POOF!
The memories hit Naruto all at once.
Kakashi.
Gai.
Jiraiya.
The Hokage.
The dead.
Then the clone was gone.
Naruto stumbled.
Bad timing.
Very bad timing.
Shukaku's arm came down.
Naruto looked up.
"Oh shi—"
BOOOOOOM!
The world disappeared.
Sand.
Wind.
Pain.
Naruto was launched through the trees.
Sasuke flew off his back.
"SASUKE!"
Naruto twisted midair.
He hit one trunk.
Then another.
Then the ground.
Hard.
Sasuke crashed twenty meters away.
He rolled through dirt and stone.
His body finally stopped beside a broken tree.
He didn't move.
Naruto forced himself upright.
"Sasuke!"
A groan answered.
Good.
Alive.
Then the forest darkened.
Naruto slowly looked up.
Shukaku towered over them.
It had followed them far enough away from the stadium that most of the nearby area was forest and training grounds.
That was the good news.
The bad news was everything else.
Shukaku laughed.
The sound shook leaves from the trees.
Naruto stared upward.
"...Okay."
Sasuke pushed himself onto one elbow.
"You got a plan?"
Naruto looked at him.
"No."
Sasuke dropped back down.
"Great."
Naruto formed the cross seal.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Smoke erupted.
Thirty Narutos spread outward.
"GO!"
They attacked.
Kunai.
Explosive tags.
Wind.
Clones climbed Shukaku's body.
Others attacked the joints.
Several targeted the head.
Shukaku barely noticed.
One enormous paw swept sideways.
BOOM!
Twelve clones disappeared.
Another stomp.
POOF!
Seven more.
A tail swept through the forest.
Trees snapped.
Narutos vanished in clouds of smoke.
The original ducked beneath debris.
"This is bullshit!"
Sasuke laughed weakly.
"You finally noticed?"
Naruto formed seals.
"Wind Release: Cyclone!"
A tornado slammed into Shukaku's face.
Sand blew away.
For half a second, Naruto saw a shallow crater.
Then sand rushed back.
Gone.
Sasuke's Sharingan watched it happen.
"It regenerates."
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"No kidding."
Sasuke forced himself upright.
His hands shook through seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Fire struck Shukaku's chest.
The massive tanuki looked down.
Smoke cleared.
Nothing.
Sasuke stared.
Then fell onto one knee.
"...I hate this thing."
"Same."
Shukaku inhaled.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Move!"
They separated.
Compressed wind exploded from Shukaku's mouth.
The blast erased the ground between them.
Naruto barely escaped.
Sasuke didn't.
His hand slapped Naruto's barrier tag onto the earth.
"Activate!"
The wall appeared.
Wind hit.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered.
Sasuke was launched backward anyway.
Naruto caught him.
Barely.
They slammed into a tree together.
Naruto groaned.
Sasuke looked at him.
"Stop catching me."
"You weigh like ninety pounds."
"Fuck you."
Shukaku advanced.
Naruto stared at it.
Wind wasn't enough.
Water wasn't enough.
Seals weren't enough.
Clones weren't enough.
Sasuke was done.
And Naruto—
Naruto needed something bigger.
His eyes narrowed.
"Firepower."
Sasuke looked at him.
"What?"
"I need more firepower."
"Then get some."
Naruto stared.
Then smiled.
"Good idea."
Sasuke blinked.
"I was being sarcastic."
Naruto created four clones.
They grabbed Sasuke.
"What are you doing?"
"Running away."
Sasuke stared.
"...You're actually admitting that?"
"Strategic retreat."
"You're running away."
"STRATEGICALLY!"
The clones carried Sasuke through the forest.
Naruto disappeared in the opposite direction.
Shukaku roared.
Several remaining clones threw explosives at its face.
"HEY, UGLY!"
Shukaku followed them.
Not Naruto.
Perfect.
Naruto landed inside a narrow ravine.
Trees hid him from view.
He opened the System.
"Shop."
