Kakashi swallowed hard, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Twelve years old…
In an instant—
He had slaughtered over a dozen elite jōnin!
Naruto's strike just now had truly stunned him.
[Naruto, it seems your talent even surpasses that of Teacher Minato…]
Even Naruto himself was a little shocked at the destruction he had caused.
And this was without Sage Mode. If he had activated Sage Mode, then this Ninth Form's strength might have rivaled the Tenseigan's Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!
At the same time, in the vision of the Transparent World, bits of ash and scraps of cloth slowly drifted down.
A torn cloth landed on his shoulder, snapping Naruto back to reality. Over a dozen lives—already reaped by his hands.
In his past life, he hadn't even killed a chicken.
Among those Root operatives, perhaps there had been people who weren't truly evil.
The feeling left a bitter taste in his heart.
But then he remembered—the world of Naruto was one of endless war and slaughter.
Given his circumstances, Naruto had no luxury to dwell on good and evil.
Only sides existed, not morality. That was the creed he must hold onto from now on.
After all, if Root had dragged him away, his fate would have been far worse than death.
Naruto could only console himself with that thought.
***
Root.Deep underground, dozens of meters beneath Konoha.
The air was damp, the light dim.
Danzo sat upon his self-fashioned "throne," eerily reminiscent of the Hokage's seat.
When he heard the report of the battle that had just occurred, his lone eye grew dark and heavy.
"One strike… wiped out over a dozen men?"
The chill in his tone made the reporting Root ninja tremble.
More than ten jōnin gone in an instant, including his trusted elite, Yamanaka Kaze.
Even Danzo felt the sting of that loss.
At the same time, he was awed by Naruto's talent.
He suspected Naruto had already touched the threshold of Kage-level.
[A twelve-year-old at Kage-level… and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. What a perfect weapon. If I can make him mine… the Hokage's seat…]
Danzo's hunger reached its peak.
His wrinkled eye narrowed dangerously, as schemes began to form in his mind.
***
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office.
After hearing the full account, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew solemn.
He sensed that Naruto's growth was already far beyond his control.
Thinking of his own aging body, he wondered if he truly still had the strength to guide Naruto down the right path.
After a long silence, he resolved to assign more people to assist Kakashi.
With Naruto's shocking display, coupled with Root's heavy losses, Hiruzen knew—his old rival would definitely make a move.
No matter what, Naruto could not be allowed to fall into Danzo's hands.
***
After wrapping up all the trouble, Naruto returned home.
Opening the burlap sack, a pile of scrolls tumbled out with a rustle.
Among them, the largest and most eye-catching was the Scroll of Seals.
Besides that, there were also all the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan—
Eight Trigrams Seal, Four Symbols Seal, Five Elements Seal, Evil Sealing Method, Storage Seal…
In the world of the Hokage, sealing techniques often seemed like little more than flavor.
But in Naruto's eyes, they were extremely practical.
Finally, his gaze landed on a small red scroll.
Its craftsmanship and material were far more exquisite than the others.
Opening it, only two techniques were inscribed.
The first—Kagura's Mind Eye. The second—Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Both were core secrets of the Uzumaki clan.
Only those with the purest bloodline could master them.
Kagura's Mind Eye was an immense sensory technique; with sufficient chakra, its range could span dozens of kilometers.
Perfect for tracking—or escaping.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains were more direct and brutal—summoning colossal chakra chains, so powerful even the Nine-Tails had to shy away.
Inside the seal space, the Nine-Tails also saw Naruto's gains.
When it noticed the Adamantine Chains, it recalled certain unpleasant memories and let out a scornful snort.
"Tch. Brat, don't tell me you really plan to waste time on this useless junk?
With that time, you'd be better off figuring out how to break all the seals on me. Once you do, I'll hand you as much chakra as you want—you could walk sideways across the entire shinobi world!"
Naruto dismissed its words.
No matter how great its chakra was, it was still external power. True strength came from his own growth.
Besides, more skills never hurt.
Between the Scroll of Seals' techniques, the Uzumaki sealing jutsu, and all sorts of ninjutsu and secret arts—
Naruto's haul was beyond bountiful.
Thankfully, he had plenty of chakra and the aid of Multiple Shadow Clones.
Otherwise, learning all of this would take an eternity.
The next day.The first day after graduation.
There was a short break before they had to return to the Academy for class reassignments.
After that, they would follow their team leaders and begin real missions.
Before then, Naruto decided to finally relax.
His vacation had begun.
Before leaving, he activated the Transparent World, scanning his surroundings.
