Facing this mysterious ninja, Sakura and Tazuna were visibly panicked. Although they couldn't gauge the exact strength of the opponent, they were certain they stood no chance against this red-haired ninja. Perhaps this time, they were truly done for.
Unlike Sakura and Tazuna, Naruto felt an odd sense of familiarity with the red-haired ninja.
He couldn't tell if it was the scent or the attire, but it felt as though he had seen her in a dream before. Unconsciously, his guard lowered. Suppressing the strange feeling, Naruto raised his kunai and charged at the red-haired ninja.
He knew there was a gap in strength between them, but if he didn't even have the courage to fight, how could he ever become Hokage in the future? Soon, Naruto successfully closed the distance to the red-haired ninja.
After forming hand seals, he created over a dozen shadow clones, all launching a coordinated attack on her. His plan was to use the numbers to restrict the opponent, then deliver the final blow with his real body. However, the red-haired ninja merely glanced at the shadow clones, drew a short sword, and swung it in an arc.
A wind blade infused with chakra shot out, instantly dispelling most of the shadow clones. At the same time, Naruto managed to get close to the red-haired ninja and formed a Rasengan. Seeing the spiraling, screeching Rasengan, the red-haired ninja paused, her eyes growing complex.
Just before the Rasengan could hit, she formed hand seals, and golden chains, writhing like dancing serpents, emerged from behind her, blocking the attack.
With a loud explosion, the impact sent both of them flying back several meters.
As Naruto prepared to launch another attack, the golden chains wrapped around his body, binding him tightly in mid-air. The red-haired ninja then stepped forward and struck Naruto's abdomen with a palm strike, knocking him unconscious.
Seeing Naruto fall unconscious, Sakura hesitated for a moment before also launching an attack. However, if even Naruto wasn't a match for the red-haired ninja, Sakura, with her genin-level strength, was easily defeated. After having her chakra sealed by one of the chains, she was completely incapacitated.
The red-haired ninja looked at Sakura, then at Tazuna in the distance, and said,
"I'm not here to kill you. Come with me."
Hearing this, Sakura was momentarily stunned. "You're not one of Gato's ninjas? Then why did you attack us?"
The red-haired ninja frowned and replied, "Knowing too much isn't good for you. If you keep talking, I might change my mind. Knocking you out and leaving you for the beasts isn't out of the question."
Sakura's face turned pale as she imagined being devoured by wild animals. Tazuna, on the other hand, put on a flattering smile and began pleading with the red-haired ninja, hoping to be spared.
After everything he had been through, Tazuna finally understood the true power of ninja.
The gap between ninja and ordinary people was immense. Those who could create lakes and forests with a single thought were no different from gods in the eyes of ordinary people.
If the Land of Waves wanted to escape Gato's cruel rule, their hope lay with the ninja.
---
When Naruto woke up from his unconscious state, several hours had passed.
As he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a tatami mat. Relieved, he muttered to himself,
"It seems Kakashi and those animal-masked guys managed to defeat Itachi Uchiha. But where am I now? The Land of Waves or Konoha?"
At that moment, Naruto noticed the red-haired ninja sitting beside the tatami mat. His expression shifted slightly.
She seemed to be asleep, wearing a fox mask and sitting motionless next to him, as if keeping watch over him.
Thinking about this, Naruto shook his head, finding the idea absurd.
Many ninjas had come to monitor him while he slept, but aside from Hinata, no one had ever stayed by his side so gently.
Seeming to sense Naruto's awakening, the red-haired ninja spoke softly, "Naruto, why didn't you use the Nine-Tails' power during the fight earlier?"
Hearing this, Naruto was deeply puzzled. It seemed this person knew his true identity.
After a moment of thought, Naruto countered, "Why should I use the Nine-Tails' power? What does it matter to you whether I use it or not?"
"If you had used the Nine-Tails' power, you would have at least had a chance to escape earlier…" The red-haired ninja paused, then continued, "Wait, no. The Eight Trigrams Seal on you has been reinforced. You don't even have the chance to communicate with the Nine-Tails. No wonder you can't use its power. That fox has been locked in a cage for over a decade. It's probably on the verge of breaking down."