The menu appeared.
His eyes scanned immediately.
Then stopped.
Skill Evolution Stone — 200 SP
Naruto's jaw tightened.
Two.
He could afford two.
Current SP: 475
"Buy two."
Purchase Confirmation
Skill Evolution Stone x2
Cost: 400 SP
Naruto didn't hesitate.
"Do it."
PING!
Purchase Complete
Remaining SP: 75
Two stones appeared in his hands.
Smooth.
Dark.
Lines of chakra moved beneath their surfaces.
Naruto stared at them.
The obvious answer would've been Fūinjutsu.
Or clones.
Something versatile.
Something smart.
Naruto looked toward Shukaku.
The tanuki's head rose above the trees.
Versatility wasn't the problem.
Damage was.
"Gale Pierce."
The System responded.
Wind Release: Gale Pierce
Evolution Available
Naruto held up the first stone.
"Use it."
The stone shattered.
Wind exploded around him.
His understanding changed.
Compression.
Velocity.
Shape.
Not simply throwing wind forward.
Taking everything—
And forcing it through one point.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Again."
The second stone broke.
The ravine screamed.
Air rushed toward Naruto's hands.
Dust lifted.
Leaves were dragged from trees.
His chakra network burned.
PING!
SKILL EVOLUTION
Wind Release: Gale Pierce has reached an evolutionary threshold.
Skill Evolution Stones Consumed: 2
Analyzing combat tendencies...
High-Velocity Wind Manipulation detected.
Precision Compression detected.
Penetration specialization detected.
Evolution Complete.
The text changed.
Wind Release: Gale Pierce→ Wind Release: Rail Pierce
Naruto stared.
"Rail..."
A description appeared.
Extreme compression accelerates a concentrated wind projectile along a stabilized chakra channel.
Significantly increased range, penetration and destructive force.
Extremely high chakra expenditure.
Naruto smiled.
"Gun."
The System did not respond.
Naruto grinned wider.
"Wind railgun."
Still nothing.
"That's fucking awesome."
A roar interrupted him.
Naruto dismissed the screen.
Time to test it.
He climbed the ravine wall.
Shukaku stood beyond the forest.
The clones carrying Sasuke were nearly out of room.
Two remained.
One shouted.
"NARUTO!"
The original raised one hand.
"Move."
Both clones disappeared.
Shukaku saw him.
Naruto planted his feet.
His fingers extended.
Wind gathered.
Not around his whole body.
Around one point.
A tiny sphere formed before his hand.
The air screamed toward it.
Naruto felt pressure build.
More.
More.
More.
His chakra dropped frighteningly fast.
Shukaku raised its arm.
Naruto aimed.
"Wind Release..."
The sphere stretched.
The world around his hand distorted.
"Rail Pierce!"
KRAAAAAAAAAA-BOOOOOOM!
There was no visible beam.
Just absence.
A straight line appeared through the forest.
Trees along the path exploded.
Then Shukaku's shoulder vanished.
A hole wider than Naruto was tall punched completely through the tanuki.
Naruto's mouth fell open.
Sasuke stared from the ground.
Shukaku stopped.
For one glorious second—
Nobody moved.
Naruto slowly smiled.
"Oh."
Sasuke looked at him.
"What the hell was that?"
Naruto's grin became enormous.
"Firepower."
Then sand moved.
Naruto's smile disappeared.
The edges of the hole collapsed inward.
Sand rushed into the missing section.
Five seconds.
Four.
Three.
The entire shoulder rebuilt.
Naruto stared.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Shukaku's head turned toward him.
Very slowly.
"Oh."
Sasuke pointed.
"You've been holding back."
Shukaku screamed.
Naruto ran, no time to answer his teammates statement.
A paw smashed down.
He dodged.
Another came sideways.
Naruto Phantom Dashed.
The afterimage disappeared beneath tons of sand.
He fired again.
"Rail Pierce!"
BOOM!
A hole tore through Shukaku's stomach.
