Naruto: Different Path

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The two tried their best to change the subject, but Sasuke kept coming up in their conversation. 

Feeling awkward, Sakura said, "Naruto, I understand how you feel. Let's stop talking about it for now. Why don't you accompany me for a walk outside?"

The two left Sakura's training ground and wandered onto the bustling streets of Konoha. 

Despite the turbulent state of the world outside, Konoha Village remained as lively as ever. 

Naruto bought Sakura a few delicate accessories, knowing that girls always liked such things. 

When she put them on, the gloom she had felt earlier vanished completely. As they walked together, they happened to pass by the flower shop owned by Ino's family.

Sakura said, "Naruto, I wonder if Ino is home. Let's go in and take a look."

Without waiting for a reply, she led the way into the shop, navigating it with a familiarity Naruto lacked. 

Inside, they were greeted by Ino's mother, who smiled warmly upon seeing Sakura. 

"Oh, Sakura! Ino has gone out on a mission. She mentioned she's been learning medical ninjutsu alongside you lately. Surely you knew she was out on a mission?"

For once, the usually outgoing Sakura turned completely red, stammering as she struggled to respond. 

Naruto stepped forward to cover for her. "Ma'am, we're not here to see Ino. We came to buy some flowers," he explained.

Relieved, Ino's mother said, "Ah, I see! What kind of flowers are you looking for?" 

Naruto scanned the shop, his eyes settling on a bouquet featuring a ring of teal leaves surrounding a cluster of small white flowers, accented with white and pink roses. 

The arrangement was simple yet elegant, striking a balance between freshness and charm.

Naruto paid for the bouquet and handed it to Sakura as they stepped out of the shop. 

"Here, this is for you. Do you like it?" he asked. Sakura's face turned a deep red as she accepted the flowers, nodding so slightly it was barely perceptible. 

Her heart raced as she thought, Naruto is so thoughtful. He even knows these are my favourite flowers. And on top of that, he's so handsome.

Clutching the bouquet tightly, Sakura strolled with Naruto through the familiar streets of Konoha, which seemed more beautiful than ever. 

Without realizing it, the two found themselves in front of Ichiraku Ramen. As a regular there, Naruto was immediately recognized. 

"Naruto! Here for some ramen? We've just introduced a new bamboo shoot flavour. Want to give it a try?" Teuchi, the shop owner, called out.

Feeling a bit hungry, Naruto nodded. "It'd be my pleasure. Sakura, let me treat you to Ichiraku Ramen today. I hope you don't mind."

The two sat down, and the ramen, as always, was delicious. Even Sakura, who wasn't a frequent ramen eater, enjoyed it thoroughly. 

After their meal, Naruto escorted Sakura back to her training grounds. 

"Sakura, keep working hard under Granny Tsunade's guidance. I'm sure Team 7 will have more chances to fight together in the future," he encouraged.

Sakura nodded firmly, clenching her fist in determination. "I will, Naruto. I promise I'll do my best!"

With a wave, Naruto left and returned to his base. There, he headed to a quiet spot where he often trained. 

When he arrived, he noticed Hinata practising her Gentle Fist technique with intense focus. 

Upon seeing Naruto, Hinata immediately stopped and greeted him shyly, "Naruto, you're back... um... um..."

Naruto smiled warmly. "Hinata, keep up the hard work." Encouraged, Hinata nodded. 

"I will do my best!" she said before resuming her training. 

Naruto, meanwhile, moved to a corner of the training area, created several shadow clones, and began working on a technique that had been giving him trouble. 

Progress was slow, as he had hit a bottleneck. For several days, the two trained together, pushing each other to keep going despite the challenges. 

Naruto, however, remained frustrated by the slow progress of the Uzumaki clan's sealing technique he was attempting to master. 

Even with his immense chakra reserves and natural talent, the technique resisted further improvement. He wondered if altering his training approach might help.

