Chapter 74: Nine-Tails Rampage

---

As Naruto approached the women, they turned away, refusing to meet his gaze.

Naruto's eager smile faltered, his warmth met with cold indifference. It wasn't unexpected, but it still stung.

Feeling embarrassed, Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and prepared to leave.

However, he overheard the women whispering behind his back.

"That's the demon fox. Just look at his long hair—so eerie."

"Exactly. I don't understand why the village wants someone like him."

"I remember when that fox demon attacked Konoha... My husband and son both died."

"A fox demon will always be a fox demon!"

Naruto had heard it all before, but the words still cut deep, piercing his heart like a knife.

He clenched his fists, trembling with a mix of anger and sorrow.

"I wanted to walk away," he thought. "But the more I think about it, the more it hurts."

"My parents died in the Nine-Tails attack too! Without my father, none of you would have survived! I'm not the one who brought trouble to Konoha—I'm the one who saved it!"

Naruto's eyes began to glow a dangerous red. His pupils shifted into slits, reflecting the growing rage within him.

Shikamaru, standing nearby, noticed the transformation and felt a surge of panic. "This is bad... Kyuubi's about to go berserk!"

Desperately, Shikamaru formed a hand seal and cast the ''Shadow Possession Jutsu'' to restrain Naruto. But how could his technique possibly contain the immense power of the Nine-Tails?

With a simple wave of Naruto's hand, Shikamaru's shadow jutsu shattered, and the force of the backlash made Shikamaru cough up blood.

In a desperate move, Shikamaru reached into his pouch and pulled out a special scroll Asuma had given him. Crushing the scroll, he prayed Asuma would appear as promised.

But it might already be too late.

A malevolent red chakra cloak began to form around Naruto, his eyes now filled with fury and bloodlust. The transformation was nearly complete.

Naruto turned his attention back to the women, his voice trembling with barely controlled anger. "Why do you call me a demon fox? I've never hurt anyone!"

The woman stared at him, her voice dripping with disdain. "You're just a fox demon. Do you really need a reason?"

Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, but he fought them back. "But my father saved all of you!"

The woman scoffed. "He was the Hokage. It was his job to save us. Did we ever ask for his help? What would we have done if he failed?"

Naruto closed his eyes, a dark thought crossing his mind. "Some people... aren't worth saving."

Temujin's death had already dealt a devastating blow to Naruto, pushing him to the brink of emotional collapse. He was still just a teenager, burdened with more pain than he could bear.

Inside Naruto's mind, the Nine-Tails stirred, whispering dark temptations. "Kid, tear them apart. Tear them apart!"

Naruto's consciousness faded, overwhelmed by Kyuubi's sinister influence.

The demon fox reveled in the control it now had over Naruto's body. "Such a weak vessel, but it's more than enough."

An orange-red tail materialized behind Naruto, signaling the full emergence of the Nine-Tails' power.

With a twisted grin, Naruto raised a finger, aiming it at the three women.

A dense, black orb of chakra formed at his fingertip, a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.

In a split second, the Tailed Beast Bomb launched, and the three women were obliterated, reduced to nothing but ashes.😈😈

Naruto turned his gaze toward Shikamaru, who was frozen in place.

The sight of Naruto's eyes—completely devoid of emotion, filled only with killing intent—sent chills down his spine.

Shikamaru's heart raced as he realized with horror that Naruto might be targeting him next.

Naruto pointed his finger at Shikamaru, and the black, blue, and red chakra of another Tailed Beast Bomb began to form.

Shikamaru heard a voice that felt like salvation, "''Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!''"

In an instant, gray smoke enveloped Naruto, followed by a powerful explosion.

Asuma appeared behind Shikamaru, quickly pulling him to safety.

"Shikamaru, what happened? Why did the Nine-Tails lose control?" Asuma asked, concern etched on his face.

Shikamaru, still shaken, explained, "On this mission... one of Naruto's friends died. He was already on the edge. Then, on our way back, some villagers called him a fox demon again."

Asuma's brows furrowed in anger. "Villagers? Who?"

Shikamaru nodded grimly. "Yes, three women. They're... dead now."

"Ahhhhhh!!!"

A fierce roar echoed through the air as a red light burst forth.

The red chakra completely engulfed Naruto, transforming him into a miniature version of the Nine-Tails.

The sight was terrifying—Naruto was no longer visible, swallowed by the malevolent chakra.

The chakra tail behind Naruto extended, morphing into a giant hand that whipped towards Asuma with tremendous force.

Asuma quickly pushed Shikamaru aside. "You go first! I'll hold him off!"

Asuma began forming hand signs. "''Fire Release—''" But before he could finish, Naruto's tail struck, violently interrupting the jutsu and sending Asuma crashing backward.

A sharp pain shot through his chest as he realized he had at least two broken ribs.

"How... How is Naruto this strong?" Asuma thought as he struggled to stand. "No... This isn't Naruto. This is the Nine-Tails!"

In mid-air, Asuma adjusted his stance and managed to form the hand signs again. "Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"

He exhaled a thick cloud of gray smoke, infused with Fire Chakra.

The smoke, volatile like gunpowder, ignited almost instantly, leading to a series of fierce explosions.

But before Asuma could breathe a sigh of relief, a chakra hand emerged from the smoke, unscathed.

"Explode!" Asuma yelled, clenching his fists.

''Boom! Boom! Boom!'' The explosions erupted, but Asuma used the Body Flicker Technique to escape the blast zone just in time. He glanced back, his heart sinking as the dust settled.

Naruto—completely untouched by the explosion—stood in the middle of the devastation, unharmed.

Asuma's mind raced. "My ninjutsu didn't even scratch him... If the Nine-Tails is this powerful in just this form, what must the complete Nine-Tails be like? What kind of monster did the Fourth Hokage have to face back then?"

To Asuma's horror, another tail began to form behind Naruto, a second one now joining the first.

At that moment, Asuma had only one thought: ''Run!''

He wasn't afraid to die, but this death would be pointless.

He couldn't allow himself to die at the hands of a comrade, even if that comrade was overtaken by the Nine-Tails.

The violent explosions had attracted the attention of the Konoha Guard.

Uchiha Fugaku observed the scene from a distance, frowning. "Damn it, the Nine-Tails is going berserk again. This time, it has nothing to do with me or the Uchiha clan, but it still needs to be dealt with."

As the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, Fugaku knew he had to take action.

Quickly, Fugaku formed hand signs. "''Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!''"

A massive fireball shot towards Naruto.

"Kento, take three others and form the Four Purple Flame Formation!" Fugaku ordered his team.

"Yes, Patriarch!" they responded in unison.

The giant fireball collided with Naruto, but with a single swipe of his claw, Naruto shattered the flames and charged toward Fugaku.

Just three meters away from Fugaku, Naruto's speed suddenly slowed down. Fugaku activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, using the technique, which bent time around Naruto, rendering him sluggish.

Taking advantage of the slowed-down world, Fugaku delivered a powerful kick to Naruto, sending him flying out of the trap.

This was only possible because Naruto, under the influence of the Nine-Tails, couldn't react swiftly within the time-altered field.