Kankuro and Temari, who were brewing soy sauce in the distance, nearly dropped their jaws.
Gaara—so terrifyingly powerful—was overthrown in an instant.
Just how strong was this guy nad Haruto Itsuki?
After a mont of shock, the two imdiately launched an attack on two of the enemy ninja before dashing back toward the battlefield in a hurry.
As Haruto exchanged words with Naruto, a sudden gust of wind kicked up sand and dust. Puppets burst from the ground. The largest one engulfed Gaara before vanishing underground. The others unleashed poison fog and fire-style blasts, forcing Haruto and the others to retreat—then self-destructed in a burst of flas.
Haruto glanced at the fleeing Kankuro and Temari, uninterested in chasing.
His mind was elsewhere.
Gaara...
After Gaara disappeared underground, Naruto stepped in front of Haruto.
"Sorry, boss."
Haruto ruffled Naruto's hair with a smile.
"There's nothing to be sorry for. We didn't lose anything today. Naruto... as long as it's not a matter of principle—whatever you do, whatever choice you make—I'll back you up."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly, then he smiled dumbly, eyes misting.
Kankuro had run for quite a distance with Temari and Gaara before finally stopping.
"Weird... they're not chasing us," Kankuro muttered, glancing behind.
Temari frowned. "Yeah... with that guy's speed, catching up would've been easy."
They released Gaara and broke the seal.
Once freed, Gaara just stood silently, staring off into the horizon.
"Gaara, are you okay?" Temari asked gently.
"I'm fine," Gaara replied flatly.
"What can he do?" Kankuro scoffed. "I told him not to pick fights at random. If it weren't for us, he'd be—"
He cut himself off. "...Sorry, Gaara. Just kidding."
Gaara gave him a blank look, then turned and walked forward wordlessly.
Kankuro leaned in toward Temari. "Hey... don't you feel like Gaara's acting... different?"
Temari nodded slowly. "Yeah. He's changed. But I don't know how."
Not far behind Haruto's group, two Cloud-nin teams had regrouped in the shadows of the forest.
A tall Jonin with tattoos and a grim face—Kokuryo—scanned the forest.
"That brat is powerful," he muttered. "We can't face him head-on... not with that whole squad around him. But if we let this chance go, we might never get another. We'll end up fading into the shadows again."
"Damn it," another said—short, sharp-eyed, holding a warped sword. Sha. "If only Ji was here. With his kekkei genkai, this would be over in seconds."
Kokuryo's expression darkened further.
"Ji's faster than us. But I fear... he's already fallen. The squads we saw earlier were enough to wipe out our entire unit. What kind of monsters are these kids? Is this the power of the new generation in the other villages? Has Cloud... fallen behind?"
Sha nodded grimly. "If we let these monsters grow up... they'll beco nightmares for all of us."
Then, Kokuryo's eyes narrowed.
"Wait... I get it now. That guy's power... he's using a Inner gate technique. His strength is borrowed, overdrawn."
Elsewhere, Haruto was collapsed on the ground. He'd released the Third Gate and used the Cursed Seal, draining his body beyond its limit. The pain wasn't as violent as the Fourth Gate, but the combo left him utterly exhausted.
He looked up and saw Naruto laughing with Karin, and Sasuke sitting beside Haku.
Friends...
Then—
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave."
!?
Haruto's eyes snapped open.
That's... Kisa's technique? A jutsu that floods entire battlefields!?
But what appeared in front of him was laughable.
The water barely made enough to fill two swimming pools.
Haruto nearly chuckled.
"You call this 'exploding water'? If you saw the real thing... you'd crawl into a hole."
As Haruto easily dodged the half-hearted attack, he realized the enemies were Cloud-nin.
"Well, this is a surprise," Kokuryo sneered. "You're injured, your chakra's drained. And now—you're going to die here."
He ford hand signs.
"Secret Art: Nine-Headed Dragon Torrent!"
Kokuryo tattoos peeled from his skin and fused into the water, transforming into nine black serpentine dragons that surged forward like a tidal wave.
Haruto's gaze sharpened.
A Cloud shinobi using advanced water style? Above average... not on Kisa's level, but threatening.
But his attention shifted—another ninja had stepped forward.
A swordsman with a broken blade... and an eerie aura.
Haruto's eyes locked on him.
"You have sword Aura," Haruto said. "What's your na?"
"Codena: Sha. I have no na."
Haruto slowly unsheathed Murasa and pointed the blade at him.
"Let's duel. Sword to sword."
Sha hesitated... then shook his head.
"You're too exhausted. In peaceti, I'd wait. But this is war. Forgive ."
He charged, his broken sword glowing with strange red chakra, swirling like a living beast.
Haruto tensed.
This chakra... it reeks of a Tailed Beast. That sword... is it sealed with sothing dangerous?
anwhile, Kokuryo led six Cloud chūnin to surround Naruto, Karin, and Haku.
"One, two, three, four, five... Looks like we've got numbers on our side." He smirked.
Karin looked pale. "D-Do I count...?"
Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, grinning.
"Relax. I'm strong."
He faced the enemy.
"You want to count heads? Let's play."
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of clones erupted into existence—each wielding chakra blades like glowing lightsabers. The whole area flashed with energy as they lined up behind him.
In an instant, Naruto dominated the battlefield.
Kokuryo began to sweat.
"They're all real clones... and those blades... not ordinary at all. Is he the strongest of them...? Dammit... Did I just poke an iron wall?"
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