18 Chapter 18

"Could it be emerging?"

"No, I must act swiftly, or else..."

Muttering under his breath, he clawed his fingers in the air.

Blue chakra sparked on each finger.

Utilizing these chakras, his five fingers forcefully struck the sealing mark on Naruto's abdomen.

Five Elements Seal!

This was the technique Danzo had provided to strengthen the seal and sever the connection to the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Otherwise, he doubted his ability to quickly subdue Kaze, who could harness the power of the Nine-Tails.

"Ah!!"

Naruto cried out in agony, clutching his pained abdomen.

But Torune's whispers reminded him of Kaze.

He immediately called out urgently in his mind.

"Kaze! I'm trapped!"

"He harmed Sasuke and Sakura. They're both unconscious!"

"Come and deal with him, just as you did with Mizuki!"

Confronted by Naruto's plea for assistance, Kaze remained silent within his consciousness.

He gazed at the continuously rising corruption value on the system panel.

Simultaneously, he cast an expectant glance towards the Aburame outside.

"It's not enough. Let's intensify it further. If you're an elite jonin and fall short of Mizuki, I will hold you in contempt!"

It was the Nine-Tails seal on Naruto that Torune had taken an effort to reinforce.

What did it have to do with Kaze's Nine-Tails?

Once he emerged, combining elite ninjutsu with a one-tail chakra mode would lead to utter domination!

Outside.

Observing the emergence of the Five Elements Seal on Naruto's abdomen, Torune, filled with caution, finally felt at ease.

His gaze toward Naruto slowly started lacking wariness.

"Your alternate persona has yet to manifest. It seems losing the power of the Nine-Tails has made it hesitant to take the initiative."

"At first, I had hoped to witness it, but now it seems to be nothing more than this. My expectations were in vain."

Shaking his head, Torune retrieved a rope and bound Naruto.

He then brought the restrained Naruto to Sasuke, who was still retching stomach acid and tied him up as well.

As for Sakura, who lay sprawled on the ground, Torune casually kicked her into the nearby woodland.

Sasuke, the son of the Uchiha clan, served as leverage against Uchiha Itachi, much like Naruto, who was the host of the Nine-Tails.

Sakura, being a commoner, held no value for the Root organization.

Torune had brought her along merely to incapacitate Naruto and Sasuke.

"Sakura!"

Gazing at Sakura being flung away like a ragdoll, Naruto's eyes turned bloodshot.

His gaze then shifted to Torune, filled with a ferocious intent to kill.

This time, Naruto didn't need to call within his mind; the system sent a notification.

[The primary persona's emotions have reached a critical threshold. Do you wish to switch personalities?]

Kaze didn't immediately switch but instead glanced at the blackening value.

[Current blackening value: 5000]

"Not bad. A surge of 2800, exceptional compared to Mizuki."

Kaze perceived the sudden deviation from the original storyline and felt that such instances could occur more frequently in the future.

It was best to add to his strength whenever he could. Especially of an elite Jonin.

[Exchange for Taijutsu (Torune Aburame) -500]

Utilizing the blackening value, Kaze conveniently exchanged it for the Taijutsu of Torune, enhancing his own capabilities.

Then, Kaze addressed the system.

"System, switch personalities."

...

In the outside world, as Naruto and Sasuke were being carried away, the expression on Torune's face suddenly changed.

Within the blink of an eye, he vanished from his original position and reappeared several meters away.

"Indeed, the reflexes of an elite jonin are commendable."

At the spot where Aburame disappeared, Kaze, in control of the body, landed gracefully.

In addition, he managed to grab hold of the tied-up Sasuke.

"Naruto!?"

"No, you're not Naruto!"

As the transformed Naruto, Kaze's presence was discernible to Sasuke.

The previous kindness and genuine desire for companionship had vanished completely.

The current Naruto exuded a cold indifference and an air of terror.

"I am Naruto~"

Kaze grinned, his smile unsettling to Sasuke.

Then, with a swift hand chop, he severed the ropes binding Sasuke and tossed him into the woods where Sakura had been thrown.

Observing Kaze's actions, Torune refrained from launching a surprise attack.

He cautiously asked, "Uzumaki Kazekyo?"

"The alter ego of Uzumaki Naruto?"

Kaze turned his head to face Torune, a wider smile adorning his lips.

"Bingo, you got it right!"

"As a reward, I'll let you taste the Nine-Tails' chakra you've been yearning for!"

As he uttered those words, a pale red chakra surged out uncontrollably.

In an instant, Kaze's entire body was enveloped in it.

A long, light-red chakra tail sprouted from behind him, swaying freely in mid-air.

An overwhelming malevolence emanated from him, filling the surroundings.

"Nine-Tails' chakra?!"

"Impossible! I reinforced the seal to prevent any chakra leakage!"

Disbelief filled Torune's face as he gazed upon Kaze, his eyes resembling those of someone beholding a monster.

"Oh? I wasn't aware of the seal."

A chilling voice, accompanied by a palpable aura of evil, materialized behind Torune.

So swift!

Torune was taken aback.

Naruto, who had been standing before him, now existed only as a dissipating afterimage!

Whoosh!

Simultaneously, the sharp whistling of an object slicing through the air resounded from behind.

It was too late to dodge.

Torune instinctively drew a kunai from his leg holster and swiftly turned to block his chest.

However...

Click!

The sound of an object shattering reverberated through the air.

Torune's kunai, which he had used to shield himself, had been pressed against his chest by Kaze's massive, light-red tail.

A trickle of blood escaped from Torune's mouth and nose.

He had sustained an injury from the very first strike!

Without hesitation, Torune promptly retreated and distanced himself from Kaze before he could launch another attack.

Simultaneously, fear and dread filled his eyes as he looked upon Kaze.

"No, you're not merely an alter ego!"

"You are the Nine-Tails from twelve years ago!"

Torune's voice echoed so loudly that even Sasuke, who was tending to Sakura's injuries at a distance, could hear it clearly.

"The Nine-Tails broke the seal?"

"The Naruto we just saw was actually the consciousness of the Nine-Tails?"

Surprise registered on Sasuke's face, but there was also a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

While Naruto had exerted effort to catch up to him before, the Naruto standing before him now, resembling a demonic god as he overwhelmed Torune, was someone Sasuke could only look up to.

Grateful that such a powerful Naruto wasn't the real Naruto, Sasuke couldn't help but crack a smile.

"That stings..."

After tending to Sakura's injuries as best as he could, Sasuke also saw her waking up.

Opening her eyes, Sakura saw Sasuke wearing a smile on his face.

Suddenly, she exclaimed in surprise, "Sasuke!"

"You saved me!"

"What happened to the imposter teacher?"

Hearing Sakura's voice, Sasuke immediately raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet. Then, he pointed toward the ongoing battle.

"I didn't save you. It was Ky... Naruto who saved us."

Looking in the direction Sasuke indicated, Sakura couldn't believe her eyes.

The very person who had dealt her a devastating blow earlier was now evading Naruto's attacks, wounded and all.

And Naruto, who once embodied warmth and naivety, was now void of those qualities.

His smile remained, but his eyes held only coldness and cruelty.

*******

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