An idea struck him: he could try infusing Sage Chakra into the technique. Although uncertain about the outcome, he realized it might be worth the risk. 

Entering Sage Mode, Naruto gathered Sage Chakra and began forming seals. At the critical moment of activating the technique, he infused the Sage Chakra. 

To his surprise, the process went smoothly, as if the two elements were meant to work together. 

With the Sage Chakra, the technique felt more stable, easier to control, and significantly more powerful.

Naruto estimated that, with this improvement, he could now absorb up to 60% of a Tailed Beast's chakra—an increase of 10%. 

Though seemingly modest, the breakthrough was monumental for such a complex technique. 

Achieving the same result through traditional training might have taken him two years of uninterrupted effort.

Elated, Naruto noticed Hinata was still hard at work, though her progress was similarly limited. 

Observing her closely, he realized her chakra control was excellent, but she lacked sufficient chakra reserves. 

Unfortunately, this was a problem Naruto couldn't immediately solve. 

However, he consoled himself with the thought that Hinata was still young and her reserves would naturally grow with time.

As Naruto pondered solutions to chakra limitations, he thought of the children at Haruna Manor. 

Not everyone had vast reserves of chakra, and this limitation prevented them from reaching their full potential despite their excellent control. 

If he could find a way to address this issue, their overall strength would increase significantly.

While deep in thought, Neji Hyuga ran over, calling out, "Naruto-sama, I apologize for interrupting your training, but we've just received an urgent message." 

"It's from Kakashi-senpai's outpost. They're requesting your assistance with a troublesome situation."

Naruto had already anticipated this. Kakashi had been assigned to establish a base near the border where Iwagakure frequently launched attacks, thanks to his expertise in Lightning Release. 

Given the recent battle with Iwagakure, Naruto knew they wouldn't sit idly by and were likely planning something covert. 

Though the message didn't specify the situation as critical, anything Kakashi deemed troublesome was bound to be serious.

Thinking quickly, Naruto said to Hinata, "Stop training for now. Get ready; we'll head to Kakashi's outpost immediately." 

After brief preparations, the two set off, determined to uncover Iwagakure's latest plans.

The two arrived at the outpost under Kakashi's command, but Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. 

According to a ninja temporarily in charge, Kakashi had recently led a small team out on another mission. 

Naruto immediately used Sage Mode to sense his surroundings, but Kakashi was already out of range. 

After inquiring about the general direction, Naruto and Hinata quickly headed out. 

Because the outpost was near the Land of Rain, Naruto was worried not only about the threat of Iwagakure but also about potential interference from the Rain ninja. 

He didn't want anything to happen to Kakashi.

Ahead of Kakashi's team, Pakkun was carefully leading the way, seemingly tracking an enemy. 

Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata were closing the distance quickly from behind. 

The gap between them steadily decreased due to Naruto's superior speed, and soon Naruto could sense Kakashi's presence. 

However, they were now a significant distance away from the outpost. An explosion broke the silence—Guy had unintentionally triggered a trap set by the enemy. 

With his quick reflexes, he shielded himself with his arms while leaping back to avoid the force of the explosive tags. 

Kakashi and the other three Jonin halted immediately upon hearing the blast and formed a defensive formation.

More explosions erupted from all directions as hidden explosive tags detonated continuously, forcing them to scatter. 

At the same time, a mound of earth rose from the ground between them. Initially small, it rapidly grew into a massive hill, clearly the result of an Earth-style jutsu. 

Cautiously, Kakashi and his team retreated to avoid being overwhelmed, but this also caused them to become completely separated.

Taking advantage of their retreat, Kakashi activated his Sharingan. The enemy had prepared well, as none of their attackers had revealed themselves yet. 

Suddenly, a wave of mud surged toward Kakashi—"Earth Style: Mud River"—forcing him to fall back even further. The attacks didn't stop. 

