Land of Fire, Yoshiwara District of the Flower District.
Sakura used the Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder to tear open a small section of space, allowing everyone to escape from the temple's underground altar. Then, Kakashi used his Ninken to track Asuma's scent all the way here.
"From here on in, I can't find it anymore!"
Pakkun, crouching at the entrance to Yoshiwara, covered his nose with a paw. The mixed, chaotic scents inside the Flower District made it really difficult for this Ninken to continue tracking.
"Alright, good work!"
Kakashi released the Summoning Technique, sending him away.
"So, where do we go next to find Sakura's parents, and Asuma-sensei?"
Naruto looked left and right, his gaze accidentally drawn to the alluring glimpses of skin beneath the kimonos of the Flower District's ladies.
"You..." Sakura chuckled and shook her head.
She found a secluded spot to lean against, closed her eyes, and spread her Observation Haki to its maximum extent.
From the most bustling areas of the Flower District to the broken shacks where aged prostitutes eked out a living, the scenes of Yoshiwara, recording the changes of vanity like urban development, were all probed by Sakura's Haki. Finally, she found their auras at the very edge of the district.
"Found them! Follow me!"
Sakura opened her eyes, waved at Naruto and the others, and quickly ran towards a small alley.
After navigating through gaps between houses for nearly half an hour, they arrived outside a dilapidated wooden house.
After kicking the door open, Sakura saw Asuma, holding dual swords, along with the wary faces of Kizashi and Mebuki.
"Sakura..."
Kizashi and Mebuki's eyes widened, their voices trembling slightly.
Faced with their running daughter, as parents, they still opened their arms to embrace her.
"You two, you scared me to death!"
Holding her parents, the comforting feeling from childhood emanated from them once more.
Sakura's heart finally settled, and she let out a heavy sigh.
"We're sorry, we..."
The sensitive Mebuki sensed her daughter's fatigue, full of apology as she touched Sakura's face, brushing back her hair.
But her words were cut off as Sakura pressed a finger to her lips. "No 'sorry' between family!"
Seeing this family reunion, Naruto, standing outside the door, raised a hand and rubbed his nose.
"It's so nice... having family."
The blond boy's gaze was filled with envy as he sighed.
"Yeah, that familial bond... I could have had that too, Sarutobi Asuma!!!"
The black-haired boy, who had opened his eyes at some point, swung out blade claws from his arms, charging at Asuma.
"What!"
Hearing the other's shout, Asuma drew his Chakra Blades, channeling Wind Attribute Chakra to block the boy's incoming blade claws.
"Wait, kid! I should have no grudge with you!"
Asuma shouted an explanation, his trench knives continuously parrying the boy's attacks.
The sound of steel scraping and the sparks flying were blown around by the Wind Release chakra.
"You're still pretending! Furido-sama already told me everything!"
A large amount of Chakra gathered around the black-haired boy as he swung a claw formed of whirlwinds at Asuma. "It was you who killed my father, a member of the radical faction of the Twelve Guardian Ninja back then!"
"Furido... no, Kazuma. Your father isn't dead at all! He lied to you!"
Quickly sorting the information, Asuma tried to use words to bring the other back to reason.
But the boy before him was in no mood to discern right from wrong. Scarlet Chakra continuously erupted from his body, the rapidly rising temperature scorching the surrounding ground.
"Father... Fire Temple... Furido-sama... home..."
Hit by successive blows, the boy, his eyes vacant, was now engulfed by the malevolent Nine-Tails' Chakra.
The consequence of gradually closing off his heart was being dominated by more evil thoughts. Simultaneously, his cells, mixed with Nine-Tails' Chakra for years, began transforming his body, causing whiskers and sharp teeth to grow on his face.
"It really is the Nine-Tails... What did those bastards back then do?!"
Even Asuma couldn't maintain his usual composure, cursing aloud.
"This place is too dangerous. Kakashi-sensei, quickly take my parents and Naruto and leave!"
Sakura formed a hand seal with one hand, while the other drew Kumotsuna from her waist, entering combat stance.
"Alright."
Kakashi nodded, turning to look at Kizashi, Mebuki, and Naru...
'Naruto?'
"Stop! Don't let that thing consume you!"
Naruto rushed forward, forcefully grabbing the black-haired boy.
Even though they had never met, Naruto, having been able to sense others' good and evil since childhood as a Jinchuriki and having trained in Observation Haki, could now perceive the heart of this boy who shared the same Chakra.
