The tension from the first round of the Chūnin Exams hadn't even fully dispersed when—
BOOM!
Glass shattered as a blast of chakra burst through one of the exam hall windows. Genin ducked, some screamed, and a gust of wind blew scattered papers everywhere. The sudden explosive entrance spun into a flip and landed dramatically on the railing above the examinees, a long coat flapping like a banner of chaos.
"YOSHAAAAA! WHO'S READY FOR ROUND TWO?!"
The voice was fierce, feminine, and wild.
The culprit? A woman with spiky purple hair, tan trench coat, fishnet underneath, and a big-ass grin plastered on her face.
"Anko Mitarashi!"
Ibiki, rubbing his temples in absolute exhaustion, let out a long sigh that sounded like the breath of a man who had known too much pain.
Ibiki: "...The window, again?"
Anko: "That's how you make an entrance, Ibiki!"
Ibiki: "Repair costs are coming out of your salary. Again."
A few Genin snickered, especially Naruto.
March to the Forest
Soon after, the remaining Genin were led outside the exam hall, across the training fields of Konoha, to the edge of the Forest of Death, Training Ground 44.
The thick, towering trees cast long shadows even during the day. The air was heavy and humid. Massive metal fencing enclosed the entire area like a prison—or an arena.
Anko stood proudly before the gathered Genin, hands on her hips.
Anko: "Alright, brats! I'm your proctor for the second stage of the exams: The Survival Trial! You're going to spend five days in this hellhole trying not to die, while collecting scrolls."
She tossed two scrolls into the air dramatically—Heaven and Earth—before catching them again with theatrical flair.
Naruto (goofy grin):
"Ohhh scary~ is the big forest going to eat us? Or are you the one who'll be drinking our blood, sensei?"
Anko smirked. "Depends. You offering?"
Naruto chuckled, raising a finger. "Well, we haven't even gone for a date, or walked hand-in-hand under the stars… you're really skipping foreplay, sensei."
A few Genin blinked in confusion. Sakura turned red with secondhand embarrassment.
Sasuke just mumbled, "Idiot."
The Kunai Moment
Anko's smile twitched.
"Oh, you wanna flirt? Let's see how cocky you really are."
Without warning, she flicked her wrist. A kunai flew with Jōnin speed—so fast even some of the proctors flinched. The blade aimed precisely to slice Naruto's cheek, just enough to draw blood and humble the boy.
But—
CHINK!
Naruto's fingers snapped up, catching the kunai mid-air with two fingers like a pro. He twirled it between his fingers and tossed it back toward her feet with a thunk.
Everyone. Went. Quiet.
Even Anko's grin faltered. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't let it show, but inside, she was genuinely surprised.
"That kunai was moving fast enough to catch a Chūnin off guard. This brat… he didn't even flinch."
Naruto gave his biggest, goofiest grin yet, stepping forward casually with his hands behind his head.
Naruto (winking):
"Come on, sensei. If you wanted a drop of my blood, you could've just asked. I'm flattered, really… but don't you think trying to slice me before our first date is a bit too fast? At least take me out for ramen first!"
A beat of silence… then an awkward cough from a Genin. Someone giggled.
Anko, to her credit, recovered quickly and just rolled her eyes with a smirk.
Anko (teasing): "Keep talking, brat. You'll be my dinner and dessert in that forest if you're not careful."
Naruto: "That's a promise or a threat, sensei? Because you're sounding a little too excited."
The Forest of Death Awaits
Anko began explaining the rules in more detail. The forest was full of traps, beasts, poisonous plants, and enemy teams. They needed to collect both a Heaven and Earth scroll, and reach the tower in the center in five days.
Every team received a single scroll at random. Naruto's team got an Earth Scroll.
As teams began moving to their respective gates, Naruto leaned toward Sakura and Sasuke.
Naruto (low voice):
"Keep your senses sharp. Don't trust what you see. And most importantly… don't eat anything unless I say it's safe."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Naruto: "Because I already marked this forest the moment we arrived. If something moves wrong… I'll know."
Sakura: "Marked…? What do you mean—"
But Naruto was already stepping through Gate 12 with a dumb grin and waving.
