Unleash the Kyuubi

----------------------------------------

Two Years into the trip

Chakra is a powerful thing with diverse abilities. It is defined as a mixture of physical and spiritual energy that everyone possesses. Some people have their chakra system unlocked while most do not. Those who don't are essentially relegated to the bottom of the food chain. In terms of personal power that is; some of the most influential people in this world are the daimyos and none are chakra users currently. But their power lies in their wealth and authority. Nothing compared to those who found their chakra systems and brought that energy to the forefront. Unlocking it for personal usage.

That is where the real power lies: enhanced physical abilities both passively and active, clinging to surfaces, a wide range of ninjutsu and genjutsu. The basic stuff available to every user. Aside from that are abilities gained through mutations of the body and chakra like dojutsus and bloodline limits. But despite the techniques blocked off by genetics or clans guarding them religiously, there are even more that anyone with the requisite chakra control and quantity can use. Some people are fine with specializing in just a few while others go above and beyond.

Hiruzen Sarutobi once held the title of God of Shinobi due to his mastery of the shinobi arts including all five of the elemental affinities and all public jutsus from the Hidden Leaf.

Kakashi Hatake is called the Copy Ninja for having used his sharingan to copy over a thousand jutsu.

Orochimaru of the Sanin is famed for having jutsus from all the main elements as well as several forbidden jutsus.

Just those three are great examples of what one can achieve with the right mindset and tool in the case of Kakashi.

I happen to have both. I want to learn all the techniques I can and with shadow clones, I can do that faster than most people. Of course, I know that jutsus aren't the end all be all in combat. My style for example, relies on the speed and power of my taijutsu complimented by ninjutsu I've trained to be handseal-free and ninja tools. Why bother standing around matching jutsu for jutsu if I don't have to? That mindset is further compounded by the fact that someday I'll be able to go Super Saiyan and end fights before they start with one serious punch. And I already saw what higher levels of taijutsu can accomplish from the Madara vs Gai fight.

But I also know that it is better to have something and not need it than to have the need but not the means. There are times when ninjutsu can be quite useful; like defending a stationary object or person. Or perhaps when range is necessary. Or as a method of crowd control. Completely logical reasoning. The fact that I want to be able to use all of the five elements and perhaps learn to combine them in the future is just an afterthought.

Long story short, the last several months had been spent training my lightning, fire, and earth affinities to an adequate level to make better use of the techniques that Jiraiya taught me. Those elements had not been mastered by any means, but that training was paying dividends in chakra economy and proficiency. I may have a lot of chakra available to me, but that is no reason to settle for simply overloading jutsus to make them stronger.

Leaving that to my clones, I had personally seen to something more impressive: completing the rasengan. Twice over since I already had two highly trained affinities.

The wind variant took me almost no time, only a couple weeks. Which admittedly felt like a while compared to the seemingly short time period in which canon Naruto managed to make his. I'd like to think that creating the final product with the wind blades and also turning it into a ranged technique made up for it. And that was without natural energy stabilizing it for me.

Once that box had been checked, I moved on to the water-based rasengan in which I had put quite a bit of thought.

Water is an essential in life. From plants to animals, it sustains us all. We would all die without it. But it can also be deadly in its own right. Nature itself presents us with displacements of large volumes of water which can then lead to tsunamis. High and powerful waves that ripple out from the point of disturbance and are capable of devastating property damage and death to living creatures. In my world, man learned to harness water in the form of firefighter hoses and water hydrants. Anyone who's seen these can attest to the power that they contain. As for this universe? Well, water jutsus are created and learned for a reason.

What these examples have in common are the large amounts of water needed along with the high velocities. My idea for achieving that was simple: create a hollow rasengan and then fill it with water chakra. That compressed water would then wreck havoc after the shell containing it collapsed. Seemed like a logical thought process. Of course, before even attempting it, a method of delivery had to be chosen. Keeping up with the current theme, if one truly amounts to such, I went with range. But unlike the rasengan, I had no intentions of throwing it. Tailed beasts don't throw their attacks; they either launched them as balls or consumed and then fired them as a beam. I had no intention of swallowing my rasengan but firing it from my hand should be possible. So, I backtracked and learned to launch a normal rasengan before getting back to the new technique.

