Jiraiya took a deep breath.
Even though it wasn't winter yet, the air he inhaled was so cold and piercing that it sent a chill through his body.
He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.
Once again, he confird that what he saw wasn't an illusion—it was the Nine-Tails.
But wasn't this tailed beast supposed to be inside Naruto?
During the day, he had witnessed Naruto fully mastering its power.
So how could it now be outside the town without any warning?
Jiraiya's mind was in a whirl.
He had only snuck out at night for a quick drink, so how had such an incredible thing suddenly happened?
Naruto's seal, even though one layer of the "Four Symbols Seal" was removed, still had another layer.
Could this be a plot by the "Akatsuki"?
He instantly dashed back to the inn.
Climbing through the window into Naruto's room, he found it empty—Naruto's blond figure was nowhere to be seen.
Jiraiya's face darkened as he walked to the bedside and touched the bedding. It was still slightly warm.
The room's owner had just left, likely of his own accord since there were no signs of a struggle.
And given Naruto's current strength, there was no one in the ninja world who could quietly abduct him.
So... did Naruto leave the town on his own and release the Nine-Tails?
Jiraiya didn't disturb Karin but instead headed out of the town again.
In the forest.
Naruto, sitting on the Nine-Tails' shoulder, looked up and said, "Jiraiya-sensei is here."
The Nine-Tails swayed its tails. "He's alone."
"Then I won't go back yet."
Naruto smiled, patting its ear. "Jiraiya-sensei, co out. It's safe here."
A white figure appeared instantly.
Jiraiya cautiously stood at a safe distance, his tone serious, "Naruto, what is going on? How is the Nine-Tails...?"
He was a bit confused.
"This is the effect of a technique," Naruto replied. "It can temporarily release the Nine-Tails from my body without harming ."
Jiraiya breathed a slight sigh of relief. "You gave a scare. I thought the Nine-Tails had broken free."
"It won't harm your body? That's a relief. But..."
He glanced at the Nine-Tails.
Even though it was crouching down, it was still nearly ten ters tall, standing out conspicuously in the forest.
The Nine-Tails turned its head, and with just a slight movent, it stirred up a huge gust of wind.
Jiraiya slightly lowered his body, channeling chakra to his feet to stay grounded and not be swept away by the wind. Feeling the fierce wind, his expression and gaze beca serious.
No wonder past ninjas called the Nine-Tails a "natural disaster"—it wasn't without reason.
Its body and power were so enormous that even the aftereffects of its slightest movents were comparable to high-level ninjutsu that most ninjas couldn't withstand.
"Naruto, you're right. There are indeed too many creatures like this," the Nine-Tails said, smirking slightly. "I should consider how to shrink in size."
In fact, this wasn't difficult.
Tailed Beasts have life consciousness, but they are essentially just masses of chakra.
By reducing the amount of chakra leaking from the seal, they can control their size.
After a few attempts...
The Nine-Tails beca smaller than a regular fox, with its nine tails fluffy and nearly as large as its body.
It perched on Naruto's shoulder, sitting obediently. "So this is what the view is like when I'm smaller? It's quite novel."
It looked around curiously.
Jiraiya also found it intriguing. It was the first ti he had seen a tailed beast not only leave its host's body but also get along so well with the jinchūriki.
Naruto and the Nine-Tails continued their experints.
Since this was their first ti using this technique, they weren't sure what its full effects could be.
The cursed rope connecting them could be hidden from view and didn't affect reality.
They also confird the Nine-Tails' range of activity.
This was related to the power output of the Nine-Tails—the greater the power output, the farther it could move away from Naruto; the smaller the power output, the closer it had to stay.
In its current small fox form, it could only move within a range of about ten ters around Naruto.
If it moved beyond that range, the Four Symbols Seal would imdiately pull the Nine-Tails' power back.
But even so, the Nine-Tails wasn't too disappointed.
Being able to erge from the seal, even with only a portion of its power, ant it was beginning to embrace freedom.
As for staying by Naruto's side all the ti...
That wasn't a bad thing.
Life beside him was much more interesting than living as a lone fox deep in the mountains.
By the ti everything was confird, it was already dawn.
Jiraiya was lying on a tree branch nearby, yawning.
Konoha Village had already started its busy day.
At the Uchiha clan ruins, Sasuke had just finished his morning training.
Haruno Sakura suddenly appeared beside him. "Sasuke, we have a new mission."
Sasuke's face remained calm. "A mission? What is it this ti?"
"Accompany Team 8 to the capital of the Land of Fire to escort a noble back to Konoha. The mission is classified as B-rank," Sakura replied.
