Faced with Saya's "threat," the tailed beasts fell silent.
Kurama listened carefully to her words—and the subtext in them sounded disturbingly familiar.
Wasn't this the same crap Hashirama had pulled back in the day?
So righteous. So noble. So full of "peace and justice" talk.
"Kyuubi! Your power is too dangerous. For the sake of peace... I must seal you away!"
Then came the beatdown. No warning. No discussion. Just fists. Massive, chakra-infused, tree-growing fists. And once he was done tenderizing Kurama, Hashirama sealed him into his wife, Uzumaki Mito, like it was a favor.
Tch.
Seal me if you want to. Grab me, fine. Control me? Sure, whatever. But the beating? Was that really necessary?
Kurama narrowed his eyes as old memories surged.
And you, you bastard with the big eyebrows and the "good guy" image—you haven't forgotten when Madara stepped on my damn head, have you?
Using my body as an accessory to his Susanoo like I was some kind of chakra handbag?
(That wasn't me. That was Madara's Mangekyō.)
(I was being controlled, dammit!)
But none of them ever listened. They just wanted someone to blame.
And now this Uchiha girl, Saya, dares to step into their space with that same glint in her eye—the kind that says: "I know what's best for you."
Kurama grumbled. Still, after just 0.01 seconds of consideration, he decided to spill the Sage of Six Paths' so-called "last words." Whatever. It wasn't like it was classified information. It had been nearly a thousand years, and nothing had ever come of it.
Maybe the old man had just been delusional near the end.
But fate, as always, had its own script.
Just as Kurama was delivering the Sage's final prophecy to Saya, far away at Mount Myoboku, another prophecy was unfolding.
Jiraiya stood solemnly in front of the Great Toad Sage, whose cloudy eyes blinked slowly as if peering through time itself.
"Little Jiraiya," the ancient toad rasped, "the inheritor of azure blue eyes will walk with the tailed beasts…"
"He will bring destruction... and rebirth to the shinobi world."
"In my dream, I saw an enemy from the stars—something beyond comprehension. And I saw a ninja, cloaked in white robes, his eyes glowing blue, wielding a black blade."
"This is the end of the shinobi era… and the beginning of the Age of Immortals."
"He will surpass even the Sage of Six Paths... and he will change everything..."
Then the Toad Sage trailed off mid-sentence, mouth sagging open.
Jiraiya stood there for several long, awkward minutes before noticing the enormous snot bubble forming from the old toad's nose.
"...He's asleep," Jiraiya muttered, exasperated.
The legendary Sannin frowned deeply. This prophecy—this one was different.
The last time the Great Toad had spoken, it was about the "Child of Prophecy." Jiraiya had believed that meant his student—Nagato… or Naruto.
But this prophecy didn't speak of Jiraiya's student. It didn't speak of Jiraiya at all.
Could this mean... the Child of Prophecy had already come and gone?
Could Naruto still fulfill that destiny?
Or was there someone else now—someone new?
Jiraiya looked down at his own hands. The rough, callused skin of a wanderer. For the first time, he wondered:
(Have I done enough? Can I finally rest...?)
—
Back in the tailed beast space, Saya—still quietly absorbing everything Kurama had shared—felt something stir within her.
So... the tailed beasts once suffered such betrayal?
Master Hikaru had told her about the Sage of Six Paths and the origin of chakra, but never these details. Never this kind of history.
These were secrets even Hikaru probably didn't know.
Saya's thoughts danced between reverence and mischief.
(If I bring this to Hikaru after the exam... maybe he'll finally let me be on top~)
The space began to dissolve around them.
In the real world, only a few seconds had passed. The jinchūriki blinked as they reoriented, returning to the field where the second round of the Chunin Exams was set to begin.
They looked at each other—and knew.
In that brief, strange moment, they had become something like friends. But here and now, their loyalties weren't to each other.
They were to their villages.
No more words needed to be said.
—
The fight began not with words, but action.
The Iwagakure and Kumogakure teams, who hadn't entered the tailed beast space, were already clashing.
Sworn enemies—ever since the death of the Third Raikage at Iwagakure's hands. When they met now, sparks flew.
Omoi's hands blurred through hand seals, his shadow clone forming beside him as they both brandished swords, wind chakra howling around their blades.
"Nintaijutsu – Cloud Flow Slash!"
Karui wasn't far behind. She unsheathed her blade in one fluid motion, lightning sparking down its length.
"Lightning Style – Lightning Flash Severance!"
Blue arcs crackled across her body, stimulating her muscles, enhancing her reflexes, speed, and strength with every pulse.
Samui followed, low and fast, crouching, then exploding forward in a blur of motion.
"Nintaijutsu – Yan Flash Step!"
He appeared behind Kurotsuchi, Kano, and Akaashi in a heartbeat, his arm already mid-swing as he unleashed a flurry of lightning-charged kunai.
If they had been ordinary Genin, they wouldn't have stood a chance.
But Kano—wielder of the rare Explosion Release—was anything but ordinary.
"Explosion Style – Detonating Fist!"
With a growl, he clenched his fists, brass knuckles gleaming with ochre-colored chakra. He met the kunai head-on, his fists moving like hammers, detonating each blade mid-air in controlled bursts of explosive chakra.
Kano narrowed his eyes.
"Tch. You wanna play speed games with me?"
Without waiting, he charged at Samui, brass knuckles ready to break bones.
"I'll take this one. Go!"
Kurotsuchi didn't hesitate. Her hands flew through seals as she lunged toward Omoi.
"Earth Style – Rock Fist Jutsu!"
"Earth Style – Heavy Rock Technique!"
Stone gloves formed around her fists, dense and heavy. Her entire body shifted into a brutal rhythm—hips, legs, arms, fists—all moving in sync, generating powerful, bone-breaking force with every motion.
Her stone fists collided with Omoi's sword mid-swing.
CLANG!
The blade caught in the rock.
A smirk crossed her face.
"That all you got?"
"Don't underestimate an Iwa shinobi!"
She twisted, using sheer torque and strength to disarm him.
Omoi's eyes widened. For just a second, panic flashed across his face.
Kurotsuchi struck forward—
POOF!
A cloud of smoke exploded in her face.
Shadow Clone?!
Too late. The real Omoi emerged from the ground behind her, his body low, blade drawn, lollipop in his mouth, a cocky grin on his face.
"Cloud Flow – Deception Slash."
—
To be continued...
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