Starting off with the exterior of a rasengan, I had poured water chakra into it. I envisioned it like a whirlpool; with all the energy seeping in and then funneling into one point at the center. After forcing in what had to be a full one percent of my chakra, I was left with a super dense rasengan the size of a baseball. A light blue ball of mass destruction if the new crater in the middle of the forest was any indication.

I would remember that scene forever. Standing half a kilometer above the ground, arm tense as the technique was pointed downward. The slight recoil as it was launched and the sound of impact as it hit the forest floor a fraction of a second later. The roar as the condensed water was allowed free into every direction. Trees and shrubs alike swept away. Me dropping down to stand in the middle of the muddy crater that might someday be a large pond. The realization that the new jutsu would be a force to be reckoned with. Something that could reshape the land around it.

The following months had been spent finetuning it. Although it would likely be the start or finishing move of a fight, the time spent building it up was too much. That was improved along with creating estimates of how much chakra had to go in to get desired outcomes. I made a point not to cause too much damage, but sacrifices had to be made. I'm sure the wildlife would appreciate the new bodies of water.

…

Sitting in front of me is a small scroll. One with the new storage seal that I had designed and relied on Jiraiya to make a reality. After using storage scrolls for so long and seeing how useful they were, I had gotten curious. With the use of fuinjutsu, people were able to essentially create pocket dimensions that could hold things ranging from simple to complex depending on the design. With a scroll as the medium, the seal acted as a door to that space whenever chakra was applied.

My question had been simple: could there be more than one door to that sub-space?

I hadn't liked the fact that once created, a storage seal could not be easily altered. And if it was ever damaged? Then the contents inside that scroll would be lost forever.

That was something most people did not know about storage scrolls; the fact that you don't actually put things into the scroll but instead you anchor a portion of space onto the scroll and then create an entrance and exit to it. The medium, mostly scrolls, determines how big the space will be and what exactly it can hold. The seal plays a part in that too, but the medium is more critical. An example would be how people are used to hold the tailed beasts rather than a scroll. Not only does it not make sense to put one there where it would have little use, but the paper simply couldn't do the job for something of that size and complexity. And jinchuriki also exemplify how the medium doesn't hold the contents itself. Cutting open my stomach wouldn't reveal Kurama because he isn't in me in that sense but rather a sub-space.

Going back to the anchor part, a damaged seal no longer works for that function. The space collapses and placing another seal onto the same medium only creates a new space. The original is lost. But if there were two doors to that space, one could be destroyed without effectively losing the contents. Crisis averted.

The fact that such a scroll could also be used to send messages between two people had been my selling point to get Jiraiya to help me. I was nowhere near good enough with fuinjutsu to attempt something like that on my own and hope to succeed. Thankfully he had been happy to provide aid and after three and a half months, we had a working model. Two scrolls that shared the same sub-dimension. As long as only one was activated at a time, things could be sealed and then unsealed from either end.

That was what I was currently waiting on. Jiraiya had my scroll's counterpart and would be sending me a signal after his preparations had been made. We would be unlocking the seal today and rather than do it here, he had enlisted the toads to help and thus the procedure would take place at Mount Myōboku. He had told me of his plans this morning and I had told him to go ahead and just give me a warning before having me reverse summoned. We would be spending quite some time there meaning I had to go procure groceries to last me the duration of my stay. Eating bugs was not something I ever wanted to experience.

Movement coming from the scroll grabbed my attention. Part of the seal had activated for a few seconds and then went inert again. Meaning that someone had activated the twin scroll. Prodding it with a finger and giving it some chakra, a small piece of paper was expelled.

'In thirty. -J'

Looks like he was ready.

Picking up the scroll and raising to my feet, I wondered what it would feel like being reverse-summoned. Perhaps something like the substitution jutsu; as long as you prepared yourself, the transition wasn't all that unpl-

The scenery suddenly changed.

The sky was no longer just white clouds on a blue background. Instead there seemed to be slight aspects of pink and yellow added on. It was simply so… vibrant. The vegetation shifted to mainly tall blades of grass and mushrooms. Those were also full of exotic colors that would have screamed toxic back home.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if someone described this scene as part of their drug induced hallucination. I always imagined being high would look like this.

