Changing Fate As Naruto

Whether it was his strength or demeanor, Naruto had changed completely in an instant. Every inch of his body now radiated a cold, violent, and oppressive aura strong enough to make the weak faint.

The hunt… had begun.

With a taunting thumbs-down delivered slowly and arrogantly to Orochimaru, Naruto vanished the very next moment, his body turning into a blur of high-speed afterimages!

'That attack just now… impossible!' Orochimaru was stunned. 'This brat couldn't even break through the threshold of a Jōnin just a moment ago. How can he suddenly possess such terrifying destructive power?!'

Compared to Naruto's explosive fury upon witnessing Sasuke's death, Orochimaru was left in a blank, dazed state of disbelief.

Yes—just as he had suspected—Naruto had indeed been holding back most of his power…

But now that Naruto had unleashed everything, his performance completely overturned Orochimaru's deeply held belief in the rigid, unshakable power hierarchy! If it weren't for the cautious habits Orochimaru had developed during the brutal war era—always keeping a backup Substitution Jutsu prepared just in case—he was certain that Naruto's strike alone would've been enough to erase the name "Legendary Sannin of the Hidden Leaf" from existence!

Sure, there were always records in war of a Genin defeating a Chūnin, or a Chūnin taking down a Jōnin. But those victories usually involved elaborate traps or sheer numbers—flesh and blood paving the gap in strength.

That's why, no matter how cunning he was, Orochimaru had never imagined that he, one of the Hidden Leaf's Sannin, would one day be nearly one-shot—by a snot-nosed brat who hadn't even officially become a Genin—in a straight-up, one-on-one fight!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

But before he could recover from that worldview-shattering shock, a chain reaction of destroyed Shadow Clones forced their memories back into Orochimaru's mind, dragging his consciousness violently back to reality. Disoriented, he scanned the battlefield—only to freeze again in stunned disbelief at what he saw.

"Hahaha! What's wrong? Weren't you talking big just a second ago? Huh? Come on, say it again! Now who's begging who to repeat themselves, huh? Say it!"

Naruto, completely consumed by rage, showed no mercy. With a crazed grin and mocking laughter, he dove headlong into the encirclement formed by Orochimaru's Shadow Clones like a demonic phantom. But unlike before, Naruto now moved with such ruthless agility that even surrounded, he easily evaded and countered their attacks—each strike landing with monstrous strength, shattering clone after clone with terrifying ease!

Earlier, Naruto had barely managed to hold his ground using the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu to make up for his numbers. But now—no jutsu, no tricks—just pure taijutsu. And it was enough to completely reverse the tide of battle. He was adapting rapidly to the combat rhythm, and in this one-against-many melee, he had utterly suppressed Orochimaru's clones in a one-sided slaughter. They couldn't even land a hit!

"Heh… heh heh… hahahaha! Weak! So weak… it's pathetic! It's not satisfying at all!"

With each clone falling faster and faster, Naruto's voice became hoarse and beastlike, his tone a crazed snarl. What had once looked like a small, harmless boy now resembled a crimson killing machine, cold and precise in execution. And if one looked closely, they could faintly see outlines of tails forming and swaying behind him. The number of these spectral tails seemed to be steadily increasing along with his swelling aura!

'That's… Nine-Tails' chakra… I see now. The reason he wasn't going all out wasn't because he underestimated me, but because… as a Jinchūriki, he had to constantly reserve enough chakra to keep the seal stable. He couldn't afford to go all-in!'

Even as Naruto continued to rampage, the growing pressure of his chakra and the painful, fragmented memories returning from his clones helped Orochimaru finally piece it together. His astonished expression gradually gave way to a bitter smile.

'Well, well… looks like I dug my own grave this time. If he fully loses control and the Nine-Tails breaks free, it's just a matter of time, isn't it? Minato, that bastard… even in death, you still manage to screw me over. You really sealed the Nine-Tails inside your own son… If that beast—the strongest of all Tailed Beasts—goes berserk and escapes… forget just me, even Pain would have trouble in a one-on-one! I need to figure out a plan—'

"Heheh… fouuund… yooou~"

"What?!"

Too bad. Even though Orochimaru had figured out the source of Naruto's strength, he had no time to act. Naruto's raspy, demonic voice was suddenly right in his ear, filled with a chilling bloodlust that locked onto Orochimaru like a predator. Before he could so much as twitch to activate a Substitution Jutsu, Naruto's deadly aura had him paralyzed—his whole body overtaken by a primal, bone-deep fear.

'He wiped out… all my Shadow Clones… that fast?! Is this… the power of the Nine-Tails?!'

Biting down on his tongue to stay conscious, Orochimaru turned toward the voice. But what he saw froze him in place: the battlefield, once swarming with his own clones, was now empty—save for a few fading trails of white mist. Not a single clone left. All gone—erased in less than three minutes.

'No wonder he found my real body so quickly…'

"Yes… that's it… good boy… stay right there. This'll all be over soon."

When Orochimaru fully turned around, the once small and smiling boy had been engulfed in blood-red chakra. Only vague outlines of limbs remained—his human form almost completely gone.

"I'll use… this… to… send you… to apologize to Sasuke!"

With a beastly growl, Naruto dropped onto all fours. Four tails of chakra whipped and flickered behind him, and above his head, a thick mass of negative, wild chakra began condensing into a visible sphere. It shrank rapidly as it approached his open jaws. Once locked onto Orochimaru's presence, he didn't hesitate—he swallowed the glowing purple orb whole. His body expanded like an overfilled balloon, as if ready to burst from the inside!

'That stance—no! He's completely lost control! If I don't act now, it'll be too late!'

As a former Hidden Leaf elite, Orochimaru knew something about the Nine-Tails' ultimate technique. Though Naruto's posture was distorted and beastlike, the pressure and signature movement left no doubt—this was the Tailed Beast Bomb!

'I have to make it in time. I MUST!'

With no more room for arrogance, Orochimaru's face darkened. He bent his knees and kicked off the ground with full force, leaping backward—not to escape, but to buy time for hand seals. Even mid-air, before landing, he was already forming them at full speed.

ROAR—!!

The moment Orochimaru launched himself, Naruto—whether out of instinct or fear that Orochimaru would escape—sank his claws and feet deep into the ground to anchor himself, then opened his mouth wide toward Orochimaru's retreating path. With no hesitation, he unleashed the monstrous, chaotic energy stored in his gut.

Summoning Jutsu—!

Sensing the incoming threat, Orochimaru had no time to land properly. He dropped to the ground in a hasty crouch, slapping his palms down onto a glowing Summoning Circle with barely a second to spare.

BOOM—

In the next instant, three colossal gates, each towering over a thousand meters tall like mountain peaks, rose before him in a flash—Triple Rashomon. The first gate blocked, the second absorbed, and the third dispersed the impact. Designed to reduce the destructive force layer by layer, this was a powerful defensive ninjutsu once used by the First Hokage himself to deflect a fully charged Tailed Beast Bomb.

And now, in its simplified version…

Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon.