Three weeks had passed. While Sasuke was still training in Ryuchi Cave, Naruto had already said his goodbyes to the White Snake Sage.
After he left, the sage remained seated on her throne, her expression one of pure, unadulterated disbelief.
In all her millennia of life, she had never witnessed anything, or anyone, like this.
To put it bluntly, the White Snake Sage was at a loss for words, she simply had no frame of reference for what she had just seen.
He could draw in natural energy with his bare hands, completely unharmed by it, and in just two weeks, he had developed a power on his own that was already beyond standard Sage Mode.
Naruto hadn't actually perfected Sage Mode itself, he was saving that for when he could train with Goku again. But he hadn't left empty-handed. Based on the teachings the Sage had explained, and taking inspiration from the Raikage's Lightning Armor, he had created something new, a power that existed in a class of its own.
He called it Yang Release: Chakra Mode.
A golden aura flared around him, and in an instant, Naruto's body swelled to nearly two meters tall. His already strong frame expanded, his muscle density becoming almost absurd. His bulging physique gleamed under the light, and with the slightest flex, his massive pectoral muscles bounced with a rhythm all their own. Like when Master Roshi when using his Max Power form.
At that moment, Naruto wasn't just Naruto anymore, he was Super Buff Naruto.
The White Snake Sage took a long drag from her pipe, staring at the ceiling. The image of Naruto's transformation was burned into her mind, and she still felt a tremor of shock.
'What did I just unleash in the world?' she wondered.
"Wow, he looks just like Master Roshi when he gets serious!" Kid Goku exclaimed from within the seal space, pointing at the transformed Naruto.
It was true. When Master Roshi unleashed his full power, he also became a muscular giant. It was in that state that he had once destroyed the moon, his power level skyrocketing.
"Hahaha, not bad, brat! This trick of yours is pretty useful!" Kurama's laughter boomed, and the golden aura enveloped him as well. A moment later, the slightly pudgy fox was gone, replaced by a giant, golden, and ripplingly muscular Kurama.
When the Fourth Hokage performed the Reaper Death Seal, he had split Kurama in two. The Yin half was sealed away with him, while the Yang half, the one inside Naruto, was perfectly suited for this new power.
Inside the seal, Kurama's entire body was corded with muscle, even his nine fluffy tails now looked like segmented, powerful appendages.
So now, this was no longer the ordinary Kurama, this was Super Buff Kurama.
"I can feel the power! This is incredible!" Kurama danced around, his magnificent pecs rippling with his joyful movements.
His gaze fell on Goku, and for the first time, he issued a direct challenge.
"You, the kid with the tail. Fight me." He cracked his knuckles, each one the size of a boulder. "This time, I'll settle the score!"
"Alright!"
"Then take this! Hell Roll!"
--**--**
**Konoha**
A special guest arrived at the Kurama clan compound that day.
"Hattori-san," the Kurama clan head spoke respectfully to the middle-aged man before him, who was dressed in a fine kimono and wore a gentle, amiable expression.
Hattori was a unique figure in Konoha. He wasn't a village resident, yet he was often seen visiting various clan compounds. The clan head only knew him as the president of the most successful shipping conglomerate in the world and nothing more.
Rumor had it the man was on close personal terms with the Third Hokage.
"Might I ask what brings you to our clan today?" Logically, a man of such stature had no reason to visit the Kurama clan.
The Kurama clan, once renowned for its Genjutsu and highly prominent, had fallen into decline as early as the First Great Ninja War.
Extremely potent in Genjutsu but physically weak, that was their fatal flaw.
A shinobi might not be a taijutsu expert, but they must be skilled in evasion and survival. The Kurama clan's mobility was poor, and they possessed almost no life-preserving techniques.
Often, once their Genjutsu was broken, Kurama clansmen could only wait for death. Furthermore, the clan's Kekkei Genkai was even harder to awaken than the three-tomoe Sharingan. Now, the entire clan consisted of only a handful of members, and their overall strength was low.
"I've heard that your clan has a young girl named Yakumo," Hattori said with a pleasant smile. "I was hoping you could introduce me to her."
His smile was warm, the kind that put people at ease. But when the clan head heard the name 'Yakumo,' a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. It was a name spoken only in whispers here, a taboo.
She was the only living member of their clan to have awakened the Kekkei Genkai. Her illusions could control all five senses, and she could even warp them into reality. It was a terrifying power, one that not even the Uchiha's Sharingan could replicate. But Yakumo's mind was unstable. A dark personality, Ido, had formed within her. She was a schizophrenic who could bend the world to her will. It was no wonder she was kept hidden.
"Where did you hear that name?" the clan head asked cautiously, avoiding a direct answer.
"You ask too many questions." Before Hattori could respond, a tall shinobi standing behind him stepped forward. He appeared to be a bodyguard, and his tone was blunt. "You just need to take us to see the girl."
"Kirito," Hattori chided gently, though there was no real heat in his voice. He kept his pleasant smile fixed on the clan head. "How can you speak to the clan head that way?"
"My apologies, Lord Fourth," the man said, bowing his head. "I overstepped."
The clan head's eyes widened. 'Lord Fourth?'
He quickly composed himself and turned back to Hattori, whose smile now felt less like a warm breeze and more like a chilling calm. "If you insist on seeing her, Hattori-san, then please follow me." He paused, trying to convey the gravity of the situation. "But you must be prepared. She is not like other girls. She is very dangerous."
Hattori acted as if he didn't notice the frantic warning in his eyes.
The clan head could only add, "If you encounter any trouble, please be sure to protect yourselves."
"Don't worry," Hattori said, his smile unwavering. "We've come precisely to resolve the trouble she's in."
With that, he followed the clan head toward a building set apart from the others in the compound.
After they disappeared inside, several Root ninjas flickered at the compound's entrance.
"Root business," one of them announced flatly. "All unauthorized personnel, keep your distance."
--**--**
At that same moment, a heavy door creaked open in the Konoha Prison.
A guard shouted into the darkness of a cell. "Fujin! Raijin! Someone's here to see you. Get out here!"
"Nah, we're not goin' out, brother," a brawny man with a small ponytail and beady eyes said, a foolish grin on his face. "They got food and drinks in here. It's great."
Another man, who looked almost identical save for a small beard, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, brother, we're stayin'. This place is paradise."
"You can't trick us into leavin'!" they shouted in unison. The two brothers shared a look, convinced they had outsmarted him.
The guard sighed. They were known as the two dumbest inmates in the prison for a reason.
"The visitor said they'd take you for barbecue," the guard said, turning to leave. "If you don't come, I'll just tell them you said no."
"We're coming!"
The two of them scrambled out of the cell before he could change his mind.
===============
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