The tanuki gained a belly button hollow hole for a few seconds before the sand rushed back in place.
Naruto landed.
The hole began rebuilding immediately.
"Again!"
He aimed at the knee.
BOOM!
Half the joint vanished.
Shukaku collapsed onto one side.
For a second.
Then sand replaced everything.
Naruto's breathing became ragged.
The technique worked.
That was almost worse.
He could hurt it.
He just couldn't make the damage matter.
Shukaku's tail whipped around.
Naruto jumped.
Too slow.
The tail caught him.
BOOOOOOM!
Naruto became a projectile.
He smashed through three trees.
Then a boulder.
Then another tree.
His body stopped inside a crater.
Silence.
Naruto couldn't breathe.
Something warm ran down the side of his face.
His ribs felt wrong.
His left arm wouldn't move.
The System flashed.
WARNING
Severe physical trauma detected.
Naruto coughed.
"Yeah..."
He spat blood into the dirt.
"...noticed."
Shukaku approached.
Every step shook the ground.
Naruto tried standing.
His leg gave out.
He fell.
Sasuke moved in the distance.
Barely.
He tried forming seals.
Nothing happened.
His chakra was gone.
Naruto was alone.
Shukaku raised its arm.
Naruto searched his inventory.
Anything.
Anything.
Smoke bombs.
Wire.
Rations.
Soldier pills.
First aid.
Then—
Uzumaki Vital Surge Capsule
Naruto froze.
He'd almost forgotten.
The item description returned to him.
Massive chakra boost.
+50% Endurance.
+50% Agility.
Special interaction with Uzumaki bloodline.
Naruto looked up.
Shukaku's hand descended.
"Fuck it."
He swallowed the capsule.
Nothing happened.
For one heartbeat.
Then Naruto screamed.
Chakra exploded from his body.
Red hair sprouting form his scalp would've almost been less alarming.
His existing blond hair whipped wildly, growing slightly longer as raw vitality poured through every chakra pathway.
His heartbeat slammed against his chest.
Once.
Twice.
Then faster.
His ribs shifted.
Pain exploded.
His breathing cleared.
The dead feeling in his arm vanished.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened.
The world slowed.
PING!
SPECIAL BLOODLINE INTERACTION DETECTED
Uzumaki Vital Surge Capsule
Current Bloodline: Uzumaki — Moderate
Resonance threshold exceeded.
Forced Bloodline Adaptation initiated.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"What?"
Power erupted again.
His chakra reserves expanded.
Not refilled.
Expanded.
Like a container being forced larger while somebody simultaneously dumped an ocean into it.
Naruto nearly blacked out.
Then the System flashed.
BLOODLINE EVOLUTION
Uzumaki Bloodline: Moderate → Advanced
Increase to Endurance and overall chakra capacity (40%)
Improved compatibility with fuinjutsu (+45% lvling speed for fuinjutsu related skills)
Uzumaki Vitaltiy - Resistance against lethal wounds
Unyielding Vessel: Uzumaki chakra possesses exceptional density and stability, granting increased resistance to Bijū chakra, hostile foreign chakra, and chakra-network disruption. The user's body can safely contain and circulate substantially greater quantities of Bijū chakra before suffering physical degradation or loss of control
Temporary Vital Surge Active
Endurance: +50%
Agility: +50%
Chakra Reserves: MASSIVELY INCREASED
Naruto stood, his joints creaking and cracking signifying their healed status. Naruto flexed his hands, reveling in their dexterity and sheer power.
Currently his Agility sat around the 160+ mark, his endurance cresting over 200
Shukaku's paw hit.
Naruto disappeared.
BOOOOOOM!
The crater swallowed half the ravine.
But Naruto wasn't there.
He appeared on Shukaku's arm.
Ran upward.
The monster turned.
Naruto's feet barely touched the sand.
He was moving too quickly.
Shukaku swatted.
Naruto jumped.
Twisted.
Landed on its shoulder.
Then ran toward the head.
