The Butterfly Flapped Its Wing.

A/N: I've decided that Naruto won't be sticking to the original plot much. I'm going to write some original storylines, which may relate to his missions, and I'll be creating some original characters for those plots. After all, there are countless fanfics out there where the main character follows the original plot—it's time for something fresh!

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Naruto sat on his bench, lost in his thoughts. 'Everyone respects power and strength, but no one tolerates weakness. The weak are foolish enough to bully those even weaker than themselves, while the strong are disciplined enough to avoid blatantly crushing the weak'.

'I felt the respect radiating from everyone, but what stood out even more were the negative emotions directed at me. I know this is the reality of the world. I did feel bad for Neji, but that was when I was just a spectator. Now, I'm not just watching—I'm a participant. I already have so much on my plate that I can't afford to help everyone wherever I go, and no one can blame me for that. After all this world is cruel.'

Kurama's deep voice echoed in my ears once again. 'Well, that's true. This world is far crueler than yours.' Naruto remained silent, his focus fixed on the field.

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Naruto asked, 'Hey, Kurama, what do you think about my approach? After all, you know just as much as I do—probably even more'.

Kurama stayed silent for a moment, as though carefully contemplating my question, before replying in a solemn tone, "It's not about what I think, Naruto. This is your life, not mine. These people will become either your future friends or your enemies—it's up to you to decide how you want to live".He paused, giving me time to absorb his words, then continued.

"Remember what I said earlier—we're already stuck together. I'm with you on whatever path you choose. After all, you're the best option I have for a Jinchuriki, and I'm not planning to die before you."

Those words brought a smile to Naruto's face.

Seeing this, Kurama grinned and added, "Whether we save this world or bring about its doom, we're in it together. We're partners."

Naruto mirrored Kurama's grin and replied with a nod, 'Partners'.

Naruto was lost in thought when Kurama's mischievous voice echoed in his mind. "Hey look it's the emo sasgay".

Naruto's mouth twitched in irritation at the comment, but he quickly shifted his focus back to the field.

He noticed Kakashi and Sasuke standing on the field—Kakashi with his signature eye smile and Sasuke sporting his usual emo smirk. However, their expressions shifted to mild confusion when they didn't receive the crowd's reaction they had expected. The audience, still stunned from the previous fight, remained silent, unimpressed by the comparatively simpler entrance.

Hiruzen, deciding not to waste any more time, gave a decisive wave to Hayate. Understanding the signal, Hayate stepped forward and announced the next match with his usual clear voice. "The next fight will be between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of the Sand!" The crowd shifted in anticipation, eager to see what this battle would bring after the intense confrontation that had just unfolded.

As Kakashi returned to the venue, he immediately noticed the strange expressions everyone wore. However, he chose to ignore it for now, focusing instead on the surroundings. His eyes drifted to his other students, landing on Sakura. Yet, something felt off—she wasn't acting like the usual fangirl she tended to be. The other genin were unusually quiet as well, their faces filled with unease.

Curious and slightly wary, Kakashi sent a questioning glance toward his fellow jonin, but they all avoided his gaze, their expressions unreadable. A sense of unease crept over him as he finally remembered to look for a familiar mop of blonde hair in the crowd. Yet, to his growing concern, he found nothing.

Turning to glance behind him, his breath caught in his throat. What he saw froze him in place, and he subconsciously muttered,

'S-sensei...'

Kakashi, regaining his composure, quickly recognized who the person was. However, he chose not to approach him, an unfamiliar discomfort gnawing at him as he took in the hauntingly familiar face. In his mind, Naruto's image overlapped with that of the Fourth Hokage, a stark reminder of how closely they resembled each other. The resemblance stirred an ache within him, forcing him to confront memories of the times he had neglected Naruto's training, brushing the boy aside when he needed guidance the most.

His gaze shifted to the field, taking in the destruction left behind from what he now realized must have been Naruto's fight. It was clear the match had been intense, and the scale of the damage spoke volumes about how much Naruto had grown. Though Kakashi hadn't witnessed the battle, he could piece together enough to understand that Naruto had proven himself—and likely in spectacular fashion.

A surge of pride welled up in his chest, but it was bittersweet. Kakashi couldn't help but feel that he had no right to that pride. He hadn't been there for Naruto when it mattered most, and yet, despite everything, Naruto had carved his own path forward.

Naruto, on the other hand, was fully focused on the match between Gaara and Sasuke, a familiar nervousness creeping up his spine. 'It wouldn't be wrong to say that, in the next few minutes, Konoha is going to be turned upside down,' he thought grimly.

