Naruto: Different Path

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Although Han could no longer move, Naruto sensed that Roshi was approaching quickly. 

At this critical moment, Naruto feared Roshi's interference could interrupt his jutsu. 

Just as Roshi's figure began to emerge from the mist, Naruto grabbed Han and used the Flying Thunder God Technique. 

Due to the simultaneous activation of his sealing jutsu, Naruto couldn't teleport far and remained within the "lake."

Roshi noticed Han's sudden repositioning and paused, hesitating briefly before heading toward Naruto's new location. 

With no choice, Naruto used the Flying Thunder God again, moving as far as possible from Roshi. 

Naruto's repeated shifts caused Roshi to grow cautious, suspecting he might be trapped in a genjutsu.

Pouring all his strength into the secret technique, Naruto extracted an immense amount of chakra from Han—over 60% of the Five-Tails' power. 

Exhausted and powerless, Han slumped onto the water's surface, weakly opening his eyes to glare at Naruto.

Thanks to his Sage Mode, Naruto hadn't expended much of his chakra. 

However, executing the Flying Thunder God while maintaining the sealing jutsu—and carrying Han—took a significant toll on him. 

With Han immobilized, Naruto momentarily stood still to gather Sage Chakra. 

Through his enhanced sensory abilities, Naruto could feel Roshi approaching rapidly after realizing he wasn't trapped in an illusion.

Naruto finished gathering chakra just as Roshi, shrouded in the Tailed Beast Cloak, charged through the dense mist toward Han's location. 

As Roshi neared Han, he spotted Naruto standing ready with the Sword of the Thunder God. 

Roshi froze momentarily, examining Han's weakened state, before angrily demanding, "What did you do to Han?"

Naruto, masked and silent, stood motionless. Standing on the water, Han mustered his last bit of strength to rasp, "Roshi, leave! Don't bother with me." 

"He has some kind of secret technique that suppresses Tailed Beast power. I lost most of my chakra to his jutsu."

Roshi's expression grew serious, but he resolved to fight instead of retreating. 

Confident in his complete control over the Four-Tails' power, Roshi believed he could defeat Naruto. 

As Naruto sensed Roshi's Tailed Beast chakra surge, a massive ape-like form with four swaying tails appeared.

Naruto watched as the Four-Tails' full form manifested—a terrifyingly powerful entity. 

Despite its massive size, the beast moved with remarkable agility, launching an unrelenting attack on Naruto. 

Clad in the Lightning Armor and wielding the Sword of the Thunder God, Naruto met the Four-Tails head-on. 

However, knowing he couldn't kill the beast, Naruto struggled against Roshi's relentless offensive.

During the battle, the Four-Tails began preparing a Tailed Beast Bomb. 

Each of its punches carried devastating force, forcing Naruto into full defensive mode. 

When the fully formed Tailed Beast Bomb hurtled toward him, Naruto barely managed to evade using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Frustrated by Naruto's evasion, the Four-Tails unleashed the "Lava Release: Flower-Fruit Mountain," 

Creating a vast sea of magma that began spewing geysers. The magma rapidly turned the water into steam, but the water also cooled the lava. 

The battlefield became a chaotic boiling expanse. Naruto harnessed his Sage Chakra and began weaving signs for the "Sage Art: Lightning Prison." 

Lightning infused with chakra coursed through the water's surface, striking the Four-Tails with unparalleled speed. 

Though the massive beast absorbed much of the attack, it suffered noticeable damage, a testament to Naruto's efforts in perfecting this technique through a day of shadow clone training.

The Four-Tails roared in fury, its immense body slightly staggered by the jutsu. 

Enraged, it retaliated by firing Tailed Beast Bombs rapidly and wildly swinging its fists, even attempting to swallow Naruto. 

Despite Naruto's strength, he found himself entirely on the defensive, unable to mount an effective counterattack.

As Naruto dodged and strategized, he realized that prolonged combat would only lead to stalemate—or worse, his defeat. 

Killing the Four-Tails wasn't an option, yet maintaining the current situation was unsustainable. 

Sighing in resignation, Naruto muttered, "It looks like I have no choice but to take a risk. I can't let this opportunity go to waste."

Naruto hurled several kunai infused with Lightning Chakra at the Four-Tails. Although the attack caused only minor injuries, it served as a distraction. 

While the Four-Tails dealt with the kunai, Naruto suddenly appeared above its head, initiating his secret technique. 

Chains shot out from Naruto's hands, binding the massive beast tightly.

Normally, this technique could only be used once, but with Sage Chakra, Naruto had improved it slightly—though he hadn't tested it before. 

Given the urgency of the situation, Naruto took the gamble. 

As he executed the jutsu, Naruto realized, to his surprise, that it was consuming his chakra instead of Sage Chakra.

"Why is this happening?" 

Naruto wondered, unable to determine if repeated use of the technique prevented Sage Chakra from being utilized or if there was another cause. 

Nevertheless, the chains began drawing the Four-Tails' chakra into Naruto.

However, Naruto soon noticed something alarming: his chakra was depleting rapidly. 

The consumption rate was so intense that even his vast reserves struggled to keep up. 

As he calculated his remaining energy, Naruto realized he couldn't sustain the jutsu much longer without dire consequences.

After extracting nearly 60% of the Four-Tails' chakra, Naruto released the technique just as his reserves approached their limit. 

Roshi could no longer maintain the Four-Tails' form and reverted to his original state, collapsing onto the water's surface, panting heavily.

Exhausted from the intense battle and suffering from severe chakra depletion, Naruto utilized the last remnants of his energy to activate the Flying Thunder God and return to his hideout.

