At that moment, Kakashi snapped back to his senses. No matter how shocking this rational, feminine version of Naruto Uzumaki was, the real threat remained the original enemy.
"Da She she-hime!" He pointed urgently at Naruto Uzumaki in the giant's chest and asked if she had any way to deal with him.
Her thoughts paused, and she looked at Kakashi with light shifting in her golden pupils. She stated calmly that she was a researcher whose power depended on external energy and available resources.
She then asked why he had concluded that she could independently eliminate such a high-threat target. As she finished speaking, she seemed to realize something and turned her gaze back to Naruto Uzumaki.
This time, she frowned slightly. She murmured in realization, with a hint of unmistakable distaste, that this world's version of herself favored forced fusion with unnecessary external biological matter.
She scanned the body forcibly embedded with rock and remarked that while the ability was interesting, the form was ugly and the energy efficiency was poor. Hearing this, Naruto Uzumaki broke free from his shock.
Staring at that similar yet coldly rational face and hearing words like an evaluation of a failed experiment, anger flared within him. He demanded hoarsely what she had done to him.
She replied calmly that his voice was unpleasant and hard to tolerate. His eye twitched violently as his reason finally snapped.
He controlled the Rock Colossus and slammed its fist toward the seemingly fragile barrier below. The Two-Tails Jinchuriki and Mei Terumi shouted warnings, bracing themselves to take the blow.
The massive fist struck the barrier squarely, but only gentle ripples spread across its surface. The power capable of shattering mountains vanished as if swallowed by the sea, leaving the barrier unmoved and uncracked.
Mei Terumi blurted out in disbelief, asking what it was. Da She she-hime answered calmly that it was a basic application of Water Release Chakra properties, a barrier based on nonlinear stress response.
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki stared blankly and asked what kind of fluid she meant. She sighed slightly, like a teacher facing students who could not grasp basic physics.
She explained that it referred to a special Chakra fluid whose shear stress and strain rate followed a nonlinear relationship. She added that most biological fluids fit this definition, though the explanation only deepened their confusion.
Seeing their blank looks, she adjusted her glasses again and continued. When force was applied slowly, the fluid flowed easily with low viscosity.
When force was sudden and violent, internal friction increased sharply, and the fluid became extremely rigid, almost solid. Kakashi struggled to process this and finally summarized that the stronger the attack, the stronger the barrier became.
She nodded slightly in approval. When he asked about the source of the barrier, she pointed to the emblem on her chest and explained that it was a standard Konoha Academy of Sciences personal defense unit.
Kakashi's eyes lit up as he asked about its limits and duration. After a quick calculation, she replied that with his current output, it could run stably for one hour and thirty-two minutes, with a small margin of error.
Both Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi froze. A defense that could ignore the Rock Colossus for over an hour was beyond belief.
Taking a breath, Kakashi asked if she had any other offensive equipment. She sighed softly, removed the branch hairpin, and let her long hair fall freely down her back.
She stated that it was the only portable device she carried with active attack capability. With a casual flick of her wrist, the simple hairpin shot toward Naruto Uzumaki's position.
Naruto Uzumaki reacted instinctively, raising the statue's arm to block it. The hairpin pierced the rock with a soft sound.
He scoffed, thinking it was nothing, but in the next instant, kacha kacha kacha rang out. Countless thorn-like spikes burst outward from the impact point, exploding from within.
Half of the Rock Colossus was torn apart as jagged spikes erupted, sending chunks of Gravel flying in all directions. The debris slammed into the ground with heavy thuds.
Naruto Uzumaki stared in terror at the spikes that had exploded inches from him, the cold presence of Ryoma freezing him in place. He could not understand what this thing was, or how such a weapon even existed.
If it was meant to be used on people, the thought alone made his skin crawl.
Deep beneath Sunagakure, inside a gloomy underground prison, darkness covered everything. The air was cold and damp, carrying a heavy smell of mold that clung to the walls. Silence pressed down as if the place itself was sealed away from the world above.
The only source of light came from a massive Chagama in the center of the prison, glowing faintly. Its surface was covered in dense carved runes that gave off a suffocating pressure. Even without stepping inside it, the presence of the object could suppress the Tailed Beasts within a Jinchuriki.
This was a Ninja Tool used by Sunagakure for the Sealing Technique of Tailed Beasts. At this moment, a small figure was curled up in front of the Chagama. He sat there motionless, as if abandoned along with the object itself.
"…"
Ryoma hugged his thin legs tightly, burying his pale face between his knees. His long red hair, uncut for a long time, hung down like dry grass, covering his eyes and hiding the mark of love on his forehead. He looked like a lifeless statue, with only faint breathing proving he was still alive.
Ever since he had been used as a living weapon and forced to awaken the terrifying Guai within him at the border of Land of Fire, everything had changed. After completely losing control and tearing open the defenses of the Sunagakure, he had been taken back by his father. No, taken back by "Third Kazekage."
After that, he was thrown into this place. A dark prison buried deep underground, cut off from Obito and all contact, once used to hold the previous One-Tail Jinchuriki. It was a place meant to erase existence itself.
He did not know how much time had passed. Days, months, or years all blended together. Time had lost its meaning in the endless darkness and silence.
Only the dead quiet and loneliness remained, gnawing at his mind day after day. There was nothing else to count, nothing else to mark the passing of life. Even memories felt distant and unreal.
Clang, clang, clang.
The sharp sound of something striking the bars suddenly tore through the stillness. Ryoma slowly raised his head, and two blurry figures appeared outside the cell door. They stood just beyond the bars, half-hidden by the dim light.
The two Sunagakure looked at him with open disgust and caution. Their eyes were fixed on him as if he were some filthy and dangerous Guai thing. There was no attempt to hide their revulsion.
"Hey, Guai thing, hurry up and eat," one of them shouted. He glanced at the untouched food in front of Ryoma and cursed impatiently, his voice full of annoyance. "I cannot clean this up until you are done."
His tone was casual and contemptuous, nothing like how one would speak to a child under ten years old. It sounded more like feeding a hated animal. The words carried no concern, only obligation.
Ryoma stared blankly through the dim light at their faces, his eyes empty and unfocused. He showed no reaction at all. It was as if he had not even heard them speak.
At that moment, a force dragged his consciousness into the Sealing Space. The prison vanished from his sight without warning. The world around him shifted completely.