This was the first time Yoruha had ever seen Haku—
and Haku was wearing an ANBU-style mask.
When Yoruha appeared, Haku didn't know where his courage came from, but he suddenly shouted toward him, ignoring Naruto's attention:
"Don't come any closer!"
His voice, however, only enraged the already half-crazed Naruto.
"ROAAAR!"
A guttural roar tore through the air, shaking the very atmosphere around them.
"That sound…" Yoruha said calmly. "Looks like he's about to lose his mind completely."
He frowned slightly. "If I'd known this would happen, I should've learned more sealing techniques from Kakashi-sensei. None of the ones I know can deal with a tailed beast."
Yoruha sighed helplessly.
If he'd mastered the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts, he could've forced the Nine-Tails' chakra back into Naruto's body right now.
"ROAAAR!"
Another feral roar erupted as Naruto lunged at Haku.
The chakra cloak around him had taken on a solid form—
the Nine-Tails' power made tangible.
That blood-red chakra radiated a sinister, almost suffocating malice.
Even Yoruha felt the intense threat emanating from it.
"This won't do… I can't let him slaughter the innocent."
Seeing Naruto charge toward Haku, Yoruha immediately intervened.
He still remembered fragments of the original story—
Haku had never killed without reason. He was, in truth, a kind and gentle soul.
Yoruha didn't like meddling in others' affairs, but he couldn't just stand by and let Naruto kill him.
BOOM!
A thunderous sound split the air.
Before Haku could react, Yoruha vanished from his spot and appeared right in front of him—
his fist colliding with Naruto's clawed strike.
The impact unleashed a violent shockwave.
The ground beneath them shattered, collapsing into fragments.
At that moment, Naruto was cloaked in a blood-red layer of demonic chakra,
while Yoruha's body was wrapped in a shimmering golden aura of interwoven lightning threads.
That's right—
fighting Naruto in this state required extreme caution. A single touch from that corrosive chakra cloak could melt flesh and bone.
But Yoruha's lightning armor had immense defensive power.
After trading several heavy blows, Yoruha's expression grew solemn.
"His strength increased this much after partial transformation… impressive. I'm actually feeling a bit of pressure."
Behind him, Haku stood frozen, completely stunned.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing—
Yoruha was fighting that version of Naruto head-on in close combat.
Just moments ago, Naruto had sent Haku flying dozens of meters with a single strike.
That kind of power was unforgettable—far greater than even Zabuza's strength.
Yet Yoruha was matching Naruto blow for blow, not even retreating an inch.
"What is that golden aura around him?" Haku whispered in awe.
He could sense it—it was similar in nature to Naruto's cloak, yet completely different in essence.
While Naruto's chakra radiated malice and chaos, Yoruha's lightning aura felt radiant—
pure, life-filled, and brilliant like sunlight.
After a few more exchanges, Yoruha thought grimly,
If this keeps up, I'll run out of stamina and chakra before he does. I need to find a way to bring him back to his senses.
Naruto was a jinchūriki, and with the Nine-Tails' chakra leaking out like this,
the seal might not hold much longer.
Yoruha couldn't allow that to happen.
He could still fight this current form of Naruto—
but if the Nine-Tails broke free entirely, even he knew he stood no chance.
With a burst of lightning at his feet, Yoruha's leg whipped out—
his kick wrapped in a dense web of crackling thunder.
Speed and power fused into one devastating strike.
BOOM!
The blow landed like a cannon shot, sending Naruto hurtling hundreds of meters away, crashing into the ocean.
A massive column of seawater erupted skyward.
Yoruha didn't worry about injuring him.
At this point, Naruto's body was completely reinforced by the Nine-Tails' chakra,
and his regenerative ability was monstrous.
Even if he took damage, the chakra would heal him in seconds.
After sending Naruto flying, Yoruha clasped his hands together.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
He leapt from the bridge, forming hand seals midair—
and before he even hit the ocean, a colossal water dragon burst out of the sea beneath him,
rising hundreds of meters into the sky.
"ROAAAR!"
The massive dragon coiled through the heavens,
its roar shaking the very clouds above.
The sound echoed for miles—
every living creature within several kilometers could hear the thunderous dragon's cry.
Far away, Kakashi and Zabuza both turned at once.
Kakashi's eyes widened. "That's… Yoruha's Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!?"
"But it's never been this powerful before—it's over 300 meters long!"
Ordinary Water Dragon Bullet techniques rarely reached even a few dozen meters.
Even Yoruha's previous versions had only reached around a hundred.
But this one… this one had fully taken shape,
its body massive, its eyes gleaming,
its presence almost alive.
Zabuza froze mid-battle. "What kind of monster is that brat?"
"No wonder Kurosuki Raiga failed… that kid's a damn monster."
He cursed under his breath. "What's going on in Konoha lately? First that jinchūriki brat, now this one. Two monsters in a row."
The "other monster" he referred to, of course, was Naruto.
Even knowing Naruto was a jinchūriki didn't prepare him for the sheer malice radiating from the Nine-Tails' chakra.
That energy was beyond comprehension—
not just vast in quantity, but steeped in terrifying hatred.
Even someone as ruthless as Zabuza felt chills crawl up his spine.
And now, Yoruha had returned, far stronger than when they'd fought just days ago.
It had only been a couple of weeks—
how could someone grow this fast?
Zabuza could now understand why Raiga hadn't survived the encounter.
Judging by the sheer power of this Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu alone,
Yoruha's strength had already reached the jōnin level—
not just a "special" jōnin, but a true one, perhaps even an elite.
In fact, the destructive force of Yoruha's ninjutsu already surpassed that of many Kage-level shinobi.
But ninja weren't judged solely by destructive power.
Yoruha was still only twelve—a newly promoted genin.
Zabuza didn't believe his battle experience matched that of a Kage.
Still, for him to have elite jōnin-level ability at that age… was beyond belief.
Kakashi's gaze flicked toward the sea, where Naruto had fallen.
Seeing that sinister chakra bubbling around him, Kakashi's expression tightened with worry.
If the Nine-Tails broke through the seal here,
it would be a catastrophe for Konoha.
The village would not only lose face but also lose its greatest strategic weapon.
And if the Nine-Tails took full control of Naruto, turning him into its puppet—
he could easily attack other villages, igniting another war.
That was the worst possible outcome.
Kakashi's eyes turned to Yoruha, who now stood upon the waves, clothes rippling in the sea breeze.
Above him, the enormous water dragon coiled through the sky, its golden eyes glowing, fixed intently on the distant Naruto.
Behind Naruto, the faint outline of a second tail began to form.
Clearly, even the Nine-Tails could sense it—
the water dragon across the sea was no ordinary jutsu.
---
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