Returning to the Village

Pure white bones began to form outside Naruto's body.

That was a demon fox body mimicked by an extremely high concentration of Nine-Tails Chakra...

We're one step closer to creating the true form of the Nine-Tails!

Naruto's mind had already fallen into a dazed state.

After successfully entering the Five-Tails state, he became a little overconfident.

For Perfect Jinchuriki, the Tailed Beast Transformation is an extremely dangerous process.

Because of Nine-Tails's lack of cooperation, the Tailed Beast Transformation extracts Nine-Tails's Nine-Tails Chakra, but also its will and evil intentions.

The deeper Naruto's Tailed Beast Transformation goes, the more tails he generates, and the more willpower and perseverance he needs to overcome the Nine-Tails' evil influence on his mind!

It was like a tug-of-war, with Naruto and Nine-Tails's wills pulling desperately together, using Chakra as the rope.

If he's not careful, Naruto will slip towards the Nine-Tails, be consumed by Nine-Tails hatred and malice, and lose his mind!

Right now, because of the use of a Tailed Beast Bomb, the excessive extraction of Nine-Tails Chakra and Naruto's slightly relaxed state of mind allowed Nine-Tails's consciousness to take advantage of the situation and enter.

Naruto's consciousness began to fade.

Jiraiya's loud shout vaguely entered his mind, but he couldn't make out what he was saying.

Damn it... I can't let the Nine-Tails devour me!

Naruto struggled to maintain his sanity, desperately trying to break free, but he began to feel himself falling into an abyss, sinking deeper and deeper, with nothing around him to hold him back.

Is my consciousness about to be replaced by the Nine-Tails?

Panic surged through Naruto's mind, and he began to feel a suffocating pain!

"Naruto, you mustn't give up! Your teacher believes in you!" In the darkness, Naruto suddenly heard a familiar voice.

He gritted his teeth and tried his best to open his eyes.

In a hazy, dreamlike state, Naruto saw Kakashi's typically lazy figure standing right in front of him.

"... Ka... Kashi... Sensei...?"

Naruto, now in his Six-Tails form, resembled a powerful fox spirit. His voice, deep and hoarse like a beast's roar, echoed intermittently from the arena.

There was no time to wonder why Kakashi-sensei was there.

Kakashi's encouragement was like Naruto surfacing from drowning, breathing in fresh air.

"Hey, you loser, it would be so lame of you to get devoured by the Nine-Tails!" Another familiar boyish voice came from the side, "Didn't you want to have a showdown with me? Stand up!"

Naruto was taken aback, and with difficulty, he turned his eyes to look at Kakashi's side.

Sasuke wore his familiar arrogant expression, his eyes concealing concern beneath his haughty demeanor.

Naruto couldn't help but force a smile.

"Hmph... idiot Sasuke... I... will not... be defeated by Nine-Tails...!"

For some reason, Naruto suddenly felt a warmth in his heart.

The parched lake of his heart seemed to be nourished by a spring of sweet, clear water, which replenished his willpower and slightly pulled back the Nine-Tails' hatred.

It seems that some control over the body has been regained.

Naruto turned his head and looked at Sasuke's side.

Unsurprisingly, the pink-haired girl stood there quietly, a gentle smile on her face.

"Go for it, Naruto!" she said with concern. "The Naruto I know won't be defeated like this!"

"In my heart, Naruto, you are a strong ninja who never gives up!"

Naruto took a deep breath.

A warm current suddenly surged in his heart, warming his body, and he felt as if he were filled with strength again.

"Hmm... Don't worry, Sakura..." The boy clenched his fist, his eyes hardening. "I'm going to be the Hokage... How can I fall here...!"

As Naruto's aura surged, the ferocity and rage in his eyes gradually faded, slowly returning to clarity. The Nine-Tails' will was subtly suppressed by him!

"Alright!" Sakura Haruno nodded and smiled, "However, if you really fall here and your will is corrupted by the Nine-Tails..."

The girl clenched her fists.

The force was so great that it made Naruto's knuckles crack, sending chills down his spine.

"I'll use this fist, with all my might and Monstrous Strength, to knock down the Nine-Tails' will and beat you awake!" she said fiercely, swinging her fist.

"Did you understand?"

Naruto: "Aww... Aww...?"

"... Meow meow meow?"

The Jinchūriki boy suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

A chill suddenly rose from his tailbone, forcibly pushing back the scorching Nine-Tails Chakra. Recalling the painful scene of being brutally beaten by Sakura during their sparring session, Naruto couldn't help but shudder. His Tailed Beast Cloak, like frost under the blazing sun, suddenly shook and dissipated into the air.

In just a few seconds, he successfully returned to human form.

Bang bang bang!

Kakashi and his two companions transformed into wisps of white mist and dissipated.

Only three unfolded scrolls remained on the open ground.

"Haha!" Jiraiya jumped out from the side and laughed loudly, "This move really worked!"

"Thank goodness you managed to control the Nine-Tails' power. We almost had to fight you in real combat..."

Recalling the overwhelming aura emanating from Naruto in his Six-Tails State, the man breathed a sigh of relief.

