That's a Sealing Technique Left by the Fourth Hokage

Asama Sandayu followed the two of them the entire time, though he remained silent.

After purchasing the necessary ninja tools, the trio set off.

Land of Waves.

On the bridge nearing completion.

Zabuza, accompanied by Haku and a group of rogue ninjas from Kirigakure, had Team 7 completely surrounded.

To save Naruto, Sasuke was severely wounded by Haku.

Looking at Sasuke, who stood before him riddled with needles, Naruto's gaze went blank.

"Sasuke, Sasuke~"

Naruto's tone was one of shock.

He could not believe that Sasuke, who had mocked him every step of the way, had actually shielded him.

This honor student he had once loathed so much, that arrogant guy who was far more popular with the girls than he was, had actually stood in his way.

Naruto clenched his fists.

An overwhelming sense of rage surged within his heart.

"You, you actually killed Sasuke! I'll kill you!"

Naruto mistakenly believed that Sasuke was dead.

"ROAR~"

Malicious chakra instantly erupted from Naruto's body.

Blood-red chakra slowly coalesced into a single tail behind him.

A blood-red Tailed Beast Shroud enveloped Naruto's body.

His canine teeth grew longer, and the nails on his hands extended significantly, resembling fox claws.

His pupils turned a deep, blood-red hue.

Naruto had lost control.

The surrounding mirrors were all shattered by the chakra radiating from his body.

A terrifying power swept across the entire bridge.

Kakashi, who was in the midst of a duel with Zabuza, felt this horrifying chakra.

When he saw Naruto wrapped in the Tailed Beast Shroud, his eyes widened. "Naruto, has he lost control? What is going on?"

Kakashi was still unaware that Sasuke had just shielded Naruto.

But with Naruto in a berserk state, things were becoming quite troublesome.

"Damn it, with Naruto rampaging like this, I have no way to suppress him."

Once Naruto lost control, he either had to overcome it himself, or a sealing ninja would be required to reseal the Nine-Tails.

Zabuza also looked toward Naruto, muttering to himself, "That is the chakra of a Tailed Beast. Is that brat the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from Konoha?"

"They've got some nerve, actually letting a Jinchuriki out on a mission."

Most Jinchuriki were restricted to their villages and forbidden from leaving, unless they could control the Tailed Beast within them.

Clearly, Naruto was not the type of Jinchuriki capable of controlling the beast inside him.

Zabuza sneered at Kakashi, "Kakashi, what are you going to do now?"

"This is no longer just a simple mission."

"Perhaps your Konoha's Tailed Beast will lose control here, and you might even lose the beast entirely."

They were currently within the borders of the Land of Waves; if Naruto lost control and the Nine-Tails broke free from its seal, almost no one would be able to contain it.

And if the Nine-Tails broke free, could Konoha really capture it again?

During the Nine-Tails Incident, it took the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, along with the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan, to seal the Nine-Tails away.

Is there anyone left in Konoha now who could reseal the Nine-Tails back into the Jinchuriki?

The Third Hokage was already old.

And they were quite far from Konoha.

If the Nine-Tails went completely out of control, Kakashi's strength would be absolutely insufficient to seal it.

Watching Naruto roaring in fury, Kakashi's expression turned grave.

"Naruto, you must hold on."

The only person who could restrain the Nine-Tails now was Naruto himself.

If his consciousness failed to hold on, he would let the Nine-Tails break free from its restraints.

"Third, it seems we let Naruto out too early."

The Third was the one who insisted on ensuring Naruto could move about freely.

If Naruto truly went berserk here, lost all control, or even if the Nine-Tails broke the seal, Kakashi would be the first to be held responsible.

But the person who would bear the greatest responsibility was undoubtedly the Third.

Many factions opposing the Third would certainly use this as a pretext to force him to step down.

Danzo would absolutely never let such an opportunity slip by.

Kakashi furrowed his brows; at this moment, the mission was no longer important, and Zabuza was no longer important.

How to help Naruto hold on and prevent the Nine-Tails from breaking the seal was what mattered most.

Zabuza raised his Kubikiribōchō.

His expression was cold and stern. "Kakashi, that brat is impossible to control the Tailed Beast. Letting him out of your Konoha is absolutely your greatest mistake."

"However, can you still complete your mission now?"

"Is this mission more important, or is the Tailed Beast of your Konoha more important?"

Kakashi frowned, gripping his Kunai tightly.

"Naruto, you have to hold on."

"Only a tiny bit of chakra is leaking out right now; Naruto should be able to hold on. That is the seal left behind by the Fourth Hokage. It must be extremely difficult for the Nine-Tails to get out."

Thinking of the seal on Naruto being the one left by the Fourth Hokage, Kakashi's originally uneasy heart calmed down slightly.

Yes, that was the Eight Trigrams Seal left by the Fourth Hokage; its sealing strength was far higher than the jinchuriki seals of other villages.

That was the Four Symbols Seal originating from the Uzumaki Clan.

The sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan were the most powerful in the entire Ninja World.

Kakashi thought to himself.

But the color of the Tailed Beast Shroud on Naruto was growing darker and darker.

It was gradually shifting from a light red to a dark red, and was even on the verge of turning black-red.

They were over a hundred meters away from Naruto, yet he could feel the Nine-Tails chakra leaking from Naruto's body growing increasingly dense.

The chakra of the Nine-Tails was very unique, carrying extreme malice.

Even those who were not sensory-type ninjas could feel it clearly.

The skin on Naruto's body began to peel away, and the concentration of the Tailed Beast Shroud chakra on him grew higher and higher.

His hands were nearly turning into claws, his pupils were becoming increasingly red, and his canines were growing longer.

A fox tail gradually condensed from the chakra behind his back.

"BOOM~"

The moment the fox tail condensed from chakra appeared behind Naruto, it instantly swept through and shattered all the surrounding ice mirrors.

The bridge surface beneath his feet shattered instantly.

Haku did not have time to dodge and was immediately struck hard.

His body was blasted hundreds of meters away, crashing into the sea and kicking up a spray of water dozens of meters high.

The immense force caused Haku to lose consciousness instantly, leaving him floating on the sea.

Zabuza, who had previously looked calm, widened his eyes. "Haku, damn it, how could this beast's power be so strong?"

Zabuza, who had been gloating just a moment ago, could no longer concern himself with Kakashi; he jumped off the bridge and ran toward where Haku lay unconscious.

Kakashi did not move to stop him.

The moment he saw that blood-red fox tail appear behind Naruto, Kakashi's scalp went numb.

As Zabuza ran toward Haku, Kakashi ran toward Naruto.

"No, I cannot just sit here and wait for death. I must do something, even if I am not skilled in sealing techniques; the Nine-Tails chakra leaking from Naruto right now is still not much."

Watching the Nine-Tails chakra on Naruto growing stronger, Kakashi dared not trust in Naruto's willpower or the seal of the Fourth Hokage any longer.