Crossing her arms, Hinata's clear, cold tone made Kakashi breathe a quiet sigh of relief—at least it wasn't some terrifying or bizarre request.
"That's exactly it. That idiot dropout may be a bit dim, but he's not the type to give up on training an ultimate technique on his own. Even if it's just to maintain our squad's overall combat strength, we all believe it's your responsibility to resolve this."
Having been drawn into the topic, Sasuke couldn't help but speak up too. Clearly, this issue still weighed heavily on him.
"Sigh... I suppose so. You both saw it last time—when Naruto lost control."
After a moment of thought, Kakashi finally nodded. As their teacher, he knew he had no choice but to reveal some secrets now. Just like Hinata and Sasuke had said, if only for the sake of keeping his students united, he had to take responsibility.
"The truth is... inside Naruto's body, there really is a terrifying presence."
"He's probably refusing to train Shinsaaran because he realizes the technique keeps triggering that beast inside him. He's afraid of losing control again, like last time."
"That boy chose to 'give up'—an incredibly difficult decision for him—because he wanted to protect those around him from himself."
(PS1: Mmm~ o(￣▽￣)o~ Second update of the day~~ Over 3,000 words per chapter, and I'm giving it my all here~~ Whether you bookmark, vote, or reward—it's all up to you, dear readers~ But still, it stings a bit when I'm constantly being outperformed by novels that barely write 2,000 words a chapter~~)
(PS2: Honestly, maybe it's time to pull out some forbidden techniques, huh? Like Yamata-no-Orochi?)
Revealed Truth
"What do you mean? Kakashi, what the hell is going on?"
Sasuke's voice rose sharply. Clearly, the idea that Naruto gave up on Shinsaaran just to avoid hurting others was intolerable to someone with his pride and overwhelming sense of superiority.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. You've probably heard a bit about it. Eleven years ago, the year you were born, a powerful Nine-Tails Fox attacked Konoha. Many shinobi died trying to stop it—including... my teacher, the Fourth Hokage. In the end, the Nine-Tails was sealed inside a child's body by the Fourth, and that was how the disaster ended."
Kakashi's tone carried an unmistakable sorrow. As the Fourth Hokage's student, he couldn't possibly have no emotional ties. After the Fourth's death, Kakashi had lost all his bonds—Obito and Rin died in the war, and his teacher died during the Nine-Tails' attack. His father, the White Fang of Konoha, had committed suicide. Teacher, friend, lover—gone. It was likely that pain which drove Kakashi to join ANBU, living for years in the shadows and carnage.
"And that child was Naruto? But why him?"
Hinata pretended she didn't already know, speaking up in line with a strange urgency in her heart. It didn't feel like her own—it was as if a second heart inside her was the one that was desperate and confused.
"Not just anyone can contain a Tailed Beast. Sadly, of all the newborns at the time, Naruto was the only one with the right aptitude."
Kakashi shook his head slightly. That wasn't entirely false. Suitable Jinchūriki were rare. If the match wasn't right, the seal could fail, and the beast might take over the host's body.
But that certainly didn't mean Naruto was the only candidate. His father, Namikaze Minato, may still be a mystery bloodline-wise, but his mother—Uzumaki Kushina—was a full-blooded member of the Uzumaki clan. That clan was known for their sealing prowess and inherited Asura's body type. They were famous for their massive chakra reserves and incredible regeneration. In fact, simply biting their skin could restore one's own chakra.
Kushina had even been the previous Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, meaning her bloodline was likely the most suitable in the entire clan. Naruto, as her son, was almost guaranteed to be capable of sealing the Nine-Tails.
"...So that's why people called Naruto a monster when he was young, isn't it?"
Sasuke's voice was tinged with a rare hint of solemnity, clearly recalling the scenes of Naruto being shunned as a child. But after a pause, the Uchiha boy lifted his head and looked at Kakashi. "But even if he has the Nine-Tails inside him, that doesn't mean he is the Nine-Tails, right?"
"Exactly. The Nine-Tails is sealed away by powerful techniques. Naruto is Naruto. The fox is the fox. The two should never be confused... But of course, most people don't see it that way."
Kakashi sighed. He knew how cruel Naruto's life had been, but under pressure from the elders, the Third Hokage had issued a gag order. Kakashi couldn't openly approach Naruto—he could only do his best to keep him alive.
"I see. So Naruto isn't just not a monster—he sacrificed his own body to seal the Nine-Tails and save Konoha. And yet, because of some foolish command, instead of being honored, he spent his whole life hated and rejected. Is that right?"
