In the moonlit forest, Naruto and Sasuke stood frozen in stunned silence as they watched Izumi Uchiha vanish into the distance.
After a while.
"Hey Sasuke, was that girl from your clan? She's really cute, huh?" Naruto grinned stupidly as he scratched his nose and then his butt before asking.
"Shut up!"
Sasuke shot Naruto a glare and snapped angrily, clearly in no mood for his nonsense.
During his fight with Izumi, Sasuke had undoubtedly suffered a major blow. Compared to her beauty, what unsettled him more was the fact that someone around his own age already possessed a triple-tomoe Sharingan.
All along, Sasuke had considered himself a genius, proud of his abilities and standing out among everyone at the Ninja Academy. However, not long after becoming a Genin, he got a harsh lesson from reality—or rather, from someone like Izumi—reminding him just how vast the world truly was.
Each deep in his own thoughts, Naruto and Sasuke made their way back to where they were staying.
The next day.
Their enemies appeared again.
Tazuna dreamed of building a bridge to connect the Land of Waves with the outside world.
But the Gato Corporation, which operated outwardly as a shipping company but was actually a yakuza organization, had long sought to control the entire Land of Waves. Naturally, they opposed Tazuna's plan and sent people to interfere.
Today, many construction workers had been beaten by Gato Corporation's hired mercenaries—Zabuza and Haku—who had made a dramatic comeback, clashing fiercely with Kakashi's Team 7 on the incomplete bridge.
Faced with Zabuza's relentless assault, Kakashi found himself in a difficult struggle.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke were trapped inside Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.
[FIREBALL TECHNIQUE!]
Sasuke unleashed the signature Fire Release jutsu of the Uchiha clan, spitting out a massive fireball from his mouth in an attempt to destroy the ice mirrors—but failed.
Soon after, they were completely overwhelmed by Haku.
Swish swish swish swish!
Dozens of fine needles flew out from the mirrors straight toward Naruto Uzumaki, seemingly about to turn him into a real-life porcupine.
At this critical moment,
Sasuke leaped in front of Naruto, taking every single needle meant for his friend with a series of psh psh psh sounds before crashing heavily to the ground, nearly dead.
Enraged, Naruto, under the influence of the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, released the fox demon's chakra.
Boom!
Before everyone's shocked eyes, a gigantic fox demon appeared on the bridge—the massive chakra of the Nine-Tails forming a tangible Tailed Beast Cloak around Naruto's body.
Empowered like never before, Naruto immediately launched a furious counterattack against Haku.
The situation on the battlefield flipped instantly.
Crack!
Under the impact of the Nine-Tails' chakra, Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals shattered like paper, easily destroyed, exposing his true position entirely within Naruto's sight.
"Haaa!"
With a furious roar, Naruto threw a punch straight at Haku's mask. If that strike connected fully, it would mean certain death for Haku.
Just then,
Swish!
A graceful figure suddenly dashed out from the thick fog nearby, positioning itself between Naruto and Haku.
Bang!
A fist came flying straight at him and collided with Naruto's fist, immediately generating powerful shockwaves radiating from both fighters as the epicenter.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Naruto staggered backward several steps and glared ahead, furious. He suddenly froze as he looked up ahead and recognized a familiar face.
Izumi Uchiha.
She stood beside Haku, one hand resting gently on Haku's shoulder, smiling as she spoke to Naruto.
"You will not harm this boy—I'm taking him with me."
The moment these words left her mouth, the most surprised person wasn't Naruto—it was Haku.
"Who are you, and why would you take me away?"
He gave Izumi a wary, questioning stare. Although grateful that this stranger had saved him, there was no way he'd follow her anywhere.
He was Zabuza-sama's tool. His entire life's value revolved around being used by Zabuza. That was all he needed.
"My name is Izumi Uchiha. You can just call me Izumi. I've come here on my teacher's orders—to save you."
Izumi continued smiling mysteriously as she spoke.
But before either could continue their conversation, Naruto wouldn't stand for it. Influenced by Nine-Tails' savage chakra, he charged toward Izumi again.
"Almost forgot—you're the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Perfect. I've always wanted to test myself against the legendary Nine-Tails Fox Demon and witness the might of the strongest Tailed Beast firsthand."
As Naruto charged forward fiercely, Izumi muttered quietly to herself. Remaining calm and composed, she raised her fist and met him head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Right on this bridge, the two engaged in an intense Taijutsu battle. Even Kakashi and Zabuza, locked in fighting side by side nearby, unknowingly paused their fight, stepping back some distance to watch Izumi's and Naruto's clash with wide-eyed shock.
Empowered by the Nine-Tails Cloak, Naruto had superhuman strength and terrifying regeneration capabilities, making him nearly invincible in close-quarters combat.
However, don't forget— Izumi had also received Heiyan's Sage Cells through transplantation. Her physical strength and healing ability rivaled those of Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Actually, to be precise, they were slightly superior.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, the seemingly fragile Izumi was actually dominating the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. Naruto was overpowered so severely that he couldn't even fight back.
"Naruto, this woman is dangerous! Quickly undo the seal—I need to break free completely! Otherwise, you and your companions will all die here today!"
Deep inside Naruto, the Nine-Tails urged impatiently.
It wasn't just trying to manipulate Naruto—it genuinely sensed danger. From Izumi Uchiha, the Nine-Tails detected immense danger, as if she were its natural predator.
Screw it!
Acting impulsively, Naruto ignored everything else and obeyed the Nine-Tails' urging, fully releasing its chakra.
Instantly, his pupils transformed into fox-like eyes, and nine tails sprouted rapidly behind him as he began evolving toward Full Tailed Beast Transformation.
However, the transformation halted abruptly the very next second.
Because across from him, Izumi activated her Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and instantly cast Genjutsu upon both Naruto and the Nine-Tails.
Vibrating sound filled the air.
The Nine-Tails staggered under the impact of the Mangekyou's ocular power, its massive form swaying. Its eerie crimson eyes slowly morphed, forming the distinctive pattern of the Sharingan.
Now, it finally recalled the terror of being controlled by the Uchiha clan. Both Madara Uchiha and Obito had once used the Sharingan to command it, turning it into little more than a puppet beneath their gaze.
Luckily, things were different now — it had Naruto Uzumaki by its side. Their chakras clashed violently, disrupting the Sharingan's genjutsu.
Yet just as the Nine-Tails broke free from Izumi's illusion, before it could take any further action—
Zwip! Zwip!
Several enormous golden chains flew straight toward it, binding it completely with heavy chains.
The chains originated from Izumi Uchiha's palms, seemingly shot out from within her body.
[Adamantine Sealing Chains].
After receiving Heiyan's cells, she had inherited part of the Sage Transformation ability, and [Adamantine Sealing Chains] was one of them.
In recent days, under Heiyan's guidance, Izumi had diligently practiced and gained proficiency in this high-tier forbidden jutsu. When deployed now, the effect was immediate and striking.
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