As expected, after yesterday's events, nearly twenty Anbu still shadowed him—Kakashi among them.
For his leisure spot, Naruto didn't choose any establishment.
Instead, he headed for the Forest of Death.
Yes—the beast-filled, seldom-visited, villager-free Forest of Death brought him peace.
A crude fishing rod slung over his shoulder, a dogtail grass stalk in his mouth, he strolled across the soft grass.
Deeper into the forest, a massive figure appeared before him.
A giant white wolf, over three meters tall.
Its fur bristled like spears, its eyes gleaming with intelligence.
Unlike the giant boar from before, this wolf was clearly clever.
When it saw Naruto, it didn't immediately attack.
Instead, it stood still, watching him warily.
Naruto also looked on with interest.
The wolf, after a long stare, sensed that although the boy didn't look too strong—his calm, unshaken aura gave it pause.
And since it had recently eaten, there was no need to risk a fight for such a small meal.
It turned to leave.
But before it could go far, Naruto's figure flashed, blocking its path.
The wolf's eyes gleamed with feral light, baring its teeth.
The pressure of such a beast was real.
But Naruto's expression remained calm. In the Forest of Death, dangerous beasts were nothing new.
He drew his blade, infused it with chakra, and the edge began to glow with a cold blue light.
A swing—
A wind blade several meters long shot forth.
Its target wasn't the wolf, but a massive tree as wide as three men's arms linked together.
The tree fell like tofu, the cut surface smooth and clean.
Seeing this, the wolf's eyes widened with human-like fear.
Its hostility melted away, lips curling into something like a nervous grin.
Beasts trusted their instincts more than humans.
And its instincts screamed—this human would kill it effortlessly.
If it fought, it would die.
So it stared at Naruto, frozen, uncertain.
Naruto, satisfied with the display, sheathed his blade and calmly approached.
When he reached it, he leapt lightly onto the wolf's back.
The wolf shuddered, but dared not resist.
"Go. To the river."
The white wolf obeyed.
Naruto lay comfortably on its thick fur, gazing at the blue sky.
As they traveled, a bright voice suddenly rang out:
"Naruto! Long time no see!"
Naruto looked up slightly.
There stood Might Guy, flashing his trademark grin.
Behind him stood Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
All three stared in astonishment at Naruto riding the giant wolf.
They couldn't help but wonder—how had he tamed such a beast?
Naruto hopped down lightly and landed with ease.
"Guy-senpai, what a coincidence. What brings you to the Forest of Death?"
Naruto still showed him respect.
Guy laughed heartily, clapping Naruto's shoulder."Took on a mission! Haven't seen you in a while, and you've grown so much. That's youth for you!"
Among the three, Rock Lee kept his eyes fixed on Naruto.
He had often heard his teacher praise Naruto—calling him a genius even greater than Neji.
What shocked him most was that Neji hadn't argued back, almost as if he agreed.
That only deepened Rock Lee's curiosity.
After all, to him, Neji was already the pinnacle of genius.
But someone even greater? He wanted to know.
Lee stepped forward, eyes serious."Uzumaki Naruto, will you accept my challenge? I want to see the gap between myself and a true genius!"
His sudden challenge left everyone momentarily surprised.
Guy quickly recovered, a mix of pride and worry in his eyes.
Daring to challenge the strong was the path to growth.
But Naruto's talent was so overwhelming… he feared Lee might be crushed.
Neji also spoke, rare for him to warn:"Lee. Give it up. You can't beat him."
But Lee's gaze was unwavering."It doesn't matter. Even if I lose, I want to try!"
Guy caught the resolve in his eyes, and his blood boiled as well.
"Naruto, Lee is my student. Will you spar with him?"
Naruto nodded without hesitation.
The two faced each other.
Lee raised one hand before him, the other behind his back, taking his stance. His voice rang with conviction:
"Uzumaki Naruto! Please fight me with your full strength!"
Naruto's eyes sharpened slightly, sensing Lee's determination.
"Eight Gates Released Formation! Gate of Opening—open!""Gate of Rest—open!""Gate of Life—open!""Gate of Pain—open!""Gate of Limit—open!"
Right from the start, Rock Lee went all out—opening the Eight Gates.
As each gate opened, his aura swelled more terrifyingly.
By the time he opened the Gate of Limit, a visible green aura enveloped him.
His blood boiled, his skin turned crimson.
Neji, activating his Byakugan, was astonished to see the normally humble Lee unleash such power.
Guy clenched his fists, voice burning with passion."Lee! That's it! Pour out your youth without restraint!"