Minus all the toad paraphernalia.

In front of me was a waterfall, made from toad oil rather than water, leading to a fountain in the form of a toad with oil coming out of its mouth. To my sides were numerous statues which I knew to be once living creatures who fell victim to natural energy. Hopefully Jiraiya didn't meet the same end while trying to perfect his sage mode.

And on the ground in an indented circle, lied what Jiraiya came here to prepare and another reminder that facing sealmasters on their own turf was usually very foolish. I could make out several things from the seal matrix; a barrier around the boundary of the circle, various parts to drain chakra from whatever was inside the vicinity, paralysis aspects, and more. It likely took forever to link so many functions into one coherent seal. Which I approve of. It meant he definitely wasn't playing around with the seal this time.

While I had been appraising the area the two toads there had been doing the same to me.

"You're right Jiraiya boy, he looks so much like Minato-chan."

"Like a clone of him."

"Minato's looks and, until recently, Kushina's temperament." Said Jiraiya with a chuckle. Turning to me he introduced the two toads on his shoulders, "Naruto, on my right is Fukasaku-sama and on my left is Shima-sama. They are elders here at Mt. Myōboku and are above even Gamabunta, the chief toad. Elders this is Naruto, Minato's son and my current pupil."

"Welcome Naruto. We are pleased to finally meet our latest summoner." Said Shima.

She was relatively small for a toad summon, both of them were actually. But I had no urge to put more thought into the size disparity I had noticed among the toads. Gamakichi was small as a young toad, Gamabunta huge as an adult toad, the elders small as old toads, and the Toad Sage big as the eldest toad. Doesn't make sense to me at all. That aside, Shima was a pale shade of green with purple hair compared to Fukasaku and his darker shade and grey hair. Each one was wearing a cloak around their frames.

"Yes, Naruto boy, it's good to finally see you. Jiraiya speaks highly of you." Added Fukasaku.

"Pleasure to meet you two as well." I responded. "I appreciate you helping us with the unlocking procedure." Even if their aid likely wouldn't be needed.

"Think nothing of it. We'll only be helping Jiraiya maintain sage mode. If something goes wrong, then perhaps we may take a more active role in things." Shima stated.

"Jiraiya's trump card, huh?" I turned to my sensei, "You sure that will be enough?"

"Of course. Senjutsu is one of the strongest forces in this world. Should be enough to handle this." He replied immediately. "And if its not, the seal should help to contain you."

"Sounds good. So, how do we begin?"

"First, we need the key." Through a method that I had forgotten about, Jiraiya went into a gagging fit and regurgitated a new toad. An orange and black one with what looked like a folded accordion connecting the top and bottom half of his body. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he addressed the toad. "Gerotora, if you would."

"Fine. But know this, he's not ready for such a task. I am only consenting because you won't stop bothering me." With that he rose to his full augmented height and unraveled a scroll. On it was inked a long and complex array of kanji with a simple square box around the center.

Honestly, how much time did Minato have to create all of this? First a seal that was almost custom-designed for Naruto to get stronger over time as well as this key? Dude was either really talented or he had these measures prepared just in case. Although I feel like the key was added as a concept way later in the series. But I digress.

And Jiraiya was beginning to explain what he had in mind.

"You will be positioned in the center of that seal Naruto and Gerotora will bring the scroll to you. Your only task is to place your hand on that square and accept the key. Gerotora will quickly leave the seal and then I will activate the barrier while we wait. If at any point in time we feel something is wrong, I'll also activate the other parts to suppress the nine-tails power. Got it?"

"Yeah. Let's do this." I responded while already in motion. Taking off the layers on my upper body and getting into the middle of the seal, I beckoned over the storage toad with a hand gesture. After letting him get into position, I channeled chakra to my fingers and placed a hand onto the square. This event had not been something I paid particular attention to while watching the anime, so what happened next was new to me. The kanji on the paper pulsed and then moved in towards my hand and then down my arm and body to my navel. It left an odd sensation down the path it traveled. Almost like a chill.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

While I watched this happen, I could sense Gerotora leave the seal and then a hazy wall go up around me. Sitting down on the ground, my conscious went inwards to my mindscape.

