home all his life. Then he turned toward the road again and smiled.
He was finally beginning his first adventure outside Konoha.
The journey turned out to be much quieter than Naruto had imagined.
Because Tazuna was a civilian, the group had to travel at a pace that allowed him to keep up without becoming exhausted. That meant walking for hours along country roads, passing through small villages, and occasionally stopping to rest.
Naruto had expected a C-rank mission to involve exciting chases or confrontations with dangerous bandits, but for much of the journey nothing particularly interesting happened.
Kakashi took advantage of the peace to explain a few things about the countries surrounding the Land of Fire.
The Land of Waves was a small nation without a ninja village of its own, so it depended on hiring shinobi from elsewhere when it needed their services. Kakashi also talked about the five great nations and their respective hidden villages, mentioning Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, and Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
Each of those villages was led by a Kage, just like Konoha.
Naruto listened with interest at first, especially when Kakashi explained that the leaders of the great ninja villages held titles equivalent to Hokage. However, after several minutes, he began getting distracted by the scenery.
The trees seemed to stretch endlessly on both sides of the road, and occasionally they could see small farms or houses that didn't look very much like the buildings in Konoha. Everything seemed new to him, even the simplest things.
Sakura continued asking questions about the differences between the villages, while Sasuke listened attentively to Kakashi's explanations.
Naruto focused on the conversation again when he heard C-rank missions mentioned.
"Normally, you shouldn't encounter other ninja on assignments of this kind," Kakashi explained. "Fighting enemy shinobi represents a considerably higher level of danger and usually falls under B-rank missions or above."
Naruto nodded, and although he already knew that, part of him felt slightly disappointed.
Tazuna, on the other hand, let out a small grunt before taking another sip from his bottle. His expression changed for an instant, and he gripped the bottle a little tighter before looking away.
Sasuke watched him for a couple of seconds. He said nothing.
The group continued onward.
The road was relatively clear when Naruto passed near a small puddle beside one edge of it.
He didn't pay it much attention.
It had rained over the past few days in some parts of the region, so finding water pooled on the ground didn't seem particularly strange to him.
Kakashi, however, cast a brief glance at the puddle as he kept walking.
A few seconds later, two figures suddenly emerged from the water.
The attackers wore forehead protectors bearing Kirigakure's symbol and large metal gauntlets connected by a chain covered in blades. As soon as they appeared, they moved with a speed that surprised the three genin and sent the chain directly toward Kakashi.
"You first!" they both shouted at the same time.
The chain wrapped around the jonin's body.
The attackers pulled it simultaneously.
SHRRAAK!
Kakashi's body seemed to tear apart into pieces.
Naruto froze completely.
Sakura's eyes widened in horror, and Tazuna staggered backward, unable to comprehend what he'd just witnessed. Sasuke was also surprised, although his experience allowed him to overcome his shock sooner than his teammates.
What appeared to be Kakashi's remains fell onto the road.
Naruto felt the air leave his lungs. "Kakashi-sensei..."
The two enemy ninja wasted no time celebrating their apparent victory.
"One down," one of them commented, immediately turning toward the genin. "Now the others."
Their gazes settled on Naruto.
The blond was still staring at the spot where his instructor had fallen, completely paralyzed by the shock. He had been in fights before and knew ninja could die during a mission, but seeing what seemed to be Kakashi's body torn apart before his eyes was something he hadn't been prepared for.
The attackers launched their chain again.
This time, Sasuke reacted.
He drew a kunai and threw it precisely toward one of the links, managing to hook the chain against the trunk of a nearby tree. Before the enemies could free it, the Uchiha propelled himself forward and kicked them, forcing them to retreat.
The two ninja landed directly in front of Naruto.
"Naruto, move!" Sasuke shouted.
The shout finally broke the blond's paralysis. Naruto raised his gaze, the enemies were only a few meters away, he could still see the bladed chain and remember how it had apparently torn Kakashi apart.
At that moment, he acted on his own, consumed by a powerful fighting instinct.
He activated Mystic Eyes of Flame.
His irises immediately took on that intense red color, shining like rubies beneath the sunlight. Before the two ninja could prepare to attack.
Naruto concentrated his chakra.
Energy flowed excessively into his eyes. He didn't think about Kakashi's warnings or the control exercises he'd practiced over the past week. He only wanted to stop the enemies before they could hurt anyone else.
The first triangle appeared over both targets, with the second following almost immediately. And before Naruto could understand what he was doing, the third completed the pattern.
FWOOSH!
Both ninja burst into flames.
Fire appeared directly on their bodies, spreading at a terrifying speed. The horrifying scream that erupted from their throats made Naruto instinctively step back.
"AAAAAAAH!" The attackers tried to move, but the flames completely engulfed them. One fell to his knees while the other writhed on the ground, trying to form hand signs in the hope of extinguishing the fire.
Naruto stood motionless, watching the scene unfold before his eyes, the screams continued for a few more moments before fading away.
When the flames finally disappeared, the two bodies lay on the road, completely burned and unrecognizable, although the expressions of suffering on their faces were still obvious.
The silence that followed was much worse than the screams.
Naruto felt his legs begin to shake.
The smell reached him a second later.
It was thick, unpleasant, and completely different from the smell of burnt wood that he'd grown accustomed to over the past few days. Naruto took a step back, unable to tear his eyes away from the remains.
"I... Did I do that?"
His breathing began to quicken.
He'd known his eyes could burn things. He'd seen them reduce ropes to ashes and destroy entire logs, but until that moment he hadn't truly understood what using that ability against a person meant.
The two ninja no longer moved, they would never get up again, they had died in a horrible, painful way. And he was the one who had killed them.
Naruto deactivated his eyes, feeling the reddish glow vanish from his vision. He'd used a considerable amount of chakra in an instant, enough to leave him exhausted. His breathing grew heavy, and he had to brace a hand on his knee to remain steady.
Then he heard a familiar sound.
[You have obtained X1 Random Silver Ticket for taking a person's life for the first time!]
[You have obtained X1 Random Gold Ticket for defeating and killing a chunin-rank ninja while being a genin!]
Two tickets.
In any other situation, Naruto would have been enormously excited to receive rewards of that caliber, this time, he barely reacted. All he could hear were those screams again.
Kakashi appeared on a nearby branch a few seconds later.
He had used a substitution technique to avoid the initial attack and hidden himself with the intention of observing the enemies. He wanted to find out why two Kirigakure ninja were waiting to ambush them and, at the same time, see how his students reacted to a real threat.
However, events had unfolded far more quickly than he had expected.
The jonin looked at the charred bodies, then he looked at Naruto.
"Damn it, I didn't think things would go this way so soon," the older ninja reflected. He hadn't had time to intervene. By the time he realized what Naruto was about to do, both attackers had already been struck by the flames.
Kakashi landed in front of the group.
Sakura turned toward him immediately.
"Kakashi-sensei!" The girl looked close to tears. For several seconds, she'd believed her instructor was dead, and the relief of seeing him alive mingled with the horror of looking at the two enemies' remains.
Tazuna, who was nearby, couldn't take it anymore, he stepped away from the road and began vomiting.
Meanwhile, Sasuke remained motionless, staring at the remains with a rigid expression. the Uchiha had seen blood before; he knew personally what death meant.
This was different.
He had watched two people burn alive before his eyes, and the person responsible was Naruto, the teammate he'd been growing fond of over the past week—the cheerful, lively Naruto he'd begun to consider a friend.
Kakashi approached the blond first.
"Naruto. Naruto, look at me," the jonin said, placing a hand on the shoulder of his student, who was still staring at the bodies.
After a couple of seconds, he finally raised his head.
Kakashi could immediately see how badly affected he was. His hands trembled slightly, the light in his eyes was dimmer, and his characteristic smile was nowhere to be found.
"I..." Naruto swallowed. "I didn't mean to..."
Kakashi wrapped his arms around him and drew him close.
"I know."
Naruto clenched his teeth.
"I only wanted to stop them. I didn't want them to hurt anyone else, but..." His voice cracked slightly.
Kakashi didn't try to overlook the gravity of the situation.
"Listen to me, Naruto. Those men tried to kill us. If Sasuke hadn't reacted, they could have reached you before you had a chance to defend yourself. What happened was the result of a real battle, but I understand that doesn't make what you're feeling any easier."
Naruto lowered his gaze slightly.
Kakashi continued in a calmer tone.
"I'm not going to tell you to forget what happened. Being a ninja means making difficult decisions and living with their consequences. But you mustn't let this destroy you, either. Right now, I need you to calm down and remember that your teammates are still here."
Naruto looked toward Sakura and Sasuke.
The former was still trying to recover, while the latter silently watched the bodies.
Both were alive and Tazuna was all right too.
Naruto took a deep breath. He didn't feel better, but at least he managed to stop shaking quite so much.
Kakashi drew away after making sure he could remain standing and headed toward the corpses. He formed a series of hand signs and used an earth jutsu to open an improvised grave beside the road. Once the remains were buried, he closed the earth over them and compacted it.
Sakura was silently grateful that she no longer had to see them.
Sasuke continued staring at the place where they had disappeared.
Naruto staggered slowly until he ended up sitting beside a nearby tree.
Kakashi gave his students a little time to regain their composure before turning toward Tazuna.
His voice and gaze changed completely.
"I think we have a few things to discuss now."
The bridge builder slowly straightened.
"W-what do you mean?" the builder stammered, suddenly seeming far more sober than before.
Kakashi looked at him with an expression that left no room for jokes.
"You hired us for a C-rank mission. According to the information you provided, our job was to protect you from bandits and other common dangers during the journey. You never mentioned that enemy ninja would be trying to assassinate you."
Tazuna looked away.
Kakashi continued.
"Those two were shinobi from Kirigakure. Their presence turns this mission into something completely different. Facing enemy ninja requires at least a B-rank assignment, and depending on who's behind them, the danger could be even greater."
Sakura raised her head.
"Then this mission is beyond us! We're freshly graduated genin!"
Kakashi nodded.
"You're right. The information we received was incorrect, and the level of danger exceeds what we were assigned."
Tazuna remained silent for a few seconds before beginning to explain that his country was in a desperate situation. The Land of Waves was practically under the control of a powerful businessman named Gato, whose grip on trade and transportation had left much of the population mired in poverty.
The bridge Tazuna was building represented a chance to break that control, but it had also made him a target. He hadn't mentioned the threat because he couldn't afford to pay for a higher-ranked mission.
Kakashi listened to his explanation without interrupting.
Sakura seemed torn between indignation at the deception and concern for those people's situation. Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, silently assessing what he'd just heard.
Naruto, meanwhile, was barely paying attention to the conversation. He was still sitting beside the tree, staring at the place where Kakashi had buried the two ninja.
The screams kept echoing in his memory.
Naruto closed his eyes, trying to erase the memory, when a glimmer caught the corner of his eye. He recognized it as the presence of the Gacha tickets.
The first time the Gacha had given him rewards, he'd been excited. Each new result represented a chance to become stronger, get closer to his dream, and prove that he wasn't the useless idiot so many had believed him to be.
But these two tickets were stained with blood.
Even so, a small part of him decided that the rewards were the perfect distraction. Having made his decision, the familiar roulette wheel appeared in his mind and spun until it stopped.
You have used a Random Silver Ticket!
[Fire Claws]
|Uncommon Ability|
Unordinary - Allows you to grow your fingernails into very durable and sharp claws that you can cover in very hot flames. These claws can even carve apart and melt metal.
Naruto covered his face with his hands.
More fire.
The description immediately brought back the flames engulfing the two ninjas, their desperate screams, and that smell that lingered in his nose. He felt his stomach churn.
"Fire again..."
Before he could dwell on it any longer, the roulette wheel spun again.
You have used a Random Gold Ticket!
[Adept Discipline]
|Rare Skill|
Your dedication and focus are admirable. You are very disciplined, being able to focus on tasks without falling to distractions, you are able to grit your teeth and get it done, even when in pain you can push on. You are able to push through discomfort, annoyance, and pain to get whatever job you need to get done. It is hard to use mental abilities on you.
Naruto felt the change instantly. A profound understanding of how to maintain concentration, endure hardship, and keep working even when his body and mind were begging him to stop.
The memories of what had happened didn't disappear. The screams, the flames, and the smell were still there.
But now he could think about all of it without feeling as though fear were completely sweeping him away. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at his hands, which were still trembling slightly.
He clenched his fists until his knuckles began to ache.
He had made a mistake. He had lost control of a dangerous ability and ended up killing two people in a horrible way. But those men had also tried to kill them. If Sasuke hadn't intervened, perhaps he would have died before he could react.
Naruto took a deep breath.
He didn't want to feel that fear again, and he didn't want to lose control of his eyes again either. He'd spent years working to become a ninja and had finally managed to graduate. He'd found a team, an instructor, and a way to improve that he could never have imagined.
He couldn't allow this horrible experience to make him give all of that up.
"I still have a lot to learn."
Naruto slowly stood up.
Kakashi was finishing explaining to Tazuna that they needed to return immediately and that the village could provide him with a loan to pay for the mission at the appropriate rank.
Sakura seemed to agree completely with her teacher's words. She was still pale. Sasuke, although he maintained a more controlled expression, didn't seem entirely unaffected by what had happened either.
That was when Naruto approached.
"Kakashi-sensei," the blond said, his voice much more determined than it had been only a moment earlier.
The jonin turned toward him.
Naruto stood silent for a few seconds, looking first at his instructor and then at his teammates. His hands still trembled slightly, but he kept them clenched into fists, and his expression had recovered some of his characteristic determination.
"I think we should continue the mission," the blond went on.
Sakura's eyes widened.
"Naruto! After what just happened?!" Sakura exclaimed in alarm.
The blond briefly lowered his gaze toward his hands before answering.
"I'm scared, Sakura-chan. I'm not going to pretend I'm not. Those guys tried to kill us, and I..." He paused, clenching his teeth. "I know what I did. But..."
Kakashi remained silent.
Naruto raised his head again.
"But I trained too hard to get this far. I failed the graduation exam over and over, put up with everyone making fun of me, and kept trying because I knew that someday I'd become a ninja. Now I've finally done it, and I'm not going to back down at the first setback."
Sakura watched him in disbelief. What had happened was far from a small setback, but Naruto's expression made it clear that he wasn't trying to minimize it. He simply refused to let it stop him.
"I don't want to lose control of my eyes again," Naruto continued. "I don't want to feel helpless again when someone tries to attack my teammates. So I'm going to keep training until I learn to use them properly, and if that means I have to work ten times harder, then that's what I'll do."
His voice gradually regained its usual strength.
"Because the next Hokage doesn't give up that easily, dattebayo!"
Kakashi studied the boy for several seconds.
For an instant, Naruto's figure seemed to overlap with that of a blond man he'd known many years ago. The same determination, that way of looking ahead even when circumstances seemed impossible, and a will that burned fiercely.
"Minato-sensei..."
The image shifted briefly.
This time he remembered a dark-haired boy with goggles, someone who had also talked constantly about becoming Hokage and who had never stopped caring about his teammates.
"Obito..."
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye slightly.
There was something of both of them in Naruto. Not just in his appearance or his dreams, but in that stubborn decision to keep moving forward even after facing something many people would have found unbearable.
Sasuke was the next to speak.
"I want to continue too."
Sakura turned toward him.
"Sasuke-kun?"
The Uchiha straightened and looked at the road stretching toward the Land of Waves.
"I'm not going back to Konoha after our first real fight. I still have far too much to learn."
He didn't say it with his usual arrogance. His expression was serious, and although he said nothing else, it was obvious that the confrontation had left a considerable impression on him.
Sakura looked at both her teammates.
She was still afraid.
The possibility of encountering enemy ninja again terrified her, especially after seeing how quickly an apparently simple mission could turn into a deadly situation.
But she also remembered what Kakashi had taught them during the bell test.
They were a team. And if her teammates were determined to continue, she didn't want to be the only one who backed down.
Sakura took a deep breath and raised her hand in a clenched fist.
"All right. I'll continue too."
Naruto smiled slightly upon hearing them, a smaller but much more sincere smile than his usual ones.
Kakashi observed the three genin before finally turning his gaze toward Tazuna.
The bridge builder remained silent. After what he'd just witnessed, he no longer seemed inclined to mock Naruto or his companions. In fact, whenever he looked at the blond, he did so with a caution and respect he'd never shown before the confrontation.
Kakashi sighed.
"Very well. If all three of you are determined to continue, then we'll go on. But I want to make one thing clear: from now on, you'll be much more attentive, and you'll obey my instructions immediately. We don't know what other enemies might be waiting for us, and I don't intend to let anyone die because of an avoidable mistake."
All three nodded.
Naruto looked one last time toward the spot where the two ninja had been buried. After a few seconds, he turned toward the road.
He was still afraid. He still remembered the flames, the screams, and the smell. And he knew he'd probably keep remembering them for a long time.
But he also knew something else: a conviction he'd never felt before, even stronger than his desire to become Hokage. He didn't want to be unable to control his own power ever again.
If his eyes could cause such destruction, then he had a responsibility to learn to use them properly.
Naruto clenched his fists slightly before following his teammates.
The mission had just become far more dangerous than any of them had imagined.
And Team 7 still didn't know that their real challenge was only just beginning.
Author's note: Well, that's it. If you notice anything odd about the way it's written, let me know and I'll try to fix it.
Also, I'm going to keep sticking to the canon for a while.
And before anyone asks the Adept Discipline was completely legitimate; I had planned to use this little trauma as a way to limit the use of the Mystic Eyes of Flame, but the gacha decided to kick me in the balls.
waroyer
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2025
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TFTC
That's the thing I love about things like chaos gacha it has a way to look at an author's plan kick it over, spit it on it, and then light it on fire. A reader can never truly predict what the chaos gacha is gonna do and that makes it so intresting
That's the thing I love about things like chaos gacha it has a way to look at an author's plan kick it over, spit it on it, and then light it on fire. A reader can never truly predict what the chaos gacha is gonna do and that makes it so intresting
Bronnkindofguy96
Master of the third eye and professional gooner
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Heh, firefox.
Chapter 5 – The Demon of the Mist
New
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character speaking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character thinking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - Gacha, loud or threatening voices, jutsus, or simply words that I want to highlight
The mist stretched over the water like an enormous white blanket, almost completely concealing anything more than a few meters away. The small boat moved slowly with its engine switched off, propelled solely by the skill of its operator, who used a long pole to guide it through the shallow waters without making too much noise.
Naruto sat at the front of the boat with his legs crossed and his arms resting on his knees. He had imagined his first visit to another country would be an exciting experience, but the circumstances had dampened much of that enthusiasm. Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the fire, the screams, and the bodies of those two Kirigakure ninja who had tried to kill them.
He had managed to calm down since then, partly thanks to the reward he had received from the Gacha and partly because Kakashi had made sure he understood that he could not bear all the responsibility for what had happened. However, that did not mean he had forgotten the experience.
His hands rested on his knees, and he studied them with a thoughtful expression. "Fire Claws..."
He had not tested the ability yet. Its description was quite clear: he could transform his fingernails into extremely tough, sharp claws, capable of being wrapped in flames hot enough to cut and melt metal. Under other circumstances, he would have been bouncing with joy at the chance to try an ability like that, but after what had happened, he had not managed to muster much enthusiasm.
Besides, he would have to find some way to explain it to Kakashi. He had already informed his sensei about his Mystic Eyes, but suddenly appearing with claws capable of melting metal would probably raise more questions than he was prepared to answer.
Naruto sighed and looked up at the mist.
Behind him, Tazuna continued explaining his country's situation.
"Gatō isn't simply a businessman" the bridge builder said, holding his bottle with both hands. "He's a criminal. A trafficker who uses his companies as fronts to move drugs, illegal goods, and anything else that can make him money. He has mercenaries, thugs, and ninja at his disposal. His entire business is built on crime."
Sakura frowned as she listened. She had already understood on the journey that the situation was more complicated than Tazuna had initially admitted, but the details were even worse than expected.
"So he isn't using his wealth to gain political influence," Sakura commented. "He's using violence to directly control the country's economy."
Tazuna nodded bitterly.
"About a year ago, he got his claws into the Land of Waves. He bought the shipping companies he could and destroyed the ones that refused to sell. His men murdered anyone who tried to oppose them. Now practically all maritime transportation is under his control, and since our island depends on ships to trade with other countries, he can charge whatever he wants for any goods coming in or going out."
Sasuke watched the dark waters surrounding the boat.
"That's why you're building the bridge. If you can transport goods by land, Gatō will lose part of his control over trade."
"Exactly," Tazuna replied. "That bridge could change things for all of us, but Gatō has no intention of allowing it."
The old man lowered his gaze toward his bottle. He was still visibly affected by what had happened to the Demon Brothers, and every time his eyes accidentally met Naruto's, he looked away with a speed that did not go unnoticed.
Kakashi remained seated near the boatman, listening to the conversation while occasionally watching the mist.
"Then we must assume Gatō will keep sending people to stop construction" the jōnin sensei concluded. "And after what happened to the previous two ninja, we'll probably have to face greater threats."
"Do you think he'll send more shinobi?" Sakura asked.
"Quite likely. The Demon Brothers were chūnin and had been prepared to assassinate Tazuna. If Gatō has the resources our client claims, we shouldn't expect him to stop after losing two subordinates."
Naruto raised his head upon hearing that.
The possibility of another confrontation gave him an unpleasant feeling, but he suppressed it before it could grow into anything more. He had decided to continue this mission and did not intend to change his mind halfway through.
"Then we'll have to protect the old man" he declared, straightening slightly. "We're not going to let those criminals do whatever they want!"
Sakura nodded, though she gave him a warning look.
"Yes, but lower your voice. Kakashi-sensei told us to keep quiet."
"I know, Sakura-chan! You don't have to remind me every five minutes!"
"Then stop acting like you're going to forget."
Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sasuke intervened before they could start arguing.
"You two should be quiet. We're trying to cross without drawing attention."
Sakura immediately fell silent, while Naruto shot the Uchiha an annoyed look. However, when Sasuke discreetly pointed to the boatman, who seemed quite nervous about the volume of their voices, the blond eventually crossed his arms and kept quiet.
Shortly afterward, an enormous silhouette began to emerge through the mist.
It was the bridge.
Even unfinished, its structure was impressive. Great pillars rose above the water and supported a construction that seemed to extend endlessly toward the shore. Naruto lifted his head to get a better look, momentarily distracted from his worries.
"Wow! It's huge!"
Tazuna smiled with a pride he had not shown for much of the journey.
"And it'll be even more impressive when it's finished."
The boat kept moving until it reached a small landing hidden among the vegetation. The boatman told them to disembark quickly, as he did not want to risk Gatō's men finding out he had helped transport the bridge builder.
Naruto was the first to jump ashore. He looked around curiously, taking in the trees, the houses barely visible in the distance, and the unfamiliar landscape stretching before them.
He was in another country.
The excitement was not as intense as it would have been a few days earlier, but it still managed to bring a smile to his face.
"So this is the Land of Waves..."
The path to Tazuna's house crossed a wooded area that, under the sunlight, seemed far more pleasant than the mist-covered waters they had just left. Birds sang among the branches, and a light breeze stirred the leaves, producing a constant rustling that accompanied their steps.
Naruto, however, was not enjoying the scenery very much.
He circled the group, moving a few meters ahead before returning to inspect nearby bushes. More than once he stopped to examine movement among the trees, and every little sound seemed enough to make his hand instinctively reach for his weapon pouch.
Sakura finally lost her patience after watching him check the same cluster of bushes for the third time.
"Naruto, can you stop moving back and forth? You're making me nervous."
"I'm just making sure nobody's following us!"
"Kakashi-sensei is keeping watch. You don't have to check every leaf in the forest."
Naruto was about to reply when a noise in the undergrowth caught his attention. He immediately turned and threw a kunai toward the place the sound had come from.
The weapon passed through the leaves and buried itself in a tree trunk.
A small white rabbit darted out of the bush.
"A rabbit?!"
Sakura put both hands to her head.
"NARUTO! ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU ALMOST KILLED THAT POOR ANIMAL!"
"I didn't know it was a rabbit!" he protested, hurrying closer. "I thought it might be an enemy!"
The animal had frozen in fright, so Naruto managed to carefully pick it up before it tried to escape. He held it in his arms and stroked its head with an embarrassed expression.
"Sorry, little guy. I didn't mean to scare you."
Sakura sighed when she saw that at least the rabbit was unharmed.
"You have to think before throwing weapons at anything that moves."
"I know!"
Sasuke watched the scene with a small, superior smile.
"Usuratonkachi."
Naruto immediately raised his head.
"What did you say, teme?!"
"That you should learn to tell a rabbit from a ninja."
"AS IF YOU NEVER MAKE MISTAKES!"
Kakashi did not intervene in the argument. He had stopped walking and was watching the animal Naruto held in his arms.
A white rabbit. That did not fit the season.
Rabbits in this region only developed completely white fur during certain times, when they needed to camouflage themselves in the snow. Finding one with that color now was quite strange; that meant it had been raised in captivity in a colder environment.
"An animal used for a substitution technique..."
Kakashi slowly raised his gaze toward the treetops.
"So they've already found us."
