Night.
A figure quietly appeared on the training ground where Naruto had been training with Yugao. It was none other than Naruto, who should have been resting in the hospital.
"Kurama, are you sure it's in that direction?"
Naruto identified the location and quickly flashed into the forest.
The Nine-Tailed Fox in his body said, "If I haven't sensed it wrong, it's two kilometers ahead, underground."
"What exactly is it that has you so concerned?" Naruto asked, frowning as he hopped through the trees.
He hadn't used Kurama's Chakra to heal his injuries in order to drive a wedge between Yugao and Hayate Gekko, and he was still feeling weak.
In this situation, sneaking out could lead to trouble if anything happened.
However, Kurama told him that when he used Kurama's Chakra during the day, it sensed an unusual energy fluctuation deep within the forest, which it found very concerning, insisting that Naruto come and investigate when no one was around.
There was no choice. Naruto had to wait until late at night, after Yugao had gone home to rest. He quietly left a Shadow Clone at the hospital and snuck out himself.
"It's hard to say right now," Kurama said from within the Sealing Space, looking bored. "Although I think it's necessary to investigate, it's up to you if you think it's not important. You can go back now if you want."
"I'm already here, and you're saying this!" Naruto couldn't help but feel speechless.
Wasn't Kurama just messing with him?
Two kilometers was almost instantaneous for Naruto with his current Body Flicker Technique. In the span of a few words, he had already arrived at the location Kurama had sensed.
However, what blocked his path was a huge rock, with no way past.
"Just feel it carefully, you'll know. That energy fluctuation is underground, inside the rocks. There's definitely an entrance here," Kurama reminded him at the right moment.
Actually, Naruto didn't need to be told; he had already sensed an unusual energy fluctuation.
If it were just an energy anomaly, Kurama might not have cared much.
But within Naruto's perception, he subconsciously felt a strong aversion to this energy, and Kurama probably felt the same way.
Before long, Naruto found an opening, which was just blocked by another, slightly smaller rock.
He utilized Kurama's Chakra Mode, barely managing to move the rock, and then slipped into the stone cave.
Using the golden light of Chakra Mode for illumination was quite convenient.
A pathway, wide enough for three people to walk side by side, snaked downwards, and they didn't encounter anything along the way.
As Naruto went deeper, the feeling of rejection became more intense, making him secretly vigilant.
About a few hundred meters in, and already twenty or thirty meters below the surface, a huge cavern appeared before him.
In the center of the cavern was an altar, on which a barrier formation was engraved.
Because it wasn't activated, only residual energy fluctuations faintly emanated from it.
The energy fluctuations Naruto and Kurama sensed originated from this barrier formation.
"What is this thing?" Naruto instinctively felt some resistance.
He hadn't expected something like this to be hidden underground in the forest near the training ground. What could it possibly be used for?
Kurama also sensed it for a while, then sneered, "It's obvious, it's a sealing formation."
"A sealing formation?" Naruto frowned, somewhat puzzled, as he'd never encountered anything like it before.
"You're awfully slow!" Kurama sneered. "This is a Four Purple Barrier Formation built according to the Fire Altar. Its purpose is self-evident: to seal me!"
In truth, Naruto had already suspected as much, but didn't know the specifics.
However, he could be certain of one thing: this place was definitely connected to Danzo. Only that shadowy guy would build something like this.
Hearing Kurama's words, Naruto asked curiously, "Is it to prevent the Tailed Beast's power from running wild?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
Kurama returned to lying on the ground, his interest waning. "Its function is to completely suppress a Jinchuriki's ability to use Tailed Beast power. Simply put, if you're inside when the formation activates, you won't be able to use a single bit of my power."
"Besides that, the core of the formation up there can completely extract my power from your body and then seal it away."
In short, this Four Purple Barrier Formation was specifically designed to target the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Once Naruto was trapped inside, regardless of what happened to Kurama, Naruto as the Jinchuriki would be at their mercy.
"Heh, that old bastard actually had a trick up his sleeve!" Naruto couldn't help but chuckle.
No wonder even a trace of the residual energy fluctuations made him and Kurama instinctively feel repelled. It turned out to be a formation aimed at them.
Thinking back to the original story, Danzo had both the Sharingan and Hashirama Cells, also as a means of controlling Kurama.
Regardless of whether Danzo was acting out of personal motives or genuinely for the sake of Konoha, Naruto, as the target, naturally wouldn't accept it.
It seems he needed to find an opportunity to get rid of that underground rat.
Naruto curiously asked, "Is this Four Purple Barrier Formation really that powerful? Can it even restrain Kurama?"
"Who are you looking down on, you brat!"
Kurama bristled. "It's just the arrogant thoughts of some self-important people. This kind of formation does suppress the Tailed Beasts, but it only works on the Jinchuriki."
"If the Tailed Beast were truly extracted, let alone that I could tear it apart with ease, even if a fool like Shukaku were trapped, it would still have a chance to break the seal."
Just a chance to break the seal, huh?
Naruto smiled understandingly, not arguing with Kurama. The latter was always so awkward.
"So, what are you going to do, Naruto?"
Kurama, perhaps feeling that his attitude had been a bit harsh just now, softened his tone and teased, "This is clearly the work of Shimura Danzo!"
"Although, from the images of the future you showed me, he didn't have the chance to attack you. But what you are doing now is not consistent with the original, so the original future has already changed, you know."
Naruto was well aware of this, without Kurama even needing to remind him.
"Then… destroy it!" Naruto walked step by step towards the altar.
Since it was a killing move aimed at him, he definitely couldn't keep it, even if it attracted Danzo's attention.
Whoosh!
A Flying Thunder God barrier was set up around the cavern. Naruto gathered a large amount of Chakra and slammed a large Giant Rasengan onto the altar.
Boom!!
The entire cavern roared violently, but due to the Flying Thunder God barrier, there was no sign of collapse.
After the energy dissipated, the entire cavern was a mess, and the Four Purple Barrier Formation was gone.
It was incredibly easy to destroy a formation that wasn't activated, especially when attacking from the outside.
....
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