During the past six months, it had almost always been like this.
Kakashi was busy with his duties as Hokage, leaving him with little ti to lead Team 7. He could hardly even find ti to et with them, let alone guide them.
With Kakashi's absence, they could only take on D-rank missions within the village. For higher-ranking missions, they had to team up with other complete ninja squads.
"The capital of the Land of Fire isn't far from Konoha, and it's just about protecting a noble," Sasuke said coolly, hands in his pockets. "This mission is aningless."
"Let's refuse it."
Sasuke didn't want to take on missions. He preferred to spend his ti training. Without a teacher's guidance, he had to find his own way to beco stronger. Every second was precious. These missions would only interfere with his growth.
"We might run into Naruto," Sakura said cautiously, ntioning a na.
"Naruto?" Sasuke lowered his head, his tone deep. "Why did you bring him up all of a sudden?"
Sakura replied, "I heard so news about him from Kakashi-sensei."
"Jiraiya-sama reported that Naruto has now fully mastered the power of the Nine-Tails."
Sasuke clenched his fist. "Naruto has grown stronger again, huh?"
"It's been a year and a half since he left," Sakura said, her tone carrying a mix of nostalgia and hope. "Sasuke, let's not refuse this mission."
"We might run into Naruto. It's been so long since we last saw him."
She was trying to persuade him.
It had been four months since Sasuke last took on a mission.
There was much talk in the village.
Of course, Sakura didn't join those who criticized Sasuke, but his behavior was starting to make her feel uneasy. It seed like Sasuke was drifting further and further away from the village.
"I understand." Sasuke turned and walked toward the Hokage's office.
Sakura was delighted. "Sasuke, did you agree?"
Sasuke waved his hand.
In the Hokage's Office, Kakashi opened his eyes dully as he handled village affairs. The life of the Hokage was extraordinarily tedious.
Not long after, there was a knock at the door.
Before he could respond, the door was pushed open, and soone walked in.
"Sasuke," Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here? Are you planning to refuse another mission?"
Sasuke walked closer, his tone firm. "Kakashi-sensei, I've already mastered shape transformation. Please teach other ninjutsu."
Kakashi was silent for a while before he spoke. "Sasuke, you're already an excellent ninja. You have the strength of a jōnin. But the biggest issue is that you haven't been completing enough missions lately."
"Take on a few more B-rank missions. I'll recomnd you to the village as a special jōnin. Once you join the jōnin ranks, I can apply to the village to teach you so new ninjutsu."
Sasuke lowered his head. "Is this the sa as when I was a chūnin?"
A year ago, during the chūnin exams in the village, he had successfully been promoted to chūnin. He had hoped to learn more ninjutsu.
But Kakashi only taught him two things: one was the B-rank ninjutsu, *Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique*, and the other was chakra shape transformation.
A year had passed, and during this ti, he had repeatedly asked Kakashi to teach him more. It didn't matter whether it was taijutsu, genjutsu, or ninjutsu. As long as it made him stronger, anything was fine.
But none of these requests had been fulfilled.
Kakashi turned his head away, not saying anything.
He also wanted to teach Sasuke more ninjutsu. But... the attitude of the high-level advisors was one of refusal.
During the last ti a year ago, it had been decided to teach Sasuke only the *Fire Release* technique. The shape transformation was sothing Kakashi had taught out of his own reluctance, which had caused dissatisfaction among the advisors.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had already been sent away. The Uchiha clan's last remaining bloodline had to be firmly controlled.
How could they easily grant his requests and still maintain control? Especially when this Uchiha bloodline had contributed nothing to the village lately. Despite having the strength of a jōnin, he was unwilling to take on missions.
How could such a ninja be taught more ninjutsu?
What comforted Kakashi was that among the high-level advisors, the one called Danzo seed too frightened by Naruto to ask for Sasuke. This reduced the pressure on him.
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said as he walked out of the office.
Kakashi called after him, "Will you accept that mission?"
Sasuke looked back at him, his expression cold. "I will."
Kakashi stared at Sasuke in a daze.
After four months, Sasuke was finally taking on a mission from the village again. He should be happy. But why... did he feel so uneasy?
Sasuke left, and an Anbu swiftly appeared.
"Hokage-sama, news from Jiraiya-sama," he reported.
Kakashi had no ti to ponder about Sasuke and returned to the heavy tasks of the Hokage.
That afternoon, led by Yuhi Kurenai, Team 8 and Team 7 set off from the village to the capital of the Land of Fire on a joint mission.
~~~
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