I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI

Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!

After reviewing the surveillance, the guards of the Hokage Building were left in shock.

The surveillance footage revealed that the individual who attacked the secret chamber housing the Scroll of Seals was an Anbu directly under the command of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As the guards pieced the situation together, doubts arose—could this attack have been orchestrated by the Third Hokage himself? Was it a ploy in a deeper political struggle?

Regardless of internal conflicts, their duty remained unchanged. They immediately dispatched a team to pursue the assailant while reporting directly to the Third Hokage, even though he had left the village less than thirty minutes prior.

---

On Naruto's end, after evading his pursuers, he eagerly grasped the Scroll of Seals.

However, when he attempted to open it, he found that it was secured with multiple layers of advanced fūinjutsu. Any forceful attempt to break them would risk destroying the contents. Naruto had no choice but to carefully decipher the intricate sealing mechanisms.

Moreover, there was the risk of embedded tracking seals.

Realizing this, Naruto's expression darkened, but he had no regrets about stealing the scroll.

With swift hand seals, he applied an isolation seal to block chakra detection. Securing the scroll, he moved toward the Forest of Death, the designated rendezvous point.

Everything had been set in motion—all that remained was to find the right location and wait for Shisui's signal.

However, as soon as he exited the outskirts of Konoha, Naruto was forced to halt.

Standing in his path once more was a shinobi barring his escape. This time, the adversary was none other than Hatake Kakashi.

Dressed in his full Anbu attire, Kakashi's single visible eye fixated on Naruto and the stolen scroll with an unreadable expression.

Naruto, in turn, tensed, his gaze locking onto the renowned Copy Ninja, a man often joked about as "50-50" due to his infamous tendency for evenly matched fights.

Unlike Uzuki Yugao, whose Anbu rank was slightly above Chūnin, Kakashi was a true elite jōnin—one of the strongest in Konoha. Facing him was a far greater challenge.

After a moment of tense silence, Kakashi spoke first.

"Naruto… what's in your hand? And why are you heading toward the village's border?"

Naruto smirked. "What else? It's the Scroll of Seals."

"As for why I took it? Simple—I'm leaving. I'm becoming a rogue ninja."

Kakashi's expression darkened. "Naruto, this isn't a game. You're upset because you weren't granted early graduation, but defecting isn't the answer. The life of a rogue ninja is crueler than you realize. Put the scroll down, and the Third Hokage will forgive you."

Naruto chuckled. "Forgive me? That's funny."

He continued, his voice laced with bitterness. "I'm tired of this village. Tired of pretending to be the embodiment of the Will of Fire. Tired of being Konoha's Jinchūriki—a living weapon for the village. Most of all, I'm tired of the villagers' hateful stares."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Jinchūriki? You… you know?"

His expression shifted, his voice lower. "Who told you? Was it a ninja from the village… or was it Kurama?"

Naruto scoffed. "Does it matter? What matters is that they don't see me as Naruto Uzumaki. To them, I am the Nine-Tails."

"That was the past," Kakashi countered. "Given time, people change. One day, they'll understand you. They don't even know you're a Jinchūriki."

Naruto tilted his head mockingly. "Oh? So as long as I don't know the truth, it's fine? You mean how Jiji hid my identity from me all these years? And now you expect me to be grateful when I learn that I'm not a demon fox, but the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

A cold chuckle escaped him.

"Hah… A kid once scorned as a monster turns out to be a hero's son? What a dramatic twist."

"But then I think about how I'm still expected to protect this village—the same village that hates me—and I can't help but want to throw up. Is this place really worth my loyalty?"

Naruto's bitter words sent a visible shudder through Kakashi.

His mind raced—Naruto knows.

More than that, he wasn't angry about his lineage being kept a secret. Instead, he had planned his defection in silence, waiting for the perfect moment to execute it.

If Hiruzen-sama knew this… would he regret his decision?

But regardless of emotions, there was one absolute truth—Kakashi could not allow his sensei's son to defect.

Even if it meant hurting Naruto, he would keep him in Konoha.

Steeling himself, Kakashi prepared to strike. He had to end this quickly.

But Naruto had already reached the same conclusion.

The instant their resolve hardened, both figures vanished—only to reappear in a clash of kunai, sparks flying between them.

"So, Senpai feels the same way, huh?" Naruto taunted.

Kakashi remained silent but lifted his headband, revealing the slow rotation of his Sharingan.

Having sparred with Naruto on multiple occasions, Kakashi knew the boy's strength rivaled jōnin-level opponents. If he wanted to subdue him, he had to go all out.

But Naruto merely shifted his gaze, deliberately avoiding direct eye contact to counter the Sharingan's genjutsu. With a swift tiger seal, multiple shadow clones surrounded Kakashi.

Kakashi clicked his tongue. Shadow Clones…

The momentary lapse was all Naruto needed—his clones rushed in.

But Kakashi was faster.

A surge of Lightning Release erupted from his palm—Raikiri!

With a single sweeping motion, the powerful lightning sliced through the clones, dispelling them instantly.

Yet in the lingering smoke, Naruto had already closed the gap, a swirling Rasengan in hand.

The two clashed—Raikiri versus Rasengan.

A powerful explosion rocked the area, sending both combatants skidding backward.

Kakashi's eye widened. When did Naruto become this strong?

His chakra output was insane. His attack patterns were relentless—every ninjutsu was a high-level technique, each with lethal force.

But there was no time for hesitation.

"Ninjutsu—Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"

Kakashi's instincts screamed danger.

A massive, shuriken-shaped mass of wind chakra spun in Naruto's hand, crackling with devastating energy.

Kakashi swallowed hard. That jutsu was far beyond standard Rasengan. If it hit—he'd die.

He had no choice but to evade.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted, flattening the surrounding forest.

A massive crater, five meters wide, scarred the battlefield.

Kakashi staggered, clutching his bleeding shoulder, his breath ragged.

For the first time in the fight, pure fear filled his gaze.

Naruto was no longer just a promising genin.

At this moment—he was stronger than Kakashi.

But Naruto himself wasn't unscathed. His arm throbbed in pain—using Rasenshuriken without Sage Mode took a toll.

Still, he advanced, healing himself with medical ninjutsu. He had no personal grudge against Kakashi. But the price of standing in his way… was injury.

However—

A voice rang out.

A green blur intercepted his path.

"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"

A powerful kick shot toward Naruto.

The Green Beast of Konoha had arrived.

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