Naruto: "Time for a walk in the woods, yeah~?"
Inside his mind, Minato chuckled.
Minato: "You definitely inherited the troublemaker gene, Naruto."
Kushina (laughing hard): "You flirted with Anko like a boss! That's my son!"
Uzuhiko:
[Observation Analysis Complete. Anko Mitarashi: Potential ally. High volatility. Watch closely.]
As the gate creaked shut behind Team 7, the Forest of Death truly began to breathe—hungry and eager for the chaos about to unfold.
As the gates loomed before them, towering and ominous with rusted iron bars and seals lining the edges, a tense silence lingered over Team 7. The proctors finished their final checks, sealing scrolls and chakra tags in place. Genin teams around them were either whispering last-minute strategies or psyching themselves up with confidence—or bravado masked as courage.
Sasuke cracked his knuckles.
Sakura adjusted her gloves nervously.
Naruto stood still, gazing at the forest with calm eyes and a lopsided grin.
But deep within—beneath that familiar knucklehead mask—his thoughts stirred with fire.
"Alright… it's showtime."
"For years, they mocked me. Looked down on me. Called me dead last."
"But now? The training, the knowledge, the legacy of my clan, my parents, Uzuhiko-sensei… all of it."
"They won't know what hit them."
Naruto exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing just as the large gates groaned open, revealing the dense green expanse beyond. The wind carried with it the smell of moss, blood, and danger. It was the scent of the Forest of Death.
Then, with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he muttered to himself under his breath:
"Alright Naruto… time to show the world what the name Naruto Uzumaki really means."
And with that—
Step.
He walked into the forest, the shadows swallowing him and his team.
The mask of idiocy still on his face.
But underneath it, a storm waited to be unleashed.
As Team 7 moved cautiously through the dense underbrush of the Forest of Death, the oppressive silence around them was broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant call of wild animals. The air was thick with moisture, and the scent of damp earth hung heavily, masking almost all scents—except one.
Naruto's steps halted, and without turning around, he whispered, "Three o'clock. Movement. Chakra spike."
Sasuke raised a brow. "You sure?"
Naruto tilted his head slightly, still smiling in his usual "knucklehead" fashion, but his eyes shimmered with an intense golden glint that only Sasuke noticed.
"I'm always sure," he replied.
Before Sasuke or Sakura could react further, kunai rained down from above—at least a dozen of them. Naruto grabbed both of his teammates by the collars and yanked them backward just as the kunai embedded themselves in the ground where they'd been standing.
Poof!
Three figures dropped from the trees in perfect formation—Ame-nin, all wearing matching grey ponchos with hoods soaked from rain, their hitai-ate scratched across the symbol of the Hidden Rain.
Their leader, a boy with long black hair tied behind his head and sharp violet eyes, stepped forward and smirked.
"You Konoha kids should've stayed home," he taunted. "We'll be taking your scroll now."
Sakura immediately pulled out a kunai, trembling slightly.
Sasuke stepped ahead, eyes sharp. "Tch. They're coordinated. Looks like they specialize in ambushes."
Naruto cracked his neck, still smiling.
"Guess this is our warm-up," he said lazily, though his mind was already racing, analyzing their patterns, chakra levels, and positions. Uzuhiko's mental mapping interface was feeding him a visual overlay in his peripheral vision. He saw their chakra flows—stable but not at jonin level. They relied on surprise and numbers.
Not enough.
The leader made a hand sign. "Rain Style: Water Needle Barrage!"
Hundreds of tiny water needles formed around them in the air, then shot forward like a swarm of angry bees.
Sasuke leapt into the air and hurled fire: "Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
The fire clashed with the needles mid-air, evaporating many but not all. The rest were headed straight for Sakura.
Naruto was already moving. His fingers moved quickly.
"Fuin Style: Mirror Seal Formation!"
A golden hexagon seal burst to life in front of Sakura like a chakra barrier. The needles struck the seal and disintegrated on contact.
Sakura blinked. "What… what was that?"
Naruto just gave a cheeky grin. "Knucklehead trick."
