Naruto: Boundless Potential

The evening sun cast long shadows over Konoha as Naruto exited the library, a bright grin on his face.

As he walked through the streets, his joy was short-lived. The moment he stepped outside, he felt it—malicious gazes, sharp and cutting like kunai against his skin.

The villagers.

They glared at him with thinly veiled hostility, muttering under their breath as he passed. Some scoffed, others turned away as if his presence was a disease.

Naruto clenched his fists. He didn't understand why they looked at him like that. He hadn't done anything wrong.

Swallowing his frustration, he lowered his head and quickened his pace, shoulders slumped. His earlier excitement had vanished, replaced with a familiar, suffocating loneliness.

By the time he reached his small apartment, he let out a deep breath of relief. He quickly locked the door, as if that would keep the world outside from following him in.

After washing his face, he sat on his bed, reflecting on the day. His fingers idly combed through his unruly blonde hair, and a few strands fell into his palm.

Then, he remembered it.

That golden screen.

Naruto's heart pounded with anticipation as he willed the screen to appear.

---

Golden Screen Interface

[ Analyze ]

[ Samples ]

---

His eyes gleamed with curiosity. He quickly tapped the "Samples" button.

A blank screen appeared, but before he could wonder what to do, the hair in his hand started to dissolve—turning into golden dust that was absorbed into the screen.

The interface lit up, and now, in the sample section, his hair was displayed.

"Whoa!" Naruto gasped, barely containing his excitement.

Wasting no time, he exited the sample section and clicked on "Analyze." A new option appeared, allowing him to select his hair as a sample for analysis.

The moment he confirmed it, the screen displayed:

[ Analysis in progress... Time remaining: 4 hours ]

Naruto's excitement dimmed slightly. "Four hours? That's forever…" he muttered, yawning.

Deciding there was nothing he could do but wait, he lay down and let sleep take over.

Midnight

Naruto woke up with a start, heart pounding in anticipation.

Summoning the golden screen, he saw the progress bar filled completely. The new information displayed:

---

Sample Identified: Uzumaki Lineage

Purity: 60%

Power Effectiveness: ???

Further development possible

[ Develop Bloodline ]

---

Naruto's breath hitched.

He knew very little about his parents, but he had heard the Uzumaki name before in the library—legendary for their chakra reserves, vitality, and sealing techniques.

Was he really a part of such a clan?

His fingers hovered over the Develop Bloodline button. After a moment of hesitation, he pressed it.

The moment he did, nothing happened—at least, nothing he could feel. Instead, another countdown appeared.

Time Remaining: 8 months, 12 days, 5 hours

Progress: 60.001%

Naruto stared blankly.

"Eight months?! What the hell?" he groaned. "That's way too long!"

But since he couldn't do anything to speed it up, he sighed and flopped back onto his bed.

Little did he know, his actions had triggered something far beyond his understanding.

Inside Naruto's Mindscape

Deep within Naruto's subconscious, in the sealed prison that held the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama stirred.

A faint, tingling sensation spread through his massive form. He growled, his crimson eyes narrowing.

Something was changing.

Then, his worst fears were realized.

From the edges of his cage, golden chains began forming—slowly, steadily, slithering around the bars like living vines.

Kurama's pupils shrank.

"Not these damn chains again!" he roared, his tails thrashing violently, shaking the entire mindscape.

These were Uzumaki Adamantine Sealing Chains—the same wretched bindings that had imprisoned him before.

Kurama felt a surge of panic. He thought he had escaped them forever, but now, they were returning.

His connection to Naruto... it was being cut off.

"NO!" Kurama snarled, slamming his massive body against the bars of his prison. His chakra surged, but the chains reacted instantly, tightening like a noose, restricting his movement.

If this continued...

He would lose all contact with Naruto.

And that terrified him more than he cared to admit.

The moment Kurama's chakra flared in resistance, a powerful, oppressive aura spread across Konoha.

People froze. Some gasped in fear.

It was a feeling they had hoped to never experience again—the raw, suffocating pressure of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

The memories of that night, years ago, resurfaced in an instant. The destruction. The screams. The deaths.

Civilians ran into their homes, locking their doors and windows. Shinobi leaped onto rooftops, scanning for the source.

Atop the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the surge of chakra and went pale.

"This is bad," he muttered before barking orders. "ANBU, with me!"

As he moved toward the source, another figure emerged from the shadows—Danzo Shimura, flanked by his Root operatives.

He smirked slightly, the single eye beneath his bandages glinting.

"Hiruzen, it seems your mercy has backfired once again."

The Hokage barely spared him a glance. "This is not the time, Danzo."

"Oh, but I think it is," Danzo continued, stepping forward. "Had you allowed me to take the boy into Root, none of this would have happened. He would have been disciplined, controlled—"

Hiruzen cut him off with a sharp glare. "And turned into another emotionless tool, just like the rest of your soldiers?"

Danzo remained unfazed. "A tool that protects the village is far more valuable than a Jinchūriki running wild."

Hiruzen's expression darkened. "Naruto is not a tool. He is a child—one this village has failed time and time again."

Danzo scoffed. "Sentimentality clouds your judgment, old friend."

"Then it's a good thing I am the Hokage, and not you," Hiruzen said coldly before turning away. "Now, stop wasting my time. We have a crisis to handle."

Danzo narrowed his eye but said nothing. Instead, he signaled his men, and they followed.

Both the Hokage's ANBU and Danzo's Root moved swiftly toward the disturbance—toward Naruto's apartment.