…

It hadn't changed much.

The forest, clearing, and cave were all still there. The white sky had not changed except for the addition of a ball of light. Functioned as a sun during the day and then a moon at night.

"This moment has finally arrived." Came Kurama's deep voice.

"Yes." I turned to see him standing just outside the clearing. "The moment of truth."

"Indeed."

With a thought, the manifestation of the key appeared on my arm again. And seemingly as if part of a chain reaction, the seal lit up beneath me in the form of interlocking plates in a spiral formation. Slowly, I picked up the front of my top which had reappeared with me here to place a hand on the corresponding symbol on my stomach.

"Here we go I guess."

I rotated my wrist and a clinking sound began. Both seals were becoming undone in a spiral pattern, starting from the inside and spreading out, until there was only a black circle.

On the ground, the now unlocked seal flashed before disappearing. I felt the change right away. I heard it too.

The roar Kurama let out threatened to deafen me. As it was, only clinging to the floor with chakra kept me from being blown away.

I stood my ground as the giant fox approached me. Either the seal had held back a large degree of his aura, or he was purposely channeling it onto me. Despite that, even as he lowered his head to put his snout at my level, I held his gaze without flinching. Something undecipherable flashed across his eyes.

"Two years ago, we made a deal." His voice rumbled. "To work together in return for two things. I had my doubts, but I agreed to the bargain all the same."

I remember the day he was talking about with perfect clarity. The day he called me back into the mindscape with his answer after our initial talk. We had indeed made a deal that day. One that I intend to uphold.

"But today you have proven that your words hold weight. That you can be trusted. So, I'll place my faith in you. Continue to walk along this path, and you will always have my active support. Of course, if you renege, you will face my wrath. But until then," Making a fist with his massive hand, he reached out to me, "We are partners."

I couldn't help but feel some relief as I raised my fist to bump his. "Partners."

A ripple spread out from our hands. A wave of energy that transformed the mindscape around us. Everything started to look more realistic; the trees lost their copy paste appearance, the sky became more natural with clouds and an actual sun, there was even the sound of birds and other wildlife. The clearing that had only been meant for me expanded to easily fit Kurama. What we had tried and failed to achieve over a period of months, had just occurred in a few seconds. But that fine though, progress is progress.

Kurama's appreciative hum told me he likely agreed.

"You know, I didn't imagine this to resolve itself so anti-climatically." I began, "I thought you would want to 'test' me or something. Seemed like something you would do."

"…"

Hearing the hesitation, I wrenched my eyes from the new landscape to look at him. "You actually planned to fight me?" I asked with a laugh.

"Yes. That was my intention some time ago. Not anymore."

"What changed?"

"Fighting would have had no benefit." Kurama huffed. "You can't truly defeat me in here and I likely wouldn't have been able to land a meaningful hit on you."

"True." I nodded my head, "Guess I won't have a reason to use the new rasengan just yet."

"Perhaps some other time."

There was a brief lull in the conversation before he spoke again.

"Are you not going to deal with that?" He asked to my surprise.

"You can feel it too?"

"Yes." He affirmed, "I am even better attuned to you then before. Something like that can't be hidden from me now."

"Fine. I'll see you later then." Following the connection that had made itself known earlier, I vanished from the mindscape and appeared somewhere else. The first thing I noticed was how bright it was. The second was the figure already waiting there.

"Naruto-kun…" She whispered as she moved towards me, arms outstretched.

She was around my height. With fair skin, violet eyes, and a slender build, she was the picture of a gentle lady. The long red hair was also a nice touch. If you didn't know who Kushina Uzumaki was while she was alive, you wouldn't be blamed for assuming she was a normal housewife. Her white top under the green dress also helped to sell the image.

Of course, you would be wrong. Hell hath no fury like Kushina when enraged. Jiraiya had provided me with the inside scoop. Basically, don't piss her off; especially while she's pregnant.

You would think that would be common sense. Not to Jiraiya.

She's not pregnant right now, but it doesn't make what I have to do soon any less scary.

"Not quite." Was my response.

