After venting his emotions, Naruto caught his breath and his gaze grew resolute once more.
The blow of losing the village had changed Naruto. Even someone as naive and thick-headed as he was seemed to have matured overnight.
In that moment, Naruto suddenly understood the feelings Sasuke had experienced after losing his family.
Though Naruto had always claimed to understand Sasuke, what he knew was only a Sasuke without family. But now, Naruto could truly comprehend the pain of losing loved ones and friends.
All of this made Naruto's resolve to grow stronger even firmer!
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto's hands formed signs rapidly as he called out in a low voice. With a puff of white smoke, a shadow clone appeared at his right side.
The clone immediately raised its hand over Naruto's right palm and began channeling chakra.
A Rasengan quickly formed in Naruto's palm, and in that moment, both Naruto and the clone wore grave expressions.
Naruto controlled his chakra, carefully adding the wind-nature transformation to the Rasengan's foundation.
As he did, the originally stable Rasengan began distorting, its smooth surface developing irregular protrusions as if it might explode at any moment.
Naruto gritted his teeth, watching the changes to the Rasengan. His expression remained unchanged — this was far from his first attempt.
As time passed, beads of sweat formed on Naruto's forehead, but he kept his teeth clenched with no intention of giving up.
At the same time, the chaotic protrusions on the Rasengan began stabilizing. In that instant, a shuriken-shaped Rasengan materialized in Naruto's hand.
Countless chakra blades rotated along the exterior of the high-density Rasengan sphere.
It was done!
"Wind Release — Rasenshuriken!"
Naruto's eyes lit up with joy as he hurled the Rasenshuriken forward.
BOOM!
The moment the Rasenshuriken struck the ground, a tremendous explosion erupted. The energy carried by the Rasengan alone blasted a crater into the earth, while countless tiny wind-natured blades executed a secondary, devastating assault on the terrain.
Its destructive power far surpassed that of an ordinary Rasengan.
"It worked!"
Naruto's face lit up with excitement at the immense power he had witnessed.
At that moment, on the other side of the training ground.
Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Rock Lee, and the others all raised their heads toward the source of the explosion.
"He's at it again with the big explosions. What is this guy Naruto made of? Doesn't he ever get tired?"
Inuzuka Kiba had his hands on the ground, panting as he spoke.
Akamaru barked twice in agreement.
"That explosion sounded different from the previous ones. Looks like Naruto succeeded. We need to work harder too."
Nara Shikamaru sat on the ground, also looking in the direction of the blast. He paused briefly before speaking.
The rest of the remaining Konoha Eleven and Sakura froze for a moment at Shikamaru's words, then slowly got back on their feet.
Inuzuka Kiba flipped up from the ground in one motion, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
With someone like Naruto training as if his life depended on it, how could they possibly rest here?
The group stood and resumed their training. Though they were called the Konoha Eleven, with Uchiha Sasuke having left, Hyuga Neji gone, and Hyuga Hinata absent, only nine remained.
These individuals had each been among the most talented in their respective Konoha clans.
The most dramatic change was Nara Shikamaru. His previously lazy demeanor was now barely visible.
In this war, the fathers of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino had all been killed. Not only that, as staunch supporters of the Hokage's faction, nearly ninety percent of their clans had perished in battle.
The changes in them were the most pronounced.
Near the center of the training ground, in a forest of trees, Kakashi and Jiraiya stood on separate thick branches, gazing down quietly.
Jiraiya had lost an arm. Kakashi was missing an eye.
Kakashi hadn't replaced his missing eye — not because medical ninja were unavailable, but because he himself refused.
Even now, he couldn't comprehend that Uchiha Obito was alive. More importantly, Kakashi could clearly sense the hatred Obito harbored toward him and Konoha.
"Naruto seems to have mastered this power. I thought it would take about a week, but he's done it today."
Kakashi looked toward Naruto's training area and spoke softly.
"This kid is pushing himself so hard — I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing."
Jiraiya ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Right now they're all holding something inside — anger, frustration, even hatred. The only thing we can do is let them train and grow stronger, then gradually wear down that bitterness."
Kakashi's voice was calm.
Jiraiya said nothing, because he knew Kakashi was right. It wasn't just Naruto and the younger generation — even they were training in secret.
Even he himself was practicing one-handed hand seals!
"I've made contact with Tsunade."
After a moment of silence, Jiraiya suddenly spoke.
Kakashi's spirits lifted, a flash of surprise crossing his face before returning to calm.
"What did the Hokage — Lady Tsunade say?"
Kakashi paused slightly at the words "Hokage" before continuing.
With Konoha itself destroyed, was there even a Hokage anymore?
"While we've made contact, the intelligence we've obtained is limited. Tsunade's position is rather awkward — she can't possibly access anything important."
Jiraiya shook his head and spoke slowly.
"As expected, but making contact at all is still good news."
Kakashi nodded.
They knew well that Tsunade's current capabilities were limited. The Kirigakure forces had deliberately placed her in a public position, purely as a show to everyone.
After all, the Hokage herself had survived and held a position of considerable status. How would the other surviving Konoha ninja and the major hidden villages perceive this?
Killing through humiliation!
"How are things progressing on your end?"
Jiraiya's expression grew complicated as he turned to Kakashi.
"Not much progress. We're already short-handed, and the three major hidden villages don't dare associate with us."
Kakashi smiled bitterly with resignation.
As long as Uchiha Madara and Yuto remained in the ninja world, there was little they could accomplish.
"What's the point of all this?"
A sudden look of confusion crossed Kakashi's face as he sighed.
In the face of absolute strength, all schemes and plots were nothing but fragile masks, shattered at the slightest touch.
"No — there is meaning!"
Jiraiya's expression was resolute as he looked at Kakashi, his remaining hand clenching into a fist.
"Whether it's Uchiha Madara or Yuto, their alliance is only temporary. They will inevitably fight!"
"That is our opportunity, and the ninja world's opportunity. What we are doing now is preparing for that moment."
"I don't believe the other hidden villages can't see this. They may cling to a thread of hope — or perhaps they've already seen it and are making preparations in secret."
"And that opportunity won't be long in coming!"
Jiraiya finished speaking and took a deep breath.
Kakashi listened to everything Jiraiya said and simply nodded — whether in agreement or because he was also deep in thought.
"Alright, Naruto's current phase of training is complete — faster than I expected. I haven't even prepared the next stage yet."
"But with Naruto's personality, he'll probably be demanding the next phase of training soon enough."
Jiraiya scratched his head and muttered helplessly. The moment he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the tree.
The Land of Earth.
Within a small basin formed entirely of rocks.
Sasuke sat cross-legged on a boulder, his previously closed eyes snapping open.
In the next instant, a massive burst of lightning erupted from his right hand. The lightning-natured currents rapidly converged toward the center.
Chidori Sharp Spear!
The original Chidori Stream transformed into the shape of a long spear and thrust forward, blasting a large hole into the ground.
"Come out!"
Sasuke's expression was cold as he spoke in an indifferent tone.
"My, my — that jutsu was quite impressive. I nearly got hurt."
Uchiha Obito emerged slowly from beneath the hole Sasuke had created, patting his chest with a frightened expression.
"You?"
"If you're going to interrupt my training, you'd better have a good reason."
Sasuke looked at Uchiha Obito with narrowed eyes, a hint of fighting spirit on his face.
His recent training had improved his strength somewhat, and he had been looking for someone to spar with.
In Sasuke's eyes, Uchiha Obito seemed like a worthy opponent.
[
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