HOKAGE TOWER
"Jiraiya… was killed…" The voice came out heavy, carrying the weight of the information. "It was Naruto… with help from Sasuke… and Orochimaru…"
"What… that can't be true." Tsunade took a step forward, her breathing uneven as she tried to process what she had just heard.
"Jiraiya isn't dead… Naruto would never do that." The denial came out directly, firmly, as if repeating it would be enough to stop it from becoming real.
"Tsunade-chan, pull yourself together." Fukasaku kept his tone low, but didn't back down. "Unfortunately… it's all true."
Silence fell for a moment, not empty, but heavy enough to halt any immediate reaction. Tsunade closed her eyes for a second, forcing control before looking back at him.
"Then tell me." Her voice came out lower, but firm. "I want to know exactly how this happened."
Fukasaku didn't respond immediately, just drawing in a strained breath before organizing what needed to be said. His gaze shifted slightly, not to the present, but to what was still etched in memory.
"It was when he summoned me…"
The environment changed.
The memory took over.
___
An isolated forest.
The impact of the summoning was direct, and Fukasaku appeared already in the middle of a destroyed field, with the smell of battle still fresh in the air. His gaze swept the area in a single motion, registering everything at once.
Naruto stood ahead.
The fox's chakra enveloped his body, three tails already formed, but the control was what stood out the most. There was no loss of control, no loss of consciousness, there was intent.
Sasuke stood behind Jiraiya.
Red eyes active, the Sharingan fixed while the lightning-charged sword was already positioned, ready to strike at the right moment.
Orochimaru observed.
Smiling.
And at the center.
Jiraiya.
Wounded.
The claw marks on his body were not superficial, and his posture was no longer that of someone in control of the fight.
"Why didn't you summon me earlier… and where are the others?" Fukasaku spoke immediately, not hiding his direct reading of the situation.
"I thought I could convince him to come back." Jiraiya replied without taking his eyes off Naruto. "I was wrong."
The air grew heavier.
"And why only me… where's Shima?" Fukasaku insisted, already understanding that something was off.
"I didn't call you to fight." Jiraiya kept his tone steady, even with his injured body. "I want you to inform Tsunade… Naruto has changed."
The sentence had no room to continue.
"Then let's go to him." Fukasaku replied directly, already moving with intent.
"Stop."
The voice cut the motion before it could complete.
Naruto didn't advance, but the chakra responded.
"What are you going to say now… traitor?" Naruto kept his gaze fixed on Jiraiya, without hesitation. "You were my father's master… and still left me alone."
The pressure increased.
"And now you want to say I've changed?"
The fox's chakra grew.
The three tails expanded, and the energy around became denser, pushing the environment without external control. The wind changed direction, and the pressure increased to the point of affecting even those outside the direct focus.
Sasuke stepped back half a step.
Not out of fear.
Out of calculation.
The fourth tail began to form.
The structure of the chakra changed, taking on a more defined shape, closer to what was sealed inside Naruto. The transformation wasn't complete, but enough to make it clear that it was no longer just raw power.
It was something greater.
"Very interesting…" Orochimaru kept his smile, following every change without interfering.
"What did you do to him?" Jiraiya didn't take his eyes off, but the question was direct.
"I only told him the truth." Orochimaru replied without changing his tone. "The rest… he decided himself."
Silence didn't return.
The tension remained.
Naruto advanced.
The movement was direct, without warning, and the impact came before Fukasaku could even react. The speed was abnormal, and the force behind the attack made it clear that this was not restraint.
It was intent to kill.
The claws struck straight for Jiraiya's face, fast enough to leave no room for ordinary reaction. Fukasaku only saw the impact coming, unable to follow the full motion. The force behind it distorted the air even before contact.
POOF.
Jiraiya's body vanished at the last instant, replaced by a log that was destroyed by the claws at the same moment. The wood didn't last even a second, splitting under the pressure of the direct strike.
Jiraiya reappeared several meters behind, already repositioned, keeping distance while his gaze remained fixed on Naruto. His breathing was heavier, but his focus didn't break.
"Why did you dodge, sensei?" Naruto spoke without retreating, his tone filled with irritation as the chakra continued to increase.
Jiraiya didn't respond.
"Naruto has lost control… and with Orochimaru here I don't have time." Jiraiya shifted his focus to Fukasaku, keeping his body ready. "But I can still do something… and if I fail, you tell Tsunade that I'm dead."
Fukasaku froze for a moment, but responded in the same rhythm.
"Don't talk nonsense." He kept his tone firm. "Let's fight… I know he's your student, but we can't give up."
SSSHHHHHH.
The sound cut through the environment.
"Didn't you notice?" Orochimaru spoke with a slight smile, observing without hurry. "Jiraiya is already dead." He tilted his head slightly. "Naruto's first attack already killed him… without treatment, it's only a matter of time."
