He was glowing—enveloped in a beautiful, ferocious red aura from head to toe. Unlike the golden blaze of the anime's later forms, this was pure Vermillion red—deep, rich, almost liquid, shifting like flames made of blood and sunset.
The cloak of chakra wrapped around him in thick, flowing layers—tails of energy flickering behind him like living fire, nine of them, translucent yet solid, coiling and swaying with his every breath.
His eyes glowed the same intense crimson, pupils slit like a fox's, hair lifting slightly as if stirred by an unseen wind. Whisker marks stood out sharper against his skin, black lines stark against the red light.
He raised his hand slowly—watching the way the chakra coat rippled and flowed around his fingers like molten silk, warm but not burning. Power thrummed through every vein, steady, controlled, alive.
He smiled—small, satisfied, almost boyish despite the raw ferocity radiating from him.
'I like this better,' he thought. 'Kinda reminds me of Baryon Mode… but without the death timer.'
"Looking cool, kit," Kurama said, voice rumbling through the space—deep, amused, proud.
The fox sat upright now—massive, regal—nine tails fanned behind him like crimson banners, golden eyes glinting with something close to affection.
"Thanks," Naruto replied, grin widening. "You look good as well. Wonder how you'll look if we get your other half."
Kurama snorted—a low, amused rumble that shook the chamber faintly.
"Oh, that guy. We'll meet soon, I'm sure."
They stared at each other for a long moment—silent, understanding passing between them without words. Since they were now one, Kurama knew who Naruto really was. The fox's grin widened—sharp, toothy, approving.
"Yeah… you're right," Naruto said softly. "I should get going. See you, Kurama."
Kurama dipped his massive head once—almost regal.
"See you, Naruto."
Naruto vanished—chakra signature winking out in an instant.
The next second he was back in the real world—sitting upright on his bed, staring at the familiar ceiling cracks of his apartment.
The room was quiet—only the soft hum of the fridge and the distant sound of village life filtering through the window. His body still thrummed with residual energy—skin tingling, heart steady but strong, the Vermillion cloak no longer visible but humming just beneath the surface, ready at a thought.
He sighed—long, satisfied—then swung his legs off the bed and stood.
'I should test this out.'
He flexed his fingers—feeling the new depth of chakra flowing through him, smooth and endless, no more walls, no more chains. A small, feral smile tugged at his lips. Time to see what he could really do now.
In a blink, Naruto vanished from his apartment. He reappeared outside in the familiar training grounds where he'd fought Jiraiya.
The clearing was quiet, surrounded by dense trees and rocky outcrops, grass worn thin in spots from countless spars.
A calm wind rustled through the leaves, carrying the faint scent of pine and earth, the sun low in the sky casting long shadows across the ground.
Naruto stood in the center—feet planted wide, jacket unzipped, breathing steady.
He slowly let the energy take over.
Immediately, chakra surged outward—Vermillion red, fierce and alive, coating him from head to toe in a flowing cloak of pure power. Blood-red fire—liquid and molten, tails of energy flickering behind him like living flames, nine of them coiling and swaying with every breath.
' Woah tails. Cool' he thought.
The cloak rippled and shifted around him—warm but not burning, thrumming with limitless potential.
The moment it fully manifested, the air changed—pressure dropped, wind picked up sharply, leaves tearing from branches in sudden gusts. The trees bent; grass flattened in a wide circle around him.
Everyone with good senses in the village felt it—an immense chakra beacon erupting like a volcano, raw and unmistakable.
It rolled outward in waves, shaking windows, startling birds into flight, making every shinobi within miles pause mid-step.
Naruto didn't care.
He clenched his fists—feeling the power course through him like liquid lightning, endless, boundless. It felt like he had no limit—like he could destroy this whole village in a blink if he wished, reduce mountains to dust with a thought. The idea of leaping felt effortless; he could reach the moon if he pushed.
'Ok… let's start with a normal Rasengan,' he thought, stretching one hand out.
In a second the blue sphere of chakra appeared in his palm—but immediately, a whirlwind of wind picked up around him. Leaves tore from trees in violent spirals; branches whipped back and forth uncontrollably; dust and grass spun in a miniature cyclone centered on him.
The Rasengan itself glowed brighter—edges flickering with red chakra, wind chakra compressing tighter and sharper than ever before, the sphere howling like a living storm.
Naruto stared at it in shock—eyes wide, mouth slightly open—as the wind roared louder, shaking the ground faintly.
He slowly released it—chakra dissipating in a burst of red-tinged wind that calmed the weather almost instantly. Leaves settled; trees stilled; silence returned.
'Well… that's new. God knows what a Rasenshuriken could do,' he thought, flexing his fingers, feeling the lingering hum of power under his skin.
Before he could do anything else, he sensed several figures closing in fast—chakra signatures sharp and familiar, moving at high speed from the village direction.
He turned toward them as he saw them clearly even though they were still quite far. They moved very slowly in his perception—almost in slow motion—like insects crawling through honey.
'Damn… how fast am I now?' he asked himself, a small, feral grin tugging at his lips.
They landed a minute later—Kakashi, Yamato, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—touching down in a loose semicircle around him, cloaks fluttering from the speed of their arrival.
Dust puffed up around their boots; leaves still drifted in the aftermath of his earlier wind.
They stared at him in shock—eyes wide, mouths slightly open—taking in the fading red glow that still clung to his skin like embers, the way the air around him seemed to shimmer with residual power.
Jiraiya wasn't as surprised—his eyes narrowed, then crinkled at the corners with pride. He'd seen this potential in Minato; he'd trained Naruto for years. This was what the Fourth had wanted for his son all along—but somehow Naruto had done it on his own, faster, cleaner, without the years of struggle Jiraiya had expected.
He showed all his teeth in a wide, proud grin.
"Now *that's* my student!" he boomed, voice echoing across the clearing, arms crossed, chest puffed out like a proud father.
Naruto smiled—small, genuine—slowly retracting the chakra. The Vermillion cloak faded—red light dimming, tails dissolving into wisps, eyes returning to normal blue—but somehow he felt no different. The power didn't leave; it settled deeper, quieter, like a second heartbeat beneath his skin.
'Guess it really is a part of me,' he thought.
" Naruto!" Tsunade shouted, stepping forward—voice sharp, concerned, angry all at once. "Explain yourself!"
Naruto looked at her—then at the others—then shrugged one shoulder.
"No," he replied simply.
The clearing went dead silent.
TO BE CONTINUED