Naruto: Different Path

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The matter was largely resolved, and Naruto returned to the base with Hinata. After working continuously for so long, they showed visible signs of exhaustion. 

As soon as they arrived, they prepared to rest. The other Chūnin, aware of their situation, quietly did their duties without disturbing Naruto and Hinata.

When Naruto woke up, it was already noon the next day. His first action was to check the condition of the seal. 

With the Tailed Beast's stronger power, any seal breach could have serious consequences. 

Fortunately, the situation was better than Naruto had anticipated. 

Since mastering the secret technique, the Tailed Beast's power had been greatly suppressed and showed no signs of breaking through the seal. 

Naruto was relieved, confirming that the secret technique he had spent so much time mastering was indeed effective and immensely powerful.

By this time, Hinata had already woken up and was preparing lunch. 

After a quick meal, Naruto assigned the others to guard the base while he took Hinata to a quiet location to train. 

For several days, Naruto focused intently on honing his secret technique. 

While he made some progress, the training became increasingly difficult as he delved deeper, and the rate of improvement slowed significantly.

The surrounding area experienced a rare moment of peace, but Naruto knew such tranquillity wouldn't last. 

He decided to take advantage of the calm to attend to some personal matters. To prepare for emergencies, Naruto handed Hinata a special seed. 

She could immediately alert him if anything went wrong by infusing it with chakra.

Amusingly, the Grass Ninja had been trying various ways to bypass the base, but they had made no progress since Naruto's last intervention—likely still intimidated by him. 

Naruto thought: If I don't help them find a way, who knows how long they'll be stuck here? At this rate, I might as well step in myself.

Before Yūhi Kurenai could signal distress, Naruto proactively arrived at her base. 

Surprised, Kurenai remarked, "The Black Thunder! I didn't expect you to have the time to come here."

Naruto replied, "No, I've had a nagging feeling that something's not quite right here, so I came to check it out."

Kurenai asked, "Do you think it's the enemy from last time?"

Naruto nodded. "Although they fled before, they have a task they need to complete. Now that so much time has passed without any sign of them, I suspect they're planning something else."

Kurenai and the others agreed with Naruto's reasoning. She asked, "What should we do?"

Naruto responded, "If the enemy remains inactive, we should take the initiative and strike first."

Kurenai hesitated. "But we're short on personnel. If we launch an attack, the enemy might exploit the opportunity to strike at our base."

Naruto created several shadow clones and said, "Leave the base to my clones. Don't worry—these clones aren't something the enemy can easily deal with." 

Trusting in Naruto's strength, Kurenai and the others nodded.

The group split into two teams, heading in different directions to search for the enemy. 

Naruto deliberately guided them away from the Grass Ninja's location, thinking that they might as well give up being ninjas if they still couldn't figure out a way through.

The Grass Ninja, who had been keeping a distant watch on Kurenai's movements, seized the opportunity when her team left. 

Taking advantage of the gap, they managed to slip past and proceed on their way. 

Meanwhile, Naruto and the others searched fruitlessly before concluding that the enemy might have abandoned their plans. 

Naruto advised, "It seems the enemy has likely given up their mission. However, everyone should remain vigilant. The entire shinobi world is in turmoil right now, so caution is essential."

After parting ways with Kurenai's team, Naruto quietly trailed the Grass Ninja. 

Despite disguising themselves as merchants, they unknowingly followed the only route from the Land of Fire into the Land of Waterfalls. 

Since the Land of Waterfalls had always maintained friendly relations with Konoha, the path was left unguarded, allowing the Grass Ninja to slip through undetected. Naruto shadowed them in silence.

After crossing into the Land of Waterfalls, the Grass Ninja moved directly toward Takigakure, seemingly guided by accurate intelligence. 

However, to avoid drawing attention, they made small detours. 

Eventually, they arrived at a massive waterfall, where they paused, pretending to admire the scenery while two discreetly formed hand seals. 

Unbeknownst to the village's guards hidden behind the waterfall, they became paralyzed and incapacitated.

The five Grass Ninjas quickly leaped through the waterfall and disappeared. 

Observing from a distance, Naruto thought, If my guess is correct, the entrance lies behind this waterfall. 

He waited until the Grass Ninja was far ahead before making his move. 

Entering stealthily, he used Sage Mode to sense nearby presences while employing Earth-style and Wood-style techniques to conceal himself.

The Grass Ninja appeared to be searching for something within the village. 

Due to the limited number of shinobi in smaller villages like Takigakure, it took the locals a long time to notice the incapacitated guards. 

They could not break the Grass Ninja's sealing jutsu when they finally realized what had happened.

Takigakure, known for its secluded location and near-impenetrable entrance, relied on these natural defenses for survival. 

A small village like this might not have lasted long in a more exposed situation. 

Naruto speculated that the Grass Ninja were after the jinchūriki, as such turmoil in the shinobi world provided smaller nations like the Land of Grass opportunities. 

They likely aimed to open the legendary box that required immense chakra, such as that of a Tailed Beast.

With chaos engulfing Takigakure, the villagers panicked. Some braver souls began searching for the enemy, while others sought to hide or escape. 

