c17: Battle with Shukaku
As Naruto and his team continued moving through the dense trees, the twenty-one Sand and Sound pursuers behind them also closed in at full speed, not expecting an ambush at all. Suddenly, the leading ninja sensed danger, but by the time he reacted, it was already too late.
"Earth Style: Multiple Earth-Style Ramparts!"
Several thick earth walls surged upward, created by Naruto's shadow clone mimicking a technique similar to the Stone Wall Jutsu used earlier in the Chūnin Exams, rapidly sealing the twenty pursuers inside a tight enclosure.
The trapped ninja struggled to understand how the Konoha group that had just fled still had someone lying in wait to attack them.
But Naruto didn't give them the slightest time to think.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
With the walls restricting their movement, the fireball fell from above, consuming the trapped squad in blazing flames. The twenty enemy ninja were reduced to ashes almost instantly.
Watching the flames die down, Naruto muttered, "Never let your guard down against an enemy, even when it looks like they're running for their life." Had the pursuers split up the way elite units usually did, Naruto wouldn't have wiped them all out this fast.
At that moment, a hidden enemy a stealth specialist masked to conceal his affiliation struck from behind. Naruto appeared unaware as the attacker's blade sliced through his "neck." The enemy had only a heartbeat of triumph before realizing the truth: it was merely a Shadow Clone. Before he could retreat
"Rasengan!"
The real Naruto's spiraling sphere crushed into him. As the attacker collapsed, eyes filled with regret and disbelief, Naruto said coldly, "There's always someone better at hiding than you," and dispelled the clone, receiving all the memory of the encounter instantly.
Just as Naruto's clone dispersed, another masked figure appeared from deep within the shadows. "So this is him… No wonder the Feudal Lord sent someone to eliminate the boy. Even his Shadow Clones wield dangerous strength. If he matures like this, who knows how many could fall by his hands?" His ability to hide his presence was astonishing neither Naruto nor Pakkun had sensed him at all.
Meanwhile, Naruto and the others continued racing after Sasuke, guided by Pakkun. The moment he received the clone's memories, Naruto knew the rear threat was gone. What mattered now was catching up to Sasuke before Gaara lost control completely.
"It's just ahead," Pakkun barked.
Naruto arrived just in time to see Sasuke driving a second Chidori, slicing through Gaara's half-transformed arm of sand. Despite the impressive feat, Sasuke's chakra was almost gone; using another Chidori would push the Curse Mark into a second-stage takeover. Gaara's sand body was regenerating faster and faster, and Shukaku's chakra was gathering rapidly. Had Sasuke not relied on his Sharingan to track Gaara's movements, he likely would've been killed already.
Relieved to see Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru appear, Sasuke staggered backward. "Naruto… be careful. He's fast… and getting worse." Unable to continue, Sasuke retreated to recover. Sakura immediately supported him, while Shikamaru stared in terror at Gaara's monstrous transformation, fighting the instinct to run.
Naruto created ten Shadow Clones, pelting Gaara with shuriken to force a defensive reaction. At the same time, he weaved signs and unleashed a powerful wind-and-fire combination jutsu, the "Great Breakthrough – Fire Enhancement," modeled after techniques he'd seen during training. Though Gaara screamed inside the flames, Shukaku's chakra surged violently, pushing his body closer to full One-Tail form. The creature's growing size and demonic presence overwhelmed Sakura, Shikamaru, and even Sasuke none of them had ever witnessed the jinchūriki of a tailed beast losing control.
Naruto, facing Shukaku for the first time, understood ordinary ninjutsu would no longer work. With the tailed beast's power expanding and Gaara's form becoming more monstrous, Naruto had to act carefully. The size alone made the difference in power obvious. Sakura's heart pounded with fear for Naruto, and Shikamaru's mind raced, calculating and failing to find any viable tactic at all.
Seeing no choice, Naruto bit his thumb, controlling his chakra output. At this scale, he judged he could summon Gamabunta, the chief toad of Mount Myōboku. Matching Shukaku's size required an opponent of equal stature. At this point, summoning Bunta was the only way to fight the One-Tail.