Before the Rain-nin could regroup, Naruto's fingers twitched again. A gust of wind spiraled around him.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
The wind slammed into the left attacker, throwing him into a tree with a heavy crunch. Naruto followed up by body flickering behind the stunned enemy and tapped his shoulder.
"Tag," he said.
ZAP.
The seal on Naruto's palm activated—a chakra suppression tag Uzuhiko had created with his help. The Rain-nin slumped unconscious before he hit the ground.
The leader cursed. "This one's trouble. Taku, flank him!"
The third Rain-nin came in fast, kunai aimed at Naruto's throat. Naruto ducked, spun, and caught the wrist mid-strike, his strength now at elite-jounin level but still carefully suppressed.
He whispered in the attacker's ear: "Wrong move."
He slammed him into the ground and sealed his chakra in one smooth motion. That made two down.
Sasuke and the Rain leader were now clashing in a short-range taijutsu exchange. The Rain ninja was fast, skilled in deceptive feints, but Sasuke was calm, methodical. His Sharingan was activating in bursts—one tomoe flaring as he predicted the next strike.
Still, the Rain-nin was too slippery.
That's when Naruto intervened.
He appeared behind the leader and lightly tapped his back.
"Lightning Style: Paralysis Touch."
A surge of chakra buzzed through his fingers, electrocuting the Ame-nin leader just enough to immobilize him. Sasuke didn't hesitate—he slammed a punch into his gut and knocked the wind out of him. The Rain ninja hit the ground, unconscious.
Silence.
Sakura stared, wide-eyed. "W-We didn't even get hit…"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Naruto… you weren't holding back, were you?"
Naruto laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Eh, just enough. Didn't want to show off too much."
In reality, Naruto hadn't used even ten percent of what he had.
System Notification:
[Ambush Detected – Neutralized]
1 Tactical Combat Point
[Hidden Task: Demonstrate Leadership – Completed]
Reward: Mini-Storage Scroll Pack (Auto-Deploy Enabled)
Status: Clean Victory
Inside Naruto's mindscape, Uzuhiko's voice echoed, proud but measured.
"Good judgment, Naruto. Quick control, non-lethal subdual, no casualties. Excellent first move."
Naruto smirked internally. This is just the beginning.
They tied the Rain-nin up in vines and left a location marker for the proctors, then continued deeper into the forest.
Naruto looked back once at the fading light and whispered to himself:
"This is the Forest of Death.
But I'm the Storm it fears."
The wind howled violently through the Forest of Death, sending leaves and dust scattering in every direction. Sakura instinctively shielded her eyes, while Sasuke took a defensive stance, his eyes darting through the rustling trees.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, his senses prickling.
"Something's coming..." he muttered, turning to face the direction of the gale.
Before he could move, a massive shadow loomed over him.
BOOM!
The trees exploded apart as a giant snake, easily the size of a house, lunged from the underbrush with a deafening hiss and its mouth wide open.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed.
"Che!" Sasuke cursed and activated his Sharingan.
But it was too late — the snake's jaws snapped shut around Naruto, swallowing him whole.
SPLASH!
A second later, a sound like tearing paper echoed through the forest.
Inside the snake, chakra flared like a sunburst.
"Wind Style: Blade Tempest Cyclone!"
A spiraling storm of wind exploded from within the serpent, slicing it into clean, spiraling segments midair. Snake blood and viscera rained down like a crimson storm.
Naruto emerged from the settling mist, his cloak stained red, but his expression as calm as ever, golden eyes gleaming.
Sakura's mouth fell open in shock. Sasuke was silent.
From the treetops, three Kusa-nin landed, their movement coordinated and silent.
One of them, a girl with unusually long black hair, stepped forward with a serene smile.
"That was impressive," she said in a low, snake-like voice. "But how about facing something more... dangerous?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. Her chakra was monstrous, cold... ancient.
Uzuhiko's voice snapped into his head:
"Alert: Orochimaru signature detected. Disguise technique in effect."
Minato's soul fragment appeared in his mind's eye immediately.
"Don't hold back, Naruto. That's not just any rogue—that's Orochimaru of the Sannin."
The disguised "Kusa-nin" waved her hand.