Among the branches, a hidden figure watched the group attentively. It was Zabuza Momochi, who had immediately recognized the silver-haired man. "Kakashi Hatake... Konoha's Copy Ninja."
His gaze shifted to the three genin accompanying the jōnin. They did not look especially dangerous, although the report he had received about the deaths of Gōzu and Meizu was troubling.
Both had ended up completely charred.
Zabuza had assumed Kakashi was responsible. The famous Sharingan ninja must possess techniques far more brutal than his reputation suggested if he had decided to burn two chūnin alive during an escort mission. - "Looks like I'll have to take him seriously."
The missing-nin smiled behind the bandages covering the lower half of his face and drew the enormous sword he carried on his back.
Kakashi sensed the movement barely an instant before it happened.
"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!"
Naruto reacted immediately, releasing the rabbit and throwing himself to the side. Sakura crouched beside Tazuna while Sasuke dropped to one knee, just as an enormous sword passed through the space where their heads had been.
WHOOSH!
The blade spun past them and buried itself violently in a nearby tree trunk.
Naruto raised his head, staring at the weapon in disbelief.
It was enormous. Its blade was nearly as long as he was tall and had a strange shape, with a circular opening near the tip and another cutout section along the edge.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
Before anyone could answer, a figure appeared on the sword's handle.
The man was tall and muscular, bare-chested except for a harness encircling his chest, his face covered by bandages. His gaze swept over the group before settling on Kakashi, displaying an unpleasant satisfaction.
"Well, well... If it isn't Kakashi Hatake."
The jōnin slowly straightened.
"That sword... Kubikiribōchō."
Sasuke frowned at the name.
Kakashi continued without taking his eyes off the newcomer.
"Zabuza Momochi. The Demon of the Hidden Mist. One of Kirigakure's former Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Naruto felt the atmosphere change. He knew nothing about what that title meant, but from the way Kakashi had said it, he understood they were not facing an ordinary enemy.
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke immediately drew their kunai, preparing to defend Tazuna. However, Kakashi raised a hand before any of them could approach.
"Don't interfere. This enemy is far above your level. Your job is to protect Tazuna and stay away from the fight."
Zabuza chuckled from his position. - "How considerate. Though I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from the famous Copy Ninja."
Kakashi brought one hand to his forehead protector. - "Team Seven, defensive formation. And don't let your guard down."- Then he lifted the cloth covering his left eye.
Beneath it was a red iris with three black tomoe around the pupil.
Sasuke froze.
"The Sharingan?!" - the young man growled, clearly surprised.
"Sharingan? Are those eyes special too?" - Naruto looked back and forth between his teammate and Kakashi.
Sasuke clenched his teeth slightly.
"It's a kekkei genkai belonging to my clan, the Uchiha. It allows you to perceive chakra, follow movements that are difficult to detect, and copy many techniques after observing them. But..." - His expression grew tenser. - "Kakashi-sensei isn't an Uchiha."
Naruto looked again at his instructor's red eye. It did not look much like his own Mystic Eyes, but the idea that other ocular abilities existed piqued his curiosity. However, this was not the time for questions.
Zabuza had begun forming hand seals. "Hidden Mist Jutsu." A thick mist began spreading over the path, slowly enveloping the area, so dense that they could barely distinguish the nearest figures.
Kakashi stepped back a little, positioning himself between Zabuza and his students.
"Stay together. Zabuza is an expert in silent killing. He can approach and kill a target before they even realize where he is."
Naruto swallowed, Sakura gripped her kunai with both hands, while Sasuke carefully watched the space around them.
The mist continued to thicken until Kakashi disappeared from their sight.
Naruto positioned himself near Tazuna and focused on the second ability slot he had kept empty over the past few days.
Fire Claws.
The ability was equipped, although he did not activate it immediately. He knew using his eyes in mist this thick would not be useful, but the claws could offer him another option if the enemy managed to get too close.
Then a voice echoed from every direction. "The neck, the spine, the lungs, the liver, the arteries..." Zabuza began listing various vital points of the human body with chilling calm. "Where should I start?"
A shiver ran down Naruto's spine. There was something about that voice, the certainty with which it pronounced every word, and the invisible presence that seemed to surround them, that was far more terrifying than anything else he had experienced before.
Sakura began to tremble. Her breathing grew shallow, and she had to make a considerable effort to keep her kunai raised. Sasuke also felt cold sweat start sliding down his forehead, and for a moment his hand moved dangerously close to his own body, as though searching desperately for some way to escape that pressure.
Naruto gritted his teeth. His heart pounded violently and his hands shook, but Adept Discipline helped him focus on something other than the terror surrounding him. "Breathe. Hold your position. Don't lose sight of Tazuna."
He was still terrified. Nevertheless, he managed to stand firm.
Then a powerful wave of chakra swept across the field. The pressure seemed to lessen, and part of the mist briefly opened, allowing them to distinguish Kakashi's figure again.
"Calm down" the jōnin said, maintaining the same stance as before and staying alert to his surroundings. "I won't let him kill my comrades. Trust me."
Naruto felt he could breathe normally again.
Sakura relaxed her shoulders slightly, and Sasuke regained control of his breathing.
That was when Zabuza attacked.
A figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the defensive formation, the enormous sword raised and a cruel smile hidden beneath the bandages.
"Too late!"
Kakashi moved before any of the genin could react.
The jōnin appeared in front of Zabuza and plunged a kunai into his abdomen.
Naruto widened his eyes; for a moment, he thought the fight was over.
However, the swordsman's body distorted and began dissolving into water.
"A water clone!" Kakashi exclaimed.
"Not bad, but you'll have to do better than that." Zabuza's voice echoed behind Kakashi, and with a swing of his sword he cut the older ninja in half.
Instead of both halves falling as the three genin expected, only water splashed onto the ground.
A moment later, Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, kunai in hand, ready to slit his jugular vein.
Zabuza laughed when he saw him. -"So it's true. You can copy jutsu with that eye. You copied my Water Clone Jutsu from the moment you saw me gather chakra."
Zabuza moved abruptly, and Kakashi responded by driving the kunai into his neck, only for more water to flow from the wound. Before the jōnin sensei could react, Zabuza appeared behind him and delivered a powerful kick that struck the ninja.
"Unfortunately, cheap tricks like that won't work against me."
Kakashi was sent flying toward the nearby lake.
The water parted as he fell onto its surface.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, taking a step forward.
The jōnin tried to get up, but Zabuza was already forming new seals. A sphere of water rose around Kakashi, completely enclosing him before he could escape.
"Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza said calmly, keeping one hand inside the sphere as he watched his trapped enemy. "Now you can't move, Kakashi."
The jōnin gritted his teeth inside the prison. As long as Zabuza maintained contact with the water, he would not be able to free himself easily. But the swordsman could not leave his position without undoing the technique either.
Unfortunately, that did not mean he was defenseless.
With his free hand, Zabuza formed a seal and created another water clone, which began walking toward the genin.
"Now... where were we?"
Naruto instinctively stepped back as the clone approached.
Although it was not the real Zabuza, the pressure radiating from that clone was still terrifying. The swordsman looked at the three youngsters with an expression of obvious contempt.
"So you're Konoha's little ninja. Do you really think wearing a forehead protector makes you shinobi?"
"We're real ninja!" Naruto said, clenching his fists, whether out of fear or anger, even he did not know.
"Then prove it," the clone said before disappearing into the mist.
Naruto barely had time to raise his arms before a kick came from his side. He managed to partially block the impact, but the force of the blow sent him flying several meters back.
He rolled across the ground and ended up striking a tree trunk.
His ninja headband came loose during the fall and landed on the path.
Zabuza appeared beside it and casually stepped on it.
"Brats."
Naruto got up with a grimace of pain. Relentless Stamina allowed him to recover quickly from the exertion, although the blow had been strong enough to leave his arms numb.
From inside the water prison, Kakashi raised his voice.
"Listen to me! All three of you must escape immediately!"
Sakura turned toward him. "But Kakashi-sensei...!"
"Zabuza needs to concentrate a large part of his chakra to keep me trapped! His clones have a limited range. If you get far enough away, they won't be able to pursue you. Take Tazuna and run!"
However, Sasuke was the first to point out the problem.
"That won't work."
Sakura looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, looking at him in surprise.
"Even if the clones can't follow us indefinitely, Zabuza is much faster than we are. If we escape and he releases the prison after killing Kakashi, he'll end up catching us. The only way to survive is to free him."
Naruto looked up at the Uchiha.
For once, he had no intention of arguing with him.
Sasuke drew several shuriken and threw them at the clone, using the weapons' movement to approach from another angle. However, Zabuza easily dodged the projectiles and grabbed the boy by the neck when he tried to attack from above.
"Too slow."
With a sharp movement, he threw him to the ground.
Sakura took a step forward, but Sasuke managed to get back up before she could intervene.
Naruto watched the scene while trying to think of a way to attack.
His Mystic Eyes might be useful, but what stood before him was nothing more than a clone. Even if he managed to set it on fire, the real enemy would still be holding Kakashi prisoner.
He needed a direct line of sight to the real Zabuza.
And to do that, he would have to get past the clone.
Naruto clenched his fists and advanced.
"Hey, you!"
The clone turned its head.
Naruto lunged at him and immediately took a blow that forced him back. However, he had managed to get close enough to retrieve his ninja headband from the ground.
He held it for a moment before tying it back around his forehead.
"I'm not going to run away."
Zabuza laughed.
Naruto raised his head.
"I promised myself I would never back down or hesitate again. And I'm not going to abandon Kakashi-sensei after everything he's done for us."
Sasuke moved to his side. Naruto looked at him and a smile began forming on his face. Sakura approached too, keeping Tazuna behind her.
"Whatever you're planning, it had better be good, Naruto."
The blond gave a thumbs-up.
"Trust me, dattebayo!"
Zabuza watched the scene with increasing amusement.
"How touching. Three brats trying to act like real ninja."
His smile turned crueler.
"Do you know what the graduation exam in Kirigakure used to be like?"
The three remained silent while the swordsman began describing the old tests in the Village Hidden in the Mist. For years, students had been forced to face one another in fights to the death to prove they were ready to become shinobi, killing classmates and friends with whom they had trained for years and shared dreams and aspirations.
However, that system had ended up changing after a boy who had not even graduated murdered more than a hundred candidates during one of those tests.
That boy had been Zabuza Momochi.
"I still remember that day," the clone commented, the shadows on his face seeming to deepen. "It was a wonderful experience."
Sakura felt her stomach turn.
Naruto involuntarily remembered the bodies of the Demon Brothers.
Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly.
Zabuza laughed.
"That is what it means to be a real ninja."
The clone charged at the Uchiha before he could answer. Sasuke tried to block the attack, but the difference in speed was too great. A blow struck his stomach and doubled him over, followed by a kick that knocked him to the ground.
The boy spat out a small amount of blood as he got up.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted.
Naruto was already forming a seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several clouds of smoke appeared around the path, and a dozen Narutos immediately surrounded the water clone. The copies attacked from different directions, trying to restrict its movements and create an opening to use Fire Claws. Because the technique constantly consumed chakra, the clones could not use it reliably.
Naruto let his nails begin to transform, taking on supernatural length and hardness while keeping them out of sight. He did not wrap them in fire; after all, the real Zabuza was watching from a distance, and mist or not, flames would be easily visible through it. He could not be hasty if he wanted a chance.
However, Zabuza quickly demonstrated why he was considered one of Kirigakure's most dangerous swordsmen.
The clone dodged the initial attacks, destroyed several copies with precise strikes, and finally threw Naruto backward before he could reach him with his new claws.
Naruto landed with a somersault and saw Sasuke circling the clone, looking for an opening. At that moment, he reached toward the backpack he carried.
"SASUKE, CATCH!" the blond shouted, throwing something toward Sasuke. The Uchiha caught it without trouble and landed on the ground with a turn.
Sasuke wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked toward the real Zabuza, who still held Kakashi trapped in the lake. With a movement of his arm, he revealed what he had been given: an enormous shuriken almost as large as his torso.
"TAKE THIS," the Uchiha growled as he threw the enormous shuriken at the clone, which simply moved out of the way. However, the shuriken had not been aimed at him. Behind him, in the distance, the real Zabuza quickly realized that the shuriken was heading his way.
The Uzumaki and the Uchiha smiled with satisfaction.
Sakura remained beside Tazuna, watching to make sure no enemy approached while her teammates put their plan into action. She did not know all the details, but she had seen the look exchanged between Sasuke and Naruto and understood her teammates were attempting some kind of trick.
The weapon spun violently through the air, forcing the swordsman to follow it with his eyes.
"A shuriken? Is that all?"
He extended his free hand and caught the projectile with ease, but another one was behind it. Zabuza narrowed his eyes when he noticed.
A second shuriken appeared, following almost exactly the same trajectory as the first, hidden until then by the size of the initial weapon.
The swordsman simply ducked in place, letting the thrown weapon pass over his head.
Then the second projectile exploded in a cloud of smoke, and Naruto appeared in its place.
"What?!" Zabuza could not help exclaiming in surprise.
He had used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as the second shuriken, taking advantage of Sasuke throwing him directly toward his true target.
"GOT YOU!" Naruto extended a kunai toward the arm maintaining the water prison.
Zabuza reacted immediately, pulling his hand away to avoid the blade. The sphere lost its shape, and with that Kakashi was free.
"Good job, Naruto!"
However, the danger was not over yet.
Zabuza had the enormous shuriken he had caught moments before, and Naruto was now suspended in midair, completely exposed as he began falling toward the water.
"You insolent brat!" the Mist ninja growled, raising the weapon.
Naruto realized he did not have enough time to dodge.
He could not block the weapon with his claws because he was in an awkward position for any kind of block or jutsu. But he could see it.
Naruto activated Mystic Eyes of Flame.
His irises took on that intense red color, like two brilliant rubies. The first triangle began forming over Zabuza, slowly followed by the second. However, Naruto realized almost immediately that he would not complete the third in time.
Zabuza was much more powerful than the targets he had practiced on so far, and he needed considerably more chakra to affect him. Besides, Naruto was falling toward the water and could not concentrate fully without risking losing control of his technique.
Then he noticed the bandages covering the swordsman's face and the straps holding part of his equipment. "I CAN burn those!"
Naruto immediately changed his target.
The triangles appeared over the bandages and straps, completing almost instantly.
FWOOSH!
Flames suddenly erupted around Zabuza's neck and upper chest.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" The swordsman cried out in surprise and pain when he felt the fire spread across the fabric. The shuriken veered off course when Zabuza tried to pull the burning straps away from his body, and that distraction was enough for Naruto to fall safely into the water.
The flames did not manage to inflict serious injuries on the jōnin, but they did leave some burns on his neck, part of his face, and chest.
Zabuza extinguished the fire with a quick release of chakra and looked up at Naruto.
"You damned brat!" the ninja said, but he had no time to continue.
"Your opponent is me," Kakashi said in front of him.
Kakashi's release immediately changed the course of the battle.
The jōnin began forming seals at incredible speed, mirroring Zabuza's movements while his Sharingan followed the swordsman's every gesture. Both performed a powerful water technique almost simultaneously, raising enormous amounts of water from the lake.
"Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Two enormous dragons rose from the surface and crashed violently into each other, sending a curtain of water across the entire field.
Naruto managed to get out of the lake and return to dry land while Sakura approached to make sure he was unharmed.
"Naruto! Are you okay?!"
The blond nodded, although he was still breathing heavily.
"Yeah! But that guy is incredibly strong!" he exclaimed. It was the first time he had encountered resistance when using his Mystic Eyes of Flame; not even the two chūnin from days earlier had cost him so much energy.
Sakura looked at his hands, noticing the nails that still retained their sharp appearance.
"And those claws?"
Naruto looked down at his claws. In all the excitement, he had completely forgotten to deactivate them.
"Uh... It's something else I discovered recently."
Sakura watched him with an expression mixing disbelief and concern.
"Naruto, after this we're going to have to talk."
"Yeah, yeah! But we have more important things right now!"
Sasuke approached them, still aching from the blow he had taken from the water clone.
"He's right. Kakashi-sensei is still fighting."
All three turned their attention back toward the lake.
Zabuza tried to regain the initiative by forming new seals, but Kakashi copied them again with unsettling precision. The Sharingan seemed to allow him to anticipate every movement of the renegade, to the point that Zabuza began showing obvious irritation.
Finally, Kakashi managed to get ahead of his technique.
"Great Water Vortex Jutsu!"
An enormous mass of water rose from the lake and slammed into Zabuza with devastating force, dragging him several meters before throwing him onto the shore.
The swordsman managed to stand up, but his breathing had grown heavy. He had several injuries, and the burns inflicted by Naruto still hurt.
Kakashi advanced toward him.
Naruto watched the fight from the shore, trying to catch his breath while keeping his Mystic Eyes ready. The mist had diminished considerably after the latest attacks, allowing him to see Zabuza clearly. "Now I can see him clearly."
Naruto carefully focused his chakra.
He did not want to repeat what had happened with the Demon Brothers. He had trained all week to improve his control and, although he was still far from mastering it completely, he could at least try to use the ability more precisely.
The first triangle appeared over Zabuza. A couple of seconds later, the second began to form.
Naruto gritted his teeth, maintaining his concentration while trying to prevent the flames from accidentally reaching Kakashi, who was also in his field of vision.
Zabuza was exchanging blows with the Konoha jōnin when he noticed something strange on his torso. An intensely red triangular figure appeared over his body. Then another, but much more slowly than the first. "What the hell...?"
The swordsman immediately realized that this must be related to the fire that had appeared on his clothes earlier. His gaze shifted toward Naruto.
The boy was staring at him from the shore, his eyes glowing a deep red.
Zabuza gritted his teeth. "So it wasn't Kakashi who burned the Demon Brothers..."
The revelation was as surprising as it was worrying.
A mere genin possessed such a lethal ability at a distance, and although he seemed to have trouble using it, that did not mean Zabuza could ignore it.
Zabuza had no more time to think. Kakashi attacked him again, clearly moving so as not to interrupt his student's field of vision.
The third triangle began to form, slowly increasing in intensity.
At that moment, a shadow shot out of the trees. The blond barely had time to raise his arms before a kick struck his side.
The impact sent him flying several meters backward and immediately broke his concentration.
The triangles disappeared.
Naruto rolled across the ground before coming to a stop beside a tree, letting out a grunt of pain.
"Ugh! Damn...!"
When he managed to raise his head, he discovered that Kakashi had already positioned himself in front of Zabuza again.
The swordsman stepped back, breathing heavily.
Kakashi prepared his next attack.
And then...
SHIK!
Two senbon needles suddenly appeared and embedded themselves in Zabuza's neck.
The renegade widened his eyes and let out a grunt of pain. For a moment he seemed to try to say something, but his body lost strength and collapsed to the ground.
Naruto froze.
"Huh?"
A new figure appeared on a nearby branch.
It was a slender young man dressed in Kirigakure clothing and a white mask with red markings that concealed his face. On his forehead was the now familiar symbol of the Village Hidden in the Mist.
Kakashi immediately looked up, staring intently, but before he could say anything the newcomer spoke.
"I am a hunter-nin from Kirigakure. I have been pursuing Zabuza for quite some time, waiting for an opportunity to kill him."
"A hunter-nin?!" Naruto said incredulously as he managed to stand up, still clutching his side.
The stranger nodded.
"My job is to eliminate shinobi who betray our village and recover their bodies to prevent their secrets from being used by other countries."
Kakashi crouched beside Zabuza and checked his pulse.
It was extremely weak. And it continued weakening over time. His experience allowed him to recognize immediately that the needles had struck specific points on the neck, capable of inducing a deathlike state without necessarily causing permanent harm. "He's not dead."
The jōnin slowly looked up at the newcomer. "And this boy knows it."
However, the situation was complicated. He had used a considerable amount of chakra during the battle, especially because of the Sharingan, which consumed much more energy than usual because it did not naturally belong to his body. Although he could still stand, immediately facing another enemy of the level this hunter appeared to possess would be extremely risky.
The stranger jumped down from the branch and landed near the body, keeping a prudent distance from the Copy Ninja.
"Hey! Why did you attack him right when we were fighting?!" Naruto demanded, still not trusting the stranger's words in the slightest.
The hunter turned his mask toward him.
"Because I need to recover his body in recognizable condition. It's one of the requirements of my mission."
Naruto clenched his fists.
He did not like it at all. Something inside him was telling him that everything was wrong, especially after all the effort they had put into freeing Kakashi.
"You could have warned us first!"
"I couldn't risk letting him escape."
Kakashi intervened before the argument could continue.
"Naruto, enough."
The blond turned toward him.
"But Kakashi-sensei...!"
"The fight is over. The enemy is dead."
Naruto closed his mouth, although he did not seem particularly convinced.
The hunter bent down to pick up Zabuza's body. Despite his slender build, he lifted him with surprising ease and prepared to leave, not without first giving them a slight bow.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Kirigakure will take care of the rest."
Kakashi nodded slowly.
"Understood."
The stranger disappeared among the trees with the swordsman's body.
Naruto kept watching the place where he had vanished. He had not taken his eyes off him since his appearance, his Mystic Eyes of Flame still active.
"Kakashi-sensei... Are you sure we can trust that guy?"
The jōnin remained silent for a moment before covering his Sharingan with his forehead protector again.
"For now, we don't have sufficient reason to stop him. Hunter-nin exist precisely to deal with the missing-nin of their villages."
Naruto frowned.
"But he appeared just when we were about to win."
"Sometimes things happen in ways we can't understand immediately," Kakashi replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's important now is that Tazuna is safe, and so are we."
Naruto watched his instructor for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
"All right..."
Sakura approached them while Sasuke checked that Tazuna had not been injured during the confrontation.
"Kakashi-sensei, can we continue?"
The jōnin cast one last look toward the trees.
Enough minutes had passed since the hunter's departure, and he could not detect any sign that Zabuza was nearby.
"Yes. We'd better get to Tazuna's house as soon as possible."
He took one step forward. Before he could take another, his legs gave out.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked in alarm.
The jōnin lost his balance and fell forward.
Naruto reacted immediately, managing to catch him before he hit the ground.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!"
Sasuke quickly approached and helped support him, while Sakura knelt beside them to check his condition.
Kakashi was still conscious, although he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Don't worry... I'm just a little exhausted."
"A LITTLE?! YOU ALMOST FAINTED!" Naruto stared at him incredulously.
Kakashi let out a small laugh before closing his eyes.
Prolonged use of the Sharingan had depleted a large part of his chakra reserves. Since that eye did not naturally belong to his body, keeping it active during such a demanding battle had cost him much more than it would have cost an Uchiha.
Sakura checked his breathing again before looking up.
"He's okay, but he needs rest. We can't leave him here."
Sasuke crouched beside his instructor.
"We'll carry him together."
"I can carry him!" Naruto said.
Sasuke glanced sideways at him.
"You've taken enough hits for one day, idiot. You don't have to do everything by yourself."
Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but ended up closing it when he understood what his teammate was saying.
Sasuke stood on one side of Kakashi and Naruto on the other, placing the jōnin's arms over their shoulders. Sakura gathered the equipment that had been scattered during the battle and made sure Tazuna was ready to continue.
The bridge builder watched the three youngsters in silence.
After what had happened with the Demon Brothers and witnessing the battle against Zabuza, he no longer seemed to have the slightest intention of mocking them.
"My house isn't very far," he finally commented. "We'll be able to rest there."
Team Seven began walking down the path again.
Naruto walked beside Sasuke, supporting part of Kakashi's weight while Sakura stayed close, watching to make sure neither of them stumbled. The journey was considerably slower than before, but no one complained.
For much of the way, they remained silent.
Finally, Naruto looked toward Sasuke.
"Hey, teme."
"What?"
"That shuriken thing... It was pretty good."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Pretty good?"
Naruto smiled.
"Yeah! Though my transformation was the most important part, of course."
The Uchiha gave a small snort.
Sakura shook her head as she listened to the exchange.
"You both did a good job. If you hadn't managed to free Kakashi-sensei, we'd probably be in much bigger trouble."
Naruto looked at her.
"Hehehe! See?! Sakura-chan admits I'm amazing!"
"I didn't say that!"
"But you were thinking it!"
"NARUTO!"
Sasuke let out a small laugh through his nose. The familiar argument took a weight off his shoulders.
Naruto immediately turned his head.
"Are you laughing, teme?!"
"No."
"Yes, you were laughing!"
"You're imagining things."
Sakura sighed, although a smile eventually appeared on her face as she watched her teammates continue their argument.
Kakashi, who seemed asleep between the two boys, opened his visible eye slightly before closing it again. "At least they're learning to work together."
When they finally reached Tazuna's house, the bridge builder hurried to open the door and call his family to prepare a place where Kakashi could rest.
Sakura helped settle the jōnin onto a futon, while Sasuke carefully placed his equipment beside the wall. Naruto remained near the entrance for a few seconds, watching as his instructor gradually settled into calmer breathing.
They had managed to survive.
Zabuza had been defeated, although Naruto was still not completely convinced that the supposed hunter had told the whole truth.
And, for the first time since leaving Konoha, he truly understood how dangerous the ninja world could be.
