Naruto: From Ninja Academy to an Early Grave

For a master of Fūinjutsu on Makoto's level, dismantling the Five-Seal Barrier didn't require following the rules its creator had set.

He had a much simpler way.

Makoto's feet slowly lifted off the water as he floated toward the sealing talisman affixed to the massive boulder. Wrapping his right hand in chakra, he pressed it against the seal.

The Five-Seal Barrier couldn't absorb his Senjutsu chakra at all. The two forms of energy were fundamentally incompatible.

After carefully sensing the flow of chakra within the barrier, Makoto quickly grasped how it functioned. Then Senjutsu energy erupted from his hand, destroying the barrier at its source in an instant.

With its energy circulation broken, the five sealing talismans lost their effect and quietly peeled away. The Mirror Attacker Technique hidden within never even had the chance to activate.

Makoto then withdrew his right hand slightly, adjusted the vibration frequency of his chakra, and threw a punch at the boulder.

The attack looked light, yet cracks instantly spread across the entire rock before it exploded with a thunderous rumble, collapsing into countless small stones that splashed into the river.

The cave entrance was now completely open, allowing sunlight to pour inside and illuminate everything within.

The four of them flashed into the cave.

There, they saw Gaara lying motionless on the ground, his chest completely still. Sitting atop his body was a long-haired young man with a high ponytail, a thick lock of hair hanging over his left eye.

His cloak was identical to the ones worn by Kisame and Orochimaru outside—the standard uniform of the Akatsuki.

Black with red clouds.

Pretty stylish, honestly. Akatsuki had done a solid job with its corporate branding. It had far more presence than all those messy organizations that would show up later.

The man before them was none other than Akatsuki member Deidara, codenamed Ao.

Deidara was another blond, only a few years older than Naruto—the genuine blondie. He was handsome enough, though the cocky expression on his face made him look like a delinquent.

Seeing the four of them, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"So you got in this fast? Looks like Pain's trap didn't do a thing after all, hmm!"

Kankurō couldn't care less about any of that.

"Bastard! Get off Gaara!"

"Him?" Deidara stood up and casually hopped backward. "He's already dead. If you want him, you can have him, hmm!"

With a flick of his foot, he kicked Gaara's corpse toward them.

Kankurō instinctively reached out to catch him, but Makoto grabbed him back with his left hand. Supporting Gaara's body with his right, he released a faint surge of electricity.

Crackle...

A pile of white beetle-like creatures spilled out from inside Gaara's clothes.

Only then did Makoto hand him over to Kankurō.

"Next time, don't blindly catch something an enemy throws at you—even if it's your little brother."

At that moment, the young man couldn't care about anything else.

Holding his younger brother tightly, he and Temari desperately called out to him, hoping for some kind of response.

It was completely useless.

Gaara's face was deathly pale, his eyes tightly shut, utterly motionless. The enormous dark circles beneath his eyes made him look like a sleeping panda.

Since his explosive trap had failed, Deidara looked somewhat disappointed.

"So you're Higashino Makoto of Konoha? You've really got some skill. No wonder the organization is so wary of you."

"That's right," Makoto replied. "I've seen explosive clay before, back during the last war. Its weaknesses are far too obvious. Besides, you're Ōnoki's disciple, aren't you? Instead of staying in Iwagakure and becoming the next Tsuchikage, you ran off to join a terrorist organization. Was it really worth it?"

Deidara curled his lip.

"Hmph. That old geezer never understood my art, hmm!"

"Then you're quite the rebellious, unfilial student. That old man must be heartbroken."

At that moment, Granny Chiyo sighed in disappointment.

"So... Sasori isn't here?"

"You mean Sasori-danna?" Deidara replied. "He already left."

"So I still couldn't see my dear grandson in the end... What a pity. Perhaps that was his last chance to see his grandmother."

"Huh? You're Sasori-danna's grandmother? Now that's a surprise. I never imagined he still had family alive, hmm!"

"That's right, young man from Iwagakure. If you ever get the chance, please pass a message on to Sasori."

"Tell him... that all these years, his grandmother has always believed in him."

"I'll pass it along."

Makoto cut the conversation short.

"That's enough chatting. Just like the people outside, you're only a clone. If you're not making a move yet... what exactly are you waiting for?"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several figures shot into the cave through the air.

After defeating their respective opponents, Naruto and the others had finally arrived.

Once everyone had arrived, Deidara's grin grew even more smug.

"Of course I was waiting for everyone to get here. What's the point of perfect art if the audience misses it? Hah!"