Hinata didn't bother to hide the disdain and mockery in her voice. Kakashi frowned slightly, his voice growing more serious. "Hinata, sacrifices are sometimes necessary for the village..."
"So, from what I see, the current leadership of Konoha is just incompetent.
You know what?
Those idiots who believe in 'sacrificing a few to save the rest'—they're nothing but cowardly, hypocritical trash.
Kakashi, can you tell me how we're supposed to measure the value of life?
Who decides which lives are more precious, and which are disposable?"
Hinata's tone was chillingly calm, and her question left Kakashi speechless. In the end, the silver-haired jōnin could only sigh and close his eyes in silence.
Hinata didn't say another word either. He quietly stood and walked toward the sliding door, making to leave. "Well then, Kakashi-sensei, thank you for the lesson. Goodbye."
"No matter what..."
Just as Hinata reached the window, Kakashi spoke again. His tone was unusually serious.
"You're all my students. So no matter what happens, I won't abandon you. I can't promise anything else, but this much—I guarantee."
That made both Hinata and Sasuke hesitate for a split second. Clearly, as their teacher, Kakashi had given them the most sincere promise he could. Just like in the original story, when he faced off against Zabuza and vowed, "I'll protect you all."
"Heh~"
With a strange smile, Hinata leapt out the window and left the room. One way or another, Kakashi was sure to report this to the Third. And that meant she now had a legitimate excuse to begin testing things related to the Nine-Tails.
After all, the Nine-Tails' power was one of the most potent forces in the original story. Even though Gyūki once said a Tailed Beast's strength wasn't determined by the number of tails, the manga clearly showed the Nine-Tails alone could hold its own against all the other beasts combined. Let's not even talk about the part where it knocked out all of the masked man's Tailed Beasts. Just remember that even at the end, when Sasuke used his Rinnegan with all the beasts plus Susanoo to become Indra, he still couldn't beat Naruto, who only had the Nine-Tails.
And back then, Naruto didn't even have the full beast—just half its power. The other half had been sealed away in the Shinigami's belly by the Fourth. So if it ever returned to full strength... well, it would be unimaginable.
If not for the fact that the Nine-Tails' power could be restrained by Mangekyō Sharingan, Rinnegan, and the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, there's no way anyone could ever truly tame it.
Such monstrous chakra was far too valuable to waste.
And based on what Hinata had just said to Kakashi, even if she experimented on Naruto in private, Kakashi and the Third would probably just think she was standing up for him.
Though she didn't yet have a concrete plan for using the Nine-Tails, it was only smart to lay the groundwork. Opportunities often came unexpectedly—being unprepared would be foolish.
But for now, the immediate priority was to give Naruto a technique to replace Shinsaaran. Without it, if he couldn't keep up, the Holy Fist trio would feel incomplete.
So… should she teach him the Rasengan?
After all, she had the complete Scroll of Seals, which included a section on the Rasengan. With Naruto's current chakra control, he'd probably be able to learn it in no time.
But… how to put it?
The Rasengan was powerful, yes. It had been developed by the Fourth over years of research based on the Tailed Beast Bomb. According to the manga, it could even cause temporary chakra disruption in its target, giving it a bit of a control effect.
But it came with major flaws.
Since it was a close-range technique, it required the user to get up close and hit the enemy directly. The Fourth could do that because of his mastery of Flying Thunder God, letting him appear behind enemies in an instant for a sneak attack.
Kakashi had similar plans, but since he couldn't use Flying Thunder God, he relied on his Sharingan to track enemies and used Chidori to charge in for the kill.
Sasuke could do the same with his Sharingan and Chidori.
But for Naruto, this approach just didn't work. He had neither the Fourth's teleportation nor the visual prowess of the Uchiha. Trying to pinpoint a real target and charge in for a direct hit was practically a joke in a world full of Substitution, Shadow Clone, Body Flicker, Transformation, and Invisibility techniques. If he weren't the main character, relying on a close-range jutsu to land a hit would be delusional.
So in the original, his solution was to use a massive number of shadow clones to confuse the enemy—or use himself as bait to lure them in. Or, if he got lucky and fought someone like Sasuke who liked charging straight in, the Rasengan would come in handy.
Only later, after mastering Sage Mode, did he develop Rasenshuriken—a version of the Rasengan that worked at range and finally fixed the close-combat limitation.
Which meant...
Some improvements were definitely in order.
---
Author Notes:
(PS1: Mmm~ o(￣▽￣)o~ The Rasengan is indeed awesome, but it was designed by the Fourth specifically to pair with his Flying Thunder God. Without teleportation or visual jutsu like Sharingan or Byakugan, relying on it is just plot armor.)