The air in the Forest of Death was thick with the smell of rain-soaked earth and old blood. Team 7 was losing. The Sound Ninja had cornered them, their leader, a pale-haired boy named Kaguro, wielding a dark, pulsing mark on his neck—the Curse Seal of Heaven.
Sasuke was already down, his body convulsing as Kaguro’s seal tried to merge with his own. Sakura was sobbing, held at kunai-point. And Naruto… Naruto was on his knees, helpless.
“Look at him,” Kaguro sneered, kicking Naruto’s shoulder. “The ‘demon vessel.’ Brought low by a real power. The Nine-Tails is nothing but a caged beast. My seal unlocks human potential.”
The seal, incomplete and rejected, began to crack. It didn’t vanish—a faded scar remained, a permanent reminder. But it no longer whispered. It only watched.
“I don’t need shortcuts,” Naruto panted, blood dripping down his neck. “I have people who believe in me. That’s my power.”
He pressed his palm to Naruto’s forehead. A cold, serpentine chakra seeped in. It wasn't the fiery, malevolent rush of the Fox. It was something else—slick, ambitious, whispering promises.
Naruto’s vision flickered. He saw Sasuke’s terrified eyes. He saw Sakura flinch—not from the enemy, but from him . The cold power felt good . Too good.