Everyone: "..."

The little blond had spent all that time striking dramatic poses, only for absolutely nothing to happen.

Awkward.

From beneath the cave floor, countless white clay centipedes crawled out. But the moment they broke through the ground, it was as if they had exhausted every last bit of strength—they all went completely still.

Silver, serpent-like currents of electricity rippled beneath the entire floor.

Makoto sighed.

"Stop yelling already, kid. I already told you your art has way too many obvious flaws. While you were waiting for everyone to arrive, I'd already cleared out everything underground."

Deidara looked utterly insulted. He thrust both hands into the ninja tool pouches at his sides.

"Don't look down on me, you bastard!"

When he pulled them back out, the grotesque mouths in his palms spewed out large amounts of clay. The moment it hit the ground, it transformed into two bizarre white humanoid creatures. They staggered crookedly, yet charged at everyone with astonishing speed.

Explosive Clay: Spirit Manipulation Technique!

Inspired by his partner Sasori's Puppet Technique, these creations would split apart whenever attacked and could explode at any moment.

It had to be said—Deidara was practically born for manual labor.

Unfortunately for him, he'd picked the wrong opponent.

Makoto extended his right hand.

A massive glowing cube suddenly flashed into existence between them, vanishing an instant later—along with the clay constructs.

Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!

Makoto shrugged.

"See? Your sensei's Dust Release is far more useful. You really let something amazing slip through your fingers. This is art."

The little blond completely lost it.

"Bastard! What do you know?! Art is an explosion! I'll show you all my ultimate art right now!"

As he spoke, Deidara's body rapidly began to swell.

Although this was only a Shapeshifting Technique clone, making its self-destruction far weaker than the original body's ultimate C0, he was confident that, inside this enclosed cave, the blast would wipe everyone out in one shot.

Another Makoto suddenly appeared behind him.

Using his hand like a blade, he plunged it into Deidara's bloated body. A burst of violent purple lightning flashed, instantly canceling the self-destruct.

Like a punctured balloon, Deidara rapidly deflated.

He turned around in disbelief.

"A Shadow Clone? Since when?"

"Since the moment we came in. Looks like your eyesight isn't so great either."

"Damn it... Next time. Next time I'll make you witness my ultimate art, hmm."

With those final words, the little blond temporarily logged off.

His body transformed into a White Zetsu.

Makoto collected it.

Once properly processed, these things had tremendous potential for medical applications. They were practically a blessing for people with disabilities.

...

On the grassy field outside the cave, Gaara lay there peacefully.

Temari and Kankurō stared blankly ahead.

They had no choice but to accept the truth.

Gaara... was dead.

It was common knowledge throughout the shinobi world that once a jinchūriki lost their Tailed Beast, they died.

Gaara wasn't Kushina. He didn't possess the Uzumaki Clan's extraordinary vitality that allowed her to keep going for quite a while even after losing the Nine Tails.

Naruto looked toward his teacher.

"Sensei... is Gaara really dead?"

"Yes," Makoto answered. "Once the One-Tail is extracted, the jinchūriki can't survive."

In this world, Naruto and Gaara didn't share the deep bond they had in the original timeline. Sasuke's place in Naruto's heart was firmly secured.

Even so, as a fellow jinchūriki, Naruto couldn't help empathizing with him.

He had been fortunate.

He had parents who loved him, a powerful teacher, and people who had protected him all along.

Other jinchūriki...

Clearly weren't nearly as lucky.

Sasuke, Kiba, and the others were equally downcast.

This wasn't just about failing the mission.

A talented shinobi around their own age—someone they knew—had simply died.

Even Kurama, sealed within Naruto, was unusually quiet.

He and Shukaku had never gotten along, but he still didn't want to see that tanuki become part of the Ten-Tails again.

The nine Tailed Beasts had long since become independent living beings, each with its own consciousness and personality.

None of them wanted to end up that way.

Sakura looked hopefully at Makoto.

"Makoto-sensei... is there really nothing even you can do?"

Naruto suddenly spoke up in a small voice.

"Yeah, Sensei... Didn't you save my mom before?"

Makoto simply shook his head without answering.

He had studied every forbidden technique in Konoha, so he certainly had a way.

But he wasn't so selfless that he would sacrifice a large portion of his own life force for someone from Sunagakure—not even for an ordinary shinobi from Konoha.

That had never changed.

Only his family and close friends were worth risking his own life essence to save.

Besides...

Sunagakure wasn't out of options.

After all, wasn't Granny Chiyo standing right there?