It was not just about learning impressive techniques or obtaining Gacha rewards. There were enemies capable of killing him before he could react, teammates who depended on him, and decisions that could have terrible consequences.
Naruto lowered his gaze toward his hands.
The claws he had equipped during the battle were no longer active, but he could feel they were still available. He also knew that his Mystic Eyes still needed a great deal of training before he could use them without risking a tragedy.
However, during that confrontation, he had managed to partially control his power. It was small progress, but it was progress.
Naruto raised his head when Sakura called him from inside the house.
"Naruto! Come help us with the things."
"Coming!"
Before he could enter, a high-pitched bell rang inside his head.
[You have obtained X1 Random Silver Ticket for surviving Zabuza Momochi!]
Naruto stopped for a moment, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Hehehe! So that counted too!"
However, before he could decide what to do with the ticket, Sakura's voice rang out again from inside.
"NARUTO! I SAID COME HELP!"
The blond jumped.
"I'M COMING, SAKURA-CHAN!!!"
He mentally set the ticket aside to use later and hurried into the house.
After all, they still had a lot to do.
As always, if you notice an error or an awkward phrase, let me know and I'll try to fix it.
I want to try to rush through the Land of Waves arc, but it felt strange to just skip over it entirely. I know it's a retread of the canon material, but honestly, there isn't much that can be changed yet. Maybe I'll be able to branch out by the time we reach the Chunin Exams arc—but for now, it is what it is.
I've decided not to use the ticket immediately because I want to run a little activity: I'll add it to the pool for the first person who replies with an entry that fits the criteria for a silver ticket.
Oh, and I'm getting rid of all the familiars—well, maybe I could keep one that's non-sentient, like Gama from JJK, but anything that talks a lot or requires character development is a hard no.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - character thinking
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" - Gacha, loud or threatening voices, jutsus, or simply words that I want to highlight
The mist stretched over the water like an enormous white blanket, almost completely concealing anything more than a few meters away. The small boat moved slowly with its engine switched off, propelled solely by the skill of its operator, who used a long pole to guide it through the shallow waters without making too much noise.
Naruto sat at the front of the boat with his legs crossed and his arms resting on his knees. He had imagined his first visit to another country would be an exciting experience, but the circumstances had dampened much of that enthusiasm. Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the fire, the screams, and the bodies of those two Kirigakure ninja who had tried to kill them.
He had managed to calm down since then, partly thanks to the reward he had received from the Gacha and partly because Kakashi had made sure he understood that he could not bear all the responsibility for what had happened. However, that did not mean he had forgotten the experience.
His hands rested on his knees, and he studied them with a thoughtful expression. "Fire Claws..."
He had not tested the ability yet. Its description was quite clear: he could transform his fingernails into extremely tough, sharp claws, capable of being wrapped in flames hot enough to cut and melt metal. Under other circumstances, he would have been bouncing with joy at the chance to try an ability like that, but after what had happened, he had not managed to muster much enthusiasm.
Besides, he would have to find some way to explain it to Kakashi. He had already informed his sensei about his Mystic Eyes, but suddenly appearing with claws capable of melting metal would probably raise more questions than he was prepared to answer.
Naruto sighed and looked up at the mist.
Behind him, Tazuna continued explaining his country's situation.
"Gatō isn't simply a businessman" the bridge builder said, holding his bottle with both hands. "He's a criminal. A trafficker who uses his companies as fronts to move drugs, illegal goods, and anything else that can make him money. He has mercenaries, thugs, and ninja at his disposal. His entire business is built on crime."
Sakura frowned as she listened. She had already understood on the journey that the situation was more complicated than Tazuna had initially admitted, but the details were even worse than expected.
"So he isn't using his wealth to gain political influence," Sakura commented. "He's using violence to directly control the country's economy."
Tazuna nodded bitterly.
"About a year ago, he got his claws into the Land of Waves. He bought the shipping companies he could and destroyed the ones that refused to sell. His men murdered anyone who tried to oppose them. Now practically all maritime transportation is under his control, and since our island depends on ships to trade with other countries, he can charge whatever he wants for any goods coming in or going out."
Sasuke watched the dark waters surrounding the boat.
"That's why you're building the bridge. If you can transport goods by land, Gatō will lose part of his control over trade."
"Exactly," Tazuna replied. "That bridge could change things for all of us, but Gatō has no intention of allowing it."
The old man lowered his gaze toward his bottle. He was still visibly affected by what had happened to the Demon Brothers, and every time his eyes accidentally met Naruto's, he looked away with a speed that did not go unnoticed.
Kakashi remained seated near the boatman, listening to the conversation while occasionally watching the mist.
"Then we must assume Gatō will keep sending people to stop construction" the jōnin sensei concluded. "And after what happened to the previous two ninja, we'll probably have to face greater threats."
"Do you think he'll send more shinobi?" Sakura asked.
"Quite likely. The Demon Brothers were chūnin and had been prepared to assassinate Tazuna. If Gatō has the resources our client claims, we shouldn't expect him to stop after losing two subordinates."
Naruto raised his head upon hearing that.
The possibility of another confrontation gave him an unpleasant feeling, but he suppressed it before it could grow into anything more. He had decided to continue this mission and did not intend to change his mind halfway through.
"Then we'll have to protect the old man" he declared, straightening slightly. "We're not going to let those criminals do whatever they want!"
Sakura nodded, though she gave him a warning look.
"Yes, but lower your voice. Kakashi-sensei told us to keep quiet."
"I know, Sakura-chan! You don't have to remind me every five minutes!"
"Then stop acting like you're going to forget."
Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sasuke intervened before they could start arguing.
"You two should be quiet. We're trying to cross without drawing attention."
Sakura immediately fell silent, while Naruto shot the Uchiha an annoyed look. However, when Sasuke discreetly pointed to the boatman, who seemed quite nervous about the volume of their voices, the blond eventually crossed his arms and kept quiet.
Shortly afterward, an enormous silhouette began to emerge through the mist.
It was the bridge.
Even unfinished, its structure was impressive. Great pillars rose above the water and supported a construction that seemed to extend endlessly toward the shore. Naruto lifted his head to get a better look, momentarily distracted from his worries.
"Wow! It's huge!"
Tazuna smiled with a pride he had not shown for much of the journey.
"And it'll be even more impressive when it's finished."
The boat kept moving until it reached a small landing hidden among the vegetation. The boatman told them to disembark quickly, as he did not want to risk Gatō's men finding out he had helped transport the bridge builder.
Naruto was the first to jump ashore. He looked around curiously, taking in the trees, the houses barely visible in the distance, and the unfamiliar landscape stretching before them.
He was in another country.
The excitement was not as intense as it would have been a few days earlier, but it still managed to bring a smile to his face.
"So this is the Land of Waves..."
The path to Tazuna's house crossed a wooded area that, under the sunlight, seemed far more pleasant than the mist-covered waters they had just left. Birds sang among the branches, and a light breeze stirred the leaves, producing a constant rustling that accompanied their steps.
Naruto, however, was not enjoying the scenery very much.
He circled the group, moving a few meters ahead before returning to inspect nearby bushes. More than once he stopped to examine movement among the trees, and every little sound seemed enough to make his hand instinctively reach for his weapon pouch.
Sakura finally lost her patience after watching him check the same cluster of bushes for the third time.
"Naruto, can you stop moving back and forth? You're making me nervous."
"I'm just making sure nobody's following us!"
"Kakashi-sensei is keeping watch. You don't have to check every leaf in the forest."
Naruto was about to reply when a noise in the undergrowth caught his attention. He immediately turned and threw a kunai toward the place the sound had come from.
The weapon passed through the leaves and buried itself in a tree trunk.
A small white rabbit darted out of the bush.
"A rabbit?!"
Sakura put both hands to her head.
"NARUTO! ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU ALMOST KILLED THAT POOR ANIMAL!"
"I didn't know it was a rabbit!" he protested, hurrying closer. "I thought it might be an enemy!"
The animal had frozen in fright, so Naruto managed to carefully pick it up before it tried to escape. He held it in his arms and stroked its head with an embarrassed expression.
"Sorry, little guy. I didn't mean to scare you."
Sakura sighed when she saw that at least the rabbit was unharmed.
"You have to think before throwing weapons at anything that moves."
"I know!"
Sasuke watched the scene with a small, superior smile.
"Usuratonkachi."
Naruto immediately raised his head.
"What did you say, teme?!"
"That you should learn to tell a rabbit from a ninja."
"AS IF YOU NEVER MAKE MISTAKES!"
Kakashi did not intervene in the argument. He had stopped walking and was watching the animal Naruto held in his arms.
A white rabbit. That did not fit the season.
Rabbits in this region only developed completely white fur during certain times, when they needed to camouflage themselves in the snow. Finding one with that color now was quite strange; that meant it had been raised in captivity in a colder environment.
"An animal used for a substitution technique..."
Kakashi slowly raised his gaze toward the treetops.
"So they've already found us."
Among the branches, a hidden figure watched the group attentively. It was Zabuza Momochi, who had immediately recognized the silver-haired man. "Kakashi Hatake... Konoha's Copy Ninja."
His gaze shifted to the three genin accompanying the jōnin. They did not look especially dangerous, although the report he had received about the deaths of Gōzu and Meizu was troubling.
Both had ended up completely charred.
Zabuza had assumed Kakashi was responsible. The famous Sharingan ninja must possess techniques far more brutal than his reputation suggested if he had decided to burn two chūnin alive during an escort mission. - "Looks like I'll have to take him seriously."
The missing-nin smiled behind the bandages covering the lower half of his face and drew the enormous sword he carried on his back.
Kakashi sensed the movement barely an instant before it happened.
"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!"
Naruto reacted immediately, releasing the rabbit and throwing himself to the side. Sakura crouched beside Tazuna while Sasuke dropped to one knee, just as an enormous sword passed through the space where their heads had been.
WHOOSH!
The blade spun past them and buried itself violently in a nearby tree trunk.
Naruto raised his head, staring at the weapon in disbelief.
It was enormous. Its blade was nearly as long as he was tall and had a strange shape, with a circular opening near the tip and another cutout section along the edge.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
Before anyone could answer, a figure appeared on the sword's handle.
The man was tall and muscular, bare-chested except for a harness encircling his chest, his face covered by bandages. His gaze swept over the group before settling on Kakashi, displaying an unpleasant satisfaction.
"Well, well... If it isn't Kakashi Hatake."
The jōnin slowly straightened.
"That sword... Kubikiribōchō."
Sasuke frowned at the name.
Kakashi continued without taking his eyes off the newcomer.
"Zabuza Momochi. The Demon of the Hidden Mist. One of Kirigakure's former Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Naruto felt the atmosphere change. He knew nothing about what that title meant, but from the way Kakashi had said it, he understood they were not facing an ordinary enemy.
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke immediately drew their kunai, preparing to defend Tazuna. However, Kakashi raised a hand before any of them could approach.
"Don't interfere. This enemy is far above your level. Your job is to protect Tazuna and stay away from the fight."
Zabuza chuckled from his position. - "How considerate. Though I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from the famous Copy Ninja."
Kakashi brought one hand to his forehead protector. - "Team Seven, defensive formation. And don't let your guard down."- Then he lifted the cloth covering his left eye.
Beneath it was a red iris with three black tomoe around the pupil.
Sasuke froze.
"The Sharingan?!" - the young man growled, clearly surprised.
"Sharingan? Are those eyes special too?" - Naruto looked back and forth between his teammate and Kakashi.
Sasuke clenched his teeth slightly.
"It's a kekkei genkai belonging to my clan, the Uchiha. It allows you to perceive chakra, follow movements that are difficult to detect, and copy many techniques after observing them. But..." - His expression grew tenser. - "Kakashi-sensei isn't an Uchiha."
Naruto looked again at his instructor's red eye. It did not look much like his own Mystic Eyes, but the idea that other ocular abilities existed piqued his curiosity. However, this was not the time for questions.
Zabuza had begun forming hand seals. "Hidden Mist Jutsu." A thick mist began spreading over the path, slowly enveloping the area, so dense that they could barely distinguish the nearest figures.
Kakashi stepped back a little, positioning himself between Zabuza and his students.
"Stay together. Zabuza is an expert in silent killing. He can approach and kill a target before they even realize where he is."
Naruto swallowed, Sakura gripped her kunai with both hands, while Sasuke carefully watched the space around them.
The mist continued to thicken until Kakashi disappeared from their sight.
Naruto positioned himself near Tazuna and focused on the second ability slot he had kept empty over the past few days.
Fire Claws.
The ability was equipped, although he did not activate it immediately. He knew using his eyes in mist this thick would not be useful, but the claws could offer him another option if the enemy managed to get too close.
Then a voice echoed from every direction. "The neck, the spine, the lungs, the liver, the arteries..." Zabuza began listing various vital points of the human body with chilling calm. "Where should I start?"
A shiver ran down Naruto's spine. There was something about that voice, the certainty with which it pronounced every word, and the invisible presence that seemed to surround them, that was far more terrifying than anything else he had experienced before.
Sakura began to tremble. Her breathing grew shallow, and she had to make a considerable effort to keep her kunai raised. Sasuke also felt cold sweat start sliding down his forehead, and for a moment his hand moved dangerously close to his own body, as though searching desperately for some way to escape that pressure.
Naruto gritted his teeth. His heart pounded violently and his hands shook, but Adept Discipline helped him focus on something other than the terror surrounding him. "Breathe. Hold your position. Don't lose sight of Tazuna."
He was still terrified. Nevertheless, he managed to stand firm.
Then a powerful wave of chakra swept across the field. The pressure seemed to lessen, and part of the mist briefly opened, allowing them to distinguish Kakashi's figure again.
"Calm down" the jōnin said, maintaining the same stance as before and staying alert to his surroundings. "I won't let him kill my comrades. Trust me."
Naruto felt he could breathe normally again.
Sakura relaxed her shoulders slightly, and Sasuke regained control of his breathing.
That was when Zabuza attacked.
A figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the defensive formation, the enormous sword raised and a cruel smile hidden beneath the bandages.
"Too late!"
Kakashi moved before any of the genin could react.
The jōnin appeared in front of Zabuza and plunged a kunai into his abdomen.
Naruto widened his eyes; for a moment, he thought the fight was over.
However, the swordsman's body distorted and began dissolving into water.
"A water clone!" Kakashi exclaimed.
"Not bad, but you'll have to do better than that." Zabuza's voice echoed behind Kakashi, and with a swing of his sword he cut the older ninja in half.
Instead of both halves falling as the three genin expected, only water splashed onto the ground.
A moment later, Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, kunai in hand, ready to slit his jugular vein.
Zabuza laughed when he saw him. -"So it's true. You can copy jutsu with that eye. You copied my Water Clone Jutsu from the moment you saw me gather chakra."
Zabuza moved abruptly, and Kakashi responded by driving the kunai into his neck, only for more water to flow from the wound. Before the jōnin sensei could react, Zabuza appeared behind him and delivered a powerful kick that struck the ninja.
"Unfortunately, cheap tricks like that won't work against me."
Kakashi was sent flying toward the nearby lake.
The water parted as he fell onto its surface.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, taking a step forward.
The jōnin tried to get up, but Zabuza was already forming new seals. A sphere of water rose around Kakashi, completely enclosing him before he could escape.
"Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza said calmly, keeping one hand inside the sphere as he watched his trapped enemy. "Now you can't move, Kakashi."
The jōnin gritted his teeth inside the prison. As long as Zabuza maintained contact with the water, he would not be able to free himself easily. But the swordsman could not leave his position without undoing the technique either.
Unfortunately, that did not mean he was defenseless.
With his free hand, Zabuza formed a seal and created another water clone, which began walking toward the genin.
"Now... where were we?"
Naruto instinctively stepped back as the clone approached.
Although it was not the real Zabuza, the pressure radiating from that clone was still terrifying. The swordsman looked at the three youngsters with an expression of obvious contempt.
"So you're Konoha's little ninja. Do you really think wearing a forehead protector makes you shinobi?"
"We're real ninja!" Naruto said, clenching his fists, whether out of fear or anger, even he did not know.
"Then prove it," the clone said before disappearing into the mist.
Naruto barely had time to raise his arms before a kick came from his side. He managed to partially block the impact, but the force of the blow sent him flying several meters back.
He rolled across the ground and ended up striking a tree trunk.
His ninja headband came loose during the fall and landed on the path.
Zabuza appeared beside it and casually stepped on it.
"Brats."
Naruto got up with a grimace of pain. Relentless Stamina allowed him to recover quickly from the exertion, although the blow had been strong enough to leave his arms numb.
From inside the water prison, Kakashi raised his voice.
"Listen to me! All three of you must escape immediately!"
Sakura turned toward him. "But Kakashi-sensei...!"
"Zabuza needs to concentrate a large part of his chakra to keep me trapped! His clones have a limited range. If you get far enough away, they won't be able to pursue you. Take Tazuna and run!"
However, Sasuke was the first to point out the problem.
"That won't work."
Sakura looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, looking at him in surprise.
"Even if the clones can't follow us indefinitely, Zabuza is much faster than we are. If we escape and he releases the prison after killing Kakashi, he'll end up catching us. The only way to survive is to free him."
Naruto looked up at the Uchiha.
For once, he had no intention of arguing with him.
Sasuke drew several shuriken and threw them at the clone, using the weapons' movement to approach from another angle. However, Zabuza easily dodged the projectiles and grabbed the boy by the neck when he tried to attack from above.
"Too slow."
With a sharp movement, he threw him to the ground.
Sakura took a step forward, but Sasuke managed to get back up before she could intervene.
Naruto watched the scene while trying to think of a way to attack.
His Mystic Eyes might be useful, but what stood before him was nothing more than a clone. Even if he managed to set it on fire, the real enemy would still be holding Kakashi prisoner.
He needed a direct line of sight to the real Zabuza.
And to do that, he would have to get past the clone.
Naruto clenched his fists and advanced.
"Hey, you!"
The clone turned its head.
Naruto lunged at him and immediately took a blow that forced him back. However, he had managed to get close enough to retrieve his ninja headband from the ground.
He held it for a moment before tying it back around his forehead.
"I'm not going to run away."
Zabuza laughed.
Naruto raised his head.
"I promised myself I would never back down or hesitate again. And I'm not going to abandon Kakashi-sensei after everything he's done for us."
Sasuke moved to his side. Naruto looked at him and a smile began forming on his face. Sakura approached too, keeping Tazuna behind her.
"Whatever you're planning, it had better be good, Naruto."
The blond gave a thumbs-up.
"Trust me, dattebayo!"
Zabuza watched the scene with increasing amusement.
"How touching. Three brats trying to act like real ninja."
His smile turned crueler.
"Do you know what the graduation exam in Kirigakure used to be like?"
The three remained silent while the swordsman began describing the old tests in the Village Hidden in the Mist. For years, students had been forced to face one another in fights to the death to prove they were ready to become shinobi, killing classmates and friends with whom they had trained for years and shared dreams and aspirations.
However, that system had ended up changing after a boy who had not even graduated murdered more than a hundred candidates during one of those tests.
That boy had been Zabuza Momochi.
"I still remember that day," the clone commented, the shadows on his face seeming to deepen. "It was a wonderful experience."
Sakura felt her stomach turn.
Naruto involuntarily remembered the bodies of the Demon Brothers.
Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly.
Zabuza laughed.
"That is what it means to be a real ninja."
The clone charged at the Uchiha before he could answer. Sasuke tried to block the attack, but the difference in speed was too great. A blow struck his stomach and doubled him over, followed by a kick that knocked him to the ground.
The boy spat out a small amount of blood as he got up.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted.
Naruto was already forming a seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several clouds of smoke appeared around the path, and a dozen Narutos immediately surrounded the water clone. The copies attacked from different directions, trying to restrict its movements and create an opening to use Fire Claws. Because the technique constantly consumed chakra, the clones could not use it reliably.
Naruto let his nails begin to transform, taking on supernatural length and hardness while keeping them out of sight. He did not wrap them in fire; after all, the real Zabuza was watching from a distance, and mist or not, flames would be easily visible through it. He could not be hasty if he wanted a chance.
However, Zabuza quickly demonstrated why he was considered one of Kirigakure's most dangerous swordsmen.
The clone dodged the initial attacks, destroyed several copies with precise strikes, and finally threw Naruto backward before he could reach him with his new claws.
Naruto landed with a somersault and saw Sasuke circling the clone, looking for an opening. At that moment, he reached toward the backpack he carried.
"SASUKE, CATCH!" the blond shouted, throwing something toward Sasuke. The Uchiha caught it without trouble and landed on the ground with a turn.
Sasuke wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked toward the real Zabuza, who still held Kakashi trapped in the lake. With a movement of his arm, he revealed what he had been given: an enormous shuriken almost as large as his torso.
"TAKE THIS," the Uchiha growled as he threw the enormous shuriken at the clone, which simply moved out of the way. However, the shuriken had not been aimed at him. Behind him, in the distance, the real Zabuza quickly realized that the shuriken was heading his way.
The Uzumaki and the Uchiha smiled with satisfaction.
Sakura remained beside Tazuna, watching to make sure no enemy approached while her teammates put their plan into action. She did not know all the details, but she had seen the look exchanged between Sasuke and Naruto and understood her teammates were attempting some kind of trick.
The weapon spun violently through the air, forcing the swordsman to follow it with his eyes.
"A shuriken? Is that all?"
He extended his free hand and caught the projectile with ease, but another one was behind it. Zabuza narrowed his eyes when he noticed.
A second shuriken appeared, following almost exactly the same trajectory as the first, hidden until then by the size of the initial weapon.
The swordsman simply ducked in place, letting the thrown weapon pass over his head.
Then the second projectile exploded in a cloud of smoke, and Naruto appeared in its place.
"What?!" Zabuza could not help exclaiming in surprise.
He had used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as the second shuriken, taking advantage of Sasuke throwing him directly toward his true target.
"GOT YOU!" Naruto extended a kunai toward the arm maintaining the water prison.
Zabuza reacted immediately, pulling his hand away to avoid the blade. The sphere lost its shape, and with that Kakashi was free.
"Good job, Naruto!"
However, the danger was not over yet.
Zabuza had the enormous shuriken he had caught moments before, and Naruto was now suspended in midair, completely exposed as he began falling toward the water.
"You insolent brat!" the Mist ninja growled, raising the weapon.
Naruto realized he did not have enough time to dodge.
He could not block the weapon with his claws because he was in an awkward position for any kind of block or jutsu. But he could see it.
Naruto activated Mystic Eyes of Flame.
His irises took on that intense red color, like two brilliant rubies. The first triangle began forming over Zabuza, slowly followed by the second. However, Naruto realized almost immediately that he would not complete the third in time.
Zabuza was much more powerful than the targets he had practiced on so far, and he needed considerably more chakra to affect him. Besides, Naruto was falling toward the water and could not concentrate fully without risking losing control of his technique.
Then he noticed the bandages covering the swordsman's face and the straps holding part of his equipment. "I CAN burn those!"
Naruto immediately changed his target.
The triangles appeared over the bandages and straps, completing almost instantly.
FWOOSH!
Flames suddenly erupted around Zabuza's neck and upper chest.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" The swordsman cried out in surprise and pain when he felt the fire spread across the fabric. The shuriken veered off course when Zabuza tried to pull the burning straps away from his body, and that distraction was enough for Naruto to fall safely into the water.
The flames did not manage to inflict serious injuries on the jōnin, but they did leave some burns on his neck, part of his face, and chest.
Zabuza extinguished the fire with a quick release of chakra and looked up at Naruto.
"You damned brat!" the ninja said, but he had no time to continue.
"Your opponent is me," Kakashi said in front of him.
Kakashi's release immediately changed the course of the battle.
The jōnin began forming seals at incredible speed, mirroring Zabuza's movements while his Sharingan followed the swordsman's every gesture. Both performed a powerful water technique almost simultaneously, raising enormous amounts of water from the lake.
"Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Two enormous dragons rose from the surface and crashed violently into each other, sending a curtain of water across the entire field.
Naruto managed to get out of the lake and return to dry land while Sakura approached to make sure he was unharmed.
"Naruto! Are you okay?!"
The blond nodded, although he was still breathing heavily.
"Yeah! But that guy is incredibly strong!" he exclaimed. It was the first time he had encountered resistance when using his Mystic Eyes of Flame; not even the two chūnin from days earlier had cost him so much energy.
Sakura looked at his hands, noticing the nails that still retained their sharp appearance.
"And those claws?"
Naruto looked down at his claws. In all the excitement, he had completely forgotten to deactivate them.
"Uh... It's something else I discovered recently."
Sakura watched him with an expression mixing disbelief and concern.
"Naruto, after this we're going to have to talk."
"Yeah, yeah! But we have more important things right now!"
Sasuke approached them, still aching from the blow he had taken from the water clone.
"He's right. Kakashi-sensei is still fighting."
All three turned their attention back toward the lake.
Zabuza tried to regain the initiative by forming new seals, but Kakashi copied them again with unsettling precision. The Sharingan seemed to allow him to anticipate every movement of the renegade, to the point that Zabuza began showing obvious irritation.
Finally, Kakashi managed to get ahead of his technique.
"Great Water Vortex Jutsu!"