"Earth Style: Earth Spears!" Multiple sharp earth spikes shot up from the ground. Despite their suddenness, Kakashi dodged with the precision of his Sharingan.

The rest of the team faced similar attacks, dealing with a relentless assault of Earth-Style jutsu while the enemy remained unseen. 

Then a deep, gruff voice echoed through the area, "As expected of the Copy Ninja Kakashi. It seems this level of attack is hardly effective."

Moments later, a dozen figures dressed in black emerged from the ground. It became clear they had been hidden with Earth-Style jutsu. 

Each ninja on Kakashi's team now faced three enemies. Their attire gave no clues about their identity, but the Earth-style techniques strongly hinted at Iwagakure.

Kakashi observed their chakra with his Sharingan. Among the three opponents facing him, all had strong chakra levels. 

One enemy sneered, "Kakashi, we knew you'd follow us. This operation is specifically designed to eliminate you. Without you, our plans will be much easier to execute."

Hearing this, Kakashi grew even more cautious. The enemy made their move. One began weaving signs—"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" 

A massive fireball surged toward Kakashi, its intensity rivalling that of elite Uchiha clan members.

Anticipating such attacks, Kakashi countered with "Water Style: Water Wall." 

A surge of water rose from the ground, forming a shield that neutralized the flames. The resulting steam created a dense fog, reducing visibility.

By this point, Hinata's Byakugan allowed her to observe the battlefield. 

She informed Naruto, "There are twelve enemies in total. Three of them are the strongest, and they're targeting Kakashi-sensei." 

"The others are weaker and engage the rest of the team. It seems their main focus is Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto, though less visually precise without the Byakugan, had already sensed the general situation through Sage Mode. 

"Kakashi-sensei might be in danger. I'll head over first. Hinata, be careful and stay safe." With that, he dashed toward Kakashi's location at full speed.

At that moment, Kakashi was using his Sharingan to scan the area despite the steam impairing his vision. 

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!" Without warning, a massive torrent of water surged toward him from behind. 

Kakashi hadn't expected such a powerful Water-Style attack in a location devoid of water. It was too late to avoid the jutsu's range.

Thinking quickly, Kakashi formed hand seals for "Earth Style: Multiple Earth Walls." 

Several earthen walls rose around him, but due to the urgency, their thickness was insufficient. 

Kakashi poured all his strength into maintaining the walls, barely withstanding the powerful Water-Style attack.

Just as Kakashi thought he had avoided the worst, he noticed something strange. The water beneath him wasn't flowing away. 

Raising his gaze, he was stunned to find that the surrounding ground had been elevated by an Earth-style jutsu, leaving him trapped in a deep pit with only a small opening at the top. 

The walls of the pit began closing in rapidly.

Faced with such dire circumstances, Kakashi unleashed his most powerful jutsu, "Lightning Blade." 

Lightning chakra concentrated visibly in his hand as he charged toward the opening, aiming to break free. 

However, the black-clad ninja who had attacked with Fire-Style earlier was already waiting at the top.

Seeing Kakashi's attempt to escape, the enemy quickly performed hand seals for "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" A searing fireball shot toward Kakashi. 

The confined space offered no room to dodge. Kakashi now faced two grim options: be incinerated by the flames or use his jutsu to block them and be crushed by the closing pit walls.

From a nearby tree, Pakkun watched helplessly. Unable to assist, he closed his eyes, unwilling to witness Kakashi's impending doom.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked across the battlefield, accompanied by a figure moving at incredible speed. 

Just as Kakashi braced for the worst, a massive blade, crackling with lightning chakra, cleaved through the earthen pit, shattering it in one strike.

Naruto had arrived. He grabbed Kakashi and swiftly leapt out of harm's way, evading the fireball.

As the dust settled, the black-clad enemies could finally see Naruto. One of them scrutinized him and remarked, "Even with that mask, your jutsu gives you away." 

"You must be the Black Thunder. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly, but this time, your timing may be unfortunate."

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