The young and timid leader, Itsuki, was paralyzed with fear, unable to decide on a course of action. 

The shadow of an unknown threat loomed over the village, spreading an air of dread.

Unlike the panicked crowd, a small girl caught Naruto's attention. She showed no fear and even appeared puzzled by the emotions of those around her. 

The group of Grass Ninja also noticed the green-haired girl. She was their target—Fū, the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails, Chōmei. 

Carefully hidden in the shadows, they observed her closely. Once they confirmed her identity, they moved into action.

Exchanging silent signals, they simultaneously formed hand seals. 

Special chakra-infused runes began extending from the ground, silently advancing toward the inhabitants of Takigakure. 

Most villagers were ordinary people, and the few ninjas present were not particularly strong. 

They found themselves immobilized without even understanding what had happened. 

The runes crept closer to the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki. Just as the Grass Ninja believed they were about to succeed, the small girl suddenly floated into the air.

The runes, restricted to moving along the ground, were rendered ineffective against an airborne target. The Grass Ninja quickly halted their jutsu. 

At that moment, a young man dashed out, shouting, "Fū, hide quickly! They're after you!" 

The man was none other than Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure. Despite his usual timid nature, he mustered the courage to confront the situation.

Fū, with her transparent wings fluttering, remained airborne, seemingly oblivious to the danger. 

The five Grass Ninjas stepped out of hiding and surrounded her. One taunted, "It's too late to hide now." 

A few Takigakure villagers rushed at the Grass Ninja to stop them but were easily knocked aside. 

"With such pathetic strength, you dare to challenge us? It's no wonder your leader is a coward. What else can we expect from his followers?"

Angered by the insult, Fū shouted, "How dare you talk about Shibuki like that! He's the leader of Takigakure!" 

Another Grass Ninja sneered, "A cowardly leader doesn't deserve followers. You'd be better off coming with us."

They began forming seals for a jutsu called Binding Technique: Starlight Shackles, using a peculiar ninja tool to aim at Fū.

However, before the jutsu could be activated, Fū darted forward and punched one of them, breaking their formation. 

Her wings flapped rapidly as she hovered in the air. "If you keep being rude, I won't hold back!" she declared. 

The Grass Ninja, now wary, was baffled by her strength. Taking advantage of the moment, Shibuki instructed one of the Takigakure ninjas to secretly seek help from Konoha. 

The ninja followed his orders and slipped away toward the Land of Fire.

Observing everything from a distance, Naruto thought that if Konoha sent reinforcements, this could get complicated. 

Judging by these Grass Ninja's abilities, it's surprising they thought they could defeat Fū. Covering his face with a black cloth, Naruto moved into action.

The Grass Ninja prepared stronger jutsu, but before they could act, a shadow flickered among them. 

In an instant, the five Grass Ninja fell to the ground, their throats slashed. None of them understood what had happened. 

Naruto, his face concealed, stood silently among their fallen bodies.

Fū, startled and unsure of how this masked figure had defeated them so quickly, remained vigilant. 

Suddenly, kunai flew at her from various angles, their trajectories shifting mid-flight. 

Fū, using her wings, nimbly dodged the attacks. Just as she thought she had evaded the assault, Naruto appeared behind her, grabbing her by the back. 

Chains extended from his hands, binding Fū tightly as they fell to the ground.

The Seven-Tails' chakra began flowing into Naruto through the chains. Fū, feeling her chakra drain rapidly, was bewildered. 

She struggled to break free, but the chains held her firmly. As her chakra diminished, she grew weaker and weaker.

Seeing Fū trapped, Shibuki gathered his courage, grabbed a blade, and charged at Naruto. 

However, a burst of chakra from Naruto repelled him effortlessly. 

Encouraged by Shibuki's bravery, other villagers attacked, but their strength was insufficient. 

Naruto unleashed a pulse of lightning-style chakra, knocking them back without causing serious harm.

As Naruto absorbed about half of the Seven-Tails' chakra, he struggled to maintain the jutsu. 

The chains retracted, and the chakra flow ceased. 

Without hesitation, Naruto activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and disappeared, leaving Fū kneeling on the ground, gasping for air.

Shibuki rushed to her side and supported her. "Fū, are you all right?" he asked anxiously. 

Fū, exhausted, opened her eyes and said weakly, "I'm okay, Shibuki. I just used up too much chakra. I need to rest."

Shibuki quickly ordered two villagers to help Fū to safety. As they moved her, he approached the five bodies on the ground. 

Pulling off their masks, he confirmed they were Grass Ninja. Grass is a small nation, but its ambitions are not. 

They even dared to target a Tailed Beast. Thankfully, this didn't result in more casualties. But who was that masked man?

While Takigakure was left with lingering questions, Naruto returned to his base. In his mind, the Nine-Tails spoke up. 

"Kid, you've got some skills—draining the Seven-Tails' chakra like that." 

Surprised by the sudden interaction, Naruto replied, "Didn't expect you to talk to me voluntarily. Am I finally earning your approval?" 

The Nine-Tails snorted. "Don't get cocky. It just means I don't hate you as much anymore."

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