An enormous mass of water rose from the lake and slammed into Zabuza with devastating force, dragging him several meters before throwing him onto the shore.
The swordsman managed to stand up, but his breathing had grown heavy. He had several injuries, and the burns inflicted by Naruto still hurt.
Kakashi advanced toward him.
Naruto watched the fight from the shore, trying to catch his breath while keeping his Mystic Eyes ready. The mist had diminished considerably after the latest attacks, allowing him to see Zabuza clearly. "Now I can see him clearly."
Naruto carefully focused his chakra.
He did not want to repeat what had happened with the Demon Brothers. He had trained all week to improve his control and, although he was still far from mastering it completely, he could at least try to use the ability more precisely.
The first triangle appeared over Zabuza. A couple of seconds later, the second began to form.
Naruto gritted his teeth, maintaining his concentration while trying to prevent the flames from accidentally reaching Kakashi, who was also in his field of vision.
Zabuza was exchanging blows with the Konoha jōnin when he noticed something strange on his torso. An intensely red triangular figure appeared over his body. Then another, but much more slowly than the first. "What the hell...?"
The swordsman immediately realized that this must be related to the fire that had appeared on his clothes earlier. His gaze shifted toward Naruto.
The boy was staring at him from the shore, his eyes glowing a deep red.
Zabuza gritted his teeth. "So it wasn't Kakashi who burned the Demon Brothers..."
The revelation was as surprising as it was worrying.
A mere genin possessed such a lethal ability at a distance, and although he seemed to have trouble using it, that did not mean Zabuza could ignore it.
Zabuza had no more time to think. Kakashi attacked him again, clearly moving so as not to interrupt his student's field of vision.
The third triangle began to form, slowly increasing in intensity.
At that moment, a shadow shot out of the trees. The blond barely had time to raise his arms before a kick struck his side.
The impact sent him flying several meters backward and immediately broke his concentration.
The triangles disappeared.
Naruto rolled across the ground before coming to a stop beside a tree, letting out a grunt of pain.
"Ugh! Damn...!"
When he managed to raise his head, he discovered that Kakashi had already positioned himself in front of Zabuza again.
The swordsman stepped back, breathing heavily.
Kakashi prepared his next attack.
And then...
SHIK!
Two senbon needles suddenly appeared and embedded themselves in Zabuza's neck.
The renegade widened his eyes and let out a grunt of pain. For a moment he seemed to try to say something, but his body lost strength and collapsed to the ground.
Naruto froze.
"Huh?"
A new figure appeared on a nearby branch.
It was a slender young man dressed in Kirigakure clothing and a white mask with red markings that concealed his face. On his forehead was the now familiar symbol of the Village Hidden in the Mist.
Kakashi immediately looked up, staring intently, but before he could say anything the newcomer spoke.
"I am a hunter-nin from Kirigakure. I have been pursuing Zabuza for quite some time, waiting for an opportunity to kill him."
"A hunter-nin?!" Naruto said incredulously as he managed to stand up, still clutching his side.
The stranger nodded.
"My job is to eliminate shinobi who betray our village and recover their bodies to prevent their secrets from being used by other countries."
Kakashi crouched beside Zabuza and checked his pulse.
It was extremely weak. And it continued weakening over time. His experience allowed him to recognize immediately that the needles had struck specific points on the neck, capable of inducing a deathlike state without necessarily causing permanent harm. "He's not dead."
The jōnin slowly looked up at the newcomer. "And this boy knows it."
However, the situation was complicated. He had used a considerable amount of chakra during the battle, especially because of the Sharingan, which consumed much more energy than usual because it did not naturally belong to his body. Although he could still stand, immediately facing another enemy of the level this hunter appeared to possess would be extremely risky.
The stranger jumped down from the branch and landed near the body, keeping a prudent distance from the Copy Ninja.
"Hey! Why did you attack him right when we were fighting?!" Naruto demanded, still not trusting the stranger's words in the slightest.
The hunter turned his mask toward him.
"Because I need to recover his body in recognizable condition. It's one of the requirements of my mission."
Naruto clenched his fists.
He did not like it at all. Something inside him was telling him that everything was wrong, especially after all the effort they had put into freeing Kakashi.
"You could have warned us first!"
"I couldn't risk letting him escape."
Kakashi intervened before the argument could continue.
"Naruto, enough."
The blond turned toward him.
"But Kakashi-sensei...!"
"The fight is over. The enemy is dead."
Naruto closed his mouth, although he did not seem particularly convinced.
The hunter bent down to pick up Zabuza's body. Despite his slender build, he lifted him with surprising ease and prepared to leave, not without first giving them a slight bow.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Kirigakure will take care of the rest."
Kakashi nodded slowly.
"Understood."
The stranger disappeared among the trees with the swordsman's body.
Naruto kept watching the place where he had vanished. He had not taken his eyes off him since his appearance, his Mystic Eyes of Flame still active.
"Kakashi-sensei... Are you sure we can trust that guy?"
The jōnin remained silent for a moment before covering his Sharingan with his forehead protector again.
"For now, we don't have sufficient reason to stop him. Hunter-nin exist precisely to deal with the missing-nin of their villages."
Naruto frowned.
"But he appeared just when we were about to win."
"Sometimes things happen in ways we can't understand immediately," Kakashi replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's important now is that Tazuna is safe, and so are we."
Naruto watched his instructor for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
"All right..."
Sakura approached them while Sasuke checked that Tazuna had not been injured during the confrontation.
"Kakashi-sensei, can we continue?"
The jōnin cast one last look toward the trees.
Enough minutes had passed since the hunter's departure, and he could not detect any sign that Zabuza was nearby.
"Yes. We'd better get to Tazuna's house as soon as possible."
He took one step forward. Before he could take another, his legs gave out.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked in alarm.
The jōnin lost his balance and fell forward.
Naruto reacted immediately, managing to catch him before he hit the ground.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!"
Sasuke quickly approached and helped support him, while Sakura knelt beside them to check his condition.
Kakashi was still conscious, although he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Don't worry... I'm just a little exhausted."
"A LITTLE?! YOU ALMOST FAINTED!" Naruto stared at him incredulously.
Kakashi let out a small laugh before closing his eyes.
Prolonged use of the Sharingan had depleted a large part of his chakra reserves. Since that eye did not naturally belong to his body, keeping it active during such a demanding battle had cost him much more than it would have cost an Uchiha.
Sakura checked his breathing again before looking up.
"He's okay, but he needs rest. We can't leave him here."
Sasuke crouched beside his instructor.
"We'll carry him together."
"I can carry him!" Naruto said.
Sasuke glanced sideways at him.
"You've taken enough hits for one day, idiot. You don't have to do everything by yourself."
Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but ended up closing it when he understood what his teammate was saying.
Sasuke stood on one side of Kakashi and Naruto on the other, placing the jōnin's arms over their shoulders. Sakura gathered the equipment that had been scattered during the battle and made sure Tazuna was ready to continue.
The bridge builder watched the three youngsters in silence.
After what had happened with the Demon Brothers and witnessing the battle against Zabuza, he no longer seemed to have the slightest intention of mocking them.
"My house isn't very far," he finally commented. "We'll be able to rest there."
Team Seven began walking down the path again.
Naruto walked beside Sasuke, supporting part of Kakashi's weight while Sakura stayed close, watching to make sure neither of them stumbled. The journey was considerably slower than before, but no one complained.
For much of the way, they remained silent.
Finally, Naruto looked toward Sasuke.
"Hey, teme."
"What?"
"That shuriken thing... It was pretty good."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Pretty good?"
Naruto smiled.
"Yeah! Though my transformation was the most important part, of course."
The Uchiha gave a small snort.
Sakura shook her head as she listened to the exchange.
"You both did a good job. If you hadn't managed to free Kakashi-sensei, we'd probably be in much bigger trouble."
Naruto looked at her.
"Hehehe! See?! Sakura-chan admits I'm amazing!"
"I didn't say that!"
"But you were thinking it!"
"NARUTO!"
Sasuke let out a small laugh through his nose. The familiar argument took a weight off his shoulders.
Naruto immediately turned his head.
"Are you laughing, teme?!"
"No."
"Yes, you were laughing!"
"You're imagining things."
Sakura sighed, although a smile eventually appeared on her face as she watched her teammates continue their argument.
Kakashi, who seemed asleep between the two boys, opened his visible eye slightly before closing it again. "At least they're learning to work together."
When they finally reached Tazuna's house, the bridge builder hurried to open the door and call his family to prepare a place where Kakashi could rest.
Sakura helped settle the jōnin onto a futon, while Sasuke carefully placed his equipment beside the wall. Naruto remained near the entrance for a few seconds, watching as his instructor gradually settled into calmer breathing.
They had managed to survive.
Zabuza had been defeated, although Naruto was still not completely convinced that the supposed hunter had told the whole truth.
And, for the first time since leaving Konoha, he truly understood how dangerous the ninja world could be.
It was not just about learning impressive techniques or obtaining Gacha rewards. There were enemies capable of killing him before he could react, teammates who depended on him, and decisions that could have terrible consequences.
Naruto lowered his gaze toward his hands.
The claws he had equipped during the battle were no longer active, but he could feel they were still available. He also knew that his Mystic Eyes still needed a great deal of training before he could use them without risking a tragedy.
However, during that confrontation, he had managed to partially control his power. It was small progress, but it was progress.
Naruto raised his head when Sakura called him from inside the house.
"Naruto! Come help us with the things."
"Coming!"
Before he could enter, a high-pitched bell rang inside his head.
[You have obtained X1 Random Silver Ticket for surviving Zabuza Momochi!]
Naruto stopped for a moment, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Hehehe! So that counted too!"
However, before he could decide what to do with the ticket, Sakura's voice rang out again from inside.
"NARUTO! I SAID COME HELP!"
The blond jumped.
"I'M COMING, SAKURA-CHAN!!!"
He mentally set the ticket aside to use later and hurried into the house.
After all, they still had a lot to do.
As always, if you notice an error or an awkward phrase, let me know and I'll try to fix it.
I want to try to rush through the Land of Waves arc, but it felt strange to just skip over it entirely. I know it's a retread of the canon material, but honestly, there isn't much that can be changed yet. Maybe I'll be able to branch out by the time we reach the Chunin Exams arc—but for now, it is what it is.
I've decided not to use the ticket immediately because I want to run a little activity: I'll add it to the pool for the first person who replies with an entry that fits the criteria for a silver ticket.
Oh, and I'm getting rid of all the familiars—well, maybe I could keep one that's non-sentient, like Gama from JJK, but anything that talks a lot or requires character development is a hard no.
RookDeSuit
Versed in the lewd.
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- Feb 28, 2023
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I'm willing to see where this goes. I'm surprised Naruto didn't tell everyone about the Gacha, but the delay let's OP follow the Station of canon before trying to predict all consequences of Chaos becomes untenable. As long as OP gets oit of Wave Fanfic Killer then it would have been worth it. Also, Naruto definitely isn't going to have his moment with Haku in the forest. He's got a body count and he almost added Zabuza to it.
Bronnkindofguy96
Master of the third eye and professional gooner
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I do hope you veer off canon and go your own way, otherwise this story will end up looking comical with you trying to keep it canon.
StarryWeiss
Getting some practice in, huh?
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It'd honestly be genuinely impressive if they somehow managed to keep within the stations of canon with a Naruto that keeps pulling random abilities from nowhere.
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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Well, since no one took up my offer to do the silver draw, I decided to do it now while I was writing, and...
[Wendigo Form]
|Elite Ability|
Allows the user to transform into a Wendigo a man eating cryptid or a hybrid at will. As a wendigo, they have greatly enhanced physical prowess, immunity to ice based abilities, great ice affinity and the abiltiy summon blizzards and snowstorms into existence. However, instead of consuming energy, this ability consumes hunger, the longer it is active for and the more the user uses the ability the more their desire to eat human flesh grows. If the user grows too hungry the ability cannot be maintained, however if the hunger is sated, the next time the form is used, it will be slightly stronger.
I don't even know what to say. The gacha wants to absolutely annihilate Zabuza and Haku—what the hell is wrong with it?
I have absolute dogshit luck in every gacha game I play, but this is on another level.
[Wendigo Form]
|Elite Ability|
Allows the user to transform into a Wendigo a man eating cryptid or a hybrid at will. As a wendigo, they have greatly enhanced physical prowess, immunity to ice based abilities, great ice affinity and the abiltiy summon blizzards and snowstorms into existence. However, instead of consuming energy, this ability consumes hunger, the longer it is active for and the more the user uses the ability the more their desire to eat human flesh grows. If the user grows too hungry the ability cannot be maintained, however if the hunger is sated, the next time the form is used, it will be slightly stronger.
I don't even know what to say. The gacha wants to absolutely annihilate Zabuza and Haku—what the hell is wrong with it?
I have absolute dogshit luck in every gacha game I play, but this is on another level.
Last edited:
Chapter 6 - The Battle on the Bridge.
New
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2021
- Messages
- 160
- Likes received
- 2,007
The three genin were sitting around the futon where Kakashi was resting. The jōnin still had not yet awakened. after his battle against Zabuza, so they had taken the opportunity to gather their thoughts and discuss what had happened during the mission. Naruto, however, seemed to have something else on his mind. He had been looking back and forth between Sakura and Sasuke for several minutes, trying to find a way to begin a conversation he had been putting off for days.
They had been through quite a lot together since becoming Team 7. They were no longer simply three students who had been placed in the same group by their instructors; they had fought together, watched each other's backs, and begun to understand their teammates' strengths and weaknesses. Naruto felt that he could trust them a little more, and that was precisely why he had decided to tell them something he had kept secret since his graduation.
"Hey... there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a few days," he began, scratching his cheek. "It's a little strange, but I think you should know."
Sakura looked up, while Sasuke pushed away from the wall and moved a little closer to Naruto.
"Does it have something to do with your eyes and those claws?" the Uchiha asked.
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah! Well, not exactly. It's a little more complicated, but it has to do with those abilities. You see, after I graduated, something called the Chaos Gacha appeared and..."
"Naruto?" Kakashi's hoarse voice interrupted his explanation.
The three genin immediately turned toward the futon. Their instructor had opened his one visible eye and was watching them with a tired expression. He tried to sit up, but stopped when he felt the exhaustion weighing on his body.
"Don't get up, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura warned, moving closer to help him get comfortable. "You still need to rest."
Kakashi accepted her help and remained seated against the wall before looking at his students more seriously.
"We have a problem. Zabuza is probably still alive."
The three genin stiffened.
"WHAT?!" they shouted at the same time.
"You heard me. That hunter-nin wasn't trying to kill him. He was trying to save him and get him out of there. The senbon needles he used were placed at specific points on the neck, capable of inducing a state of false death."
Sasuke frowned as he remembered the way Zabuza's body had fallen after being struck by the projectiles.
"That's why he didn't react the way someone would after receiving a fatal attack," he deduced. "No matter how precise his strike was, there's no way someone would simply drop dead without resisting after being struck in the neck."
Sakura slowly nodded as she finished taking in the situation.
"And that's not all. A real hunter-nin wouldn't have revealed his identity in front of an group of enemy shinobi. His job is to eliminate missing-nin and recover their bodies, but he had no reason to expose himself. If Naruto had managed to burn Zabuza completely, he would have fulfilled his objective without needing to intervene."
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG! THAT GUY WAS WAY TOO SUSPICIOUS!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fists.
His reaction made Sasuke glance at him, although this time he didn't make a mocking remark. He had also distrusted the hunter-nin, and it had just been confirmed that his suspicions were not unfounded.
"The hunter-nin needed to get Zabuza away before we could confirm whether he was really dead," Kakashi continued. "If we had discovered the deception, we probably would have tried to stop him. That's why he had to act quickly."
The door opened as he spoke. Tazuna entered with his daughter, Tsunami, who was carrying a small tray of water and some food. They had both been outside the room, but they had overheard part of the conversation from the hallway, and their expressions made it clear that they had taken the jōnin's words very seriously.
"So... that man is still alive?" Tazuna asked worriedly.
"Most likely," Kakashi replied. "I'm not sure he'll come back once he's recovered, but it would be unwise to assume we're finished with him."
Tsunami set the tray on a small table and looked at her father.
"Does that mean they'll try to kill you again?"
Tazuna didn't answer.
Naruto looked at the old man and then at Kakashi. The situation was still dangerous, and now they knew that the enemy they had faced could return at any moment.
The jōnin tried to stand again, but his arm gave out before he could get fully upright. Sakura hurried to support him, while Kakashi let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm worse off than I thought."
"I told you not to get up!" Sakura protested.
Kakashi looked at his hand for a few seconds. His weakness was something more than just having exhausted his chakra. The incompatibility between his body and the Sharingan was also affecting his system, causing a general strain that wouldn't disappear after just a few hours of rest.
"I'll need about a week to recover completely," he finally admitted. "The Sharingan consumes too much energy when I use it for a long time. Since I'm not an Uchiha, my body can't handle it."
Naruto frowned.
"A week?! Then what are we supposed to do in the meantime?!"
"Train, of course," Kakashi said, smiling slightly beneath his mask, although he couldn't hide his exhaustion.
"We aren't going to waste all this time. You three still have a lot to improve, and if Zabuza comes back, we'll need to be ready."
"But if you can't fight, I don't think we can do much. Zabuza is far beyond us," Sakura said, lowering her gaze.
"It's true that you still can't face someone of his level on your own," Kakashi admitted, "but don't forget what happened during the fight. Your actions were what allowed me to escape the Water Prison and regain the advantage. Naruto and Sasuke worked together to find an opening, while Sakura protected Tazuna. You weren't just spectators. You've improved a lot since we started working together."
Naruto smiled proudly when he heard that.
"Of course! We're Team 7, dattebayo!"
Sasuke's lips curled up slightly at Naruto's enthusiasm.
"Don't get too excited, usuratonkachi. We still have a long way to go."
"Who are you calling usuratonkachi?!"
Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, although she didn't seem particularly bothered by the argument. Kakashi briefly watched his students before settling back against the wall.
Naruto took the opportunity to remember what he had been trying to explain before his sensei woke up.
"Well, about what I wanted to tell you. There's something I need to show you, and I think now is a good time." The blond spoke before turning toward Tazuna and Tsunami, who were still in the room. After hesitating for a few seconds, he scratched the back of his head.
"Could you give us a little privacy? It's nothing bad, but it's something I haven't told anyone yet, and I want to explain it to my teammates first."
Tazuna exchanged a glance with his daughter before nodding.
"All right. We'll be downstairs. Just call us if you need anything."
Tsunami picked up the untouched tray and followed her father, carefully closing the door behind them. Once they were finally alone, Naruto took a deep breath and looked at his teammates again.
"All right. I guess the best thing is to start from the beginning."
Naruto settled himself and began explaining, somewhat hesitantly, what had happened after he returned to his apartment following graduation. He told them that while he was celebrating receiving his forehead protector, a bell had rung inside his head and a strange announcement had welcomed him to the Chaos Gacha. At first, he thought someone was messing with him, but he soon discovered that he could receive tickets by doing things and use them to obtain random rewards.
Sakura listened with a slight frown.
"Wait, are you saying that everything you've obtained, including your eyes and claws, comes from that thing?"
"Exactly!" Naruto replied, raising a thumb. "And that's not all! I have other things, too."
Sasuke seemed much more interested than his expression let on.
"How does it work?"
"Well, the tickets have different tiers. So far, I've gotten some bronze, silver, and gold ones. I use them, and the Gacha gives me something at random. It can be an ability, a trait, an item, or even a familiar."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, quite interested. He had never heard of a power like this in his life.
"A familiar?"
"Yeah! From what I understand, they're creatures that can accompany me and help me. I haven't gotten one yet, but apparently they're completely loyal to whoever obtains them. There are also other rewards that are like knowledge which appears directly in my head."
Naruto took a few seconds to organize his thoughts before continuing to explain the other reward categories. He couldn't claim to know everything about the Gacha, since information only appeared when it became relevant.
He explained the ability slots and how they seemed to expand as he acquired more abilities. For now, he had two, and he could switch the abilities occupying each one, although he had to wait five minutes between changes.
"And besides your eyes, what other abilities have you gotten?" Sasuke asked.
"Well, I first got one that helps increase the impact of my punches, and another that lets me hit harder. Then there's a trait that gives me more stamina. And I also have the claws I used against Zabuza. Look!"
Naruto extended one hand and let his fingernails grow until they became long, durable claws. Then he focused on channeling chakra into them and covered them with orange flames that danced around his fingers without burning him.
Sakura leaned forward slightly, watching them with curiosity.
"So you can do that whenever you want! They're like little swords made of fire!"
"Exactly! And they're supposed to be able to cut through metal! I haven't tested that yet, though," Naruto said with a chuckle as he cut off the flow of chakra and shook his hand to extinguish the flames.
Sasuke examined the flames for a few seconds before looking back at Naruto.
"That explains why you were so confident about getting through Zabuza's defenses. Still, I don't think you should use them so carelessly."
"I know! I don't want to end up setting something on fire by accident."
Naruto deactivated the claws and allowed his fingernails to return to normal. He then settled back on the floor and continued explaining that each reward seemed to have a different function, and that some of them could even be combined for better results.
Kakashi watched with particular attention. During the fight against Zabuza, he had noticed those claws and had been thinking about the dōjutsu, but he had assumed they might be manifestations related to the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox. "So they aren't inherited abilities or a manifestation of the Kyūbi..."
Although this raised many questions, it also put him somewhat at ease. The possibility that the seal might be weakening had been eating away at him, so he cleared his mind before turning his attention back to his student.
"Have you obtained any items?" the jōnin asked.
Naruto nodded and explained that he had obtained a suit. He unzip his orange jacket, revealing the tight green spandex suit he was wearing underneath.
"This is one of the items I got! It's supposed to slightly improve the results of physical training and help me recover my stamina faster. It's pretty useful!"
Sakura and Sasuke couldn't help laughing when they saw the ridiculous outfit. Its bright color clashed horribly with the blond ninja's orange suit.
Kakashi, for his part, looked at the suit, then at Naruto's proud expression, and then back at the suit.
"Have you been wearing that this whole time?" Sasuke asked after catching his breath.
"Of course! Ever since I got it!" the Uzumaki replied with a smile.
Kakashi continued staring at the garment for a few seconds before slowly closing his one visible eye, although a smile could be seen forming even through his mask.
"I see..." The older ninja made no further comment. Sakura, for her part, covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her laughter.
"Hey! Don't laugh! It's useful!"
"No one said it wasn't, Naruto," Kakashi replied in a tone that did little to make him feel better.
The blond buttoned his jacket again and crossed his arms, satisfied that he had demonstrated that even this ridiculous reward had a use.
"Anyway! The Gacha also gives me tickets when I accomplish important things, although I don't always know what it will consider an achievement. In any case, I still have a silver one that I got after surviving the fight against Zabuza."
Sasuke looked up.
"You haven't used it yet?"
"No! I was waiting for a good opportunity, but I think now is a good time to show you how it works."
Kakashi adjusted his seated position against the wall, thinking for a moment before giving him permission.
"All right, but tell us exactly what it says, word for word, and try not to activate anything. We don't want you destroying this house."
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei! I've got everything under control!"
Naruto focused his attention on the ticket and, after using it, the familiar sensation of the Gacha swept through his mind. The bell rang, and the enormous roulette wheel appeared in his perception, spinning until it finally stopped.
[You have used a random Silver Ticket!]
[Wendigo Form]
|Elite Ability|
Allows the user to transform into a Wendigo a man eating cryptid or a hybrid at will. As a wendigo, they have greatly enhanced physical prowess, immunity to ice based abilities, great ice affinity and the abiltiy summon blizzards and snowstorms into existence. However, instead of consuming energy, this ability consumes hunger, the longer it is active for and the more the user uses the ability the more their desire to eat human flesh grows. If the user grows too hungry the ability cannot be maintained, however if the hunger is sated, the next time the form is used, it will be slightly stronger.
Naruto's eyes widened with excitement.
"A Wendigo?! Kakashi-sensei! Do you know what a Wendigo is?"
"No. That name doesn't ring a bell." The jōnin slowly shook his head. He wasn't exactly an expert on fauna, but he had thought he knew at least something about dangerous creatures. Curious, he looked at his other students; the question was obvious.
Neither Sakura nor Sasuke seemed to recognize the name, so they turned to Naruto, urging him to continue.
"Well, let's see what it says!" Naruto looked at the description again and began reading it aloud so everyone could hear. His tone was quite enthusiastic as he explained, "It says I can transform into some kind of creature... a Wendigo. And in that form I'd be much stronger, immune to ice techniques, and able to create snowstorms! That sounds amazing!"
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.
"You could create snowstorms?"
"That's what it says!"
Naruto continued reading, although his expression began to change. When he reached the final part, his voice gradually lost its enthusiasm, and he stopped before finishing. "Human flesh...?"
He looked over the description mentally again and then raised his head, meeting his companions' eyes.
"Uh... it seems there's a small catch."
"What kind of catch?" Sasuke asked cautiously. The change in Naruto's tone was quite noticeable.
"Well... apparently, the longer I use the transformation, the hungrier I'll get. And... it seems that hunger can make me want to eat human flesh."
Silence filled the room.
