superior naruto

Weak...

This time, even without the Nine-Tails pointing it out, Naruto could feel it himself—his soul power had diminished. It was as if a sudden wave of exhaustion had washed over him, leaving his mind dull and sluggish.

The Nine-Tails' voice echoed in his mind. "Press your hand against my chakra again."

Naruto obeyed, placing his hand on the fiery chakra of the Nine-Tails. Almost instantly, he felt a surge of clarity, as though a scorching fire had reignited his consciousness.

Naruto asked, "What's changed?"

The Nine-Tails replied, "Interesting. Your soul has fused with the water attribute, but the consumption of soul power is only one-tenth of what it would be if you'd fused with the yang attribute."

"Naruto, try devouring the soul of the other one. I have a theory."

Naruto hesitated. Swallow another soul? Losing one-tenth of his soul power had already weakened him significantly. Under the principle of the "short board effect," his chakra reserves had also dropped by one-tenth.

But curiosity got the better of him. Naruto placed his hand on the head of the second ninja. This time, instead of feeling drowsy, his mind became sharper. His soul power was increasing!

The Nine-Tails asked, "How do you feel?"

Naruto replied, "It's like... the lost soul power has returned."

The Nine-Tails mused, "It seems that fusing with attributes you don't already possess consumes soul power. But once the fusion is complete, your soul power increases."

Naruto's eyes widened. If that was the case, then as long as his soul power allowed it, he could potentially fuse with all attributes. This ability... was unexpectedly powerful.

Naruto asked, "Are there any side effects to this?"

The Nine-Tails paused. "Side effects... hmm... as long as your soul doesn't become stronger than your body, there shouldn't be any issues."

Naruto pressed further, "What if my soul becomes stronger than my body?"

The Nine-Tails answered grimly, "It would overload your body, consuming your vitality. Once your vitality is exhausted... you'll die."

The exchange in the soul world felt lengthy, but in reality, only a moment had passed. To everyone else, Naruto had simply lowered his head, turned the two bodies face down, and stood up.

Naruto broke the silence. "Killing people feels awful. Isn't anyone going to comfort me?"

He looked around, but only Hinata stepped forward, gently wiping the blood from his hands.

Naruto realized he was adapting faster than he'd expected. Just moments ago, the sight of the corpses had made him sick, but now he felt nothing. He couldn't help but ask the Nine-Tails, "Are there really no other side effects? I feel like I could kill someone as easily as drinking water now. Did absorbing those two distort my personality?"

The Nine-Tails replied, "Is getting used to killing a weakness? Or is it just... familiarity?"

Naruto sighed. "Never mind. Discussing this with a demon fox is pointless."

Hinata noticed the change in Naruto's expression. "Naruto, you look better now, though you're still a little pale."

Naruto forced a smile. "Killing someone right beside me... it's not exactly pleasant."

Dazna, the bridge builder, couldn't help but feel a chill as he watched Naruto. The blond boy who had just taken down two ninjas with ease now seemed... unsettling.

Kakashi stepped in, redirecting the conversation. "Mr. Dazna, I think we need to talk."

Everyone turned their attention to Kakashi.

Kakashi continued, "If I'm not mistaken, those two ninjas from Kirigakure were after you, weren't they? A mission with ninja involvement is no longer a C-rank. It's at least a B-rank."

Dazna lowered his head, guilt written across his face.

Kakashi pressed on, "You may have your reasons—maybe you couldn't afford the cost of a B-rank mission, or maybe something else. But hiding this information puts us at risk."

Dazna remained silent, avoiding everyone's gaze.

Kakashi then turned to his team. "Everyone performed well just now. Sasuke and Naruto, you both noticed the enemy's trap, didn't you?"

Sasuke nodded. "A puddle of water in the middle of a sunny road? It was obvious."

Kakashi agreed. "Naruto, you did especially well. If I'm not mistaken, you used a shadow clone to replace your real body while hiding in the forest. Then, you circled around to protect Hinata, who hadn't fully grasped the situation yet."

He added, "Protecting your teammates is important, but during a mission, the client's safety should come first. Though, in this case, the client hasn't been entirely honest with us."

Kakashi's gaze shifted to Hinata. "Your observational skills need work. You missed the signs of the enemy."

Hinata bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I'll do better next time."

Kakashi softened his tone. "It's your first time facing enemy ninjas. You'll improve with experience."

As the group prepared to move on, Dazna finally spoke up. "Wait! There's something I need to tell you."

He took a deep breath. "It's about the mission... and why those ninjas are after me."

Dazna continued, "There's a man—a terrifying man—who wants me dead. His name is Gato, the owner of a shipping company."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Gato? The Gato Company? He's one of the wealthiest men in the world."

Dazna nodded. "That's him. On the surface, he's a legitimate businessman, but in reality, he's a criminal. He smuggles drugs and controlled substances, using his wealth and connections to dominate entire countries."

"A year ago, he set his sights on the Land of Waves. By controlling the sea routes, he controls all trade and wealth. The only thing standing in his way is the bridge I'm building."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "So those ninjas were sent by Gato?"

Kakashi turned to Dazna. "Why didn't you mention this when you commissioned the mission?"

Dazna looked away. "The Land of Waves is a small, poor country. We couldn't afford a high-paying B-rank mission. And if I had told you the truth, you might have refused."

He pleaded, "If you don't protect me, I'm as good as dead. And if I die, my ten-year-old grandson will be left alone. My daughter will spend the rest of her life hating Konoha for failing us."