After they emerged from the alley, Naruto—now humming a carefree tune with his hands behind his head—had completely shed his earlier frustration from being smacked speechless by Little Uchiha Fan. He looked refreshed, practically glowing with cheer.
Hinata, still clueless after having her eyes and ears covered by Shikamaru and Sasuke during the chaos, wandered along in innocent confusion. But the rest of the group, including Little Uchiha Fan himself, who had been so smug just moments ago, were now all uncharacteristically quiet. Not one dared utter a sound, their behavior suddenly obedient—almost reverent.
The reason was simple.
The Second Brother, who had woken up just in time to mouth off about Hinata's Byakugan, had promptly earned Naruto's full aggro. Now he lay sprawled on the ground again—unconscious, broken, and in a far worse state than before.
Not that he resembled anything human anymore.
The kid—this self-declared volunteer meat shield, who had nobly stepped forward to act as Naruto's punching bag not once but twice—now looked like a pile of broken flesh dumped in a crimson puddle. Anyone stumbling upon the scene would likely wonder whether the boy was even still alive. He looked pitiful, helpless, and so thoroughly brutalized that one couldn't help but question what hellish punishment he had endured in such a short time.
Of course, Naruto had never crossed the line. Even as he vented his fury with relish, he stayed within the bounds—leaving the kid alive. He used the abundant life force of the Uzumaki Clan's chakra and slipped the boy some Blood Recovery Pills he'd brought along just in case. So while it looked horrific, a proper examination would reveal only minor wounds. At most, he'd qualify as "lightly injured."
In fact, during Naruto's so-called "treatment," the boy's cells had instinctively absorbed the healing chakra—resulting in an unexpected bonus: his body had grown slightly stronger.
A twisted kind of reward, perhaps, for offering himself up as Naruto's personal training dummy.
Sure, it wasn't on the same level as the enhancements Naruto had purposefully given to the Ino-Shika-Chō trio earlier, but for a kid of humble origins? This was real progress.
…Not that he'd ever want to gain power like this again.
Because the moment he uttered the phrase "Byakugan freak," he had triggered Naruto's inner wife-protector mode and was promptly slammed into the dirt for some creative punishment. Each strike was different from the last, as if Naruto was improvising a one-man taijutsu concert.
And every time the kid hovered on the edge of death, Naruto would pull him back with healing ninjutsu—only to beat him down again.
Not out of cruelty.
Naruto just wasn't done yet.
He couldn't have his free punching bag bleeding out too early, could he? That'd ruin the fun—ahem—the training session.
So the cycle repeated: beatdown, healing, more beatdown, Blood Recovery Pill shoved in his mouth, more healing, and so on.
By the time Naruto and the others finally left, the boy's body had been fully healed. Yet he remained limp on the ground, playing dead. His trauma ran deep. Even with Naruto's back disappearing in the distance, he feared a sudden return—another round of pain. His only hope of survival was to pretend he'd already passed on.
Somewhere in this spiral of terror, the boy found himself reevaluating his grudge against Little Uchiha Fan.
Compared to Naruto?
Little Uchiha Fan was an angel.
At least Sasuke knocked him out clean. No pain. Just sleep. Unlike Naruto, who kept him conscious and aware for every second of his hellish ordeal.
And now, after everything, the boy had learned his lesson.
No, he didn't vow to train and get revenge.
He just decided to live.
From this day forward, if he so much as saw a Hyuga kid—even from afar—or a blond boy with spiky hair, he would run.
Full sprint. No questions.
Last time it was a ragged little beggar. This time it was an exam candidate. Both blond. Both monsters.
'Are all blond kids demons in disguise?!'
Lying stiffly in place, the boy listened to the fading footsteps and, once sure Naruto wasn't coming back, let two miserable tears fall down his cheeks. His heart, broken and bitter, recalled that distant day when a blond little beggar had pounded him into unconsciousness for bullying Hinata.
And now, this blond boy—so clean, so composed—had done the same.
The same face. The same fists.
He never realized they were the same person.
'Fate is cruel like that, isn't it?'
Maybe that's why the others—Shikamaru, Ino, even Little Uchiha Fan—had all fallen silent. After seeing what happened to the boy, they felt genuine pity. Even Ino, who'd been so mouthy earlier, now looked like someone who had just walked through the gates of death and returned.
Her fear of Naruto was absolute.
'So… that's what he looks like when he's truly angry?'
As the group trailed behind Naruto like string-pulled puppets, Ino tilted her head just enough to glance at his small, harmless-looking back. Her lips quivered, and she muttered to herself in silence.
'Good thing Shikamaru said he was just joking before… if he had really gone full throttle on me like he did with that guy…'
She couldn't even finish the thought.
Would she have survived?
Would she have stayed sane?
No. No way.
'Better listen to Shikamaru next time. Just… don't provoke Naruto. Ever.'