Kakashi closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"I wouldn't call that a small catch, Naruto."
"I know! But that doesn't mean I'm going to do it!"
Sasuke crossed his arms.
"Do you think you can control yourself in that form?"
"I don't know. It's different from the other abilities I've obtained."
The jōnin studied the boy before making a decision.
"I think we should test how it works, but with a few precautions. Don't use any of the abilities that come with the transformation, and stop immediately if you feel that something is wrong. The three of us will stay at a safe distance, and I'll be ready to intervene."
"All right!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically.
Sakura still looked nervous, but she eventually agreed. Sasuke didn't say anything either, but Kakashi could tell that he was nervous.
They decided to conduct the test later, once everyone had rested a little and they could move away from Tazuna's house. They didn't want to risk any of the abilities of the form damaging the house or frightening the people living nearby.
The following morning, they arrived at a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Naruto stood in the center while his companions kept their distance. The place was far enough from the main paths to let them experiment without worrying about civilians being nearby.
Kakashi observed his students before addressing the blond.
"Remember what we discussed. Don't try to use all the abilities of that form right away. First, we need to see how the transformation works and whether you can remain in control of yourself."
Naruto nodded with determination.
"Don't worry! I've got it under control!"
Sasuke gave a small snort.
"That's what you said before you burned three training posts with a single look."
"Hey! That was different!"
Sakura smiled faintly at their exchange, although she quickly grew serious again as Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
At first, nothing happened.
Naruto looked at his hands, expecting to feel some change, but for a few seconds his body remained exactly the same. Then a thick mist began spreading around his feet. It wasn't like the usual fog of the Land of Waves; this was much denser and colder, and seemed to emerge directly from his body. A thin layer of frost began spreading across the ground as the mist slowly enveloped him.
"Naruto?" Sakura called, trying to make out his silhouette.
The boy's figure began to grow inside the mist. His shoulders broadened, his arms lengthened, and his body rose until it stood taller than Kakashi. When it finally reached an upright position, it was over two meters tall, forcing everyone present to look up at it.
First, they noticed the fur.
A thick coat of pale blond fur covered almost his entire body, from his shoulders down to his legs. In some areas of his arms and legs, there was no flesh, and the creature's bones could be seen. Beneath the fur were patches of darkened skin and deep wounds that seemed to run across its body, as though it had survived countless mutilations. In the center of its chest was a large hole between its exposed ribs, and inside that cavity a deep-blue heart slowly pulsed, its light filtering between the bones.
But the most unsettling features were its head and the skeletal remains that seemed to be part of its body.
Its face was covered by something resembling a canine skull, with an elongated muzzle and dark eye sockets. Other smaller skulls protruded from its shoulders and back, as though they were the remains of creatures fused with this monstrosity. Its arms ended in enormous hands with long fingers and dark claws, while its legs supported its disproportionate body with unnatural stability.
The mist slowly began to dissipate, but the cold remained.
Then came the smell.
A stench of decay filled the clearing, so intense that even Kakashi had to hold his breath for a moment. Sakura covered her mouth with one hand, Sasuke tensed his shoulders, and a chill ran through all three shinobi.
The presence emanating from that form was heavy and oppressive. It hadn't even moved, and Kakashi was already on alert, discreetly placing a hand near his ninja pouch, ready to react to any sign that Naruto had lost control.
Meanwhile, Naruto was taking in the changes.
His body was enormous. He could feel physical strength far beyond anything he had ever experienced, and his senses seemed to have become extraordinarily sharp. The cold surrounding him wasn't uncomfortable; on the contrary, it felt as natural as breathing.
The chill inside him was deep and familiar. It reminded him of the loneliness that had marked his childhood. For a few moments, memories surfaced of children playing at a distance, families walking together, and parents smiling at their children while he watched from afar. It was a feeling he knew all too well.
But this time, it didn't consume him.
He raised his head to look at his companions. Hunger soon began to surface.
It was nothing like the hunger he normally felt. It was much deeper, a primal urge rising from this new form, one that seemed to recognize his companions as acceptable food.
The change was felt outside as well.
Kakashi sensed a sudden change, a murderous intent that surfaced for an instant and made his entire body tense. Before he could think, he grabbed Sakura and Sasuke, about to pull them out of the clearing, ignoring his body's protests.
But Naruto didn't attack. Adept Discipline once again proved its worth and helped him stay in control. The hunger wasn't going away, but he could think clearly and push it aside for the moment.
Naruto breathed slowly. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper, soft as the wind, yet it seemed to reach them from every direction at once.
"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Teme... can you hear me?"
The two genin and the jōnin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked, still hesitant about whether she should approach her teammate.
"Yeah! It's me. Hehehe...! Well, almost." The young man's normally cheerful laugh sounded horrifying now, but the blond's unmistakable, carefree tone managed to reassure them a little. Kakashi slowly relaxed his shoulders without taking his eyes off him.
"Can you understand us and speak normally?"
"Of course! Although my voice sounds a little weird, dattebayo."
Sasuke looked at the enormous body and then at the blue heart pulsing between the exposed ribs.
"What can you do in that form?"
Naruto lowered his gaze to his hands.
"I'm not sure! But I feel much stronger. I can also feel the cold, and it responds to me."
He extended one hand and focused his attention on the air in front of him. The temperature dropped rapidly. Then, with a simple movement, he created several ice spikes that rose from the ground like stalactites.
Sakura took a step back when she saw them grow.
Naruto made the ice disappear and tried again, this time creating a small snowfall over the clearing. The flakes drifted slowly through the mist, covering the ground and bushes with a thin white layer.
"Look! I can make snow!" The excitement in his voice and the way he bounced in place made for a rather peculiar sight.
Kakashi carefully observed the phenomenon.
"It seems your affinity for ice is real. Can you control how much you produce?"
"I think so! But..." Naruto paused. The hunger was beginning to grow again. The sensation had increased even though he had barely done anything; the energy consumption was enormous. Every minute he remained transformed fed his hunger and threatened his will. He didn't want to find out what would happen if he let it grow too much.
"I think I'd better return to normal."
Kakashi immediately agreed.
The icy mist returned, covering his enormous figure as it began to shrink rapidly. The blue glow of the heart disappeared.
Naruto appeared on his knees in the middle of the clearing, one hand against the ground as he caught his breath.
"Whew..."
Sakura cautiously approached.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah! I'm just a little hungry."
Kakashi examined him carefully.
"We'll have to study this transformation carefully. It's obviously powerful, but it also consumes a lot of energy, and that energy isn't easy to recover."
"Yeah... I don't think I should use it too much," the blond said, scratching the back of his head.
"For now, you'd better not transform again unless it's absolutely necessary. When we return to Konoha, we can talk to the Third Hokage and study its effects more carefully. Maybe he has some information about these creatures. I don't want you risking your control just to experiment."
"All right." Naruto nodded, although part of him was disappointed that he couldn't use such impressive abilities.
Kakashi turned to his other two students.
"As for training, we'll continue working on chakra control. Naruto is ready to start the tree-climbing exercise, while Sasuke will continue refining his techniques. Sakura, we'll devote more time to combat. We need you to be able to react quickly in dangerous situations."
The girl nodded immediately.
"Understood!"
"And you, Naruto, in addition to the tree exercise, will continue practicing control of your Flame Mystic Eyes. I don't want you using them against an enemy again until you have sufficient mastery over them."
"I'll do it, Kakashi-sensei!"
"I hope so." The jōnin smiled faintly.
Somewhere inside Naruto's body, a dark chamber with a water-covered floor, facing an enormous cage that held a beast captive.
Kurama rested with his head on his front paws, trying to enjoy the tranquility of his confinement. This seal was considerably more comfortable than the previous one.
Suddenly, something changed. A current of icy air swept through the space.
Kurama slowly opened one eye.
The water covering the floor began to freeze, forming a thin layer of ice that spread from the walls toward his cage. The temperature dropped inexplicably, even covering some of the bars with frost.
The fox raised his head and saw it.
Just outside his cage, beyond his reach, floated a deep-blue ice heart. It pulsed slowly, casting a faint light that contrasted with the darkness of that space. It wasn't connected to any structure he recognized, nor did it seem to be part of the seal.
Kurama narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it. In all his years of existence, he had never encountered anything that seemed so out of place. It felt foreign, something that did not belong to the order of the world around him.
However, the heart did nothing. It simply floated there for a while before disappearing again, plunging the space back into darkness.
"Tch... What a nuisance." Kurama settled his head back onto his paws.
He had no intention of worrying about every strange thing that happened to the brat. He already had enough problems being locked inside that cage.
The following days passed with training, patrols, and small tasks related to the construction of the bridge.
Since Kakashi was unable to participate actively, he devoted much of his time to supervising his students' progress and organizing patrols they could carry out without constantly depending on him. Naruto began practicing tree walking, Sasuke continued refining his chakra control, and Sakura devoted more time to physical exercises and taijutsu sparring against her teammates.
Training and patrols were organized in shifts. One genin remained on watch while the other two practiced, and then they switched positions so everyone could train under Kakashi's supervision without neglecting the area's security.
The differences between the three were still obvious, although Naruto had begun catching up to Sasuke in tree walking, which deeply irritated the Uchiha.
Naruto still struggled to keep his chakra flow perfectly steady. He could remain on the tree for several seconds and climb a certain distance before losing concentration and falling. Even so, Relentless Stamina and the benefit of the green suit allowed him to keep practicing for much longer periods, which showed in his progress.
Sasuke was progressing quickly, clearly driven by his rivalry with his teammate. He could cover considerable distances on the trees, although he still had trouble when trying to maneuver in awkward positions. Sometimes he slid down the trunk or was thrown off, which irritated him quite a bit, especially when Naruto managed to reach the same distance before falling.
Naruto also used the sessions to improve control of his Mystic Eyes. Kakashi had allowed him to continue practicing on small targets. The blond was beginning to understand how to regulate the amount of chakra he sent toward his dōjutsu, although he still struggled to avoid burning his targets to a crisp.
A few small things had changed between them, too.
Naruto no longer needed to constantly provoke Sasuke to get his attention, and the Uchiha had begun responding to his jokes with less hostile remarks. Sakura still scolded the blond when he went too far, but now she also made sure he was all right after his falls. During breaks, they shared food, discussed the exercises, and occasionally teased one another about their mistakes.
They weren't the best team around, but being together felt a little more natural every day.
The afternoons were spent watching over the bridge construction. The three of them patrolled the nearby areas together to make sure none of Gatō's men were lurking around.
During those patrols, the three genin saw the situation in the Land of Waves firsthand. Some villagers avoided talking about Gatō even when they knew Konoha's ninjas were there to protect the bridge. Others preferred to close their shop doors rather than interact with them, and some of the workers who had initially agreed to take part in the construction eventually quit for fear of retaliation.
The bridge's progress was slow.
Tazuna tried to keep his workers' spirits up, but he couldn't force them to risk their lives. This was an obvious source of frustration, since he felt much more comfortable leaving his safety in Team 7's hands.
At the house, the atmosphere was lively as well.
Tsunami prepared their meals and offered them a place to rest after training and patrols. Tazuna, who had initially treated the genin with considerable contempt, had grown accustomed to their presence and no longer seemed to have a problem talking with them. He had even begun joking with Naruto occasionally; the caution he had once felt toward the boy had faded.
There was, however, something that caught the attention of all three genin.
Inari, Tazuna's grandson, was a rather pessimistic child. He spent much of his time complaining about the state of the country and seemed convinced that any effort to change it would be pointless. It didn't matter to him how many people worked on the bridge or how many ninjas protected his grandfather; Gatō would always win in the end.
One afternoon, while Sakura was looking at a family photograph placed on a shelf, Tsunami ended up telling her part of the story.
The man in the picture with Tazuna and a young Inari was Kaiza, the boy's adoptive father. He had arrived in the Land of Waves years earlier and had earned the affection and respect of the inhabitants through his kindness and courage. To Inari, he had been much more than a father: he was someone who had shown that even an ordinary person could change things if they had enough determination.
However, when Gatō began taking control of the region, Kaiza became one of the few men brave enough to openly oppose him. It cost him his life. Gatō's men captured him and executed him publicly, leaving Inari to witness his death.
Since then, the boy had lost much of his former happiness. He had stopped believing that anyone could stand up to Gatō and thought that fighting him would only lead to more suffering.
Sakura looked at the photograph again.
"So that's why..."
Tsunami nodded sadly.
"Inari was different before. Kaiza taught him to believe in people, but after seeing him die... I think he lost faith that things could get better."
Naruto, who had overheard part of the conversation from the doorway, stared at the photograph for a few seconds. He hadn't known Kaiza, but he could understand how devastating it would be to lose someone dear to you.
When he finally found Inari alone in a room, he decided to approach him.
"Hey, kid. What are you doing?"
Inari raised his head.
"Nothing."
Naruto sat down nearby, trying to start a conversation without seeming too pushy.
"I heard your dad was a pretty cool guy. Is that true?"
The boy lowered his gaze.
"He was an idiot."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked, surprised by the answer.
"He thought he could change things. He said everyone could do something to make the world better, but look what happened. Gatō still does whatever he wants, and now he's dead. Nothing is going to get better."
Naruto frowned.
"That's a pretty pessimistic way of looking at things!"
Inari raised his gaze, his expression bitter.
"You don't know anything about what's going on here."
"Then explain it to me!"
"It doesn't matter what you do. Gatō always wins. Heroes don't exist, and people who try to stand up to him just end up dead."
Naruto clenched his fists.
He didn't like hearing that. He remembered what had happened on the night of his graduation and how afraid he had been of losing Iruka-sensei. He also remembered how he had chosen to stand up to his enemy.
"That doesn't mean you should give up! You can't decide that nothing will get better just because things went wrong once! If you keep thinking that way, you'll never even try to change anything. That's being a coward!"
Inari stared at him, surprised by the harshness of his words.
Naruto took a deep breath and softened his expression a little.
"I'm not saying it's easy. But if nobody tries to do anything, then nothing will ever change. You can't expect things to get better if everyone just hides!"
Inari looked away without answering.
Naruto remained seated for a few more seconds before deciding to leave him alone.
When he returned to the others, Sakura immediately noticed that he seemed thoughtful.
"What happened?"
"Nothing... I just talked to Inari for a bit."
Sakura looked at him curiously but didn't press the issue. Something told her that her teammate didn't want to talk about it.
In a wooded area not far from Tazuna's house, with the morning dew covering the plants, a young man with dark hair was carefully gathering some medicinal herbs. He carried a small basket in his hands and moved calmly, examining the leaves before plucking them to make sure they were the right ones.
It was Haku, the fake hunter-nin.
He had accompanied Zabuza to a hideout where he could recover from his wounds and, after making sure his master was out of immediate danger, had returned to the area. His disguise allowed him to go unnoticed among the inhabitants of the Land of Waves, and no one suspected that the androgynous-looking young man was actually a shinobi.
A sound caught his attention.
THUMP!
Haku raised his head.
The noise had come from a nearby area, followed by the sound of someone landing among the branches. A moment later, the same thud sounded again.
As he cautiously approached, he discovered Naruto Uzumaki practicing the tree-walking exercise. The boy was several meters above the ground, his feet planted against the trunk as he tried to keep his chakra evenly distributed.
Haku recognized him immediately. "That's the boy from Konoha, the one with the fire eyes." He remembered Naruto during the fight against Zabuza. He had seen those red eyes and the flames that had engulfed his master, as well as how close the blond had come to incinerating him before Haku could intervene. "If I eliminate him now, Zabuza-sama won't have to worry about those eyes during the next fight."
He watched Naruto lose concentration and fall, landing on both feet before trying again.
His hand slowly moved toward one of the senbon hidden in his clothes. It didn't seem like a particularly difficult opportunity. Naruto was focused on his training, away from his companions and unaware of what was happening behind him. One precise attack from behind would be enough.
Haku took a step and prepared his arm, waiting for the blond to fall again so he could attack at a vulnerable moment.
But then Naruto stopped. He hadn't heard any noise, but something in the atmosphere had changed. A prickling sensation ran along the back of his neck; his instincts were warning him that something was wrong.
His body reacted before his thoughts did.
Naruto immediately turned around. With his guard raised, he formed a hand seal and two shadow clones appeared beside him. All three raised their hands and activated Fire Claws, letting their fingernails lengthen into durable, sharp claws.
"Who's there?!"
Haku froze behind the vegetation. "He sensed me..."
Haku wasn't sure how much Naruto had managed to detect, and was considering what to do. He heard voices approaching along the path and decided to move farther away.
"Well, look at that! You're finally learning to detect enemies before they attack," Sasuke remarked as he reached the clearing, the mockery in his voice echoing through it. "What is it this time, another rabbit?"
Naruto turned his head toward him.
"What did you say, teme?!"
"You should stop wasting chakra scaring trees."
"I wasn't scaring the trees!"
Sakura arrived behind Sasuke and shook her head at the sight of them arguing. Kakashi appeared shortly afterward as well, stopping to look at the claws the clones still had extended.
"Did something happen?"
Naruto explained that he had sensed a hostile presence among the trees and had created two clones as a precaution. Kakashi surveyed the surroundings but found nothing to confirm that an enemy was there.
From his hiding place, Haku silently retreated deeper into the forest. "This isn't the time. I missed my chance."
Naruto deactivated his claws and then gave a proud look toward the tree he had been using.
"Anyway, look what I can do now!"
He pushed off against the trunk and began walking up the tree. This time he got quite far, almost reaching the top, before he lost the stability of his chakra flow and slid down the tree.
He landed with a small flip, although he couldn't help grimacing when his feet hit the ground.
Sakura smiled.
"That was much better than yesterday!"
Naruto gave a thumbs-up.
"Of course! I'm getting closer every time!"
Sasuke looked at the tree and then at his teammate.
"You've still got a long way to go before you catch up to me."
"OH, YEAH?! WE'LL SEE WHO GETS FARTHER!"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. Their interaction brought back memories.
One morning before setting out, Naruto left a few shadow clones near Tazuna's house before heading to the bridge with his teammates. He didn't expect anything to happen, since the past few days had been peaceful, but he did it at Kakashi's insistence. Besides, thanks to his stamina and enormous chakra reserves, he barely felt the drain from maintaining a couple of clones.
He instructed them to watch the surroundings and protect the people in the house if any danger appeared. After making sure they understood their orders, he met up with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi to accompany Tazuna on another inspection of the construction site.
Trouble appeared before long.
While the workers continued their tasks and Team 7 kept watch over them, several of Gatō's men approached Tazuna's house. Tsunami and Inari were there when the mercenaries tried to force their way inside, but Naruto's two clones reacted immediately and stopped them. The fight didn't need to last long; the thugs weren't prepared to face a group of shinobi, even if those shinobi were only genin.
When it was over, Tsunami and Inari were safe. The clones took them to a safer place, since more of Gatō's men would probably arrive eventually.
At the bridge, the day had passed normally until a thick fog began spreading over the structure.
Kakashi immediately raised his head.
"Everyone, stay on guard," the older ninja said.
The three genin recognized the fog. They had seen this technique a few days earlier, and they had no intention of making the same mistake again. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto took positions beside Tazuna, their guards raised and kunai ready.
"It's the Hidden Mist Jutsu," Sasuke commented, adjusting his grip on his kunai.
"Sure is, dattebayo!" Naruto replied, his eyes scanning the mist for any movement. "They won't catch us by surprise so easily this time!"
The fog grew thicker, and several silhouettes began appearing around the group.
The three genin reacted at the same time.
Sasuke intercepted a pair with a quick kunai movement, Naruto dealt with another using his claws, and Sakura dodged the attack of a third copy before throwing a kunai into its chest. The figures dissolved into water one after another, unable to put much pressure on the team.
Sasuke frowned as the last one disappeared.
"They're weaker than the last one."
"Zabuza is using his chakra for something else," Kakashi replied without taking his eyes off the fog.
A figure appeared on an elevated section of the bridge.
The enormous sword was unmistakable.
Zabuza Momochi had returned.
Haku appeared beside him, his face hidden behind his mask. Both were tense and nowhere near as talkative as last time. After all, they were facing the famous Kakashi Hatake. The genin of Konoha had already proven that they could defend themselves, and Naruto represented a considerable threat because of his fire abilities.
They couldn't afford to make a single mistake.
Sakura immediately understood that Tazuna was the most vulnerable target and did what Kakashi had ordered her to do in this situation. Without wasting time, she moved to his side, gripped him firmly, and lifted him off the ground, carrying him above her head.
"Tazuna-san, come with me!"
The old man opened his mouth to protest, but Sakura was already carrying him toward an area farther away from the fight.
Haku and Zabuza immediately moved to stop her, the fisrt drew several senbon and threw them toward the kunoichi, but Naruto appeared between them with his claws extended. He deflected the needles with quick hand movements, sending the projectiles into the ground.
"You're not touching her!"
Sasuke took advantage of that opening to launch himself at Haku, forcing him to stop his advance. The masked ninja dodged the first strike and retreated, surprised by how quickly the Uchiha had reacted.
Kakashi, meanwhile, had intercepted Zabuza.
The two jōnin began exchanging blows at close range. Kakashi forced himself to stay close to Zabuza so he couldn't comfortably use his enormous sword without leaving an opening, while Kakashi tried to conserve his chakra and avoid relying on the Sharingan again.
Haku briefly observed the fight.
The situation was not in their favor, The two genin were not simple obstacles he could easily brush aside, and Naruto was lethal while Sasuke was much more skilled than Haku had initially predicted. If they allowed the fight to drag on, they would lose their advantage.
Haku stepped back a few paces and began forming hand seals.
The air grew colder.
A series of ice mirrors appeared around Naruto and Sasuke, forming a circular structure that trapped them inside.
"Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Naruto raised his head.
"What is this?!" Naruto shouted, turning his head as he watched the mirrors surround them.
Sasuke studied the mirrors surrounding them, quickly realizing that they were trapped inside a technique far more complex than it first appeared.
Haku disappeared from his position, merging into one of the mirrors, his image reflected in all of them.
And then the attacks began.
The first senbon came from one of the mirrors before Naruto could make out Haku's figure. The projectile grazed his cheek and stuck in the ground behind him.
"Where did that come from?!"
Sasuke immediately moved, pulling the blond aside before a second hail of needles could reach them.
"Naruto, stay alert!"
"I am!"
Haku moved between the mirrors at extraordinary speed, appearing and disappearing from different directions as he threw his senbon. Naruto could barely follow him. Sasuke also struggled to anticipate the masked ninja's movements, and both of them ended up taking several superficial hits before finding a way to protect themselves.
However, they weren't completely helpless.
When Haku appeared behind Sasuke, Naruto shoved him out of the projectiles' path and took one in the shoulder. Sasuke used the movement to throw a kunai at the mirror where the enemy had appeared, forcing him to change positions.
On another occasion, Naruto used a clone to block an attack aimed at him while the Uchiha took advantage of the distraction to try to approach the mirror.
They couldn't stop every attack, but they were beginning to cover for each other.
Haku noticed quickly. "They're getting used to my movements."
The situation was awkward. His mirrors allowed him to move at a speed that normally far surpassed the genin's reaction time, but those two were managing to work together and gradually reduce his opportunities to attack without exposing himself.
Naruto realized that he needed to do something different.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Several copies appeared beside the original. With the Mystic Eyes of Flame activated, making their irises glow with that intense reddish light.
Haku paused for a fraction of a second.
He didn't know the ability's limitations or that Naruto's clones had too little chakra to use it effectively. Seeing the red eyes, he understood that they could pose a danger even within his technique.
The clones began looking directly at the mirrors. Haku decided not to give them the chance.
He moved quickly from one to another, attacking them with senbon and precise strikes before they could complete any technique. However, in doing so, he stopped paying full attention to the original Naruto and Sasuke.
"Now, Sasuke!"
The Uchiha took advantage of the opportunity and lunged toward one of the mirrors while Naruto tried to attack from another angle. Haku barely managed to dodge them, but both had closed the distance enough to force him to change positions.
Naruto stretched out his hands.
His fingernails lengthened and transformed into claws.
This time, he decided to use his flames.
FWOOSH!
Flames covered his hands as he lunged at one of the mirrors. The strike hit the icy surface directly, producing a sharp sound as the ice began to crack and melt beneath the heat of his claws.
Haku appeared inside it, his eyes slightly widened in surprise, then quickly moved to another mirror.
Sasuke took advantage of the same moment to form the seals for his technique.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive flame shot toward another mirror where he thought he had spotted Haku moving. The temperature rose violently, and part of the structure began to melt, forcing the masked ninja to move again.
For an instant, Naruto thought they had finally managed to open a breach.
But Haku quickly restored the destroyed mirrors.
Ice covered the damaged sections again, and the structure rapidly regained its original shape. "I can't let them keep weakening my technique."
His expression changed behind the mask. He had underestimated these two.
If he kept allowing them to experiment with their abilities, they might eventually find a way to break the mirrors or catch him by surprise. He decided to intensify his attacks and use more chakra to increase the speed of his technique, striking them before they could regroup.
The senbon began arriving from more directions.
Naruto and Sasuke had to retreat, covering each other while trying to find another opening.
On the other side of the bridge, Kakashi and Zabuza continued fighting.