Her eyes which had been teary with happiness and sadness alike narrowed in confusion and slowly rising alarm. "Kyuubi?"

"Not that either," I began. "I am Naruto and more. A mixture of my previous self and a transmigrated soul."

"Dear kami." She gasped. "Are you okay? Was your soul damaged? How did this happen?" Each question was rattled off into one barely articulate bunch. Good to see that mothers will be mothers even after death.

"It's a long story. And even I don't know how it happened." Sitting down on the ground which looked just like the rest of this place, I patted the space near me. Still with a worried look, she sat right across from me. "I went on a critical mission and my opponent landed a fatal attack on me. Instead of dying, I woke up in the hospital with these new memories. I knew they weren't mine from the beginning but just having them there, it changed my perspective on a lot of things. I didn't even tell any of the villagers this, consider yourself lucky."

Kushina returned my smile with a shaky one, "What were the changes?"

I shrugged. "I stopped being so immature is what Jiraiya tells me. He says I used to act like a younger version of you but now I'm more like my father." Calling him that feels so weird.

"Like me? What's that old bastard trying to say?!" Her face became almost as red as her hair. "I wasn't immature!"

"His words not mine. Believe it!" I said channeling the old Naruto.

That brought her out of her plans for vengeance. She stared at me with a funny look before bursting into a laugh.

"You definitely got that from me 'you know'. I would say it all the time, no matter how hard I tried not to."

"Trust me, I know."

She stared into my eyes for a little while searching for who knows what. "You're really not lying. My son has two souls inside him." She said wistfully.

I stayed silent.

"It feels like just moments ago I had baby you in my arms; and now you're almost an adult. So much happened that I wasn't there for. Will never be there for. But you're still my little boy. My son. No matter what." Raising up to her knees, she wrapped her arms around me in the hug that had been interrupted earlier. "No matter what."

I little uncomfortably, I put my arms around her too. It might sound callous of me, especially to a mother excited to see her son one last time, but I couldn't wait for this part of the conversation to be over. I didn't like playing at being Naruto, but I also didn't want to tell Kushina that her son was long gone. In the end, it meant hugging her back until she finally released me and sat down again.

"So, two souls aside. What was your childhood like?" She inquired. To which I had to hold back a wince. Starting off with the hard questions.

"Well, I won't say I grew up under the best circumstances," Seeing her expression and her opening mouth, I forged on. "But there were highlights. I found people who I could rely on and I'd like to think that's what matters in the end. It took some time, but I'm in a good place at the moment. I've left any regrets behind."

"I'm so sorry Naruto-kun." Clasping my hand in hers, "Minato and I had known things wouldn't be the best, but we'd had no other choice but to seal the Kyuubi inside you."

I didn't like seeing her in tears. Even more so because I wasn't the one truly affected by the village's scorn.

"Don't worry about it. You're not to be blamed for what happened to me." I said squeezing her hand. "No need to apologize to me."

While she was wiping her eyes with her free hand, I saw it flicker. It must have meant what I think it did because all of a sudden, she was back to hugging me. I honestly thought we would have more time. Guess not.

"Before you go," I said, to which she pulled back to look me in the eye, "You likely helped in the creation of the hiraishin, right?"

"I did. With the more esoteric parts. Are you re-creating it?" She asked with astonishment.

"No," I laughed. Me? Working on the hiraishin right now? If only. "But since you are somewhat familiar with it, would you know of any barriers that can prevent the use of space time techniques like that? Or how to go about creating one?"

She quirked her head to the side in thought, "Well, I never created one specifically for that purpose, but…"

…

Out in the real world, I opened my eyes.

That was quite the experience. And it was actually talking to Kushina that had been the most eventful. Although I had not expected to meet either of the parents due to not being at any risk inside the seal, I was grateful for the information that Kushina gave me. It wasn't a solid plan to restrict the kamui, but it was a place to start. Add that to my to do list after returning to the Leaf.

Slowly getting back to my feet, I looked to where Jiraiya was standing to see him already in his sage mode. With a bulbous nose, amphibian eyes, and facial markings, I could see why he didn't like using it. Shima and Fukasaku were attached to his shoulders also looking ready to intervene if necessary.

"I'm in control." I told them, "You can lower the barrier."