The "Summoning Technique" burst forth in a cloud of smoke, and a giant toad emerged, gripping a massive tantō in one hand and a pipe between his lips. It was none other than the chief toad, Gamabunta. Seeing Gamabunta, Sasuke was stunned; he had never seen Naruto use the Rasengan, nor imagined Naruto could form a contract with the same toad boss Jiraiya used. The gap in power was simply overwhelming. Although Sakura and Shikamaru had witnessed the Rasengan before, Gamabunta's sheer size and presence were far beyond what they had expected.
When Gamabunta appeared and noticed it wasn't Jiraiya, he snarled up at Naruto clinging to his head: "You're that brat Jiraiya mentioned during training? To have this much chakra at your age… I'll acknowledge you." Then, noticing Gaara's monstrous form, he muttered that the kid looked exactly like the Shukaku's jinchūriki, and warned that if Shukaku awakened fully, things would become troublesome. However, as soon as Gaara saw Naruto summon Gamabunta, he immediately used the Feigning Sleep Technique, causing Shukaku to awaken in full.
Upon waking, Shukaku cackled with manic joy, but his expression twisted when he saw Gamabunta—his long-standing rival from past encounters. Though Shukaku was the One-Tail and weakest among the tailed beasts, his chakra was still immense. He unleashed continuous Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullets, forcing Gamabunta to dodge without being able to close in. The barrage seemed endless, placing Bunta at a clear disadvantage.
At that moment, Naruto called out, "Boss, jump from above! You attract his attacks, and I'll take care of the rest!" He created shadow clones and began forming a Rasengan. Using his tongue, Gamabunta flung Naruto toward Shukaku while slashing with his tantō. Naruto slammed the Rasengan into Shukaku's arm at high speed, destroying one of the sandy limbs as Gamabunta's blade followed through with a gashing strike.
"It hurts—IT HURTS! You damn brat, you've really made me angry now!"
A wave of sand surged toward Naruto, while Drilling Air Bullets continued hammering Gamabunta. Naruto zig-zagged at full speed and began gathering chakra for another Rasengan. Shukaku, now wary of the attack's power, launched a spread of sand bullets to halt him. The dense volley covered a wide area, and a direct hit could easily be fatal. A crackling aura enveloped Naruto his improved Lightning Chakra Armor, forming instinctively from his chakra control training, covering his full body. Even with boosted speed, two bullets grazed him, causing minor injuries through the armor.
Naruto's Rasengan approached Shukaku again, but thick layers of fortified sand blocked the strike. Although Shukaku still suffered damage, it wasn't enough to seriously injure him. Naruto pressed on, unleashing Rasengan after Rasengan, yet none were decisive, and his chakra drained quickly. It became clear that defeating Shukaku without breaking the Feigning Sleep Technique was impossible.
With no better option, Naruto turned to overwhelming numbers, generating hundreds of shadow clones to rush Gaara simultaneously. Shukaku had to fend off both Gamabunta and the clones, and while most were dispersed, several managed to reach Gaara and deliver a solid punch, waking him up. Though conscious, Gaara continued manipulating sand to knock Naruto back, but Naruto's remaining clones swarmed him and beat him down in a chaotic melee.
Gaara's sand techniques were formidable, but his physical strength was lacking. Within moments, he was overwhelmed, and Shukaku's body crumbled away. Witnessing this, Gamabunta grew more convinced of Naruto's potential. Sakura looked at Naruto with deep admiration, Shikamaru muttered that this was a battle beyond human scale, and Sasuke, shaken, began doubting the pace of his own progress.
Gaara lay helpless as Naruto approached step by step. The Sand jinchūriki had never imagined being utterly overpowered and felt fear for the first time. Yet Naruto did not strike. Instead, he said softly, "I know what it's like to be a jinchūriki… but that isn't a reason to fall into darkness. Living drenched in that darkness hurts more than anything. I hope you can understand."
Gaara never expected mercy. When Temari and Kankurō arrived, Naruto allowed them to take Gaara away. By that time, Naruto's chakra was nearly completely exhausted.
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