"Kill the loudmouth. I'll deal with the Uchiha."
The two other Kusa-nin lunged at Naruto.
Big mistake.
Before they could even reach him, the temperature dropped. Frost gathered on the grass. Their breath turned visible in the air.
"Ice Style: Glacial Grave."
Crack! Crack!
Both shinobi froze midstep, eyes wide in shock as ice surged up their bodies, encasing them in jagged, crystalline prisons. Their chakra signatures vanished—Naruto hadn't killed them, but they were utterly immobilized.
He had activated the ice release ability he'd learned from Haku, laced with his own chakra enhancements and fuinjutsu that reacted automatically when under threat.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
"Oh my... How unexpected. That wasn't in your file."
Naruto turned to her—now clearly him, as the disguise wavered slightly under the pressure of Naruto's killing intent.
The air around Naruto shimmered as chakra began radiating in golden waves, the spiral sigil behind his pupils burning.
Then—he let it loose.
"You want to hurt Sasuke," he said in a cold, thunderous voice. "But I won't let you."
"Killing Intent – Uzumaki Sovereign Mode: Released."
The entire forest seemed to shudder. Trees groaned under invisible pressure. Birds dropped from the sky in unconsciousness. A ripple of fear exploded outward.
Sakura collapsed to her knees, breath stolen from her lungs.
Sasuke trembled as his Sharingan spun wildly, trying to resist the weight pressing on his very soul.
Orochimaru... smiled.
"Heh... Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Such hatred and resolve in one body."
The snake Sannin shed his disguise completely, revealing his pale skin and reptilian eyes.
Naruto cracked his neck, chakra threads flickering around his hands.
"You're not getting Sasuke," he said.
"And you're not leaving this forest... without bleeding."
As the final echo of Naruto's chilling words faded, a deep pulse reverberated through the forest — a soundless tremor, as if the earth itself was holding its breath.
Within Naruto's soulscape, Uzuhiko's silhouette appeared, glowing with divine white-blue light. His voice, calm yet powerful, rang in Naruto's mind.
"Naruto. I am deactivating your limiters. From this point on… show him what a true heir of the Uzumaki and Ashura is."
'Gravity Seal: R – Disengaged.'
'Weight Seal – Disengaged.'
'Chakra Suppression Seal – Disengaged.'
A tremor shook the ground beneath Naruto's feet.
His muscles tensed. Veins glowed with chakra. A golden wave erupted from his core as if a second sun had risen inside him.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"What… the hell… is this chakra!?"
Even Orochimaru's confident expression faltered. His eyes narrowed with pure instinctual dread.
"No… This isn't the same brat from the files."
The air twisted and warped around Naruto from the sudden release of suppressed power. His aura was no longer just chakra — it was pressure, raw and divine.
Fuinjutsu arrays lit up along his arms and legs, ancient Uzumaki runes spiraling as if dancing to the rhythm of a heartbeat long-forgotten.
Naruto's voice dropped to a low growl, yet it echoed with clarity:
"You shouldn't have come here, Orochimaru."
"You entered my territory... and now you'll face the price."
The ground beneath Naruto's feet cracked as he stepped forward, every movement now leaving ripples of chakra pressure around him. Orochimaru's eyes widened—not out of fear, but of unexpected excitement.
"Fascinating… Truly fascinating. So you were hiding your fangs, little fox."
Naruto didn't respond with words. Instead, his hands blurred through hand signs.
"Wind Release: Gale Fang Barrage!"
A spiral of high-speed wind blades surged forward, slicing through the trees and air with whistling shrieks. Orochimaru's body slithered and twisted, narrowly avoiding the first two arcs—but the third, embedded with a sealing tag, struck him squarely across the chest.
BOOM!
The explosion wasn't of fire, but of a chakra dispersion seal, disrupting his flow.
Naruto followed with a flash step, suddenly in front of Orochimaru, his right palm glowing with a compression seal array.
"Chakra Binding Seal: Quad Layer Compression!"
He slammed it into Orochimaru's gut.
The Sannin gagged, forced back, and hit a tree with enough force to splinter it. He slid down slowly, smirking despite the blood at the edge of his lips.