That emptiness, discrimination, exclusion, bullying... As Jinchuriki, they were always alone, battling malice and the beast within.
So, even without knowing the other party's name, Naruto still wanted to save him from the 'beast's' cage, just as he had been saved by his companions.
"Let go, Naruto! You'll be contaminated by the Nine-Tails' Chakra!"
Kakashi tried to stop him, but a tremendous force came from his shoulder, rendering him immobile.
"Kakashi-sensei, let him try. Otherwise, that guy won't give up."
Sakura grabbed his shoulder, pulling him behind her. "Please protect my parents with Asuma-sensei. If anything happens to these two, I'll take responsibility for stopping them!"
"Then I leave it to you!"
Kakashi and Asuma exchanged a glance, both retreating with the Haruno couple, distancing themselves from the battlefield of the two Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
At the center of the battlefield, the black-haired boy's arms gradually mutated into claws, sprouting fur.
Claws wrapped in Nine-Tails' Chakra swung, slicing Naruto clean in two.
"Hey! Stop using the Nine-Tails' power! If this continues, you'll completely become a vessel for the Tailed Beast's revival!"
Through the Chakra resonance, Naruto continuously felt the coldness and despair in the other party's heart.
Simultaneously, through this connection, he saw the other party's past memories, making the look of pity on his face grow heavier.
"What do you know? This power is all I can rely on! It lets me take revenge on those who made me lonely!" The black-haired boy, now on all fours like a beast, grew tail after tail behind him.
"People like you, born normal... how could you understand the pain of bearing this power?!"
The black-haired boy roared, swinging his claws fiercely at Naruto.
A whirlwind instantly swept through, accompanied by a sharp sound that made countless eardrums bleed.
Four or five Wind Release attacks, condensed to the extreme, shot towards Naruto.
But Naruto paid them no mind, allowing the wind blades to slice through his elementalized body, then reforming as he charged at the other.
"Ah, of course I know the pain of bearing it. Because the power within you originates from me!"
As he spoke, Naruto unhesitatingly grabbed the other's hands, allowing the leaking Nine-Tails' Chakra to enter his body.
Sharp teeth continued to grow. Naruto's eye circles also started to darken gradually. Behind him, Chakra formed two translucent, crimson tails that drifted in the wind.
"You..."
The black-haired boy stared at Naruto, clad in the same Tailed Beast Cloak as himself, unable to speak for a long time.
"Stop. I can take you to Konoha. Granny Tsunade's medical skills are excellent, so she can heal you. Sakura might be a bit rough around the edges, but being with her won't let you feel bored. And that jerk Sasuke who left without a word… next time we can beat him up together..."
Naruto raised his eyes, his eyebrows trembling. "If you feel lonely, I'm willing to be your friend. So please, don't be sad anymore!"
"That's really enviable... but you came too late!" Tears streamed from the corners of the black-haired boy's eyes.
The last shred of reason snapped. His skin was completely torn apart by the high-density crimson Chakra.
The originally translucent Tailed Beast Cloak solidified completely, turning into a viscous, flowing substance.
"Roar—!"
A beast's roar raised an unstoppable airwave. Countless cement floor tiles warped and shattered, becoming fragmented bullets that shot out.
Naruto was blown away by the violent air currents, only to be stopped by Sakura, who stepped forward and placed a hand on him.
"Satisfied?"
Tilting her head to glance at Naruto, Sakura chuckled lightly.
"Ah, thank you for indulging my selfishness. After this... I'll leave it to you..."
Although the Chakra resonance connection couldn't be stopped, Naruto now closed his eyes with peace of mind, because the companion he could trust absolutely was right beside him.
The Tailed Beast Cloak on his body had, at some point, also grown three tails. The moment he closed his eyes, the fourth tail manifested.
With the appearance of the second Tailed Beast-transformed monster, ominous Chakra instantly spread out. Blocked by the barrier, the high-density Chakra formed fiery clouds directly above the capital.
"This guy is still just like when he was little. He hasn't grown up at all!"
Sakura shook her head, walking up to the two monsters and pressing her palms together.
Stepping upon the cement earth that had turned into a verdant carpet, the girl walked lightly amidst a sea of flowers as countless vines grew and spread.
'Since the [Talk no Jutsu] had no effect, it was time to switch to [Wood Release Jutsu]~'