Naruto

Let's leave aside for now the scene of the girls dancing and frolicking in the hot spring.

Rewind to a slightly earlier time, in the evening before sunset, in the Hoshigakure Land of Bears " of Konoha.

The name of the Hoshigakure originates from a strange meteorite that fell two hundred years ago. It was radioactive and could activate Chakra. The ninjas in the village used it for training, hence the name Hoshigakure.

The most important building in the village is the training hall where the 'Star' meteorite is kept; at this moment, everyone in Hoshigakure, as well as an orange-haired boy from outside, are standing in the square outside the training hall.

The atmosphere was completely different from the peaceful and tranquil Konoha; it was tense and on the verge of a major battle.

"Akahoshi, put down 'Star' and surrender! Resistance is pointless and will only increase your sins!" The woman with long purple-red hair stood at the front of the crowd, facing the former acting Hoshikage of Hoshigakure, and said in a deep voice.

"Heh heh, Natsuhiboshi, stop pretending, you traitorous woman!" The man called Akahoshi sneered and shouted, "Without 'Little Star,' what makes the village called Hoshigakure, and what makes it so powerful as the sixth greatest ninja village?"

He took a few quick breaths, glared fiercely at the Hoshigakure ninjas standing opposite him, and said coldly, "Yes! I am the murderer who killed the Third Hoshikage! Because that foolish and stubborn old man refused to hand over the 'Little Star' and let us practice the 'Mysterious Peacock Method'! I had no choice but to kill him."

"I did nothing wrong! I had no grudge against that old bastard, why would I kill him? Wasn't it so that everyone could learn the Mysterious Peacock Method and make the village stronger? Where did I go wrong? Sanren, Hokuto? And you, you, you...you," Akahoshi pointed at each of the Hoshigakure on the field, "Tell me, who allowed you to learn the Mysterious Peacock Method? Who gave you such power? As the Hoshikage, I have devoted myself to the development of the village, what gives you the right to stand against me?"

"Ha! Someone said that practicing the Mysterious Peacock Method is dangerous and has side effects." Akahoshi scoffed, turning to look at Natsuhi and mocking, "That's right, I admit it's dangerous and has side effects! But so what? What Ninjutsu is without flaws and dangers? If you're so afraid of death, don't be a ninja, go farm, be a carpenter, or sweep the streets! Did I force you to be ninjas?"

"Konoha ninja, you've seen it all, haven't you? What kind of training isn't dangerous? Why should a ninja be immune to danger?" He laughed wildly, then pointed at the orange-haired ninja, "Hahaha! Stop with the righteous act, pretending to be so upright. I know perfectly well that you Konoha people have come all this way to Hoshigakure just to covet the power of 'Little Star' and steal our 'Little Star' treasure!"

These words were truly scathing. The Star Ninja, who had just stood firmly opposite Akahoshi, couldn't help but whisper among themselves and start discussing the matter, occasionally casting strange glances at the Konoha Ninja standing at the front.

They certainly have reason to be suspicious.

Natsuhi was both angry and anxious. "You bastard who spreads heresy! It's clearly because your ambition is too great. You know the Mysterious Peacock Method is extremely dangerous, yet you allow everyone to practice this Ninjutsu with endless consequences just so you can become the Kage of the Sixth Great Ninja Village! I—"

"Enough." A hand suddenly reached out, interrupting Natsuhi's words.

"Naruto?"

"Let me handle this." Naruto Uzumaki turned around, giving Natsuhi a confident smile, and said, "Mr. Akahoshi, I am not here representing Konoha, nor do I covet 'Little Star's' power..."

"Because... the power the Little Star give you is far from enough. With just that, you absolutely cannot become a powerful village comparable to Konoha! Moreover, the most important thing for a village is not the power of Ninjutsu, but every single person in the village! As a Kage, you should treat every villager as your own family, not lead them to learn Ninjutsu that will have endless consequences!"

Naruto said solemnly.

"Don't lecture me like that!" Naruto's dismissive attitude towards the Little Star enraged Akahoshi, who slammed the meteorite against his chest. "How dare you look down on the power of the Little Star! I'll make you regret saying such a thing!"

"Drink up!"

Accompanied by Akahoshi's furious shout, a violent and enormous Chakra rose from his chest, quickly spreading throughout Akahoshi entire body, and finally, as if it were alive, condensed on Akahoshi's back.

Call--!

Without warning, a strong wind suddenly arose, and sand and stones flew everywhere, causing great suffering to the many ninjas of Hoshigakure.

"Auntie Natsuhi, please escort everyone to a safe location." Naruto's voice remained steady and calm despite the strong wind, as unwavering as his upright figure. "Leave this to me."

The Chakra fluctuations around Akahoshi grew increasingly intense, the Chakra on his back reaching its peak, emanating an unsettling aura, and then—

Bang!

A deep purple Chakra dragon suddenly sprang out from Akahoshi's back. It grew rapidly in the wind and in an instant grew into a huge dragon-shaped creature that was tens of meters tall and as thick as two people could hug!

Akahoshi clenched his fist, feeling his own power. An unprecedented amount of Chakra filled his body, Chakra had condensed into a giant dragon that seemed to be a tangible entity gave him endless power. He flew into the air, raised his head, and took a deep breath. The air seemed to be filled with an invincible sweet fragrance.

Yes, that's exactly the feeling.

Hahahaha--!

Amidst the howling wind, Akahoshi's maniacal laughter echoed, "Did you see that, Konoha's child? This is the power of the Little Star, invincible power! Now, do you still dare to spout such arrogant words and look down on our Hoshigakure?"

He lowered his head, hoping to see a look of panic on the face of the Konoha at his feet, hoping to see him weeping and begging for mercy on his knees, but all he saw was a pair of calm, azure eyes.

He saw Naruto looking up at him in mid-air, but the expression in his eyes seemed to be looking down on him, pitying him, rather than revering him.

"Is that all?" Naruto asked calmly.

"What?" Akahoshi was taken aback.

"At the cost of one's life..." Naruto lowered his eyes, his voice low, but Chakra gradually surged forth. He slowly said, "Is this all the power you've gained?"

A massive amount of ominous, evil Chakra surged from the boy's body, like a billowing black smoke.

What a terrifying aura of Chakra that was!

Akahoshi, who was still furious because of Naruto's words, was so frightened by the sight of this Chakra that his hands and feet turned cold, his body stiffened, and he stared in disbelief, unable to utter a single word!

Even Natsuhiboshi Rixing, who had just led the other ninjas from Hoshigakure to safety and then returned to the edge of the battlefield, held his breath upon seeing this, stopped in his tracks in surprise and doubt, and dared not take another step forward!

"A physical form condensed from Chakra?" Naruto murmured, gazing at the giant dragon behind Akahoshi. His beautiful blue eyes had somehow transformed into eerie orange-yellow vertical pupils.

Black smoke continued to billow out, eventually transforming into a black ribbon that wrapped around the boy, blurring his figure into the shadow of a fox.

The canine teeth elongate, protrude, and become sharp.

One, two, three... four.

A fourth tail appeared behind the waist.

"Perfect timing, I also have a Ninjutsu that materializes Chakra... Let's have a go?" Naruto grinned, a faint smile on his face.

"Who... who exactly are you?!"

"My name is Naruto, Konoha Ninja Village from Genin."

Beneath the frenzied Chakra Cloak lies Naruto's calm expression.

[I read a really great book yesterday, "Strategic Envoy" (not on this site), and I almost got so engrossed that I forgot to write.]