"You're not like the reports said… This is no accident. You were made for something more, weren't you?"
Naruto didn't break his stance. Eyes narrowed. Controlled breathing.
"Leave. You don't belong in Konoha's shadows anymore."
Orochimaru hissed, but his body began to sink into the earth with his Earth Release: Subterranean Escape Technique. His farewell came like venom.
"Let's see how long you can protect your precious Uchiha…"
And then he was gone.
Naruto sighed, letting the pressure drop—seals dimming across his limbs.
Uzuhiko: "Well done… you held back destruction, but—wait—NO!"
A cold breeze cut across the trees. Naruto's danger senses spiked.
"Behind you!"
Naruto turned—too late.
A blur of black struck Sasuke's neck, sinking venomous fangs deep into his skin.
Sasuke screamed in agony, thrashing, as Orochimaru grinned maniacally, disappearing once more.
The Curse Mark began pulsing—inky-black flames spiraling across Sasuke's skin like an infection.
Naruto rushed forward.
"Sasuke! Hold on!"
He placed a palm over the mark, pouring sealing chakra into it, preparing to use a Temporary Suppression Seal.
"Seal Activate—!"
Suddenly—rejection.
A blast of negative chakra knocked Naruto back.
The seal shattered.
Uzuhiko: "No… no no no… this chakra—Naruto, STOP."
"It's not reacting like a curse… this isn't just Orochimaru's power."
"It's Indra's chakra."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
"What!?"
Uzuhiko: "I… I didn't think we'd encounter it this early. But now it makes sense… the resistance, the rejection. Sasuke's soul… his chakra remembers you. It remembers Ashura. And it rejects you."
Naruto clenched his fist.
"That bastard planned this. Orochimaru just sped it up."
Sasuke writhed on the ground, unconscious but alive. The curse mark still glowing, but stable… like it found home in him.
[Internal Dialogue – Naruto's Mindscape]
Naruto stood silently, floating in the black void of his soul. Uzuhiko, Minato, and Kushina appeared.
Kushina's voice was soft but serious:
"Naruto… this is not your fault."
Minato placed a hand on his shoulder:
"But this confirms something we hoped wasn't true. Indra's chakra… the one soul Ashura couldn't reach in his lifetime… it has already begun to awaken."
Uzuhiko's tone was grave:
"And it's recognizing you. Which means your next steps… must be chosen carefully."
[Back in the Forest – Aftermath]
Sakura ran toward the two, having managed to escape the attack.
"Naruto! Sasuke—what happened to him!?"
Naruto masked his rage.
"He's fine. He'll recover. But from now on, we don't let our guard down."
Naruto stood tall, looking toward the canopy above.
"And Orochimaru… if you ever come near my team again—"
His chakra flared once more, a gust shaking the surrounding forest.
"I won't hold back next time."
[Scene Transition – Inside Sasuke's Curse Mark]
Darkness.
An endless void churned with a toxic, oily chakra — the inner sanctum of the Curse Mark. Floating within it, a sliver of Orochimaru's soul shimmered with twisted glee, taking the vague shape of a snake-like silhouette with glowing yellow eyes and a sinister grin.
"Heh heh… So much potential in this boy… and now that my chakra has taken root, he'll soon be mine—"
Suddenly, the darkness shifted.
The oily blackness around him rippled, not with chakra—but with dominance.
"W-What…?"
The temperature dropped.
A low hum echoed. Like a heartbeat.
Then—
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Not slithering… walking. With purpose.
He wore no face, just an outline of form—pure silhouette, a godlike presence.
But what stood out were his eyes.
Two Mangekyō Sharingan, with a unique spiral pattern—the same seen only once before in history.
Indra's Eyes.
The silhouette's voice was cold, commanding, timeless:
"You filthy parasite…"
Orochimaru's soul recoiled instinctively, but couldn't move. His connection to the Curse Mark — his control — began to evaporate like steam in sunlight.
"You think you can corrupt what is mine to corrupt?"
The voice deepened, rumbling with divine contempt.
"I may be bound in the cycle… but I am not blind. I've waited. I've watched. And your ambition…"
"...is beneath me."