Neither was willing to give ground.
The Konoha jōnin had decided to conserve his chakra and not use the Sharingan for the moment. The distance between them was too short for Zabuza to make full use of his enormous sword, so the two were exchanging kunai strikes, blocking, dodging, and looking for an opportunity to reach a vital point.
The sound of metal rang through the fog.
Kakashi maintained a defensive stance, although his attention occasionally wandered toward the ice technique keeping Naruto and Sasuke trapped.
He didn't like the situation, His students were doing a good job, but Haku was a dangerous enemy, and he couldn't afford to let them make a mistake.
Zabuza noticed that distraction. While they exchanged blows, he took advantage of a small opening.
The swordsman deflected one of Kakashi's strikes and, with a quick movement, threw the kunai in his hand toward the space between the trees.
The projectile passed through the fog and between the ice mirrors, heading straight for Naruto. The blond had managed to deflect one of Haku's attacks aimed at Sasuke, leaving himself exposed for an instant.
He never saw the kunai coming.
The weapon lodged in his chest.
"Ghh...?" Naruto groaned, his eyes wide with pain and surprise.
The impact made him stagger backward before he fell to his knees. Blood began spreading across his orange clothes as he tried to understand what had happened.
Sasuke turned his head at the sound.
"NARUTO!"
Kakashi saw it too. Something changed in his presence, a memory from his youth, when his incompetence had cost his friend his life.
The jōnin stopped holding back.
His next move was far more violent. He struck Zabuza with his elbow, intercepted his armed arm, and forced him to retreat several meters. Then he lifted the band covering his left eye.
The Sharingan appeared.
Zabuza's eyes widened slightly. "So you finally decided to use it."
Kakashi launched himself at him with considerably greater speed, chaining together strikes and movements that began to put the swordsman on the defensive.
His concern for his students gave way to a much colder focus.
He wasn't going to let Zabuza get near them again.
Sasuke watched Naruto's blood splatter across the ground.
For an instant, time seemed to stand still.
He remembered the blow he had received from the water clone, how Naruto had insisted they have to work together, and how the two of them had worked together to free Kakashi during the first fight. The past few days, though he would never admit it aloud, had been some of the happiest he had experienced in years.
He didn't want things to end that way.
His eyes began to itch. It wasn't just tears.
The Sharingan awakened.
Haku appeared in front of him again, but this time Sasuke could follow his movements clearly. The projectiles that had previously seemed to come out of nowhere became visible, and the Uchiha managed to raise his kunai to block one of the attacks before turning and launching a counterattack.
Haku retreated.
He hadn't expected the second genin to awaken a dōjutsu during the fight, much less to react after his teammate had fallen like that.
The effort of maintaining the technique, moving constantly, and attacking two enemies who were covering each other was beginning to take its toll.
Sasuke advanced again.
This time he managed to block two consecutive attacks and forced Haku to change mirrors before he could reach him with another strike.
The Uchiha clenched his teeth.
"I won't let you hurt him again," the Uchiha said through clenched teeth.
Haku remained silent.
His speed was still superior, but the gap was shrinking.
Naruto fell onto his back on the surface of the bridge.
The pain in his chest was intense, and every breath seemed to make the wound burn even more. He tried to sit up, but his body barely responded.
The fight continued around him.
He could hear the clash of weapons, Sasuke's movements, and the blows Kakashi was exchanging with Zabuza.
He wanted to get up, wanted to help, wanted to keep fighting.
But his body didn't seem willing to obey him. His vision blurred, and consciousness was slipping away.
"Damn it..."
He couldn't end things like this.
He had spent too long working to become a ninja.
He remembered his first day at the Academy, the times he had failed, and the mockery from his classmates. He remembered Iruka's smile when he finally gave him his forehead protector and the promise, he had made to become Hokage.
Then other faces appeared.
The old Hokage, who had always allowed him to visit his office and had never treated him like a monster. The old man at the ramen stand, who give him food even when he didn't have much money. Kakashi, who had trusted him during the bell test. His teammates. Sakura, who always worried when he got hurt even if she didn't want to admit it. Sasuke, who had begun watching his back and trusting him a little more.
He didn't want to lose them. He didn't want to die there.
"Not yet..."
Naruto tried to move one hand.
His body wouldn't respond.
He had one last option.
The Gacha.
Naruto focused on his ability slots. He had Mystic Eyes of Flame equipped in one of them, while the other was occupied by Fire Claws.
If he was going to use something, it had to be now.
With what little control he had left, he decided to switch the ability equipped in the second slot.
Fire Claws disappeared.
Wendigo Form took its place.
Naruto lifted his head slightly.
"Sasuke..." His voice barely managed to escape his throat. "Get away from me..."
The Uchiha turned to look at him.
"What are you talking about, idiot?!"
Naruto clenched his teeth.
"Just... get away!"
Then he activated the transformation.
A thick mist began spreading around Naruto's body. At first it looked like ordinary fog, but the temperature dropped rapidly, and a thick layer of ice began covering the surface of the bridge.
Sasuke immediately stepped back when he felt the change.
Haku stopped as well.
The mist grew so dense that the blond's silhouette was barely visible.
Then it began to grow. His shoulders broadened, his arms lengthened, and his body rose above two meters. A coat of pale blond fur covered him as the hole in his chest widened, exposing parts of his rib cage.
At the center of his chest, that dark cavity opened, revealing a deep-blue heart pulsing inside. His head was covered by a fox skull, accompanied by other smaller skeletal structures protruding from his shoulders and torso.
The stench of decay filled the bridge. Sasuke retreated as far as he could, using the situation to slip through the gaps between the mirrors.
Haku stood motionless. He had never seen a transformation like this before. Its presence left him frozen, and a fear he hadn't felt since childhood filled him.
The Wendigo slowly raised its head. But this time, Naruto was no longer there. His consciousness had sunk along with the pain, and all that remained inside that form was a primal survival instinct. There was no strategy, reasoning, or desire to protect his companions.
Only hunger. Only the need to destroy anything that represented a threat.
Haku had no time to react. The Wendigo moved, its enormous body shooting toward one of the ice mirrors at an absurd speed for a creature of that size.
Haku tried to move to another mirror.
But the monster's claw reached the icy surface. Instead of crashing against it and breaking it, the ice rippled. The claw melted its way into the mirror.
Haku's eyes widened in horror.
The Wendigo stretched out its arm, grabbed him by the neck, and violently tore him out of the mirror. It held him aloft for a second before smashing him against the bridge floor.
The impact knocked the air out of Haku's lungs, but before he could get up, the monster was already on top of him.
The enormous jaws opened.
Haku barely managed to turn his body before receiving a brutal bite to the shoulder. Pain tore through him, and a bloodcurdling scream escaped his throat as he tried to push the creature away.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
The scream pierced the fog and reached the other end of the bridge.
Kakashi and Zabuza turned their heads at the same time.
"Haku!" The swordsman immediately recognized the voice.
Kakashi looked toward the enormous silhouette moving through the mist. His expression changed. "It can't be..."
He recognized that creature.
Haku tried to defend himself.
He raised one hand and drove a senbon into the creature's skull. Despite suffering a fatal wound, the Wendigo remained over him, its muzzle stained with blood and its claws pressed into the bridge.
For the first time since meeting Zabuza, Haku felt that he might truly die without having fulfilled his purpose. "Zabuza-sama..."
His master had been the person who gave him a place in the world. He had allowed him to live by his side, fight alongside him, and find meaning in an existence that had once seemed empty. Haku had wanted to become a useful tool for Zabuza. Someone who could protect him, someone who could fulfill his wishes.
But he had failed.
"Zabuza-sama... I'm sorry..."
His voice was barely audible.
"I couldn't... protect your dream..."
His grip on the senbon weakened, and his final breath slowly left his body.
The Wendigo lowered its head over him again.
Sasuke stood motionless, unable to look away. He had witnessed the fight, watched Haku outpace them, and fought to the limit to survive his technique. Now he could only stare at the monster and what it was doing to the body of their enemy.
The sound of chewing mingled with the cracking of bones.
Zabuza arrived a few seconds later.
His expression changed when he found Haku lying on the bridge and the monster bent over him. For an instant, he couldn't move.
The swordsman had known Haku for years. He had trusted him, trained him, and allowed him to stay by his side, although he had never said so directly. To him, Haku was not a simply tool. But he had become someone he cared about far more than he was willing to admit. And now he was dead.
A tear slid down Zabuza's cheek, but the sadness quickly turned to rage.
"YOU DAMNED BEAST!!!"
The swordsman raised his enormous blade and charged at the Wendigo, trying to split it in two before it could continue desecrating his student's body.
But the attack never connected. A huge ice spike erupted from the ground and stopped the Kubikiribōchō dead in its tracks.
Zabuza's eyes widened. He hadn't sensed any chakra gathering. He hadn't noticed any movement; the spike had simply appeared.
The Wendigo slowly raised its head.
Its muzzle was covered in blood.
Its empty eye sockets turned toward Zabuza, and for an instant the swordsman felt his heart pounding in his chest. It wasn't looking at him as an enemy; it was looking at him as prey. The next attack came immediately.
The monster lunged at him.
Zabuza tried to raise his sword, but the Wendigo moved in a completely erratic manner. It didn't seem to care about its own body or the wounds it might receive. Its movements were violent, unpredictable, and driven by a single goal: to kill.
The swordsman managed to dodge the first blow, but an ice wall appeared behind him, blocking his retreat.
He turned. A series of icy needles erupted from the ground.
Zabuza dodged several, but others struck his legs and side. "Where the hell are they coming from?!"
He couldn't sense them.
He was familiar with ice jutsu, having helped with Haku's techniques, which required chakra to create and control ice, but this thing seemed to generate it. The monster could not only manipulate ice structures, but also move between them at a speed similar to the one Haku had demonstrated inside his mirrors. Zabuza retreated, trying to create enough space to form hand seals. He never got the chance.
A wall of ice enveloped his hand and blocked its movement, while a block of ice immobilized his legs, forcing him to waste precious time freeing himself just as the monster emerged from the layer of ice on the ground.
The creature reached him.
Zabuza dropped his sword and tried to block the attack with his free arm, but the Wendigo opened its jaws and bit down with devastating force. The swordsman's scream echoed across the bridge. The creature knocked him down and continued attacking, giving him no time to respond.
Kakashi observed the situation and immediately understood that something terrible was happening.
"Sasuke!"
The Uchiha didn't react. His Sharingan watched the scene.
He was still staring at the Wendigo. Kakashi didn't wait. He rushed over, grabbed Sasuke, threw him over his shoulder, and carried him away from the battlefield before the creature could fix its attention on another target.
"We have to get out of here!"
"But Naruto...!"
"That is no longer Naruto!"
The jōnin didn't want to accept it; it went against everything he believed. But what stood before him was a wild animal out of control. He couldn't risk letting Sasuke remain there.
Kakashi carried him away from the fog, putting distance between them and that monstrosity.
Behind them, the sound of breaking ice and Zabuza's screams slowly faded.
Meanwhile, a group of men was making its way toward the bridge.
Gatō walked at the head of his mercenaries, wearing an obviously satisfied expression. He had received word that Zabuza had fought the ninjas from Konoha again and assumed the swordsman must be quite weakened after the battle.
"Looks like that idiot has finally found someone who can give him trouble," he commented with a laugh.
One of his subordinates approached.
"What should we do when we get there, sir?"
Gatō smiled.
"What we should have done from the beginning. Zabuza is no use to me if he's too badly injured to do his job. We can take advantage of his exhaustion and kill him before he recovers. That way, we won't have to pay him the rest of what we agreed on."
The mercenaries exchanged glances.
Not all of them were convinced that facing one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure was a good idea, but the possibility of eliminating him while he was weakened was tempting enough, so they continued forward.
At first, all they could hear was the sound of the wind moving through the increasingly thick fog over the bridge.
Then came a wet, repetitive noise. Like a wild animal chewing.
"What's that sound?" Gatō frowned.
No one answered.
The temperature began to drop.
A light snowfall appeared over the bridge and soon turned into a storm that made it difficult to see. The men huddled closer together, trying to stay near one another as the cold began to seep through their clothes.
"What the hell is going on?"
"It must be some kind of ninja technique."
Gatō looked around.
He didn't like the situation.
But they were armed and numerous. If Zabuza had been defeated, they could ambush the ninjas from Konoha. They finally reached the bridge.
What they found made everyone freeze. The structure was covered in a thick layer of snow. But it wasn't white.
Bloodstains were spread everywhere, some partially frozen on the ground. Fragments of weapons and equipment lay scattered among the pillars, and near one of the structures lay Zabuza's enormous sword, broken in half.
Gatō also recognized the mask of Zabuza's assistant. The men began to back away when they saw it, broken and stained with blood.
Then they saw the creature. The Wendigo was crouched over the remains of a corpse, its enormous body covered in pale blond fur. Fox skulls protruded from its shoulders, while the blue heart in its chest pulsed slowly between its exposed ribs.
The monster was cleaning the bones, removing the last fragments of flesh clinging to them. The sound of chewing stopped.
The creature raised its head and looked at them.
Gatō took a step backward.
"W-what...?"
He never finished the question.
The Wendigo moved. For an instant, the mercenaries stood frozen, unable to decide whether to attack or flee. Their hesitation cost them their lives.
Naruto slowly woke up.
The first thing he noticed was the warmth. He was lying on something soft, covered with several blankets and surrounded by a calm that contrasted completely with the cold he remembered. For a few seconds he couldn't open his eyes fully, and his body seemed too heavy to move.
He tried to sit up. A slight pain ran through his chest.
"Easy, Naruto." Kakashi's voice made him open his eyes.
His instructor was sitting beside the futon, watching him with a neutral expression. He was simply there, waiting for him to wake up.
Naruto blinked several times.
"Kakashi-sensei... what happened?"
The jōnin didn't answer immediately.
Naruto tried to remember; The masked ninja, the mirrors, the kunai in his chest... The hunger. His memories became increasingly confused from that point onward.
"What about Sasuke? Is he okay? And Sakura? What happened to Zabuza?" Naruto asked his teacher in a panic. Before Kakashi could answer, the Gacha announced its presence.
[You have obtained X1 random Gold Ticket for killing Zabuza Momochi and Haku!]
[You have obtained X1 random Gold Ticket for devouring more than two dozen men!]
Naruto stiffened. It wasn't the tickets that mattered; that was the least of it. His second reward made it clear what had happened.
Images began returning to his mind in fragments: the masked ninja's body, the strong smell and taste of blood, the feeling of satisfaction as he feasted.
"No..." His face slowly lost its color.
Kakashi noticed the change in his expression.
Kakashi had considered trying to soften what had happened, deceiving the genin into believing he had managed to drive Zabuza away. But when he saw the devastated expression on the boy's face, he realized that trying to hide the truth would be pointless.
Naruto lowered his head and looked at his hands, which had begun to tremble. He didn't know whether what he felt was anger, disgust, fear, or something else he couldn't even identify.
He had transformed to survive. But it was different; he had lost control. He hadn't just killed them, he had eaten them. The realization brought on retching, followed by vomiting.
Kakashi approached without saying anything else, ignored the vomit, wrapped his arms around the boy, and pulled him close, allowing him to hide his face against his chest.
Naruto didn't resist. For the first time since beginning his life as a ninja, he had no joke to make, no promise to shout. He didn't have the courage to keep going; all he could do was tremble in his sensei's arms while trying to understand what had happened.
"It's okay, Naruto. I'm here," Kakashi said softly, gently stroking the boy's back in comforting circles.
The blond clutched his instructor's clothes with both hands without saying anything else, and for the moment, Kakashi decided to let him be.
They had been through quite a lot together since becoming Team 7. They were no longer simply three students who had been placed in the same group by their instructors; they had fought together, watched each other's backs, and begun to understand their teammates' strengths and weaknesses. Naruto felt that he could trust them a little more, and that was precisely why he had decided to tell them something he had kept secret since his graduation.
"Hey... there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a few days," he began, scratching his cheek. "It's a little strange, but I think you should know."
Sakura looked up, while Sasuke pushed away from the wall and moved a little closer to Naruto.
"Does it have something to do with your eyes and those claws?" the Uchiha asked.
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah! Well, not exactly. It's a little more complicated, but it has to do with those abilities. You see, after I graduated, something called the Chaos Gacha appeared and..."
"Naruto?" Kakashi's hoarse voice interrupted his explanation.
The three genin immediately turned toward the futon. Their instructor had opened his one visible eye and was watching them with a tired expression. He tried to sit up, but stopped when he felt the exhaustion weighing on his body.
"Don't get up, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura warned, moving closer to help him get comfortable. "You still need to rest."
Kakashi accepted her help and remained seated against the wall before looking at his students more seriously.
"We have a problem. Zabuza is probably still alive."
The three genin stiffened.
"WHAT?!" they shouted at the same time.
"You heard me. That hunter-nin wasn't trying to kill him. He was trying to save him and get him out of there. The senbon needles he used were placed at specific points on the neck, capable of inducing a state of false death."
Sasuke frowned as he remembered the way Zabuza's body had fallen after being struck by the projectiles.
"That's why he didn't react the way someone would after receiving a fatal attack," he deduced. "No matter how precise his strike was, there's no way someone would simply drop dead without resisting after being struck in the neck."
Sakura slowly nodded as she finished taking in the situation.
"And that's not all. A real hunter-nin wouldn't have revealed his identity in front of an group of enemy shinobi. His job is to eliminate missing-nin and recover their bodies, but he had no reason to expose himself. If Naruto had managed to burn Zabuza completely, he would have fulfilled his objective without needing to intervene."
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG! THAT GUY WAS WAY TOO SUSPICIOUS!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fists.
His reaction made Sasuke glance at him, although this time he didn't make a mocking remark. He had also distrusted the hunter-nin, and it had just been confirmed that his suspicions were not unfounded.
"The hunter-nin needed to get Zabuza away before we could confirm whether he was really dead," Kakashi continued. "If we had discovered the deception, we probably would have tried to stop him. That's why he had to act quickly."
The door opened as he spoke. Tazuna entered with his daughter, Tsunami, who was carrying a small tray of water and some food. They had both been outside the room, but they had overheard part of the conversation from the hallway, and their expressions made it clear that they had taken the jōnin's words very seriously.
"So... that man is still alive?" Tazuna asked worriedly.
"Most likely," Kakashi replied. "I'm not sure he'll come back once he's recovered, but it would be unwise to assume we're finished with him."
Tsunami set the tray on a small table and looked at her father.
"Does that mean they'll try to kill you again?"
Tazuna didn't answer.
Naruto looked at the old man and then at Kakashi. The situation was still dangerous, and now they knew that the enemy they had faced could return at any moment.
The jōnin tried to stand again, but his arm gave out before he could get fully upright. Sakura hurried to support him, while Kakashi let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm worse off than I thought."
"I told you not to get up!" Sakura protested.
Kakashi looked at his hand for a few seconds. His weakness was something more than just having exhausted his chakra. The incompatibility between his body and the Sharingan was also affecting his system, causing a general strain that wouldn't disappear after just a few hours of rest.
"I'll need about a week to recover completely," he finally admitted. "The Sharingan consumes too much energy when I use it for a long time. Since I'm not an Uchiha, my body can't handle it."
Naruto frowned.
"A week?! Then what are we supposed to do in the meantime?!"
"Train, of course," Kakashi said, smiling slightly beneath his mask, although he couldn't hide his exhaustion.
"We aren't going to waste all this time. You three still have a lot to improve, and if Zabuza comes back, we'll need to be ready."
"But if you can't fight, I don't think we can do much. Zabuza is far beyond us," Sakura said, lowering her gaze.
"It's true that you still can't face someone of his level on your own," Kakashi admitted, "but don't forget what happened during the fight. Your actions were what allowed me to escape the Water Prison and regain the advantage. Naruto and Sasuke worked together to find an opening, while Sakura protected Tazuna. You weren't just spectators. You've improved a lot since we started working together."
Naruto smiled proudly when he heard that.
"Of course! We're Team 7, dattebayo!"
Sasuke's lips curled up slightly at Naruto's enthusiasm.
"Don't get too excited, usuratonkachi. We still have a long way to go."
"Who are you calling usuratonkachi?!"
Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, although she didn't seem particularly bothered by the argument. Kakashi briefly watched his students before settling back against the wall.
Naruto took the opportunity to remember what he had been trying to explain before his sensei woke up.
"Well, about what I wanted to tell you. There's something I need to show you, and I think now is a good time." The blond spoke before turning toward Tazuna and Tsunami, who were still in the room. After hesitating for a few seconds, he scratched the back of his head.
"Could you give us a little privacy? It's nothing bad, but it's something I haven't told anyone yet, and I want to explain it to my teammates first."
Tazuna exchanged a glance with his daughter before nodding.
"All right. We'll be downstairs. Just call us if you need anything."
Tsunami picked up the untouched tray and followed her father, carefully closing the door behind them. Once they were finally alone, Naruto took a deep breath and looked at his teammates again.
"All right. I guess the best thing is to start from the beginning."
Naruto settled himself and began explaining, somewhat hesitantly, what had happened after he returned to his apartment following graduation. He told them that while he was celebrating receiving his forehead protector, a bell had rung inside his head and a strange announcement had welcomed him to the Chaos Gacha. At first, he thought someone was messing with him, but he soon discovered that he could receive tickets by doing things and use them to obtain random rewards.
Sakura listened with a slight frown.
"Wait, are you saying that everything you've obtained, including your eyes and claws, comes from that thing?"
"Exactly!" Naruto replied, raising a thumb. "And that's not all! I have other things, too."
Sasuke seemed much more interested than his expression let on.
"How does it work?"
"Well, the tickets have different tiers. So far, I've gotten some bronze, silver, and gold ones. I use them, and the Gacha gives me something at random. It can be an ability, a trait, an item, or even a familiar."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, quite interested. He had never heard of a power like this in his life.
"A familiar?"
"Yeah! From what I understand, they're creatures that can accompany me and help me. I haven't gotten one yet, but apparently they're completely loyal to whoever obtains them. There are also other rewards that are like knowledge which appears directly in my head."
Naruto took a few seconds to organize his thoughts before continuing to explain the other reward categories. He couldn't claim to know everything about the Gacha, since information only appeared when it became relevant.
He explained the ability slots and how they seemed to expand as he acquired more abilities. For now, he had two, and he could switch the abilities occupying each one, although he had to wait five minutes between changes.
"And besides your eyes, what other abilities have you gotten?" Sasuke asked.
"Well, I first got one that helps increase the impact of my punches, and another that lets me hit harder. Then there's a trait that gives me more stamina. And I also have the claws I used against Zabuza. Look!"
Naruto extended one hand and let his fingernails grow until they became long, durable claws. Then he focused on channeling chakra into them and covered them with orange flames that danced around his fingers without burning him.
Sakura leaned forward slightly, watching them with curiosity.
"So you can do that whenever you want! They're like little swords made of fire!"
"Exactly! And they're supposed to be able to cut through metal! I haven't tested that yet, though," Naruto said with a chuckle as he cut off the flow of chakra and shook his hand to extinguish the flames.
Sasuke examined the flames for a few seconds before looking back at Naruto.
"That explains why you were so confident about getting through Zabuza's defenses. Still, I don't think you should use them so carelessly."
"I know! I don't want to end up setting something on fire by accident."
Naruto deactivated the claws and allowed his fingernails to return to normal. He then settled back on the floor and continued explaining that each reward seemed to have a different function, and that some of them could even be combined for better results.
Kakashi watched with particular attention. During the fight against Zabuza, he had noticed those claws and had been thinking about the dōjutsu, but he had assumed they might be manifestations related to the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox. "So they aren't inherited abilities or a manifestation of the Kyūbi..."
Although this raised many questions, it also put him somewhat at ease. The possibility that the seal might be weakening had been eating away at him, so he cleared his mind before turning his attention back to his student.
"Have you obtained any items?" the jōnin asked.
Naruto nodded and explained that he had obtained a suit. He unzip his orange jacket, revealing the tight green spandex suit he was wearing underneath.
"This is one of the items I got! It's supposed to slightly improve the results of physical training and help me recover my stamina faster. It's pretty useful!"
Sakura and Sasuke couldn't help laughing when they saw the ridiculous outfit. Its bright color clashed horribly with the blond ninja's orange suit.
Kakashi, for his part, looked at the suit, then at Naruto's proud expression, and then back at the suit.
"Have you been wearing that this whole time?" Sasuke asked after catching his breath.
"Of course! Ever since I got it!" the Uzumaki replied with a smile.
Kakashi continued staring at the garment for a few seconds before slowly closing his one visible eye, although a smile could be seen forming even through his mask.
"I see..." The older ninja made no further comment. Sakura, for her part, covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her laughter.
"Hey! Don't laugh! It's useful!"
"No one said it wasn't, Naruto," Kakashi replied in a tone that did little to make him feel better.
The blond buttoned his jacket again and crossed his arms, satisfied that he had demonstrated that even this ridiculous reward had a use.
"Anyway! The Gacha also gives me tickets when I accomplish important things, although I don't always know what it will consider an achievement. In any case, I still have a silver one that I got after surviving the fight against Zabuza."
Sasuke looked up.