Naruto appeared in the room he frequently used at the base, panting heavily as he sat on the bed. 

Kenta quickly noticed something was off and approached him, asking urgently, "Sir, are you injured? Should I call the medical team?" 

Naruto shook his head and replied softly, "No, I'm not injured. I've just used up too much chakra. Protect the base; I need to rest." 

Seeing that Naruto wasn't hurt, Kenta nodded, closed the door, and joined the other ninja guarding the base perimeter.

Feeling utterly drained, Naruto collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. 

His condition mirrored the times he had exhausted all his chakra during training. However, within his subconscious, a voice suddenly echoed: 

"You sure pushed yourself hard, kid. What's all this effort for?" 

It was Kurama's voice. When Naruto's chakra was depleted, his mental space became even more vivid. 

Naruto stood before the iron gate, with the ferocious Kurama glaring at him from behind it.

In response to Kurama's rare question, Naruto said, "You might not believe me, but I'm doing this to bring true peace to the world." 

Kurama gave him a peculiar look before roaring, "Kid, I'll admit you've got some strength now." 

"But throughout ninja history, there have been plenty of shinobi as strong as you. Peace isn't as simple as you think." 

"The ninja world is trapped in a cycle of hatred, and there's no way one person can fix that!"

Naruto acknowledged the validity of Kurama's words—being a centuries-old-tailed beast, Kurama's perspective carried weight. 

After a moment of thought, Naruto replied, "You're right. I can't do this alone. That's why I need the help of my comrades." 

"I believe that when I have enough strong allies, we'll be able to bring peace to this world." 

Kurama felt somewhat moved by Naruto's words, sensing that he was unlike anyone he had encountered. 

Hiding his emotions, Kurama retorted nonchalantly, "Do what you want. Just don't think it'll be that easy."

Naruto remained firm: "No matter how hard it is, this is my path. I'll never give up on my dream—that's my ninja way!" 

Feeling that Naruto was too stubborn, Kurama fell silent.

When Naruto woke up, it was already ten o'clock the next morning. After such a long rest, he felt completely refreshed and energized. 

With his strong chakra reserves, his recovery speed was remarkable. 

Stepping outside the base, he realized his stomach was growling with hunger. 

Looking slightly embarrassed, Kenta said, "Sir, we've already had breakfast, but lunch isn't ready yet. And to be honest, none of us are great cooks." 

"If you're starving, maybe you could try a ration pill in the meantime."

At the mention of ration pills, Naruto immediately shook his head. "No, thanks. I'll pass for now." 

He despised ration pills; their taste was universally unpleasant. 

Noticing that Hinata wasn't around, Naruto suddenly remembered that she was still near Kakashi's base. 

Since he had left the battlefield exhausted the previous day, he had no idea how Kakashi and the others were doing. 

Concerned, Naruto used the Flying Raijin Technique to head directly to Kakashi's base.

Upon arrival, Naruto was greeted by the same temporary leader he had met. 

His heart sank as he worried about Kakashi and the others' safety. 

The ninja quickly reassured him, "You're here to see Kakashi, right? He was injured during the last mission and is resting in the infirmary." 

He then pointed to the infirmary's location. The base was fairly large, equipped with medical personnel and a basic infirmary—a luxury in their circumstances. 

Following the directions, Naruto soon reached the infirmary, which was sparsely furnished aside from the necessary medical equipment. 

Inside, there were two beds, both occupied. However, what caught Naruto's attention first was Hinata standing by one of the beds.

Sensing someone enter, Hinata turned to the doorway. Even though Naruto was wearing his mask, she recognized him instantly. 

Seeing that Hinata was unharmed, Naruto felt a weight lift from his heart. Hinata, too, was reassured by Naruto's appearance.

With a mere glance, the two communicated their thoughts seamlessly.

As Naruto approached the beds, he noticed Kakashi and Guy lying there. Both were injured but not critically. 

Kakashi, spotting Naruto, set aside the book he was holding and said, "Good thing you showed up when you did that day. If not, facing two jinchūriki might've been far worse than just injuries." 

Unlike the composed Kakashi, Guy was as energetic as ever. 

Despite being bedridden, he still loudly proclaimed his youthful vigor, even throwing a few punches in the air—only to wince in pain moments later.

Kakashi, exasperated, reminded him, "Guy, the doctor said not to move around, or you'll risk permanent damage." 

Startled, Guy immediately froze. Kakashi offered an apologetic smile before continuing to recount the events of the last mission to Naruto.

It turned out that Kakashi and Guy had engaged in a fierce battle against three enemy ninjas. 

They narrowly emerged victorious but sustained injuries in the process. Hinata had arrived in time to bandage their wounds. 

Despite their injuries, the duo supported other Konoha ninjas fighting against Iwagakure forces. 

Thanks to Hinata's Byakugan, they managed to sneak into blind spots and launch decisive attacks, ultimately ensuring everyone's safety. 

However, the strain of fighting while injured worsened Kakashi and Guy's condition, forcing them to rest in the infirmary.

Kakashi remarked, "Hinata was a huge help this time. Her Byakugan and Gentle Fist allowed us to take down multiple enemies." 

"But compared to you—fighting two jinchūriki alone and making it out unscathed—even Hinata and I are no match for you." 

Naruto humbly replied, "No, I was just doing my duty. Taking down several Iwagakure ninja was a team effort."

The two exchanged details about their experiences and insights from the mission. 

Soon after, Hinata prepared lunch for everyone. Naruto, famished, devoured his meal with gusto.

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