How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

Shaped Mass of Chakra

At dawn, the entire city of Roran was silent. The people who would normally be out early in the morning were hiding in shelters, leaving only a few figures walking the streets. At first glance, they seemed ordinary, and upon closer inspection, they were indeed just that—ordinary. 

Kushina's sealing technique was truly impressive. 

Inside the grand hall, the queen sat at the head of the room, lost in thought. Princess Sara had already been moved to a safe location. Mukade sat hunched over to the side, his eyes filled with exhaustion. Naruto and Sasuke sat opposite each other—Sasuke had his eyes closed, resting, while Naruto looked restless and impatient. 

These were the people who made up their main fighting force. 

None of them had slept all night because the adult Sasuke had warned them that Urashiki would recover by morning at the latest. In reality, he would likely recover even sooner, so no one dared to sleep. Nobody knew exactly when Urashiki would appear. 

Naruto leaned against the table, looking bored. 

"Can't we just go on the offensive?" 

"Can you find where that guy is?" Sasuke asked without even opening his eyes. 

"Nope." Naruto propped his chin up with one hand. 

Mukade, sitting nearby, felt a headache coming on. 

"You've had this exact conversation hundreds of times already. Can't you change it up?" 

They had been repeating the same exchange all night. Even as an elite ninja, Mukade was starting to lose his patience. Were these two idiots or what? 

"Ha! You finally spoke!" Naruto jumped up in excitement, pointing at Mukade. 

"It's all your fault we got dragged into this time mess, and you dare complain that we talk too much?!" 

Mukade: "…" 

"Don't tell me you two have been repeating this conversation all night just to get me to talk?" 

"Yep." Naruto nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"With the queen here, we couldn't just start roasting you directly." 

Mukade: "…" 

I overestimated your intelligence. My bad. 

Sasuke let out a sigh, finally opening his eyes to look at Mukade. 

"Naruto's just bored and wanted to stir up some conversation. At the same time, it helps lighten the mood before a battle. At least now, you don't seem as tense as before, right?" 

Mukade frowned and instinctively glanced at Naruto. He had to admit that Naruto's words did make him feel a bit more relaxed. 

This kind of banter was common among ninja during wartime. It was a way to ease the nerves, especially for rookies, so they wouldn't be so tense that they ended up throwing a kunai at their own allies. 

I underestimated this kid. 

Then… he saw Naruto's completely clueless expression. 

Mukade's eye twitched. 

"Are you sure that's what this kid was doing? Because he looks like he has no idea what's going on." 

Sasuke looked at Naruto, paused for a moment, then spoke hesitantly. 

"Naruto does things like this all the time. He never realizes it, but somehow, he always ends up surprising people in unexpected ways. So… probably?" 

Mukade: "…" 

I knew it. You're both out of your minds! 

Just as he was about to start yelling at them, Naruto and Sasuke's expressions suddenly changed. They stood up at the same time and turned toward a specific direction. 

Mukade swallowed his words, his face instantly becoming serious. 

"He's here?" 

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, then nodded. 

Naruto narrowed his eyes, as if seeing through the thick walls to Urashiki's location. 

"That guy's chakra is inside Roran—he's close." 

"Space-time ninjutsu." Sasuke's Sharingan spun, the three tomoe in his eyes slowly rotating. 

"He appeared there in an instant, along with a surge of powerful chakra. The intel was right—his space-time jutsu is on another level." 

Through the chakra of the Dragon Vein, Sasuke could clearly "see" a blazing mass of chakra in the distance, burning intensely without any attempt to hide. 

The last time he had sensed chakra this openly displayed… was from his future self.

"Naruto." 

Sasuke called out softly, lifting his head. In his crimson eyes, the three Tomoe had merged into a Mangekyou pattern. At the same time, black markings extended from his neck, radiating a powerful yet intangible aura, as if it had always been there. 

Naruto glanced at Sasuke and stepped forward to stand beside him, a slight smirk on his face. 

"Sasuke, you're not even using Sage Mode? Are you underestimating the enemy?" 

As soon as he spoke, golden chakra burst from Naruto's body. His clothes instantly turned golden, transforming into a flowing cloak. Black markings spread across his outfit, the hem trailing behind him, giving him an almost divine presence. 

Uzumaki Naruto, Kurama Mode! 

Sasuke chuckled. 

"Aren't you also holding back?" 

"Let's test this guy's strength first." Naruto pulled out a kunai without even turning around and spoke to the two people behind him. 

"Mukade, protect the queen. Leave this guy to us. Just stick to the plan." 

Mukade was silent for a moment, then looked at them with a hint of relief. 

"I'm fine with that, but don't get too carried away." 

"Don't worry, we know what we're doing." 

That wasn't Naruto speaking—it was Sasuke. 

His grin was so wide it almost reached the sun. Battles were what he lived for, and fighting alongside Naruto against a powerful opponent? That was the best kind of thrill. 

The moment he finished speaking, both of them vanished. In their place, streaks of gold and black light shot forward, disappearing in an instant. 

Mukade wiped the sweat from his forehead. 

Those two were even stronger than he had imagined. 

Good thing he had abandoned his original plan after arriving in this timeline. 

Back then, he had no choice. But now? He was beyond grateful. 

In Roran, Urashiki floated in midair, his Byakugan activated. His gaze followed the city's pipelines, tracing the flow of Six Paths chakra to its source—the highest building in the city. 

A confident smile appeared on his face. 

"Found you." 

Last time, his power had been sealed, and he had been stopped by a mere lowly being. But now, most of his strength had returned. If that weakling showed up again, he'd finally settle the score. 

Perfect. 

But to his surprise, that lowly being was nowhere to be seen. 

Instead, the moment he looked up, he saw two massive chakra signatures land on the rooftops nearby—one on his left, one on his right. 

They had him surrounded. 

Urashiki's smile faded. 

He glanced at Sasuke on the left, then at Naruto on the right, gritting his teeth. 

"I don't recall you two existing in this timeline." 

Sasuke crossed his arms, looking dangerously composed in his Cursed Seal mode. 

"Tough luck for you. Mukade dragged us into the Ryumyaku tunnel, and we arrived in this era yesterday." 

Naruto, glowing in Kurama Mode, grinned. 

"Yeah, Mukade is the one who completely wrecked you last time. He's our mission target." 

Urashiki, already in a bad mood, felt his anger boil over. 

He clenched his fists, his hatred and frustration barely contained. 

Still, he didn't attack right away. 

In the future, these two had absolutely crushed him. If not for his tricks, he would've been stuck in that place forever. 

And back then, he had been at full power. 

If he couldn't beat them at his peak, what chance did he have now, when his strength was only half restored? 

With that in mind, Urashiki decided—he needed to escape. 

Suppressing his fury, he deactivated his Byakugan and turned to open the Yomotsu Hirasaka portal. 

But then, he froze. 

Wait a second… 

Aren't these two… a little too young? 

A second later, Urashiki let out a laugh. 

"Two lowly creatures... So you're not even your future selves." 

Now that he took a closer look, their chakra was nowhere near what it would be in the future. The Naruto and Sasuke from that time were so strong that even Momoshiki saw them as a real threat. 

But right now? 

They were barely a step above the average. 

Urashiki straightened up, his confidence returning. 

So, he couldn't beat their future selves—big deal. 

But these two? 

Otsutsuki Urashiki's name wasn't just for show. 

Perfect. 

New grudge, old grudge—he'd settle everything today. 

None of you are leaving. 

I said so!

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