Feeling the massive Chakra suddenly surging within his body, Naruto clearly felt his emotions becoming excited and high-spirited under the guidance of this power. He couldn't help but want to swing his fists and release it all!
Naruto threw a tentative punch.
Boom!
The violent wind from his punch directly tore several large trees apart!
Why even bother learning Wind Release? He could just circulate his Chakra and brute force it.
However, the impulse in his heart was not alleviated by this strike; instead, he wanted to keep punching even more.
"Jiu... is this what you meant..." Naruto struggled to suppress these boiling emotions.
Amane had already explained to him that this power was mixed with the Nine-Tailed's hatred and other negative emotions.
The initial impact might not be obvious, but as Naruto continued to use it, the Nine-Tailed could use it to influence his emotions more deeply, gradually corroding the Sealing until it broke free!
"That's right, so you must use this power with caution. Always remember, once the Sealing is completely broken—even if it's just a tiny crack—it will be very difficult to resist it with willpower alone."
Amane completely ignored Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke, who had arrived in an instant, and continued speaking to herself.
A hint of surprise flashed across Kakashi's face, but his gaze quickly turned solemn, and his breathing involuntarily quickened.
"Wait, Kakashi-sensei! Jiu doesn't mean any harm. She just told me some things, helped me get in touch with the Nine-Tailed inside me, and also told me about the side effects of this power."
Noticing Kakashi's troubled expression, Naruto quickly explained the situation.
After listening, Kakashi's breathing became even more rapid. He stared intently at Amane and said slowly, "Is this your true purpose for coming here?"
Amane shook her head and added, "Consider it a secondary purpose."
Seeing the shock, realization, and disbelief in Kakashi's eyes, Amane knew in her heart that this highly popular character from the original work had already guessed her identity.
She had given enough hints before.
Under her mask, she couldn't help but reveal a smile.
As they spoke, Naruto retracted his Nine-Tails Chakra and returned to normal. Facing the heavy atmosphere between the two, he seemed a bit at a loss.
[Just as Jiu said in the Sealing space! What should I do, dattebayo!]
When Naruto obtained the Nine-Tails Chakra, Amane had indeed said that Kakashi-sensei would be shocked and might even be angry, and it turned out just like that.
"Are you... could it be..."
Kakashi felt his voice trembling.
All the experiences since Amane's appearance flashed through Kakashi's mind in an instant.
Going undercover in the Land of Water and only recently returning... testing what kind of Ninja he really was... diligently guiding Team 7 as a member of Root... showing patience with Naruto's persistence... and now, Naruto being able to actively use the Nine-Tails Chakra while maintaining his sanity... With all of this, if Kakashi still couldn't figure out who the person in front of him might be, then he might as well just die!
He thought back to six years ago when Orochimaru defected. Kakashi had successfully cornered him and heard about another child of his teacher, the Fourth Hokage.
But later, due to the Yamato incident, the Root Organization's base was thoroughly searched, yet Amane could not be found. Later, when Root was disbanded, the matter became a cold case.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about questioning Danzo face-to-face, but both the Sandaime and he himself were helpless against the tight-lipped Danzo.
Because there was no concrete evidence, they couldn't directly use torture on Danzo.
This regret had been buried deep in his heart, and he never expected her to show herself voluntarily today!
"You..."
Swish! Bang!
Just as Kakashi was about to question further, a blinding flare suddenly shot into the sky in the distance.
"That's in the direction of where Grandpa Tazuna is building the bridge!" Sakura exclaimed, looking nervously at Kakashi and Amane.
The flare meant Tazuna was under attack! What terrible timing!
No! Or maybe the timing was just right?
Kakashi glanced at the calm and unhurried Amane beside him and immediately realized that this must have been arranged by her.
Furthermore, such timing could only be achieved if a Shadow Clone over there could observe this side in real-time.
For this kind of long-range sensory ability, besides the Byakugan, Kakashi happened to know of one other technique.
That was the Uzumaki Clan's Kagura Minds Eye!
"What do you plan to do, Kakashi-senpai?"
An amused inquiry came from beneath the mask.
Under his mask, Kakashi gave a bitter smile.
What else could he do? Besides leading all of Team 7 to intercept, was there any other choice?
Did he have to prioritize verifying that soul-shaking guess right now?
"Let's intercept." Kakashi looked at Amane and gave the order, though his mind had already begun calculating other matters.
"No! I sense a group approaching the direction of Tazuna's house. We must send someone immediately to deal with them before they can regroup with us." Amane warned immediately.
This team was Gato's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain; although the method wasn't clever, taking hostages was always a classic and effective tactic.
"Naruto, you go."
Kakashi made a quick decision and summoned the Ninja dog Pakkun to go with him for easy communication.
Naruto glanced at Amane and nodded vigorously. "Mission guaranteed! You guys have to hold on until I get there!"
After mastering the preliminary method of using the Nine-Tailed's power, his confidence had significantly increased.
"Keep a close eye on Naruto," Amane continued to Kakashi as they rushed toward the bridge at the back of the group. "Even though I told him about the side effects of the power, his reckless nature is truly worrying."
Kakashi couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"And yet you still dared to teach him how to use it directly!" His tone carried clear reproach.
Things had already come to this, and Kakashi had no other choice. He had verified through the Summoning Jutsu with Pakkun that what Naruto said was true—Amane had indeed only done those things.
But this was far too bold! That was a Tailed Beast that even a Kage-level expert would have to risk their life to fight!
If anything happened, how could he face his master and mistress at the Memorial Stone in the future!
Why are both siblings so reckless in their actions!
At this moment, Kakashi completely forgot the fact that Amane's strength might not be lower than, or even higher than, his own.
"Alright, isn't it because our overall combat power is still a bit weak? Besides, this way, Naruto's own safety is guaranteed."
If nothing else, once the Nine-Tails Chakra is activated, an ordinary Jonin might just drop dead if they're careless.
There's a beauty in pure numbers.
Sasuke and Sakura, in the middle of the group, looked at each other. The information from the series of events was overwhelming, and they were having trouble keeping up.
"Um, Kakashi-sensei, what exactly happened with Naruto just now?" Sakura couldn't help but ask directly.
"Jiu taught Naruto to actively use the power within him, but it's still a bit too early for him."
Kakashi spoke after weighing his words.
Hearing that Sakura wanted to ask more, he told them to focus on the mission, saying some things were not for them to know yet, brushing it off.
It was hard to explain; once the word 'Nine-Tailed' appeared, he'd have to explain what the Nine-Tailed was, and then it would keep extending into the matter of Jinchuriki.
One thing leads to another, which is why Amane chose to explain everything to Naruto in the Sealing space. Otherwise, Kakashi might have arrived before she even finished the introduction.
He had been watching this side the whole time.
As they spoke, the group soon arrived at the bridge being built by the people of the Land of Waves. Now, it was enveloped in a massive thick mist.
The sound of clashing metal could occasionally be heard from within, clearly indicating a battle in progress.
"Then, let's act according to the original plan."
Amane said as she prepared to rush in; she could already sense her Shadow Clone engaged in combat.
"Jiu!" But Kakashi suddenly called out to her and said, "Is this your own judgment, or that person's command?"
This was asking what Amane's current stance was.
"Mine."
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid Amane wouldn't answer the question directly. Whether the answer was herself or Danzo, it was an explanation.
As for whether Amane was lying? Please, he was Kakashi of the Sharingan; not just anyone could deceive him.
"Is that so? Then after this battle, shall we talk?"
However, this time, Amane plunged into the thick mist without looking back.
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