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[Boom!]
The immense roar and the tremors that followed shook the entire area, drawing everyone's attention to the distance.
"What happened in the village?" Sarutobi Hiruzen turned and saw the chaotic sight of Konoha in the distance.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya halted at the same time, both looking in the same direction in disbelief.
"Thisā¦ this isā¦"
"Is this the power of a perfect Jinchūriki?" several people muttered in horror.
The destruction caused by the massive spiral wave earlier was misattributed to Gaara.
Gaara seemed slightly confused but dismissed it with indifference.
"Uzumaki Narutoā¦" Gaara's voice was cold, his eyes narrowing. "I have some good news for you, sleepy leafā¦"
The ground rumbled with another explosion. "It exploded!"
Uzumaki Naruto, stunned, stood still. He was fully aware of the destruction caused by his own actions.
Still, he chose to remain silent and feigned weakness.
Gaara, seeing Naruto's silence, scoffed, clearly uninterested in continuing the banter.
"I can't keep going like thisā¦"
"Has the sealing team arrived yet?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked in a voice tinged with panic. As he had feared, the arrival of the two undead Hokage, First and Second Generation, created further chaos among the Konoha Shinobi, leaving them overwhelmed.
The forces from Sunagakure and Yinin Village weren't even thinking of joining in; instead, the scene was becoming increasingly favorable to them.
Baki, however, looked disappointed. "Why hasn't the Fourth Kazekage shown up yet? Did he lead a different team into Konoha to investigate?"
He glanced at Orochimaru. Though suspicion was clear in his eyes, the negotiations between Orochimaru and the Fourth Kazekage seemed too complicated for someone of his level to understand.
"Hahaha..." Gaara laughed cruelly again. "This is boring, Uzumaki Narutoā¦"
"With you, who can't even use the power of the tailed beast, I have no interest in playing with you anymore."
Suddenly, a figure appeared on top of Shukaku's massive head.
It was Gaara's body.
"I'm tired of this," Gaara said coldly. "Now, I'll let everyone present here die."
Gaara's hands quickly began making seals. "Fake Sleeping Technique."
The gathered ninjas gasped in horror. If the technique succeeded, there was no one left who could stop the full power of Shukaku.
Baki quickly analyzed the situation. The Fourth Kazekage wasn't there, and with Konoha's Hokage and Jiraiya distracted by other threats, the situation was about to go from bad to worse.
"I should head to Konoha's inner districts and meet with the Fourth Kazekage," Baki thought, deciding to retreat.
Just as he prepared to leave, Gaara suddenly fell limp, unconscious.
"Huh? Gaara?" Naruto furrowed his brow.
The voice of the Nine Tails echoed in his mind: "Naruto, that guy is about to fully awaken."
"The rascal?" Naruto's eyes widened, understanding immediately.
"Shukaku, the Tailed Beast of Sunagakureā¦ It's fully awake now?"
At that moment, the dull eyes of Shukaku, which had been lifeless before, suddenly sparked with energy.
The orange-yellow pupils of Shukaku grew brighter, and with a mighty roar, Shukaku announced, "Hey ha! I'm finally out!"
"Gaara finally fell asleep."
Naruto was taken aback. Shukaku seemed to be in an unusually cheerful mood.
"Hmm!" Shukaku stretched his body as he noticed the surrounding figures. "So many people?"
"Hum humā¦" The tailed beast's stomach began to bulge. Its grin widened as it readied itself for an attack. "Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"
Boom!
Shukaku launched a powerful gust of wind, far more potent than the previous attacks Gaara had fired. The blast targeted the area with the largest concentration of peopleāvillagers and dignitaries who had been too scared to move.
The wind pressure tore through the venue.
"Wow!" Naruto, crouching down in a corner, hugged his head as the powerful gusts swept over him.
Once the wind passed, he slowly raised his head, only to be stunned by the devastation in front of him.
The auditorium had been completely obliterated.
The people who had once occupied it had vanished without a trace.
"Thisā¦ What the hell is thisā¦"
Everyone present was in shock, staring at Shukaku's rampage.
"Hey ha ha ha, they're deadā¦" Shukaku laughed gleefully, his joyful antics unnerving everyone around him.
"I blew them all up!"
With each jump, Shukaku's childish delight only seemed to grow, and it was enough to make everyone's nerves fray.
"Hateful!" Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya gritted their teeth in frustration.
Orochimaru, however, had a mocking grin on his face. "Tsk tsk tskā¦ I didn't expect the situation to turn out more interesting than I thought."
"What are you planning, Orochimaru?" Jiraiya, still atop his summoned toad, glared at his former student.
If Orochimaru didn't retreat, and the First and Second Generations weren't sealed away, Konoha could be completely destroyed.
Jiraiya glanced down at Naruto, who hadn't fully recovered. With Gamafumi already retreating to Mount MyÅboku, Naruto was in even greater danger.
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly called out to Jiraiya. "The sealing team hasn't come. Something's wrong. We have no other choice now."
"We need to seal the First and Second Generations. You'll have to cooperate with me. At the critical moment, I'll take Orochimaru with me."
The gravity of the situation hung heavy in the air.
"If we don't do this soon, Konoha will be completely lost," Sarutobi Hiruzen added, determination in his eyes.
Jiraiya looked grim. It was clear that Sarutobi intended to use the ghoul seal, which would cost him his life in the process, but it was the only option left.
"Sorry, Minato. This is all the old man's decision," Sarutobi thought.
Meanwhile, in the Pure Land, Uchiha Madara watched the events unfold with amusement.
"Uzumakiā¦ this kid has potential," Madara mused. "At least he's more suited to be my successor than that fool, Obito."
"Unlucky Obito," Madara chuckled darkly. "How will he handle collecting the tailed beasts in this world? And he hasn't even been killed by that little yellow-haired brat yet?"
Back in Naruto's spiritual world, he conversed with Kurama, the Nine Tails.
Kurama's voice filled Naruto's mind. "Naruto, there's a reason we're cooperating this time."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "I never expected Orochimaru would get involved. Sunagakure and Yinin Village must have been working together. Who's helping whom here?"
Kurama chuckled. "Either way, it seems they're helping us more than we expected."
Naruto smirked. "Jiraiya still hasn't given up the key to the Eight Sign Seal. If he keeps delaying, maybe we'll have to deal with this ourselves."
"We'll just lie low for now and wait for it to play out," Naruto added with a sigh. "It's clear now that Konoha will be ruined if things continue like this. But Jiraiya doesn't believe meā¦ and none of this is really my fault."
But before Naruto could dwell on it, a new toad suddenly appeared before him.
"Hurry up!" the toad called out urgently. "Naruto, open your mouth! Let me jump into your body!"
Naruto froze in shock. Even at Mount MyÅboku, he had never seen this kind of toad.
"Waitā¦" Naruto blinked, thinking he recognized it.
The toad jumped towards him and without hesitation, leaped into his mouth. Naruto gagged at the strange sensation.
"Ughā¦" he muttered, wiping his mouth.
The toad, which seemed to be made of a long scroll, was the key to unlocking the Eight Sign Seal.
"This is the key, huh?" Naruto grinned, feeling both embarrassed and slightly disgusted.
Kurama's voice was soft, yet reassuring. "Narutoā¦ if you're really going to break my seal, don't you think it's time you gave me a name?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment but then smiled.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
The massive tailed beast, Kurama, stared at him with soft eyes.
"My name is Kurama," it said with a hint of warmth in its voice.
"Kurama, huh?" Naruto nodded, grinning. "Got it, Kurama!"
---------āāā--āā-------------------------------
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