Kurama snorted, his voice laced with amusement. "It was hilarious watching Hashirama get used against his own village. Ha. That's karma."

Naruto remained silent, his attention on the two fighters as they stepped onto the field and assumed their stances. His eyes flicked to Sasuke, noting the trademark smirk plastered on the emo boy's face, accompanied by that ever-present look of superiority. Naruto sighed, shaking his head slightly, but said nothing as the fight began to unfold before him.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement for the fight. He had spent the past month training intensively under Kakashi, who had been unusually focused and meticulous in his teaching. To enhance Sasuke's speed, Kakashi had introduced him to lightning chakra transformation. Although Sasuke had only barely begun to grasp it, the progress he had made was enough to give him a significant boost in strength.

This newfound power filled Sasuke with confidence, certain it would allow him to catch Gaara off guard and turn the fight in his favor.

Gaara, in contrast, remained impassive, unfazed by Sasuke's challenging glare. His thoughts ran deep as he reflected, 'I wanted to fight the Uchiha to prove my existence to everyone. But after witnessing the fight between that Hyuga and Uzumaki, I'm starting to reconsider. The Uchiha isn't even that strong in the first place.'

Suddenly, Gaara shifted his gaze toward Naruto, his voice cutting through the tension and echoing across the arena. "After this round is over, I want to fight you, Uzumaki naruto."

Naruto maintained a calm exterior, but inside, he couldn't help smirking at the declaration. 'Of course,'he thought to himself. 'It's the plot.'

The announcement elicited a variety of mixed reactions from everyone in the arena, though most chose to keep their thoughts to themselves.

Sasuke, however, was visibly irritated, his thoughts simmering with frustration. 'He's talking like the dobe could give him a better fight than me. Just you wait—I'll show you who the real threat is.'

The moment the fight commenced, Sasuke surged forward, lightning chakra coursing through his body, amplifying his speed by several folds. While the display earned surprise from the arena, it was not as pronounced as it might have been, given the events of earlier battles.

Kankuro's mouth twitched in frustration as he muttered under his breath, "Are all of Team 7 just monsters?"

Temari, however, remained silent, her gaze fixed on the unfolding fight, her thoughts unreadable.

Baki, on the other hand, barely paid attention to the match. His mind was preoccupied, already calculating strategies and planning how best to eliminate Naruto.

To the untrained eye, Sasuke seemed to teleport as he appeared beside Gaara in a blur of motion. However, his attempts to breach Gaara's sand shield proved futile. No matter the angle or method he employed, each strike was effortlessly blocked, his efforts amounting to nothing.

Gaara was not merely on the defensive; he actively engaged in offense as well. He manipulated his sand with precision, shaping it into weapons like shuriken and forming towering sand pillars to restrict Sasuke's movements, gradually narrowing his range of options.

The standoff dragged on for several minutes, with Sasuke relentlessly trying to break through Gaara's defense while Gaara stood impassively, unmoved. Then, suddenly, Sasuke had an idea. He created a clone to attack Gaara from beneath the earth, confident that Gaara wouldn't anticipate the move.

But contrary to his expectations, Gaara simply smirked, his gaze fixed downward. With a mocking tone, he taunted, "My sand provides 360° protection. Your tactic was clever, but that's all it was—clever. I can see the anger and the arrogance in your eyes, especially when I challenged Uzumaki Naruto to a fight. But the truth is, you're nothing more than a clown. Uzumaki Naruto is far stronger than you. Even my mother warned me of him."

Sasuke stood frozen, his face morphing into one of disbelief. 'The dobe, stronger than me?' The thought rattled him, and soon, his expression shifted to pure rage. With a furious growl, he channeled a massive surge of lightning chakra, his body barely able to contain the power. In an instant, he launched himself toward Gaara, his speed multiplied several times over as he shot forward, crackling with energy.

The audience was stunned by the drastic change in Sasuke, the toll of his own power evident to even the untrained eye. It was clear he was pushing his body to its limits, damaging himself in the process. Guy, recalling what had happened to Rock Lee, quickly approached Kakashi, intending to stop the match. But Kakashi, his voice solemn, shook his head and replied, "This is his fight, Guy. I have no right to stop it, I think you understand this even more than me."

