"Come on, Kakashi-sensei, relax..." Naruto Uzumaki said, holding his hands out. He glanced at Sasuke beside him and added softly, "It's not like our dislike for our Jonin captain is a new thing."
Of course, this was a joke. Team 7 still had some respect for their Jonin captain.
Although Kakashi Hatake's strength wasn't exactly overwhelming—and sometimes in battle, his performance was even worse than Sasuke's—he had also risked his life for his subordinates. That was the sadder part. He had earned their respect not because of his great power as a Jonin leader, but because he was always willing to put his life on the line to protect them.
Kakashi Hatake felt a headache coming on. Ever since the three genin of Team 7 joined his squad, they had all become troublemakers.
Sakura Haruno had already given up on learning from him and had turned to medical ninjutsu instead. Sasuke Uchiha at least acknowledged his teaching ability, since Kakashi had taught him his father's sword style and Lightning Release ninjutsu. That just left Naruto Uzumaki, the hard-to-handle genius...
It made perfect sense. Naruto was a natural at developing ninjutsu and hadn't learned much from Kakashi. Instead, every time they faced danger, Naruto was the one who turned the tide of battle.
Young people just have to have their own personalities, Kakashi thought. He remembered when he was promoted to Jonin. He didn't respect his own teacher much either and often did as he pleased, which ultimately almost got him killed on the battlefield.
Perhaps this was karma. Naruto Uzumaki had even more of a personality than Kakashi ever did.
Kakashi's gaze wavered. He patted his forehead and said, "Well, since you don't need my help to test it, let's just forget it..."
"Forget it? How can we forget it!" Naruto clenched his fist and grinned. "Come on, a Jonin's opinion is still very valuable to us genin..."
"You say that as if you actually care about what a Jonin thinks," Kakashi muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You're just a brat who's still taking the Chunin Exams..."
Team 7's mindset was a bit of a problem. Strictly speaking, their strength and experience had skewed their perspective. Sometimes the enemy was a Jonin, and they would recklessly charge forward; other times the enemies were all genin, and they would be unusually cautious.
The blame for that probably fell on Kosuke Maruboshi, who always liked to take the fall. He had corrupted Team 7's values, making them think that "Jonin" was just an empty title. Of course, Danzo Shimura couldn't escape responsibility either. That old man had brought an army of Jonin and Special Jonin, only to suffer heavy losses at Naruto's hands, which made Kakashi lose a great deal of face.
Sasuke Uchiha glanced at them and tapped the back of his sword. "Hey, you two, enough chatter. Hurry up... I still have to train today!"
"..."
Hearing Sasuke, Naruto looked at his Jonin leader and nodded. "Alright Kakashi-sensei, I'll have to trouble you to help me test the power of Sage Mode..."
The white-haired Jonin nodded seriously. This wouldn't be difficult at all. He'd just have to rough Naruto up a bit, then take the shortcomings his teacher, Minato Namikaze, had mentioned and rephrase them as his own observations. This would both make him seem knowledgeable and teach this brat Naruto that there was always someone better.
"Then let's begin! Sealing Jutsu... Devour!"
Naruto Uzumaki suddenly spread his palm, and streams of natural energy surged from it, quickly sinking into the sealing space within him. The Nine-Tails inside its cage opened its eyes, releasing its Tailed Beast chakra through the seal. The chakra merged with the natural energy, transforming into pure sage chakra.
This new sage chakra, different from other energies, quickly spread throughout Naruto's body, slowly changing him.
A suppressed, low roar came from Naruto's throat. "Sage Mode... Activate!"
His once azure blue pupils slowly turned blood-red, revealing a hint of ferocity and aggression—a color identical to the Nine-Tails' eyes. His golden-yellow hair began to show a touch of red. The color quickly spread, turning his entire hair a deep, blood-red.
An astonishing aura swept across the mountain! It was the power of a sage, combining Tailed Beast chakra and natural energy.
Kakashi Hatake stared blankly at Naruto's transformed red hair and couldn't help but mutter, "That's... Kushina's..."
That's right. It was the unique red hair of the Uzumaki clan. Or, strictly speaking, it was the color of the Tailed Beast chakra. Because the chakra transmitted from the Nine-Tails had to pass through the seal, every stream of it was extremely violent. Even when not used to form sage chakra, it could allow Naruto to activate a fierce Tailed Beast mode.
"This feels a bit unfamiliar..." Naruto frowned, grabbing a lock of his red hair. "I feel like Sage Mode shouldn't be like this. Did something go wrong?"
Wait... The Nine-Tails in the sealing space was also surprised, its eyes slowly opening. Why didn't Sage Fox Mode activate? Did something go wrong? According to the formula for Sage Mode, this kind of mutation shouldn't happen. Is it because all the sage chakra was synthesized by me? Or is there a problem with the dominant natural energy? Or is it because the Tailed Beast chakra has to pass through the seal?
As it thought this, the Nine-Tails slowly raised its head, gazing at the seal on its cage. It was precisely because of this seal that Naruto was so weak.
According to the Nine-Tails' judgment, this little brat's Sage Mode, after combining with Tailed Beast chakra, should have been similar to Sage Fox Mode. It was just that this time, the components—both the chakra released by the Nine-Tails and the violently absorbed natural energy—were extremely wild.
Perhaps when Naruto learned to refine natural energy himself, the traditional Mount Myoboku Sage Mode would appear. Perhaps when the seal in his body was finally opened, and the Nine-Tails could transmit its chakra without reservation, he could truly activate Sage Fox Mode.
Forget it. At least there's no problem with the power... the Nine-Tails thought, no longer dwelling on it. It even commented with great interest, Even if it's not Sage Fox Mode, it's much stronger than what that bunch of toads from Mount Myoboku can do!
Because this Sage Mode was truly born for battle.
Boom!
Naruto bent his waist and slammed a fist into the ground. The earth around him instantly shattered, turning into a circular pit.
The sheer might of one punch.
The scene made both Sasuke's and Kakashi's eyelids twitch. After successfully activating Sage Mode, this guy Naruto's power was immense.
"This power... is refreshingly new..." Naruto stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. Although this Sage Mode felt unfamiliar, its power was undeniable.
Compared to the Mount Myoboku Sage Mode, this new form had an extremely high compatibility with him, because ever since he was a child, his chakra had been entangled with the Nine-Tails'.
Kakashi Hatake looked at the red-haired Naruto in the distance and couldn't help but swallow. "This feeling... is not very good..."
-----
Bonus:
Kushina Uzumaki: Son... I'm so fulfilled...
Minato Namikaze: ...
Naruto Uzumaki: What's wrong?
Kushina Uzumaki: In the future, when I see your grandparents, I can tell them this is their grandson. I can say you are a true child of the Uzumaki clan...
Minato Namikaze: ...
Naruto Uzumaki: Just because of the red hair?
Kushina Uzumaki: Yeah! Don't you know about those kids from Grandma Mito's family? Lady Tsunade doesn't even have her own surname yet! The Uzumaki clan doesn't acknowledge her bloodline either!
Minato Namikaze: ...
Tsunade: ...
Mito Uzumaki: ...
Hashirama Senju: ...