Jiraiya spent a few seconds analyzing me. Probably using the enhanced sensory aspect of sage mode to detect any traces of Kurama's chakra that could influence me. A moment later he made a handseal and the hazy wall collapsed. I walked over to put my shirt back on.

"You were only out for a couple minutes. We had assumed it would take longer." Stated Jiraiya.

"And that there would be a noticeable difference." Added Fukasaku. "But nothing happened."

"That's not quite true." I walked over to the edge of the oil pool after getting dressed. "You just can't see the difference until I do this." With that, I pulled chakra from Kurama for the first time since waking up in this world. I was able to watch the transformation occur on the surface of the pool.

Like I suspected, instead of the initial Kyuubi cloak, we had moved straight into the second form. I had been wearing a black, long sleeve top and matching pants but one wouldn't know that now. My upper body was covered in a layer of black with yellow tomoe around my neckline. The yellow coloration formed a line from my throat to my stomach where it combined with the black to form concentric circles, a representation of the unlocked seal. My pants and sandals were yellow now with a black line going down the front of each leg. Perhaps the most conspicuous part of the new look, aside from the blazing chakra cloak overall, was the haori that had formed out of nowhere. I could see more tomoe on its collar and knew that there were other designs on the back as well.

Aside from a layer of chakra also covering my skin, my face had changed a little. My pupils had become slits and the whisker marks had thickened.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked my captivated audience.

Jiraiya looked stupefied and the two elders weren't far off. Even Gerotora the skeptic had an expression of shock.

"You still believe sage mode is the most powerful force you've come across Jiraiya?" I goaded him.

"That's impressive, yes. But to think assume its stronger than Senjutsu? Absolutely not." Was his comeback after breaking out of the trance.

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" I took a step forward watching his eyes narrow.

"You've been getting over-confident as of late Naruto, perhaps it's time I beat it out of you." He got into his ready stance. "Bring it, brat."

I moved.

I could see his expression of shock as my fist broke through his hasty defense and struck his nose. Watching him rocket off into the weird mushroom forest, I glanced at my chakra coated hand. There was so much potential in this form and outside of clones of me, a sage would be the best method of testing exactly what it could do. Good thing I had one handy.

Feeling Jiraiya rapidly closing in on my location, I put that thought to the side and got ready to go all out.

-GoS-

NEJI POV

Neji Hyuga was feeling an emotion that he always went to great lengths to hide from those around him.

Uncertainty.

All throughout life, he was called a prodigy. The best that the Hyuga clan had produced among his generation. Even if he was only a mere branch member. Success had been the precursor to that title and after obtaining it, further success became an expectation. The clan, his superiors, his teammates; they all expected the best from him. Some were undoubtedly waiting for him to fail but others were supportive and had only the best of intentions. Despite that, Neji couldn't and wouldn't allow any weakness to show on his exterior. It was something he grew up with and even the lesson he had been taught by someone he would like to call a friend couldn't change that. It was his ninja way.

But the fact remained that this mission was turning out to be more formidable than he had expected.

First it was the intense battle against the missing-nin from the Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki. Called the tail-less beast due to his vast chakra pools which he had made great use of. Upon defeating him, Team Gai had discovered that it wasn't even the real rogue ninja; it was a copy. Likely one much inferior to the real threat. That experience had truly opened his unique eyes to the monsters that were S-rank shinobi. People with such strength that they were considered suicide for regular ninja.

And there were two more of them that they were expected to fight. Two who had supposedly defeated and captured a kage from one of the five main nations. An unsettling prospect.

The sight of the multiple-eyed creature on the other side of the rock barrier had further raised his discomfort.

It was only the presence of his sensei and then later the arrival of the Copy Ninja that had calmed his nerves somewhat. He also took solace in his teammates, Tsunade's apprentice, and even the representative from Suna. Every little bit would help in the fight to come.

After learning of the mechanics behind the Five-Seal Barrier and pinpointing the location of the tags, Neji was in the process of equipping the wire-less radios that Gai had brought. They were rather useful for circumstances like this. A simple solution to an obstacle that would have barred any team that wasn't composed of 5 byakugan users. Now if only Lee would stop causing that irksome noise. He needn't have bothered thinking about admonishing him.