Gaara was there.
Half-submerged into Shukaku's forehead.
Eyes manic.
Body limp.
Barely conscious.
Naruto saw him.
That was it.
Not Shukaku.
Gaara.
The entire construct centered around him.
Naruto's INT snapped into place.
"I don't need to destroy the whole thing."
Gaara's eyes focused weakly.
Naruto raised one hand.
"I just need to reach you."
Wind screamed.
More than before.
Far more.
The new chakra reserves poured into Rail Pierce.
The air around Naruto warped.
Shukaku sensed it.
Its eyes widened.
One arm came upward.
Protecting Gaara.
Naruto aimed through it.
"Wind Release..."
His chakra surged.
The sphere compressed until Naruto couldn't see it anymore.
"RAIL PIERCE!"
KRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—
The world went white.
The attack tore through Shukaku's hand.
Through its forearm.
Through its face.
A massive tunnel opened straight through the sand construct's head.
And Gaara screamed.
Naruto's eyes widened.
Something flew through the storm of sand.
Blood.
Cloth.
An arm.
Gaara's left arm had been torn away.
His eyes went blank.
His body fell forward.
"Gaara—"
Naruto reached for him.
Too late.
Gaara collapsed unconscious into the sand.
Everything stopped.
Shukaku froze.
Naruto landed on a broken chunk of its face.
His chest heaved.
Sasuke stared from below.
For one second—
Naruto thought he'd won.
Then Shukaku smiled.
Not Gaara's smile.
Shukaku's.
Its eyes changed.
The madness inside them became focused.
Free.
Naruto's stomach dropped.
"No."
Sand exploded outward.
The hole in Shukaku's head rebuilt.
Its missing arm returned.
Its entire body expanded.
Chakra surged through the forest like a natural disaster.
Gaara remained unconscious.
And Shukaku remained standing.
Sasuke understood first.
His face went pale.
"Naruto..."
The tanuki threw its head back.
Then laughed.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The sound rolled across Konoha.
Windows shattered miles away.
Animals fled.
Shinobi stopped fighting long enough to look toward the forest.
The sky itself seemed smaller beneath the monster.
Naruto stared upward.
His new chakra burned through him.
His bloodline had evolved.
His strongest technique had evolved.
He was faster.
Tougher.
Stronger than he'd ever been.
And none of it suddenly felt like enough.
Shukaku lowered its head.
No Gaara controlling it.
No host consciously restraining it.
Nothing left between the village and the One-Tail's full madness.
Wind gathered around its body.
Trees bent away.
Clouds twisted overhead.
Sasuke forced himself to stand.
His legs immediately shook.
Naruto didn't look away.
"You got anything left?"
Sasuke stared at the monster.
"...No."
Naruto swallowed. His endurance and agility remained past their max natural limits. His new rail pierce technique had leveled considerably since its creation. Biju made excellent practice targets, their novelty difficulty skyrocketing the experience gain for skills. Naruto could not worry about his stats at at time like this however.
Shukaku opened its mouth.
Chakra began gathering.
Far more than before.
Naruto watched the sphere grow.
And grow.
And grow; a tinge of purple and black coalescing into the massive ball of wind.
Behind them—
Konoha burned.
Ahead of them—
A fully awakened tailed beast prepared to unleash its strongest attack.
Sasuke could barely stand.
Naruto's body was running on a drug-fueled bloodline evolution that wouldn't last forever.
No Kakashi.
No Gai.
No Jiraiya.
No Hokage.
Nobody was coming.
Naruto clenched his fists.
For the first time since receiving the System—
He had spent everything he had.
And it still wasn't enough.
Shukaku's chakra sphere turned black.
Naruto stared at it.
The System remained silent.
No quest.
No reward.
No convenient answer.
Just Naruto.
Sasuke.
And a monster.
Shukaku laughed.
Then the sphere began to fire.
STATS will be updated at the end of Naruto's conflict. There will be a brief summary of when he got each of the stats!