The spiral pattern in his Mangekyō Sharingan rotated once—just once.
The entire void shook.
"Amaterasu no Yami: Soul Banishment."
A black flame ignited not on Orochimaru's soul—but within it.
The Sannin's spiritual fragment screamed as it was incinerated from existence.
No escape. No rebirth. Just total annihilation.
As the void quieted, the silhouette stood alone once more. A faint smirk tugged at his undefined face.
"Thank you for the power boost, snake."
He turned, the shadows moving with him like a cloak.
"Brother…" he muttered. The word was filled with both hate and familiarity.
"You're not the only one preparing for the future."
And then, with a flicker of cursed chakra, he vanished—his presence etched like a scar inside Sasuke's soul.
The atmosphere in the Forest of Death had grown oppressively dense, as if the air itself trembled under an unseen force.
Sakura had just rushed to Sasuke's side, trying to tend to the curse mark that was burning darkly on his neck.
Then—
A sudden shockwave of chakra.
Dark, ancient… wrong.
A wave of sheer spiritual pressure fell over the area like a crashing tsunami.
Sakura's body stiffened. She let out a choked gasp before collapsing, unconscious, unable to bear the immense pressure now emanating from Sasuke.
"Sakura!" Naruto shouted, but he too gritted his teeth.
This… wasn't Orochimaru.
This chakra… was deeper, older, more dangerous.
Naruto's eyes burned with intensity as he stood, chakra flaring, beginning to form his usual battle stance—
But his body moved on its own.
Ashura's chakra, residing within his soul, responded instinctively. A radiant golden light enveloped him, creating a thin barrier around his body that burned away the overwhelming pressure pushing down on him.
"This… this isn't Orochimaru's chakra anymore," Naruto muttered.
Inside him, Uzuhiko's voice rang out sharply:
"Naruto! Something's changed. Orochimaru's influence is gone… but it's been replaced. I sense it—Indra's chakra has awakened."
From deep within, Minato's tone grew cold.
"Be on guard. If it's truly Indra… this isn't something you can face like any normal enemy."
Kushina's voice followed, grave:
"We were hoping it would never happen this soon…"
"Uzuhiko," Naruto said in a low growl, "Give me access to the Nine Tails' chakra. If this is what I think it is—then I need to adapt now."*
Uzuhiko hesitated only for a breath before responding:
"Granted. But control it, Naruto. This is only partial access — we're going to begin adapting you to Kurama's chakra flow."
Naruto's chakra flared. A dark red hue started to mix with the golden shine of Ashura's blessing, fusing in a dazzling storm of raw, primal energy.
[Inside Sasuke's Mindscape]
Sasuke stood in a vast empty field — endless white as far as he could see.
From the horizon, a man approached. Hair tied high in a traditional style. Elegant, armored robes. In his eyes — two spiral-patterned Mangekyō Sharingan.
His presence was suffocating.
"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded.
The figure smirked.
"I am the one who understands your pain… the loss of your clan. The thirst for revenge. I am Indra Ōtsutsuki."
Sasuke stepped back, shocked.
"Ōtsutsuki…?"
"Yes. The true ancestor of your clan. Your power, your bloodline, your destiny — it all stems from me. And now… I can give you the power you deserve."
"Why?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"Because your pain is mine. Your goal — justice for your clan — is mine. You've been wronged. I too was betrayed by my own family… by my brother. Just like you were."
A flicker of sorrow crossed Sasuke's face.
"Accept me. Let me guide you. Together, we can destroy those who wronged you — all of them. Your brother. The village. Even those who pretend to care, but hide secrets from you…"
Sasuke didn't respond for a long moment.
Then—his eyes darkened.
"…Fine. If it gets me power, then so be it."
As he said the words, Indra grinned.
"Then… awaken."
[Back to Reality – Forest of Death]
Sasuke's body spasmed violently.
Then stopped.
He slowly rose to his feet, eyes still closed.
Naruto stepped forward. "Sasuke?"
Sasuke's eyes snapped open.
No longer his normal onyx black.
Now they glowed — Mangekyō Sharingan with a spiral pattern.