His still active byakugan allowed him to catch the next sequence of events and react to them, even if it was too little, too late.

"Gai-sensei!" He shouted in alarm.

The cause?

The two quickly approaching chakra signatures. With one being so bright it was like looking at a miniature sun. And that was over a kilometer away.

A few hundred meters out and the moving star dimmed in presence along with a drop in speed, but it still landed just outside the group before his last syllable could get out. The second figure was not far behind.

Being a jonin of the leaf, regardless of how recent that promotion had been, Neji could immediately recognize Jiraiya of the Sannin. The red pigment and the horizontal bar around and in his yellow eyes had not been part of the description but the overall appearance could only fit one person.

'If that's Jiraiya, then that means…'

He turned to the first figure again. The black and yellow armor was certainly new, as was the golden eyes, but the blonde hair and whisker marks gave it away.

"Naruto?" He heard Haruno whisper. He did not blame her for questioning her senses. The sudden appearance and weight of their auras had momentarily robbed him of his higher thinking as well.

'Such presence. Just how strong are you now, Naruto?' Was his thought that went unanswered.

Neji would remember what happened next for years to come and credit it for why he threw himself into more rigorous training.

"Where are they?" Naruto had asked with his eyes on the Forbidden tag.

Neji had thought it was addressed to him but Jiraiya had responded faster with the coordinates of the four other tags.

Five clones had popped into existence and taken off in the required directions while Naruto had created a blue orb of chakra in one hand. At an unseen signal, the clone that had jumped onto the rock entrance tore off the tag and the barrier had fizzled out. Three things had then happened in consecutive order:

Naruto had pointed his palm holding the rasengan at the wall and the jutsu had launched itself into it.

The clone, who had flipped off the rock face, and Jiraiya both ran into the cave despite the pieces of rock falling down. In one hit Jiraiya shattered the skull of a blonde ninja sitting on a body while the clone had launched itself at the other bulky figure and decimated it with large fist seemingly made of chakra. Both had exited seconds after running in with the kazekage on Jiraiya's large shoulder.

They had barely passed by Naruto before he had unleashed a jutsu into the cave. The temperature had plummeted before the gust of freezing air even left his mouth, turning the inside of the cave into frozen wasteland.

And just like that, the fight had been over. He had barely seen it with his eyes that could see through walls and descending boulders, so he doubted any of the others had any idea what had occurred just then. But from their faces, he had known they were likewise amazed.

Naruto and Jiraiya had shared a look before the sannin had called for a retreat.

Everyone had followed leaving only Naruto standing there which had confused Neji before his eyes had presented him with the reason.

Dashing away, he had paid witness to it all. His friend floating high in the air. The collection of black and white particles that formed a black ball between splayed hands. The technique being fired and the devastation it caused. Leaving no trace of what had once been there; no cave and no bodies.

As the dead kage was resurrected and his villagers came out in full to show their love for him in a heart touching scene, Neji couldn't find it in himself to really enjoy the positive atmosphere.

His mind kept replaying what had transpired. The ease at which two S-class shinobi had been utterly defeated. Two powerful criminals snuffed in seconds. And one of them by a clone of someone who had been around his level just years ago. A clone.

After that defeat during the chunin exams, Neji had started to believe in Naruto's dream of being hokage. Maybe not right away because although he had the strength of personality, his physical strength was lacking. But he had seen him easily acquiring that power in a decade or so. Maybe longer.

Instead, he seemingly had it right now.

In two and a half years, Naruto had eclipsed the entire Konoha Eleven. Maybe the entire village. Was there any single person who could contend with someone who could remain out of reach and rain death upon them? Create craters the size of the one he had just seen? Perhaps the loyal sannin.

'Was Naruto S-class already?' Based on the little he had seen, it was possible.

That made him reflect upon himself. What could he do in order to improve? He had and was already doing everything that he could to get stronger. Was he missing something?

Perhaps Gai-sensei would have suggestions. And asking Naruto wouldn't hurt either.

And thus, having a plan of action, Neji put those thoughts out of his mind.

He could worry about that back in Konoha.

----------------------------------------

Caught up to Shippuden.