The world inside the ice dome felt… wrong.
Sound echoed strangely.
Movement felt delayed.
Reflections surrounded them on all sides—
Dozens of Haku's.
Naruto pushed himself up, clutching his stomach.
"…Okay…"
"…I hate this."
Beside him, Sasuke stood slowly.
Eyes scanning.
Analyzing.
"…It's a trap."
Naruto blinked.
"…No way."
Sasuke ignored him.
"…Those mirrors… they're the key."
Haku's voice echoed from everywhere.
"You're perceptive."
"Unfortunately…"
"You're too late."
Senbon flew.
From every direction.
Naruto barely reacted—
CLINK CLINK CLINK
Sasuke deflected several.
One grazed his cheek.
Another struck Naruto's shoulder.
"…Tch!"
Naruto winced.
"…This sucks!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF
Clones filled the dome—
Rushing outward—
Immediately—
POP POP POP
They were destroyed.
Too fast.
Too precise.
Naruto's eye twitched.
"…That's cheating."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
"…He's moving between the mirrors."
Naruto blinked.
"…Yeah I got that part."
"…How do we hit him?!"
Sasuke didn't answer.
His breathing slowed.
"…We force an opening."
Naruto smirked slightly.
"…Now you're talking."
His hands flashed.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF
But this time—
The clones didn't charge blindly.
They scattered.
Moving unpredictably.
Jumping.
Feinting.
Creating chaos.
Haku moved.
Blurring between mirrors—
Striking—
Eliminating clones—
But—
For just a moment—
A gap.
Sasuke moved instantly.
Kunai flying—
Naruto followed—
"NOW!"
Haku phased through a mirror—
The attacks missed.
But Naruto was already moving.
"…Substitution!"
POOF
A log appeared—
Naruto vanished—
Reappearing on the outside of the dome behind one of the mirrors—
"…Got you—!"
His hand slammed forward—
Nothing.
The mirror didn't break.
Didn't crack.
Didn't even shake.
Naruto blinked.
"…Huh?"
Haku appeared behind him instantly—
Senbon flashing—
THUNK THUNK THUNK
Naruto froze.
His body locked, he was thrown back into the dome.
*Ping*
Status effect: Moderately crippled!
Description: Barely any movement while pressure points are blocked by Senbon!
He collapsed, rolling to the furthest area way from his teammate.
"…Can't… move…"
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"…Naruto!"
Haku stood calmly.
"…You were close."
"…But not enough."
Senbon shifted—
Aimed at Naruto's neck.
Sasuke moved.
Faster than before.
Intercepting—
CLANG
Kunai deflected the strike.
He stood in front of Naruto.
"…You're not touching him."
Naruto's vision blurred slightly.
"…Sasuke…"
"…You look kinda cool right now…"
Sasuke didn't respond. He could see...
A shift.
Red.
The world slowed.
The mirrors—
Clearer.
Haku's movement—
Traceable.
The Shinobi Codex pulsed.
Hidden Quest Update! Help rival become strong enough to defeat a certain man!
Sasuke Uchiha Status Change:
Sharingan Activated (1 Tomoe)
Reward: Pending survival!
"Not now you godforsaken thing" muttered Naruto.
Sasuke exhaled slowly.
"…I see it."
His breathing steady.
Eyes locked on every reflection.
Haku tilted their head.
"…Why protect him?"
Sasuke's voice was quiet.
"…He's my teammate."
A pause.
"…And he's annoying."
Naruto wheezed.
"…Rude…"
Senbon storm.
Faster now.
Denser.
More precise.
Sasuke moved—
Blocking—
Dodging—
But barely.
Cuts formed.
Blood dripped.
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"…Move…"
"…MOVE…"
Nothing.
Haku's attacks intensified.
Sasuke moved forward trying to cover Naruto's prone form as best as possible.
Naruto clenched his fist.
Haku's killing intent sharpened.
"…I can't let this continue."
The mirrors shimmered.
Movement increased again.
Even faster.
Even deadlier.
Sasuke's body tensed.
He could see it—
But—
He couldn't fully keep up.
Senbon flew—
Too many.
Too fast.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"…Sasuke—!"
Sasuke moved.
Without thinking.
Without hesitation.
He covered Naruto's prone form with his own body.
THUNK
THUNK
THUNK - The final senbon lodged itself in Sasuke's pale neck
Silence.
Naruto's breath stopped.
"…Sasuke…?"
Body trembling slightly.
"…Heh…"
A weak exhale.
