In the distance, Shikamaru was half-supporting Temari by a tree, Sasuke stood nearby looking confused, and the Sunagakure ninjas stood opposite them, not fighting.
It wasn’t because Shikamaru had kidnapped their village leader’s daughter. The main reason was the huge figure of Shukaku not far away.
As people from Sunagakure, they knew Shukaku went on a rampage every two years. Without the Kazekage, they couldn’t handle it. Their mission target was Konohagakure, and with Shukaku released, they didn’t need to worry about it. Shukaku would move on its own.
The Sunagakure ninjas exchanged glances. Although they looked at Temari, who was half-held by Shikamaru, they thought that as the village leader’s daughter, some sacrifices were necessary. So, they exchanged looks and quietly left.
They really didn’t want to face Shukaku.
Watching the Sunagakure Ninja leave, Shikamaru also breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn’t have much chakra left, and if they kept fighting, he and Sasuke would probably be stuck here.
Temari leaned against Shikamaru, her face looking terrible: "Let’s go, that thing is coming out. If we don’t leave now, we’ll all die here."
"Well, as long as we don’t cause trouble for Naruto, we can just move back a bit. If needed, we can help out." That’s what Shikamaru thought.
"Are you crazy!" Temari shouted, "That thing is not something you can handle! It’s fully revived. Can that Uzumaki Naruto from your village bring out the monster inside him? It’s not even the same level of fight!"
Using the Tailed Beast’s chakra to achieve half-Tailed Beast form and full-Tailed Beast form are two completely different things. Temari knew this from Gaara’s rampage a few years ago.
A few Jonin could handle half-Tailed Beast Gaara, but once he fully transformed, it took the Kazekage to deal with him. That kid Uzumaki Naruto might be able to use the Tailed Beast’s chakra, but he couldn’t even achieve half-Tailed Beast form, let alone full-Tailed Beast form.
That’s what Temari thought. Gaara’s rampage a few years ago left a deep impression on her, and she didn’t think anyone other than a Kage could handle it.
Shikamaru had a similar thought. He also wanted Naruto to retreat now, but he didn’t say it. He still had a calm look: "I believe in Naruto, and I don’t think he would leave even if I told him to."
Sasuke turned to look at Shikamaru: "That’s just how he is."
Naruto and Sasuke were actually quite similar. In a fight, winning was the only option, there was no running or losing. Even knowing the opponent was a Jinchuriki, Sasuke would still dare to fight, and Naruto was the same.
Sasuke clenched his fist. He said that, but he was still unwilling.
Naruto could now fight Gaara and even beat him when he was in half-Tailed Beast form, forcing him to fully transform. But Sasuke couldn’t even beat him without the Tailed Beast’s power.
Is the gap between Naruto and me really that big? Sasuke thought unwillingly.
"Are you... crazy?" Temari stared at Shikamaru in disbelief. She had no idea where these two got their confidence from. Didn’t they know what they were up against? How could they say such things in this situation?
Temari didn’t understand. She leaned against Shikamaru’s chest, her face showing confusion and a bit of... calm.
Maybe influenced by Shikamaru and Sasuke’s feelings, she also started to hope that Naruto would beat Gaara, hoping that her stubborn and awkward brother would return to his old self.
A huge cloud of smoke rose in the distance, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. Sasuke instinctively spoke: "Shadow clones? With such a huge amount of chakra, there must be at least a thousand clones, but against such a monster, no matter how many clones there are..."
"It’s not shadow clones!" Temari’s mouth dropped open, her face full of disbelief, "It’s..."
"Summoning Jutsu!" Shikamaru said his guess in a deep voice, a hint of excitement in his eyes, "With such a huge summoning, the Summoned Beast Naruto is calling won’t be a simple one!"
Sasuke had never encountered the Summoning Jutsu before. The only time was when Kakashi used it in the Land of Waves, but he had fainted and didn’t see it. Only Naruto and Sakura saw the Summoning Jutsu.
As the three of them watched with anticipation, the smoke gradually cleared. On the ground stood a giant toad, holding a pipe in its mouth, exuding an extremely terrifying chakra aura.
"Toad?" Sasuke was stunned.
"So big!" Temari exclaimed. The size of the Toad Boss was almost as big as Shukaku, looking very intimidating.
Shikamaru frowned and thought for a while, then slowly said with surprise, "In the records of Konoha, one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, signed a summoning contract with Mount Myoboku and summoned the toads from Mount Myoboku to fight."
Temari looked at Shikamaru in realization, "How do you know everything?"
Shikamaru knew about both the Tailed Beasts and the Jinchuriki, and now he even mentioned Mount Myoboku, a place she had never heard of. What’s with this guy?
Shikamaru didn’t mind and casually explained while looking at the distant Toad Boss, "When I skip class, I go to quiet places to sleep. When I can’t sleep, I read some strange books. I have to say, the atmosphere in Konoha’s library is very nice, and there are few people to disturb my sleep."
The key point was the last sentence.
Temari rolled her eyes speechlessly.
Sasuke clenched his fists again, silently watching the figure standing on the Toad Boss’s head.
In the distance, Naruto lowered his hands after forming the seals and breathed a sigh of relief, "The chakra consumption was too much. Luckily, Kurama, you supported me, otherwise the summoning would have failed again."
Kurama frowned in the inner world, "I gave you too much chakra today. I won’t give you this much next time unless necessary..."
"It’s okay!" Naruto’s eyes sparkled, looking passionately at Shukaku, or rather, Gaara on Shukaku’s head, "I don’t care what happens to my body. I want to defeat that guy and punch him hard in the face. I want to protect Konoha!"
This time, his silence wasn’t because he was speechless, but because he didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
After a while, Kurama suddenly chuckled, "Well, that’s the Naruto I know."
His eyes sharpened, and Kurama’s tone became different from usual, "I’ll fully support you next. But the consequence is you’ll be bedridden for who knows how long. In return, you have to give Shukaku a good beating for me."
Naruto clenched his fists, "Deal!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kurama’s chakra flowed out from the seal like surging seawater, enveloping Naruto’s entire body with powerful energy.
The pain was more intense than any previous time he borrowed Kurama’s chakra. Naruto gritted his teeth, not making a sound despite the pain. He just kept his eyes fixed on Gaara ahead, as the blood-red chakra wrapped around him like a fluid.
100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
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