Naruto was taken aback.

He blinked, looked around, and then remembered that Kakashi and the others were thousands of kilometers away in Konoha, and it was impossible for them to appear in front of him at this time.

However, the words he heard were indeed spoken by Kakashi and the others.

--That was the voice preserved through a precious sealed scroll, combined with Jiraiya's Shadow Clone and Transformation Technique, that created the effect of a real person appearing in front of you.

Naruto snapped out of his daze.

"Hehehe, I was supposed to be able to stay in the Five-Tails state, but I accidentally made a mistake..." He scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.

"Thanks, Pervy Sage!"

Jiraiya walked over, picked up the scroll from the ground, waved his hand, and said, "It means, Naruto!"

As he spoke, his eyes darted around, his serious demeanor vanished, and his face suddenly turned lewd.

"How was it? My Shadow Clone and Transformation Technique worked perfectly together, didn't they?" The Pervy Sage's lust was aroused. He stretched his hands in front of his chest, making a lewd grabbing gesture, and said with a sly smile, "However, it still feels a bit lacking compared to your Harem Jutsu."

"Ahem, Naruto, so if you want to thank me... then demonstrate your Harem Jutsu for me one more time!"

"Ideally, the kind where you're not wearing any clothes~ Hehehe~"

Jiraiya's mouth watered.

"What? This Ninjutsu again? Haven't you seen it countless times already?" Naruto pouted, looking at Jiraiya with disdain.

"And another thing! Your Transformation Technique just now wasn't perfect at all!" He thought back for a moment, then added indignantly, "Sakura's figure is nothing like that, I almost didn't recognize her!"

Jiraiya's eyebrows shot up suddenly.

"Idiot, you haven't seen Sakura for almost a year! I'm betting my manhood on it, I'm sure Sakura has changed drastically. This is what she looks like now!" The man retorted loudly, his face hardening.

"Hmph, I don't believe a fifty-year-old lecher like you who still doesn't have a girlfriend..." The young man turned his head away disdainfully.

The Pervy Sage's lips twitched.

"Okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit." The old lecher showed a rare moment of shame.

However, even without D, there should be one by now!

After all, her master was Tsunade...

He scratched his head and said seriously, "Then let's go back to the village and see for ourselves how everyone has grown!"

"Get up, our journey should come to an end."

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, asking in surprise, "Is it already over?"

"That's right," Jiraiya said solemnly. "The situation no longer allows us to leisurely train and gather intelligence at the same time... We have enough information about Akatsuki, and it's time to return to the village."

In a communication with the village a month ago, Tsunade told him that Akatsuki's base had been confirmed to be in the Land of Rain.

Of course, the possibility of having multiple burrows cannot be ruled out, but after Jiraiya explored the last corner of the Land of Hot Water, he did not find any other Akatsuki bases on the surface.

As Naruto's training progressed to the Five-Tails state, he began to find it quite difficult to cope.

"Besides, I'm already finding it a bit difficult to keep up with your Tailed Beast Transformation training on my own!" Jiraiya patted Naruto on the shoulder and said.

Although Naruto successfully stabilized the Six-Tails State, the danger of it going out of control still existed... If it happened again, he couldn't guarantee that Naruto wouldn't lose control again.

We need to get help from others!

Jiraiya thought silently, and the first person that flashed through his mind was the figure of the Ice Release Girl...

"With two Sage Mode and three Mangekyō Sharingan, and if that doesn't work, we can even get Tsunade to help... We should be able to handle Tailed Beast Transformation of Six-Tails or higher!"

Jiraiya muttered to himself.

"... So by the time you read this, Jiraiya and I will probably already be on our way back to Kimura."

"I'll show you the power of the Six-Tails State then, hehe, you'll all be amazed!"

"See you back in the village! Best wishes! --Naruto."

Sakura Haruno leaned against the bedside table, silently reading Naruto's letter, a faint smile on her face.

"Is it already on its way back?" She put away the scroll and placed it on the cabinet beside her, mentally counting the days.

The letter was sent the week before last... at that time, Sakura was on her way to Kumogakure.

Let's calculate the time...

"Wouldn't that mean we'd be back very soon?"

Sakura Haruno thought to herself, turned off the light, and lay down on the bed with anticipation.

Soon, the room was filled with the soft breathing of a young girl.

The outskirts of Konoha.

Naruto lay on his sleeping mat, gazing at the brilliant starry sky above, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Jiraiya poked at the campfire and glanced at him.

"Go to sleep, Naruto!" He knew the boy's feelings and smiled faintly. "You'll be back in the village tomorrow. Don't look so listless then."

"Oh..."

Naruto responded softly, trying his best to suppress his chaotic and excited thoughts, and closed his eyes.

The boy slept very well. Although he was a little nervous about returning home, he felt sleepy as soon as he closed his eyes.

Before long, soft snoring could be heard.

[Adding to last night's update. The typhoon was terrifying; it howled all night, the sound as terrifying as Wind Release Ninjutsu from a book. I didn't sleep well at all.]