"You haven't used it yet?"
"No! I was waiting for a good opportunity, but I think now is a good time to show you how it works."
Kakashi adjusted his seated position against the wall, thinking for a moment before giving him permission.
"All right, but tell us exactly what it says, word for word, and try not to activate anything. We don't want you destroying this house."
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei! I've got everything under control!"
Naruto focused his attention on the ticket and, after using it, the familiar sensation of the Gacha swept through his mind. The bell rang, and the enormous roulette wheel appeared in his perception, spinning until it finally stopped.
[You have used a random Silver Ticket!]
[Wendigo Form]
|Elite Ability|
Allows the user to transform into a Wendigo a man eating cryptid or a hybrid at will. As a wendigo, they have greatly enhanced physical prowess, immunity to ice based abilities, great ice affinity and the abiltiy summon blizzards and snowstorms into existence. However, instead of consuming energy, this ability consumes hunger, the longer it is active for and the more the user uses the ability the more their desire to eat human flesh grows. If the user grows too hungry the ability cannot be maintained, however if the hunger is sated, the next time the form is used, it will be slightly stronger.
"A Wendigo?! Kakashi-sensei! Do you know what a Wendigo is?"
"No. That name doesn't ring a bell." The jōnin slowly shook his head. He wasn't exactly an expert on fauna, but he had thought he knew at least something about dangerous creatures. Curious, he looked at his other students; the question was obvious.
Neither Sakura nor Sasuke seemed to recognize the name, so they turned to Naruto, urging him to continue.
"Well, let's see what it says!" Naruto looked at the description again and began reading it aloud so everyone could hear. His tone was quite enthusiastic as he explained, "It says I can transform into some kind of creature... a Wendigo. And in that form I'd be much stronger, immune to ice techniques, and able to create snowstorms! That sounds amazing!"
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.
"You could create snowstorms?"
"That's what it says!"
Naruto continued reading, although his expression began to change. When he reached the final part, his voice gradually lost its enthusiasm, and he stopped before finishing. "Human flesh...?"
He looked over the description mentally again and then raised his head, meeting his companions' eyes.
"Uh... it seems there's a small catch."
"What kind of catch?" Sasuke asked cautiously. The change in Naruto's tone was quite noticeable.
"Well... apparently, the longer I use the transformation, the hungrier I'll get. And... it seems that hunger can make me want to eat human flesh."
Silence filled the room.
Kakashi closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"I wouldn't call that a small catch, Naruto."
"I know! But that doesn't mean I'm going to do it!"
Sasuke crossed his arms.
"Do you think you can control yourself in that form?"
"I don't know. It's different from the other abilities I've obtained."
The jōnin studied the boy before making a decision.
"I think we should test how it works, but with a few precautions. Don't use any of the abilities that come with the transformation, and stop immediately if you feel that something is wrong. The three of us will stay at a safe distance, and I'll be ready to intervene."
"All right!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically.
Sakura still looked nervous, but she eventually agreed. Sasuke didn't say anything either, but Kakashi could tell that he was nervous.
They decided to conduct the test later, once everyone had rested a little and they could move away from Tazuna's house. They didn't want to risk any of the abilities of the form damaging the house or frightening the people living nearby.
The following morning, they arrived at a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Naruto stood in the center while his companions kept their distance. The place was far enough from the main paths to let them experiment without worrying about civilians being nearby.
Kakashi observed his students before addressing the blond.
"Remember what we discussed. Don't try to use all the abilities of that form right away. First, we need to see how the transformation works and whether you can remain in control of yourself."
Naruto nodded with determination.
"Don't worry! I've got it under control!"
Sasuke gave a small snort.
"That's what you said before you burned three training posts with a single look."
"Hey! That was different!"
Sakura smiled faintly at their exchange, although she quickly grew serious again as Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
At first, nothing happened.
Naruto looked at his hands, expecting to feel some change, but for a few seconds his body remained exactly the same. Then a thick mist began spreading around his feet. It wasn't like the usual fog of the Land of Waves; this was much denser and colder, and seemed to emerge directly from his body. A thin layer of frost began spreading across the ground as the mist slowly enveloped him.
"Naruto?" Sakura called, trying to make out his silhouette.
The boy's figure began to grow inside the mist. His shoulders broadened, his arms lengthened, and his body rose until it stood taller than Kakashi. When it finally reached an upright position, it was over two meters tall, forcing everyone present to look up at it.
A thick coat of pale blond fur covered almost his entire body, from his shoulders down to his legs. In some areas of his arms and legs, there was no flesh, and the creature's bones could be seen. Beneath the fur were patches of darkened skin and deep wounds that seemed to run across its body, as though it had survived countless mutilations. In the center of its chest was a large hole between its exposed ribs, and inside that cavity a deep-blue heart slowly pulsed, its light filtering between the bones.
But the most unsettling features were its head and the skeletal remains that seemed to be part of its body.
Its face was covered by something resembling a canine skull, with an elongated muzzle and dark eye sockets. Other smaller skulls protruded from its shoulders and back, as though they were the remains of creatures fused with this monstrosity. Its arms ended in enormous hands with long fingers and dark claws, while its legs supported its disproportionate body with unnatural stability.
The mist slowly began to dissipate, but the cold remained.
Then came the smell.
A stench of decay filled the clearing, so intense that even Kakashi had to hold his breath for a moment. Sakura covered her mouth with one hand, Sasuke tensed his shoulders, and a chill ran through all three shinobi.
The presence emanating from that form was heavy and oppressive. It hadn't even moved, and Kakashi was already on alert, discreetly placing a hand near his ninja pouch, ready to react to any sign that Naruto had lost control.
Meanwhile, Naruto was taking in the changes.
His body was enormous. He could feel physical strength far beyond anything he had ever experienced, and his senses seemed to have become extraordinarily sharp. The cold surrounding him wasn't uncomfortable; on the contrary, it felt as natural as breathing.
The chill inside him was deep and familiar. It reminded him of the loneliness that had marked his childhood. For a few moments, memories surfaced of children playing at a distance, families walking together, and parents smiling at their children while he watched from afar. It was a feeling he knew all too well.
But this time, it didn't consume him.
He raised his head to look at his companions. Hunger soon began to surface.
It was nothing like the hunger he normally felt. It was much deeper, a primal urge rising from this new form, one that seemed to recognize his companions as acceptable food.
The change was felt outside as well.
Kakashi sensed a sudden change, a murderous intent that surfaced for an instant and made his entire body tense. Before he could think, he grabbed Sakura and Sasuke, about to pull them out of the clearing, ignoring his body's protests.
But Naruto didn't attack. Adept Discipline once again proved its worth and helped him stay in control. The hunger wasn't going away, but he could think clearly and push it aside for the moment.
Naruto breathed slowly. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper, soft as the wind, yet it seemed to reach them from every direction at once.
"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Teme... can you hear me?"
The two genin and the jōnin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked, still hesitant about whether she should approach her teammate.
"Yeah! It's me. Hehehe...! Well, almost." The young man's normally cheerful laugh sounded horrifying now, but the blond's unmistakable, carefree tone managed to reassure them a little. Kakashi slowly relaxed his shoulders without taking his eyes off him.
"Can you understand us and speak normally?"
"Of course! Although my voice sounds a little weird, dattebayo."
Sasuke looked at the enormous body and then at the blue heart pulsing between the exposed ribs.
"What can you do in that form?"
Naruto lowered his gaze to his hands.
"I'm not sure! But I feel much stronger. I can also feel the cold, and it responds to me."
He extended one hand and focused his attention on the air in front of him. The temperature dropped rapidly. Then, with a simple movement, he created several ice spikes that rose from the ground like stalactites.
Sakura took a step back when she saw them grow.
Naruto made the ice disappear and tried again, this time creating a small snowfall over the clearing. The flakes drifted slowly through the mist, covering the ground and bushes with a thin white layer.
"Look! I can make snow!" The excitement in his voice and the way he bounced in place made for a rather peculiar sight.
Kakashi carefully observed the phenomenon.
"It seems your affinity for ice is real. Can you control how much you produce?"
"I think so! But..." Naruto paused. The hunger was beginning to grow again. The sensation had increased even though he had barely done anything; the energy consumption was enormous. Every minute he remained transformed fed his hunger and threatened his will. He didn't want to find out what would happen if he let it grow too much.
"I think I'd better return to normal."
Kakashi immediately agreed.
The icy mist returned, covering his enormous figure as it began to shrink rapidly. The blue glow of the heart disappeared.
Naruto appeared on his knees in the middle of the clearing, one hand against the ground as he caught his breath.
"Whew..."
Sakura cautiously approached.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah! I'm just a little hungry."
Kakashi examined him carefully.
"We'll have to study this transformation carefully. It's obviously powerful, but it also consumes a lot of energy, and that energy isn't easy to recover."
"Yeah... I don't think I should use it too much," the blond said, scratching the back of his head.
"For now, you'd better not transform again unless it's absolutely necessary. When we return to Konoha, we can talk to the Third Hokage and study its effects more carefully. Maybe he has some information about these creatures. I don't want you risking your control just to experiment."
"All right." Naruto nodded, although part of him was disappointed that he couldn't use such impressive abilities.
Kakashi turned to his other two students.
"As for training, we'll continue working on chakra control. Naruto is ready to start the tree-climbing exercise, while Sasuke will continue refining his techniques. Sakura, we'll devote more time to combat. We need you to be able to react quickly in dangerous situations."
The girl nodded immediately.
"Understood!"
"And you, Naruto, in addition to the tree exercise, will continue practicing control of your Flame Mystic Eyes. I don't want you using them against an enemy again until you have sufficient mastery over them."
"I'll do it, Kakashi-sensei!"
"I hope so." The jōnin smiled faintly.
Somewhere inside Naruto's body, a dark chamber with a water-covered floor, facing an enormous cage that held a beast captive.
Kurama rested with his head on his front paws, trying to enjoy the tranquility of his confinement. This seal was considerably more comfortable than the previous one.
Suddenly, something changed. A current of icy air swept through the space.
Kurama slowly opened one eye.
The water covering the floor began to freeze, forming a thin layer of ice that spread from the walls toward his cage. The temperature dropped inexplicably, even covering some of the bars with frost.
The fox raised his head and saw it.
Just outside his cage, beyond his reach, floated a deep-blue ice heart. It pulsed slowly, casting a faint light that contrasted with the darkness of that space. It wasn't connected to any structure he recognized, nor did it seem to be part of the seal.
Kurama narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it. In all his years of existence, he had never encountered anything that seemed so out of place. It felt foreign, something that did not belong to the order of the world around him.
However, the heart did nothing. It simply floated there for a while before disappearing again, plunging the space back into darkness.
"Tch... What a nuisance." Kurama settled his head back onto his paws.
He had no intention of worrying about every strange thing that happened to the brat. He already had enough problems being locked inside that cage.
The following days passed with training, patrols, and small tasks related to the construction of the bridge.
Since Kakashi was unable to participate actively, he devoted much of his time to supervising his students' progress and organizing patrols they could carry out without constantly depending on him. Naruto began practicing tree walking, Sasuke continued refining his chakra control, and Sakura devoted more time to physical exercises and taijutsu sparring against her teammates.
Training and patrols were organized in shifts. One genin remained on watch while the other two practiced, and then they switched positions so everyone could train under Kakashi's supervision without neglecting the area's security.
The differences between the three were still obvious, although Naruto had begun catching up to Sasuke in tree walking, which deeply irritated the Uchiha.
Naruto still struggled to keep his chakra flow perfectly steady. He could remain on the tree for several seconds and climb a certain distance before losing concentration and falling. Even so, Relentless Stamina and the benefit of the green suit allowed him to keep practicing for much longer periods, which showed in his progress.
Sasuke was progressing quickly, clearly driven by his rivalry with his teammate. He could cover considerable distances on the trees, although he still had trouble when trying to maneuver in awkward positions. Sometimes he slid down the trunk or was thrown off, which irritated him quite a bit, especially when Naruto managed to reach the same distance before falling.
Naruto also used the sessions to improve control of his Mystic Eyes. Kakashi had allowed him to continue practicing on small targets. The blond was beginning to understand how to regulate the amount of chakra he sent toward his dōjutsu, although he still struggled to avoid burning his targets to a crisp.
A few small things had changed between them, too.
Naruto no longer needed to constantly provoke Sasuke to get his attention, and the Uchiha had begun responding to his jokes with less hostile remarks. Sakura still scolded the blond when he went too far, but now she also made sure he was all right after his falls. During breaks, they shared food, discussed the exercises, and occasionally teased one another about their mistakes.
They weren't the best team around, but being together felt a little more natural every day.
The afternoons were spent watching over the bridge construction. The three of them patrolled the nearby areas together to make sure none of Gatō's men were lurking around.
During those patrols, the three genin saw the situation in the Land of Waves firsthand. Some villagers avoided talking about Gatō even when they knew Konoha's ninjas were there to protect the bridge. Others preferred to close their shop doors rather than interact with them, and some of the workers who had initially agreed to take part in the construction eventually quit for fear of retaliation.
The bridge's progress was slow.
Tazuna tried to keep his workers' spirits up, but he couldn't force them to risk their lives. This was an obvious source of frustration, since he felt much more comfortable leaving his safety in Team 7's hands.
At the house, the atmosphere was lively as well.
Tsunami prepared their meals and offered them a place to rest after training and patrols. Tazuna, who had initially treated the genin with considerable contempt, had grown accustomed to their presence and no longer seemed to have a problem talking with them. He had even begun joking with Naruto occasionally; the caution he had once felt toward the boy had faded.
There was, however, something that caught the attention of all three genin.
Inari, Tazuna's grandson, was a rather pessimistic child. He spent much of his time complaining about the state of the country and seemed convinced that any effort to change it would be pointless. It didn't matter to him how many people worked on the bridge or how many ninjas protected his grandfather; Gatō would always win in the end.
One afternoon, while Sakura was looking at a family photograph placed on a shelf, Tsunami ended up telling her part of the story.
The man in the picture with Tazuna and a young Inari was Kaiza, the boy's adoptive father. He had arrived in the Land of Waves years earlier and had earned the affection and respect of the inhabitants through his kindness and courage. To Inari, he had been much more than a father: he was someone who had shown that even an ordinary person could change things if they had enough determination.
However, when Gatō began taking control of the region, Kaiza became one of the few men brave enough to openly oppose him. It cost him his life. Gatō's men captured him and executed him publicly, leaving Inari to witness his death.
Since then, the boy had lost much of his former happiness. He had stopped believing that anyone could stand up to Gatō and thought that fighting him would only lead to more suffering.
Sakura looked at the photograph again.
"So that's why..."
Tsunami nodded sadly.
"Inari was different before. Kaiza taught him to believe in people, but after seeing him die... I think he lost faith that things could get better."
Naruto, who had overheard part of the conversation from the doorway, stared at the photograph for a few seconds. He hadn't known Kaiza, but he could understand how devastating it would be to lose someone dear to you.
When he finally found Inari alone in a room, he decided to approach him.
"Hey, kid. What are you doing?"
Inari raised his head.
"Nothing."
Naruto sat down nearby, trying to start a conversation without seeming too pushy.
"I heard your dad was a pretty cool guy. Is that true?"
The boy lowered his gaze.
"He was an idiot."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked, surprised by the answer.
"He thought he could change things. He said everyone could do something to make the world better, but look what happened. Gatō still does whatever he wants, and now he's dead. Nothing is going to get better."
Naruto frowned.
"That's a pretty pessimistic way of looking at things!"
Inari raised his gaze, his expression bitter.
"You don't know anything about what's going on here."
"Then explain it to me!"
"It doesn't matter what you do. Gatō always wins. Heroes don't exist, and people who try to stand up to him just end up dead."
Naruto clenched his fists.
He didn't like hearing that. He remembered what had happened on the night of his graduation and how afraid he had been of losing Iruka-sensei. He also remembered how he had chosen to stand up to his enemy.
"That doesn't mean you should give up! You can't decide that nothing will get better just because things went wrong once! If you keep thinking that way, you'll never even try to change anything. That's being a coward!"
Inari stared at him, surprised by the harshness of his words.
Naruto took a deep breath and softened his expression a little.
"I'm not saying it's easy. But if nobody tries to do anything, then nothing will ever change. You can't expect things to get better if everyone just hides!"
Inari looked away without answering.
Naruto remained seated for a few more seconds before deciding to leave him alone.
When he returned to the others, Sakura immediately noticed that he seemed thoughtful.
"What happened?"
"Nothing... I just talked to Inari for a bit."
Sakura looked at him curiously but didn't press the issue. Something told her that her teammate didn't want to talk about it.
In a wooded area not far from Tazuna's house, with the morning dew covering the plants, a young man with dark hair was carefully gathering some medicinal herbs. He carried a small basket in his hands and moved calmly, examining the leaves before plucking them to make sure they were the right ones.
It was Haku, the fake hunter-nin.
He had accompanied Zabuza to a hideout where he could recover from his wounds and, after making sure his master was out of immediate danger, had returned to the area. His disguise allowed him to go unnoticed among the inhabitants of the Land of Waves, and no one suspected that the androgynous-looking young man was actually a shinobi.
A sound caught his attention.
THUMP!
Haku raised his head.
The noise had come from a nearby area, followed by the sound of someone landing among the branches. A moment later, the same thud sounded again.
As he cautiously approached, he discovered Naruto Uzumaki practicing the tree-walking exercise. The boy was several meters above the ground, his feet planted against the trunk as he tried to keep his chakra evenly distributed.
Haku recognized him immediately. "That's the boy from Konoha, the one with the fire eyes." He remembered Naruto during the fight against Zabuza. He had seen those red eyes and the flames that had engulfed his master, as well as how close the blond had come to incinerating him before Haku could intervene. "If I eliminate him now, Zabuza-sama won't have to worry about those eyes during the next fight."
He watched Naruto lose concentration and fall, landing on both feet before trying again.
His hand slowly moved toward one of the senbon hidden in his clothes. It didn't seem like a particularly difficult opportunity. Naruto was focused on his training, away from his companions and unaware of what was happening behind him. One precise attack from behind would be enough.
Haku took a step and prepared his arm, waiting for the blond to fall again so he could attack at a vulnerable moment.
But then Naruto stopped. He hadn't heard any noise, but something in the atmosphere had changed. A prickling sensation ran along the back of his neck; his instincts were warning him that something was wrong.
His body reacted before his thoughts did.
Naruto immediately turned around. With his guard raised, he formed a hand seal and two shadow clones appeared beside him. All three raised their hands and activated Fire Claws, letting their fingernails lengthen into durable, sharp claws.
"Who's there?!"
Haku froze behind the vegetation. "He sensed me..."
Haku wasn't sure how much Naruto had managed to detect, and was considering what to do. He heard voices approaching along the path and decided to move farther away.
"Well, look at that! You're finally learning to detect enemies before they attack," Sasuke remarked as he reached the clearing, the mockery in his voice echoing through it. "What is it this time, another rabbit?"
Naruto turned his head toward him.
"What did you say, teme?!"
"You should stop wasting chakra scaring trees."
"I wasn't scaring the trees!"
Sakura arrived behind Sasuke and shook her head at the sight of them arguing. Kakashi appeared shortly afterward as well, stopping to look at the claws the clones still had extended.
"Did something happen?"
Naruto explained that he had sensed a hostile presence among the trees and had created two clones as a precaution. Kakashi surveyed the surroundings but found nothing to confirm that an enemy was there.
From his hiding place, Haku silently retreated deeper into the forest. "This isn't the time. I missed my chance."
Naruto deactivated his claws and then gave a proud look toward the tree he had been using.
"Anyway, look what I can do now!"
He pushed off against the trunk and began walking up the tree. This time he got quite far, almost reaching the top, before he lost the stability of his chakra flow and slid down the tree.
He landed with a small flip, although he couldn't help grimacing when his feet hit the ground.
Sakura smiled.
"That was much better than yesterday!"
Naruto gave a thumbs-up.
"Of course! I'm getting closer every time!"
Sasuke looked at the tree and then at his teammate.
"You've still got a long way to go before you catch up to me."
"OH, YEAH?! WE'LL SEE WHO GETS FARTHER!"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. Their interaction brought back memories.
One morning before setting out, Naruto left a few shadow clones near Tazuna's house before heading to the bridge with his teammates. He didn't expect anything to happen, since the past few days had been peaceful, but he did it at Kakashi's insistence. Besides, thanks to his stamina and enormous chakra reserves, he barely felt the drain from maintaining a couple of clones.
He instructed them to watch the surroundings and protect the people in the house if any danger appeared. After making sure they understood their orders, he met up with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi to accompany Tazuna on another inspection of the construction site.
Trouble appeared before long.
While the workers continued their tasks and Team 7 kept watch over them, several of Gatō's men approached Tazuna's house. Tsunami and Inari were there when the mercenaries tried to force their way inside, but Naruto's two clones reacted immediately and stopped them. The fight didn't need to last long; the thugs weren't prepared to face a group of shinobi, even if those shinobi were only genin.
When it was over, Tsunami and Inari were safe. The clones took them to a safer place, since more of Gatō's men would probably arrive eventually.
At the bridge, the day had passed normally until a thick fog began spreading over the structure.
Kakashi immediately raised his head.
"Everyone, stay on guard," the older ninja said.
The three genin recognized the fog. They had seen this technique a few days earlier, and they had no intention of making the same mistake again. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto took positions beside Tazuna, their guards raised and kunai ready.
"It's the Hidden Mist Jutsu," Sasuke commented, adjusting his grip on his kunai.
"Sure is, dattebayo!" Naruto replied, his eyes scanning the mist for any movement. "They won't catch us by surprise so easily this time!"
The fog grew thicker, and several silhouettes began appearing around the group.
The three genin reacted at the same time.
Sasuke intercepted a pair with a quick kunai movement, Naruto dealt with another using his claws, and Sakura dodged the attack of a third copy before throwing a kunai into its chest. The figures dissolved into water one after another, unable to put much pressure on the team.
Sasuke frowned as the last one disappeared.
"They're weaker than the last one."
"Zabuza is using his chakra for something else," Kakashi replied without taking his eyes off the fog.
A figure appeared on an elevated section of the bridge.
The enormous sword was unmistakable.
Zabuza Momochi had returned.
Haku appeared beside him, his face hidden behind his mask. Both were tense and nowhere near as talkative as last time. After all, they were facing the famous Kakashi Hatake. The genin of Konoha had already proven that they could defend themselves, and Naruto represented a considerable threat because of his fire abilities.
They couldn't afford to make a single mistake.
Sakura immediately understood that Tazuna was the most vulnerable target and did what Kakashi had ordered her to do in this situation. Without wasting time, she moved to his side, gripped him firmly, and lifted him off the ground, carrying him above her head.
"Tazuna-san, come with me!"
The old man opened his mouth to protest, but Sakura was already carrying him toward an area farther away from the fight.
Haku and Zabuza immediately moved to stop her, the fisrt drew several senbon and threw them toward the kunoichi, but Naruto appeared between them with his claws extended. He deflected the needles with quick hand movements, sending the projectiles into the ground.
"You're not touching her!"
Sasuke took advantage of that opening to launch himself at Haku, forcing him to stop his advance. The masked ninja dodged the first strike and retreated, surprised by how quickly the Uchiha had reacted.
Kakashi, meanwhile, had intercepted Zabuza.
The two jōnin began exchanging blows at close range. Kakashi forced himself to stay close to Zabuza so he couldn't comfortably use his enormous sword without leaving an opening, while Kakashi tried to conserve his chakra and avoid relying on the Sharingan again.
Haku briefly observed the fight.
The situation was not in their favor, The two genin were not simple obstacles he could easily brush aside, and Naruto was lethal while Sasuke was much more skilled than Haku had initially predicted. If they allowed the fight to drag on, they would lose their advantage.
Haku stepped back a few paces and began forming hand seals.
The air grew colder.
A series of ice mirrors appeared around Naruto and Sasuke, forming a circular structure that trapped them inside.
"Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Naruto raised his head.
"What is this?!" Naruto shouted, turning his head as he watched the mirrors surround them.
Sasuke studied the mirrors surrounding them, quickly realizing that they were trapped inside a technique far more complex than it first appeared.
Haku disappeared from his position, merging into one of the mirrors, his image reflected in all of them.
And then the attacks began.
The first senbon came from one of the mirrors before Naruto could make out Haku's figure. The projectile grazed his cheek and stuck in the ground behind him.
"Where did that come from?!"
Sasuke immediately moved, pulling the blond aside before a second hail of needles could reach them.
"Naruto, stay alert!"
"I am!"
Haku moved between the mirrors at extraordinary speed, appearing and disappearing from different directions as he threw his senbon. Naruto could barely follow him. Sasuke also struggled to anticipate the masked ninja's movements, and both of them ended up taking several superficial hits before finding a way to protect themselves.
However, they weren't completely helpless.
When Haku appeared behind Sasuke, Naruto shoved him out of the projectiles' path and took one in the shoulder. Sasuke used the movement to throw a kunai at the mirror where the enemy had appeared, forcing him to change positions.
On another occasion, Naruto used a clone to block an attack aimed at him while the Uchiha took advantage of the distraction to try to approach the mirror.