But the voice that came out wasn't Sasuke's.
"Soon, little brother… Soon, you'll see that your ideals mean nothing."
Naruto tensed. "You're not Sasuke."
"No… but you know who I am." The voice chuckled darkly.
"You think only Ashura prepared for the future, Naruto Uzumaki? He chose you — my little brother's heir. How quaint."
"If not even my father or my brother could stop me, what chance do you have?"
Naruto's chakra exploded in a wave of golden-red. His eyes were a storm of rage.
"I don't care who you are," Naruto growled, his voice echoing, layered with both Kurama and Ashura's resonance.
"Come at me yourself, Indra Ōtsutsuki!"
From inside, Uzuhiko's voice shouted:
"Naruto! Control yourself! You're tapping Kurama's chakra for the first time in full surge — focus, regulate, adapt!"
Kurama's presence flickered in the background, a deep chuckle rippling.
"You've got fire, brat. Let's see if you can handle it."
Indra laughed, amused.
"Ah… So my other brother's remnants are inside you, too? Kurama? This just keeps getting more amusing."
With a final word—
"I'll return. Enjoy your borrowed time."
Sasuke's body shuddered, the spiral pattern in his eyes flickering, then vanishing.
He collapsed.
Naruto ran to his side, catching him just in time.
"Tch… you idiot," Naruto muttered, gently laying Sasuke down, chakra still whirling around him.
"No one's taking you. Not Orochimaru. Not Indra. Not anyone."
He placed his hand over Sasuke's heart, pouring a faint golden pulse of Ashura's chakra into him, stabilizing him slightly.
Sakura was slowly regaining consciousness nearby.
"Wha… What happened?" she asked, confused, eyes barely open.
"Nothing," Naruto said, masking his emotions. "We're safe now."
But inside…
Naruto knew.
The war between reincarnations had already begun.
And this time—Indra was playing for keeps.
[Inside Sasuke's Mindscape – Somewhere Deeper]
The vast field of white had twisted.
No longer empty… now a temple of obsidian and flame, floating in a void of black and deep purple lightning.
Time didn't move here. Space didn't matter.
Indra Ōtsutsuki stood atop a throne of jagged rock, bathed in swirling shadows that bled from his cloak like living ink. His spiral Mangekyō Sharingan pulsed slowly in the darkness.
He looked out from Sasuke's soulscape, watching the world through a lens of memory, power… and centuries of unhealed scars.
His voice, though quiet, was laced with ancient fury.
"So… that boy truly inherited everything from Ashura."
"Ashura's chakra… the Kyūbi… even the soul construct. Uzuhiko, was it?"
He closed his eyes briefly, breathing in the essence of his reincarnation's chakra. Sasuke's pain, loneliness, thirst for vengeance — it was all so… familiar.
"This vessel… is perfect. The blood of my legacy. The hate of a broken clan. The anger of betrayal. The hunger for power."
"It's like I never left."
He rose from his throne, walking toward a burning pool of violet chakra — a mirror showing flashes of Naruto's confrontation with him.
"You've grown bold, Ashura's heir. I admit… I didn't expect such strength this early."
He stared directly into the mirror as it showed Naruto blazing with Kurama's chakra, surrounded by golden threads of Ashura's light, face fierce and unwavering.
"But still… you're soft. You still believe in bonds. In saving others. In peace."
His expression twisted into something between amusement and disgust.
"You'll find out soon, Naruto… peace is a lie."
He reached into the air, twisting his hand. The curse mark on Sasuke's neck flickered, taking on a new spiral design more akin to his own eye.
"This mark isn't Orochimaru's anymore. It's mine."
He clenched his fist.
"You think you can protect Sasuke? You think you can redeem him?"
The mirror shimmered to show future images — flickers of war, of darkness, of Sasuke standing atop corpses… and Naruto, bleeding, trying to reach him.
"You're too late. He chose me."
A pause.
Then… a smile. Cold. Calculated. Eternal.
"Ashura… you were always the naive one. You thought love could fix everything. But now?"
He turned, fading into the shadows of Sasuke's soul.
"Now your heir will learn what it means to lose everything he loves.