Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

"Finally, something interesting."

Kisame's pupils dilated as he tracked the trajectory of the dark red chakra claws. With a blur, he leapt back, shattering the bandages wrapped around Samehada with a surge of chakra. Patting the now-exposed sword, he grinned, "You're in for a treat today."

Naruto's fifth tail emerged, forming a skeletal exoskeleton along his back.

The chakra inside him erupted into the sky with a guttural roar. Two massive chakra arms slammed downward, trying to flatten Kisame like a mosquito.

Kisame's body burst into a stream of water and reappeared through the rainfall, eyes gleaming with excitement. This was a challenge he could appreciate.

Naruto kicked off the ground, causing spiderweb-like cracks beneath his feet. He launched forward at a speed invisible to the naked eye and headbutted Kisame square in the chest, sending him flying.

But not unscathed—Samehada lashed out, absorbing a portion of Naruto's chakra.

Samehada, being a living sword, craved strong chakra. After one sip of the Nine-Tails' chakra, it practically trembled with delight.

"Tough getting that first bite, huh?" Kisame chuckled, stroking the hilt of the sword. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and began walking toward Naruto again. "Wish Itachi was here. His eyes are much more suited for dealing with Jinchūriki."

Even as he spoke, Naruto reappeared in front of him.

Kisame reacted fast, raising Samehada to block.

But Naruto vanished and reappeared behind him, fists clenched.

With a boom, Naruto's punch crashed down on Kisame's skull like a hammer, slamming him into the concrete. For a moment, Kisame's thoughts went blank. His head felt like it had been caved in by a boulder.

"Damn... these Jinchūriki are really a pain."

"Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage!"

Before Naruto could strike again, Kisame disappeared underground. He tunneled roughly twenty meters away and shot out from the earth with another jutsu ready.

"Water Style: Super Shark Bomb Jutsu!"

The enormous shark-shaped projectile ripped through the stormy sky. Unlike the earlier Water Shark Bullet, this jutsu absorbed chakra to grow stronger.

A deadly move against a tailed beast host.

"Well?" Kisame shouted. "Going to use a Tailed Beast Bomb and level this place, or let your chakra be eaten alive, little Jinchūriki?"

But Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he formed two massive Rasengan in each of his chakra arms, then extended his tailed beast cloak and stretched his arms like rubber to slingshot himself out of the blast zone.

The massive shark bomb collided with the ground, shattering it entirely.

In the next instant, Naruto hurled both Rasengan—one striking Samehada to prevent a block, and the other heading straight for Kisame's face.

Kisame's instincts screamed. If that hit, he'd be in real trouble.

He barely managed to burrow underground to avoid the blast.

"Wait, the Nine-Tails has a trick like that? Since when?!"

Of course, he'd never heard of it—because this wasn't the Nine-Tails' doing. It was Naruto's.

Even in a partially transformed state, Naruto still had full control of his body.

Unlike most Jinchūriki, Naruto had already mastered control over 11% of the Nine-Tails' chakra—and he didn't need the fox's permission to use it. Unfortunately, it only allowed him to manifest up to five tails. That alone still wasn't enough to overwhelm Kisame.

"Kisame's movement is insane, and Samehada is an absolute menace. I can't drag this fight out much longer."

"The key now is to stall until Jiraiya or Might Guy arrive."

Resolving himself, Naruto slammed a chakra arm into the ground, flushing Kisame out from underground.

While the two clashed, a lock of white hair stretched from a hidden crevice and silently dragged the unconscious Hazuki and Konohamaru into a nearby building.

"Get Lady Sarutobi and Konohamaru to the hospital, now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Having issued his command to the ANBU, Jiraiya continued watching Naruto's battle with a strange glint in his eyes.

"He can freely manipulate the Nine-Tails' chakra... and even use Rasengan mid-transformation."

"Is this… a perfect Jinchūriki?"

"Even better than Kushina."

Jiraiya had originally planned to step in, but the more he watched Naruto, the more stunned he became. Now, he simply wanted to see how far the boy could go.

"Hmm? What's that ANBU doing down there?"

He spotted a purple-haired ANBU approaching Naruto and Kisame.

"Did no one tell her not to interfere?"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fight raged on. Kisame had drained much of Naruto's chakra, but had taken several brutal hits in return. Both were bloodied. The surrounding buildings lay in ruins—this was the wealthier district near the Hokage Building. These homes were worth a fortune.

Oddly, Naruto noticed something: not a single civilian was present.

"Were they evacuated ahead of time?" he wondered. "Is someone just watching for fun?"

"If you're not going to help, at least don't treat this like a damn spectacle."

The fight continued, with Kisame growing increasingly exhilarated. At one point, he emerged from underground to charge Naruto directly.

But the moment he revealed himself, a glint of cold steel flashed.

Kisame twisted to dodge but still suffered a deep slash to the shoulder. His head nearly flew off.

He struck back with Samehada, knocking away his assailant.

The force of his strike sent the attacker sliding over ten meters before she could stop herself, stabbing her blade into the ground for balance.

Now Naruto could clearly see who it was.

Her eyes were cold. Her presence, sharp. Tall and lean, clad in standard ANBU armor—but nothing like the woman he'd seen in the hospital.

The air seemed to still. The rain didn't let up, but even the wind paused.

Uzuki Yugao brushed back her wet hair, spat blood, and stood tall. Sword in hand, she glared at Kisame.

"Naruto is the one I want to protect. No one touches him."

The wound she dealt had been deep. Kisame's eyes glowed with murder—but before he could move, Naruto took the opportunity to rake him with three chakra claws, carving bloody gouges across his chest.

"Flying Chain Slash!"

Samehada's handle suddenly extended, its massive jaws wide open. It lunged for Naruto.

He dodged, retreating to Yugao's side.

Honestly, Naruto was surprised to see her.

"I thought she wasn't on watch today…"

"So it really was her in the hospital all along."

"Sister Yugao, move back!"

"I'm fine. But you're not allowed to die."

"Just help me find an opening."

"Got it."

Yugao nodded, vanishing into the shadows to wait for another strike.

Kisame spat on the ground.

"Hah. Getting lucky with one hit and now you think you can stop me again? In your dreams."

His fighting instincts flared. Merging with Samehada, his body took on a monstrous shark-like form. His muscles swelled. His speed and strength increased drastically—and the wound Yugao had inflicted healed almost instantly.

Boom!

With a single step, the ground shattered as Kisame charged toward Yugao's last known location.

But Naruto wouldn't let him through.

Dropping to all fours, he chased after Kisame, forcing him into close combat.

Merged with Samehada, Kisame was far more powerful. With a single tackle, he sent Naruto flying.

Even within the protection of the Tailed Beast Cloak, Naruto felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Damn it! he thought. How long does that old man Jiraiya plan to sit back and watch?

If you don't jump in soon, I'm gonna die here!