They couldn't stop every attack, but they were beginning to cover for each other.
Haku noticed quickly. "They're getting used to my movements."
The situation was awkward. His mirrors allowed him to move at a speed that normally far surpassed the genin's reaction time, but those two were managing to work together and gradually reduce his opportunities to attack without exposing himself.
Naruto realized that he needed to do something different.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Several copies appeared beside the original. With the Mystic Eyes of Flame activated, making their irises glow with that intense reddish light.
Haku paused for a fraction of a second.
He didn't know the ability's limitations or that Naruto's clones had too little chakra to use it effectively. Seeing the red eyes, he understood that they could pose a danger even within his technique.
The clones began looking directly at the mirrors. Haku decided not to give them the chance.
He moved quickly from one to another, attacking them with senbon and precise strikes before they could complete any technique. However, in doing so, he stopped paying full attention to the original Naruto and Sasuke.
"Now, Sasuke!"
The Uchiha took advantage of the opportunity and lunged toward one of the mirrors while Naruto tried to attack from another angle. Haku barely managed to dodge them, but both had closed the distance enough to force him to change positions.
Naruto stretched out his hands.
His fingernails lengthened and transformed into claws.
This time, he decided to use his flames.
FWOOSH!
Flames covered his hands as he lunged at one of the mirrors. The strike hit the icy surface directly, producing a sharp sound as the ice began to crack and melt beneath the heat of his claws.
Haku appeared inside it, his eyes slightly widened in surprise, then quickly moved to another mirror.
Sasuke took advantage of the same moment to form the seals for his technique.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive flame shot toward another mirror where he thought he had spotted Haku moving. The temperature rose violently, and part of the structure began to melt, forcing the masked ninja to move again.
For an instant, Naruto thought they had finally managed to open a breach.
But Haku quickly restored the destroyed mirrors.
Ice covered the damaged sections again, and the structure rapidly regained its original shape. "I can't let them keep weakening my technique."
His expression changed behind the mask. He had underestimated these two.
If he kept allowing them to experiment with their abilities, they might eventually find a way to break the mirrors or catch him by surprise. He decided to intensify his attacks and use more chakra to increase the speed of his technique, striking them before they could regroup.
The senbon began arriving from more directions.
Naruto and Sasuke had to retreat, covering each other while trying to find another opening.
On the other side of the bridge, Kakashi and Zabuza continued fighting.
Neither was willing to give ground.
The Konoha jōnin had decided to conserve his chakra and not use the Sharingan for the moment. The distance between them was too short for Zabuza to make full use of his enormous sword, so the two were exchanging kunai strikes, blocking, dodging, and looking for an opportunity to reach a vital point.
The sound of metal rang through the fog.
Kakashi maintained a defensive stance, although his attention occasionally wandered toward the ice technique keeping Naruto and Sasuke trapped.
He didn't like the situation, His students were doing a good job, but Haku was a dangerous enemy, and he couldn't afford to let them make a mistake.
Zabuza noticed that distraction. While they exchanged blows, he took advantage of a small opening.
The swordsman deflected one of Kakashi's strikes and, with a quick movement, threw the kunai in his hand toward the space between the trees.
The projectile passed through the fog and between the ice mirrors, heading straight for Naruto. The blond had managed to deflect one of Haku's attacks aimed at Sasuke, leaving himself exposed for an instant.
He never saw the kunai coming.
The weapon lodged in his chest.
"Ghh...?" Naruto groaned, his eyes wide with pain and surprise.
The impact made him stagger backward before he fell to his knees. Blood began spreading across his orange clothes as he tried to understand what had happened.
Sasuke turned his head at the sound.
"NARUTO!"
Kakashi saw it too. Something changed in his presence, a memory from his youth, when his incompetence had cost his friend his life.
The jōnin stopped holding back.
His next move was far more violent. He struck Zabuza with his elbow, intercepted his armed arm, and forced him to retreat several meters. Then he lifted the band covering his left eye.
The Sharingan appeared.
Zabuza's eyes widened slightly. "So you finally decided to use it."
Kakashi launched himself at him with considerably greater speed, chaining together strikes and movements that began to put the swordsman on the defensive.
His concern for his students gave way to a much colder focus.
He wasn't going to let Zabuza get near them again.
Sasuke watched Naruto's blood splatter across the ground.
For an instant, time seemed to stand still.
He remembered the blow he had received from the water clone, how Naruto had insisted they have to work together, and how the two of them had worked together to free Kakashi during the first fight. The past few days, though he would never admit it aloud, had been some of the happiest he had experienced in years.
He didn't want things to end that way.
His eyes began to itch. It wasn't just tears.
The Sharingan awakened.
Haku appeared in front of him again, but this time Sasuke could follow his movements clearly. The projectiles that had previously seemed to come out of nowhere became visible, and the Uchiha managed to raise his kunai to block one of the attacks before turning and launching a counterattack.
Haku retreated.
He hadn't expected the second genin to awaken a dōjutsu during the fight, much less to react after his teammate had fallen like that.
The effort of maintaining the technique, moving constantly, and attacking two enemies who were covering each other was beginning to take its toll.
Sasuke advanced again.
This time he managed to block two consecutive attacks and forced Haku to change mirrors before he could reach him with another strike.
The Uchiha clenched his teeth.
"I won't let you hurt him again," the Uchiha said through clenched teeth.
Haku remained silent.
His speed was still superior, but the gap was shrinking.
Naruto fell onto his back on the surface of the bridge.
The pain in his chest was intense, and every breath seemed to make the wound burn even more. He tried to sit up, but his body barely responded.
The fight continued around him.
He could hear the clash of weapons, Sasuke's movements, and the blows Kakashi was exchanging with Zabuza.
He wanted to get up, wanted to help, wanted to keep fighting.
But his body didn't seem willing to obey him. His vision blurred, and consciousness was slipping away.
"Damn it..."
He couldn't end things like this.
He had spent too long working to become a ninja.
He remembered his first day at the Academy, the times he had failed, and the mockery from his classmates. He remembered Iruka's smile when he finally gave him his forehead protector and the promise, he had made to become Hokage.
Then other faces appeared.
The old Hokage, who had always allowed him to visit his office and had never treated him like a monster. The old man at the ramen stand, who give him food even when he didn't have much money. Kakashi, who had trusted him during the bell test. His teammates. Sakura, who always worried when he got hurt even if she didn't want to admit it. Sasuke, who had begun watching his back and trusting him a little more.
He didn't want to lose them. He didn't want to die there.
"Not yet..."
Naruto tried to move one hand.
His body wouldn't respond.
He had one last option.
The Gacha.
Naruto focused on his ability slots. He had Mystic Eyes of Flame equipped in one of them, while the other was occupied by Fire Claws.
If he was going to use something, it had to be now.
With what little control he had left, he decided to switch the ability equipped in the second slot.
Fire Claws disappeared.
Wendigo Form took its place.
Naruto lifted his head slightly.
"Sasuke..." His voice barely managed to escape his throat. "Get away from me..."
The Uchiha turned to look at him.
"What are you talking about, idiot?!"
Naruto clenched his teeth.
"Just... get away!"
Then he activated the transformation.
A thick mist began spreading around Naruto's body. At first it looked like ordinary fog, but the temperature dropped rapidly, and a thick layer of ice began covering the surface of the bridge.
Sasuke immediately stepped back when he felt the change.
Haku stopped as well.
The mist grew so dense that the blond's silhouette was barely visible.
Then it began to grow. His shoulders broadened, his arms lengthened, and his body rose above two meters. A coat of pale blond fur covered him as the hole in his chest widened, exposing parts of his rib cage.
At the center of his chest, that dark cavity opened, revealing a deep-blue heart pulsing inside. His head was covered by a fox skull, accompanied by other smaller skeletal structures protruding from his shoulders and torso.
The stench of decay filled the bridge. Sasuke retreated as far as he could, using the situation to slip through the gaps between the mirrors.
Haku stood motionless. He had never seen a transformation like this before. Its presence left him frozen, and a fear he hadn't felt since childhood filled him.
The Wendigo slowly raised its head. But this time, Naruto was no longer there. His consciousness had sunk along with the pain, and all that remained inside that form was a primal survival instinct. There was no strategy, reasoning, or desire to protect his companions.
Only hunger. Only the need to destroy anything that represented a threat.
Haku had no time to react. The Wendigo moved, its enormous body shooting toward one of the ice mirrors at an absurd speed for a creature of that size.
Haku tried to move to another mirror.
But the monster's claw reached the icy surface. Instead of crashing against it and breaking it, the ice rippled. The claw melted its way into the mirror.
Haku's eyes widened in horror.
The Wendigo stretched out its arm, grabbed him by the neck, and violently tore him out of the mirror. It held him aloft for a second before smashing him against the bridge floor.
The impact knocked the air out of Haku's lungs, but before he could get up, the monster was already on top of him.
The enormous jaws opened.
Haku barely managed to turn his body before receiving a brutal bite to the shoulder. Pain tore through him, and a bloodcurdling scream escaped his throat as he tried to push the creature away.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
The scream pierced the fog and reached the other end of the bridge.
Kakashi and Zabuza turned their heads at the same time.
"Haku!" The swordsman immediately recognized the voice.
Kakashi looked toward the enormous silhouette moving through the mist. His expression changed. "It can't be..."
He recognized that creature.
Haku tried to defend himself.
He raised one hand and drove a senbon into the creature's skull. Despite suffering a fatal wound, the Wendigo remained over him, its muzzle stained with blood and its claws pressed into the bridge.
For the first time since meeting Zabuza, Haku felt that he might truly die without having fulfilled his purpose. "Zabuza-sama..."
His master had been the person who gave him a place in the world. He had allowed him to live by his side, fight alongside him, and find meaning in an existence that had once seemed empty. Haku had wanted to become a useful tool for Zabuza. Someone who could protect him, someone who could fulfill his wishes.
But he had failed.
"Zabuza-sama... I'm sorry..."
His voice was barely audible.
"I couldn't... protect your dream..."
His grip on the senbon weakened, and his final breath slowly left his body.
The Wendigo lowered its head over him again.
Sasuke stood motionless, unable to look away. He had witnessed the fight, watched Haku outpace them, and fought to the limit to survive his technique. Now he could only stare at the monster and what it was doing to the body of their enemy.
The sound of chewing mingled with the cracking of bones.
Zabuza arrived a few seconds later.
His expression changed when he found Haku lying on the bridge and the monster bent over him. For an instant, he couldn't move.
The swordsman had known Haku for years. He had trusted him, trained him, and allowed him to stay by his side, although he had never said so directly. To him, Haku was not a simply tool. But he had become someone he cared about far more than he was willing to admit. And now he was dead.
A tear slid down Zabuza's cheek, but the sadness quickly turned to rage.
"YOU DAMNED BEAST!!!"
The swordsman raised his enormous blade and charged at the Wendigo, trying to split it in two before it could continue desecrating his student's body.
But the attack never connected. A huge ice spike erupted from the ground and stopped the Kubikiribōchō dead in its tracks.
Zabuza's eyes widened. He hadn't sensed any chakra gathering. He hadn't noticed any movement; the spike had simply appeared.
The Wendigo slowly raised its head.
Its muzzle was covered in blood.
Its empty eye sockets turned toward Zabuza, and for an instant the swordsman felt his heart pounding in his chest. It wasn't looking at him as an enemy; it was looking at him as prey. The next attack came immediately.
The monster lunged at him.
Zabuza tried to raise his sword, but the Wendigo moved in a completely erratic manner. It didn't seem to care about its own body or the wounds it might receive. Its movements were violent, unpredictable, and driven by a single goal: to kill.
The swordsman managed to dodge the first blow, but an ice wall appeared behind him, blocking his retreat.
He turned. A series of icy needles erupted from the ground.
Zabuza dodged several, but others struck his legs and side. "Where the hell are they coming from?!"
He couldn't sense them.
He was familiar with ice jutsu, having helped with Haku's techniques, which required chakra to create and control ice, but this thing seemed to generate it. The monster could not only manipulate ice structures, but also move between them at a speed similar to the one Haku had demonstrated inside his mirrors. Zabuza retreated, trying to create enough space to form hand seals. He never got the chance.
A wall of ice enveloped his hand and blocked its movement, while a block of ice immobilized his legs, forcing him to waste precious time freeing himself just as the monster emerged from the layer of ice on the ground.
The creature reached him.
Zabuza dropped his sword and tried to block the attack with his free arm, but the Wendigo opened its jaws and bit down with devastating force. The swordsman's scream echoed across the bridge. The creature knocked him down and continued attacking, giving him no time to respond.
Kakashi observed the situation and immediately understood that something terrible was happening.
"Sasuke!"
The Uchiha didn't react. His Sharingan watched the scene.
He was still staring at the Wendigo. Kakashi didn't wait. He rushed over, grabbed Sasuke, threw him over his shoulder, and carried him away from the battlefield before the creature could fix its attention on another target.
"We have to get out of here!"
"But Naruto...!"
"That is no longer Naruto!"
The jōnin didn't want to accept it; it went against everything he believed. But what stood before him was a wild animal out of control. He couldn't risk letting Sasuke remain there.
Kakashi carried him away from the fog, putting distance between them and that monstrosity.
Behind them, the sound of breaking ice and Zabuza's screams slowly faded.
Meanwhile, a group of men was making its way toward the bridge.
Gatō walked at the head of his mercenaries, wearing an obviously satisfied expression. He had received word that Zabuza had fought the ninjas from Konoha again and assumed the swordsman must be quite weakened after the battle.
"Looks like that idiot has finally found someone who can give him trouble," he commented with a laugh.
One of his subordinates approached.
"What should we do when we get there, sir?"
Gatō smiled.
"What we should have done from the beginning. Zabuza is no use to me if he's too badly injured to do his job. We can take advantage of his exhaustion and kill him before he recovers. That way, we won't have to pay him the rest of what we agreed on."
The mercenaries exchanged glances.
Not all of them were convinced that facing one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure was a good idea, but the possibility of eliminating him while he was weakened was tempting enough, so they continued forward.
At first, all they could hear was the sound of the wind moving through the increasingly thick fog over the bridge.
Then came a wet, repetitive noise. Like a wild animal chewing.
"What's that sound?" Gatō frowned.
No one answered.
The temperature began to drop.
A light snowfall appeared over the bridge and soon turned into a storm that made it difficult to see. The men huddled closer together, trying to stay near one another as the cold began to seep through their clothes.
"What the hell is going on?"
"It must be some kind of ninja technique."
Gatō looked around.
He didn't like the situation.
But they were armed and numerous. If Zabuza had been defeated, they could ambush the ninjas from Konoha. They finally reached the bridge.
What they found made everyone freeze. The structure was covered in a thick layer of snow. But it wasn't white.
Bloodstains were spread everywhere, some partially frozen on the ground. Fragments of weapons and equipment lay scattered among the pillars, and near one of the structures lay Zabuza's enormous sword, broken in half.
Gatō also recognized the mask of Zabuza's assistant. The men began to back away when they saw it, broken and stained with blood.
Then they saw the creature. The Wendigo was crouched over the remains of a corpse, its enormous body covered in pale blond fur. Fox skulls protruded from its shoulders, while the blue heart in its chest pulsed slowly between its exposed ribs.
The monster was cleaning the bones, removing the last fragments of flesh clinging to them. The sound of chewing stopped.
The creature raised its head and looked at them.
Gatō took a step backward.
"W-what...?"
He never finished the question.
The Wendigo moved. For an instant, the mercenaries stood frozen, unable to decide whether to attack or flee. Their hesitation cost them their lives.
Naruto slowly woke up.
The first thing he noticed was the warmth. He was lying on something soft, covered with several blankets and surrounded by a calm that contrasted completely with the cold he remembered. For a few seconds he couldn't open his eyes fully, and his body seemed too heavy to move.
He tried to sit up. A slight pain ran through his chest.
"Easy, Naruto." Kakashi's voice made him open his eyes.
His instructor was sitting beside the futon, watching him with a neutral expression. He was simply there, waiting for him to wake up.
Naruto blinked several times.
"Kakashi-sensei... what happened?"
The jōnin didn't answer immediately.
Naruto tried to remember; The masked ninja, the mirrors, the kunai in his chest... The hunger. His memories became increasingly confused from that point onward.
"What about Sasuke? Is he okay? And Sakura? What happened to Zabuza?" Naruto asked his teacher in a panic. Before Kakashi could answer, the Gacha announced its presence.
[You have obtained X1 random Gold Ticket for killing Zabuza Momochi and Haku!]
[You have obtained X1 random Gold Ticket for devouring more than two dozen men!]
Naruto stiffened. It wasn't the tickets that mattered; that was the least of it. His second reward made it clear what had happened.
Images began returning to his mind in fragments: the masked ninja's body, the strong smell and taste of blood, the feeling of satisfaction as he feasted.
"No..." His face slowly lost its color.
Kakashi noticed the change in his expression.
Kakashi had considered trying to soften what had happened, deceiving the genin into believing he had managed to drive Zabuza away. But when he saw the devastated expression on the boy's face, he realized that trying to hide the truth would be pointless.
Naruto lowered his head and looked at his hands, which had begun to tremble. He didn't know whether what he felt was anger, disgust, fear, or something else he couldn't even identify.
He had transformed to survive. But it was different; he had lost control. He hadn't just killed them, he had eaten them. The realization brought on retching, followed by vomiting.
Kakashi approached without saying anything else, ignored the vomit, wrapped his arms around the boy, and pulled him close, allowing him to hide his face against his chest.
Naruto didn't resist. For the first time since beginning his life as a ninja, he had no joke to make, no promise to shout. He didn't have the courage to keep going; all he could do was tremble in his sensei's arms while trying to understand what had happened.
"It's okay, Naruto. I'm here," Kakashi said softly, gently stroking the boy's back in comforting circles.
The blond clutched his instructor's clothes with both hands without saying anything else, and for the moment, Kakashi decided to let him be.
My friend, who helps me by looking things over beforehand, says I went a bit too Edgy —and he might be right.
Honestly, it's annoying that I got something so good from the silver ticket; it landed on the result by just a single pixel. I was certain it was going to be the golden apples—I would've liked to get those—but oh well, what can you do?
And, basically, I'm treating the wendigo as a sort of ice elemental—no idea if that's an accurate representation, but it doesn't really matter; Naruto won't be using it again for a long while.
Honestly, it's annoying that I got something so good from the silver ticket; it landed on the result by just a single pixel. I was certain it was going to be the golden apples—I would've liked to get those—but oh well, what can you do?
And, basically, I'm treating the wendigo as a sort of ice elemental—no idea if that's an accurate representation, but it doesn't really matter; Naruto won't be using it again for a long while.
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RookDeSuit
Versed in the lewd.
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Holy Fuck. Poor fuckin' Naruto, dawg. Went from Shonen to Sienen. You can even see the logically chain of events. How Naruto's better performance-> Haku less willing to interact-> more willing to cause true death then canon paralysis-> Naruto Taboo.
Naruto won, but I think he's permanently traumatized. If the potential of a new chakra beast born within him, but outside the Kyuubi's cell.
edit: Thinking on it, there is a path where Naruto can get out, but it's almost exactly like Canon. He stacks Impact and Fire Claws before going on a Hail Mary charge against one of the Mirrors to get Sasuke out.
Naruto won, but I think he's permanently traumatized. If the potential of a new chakra beast born within him, but outside the Kyuubi's cell.
edit: Thinking on it, there is a path where Naruto can get out, but it's almost exactly like Canon. He stacks Impact and Fire Claws before going on a Hail Mary charge against one of the Mirrors to get Sasuke out.
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Bronnkindofguy96
Master of the third eye and professional gooner
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Dark naruto get's replaced by the wendigo.
Johnyman1234
Versed in the lewd.
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Thats an interesting, if disturbing turns of event, this will have some effect on his relationship with the kurama as well, he probably lost alot of talk no jutsu moral highground lol, but if he manage to overcome it, the relatability will be interesting as his hand isnt as clean will help him connect more with people like gaara for example, wave was so important to Nart developent, and it ending up this way will make things alot worse before it get better, btw its been forever since I see a naruto mc fic, so this is pretty fun and nostalgic to see lol
enigmaMystere
Getting sticky.
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Are you taking a gold roll from anyone? Because I did a couple.
That said, yeah, this got pretty dark. Hopefully some friendship will help make Naruto feel better. Please keep writing, it's a good story!
[Applejack]
|Rare Familiar|
My Little Pony - Applejack is an Earth Pony from Equestria, giving her considerable physical prowess and exceptional strength and endurance. Applejack is a very experienced farmer and herder who can manage entire farms and ranches while being able to make them prosper by herself in addition to being an excellent chef and baker. Her physical prowess is exceptional even among her fellow Earth Ponies, being able to shatter stone floors with her stomps and pull along massive boulders. Due to the nature of her existence, in a world with majority humanoids, she can also assume a human/humanoid form.
[Conjure Vines]
|Rare Ability|
Allows the user to conjure and manipulate vine constructs made out of their energy, allowing them to use them as ropes, whips, restraints and even grow thorns on them to shred enemies. However, once disconnected from the users body, the vines start fading away.
|Rare Familiar|
My Little Pony - Applejack is an Earth Pony from Equestria, giving her considerable physical prowess and exceptional strength and endurance. Applejack is a very experienced farmer and herder who can manage entire farms and ranches while being able to make them prosper by herself in addition to being an excellent chef and baker. Her physical prowess is exceptional even among her fellow Earth Ponies, being able to shatter stone floors with her stomps and pull along massive boulders. Due to the nature of her existence, in a world with majority humanoids, she can also assume a human/humanoid form.
[Conjure Vines]
|Rare Ability|
Allows the user to conjure and manipulate vine constructs made out of their energy, allowing them to use them as ropes, whips, restraints and even grow thorns on them to shred enemies. However, once disconnected from the users body, the vines start fading away.
That said, yeah, this got pretty dark. Hopefully some friendship will help make Naruto feel better. Please keep writing, it's a good story!
Abhijithvc
Getting sticky.
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This chapter feels so forced like i don't see any desperation for naruto to use the wendigo form even in canon naruto only used kurama's power when he thought sasuke died.
reborn1303
No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta
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Hey, thanks for reading the chapter; I'm glad to have more comments.
I don't think the combination of "impact" and "fire claws" would have worked; the former only increases the force of an impact, while the claws are for cutting. As for the ice shattering—that's essentially due to a sudden change in temperature (at least, I believe that's how it works).
Unfortunately, I didn't get any ice-related abilities; I'll post the results a bit further down.
If you don't mind spoilers, here they are:
[Hydra Projection]
|Elite Ability|
My Hero Academia - Allows you to unleash projections resembling the head of a hydra from your body or back, the Hydra head can be used to crush, bite, smash, and even constrict using its neck. The hydra is connected to you by its neck and once it's severed you will need time to summon that head back again. The power fo the heads are proportional to your own physical abilities.
[Winterman]
|Uncommon Trait|
You were born in the harsh winter winds, you are more resistant to Cold and Ice, and your Ice abilities cost less energy to use.
Here, it's the other way around: the kunai in his chest—and the sensation that he was dying—is what triggered him to take on the wendigo form.
It happens to me a lot; as soon as I post the chapters, I end up regretting various small details and things that could have been done better.
For the moment, the Wendigo is just an ability—nothing more. But when it's used, it affects Naruto on every level, reaching even the deepest parts of his being; that's why the environment within Kurama's cell changes.
Even so, that won't stop Naruto from unconsciously treating it as if it were an external entity—just think about the dynamic between White Zangetsu and Ichigo when the former was first introduced.
The next time it's used, it will be significantly stronger and larger than it was last time—it consumed a lot of people. Well, at least that's how I assume it works: the more it has consumed, the stronger it becomes.
Unfortunately, I didn't get any ice-related abilities; I'll post the results a bit further down.
Yes, basically—but this time, you'll need more than just the Waterfall of Truth and a fight to defeat the wendigo.
I'm still thinking about how to handle the situation with Kurama.
And while the truth does significantly alter the character's development—well, the more things change, the more they stay the same: Naruto will continue to cultivate his empathy for others and his desire to protect his companions.
Though, this time, the path will have more bumps along the way.
Though, this time, the path will have more bumps along the way.
Unfortunately not this time; I let my friend—who acts as my sounding board and beta reader—do the rolls.
If you don't mind spoilers, here they are:
[Hydra Projection]
|Elite Ability|
My Hero Academia - Allows you to unleash projections resembling the head of a hydra from your body or back, the Hydra head can be used to crush, bite, smash, and even constrict using its neck. The hydra is connected to you by its neck and once it's severed you will need time to summon that head back again. The power fo the heads are proportional to your own physical abilities.
[Winterman]
|Uncommon Trait|
You were born in the harsh winter winds, you are more resistant to Cold and Ice, and your Ice abilities cost less energy to use.
That actually happened to me a bit while I was rereading the translation, which is why I added that change. In the canon, he uses Kurama's chakra because of the rage he feels, believing that Sasuke died while protecting him.
Here, it's the other way around: the kunai in his chest—and the sensation that he was dying—is what triggered him to take on the wendigo form.
It happens to me a lot; as soon as I post the chapters, I end up regretting various small details and things that could have been done better.