Even Little Uchiha Fan—who'd lived with Naruto for over a year now—felt a shiver crawl up his spine. In all that time, no matter how much he messed around or got scolded, he'd never seen Naruto like this.
Even last night, when Orochimaru showed up and Naruto had to rely on Kurama's power, he hadn't seemed terrifying. He'd carefully suppressed Kurama's Tailed Beast aura to avoid scaring his shadow clone (disguised as Sasuke) nearby. All Sasuke noticed then was how far behind he lagged in strength—not fear.
Only now did he realize...
Maybe Naruto calling himself a monster all the time… wasn't entirely a joke?
"Hey! What's with you guys? You all look like you've seen a ghost."
Naruto, walking ahead, finally stopped. He turned around, hands on hips, brows raised.
The sudden voice snapped them out of their thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, uh… nothing! We were just… thinking about what to eat after the exam!"
But when Sasuke met Naruto's familiar blue eyes, something in him flinched. There was something different in that gaze. An unfamiliar weight. Without realizing it, he turned away—and lied.
"Right, guys?"
"Y-Yeah! Totally!"
"Mhm! That's it!"
"Eating? Celebrating?" Chōji blinked, puzzled. "I thought you were—"
Before he could say more, Shikamaru and Ino both moved in and clamped down on him.
"A great idea, Chōji! Let's go for barbecue when this is over!"
"Ooh! Barbecue! That sounds amazing!"
"Count me in!"
"Greasy, sure, but worth it once in a while. Nice one, Chōji."
Naruto watched their awkward play-acting with a small smile. He saw through it all instantly, of course. But he also knew he might've gone a little overboard earlier—so he let it slide.
Instead, he pulled out a small pouch he'd "borrowed" from the boy before they left.
He gave it a light toss in his hand, weighing the number of Ration Pills inside, then smiled.
"Well, the guy kind of had it coming. Judging by this stash, they must've mugged quite a few people for these. But hey, lucky us. Let's split them and pick up the pace."
"Wait, they… robbed people?"
With Naruto's voice calm and matter-of-fact, and Sasuke serving as living proof, the tension broke. The group shared relieved looks, then began chatting again as Naruto handed out the pills. The dark cloud lifted, and the air became lively once more.
"I knew it couldn't have been just one wrong sentence. That guy must've been a repeat offender."
"Hah, he really picked the wrong guy to mess with. Naruto's the proctor, remember?"
"Whoa… that's a lot of pills. How many people did they rob?! Honestly, Naruto didn't go far enough. That was practically a gift!"
"Yep. Naruto is still Naruto."
While the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, new to traveling with Naruto, felt visibly relieved, Sasuke watched quietly. He noticed Naruto had divided the pills into five portions—none for himself.
Only then did Sasuke's unease fully melt away.
Harsh to enemies. Kind to friends. That's Naruto for you. He hasn't changed a bit…
But just as everyone relaxed, someone else had something to say.
Kurama—who had been lazily napping inside the seal—suddenly yanked Naruto's consciousness back into the Sealing Space.
"Oi, why now, Kurama?! I've still got things to do!"
"You sure seem relaxed for someone flirting with disaster, Naruto…"
Kurama's expression was unusually grim. Even as Naruto appeared with his usual carefree grin, lounging with hands behind his head, Kurama wasn't smiling.
"You lost control again just now, didn't you? Are you really planning to keep the truth from them?"
Naruto's smile faltered.
He fell silent, then shrugged.
"What good would telling them do? They're just kids. Better they stay happy and carefree like now, right?"
"Hmph. Still trying to shoulder it all alone. You're as stubborn as ever."
"Heh, says the fox who used to be even more stubborn than me."
Naruto leapt lightly onto Kurama's head, settling into his usual laid-back pose. But when he sensed the fox's unease, he sighed.
"You know just as well as I do… That weird energy—whatever it is—it's nowhere near as dense as your chakra. But when it comes to messing with my emotions, it blows yours out of the water. If you hadn't shouted at me earlier, I might've gone too far. Even if I didn't kill that kid, I would've broken his spirit completely."
"…Tch. Can't argue with that. That energy's seriously twisted. I've lived a long time, and I've never felt anything like it. And the weird part? I think it's connected to me. I keep feeling this strange familiarity—like I've seen it before, but my memory's a blank."
Naruto nodded slowly.
"I tried sealing it, using the technique my mom left behind. But I'm nowhere near her level… I just slapped a stopgap on it, really."
He sank deeper into his own chakra network, tracing through the seal to observe the strange energy—still dormant, seemingly pacified.
"And yeah… I feel it too. That familiarity."
"Oh?"
"And what's worse…" Naruto murmured, "Ignoring how it messes with my emotions—when I look at its nature, the wind-dominant affinity, the hidden vitality pulsing inside it… there's one impossible theory I can't shake."
Kurama narrowed his eyes.
Naruto's expression grew more conflicted as he peered through the seal.
"It feels… like my chakra. Like a part of me."