SHINOBI EXAM

The perceptive ninja sitting in the Senju mansion, reviewing historical volumes, paused as he noticed something troubling. The pen of Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, hesitated over the scroll.

"This is the power of the Tailed Beast," Tobirama muttered, closing the scroll. "That's right, that kid shouldn't have been able to control the Nine Tails at this point."

History had shifted, and with it, the balance of events. He couldn't predict what might go wrong now between Naruto and the Nine Tails. There was a sense of urgency.

He immediately rose from his seat, donned his aqua-colored fur-collared armor, pulled on his hood, and strapped his Jōnin tool bag in place. He needed to sense the nearest Flying Thunder God mark.

"I've found it. The nearest marker is… here."

Tobirama gritted his teeth. If he had known earlier, he would have sealed a Flying Thunder God mark on that boy.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

In a flash, Senju Tobirama, summoned from the past during the Fourth Ninja War and now resurrected in the form of dirt, vanished in an instant.

---

Meanwhile, far from Konoha, the first Nine Tails Jinchūriki, the wife of the First Hokage, Uzumaki Mito, was feeling the disturbance caused by the Nine Tails' chakra.

Itachi was still speaking to Mito, but he lacked the sensory abilities that the pure-blooded Uzumaki possessed. As he spoke, Mito's expression grew grave.

"Itachi-kun, you must wait a moment," she said, her voice solemn as she turned her attention toward the source of the Nine Tails' chakra.

The seal still held—barely. The chakra leakage wasn't a new occurrence.

"Damn Nine Tails!" she cursed under her breath, aware that the beast must have been manipulating the seal while the current Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, was in a volatile emotional state.

Kushina, you have to endure!

Mito's thoughts turned to Kushina, the young woman she had entrusted with the Nine Tails. She owed a great debt to Kushina for taking on such a dangerous role.

Mito had known the day would come when she could no longer bear the burden of the seal. The Uzumaki clan's chakra was powerful, but the task of containing the Nine Tails was immense. Konoha, in its desperation, had asked for the young Kushina to take her place. Mito believed that Kushina, with her strength of character and optimistic nature, was the only one who could carry such a heavy responsibility.

Mito's chakra and ninjutsu were formidable, though not quite as potent as her husband's, Hashirama's, or her brother-in-law Tobirama's. Still, her resolve was strong, and she ran toward Konoha with all the speed she could muster.

Itachi, following closely behind her, transformed into a crow, his form almost invisible in the wind.

---

Back at the battlefield, Naruto, whose anger had been mounting, unleashed a punch that sent Orochimaru reeling. The brief surge of Nine Tails' chakra—just a leak from the cage—had granted Naruto a fleeting burst of power. However, with his inexperience and the limitations of his chakra control, it wasn't enough to defeat Orochimaru.

As the battle wore on, Naruto's frustration grew. Orochimaru, sensing Naruto's volatile state, began taunting him by focusing on Sasuke and Itama, exacerbating Naruto's anger.

With every taunt, Naruto's hair bristled, and his chakra flared, overtaking his body. The beastly energy of the Nine Tails surged within him, transforming him into something almost unrecognizable. His nails elongated and sharpened like claws, his teeth grew into fangs, and his eyes gleamed a fierce blood-red.

He dropped to all fours, crawling like a beast, a growl escaping his lips. His body pulsed with dangerous chakra, an instinctive warning to Orochimaru.

But Orochimaru was intrigued, not scared. Watching this spectacle, he became more interested in Naruto. Despite lacking the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, Naruto's unique chakra intrigued him.

"I wonder if you can truly become the light the ninja world needs," Orochimaru muttered to himself, observing Naruto's transformation.

Nearby, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Sakura watched the battle unfold. Gaara, in particular, was stunned. He had seen Naruto grow stronger in order to protect his friends, and it resonated with him.

"Isn't it just about fighting for yourself?" Gaara muttered, remembering his own struggle to find purpose.

With a quiet resolve, Gaara's sand stirred, moving to join the fray. He felt a strange kinship with Naruto, a bond forged by their shared experiences.

Naruto, still struggling with his overwhelming anger, turned to Gaara.

"Why did you stop me with your sand earlier?" Naruto asked, confused by Gaara's sudden intervention.

Gaara's cold eyes softened just a bit. "Because I want to understand what it feels like, to fight for something other than myself."

The two young ninjas exchanged words, but the battle raged on. Naruto dodged Orochimaru's giant summoned snake, his anger fueling his next move. "I can't explain it. All I know is that I'll never let anyone hurt my friends. They're the ones who pulled me out of my lonely hell!"

Naruto slammed his hands together. "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Suddenly, the dense forest was filled with over two hundred copies of Naruto, a sea of clones overwhelming the battlefield. The sheer number of clones was a feat that even Jōnin might struggle to match. Only someone with the power of the Nine Tails, like Naruto, could achieve such a display.

Orochimaru, intrigued by this new development, smiled wickedly. He saw a potential opportunity in Naruto's power.

"Your body could serve as my new container, boy," Orochimaru muttered, his fingers twitching as he prepared to give Naruto the Curse Seal, eager to add this powerful host to his collection.

---

As the battle continued, the involvement of Gaara and Naruto signaled a shift in the fight's momentum. Gaara was no longer the solitary figure driven only by his own hatred. The influence of Naruto, who fought to protect others, had stirred something in him—a sense of camaraderie and purpose.

Meanwhile, the looming presence of Orochimaru, with his dark ambitions, posed a significant threat to everyone involved. With the appearance of the other powerful figures like Tobirama and Mito, the conflict was about to escalate even further, and the outcome remained uncertain.

But one thing was clear: the battle for Konoha, for the Nine Tails' power, and for the future of the ninja world had only just begun.

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