"…Guess…"
"…my body just moved…"
He collapsed forward, embracing Naruto in what could possibly be his last embrace.
Naruto struggled to put his arms to the Senbon in his neck.
"…Hey…"
"…HEY—"
"…This isn't funny—"
No response.
The world went quiet.
The Shinobi Codex flickered.
Cold.
Unfeeling.
Critical Event Detected
Rival Status:
Catatonic state
Condition: Presumed Dead
A pause.
Then—
Something inside Naruto—
Snapped.
"…You…"
His voice trembled.
Low.
Dangerous.
"…You killed him."
The mist thickened.
Chakra stirred.
Violent.
Unstable.
And for the first time—
Naruto's rage began to surface.
"…You killed him."
The words didn't echo.
They sank.
Heavy.
Final.
Something changed.
Naruto's head dropped.
Shadow covered his face.
His hands trembled—
Then stilled.
The Shinobi Codex flickered violently.
Error
Emotional Overload Detected
Foreign Chakra Influence Rising
A pulse of dark, twisted chakra spread throughout his chakra pathways
Naruto's body twitched.
The senbon—
Still lodged in his body—
Suddenly—
PING
Status Effect Overridden
Moderately Crippled → Removed
Senbon forcefully ejected out of his body, His fingers curled slowly into fists.
"…Give him back…"
The Codex surged.
Emergency State Activated
Kyuubi Influence Detected
Stat Modifiers Applied:
Strength: x10 (150)Agility: x5 (65)Endurance: x10 (190)
Intelligence: x.2 (3, Suppressed)
Pain Response: Reduced
Regeneration: Active
Naruto's breathing deepened.
Jagged.
Unstable.
"…Give… him… BACK!"
His eyes snapped open—
Crimson slits glared through Haku's mask, seeing straight into the core of his being
Chakra erupted.
Burning around him like a living flame.
Sakura, standing near the shoreline—
Froze.
"…What…"
Her voice trembled.
"…What is that…?"
Even Kakashi paused mid-clash.
His visible eye widened slightly.
"…So it's surfacing already…"
Zabuza grinned beneath his bandages.
"…Heh…"
"…So the brat's a jinchuriki."
Naruto moved.
He vanished.
Haku barely reacted—
A fist slammed into a mirror—
CRACK
For the first time—
It broke.
Haku's eyes widened.
"…Impossible—"
Naruto appeared again—
Faster.
Wilder.
Less controlled.
Another strike—
SHATTER
The dome trembled.
Naruto roared—
A sound that didn't feel human.
He grabbed one of the mirrors—
And ripped it apart.
The ice exploded outward.
Fragments scattering across the bridge.
Haku leapt back—
But Naruto was already there.
A punch—
Haku blocked—
But was sent flying—
Skipping across the bridge.
Naruto landed heavily.
Cracks forming beneath his feet.
Chakra flaring violently.
His wounds—
Gone.
Skin healed.
Blood evaporated.
The Shinobi Codex flickered erratically.
Warning:
User Intelligence Critically Suppressed
Decision-Making Severely Impaired
Naruto didn't care.
Didn't think.
Only one thing remained.
Rage.
"You…"
His voice distorted.
Layered.
"…HURT HIM…"
Haku steadied themselves.
Breathing uneven now.
"…So this is your true power…"
Naruto lunged.
Too fast.
Haku barely formed a defense—
A partial mirror—
It shattered instantly on impact.
A kick—
Sent Haku crashing into the bridge railing.
Wood splintered.
From the shoreline—
Sakura's hands trembled.
"…Naruto…"
"…That's not…"
"…That's not him…"
Back on the bridge—
Zabuza chuckled.
"…So Konoha sent a monster kid to babysit a bridge builder."
Kakashi's gaze sharpened.
"…Watch your mouth."
Naruto didn't hear any of it.
He grabbed Haku—
Slamming them into the ground.
Again.
And again.
The bridge cracked beneath the impact.
"…BREAK…"
"…BREAK…"
Haku struggled, her mask shattered into fragments. No protection granted—
Naruto's strength was overwhelming now.
Still—
Haku's eyes softened slightly.
"…So this… is your precious person…"
Naruto froze for just a fraction of a second.
Then—
*Ping*
Emotional interruption detected, Kyuubi's influence has been removed
His grip tightened.
"…SHUT UP!"
He grasped Haku's face with both hands, his turmoil showcased clearly across his young face—
Chakra surged violently-
The air remained deathly still on the bridge, the two Jonin pausing to take stake of what would happen next.
A Final -THUD- made everyone's eyes widen