Fukasaku looked.
The claw marks were there, deep, and the reading was immediate. It wasn't a common injury, it wasn't something that could be ignored or treated there.
'If it were any other ninja… he'd already be dead.' The thought came dry. 'What happened here before he summoned me…'
"Don't worry about that, sensei." Jiraiya kept his tone steady, cutting the thought before it became hesitation.
Fukasaku understood.
His body remained firm, gaze fixed on the fight while his mind reorganized what needed to be done. That wasn't a mistake, it was a decision, and he couldn't lose control at that moment.
A bolt of lightning advanced.
The attack came fast, direct, and the impact passed where Fukasaku had been an instant before. He had already moved, dodging effortlessly, but the warning was given.
Naruto looked to the side.
His gaze met Sasuke.
"You want to steal my fight?" Naruto spoke without hiding the irritation, his chakra still unstable as the pressure kept increasing.
"You're taking too long." Sasuke replied without changing his tone. "Finish it."
Naruto didn't respond, but the chakra reacted instantly, growing abruptly and completely altering the pressure around.
His body stopped maintaining any human trace, taking on a form closer to a small five-tailed fox, dense and unstable at the same time.
Fukasaku didn't need to analyze for long, that had already surpassed any limit that could still be called controlled transformation.
Sasuke stepped back and moved closer to Orochimaru without taking his eyes off Naruto.
"He's gone too far." Sasuke kept a cold tone, observing the unstable form ahead.
"No." Orochimaru replied with a slight smile. "He's finally reached the interesting point."
Sasuke didn't respond immediately.
"You think he's still in control?" He asked without looking away.
"Control doesn't matter." Orochimaru tilted his head slightly. "What matters is the result."
Naruto opened his mouth.
ROOOOOOOOOOAAARRRR!!!
The sound tore through the environment, heavy enough to make the air vibrate around. Fukasaku felt the impact directly, not as sound, but as pressure.
The trees around began to give in.
The raw chakra expanded without control, destroying what was nearby without needing a direct attack. Trunks split, branches were torn away and the ground began to collapse in specific points, as if it could no longer withstand that presence.
Fukasaku moved.
'This is no longer a battle… it's an execution.'
"Go now, master." Jiraiya kept his gaze fixed on Naruto, without retreating. "This is my death… but it doesn't have to be yours."
Fukasaku didn't respond immediately.
"Jiraiya…" His voice came out lower, but heavy.
Naruto disappeared.
The movement had no warning.
Jiraiya reacted instantly.
He grabbed Fukasaku and threw him away without hesitation, removing him from the direct line of attack before the impact could happen. The decision was automatic, without room for doubt.
The pressure came first.
The chakra burned the air before the strike, hitting Fukasaku even at a distance. The sensation wasn't immediate physical impact, but direct wear, as if his body was being pressed by something far greater.
'Even from afar… this already affects…'
The attack completed.
The claws struck Jiraiya.
The impact didn't stop at contact.
His body was pierced, and the force tore through completely, splitting it into three parts in the same motion. There was no block, no substitution, only the direct result of the attack.
Fukasaku didn't move for a moment.
'…'
His reasoning stalled.
'No…'
His body reacted before his mind could catch up.
He turned.
And fled.
The leap was immediate, without looking back, without trying to confirm anything else. The decision came clean, without room for hesitation, because staying there wouldn't change the outcome.
'I have to leave… I have to take this…'
The thought came broken, but firm.
'Tsunade needs to know…'
Another leap.
The distance increased, but the chakra pressure still reached, burning the air around even far from the initial point. Fukasaku didn't slow down.
'I can't die here… not now…'
Sasuke moved.
"He won't escape." The voice came low as his body advanced in the direction of escape.
"Let him." Orochimaru raised his hand slightly, stopping him effortlessly. "He's already fulfilled his role."
Sasuke stopped.
"Role?" He glanced sideways, without losing focus.
"To deliver the message." Orochimaru kept his smile. "That makes everything more interesting."
Sasuke didn't respond.
His gaze returned to Naruto.
Fukasaku kept fleeing.
'I saw… I saw everything…'
The thought didn't slow.
'Naruto… Sasuke… Orochimaru…'
Another leap.
The distance finally began to leave the direct range of the pressure.
'Jiraiya…'
He didn't finish the thought.
He didn't need to.
Naruto raised his head.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The roar cut through the sky, heavy, distorting the environment around as the chakra continued to expand without restraint. The fox form responded along with it, increasing even more the dominant presence on the field.
Sasuke observed.
"It's over." He spoke without emotion.
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly.
"No." The smile widened. "Now it has begun."
Naruto didn't respond.
He simply kept looking at the sky.
And the chakra didn't stop growing.
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