The Shopkeeper of Konoha

Chapter 248: We are brothers from distant mothers



Naruto was actually lucky that he could even talk that and the library restrictions imposed by Aoto, because none of the others could speak of magic, let alone who Balthakk was. 

"Who the hell is Balthakk?" Sakura's inner voice cried out loud but of course nobody knew of this personality of hers. Haku was barely able to get away from the attack and he was quite astonished that a genin could even come up with this kind of attack. And Sasuke too was very good with kunais thus he knew that this fight wouldn't be just a mere exchange and him beating them. 

Haku's eyes widened in surprise as he struggled to evade Naruto's magical assault while simultaneously fending off Sasuke's relentless attacks. "You possess abilities beyond mere ninjutsu... very well, let's see if you can keep up with me!"

But Haku wasn't something that be could be taken down very easily. 

"Makyō Hyōshō" (Secret Art of Water: Ice Crystal Magic Mirror Technique)

Haku belonged to the Yuki clan, and one could perform if they had access to the Kekkai genkai. Several mirrors made of ice surrounded Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto and Sasuke didn't expect this kind of attack, and Haku traveled swiftly between the mirrors, throwing ice needles at Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto conjured up his Tao mandala to stop them, but he could only do so much. At one point, many needles struck Sasuke. This happened because Naruto's last shield broke, and in order to save his teammate, Sasuke actually stepped forward and sacrificed himself. Naruto didn't expect such a move at all and was bewildered.

"Why? Why did you save me?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening in shock and confusion.

"It's because... only you can defeat him," Sasuke said, losing consciousness as his head hit Naruto's shoulder. Naruto still couldn't grasp exactly what had just happened and why Sasuke would do that. Half of his life, he had suffered and was raised in an orphanage. The other half was filled with love and rigorous training.

Though he hated the training, he could see the love and care that everyone had for him. Even his teacher, Loki, who seemed to hate everyone equally, did his best and gave the tough love that Naruto needed. He was mature enough to realize that, but he had never been put into a position like this before.

In this new timeline, Iruka hadn't sacrificed himself, so giving one's own 'life' away for someone was a totally new concept for him. This invoked rage inside Naruto. He barely had any friends growing up and was ostracized most of the time.

It was only after Aoto that things started to change, but even then, people used to look at him with strange eyes and sometimes even hatred. Now, seeing someone dying for his sake, the rage that had built up over all these years burst out. His eyes slowly turned red, and his whiskers seemed to grow bushier.

His canines grew, as did his fingernails. A small cloak of red chakra slowly covered Naruto, and what came next was a sense of bloodlust and hatred that permeated the whole battlefield. Kakashi and Zabuza, who were fighting each other, stopped their attacks and looked at Naruto, who had gone off the rails.

"That chakra... He's a jinchuriki..." Zabuza said in his raspy voice.

"This is bad. I'll have to bring Naruto under control," Kakashi said, ready to step forward, but he was stopped by Zabuza.

"What's the matter? Worried that your student will lose control?" Zabuza laughed and struck at Kakashi with his sword, which Kakashi stopped with his special kunai made of vibranium. Using such kunai was helpful since it could offset the impact by a significant degree, but it was not enough to stop Zabuza's relentless attack, ensuring he wouldn't leave.

Haku, the main instigator, didn't expect Naruto to be the jinchuriki. He was a bit shocked but also somewhat happy that he was able to start a friendship journey for Naruto, as he was sure that Sasuke was fine.

Naruto jumped into one mirror where he saw Haku and lunged at it. But Haku was too fast. Naruto didn't stop there; he went after Haku, destroying every mirror in the process. It was misty all over, thanks to Zabuza's technique, but it didn't deter Haku, as Naruto could easily sense him.

Naruto went after Haku like crazy, but he could only do so much with one tail, and that too, it was the first time that Naruto had called upon help from Kurama. Naruto had once tried talking with Kurama but was berated for disturbing him in his studies.

But now he needed help, and thus Kurama lent him some chakra and went back to his studies. Though he kept an eye around to ensure Naruto wouldn't die, the power didn't last long, as Naruto's body couldn't handle the overload of chakra at the moment. He was only able to scratch at Haku before losing consciousness.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had lost consciousness, finally opened his eyes, thanks to Sakura's quick medical help that she had been taught in school. When Sasuke woke up and saw that Naruto had also lost consciousness, he asked, "Sakura... What's going on?"

"Sasuke-kun... You're awake... Naruto... Naruto went mad after you took the needles. He... He lost consciousness by himself," Sakura replied before seeing Sasuke run up to Naruto. If anyone looked closely, they could see that Sasuke had awakened the one tomoe Sharingan.

As soon as Sasuke came near Naruto, he pulled out his kunai, and miraculously, a metallic sound rang out. It was Sasuke, who had just stopped an attack from Haku. He was so fast that nobody could see him but Sasuke could. 

Haku turned and looked at Sasuke. 

"You are the last survivor of the Uchiha clan.. Just like me..." Haku replied. 

"Don't think so highly of yourself. I am nothing like you." Sasuke growled as he felt the pain of the needles and blood flowed through some of the pores.

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