Naruto noticed the change in the other's tone and glanced at their vibrant red hair. He asked uncertainly, "You know so much about the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki… Are you from the Uzumaki clan?"
The red-haired ninja nodded, somewhat surprised. "I am indeed from the Uzumaki clan. But how do you know about the Uzumaki clan? Since when does the ninja academy teach about us?"
"I read some books at home when I'm alone."
After a brief pause, Naruto continued, "But if you're from the Uzumaki clan, why didn't you reveal your identity earlier? I thought you were an enemy. By the way, what about Sakura and Tazuna? Have you seen Sasuke?"
The red-haired ninja shook her head. "Your client and teammate are temporarily detained. As for Sasuke, I haven't seen him. He might have been captured by Itachi Uchiha, or he might have escaped. However, I came here for you. The others aren't my concern."
Hearing this, Naruto frowned. "Why did you come for me? Just because we're from the same clan? Did Byakuya send you?"
"You know Byakuya?" The red-haired ninja grew even more surprised.
Naruto nodded slightly. "A few days ago, I met Byakuya briefly. I know he's been following us, trying to use me, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, to lure out the masked man. During the fight earlier, I was wondering why Byakuya didn't show up. Turns out he sent you instead."
Naruto's calm analysis made the red-haired ninja smile. She had initially thought that Naruto, having grown up without parental care, might have turned out differently. But to her surprise, Naruto had matured quickly, already thinking like a jonin despite having just graduated from the academy.
While she felt relieved, she also felt a pang of heartache for Naruto.
How much suffering had Naruto endured in Konoha to develop such meticulous thinking at such a young age? Growth always comes at a cost.
After a moment of contemplation, the red-haired ninja said, "Since you know who I am, I won't hide it anymore. I came here specifically to train you. As a descendant of the Uzumaki clan and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, your current strength is far too lacking.
During this time, I'll teach you how to use sealing techniques and how to control the Nine-Tails' power. Once you can control the Nine-Tails' power, becoming Hokage won't be too difficult for someone as hardworking as you."
"Teach me sealing techniques and how to control the Nine-Tails' power…" Naruto's eyes narrowed with suspicion. He didn't believe that such good fortune would fall into his lap without a reason. He immediately countered, "What are you and Byakuya planning by helping me get stronger?"
The red-haired ninja sighed. She couldn't reveal her identity now, couldn't tell Naruto that he was her child and that she was helping him unconditionally. Due to her injuries, she had spent most of the past decade in a state of recovery, with little time to grow emotionally.
It felt like she had woken up one day to find she had a teenage son, and she had no idea how to interact with him.
After a moment of thought, the red-haired ninja spoke in a cold tone, "You don't need to know that. As Byakuya-sama said, if you don't have the strength of an elite jonin, you're not even qualified to be a pawn. You can refuse our help, but we can also stop protecting you."
Hearing the icy tone, Naruto suddenly snapped out of his thoughts. Why had he felt like he could negotiate? Was it because the other's chakra had made him let his guard down?
After a brief hesitation, Naruto nodded at the red-haired ninja and agreed to her conditions.
Once the agreement was reached, the red-haired ninja took Naruto to see Sakura. With her chakra sealed, Sakura had been sitting quietly in a small wooden cabin.
When she saw Naruto awake, Sakura exclaimed, "Naruto, you're finally awake! I thought after being captured, I'd never see you again."
Naruto smiled and said, "This person was actually sent by the Hokage to protect us. There was just a misunderstanding earlier, which led to the conflict."
"I see..." Sakura didn't doubt Naruto's explanation and immediately asked anxiously, "What about Sasuke? Did the Hokage's people manage to rescue him?"
"Well..." Naruto wasn't sure how to answer.
The red-haired ninja glanced at Sakura and said, "We're no match for Itachi Uchiha. His target is Sasuke. Since he didn't kill Sasuke back then, he probably won't kill him now either."
