Naruto and Sakura turned their heads at the same time. Sasuke was covered in Curse Marks from head to toe, surrounded by a murderous aura like an asura.
Naruto did not answer Sasuke's question. Instead, he said quietly to Sakura, "We'll discuss that woman later. I feel like I'm overflowing with killing intent right now. I might have been using the Nine-Tails too frequently lately."
Sakura's eyes showed a trace of concern. "Then take it easy for a while. But is it really okay to just let her escape?"
"...It shouldn't be a problem. I noticed her reaction just now and have a few guesses."
Sakura was just about to ask more when she suddenly heard Sasuke's low voice behind her.
"Naruto..." Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly as he sensed his surging power, unable to stop himself from pondering the gap between himself and Naruto.
Sasuke asked, "That person just now was our enemy?"
Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Yeah. But we have both books now, so there's no need to keep pursuing her." As he spoke, he raised the Book of Earth in his hand.
"By the way, what's with your appearance?" Naruto pretended to know nothing, looking Sasuke up and down as he tried to assess his current condition.
"Ah... This is what he gave me. A new power... I understand now. To become an avenger, I must do whatever it takes. Even selling my body to a demon would be worth it."
Naruto could not help sighing inwardly. Only a King of Pretenders like Sasuke could say something like that without sounding out of place—and effortlessly win over a crowd of fangirls in the process.
"If that's the case, congratulations. But forget about selling yourself to a demon. If you want revenge, we can go with you." Naruto's cheerful words left Sasuke stunned, and impatience soon surged through his heart.
Why can he talk about revenge so casually? Doesn't he know that Itachi slaughtered everyone in the clan?
And he actually said he would help me get revenge? What a joke! How could I let an outsider like you interfere in the affairs of the Uchiha clan?
Sasuke could not help recalling Naruto's glorious feats from before, and negative emotions nearly overwhelmed his mind.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Hey, Naruto..." Sasuke stared at him and said, each word deliberate, "Let's fight. I want to see how this power measures up."
Naruto pressed a hand to his forehead. Sasuke really thought he was invincible again and was hurrying to get himself beaten up.
But according to the original story, after awakening his power, he had beaten Zaku badly enough to break his arm. Only then did he gradually lose himself in the power Orochimaru had given him, becoming unable to pull himself away.
Naruto naturally supported Sasuke in settling his family's score. If someone slaughtered his entire clan, paying with his life was only fair. But it would be bad if someone seized upon that weakness in his humanity and exploited it.
Sakura waved her hand, signaling for the two of them to settle it themselves.
"Very well." Naruto stood up and stopped suppressing the malice radiating from the Nine-Tails, causing the ground around him to gradually rise to a dangerous temperature. "Then let's see what you and I can do, brother. But let me make this clear first: no killing."
As soon as he finished speaking, red Chakra erupted from Naruto's body like a tiger!
"This is really bad. It's already starting to take the shape of a Chakra Cloak." Naruto examined himself from head to toe, a trace of worry on his face as he thought.
On the other side, Sasuke's eyes gradually widened.
To his surprise, his rampaging power began to slowly contract. Along with it, the Curse Mark of Heaven covering his entire body began shrinking toward his neck.
"Just as I thought..." Naruto still remembered using Nine-Tails Chakra to suppress Anko's Curse Mark of Heaven. There was no reason for the technique to be ineffective against Sasuke.
He slowly walked toward Sasuke. The closer he got, the faster the Curse Mark on Sasuke's body contracted. In the end, Sasuke felt the power surging through him begin to settle down again, like a fierce lion being soothed.
"What... What's going on?" Sasuke was utterly astonished. Could this power be restrained by Naruto?
"You know about the Nine-Tails Fox, right?" Naruto pointed to his abdomen and drew the Nine-Tails Chakra back into himself.
"This thing is sealed inside my stomach. Normally, I use this power to fight. You could say it's external assistance."
"I'm guessing the Curse Mark on your body also comes from an external force. But that external force is inferior to the Nine-Tails. No matter how you look at it, it's still a tailed beast. If it couldn't suppress you, the Nine-Tails would lose face."
Sasuke no longer had any desire to fight Naruto. Instead, he sank into thought.
"So, like I said..." Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "This thing isn't anything special. Besides, I already don't dare release my power casually, because I'm afraid the Nine-Tails will devour my reason. You're the same. You need to watch out for the influence of this external power."
"As for revenge, I really think you can ask us for help. Sakura and I are connections you made during your time as a Genin. Connections are meant to be used."
"Even Konoha relies on connections. Look: the First Hokage and the Second Hokage were brothers, the Second Hokage's disciple was the Third Hokage, and the Third Hokage's disciple's disciple was the Fourth Hokage..."
Naruto subconsciously shared with Sasuke the experience he had gained from struggling through society in his previous life. Sakura grew so sleepy from his endless speech that she kept yawning, but Sasuke listened with unusual focus.
Perhaps Naruto's display of strength had made him more convincing. In the end, Sasuke did not refute him. Naruto also smiled in relief. He knew Sasuke had taken his words to heart, and that was enough.
The three of them made a simple cleanup of the battlefield. After confirming that they had left nothing behind, they said goodbye to Rock Lee and quickly departed.
"Tenten, Neji, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji... They might have heard some or all of our conversation with her. Fortunately, no one mentioned transmigration. To them, it was just a crazy woman spouting nonsense." Naruto considered the matter as he sped up once more.
In the original story, these people had witnessed the entire process of Sasuke's transformation. Therefore, Naruto assumed they had been hiding nearby and had simply remained silent because Team 7 had not fallen into danger.
The three of them camped near a stream, set up traps, and caught some fish.
They reached nightfall without incident. After Sasuke fell asleep, Sakura took the initiative to find Naruto and discuss what had happened during the day.
"What do you think about that person?" Sakura stared at Naruto as she asked.
Naruto glanced around and lowered his voice. "She'll definitely find us afterward and seek our protection. After all, she can't stay with the Sound anymore. Of course, that's the way a normal person would think."
"What about an abnormal person?"
"Um..." Naruto coughed. "I think she'll continue harassing us in what she considers a 'good' way."
"Should we find a chance to get rid of her?" Sakura drew a finger across her neck.
"Mm." Naruto nodded.
Although it was perfectly normal for an ordinary person who transmigrated into the Naruto world to cling to the protagonist, that woman's mental state was far too unstable.
If she suddenly went all-in like a werewolf and blurted out everything about transmigration, both he and Sakura would be in trouble.
Just as he was thinking this, Naruto and Sakura suddenly heard a noise from behind.
Before you continue