Sasuke, frustrated by his continued inability to breach Gaara's defense, swiftly leapt backward, his hands moving in a rapid series of signs. He began channeling an enormous amount of chakra into his palms. The Konoha jonin present immediately recognized the jutsu. Guy opened his mouth as if to speak to Kakashi, but something held him back, and he chose to keep his thoughts to himself.

Gaara, unimpressed, casually brushed off Sasuke's movements, his posture still radiating a sense of carelessness. Sasuke, sensing Gaara's underestimation, smirked. With a burst of speed, he rushed toward Gaara, his hands flying through a series of signs. The moment he was within range, he completed the seals, and his palms erupted with a violent surge of lightning chakra.

Catching the look of surprise on Gaara's face, Sasuke seized the moment, thrusting his palm toward Gaara's defense, shouting, "Chidori!"

The Chidori tore through Gaara's sand defense effortlessly, cutting through it like butter. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, directly striking Gaara. Blood spurted from the wound as Gaara staggered back, a rare flash of pain crossing his face.

But the pain on Gaara's face quickly twisted into hatred, which then spiraled into madness. His voice was a low mutter at first, disbelief dripping from every word. "My blood? Blood... blood... blood..." He repeated the word over and over, his tone growing more unhinged with each utterance.

Finally, Gaara's eyes snapped to Sasuke, and he let out a primal scream. "I'm going to kill you!"

Without warning, his body began to change. The sand around him surged to life, swirling and wrapping around him. It spread rapidly, encasing his form and reshaping itself. In moments, a massive humanoid figure emerged—a towering, monstrous entity exuding a menacing aura that sent shivers through the arena.

Sasuke stood frozen in shock, horror etched across his face as he realized his chakra reserves were completely depleted. 'I wasted so much chakra... all because of my anger,' he thought bitterly, a wave of regret crashing over him.

Staggering to his feet, he suddenly felt a cold grip around his arm. Looking down, he saw his right hand ensnared by Gaara's sand. Panic set in as the sand began to tighten, and then, without warning, he felt his arm twist unnaturally.

A surge of searing pain shot through his body as his arm was crushed alive, the pressure from the sand relentless. The pressure was so intense that Sasuke's arm was twisted into an unrecognizable state. As he writhed in agony, Gaara suddenly leaped high into the air, his monstrous form soaring effortlessly. Without a word or hesitation, he left the arena, leaving chaos and fear in his wake.

(A/N: It will be healed by tsunade since I don't want sasuke to have hashirama cells transplantation.)

After that, hell broke loose. The Hokage and Kazekage were trapped within the Four-Person Defensive Formation. Most of the Konoha ninjas below the rank of jonin who were present in the arena fell under a genjutsu.

Naruto took in the chaos unfolding before him, momentarily stunned. Sasuke wasn't supposed to be injured this severely—it was far worse than he had anticipated. His eyes briefly caught Orochimaru's frustrated expression as the snake sannin watched Sasuke screaming in agony.

Sakura, overcome with panic, rushed toward Sasuke, tears streaming down her face. As she reached him, she glanced desperately at Naruto, silently pleading for his help. But Naruto didn't even spare her a glance. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted off, following Gaara's trail.

Kurama, observing the chaos, remarked with a hint of amusement, "Is this what they call the legendary butterfly effect?"

Naruto, still focused on Gaara's trail, replied absentmindedly, 'It might as well be. Sasuke wasn't supposed to be injured this badly. The only person I can think of who might be able to heal him is Tsunade.'

Kurama remained silent for a moment before asking, "So, are you worried about changing things?"

Naruto paused at the question, his expression unreadable, before finally replying, 'I'm not. Not as long as it doesn't lead to someone like Isshiki showing up during the Fourth Shinobi War.'

Kurama fell quiet again, lost in thought, his mind drifting back to the events of the anime—the memory of his ultimate sacrifice lingering in the back of his mind.

As Naruto focused on the path ahead, a sudden sensation washed over him, making him stumble slightly. His eyes widened, and he muttered under his breath, almost gasping, "I-Is... What?"

Kurama's voice cut through his confusion, sharp and urgent. "Naruto, you need to move now! Gaara's heading toward the central marketplace. If he releases Shukaku there, thousands of innocent lives will be lost."

Naruto snapped out of his daze, his determination returning. Channeling his wind chakra, he formed his chakra cloak, the energy rippling around him. Without wasting another second, he took off at full speed, his last thought echoing in his mind: 'This is so messed up.'

To be continued.

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A/N: So, how is it so far? If you've enjoyed the story up to this point, please consider leaving a review!