Sakura finally relaxed a bit and then looked at the red-haired ninja and Naruto. "What are you two planning to do now? Are you heading back to the village?"
Naruto shook his head. "This person is taking me for special training."
"Special training..." Sakura's expression dimmed slightly. "Then you two need to be careful. I feel like Itachi Uchiha and Kisame might come after us again."
"Don't worry, she is really strong."
After exchanging a few more words, the red-haired ninja led Naruto to a secluded area. Instead of starting the training immediately, she asked Naruto to demonstrate the jutsu he had learned so far.
Naruto nodded and began showcasing his techniques.
The number of jutsu Naruto had mastered wasn't extensive, and high-level techniques were especially scarce. Aside from the Shadow Clone Technique and the Rasengan, most of his jutsu were basic, lacking any elemental transformations. However, the red-haired ninja could see that Naruto's fundamentals were solid.
After observing all of Naruto's techniques, she assessed that his strength was at the peak of a chunin's level. While he could easily defeat most genin and chunin, his chances of winning against a tokubetsu jonin were slim. And if he faced a full-fledged jonin, escaping would be extremely difficult.
To quickly boost Naruto's strength, he needed to establish communication with the Nine-Tails. If he could borrow the Nine-Tails' power, his potential would skyrocket, potentially rivaling even a Kage in a short amount of time.
But the Nine-Tails wasn't cooperative. Although its strength was significantly reduced within the mental space, defeating it and forcibly using its power would still be incredibly challenging.
After some thought, the red-haired ninja decided to teach Naruto sealing techniques. By using seals to restrict the Nine-Tails, they could force it to hand over its chakra.
The foundation of sealing techniques lay in fuinjutsu, the intricate, tadpole-like symbols. By molding chakra into these symbols, arranging them in the correct order, and activating them, one could restrict an enemy's movements or even seal their chakra entirely.
Naruto tried his hand at it but quickly realized that sealing techniques were far too difficult for the average ninja.
After several hours of practice, Naruto still hadn't grasped even the most basic fuinjutsu symbols, much to the red-haired ninja's frustration.
At this rate, it would take months for Naruto to master the basics of sealing techniques and years to become proficient. But she only had a week at most to spend with Naruto. There simply wasn't enough time.
Suppressing the urge to scold him, the red-haired ninja said, "Sealing techniques might not be for you. Let's focus on controlling chakra and establishing communication with the Nine-Tails instead."
With that, she formed hand seals and placed a palm on Naruto's stomach, partially unlocking the Eight Trigrams Seal.
As the seal loosened, Naruto felt a surge of chakra within him. Although the amount was small, it was incredibly violent and domineering.
With this chakra actively disrupting him, even performing basic jutsu became a struggle. After forming hand seals and barely managing to create a few shadow clones, Naruto looked at the misshapen clones and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"Senpai… the Nine-Tails' chakra doesn't seem to help me get stronger."
The red-haired ninja also noticed how the Nine-Tails' chakra was interfering with Naruto. She sighed and said, "To quickly improve your strength, you need to adapt to the Nine-Tails' chakra. But before that, you should meet the Nine-Tails face-to-face. Here's how to enter the mental space..."
After memorizing the method to enter the mental space, Naruto closed his eyes and found himself in a dark, damp underground area.
Wading through ankle-deep water, Naruto saw a massive cage. Behind the bars was a monstrous creature, a giant, nine-tailed red fox. This was the Nine-Tails, the beast sealed within him.
The moment the Nine-Tails saw Naruto, it bared its fangs and roared, "Jinchūriki, get out!"
In the next instant, Naruto was forcibly ejected from the mental space and returned to the real world.
Naruto sighed in frustration. "The Nine-Tails won't talk to me."
Seeing her son being kicked out of the mental space, the red-haired ninja grabbed Naruto's hand and said with a determined look, "Don't worry. This time, I'll go with you to meet the Nine-Tails."
Before Naruto could respond, the two of them were back in the mental space.