Fourth Tail

"I see, so it was a backup plan left by the master?" Kakashi pondered. "It seems Naruto's potential is quite astonishing. If he can continuously utilize the Nine-Tails Chakra, his growth potential is simply unpredictable."

"With your skill in Fuinjutsu, you should be able to fill in the gaps, right? Then I don't need to worry too much."

"I haven't decided yet." Shuichi revealed a mischievous grin. "Becoming a ninja is a test for Jinchuriki. The ninja games within the village and the harsh world outside will have a huge impact on Naruto."

"When emotions fluctuate greatly, the Tailed Beast Chakra will resonate in response, especially negative emotions such as anger and hatred, which are more appealing to Nine-Tails."

Kakashi's expression tightened. "In that case..."

"Yeah, if he can't control his outburst, he could easily kill you all, along with the enemies," Shuichi succinctly summarized.

Kakashi: "..."

What else is there to say? Let's reinforce it quickly. Even the small burst of power from the Four-Tails back then was difficult to handle; even if the Nine-Tails only showed one-third of its power, he wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Their own Ninjutsu is primarily focused on lethality; techniques like Explosion Release, Lightning Release, and Kamui are not very effective for restriction or suppression.

Shuichi glared at Kakashi with a ruthless look, then patted him on the shoulder. "It was Senior Minato's dying wish for Naruto to master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. As Hokage, I can't easily leave the village, so it's up to you, the Fourth Hokage's disciple, to take charge."

"So there are a few reasons why I called you here today, including observing Naruto's transformation, remembering the limitations of the seal... You need to pay close attention later."

After leaving the village, the two continued on their way, running for about two or three kilometers outside Konoha, where they stopped and waited in the center of a relatively open small forest.

Kakashi asked with some doubt, "Naruto came here alone without any precautions? What's your plan?"

Shuichi was confident. "I've already instructed the Anbu, and I've also had Sakura personally write an invitation letter for joint training. That guy will definitely come."

"..."

Sure enough, less than fifteen minutes later, a blond-haired boy rushed over excitedly, just over ten minutes before the time agreed upon in the letter.

Fortunately, Shuichi had anticipated this. He and Kakashi arrived half an hour early to stake out the spot, guessing that Naruto truly loved Sakura and wouldn't keep the girl waiting.

Swish swish swish swish--

Shuichi created four Shadow Clones. When Naruto entered a certain area, the four clones used the Flying Thunder God to teleport to the four corners, hiding themselves at the edge of the forest so that Naruto wouldn't notice them, thus enclosing the open area.

Barrier Genjutsu: Hell of Earth!

The Shadow Clone clasped their hands together and Hand Seals, and an invisible shield began to expand rapidly, completely covering the bewildered Naruto.

If observed with the Sharingan, one might discover that the barrier resembles Jiraiya's Heavenly Canopy Formation, and is filled with a large amount of Mental Energy.

"I've never even heard of this technique..." Kakashi lifted his Forehead Protector. "Naruto must be deeply trapped in Genjutsu. What might he encounter?"

Shuichi exclaimed expectantly, "Pain? Anger? Hatred? Anyway, Sakura's 'death' will be rather gruesome. Let's wait and see!"

"This Barrier Ninjutsu isn't particularly significant; it's merely to maximize the Genjutsu's effect. Having four people act simultaneously ensures that the Nine-Tails Chakra can't break through the illusion before Naruto loses his senses—that's all. After that, it's unnecessary..."

After thinking it over, Shuichi felt it wasn't very safe. The seal left by Minato might be stronger than in the original story. What if he couldn't get out after being trapped for a long time? That would be too embarrassing.

So after Naruto was hit, he jumped into the field and used Yang Release Chakra to strike the Eight Trigrams Seal, directly creating a gap. This way, as long as he is stimulated, his burst of power will definitely be quite fast.

Meanwhile, Naruto, full of enthusiasm, arrived at the meeting place, but after looking around and not seeing Sakura, he could only pace back and forth nervously, frantically simulating the scenes of the two of them together in his mind.

"Hehehe, are you this little girl's companion?"

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

A man in black emerged from the forest, carrying Sakura, who was struggling wildly and had duct tape sealing her mouth.

Her red clothes were tattered, and her body was covered in bloody cuts from the knife. Her strength was waning.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed in shock, even the initial fear of encountering an enemy for the first time vanishing, his pupils turning vertical without his realizing it. "Who are you? Let her go right now!"

"Naive brat, it seems Konoha is a disappointment, full of trashy ninja like you. We might as well just destroy it sooner rather than later." The man in black sneered.

The long, rust- and blood-stained knife was raised, and with a cruel, swift motion, it pierced the girl's body, staining the grass crimson.

But he didn't stop there. He drew his sword again, aimed it at Sakura's neck, and slashed down hard...

Roar!

On the field, Kakashi kept a close eye on Naruto's transformation.

The Six Paths Whiskers on his face were as deep as knife scars. He was on all fours like a puppy, with red chakra enveloping his entire body like bubbles, and two tails wagging incessantly.

"What astonishing chakra! Has he become purely instinctive? His fighting power in this state..."

Whoosh--

Naruto flashed forward, pouncing on Shuichi like a wild beast. His running style was comparable to that of a cheetah, far more skillful than that of the Inuzuka Clan.

Bang!

A punch, filled with rage, aimed straight at Shuichi's face.

He also raised his hand and struck, his fists colliding and exploding into a large amount of White Sand.

Immediately afterward, the sand seemed to be attracted by a magnet, quickly gathering towards Shuichi's hand.

Under Naruto's lightning-fast barrage, the White Sand scattered and then gathered again, the two sides' attacks never stopped, and the special effects were very impressive.

Whoosh!

After Shuichi kicked Naruto away, a large amount of chakra erupted from his body.

Several large red hands flew out and frantically clawed at Shuichi chick.

Boom boom boom--

The ground was smashed into several small craters; Shuichi's dodging skills were even more agile than a rabbit's.

He leaped back, somersaulted, and dodged to the side... twisting and turning between the Nine-Tails Chakra hands, almost getting hit each time, but he was actually confident, which made Naruto increasingly angry.

"Roar..."

Naruto was determined to kill him, and the hatred in his eyes intensified, to the point that even four Shuichi might not be able to control him.

Finding that his ranged attack had failed, Naruto transformed into a red light and closed in again.

This time, he didn't throw a punch at all. Instead, he brandished his claws and grabbed her directly, a purely beastly fighting style that completely disregarded any defense.

Shuichi lightly jumped backward, simultaneously tossing an ice cube in his hand.

Just as Naruto was within reach, he vanished in an instant—whoosh!

He swept his forearm downwards in mid-air, slamming it into Naruto's shoulder with a thud, slamming him into the ground, and then gracefully floated down to his feet.

"That's about it. Just the Chakra Cloak is stronger than the Four-Tails Jinchuriki's..." Kakashi thought to himself, "This is going to be tough..."

Boom!

A loud bang interrupted his thoughts; the red chakra in the arena trembled like countless whips.

Naruto has completely "disappeared," replaced by Humanoid Monster covered in dark red armor.

The only way to recognize him is by the shape of the hair under his fox ears.

Four thick tails, and it was practically indistinguishable from a real beast, with pebbles flying around it.

Even Kakashi, standing at a distance, had his hair whipped around by the strong wind, which gives you an idea of how powerful the chakra was nearby.

"..."