Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess

When Riku spoke, Naruto seemed to understand something—and suddenly roared at him.

Riku calmly glanced at Gaara, who lay motionless at Naruto’s feet.

His eyes narrowed as he activated the Rinnegan.

The next moment, Gaara’s body vanished completely from beside Naruto.

Riku disappeared as well.

Within a radius of a hundred kilometers, Riku could perceive everything. And as long as something was within his perception range, he could teleport there using the ability he had inherited from the Sharingan’s space-time manipulation.

Everyone outside the forest who had been anxiously waiting for news of Riku was still tense and on edge—when suddenly, he appeared before them.

He laid Gaara’s body on the ground and looked at Temari. "Sorry... I can’t promise he’s still alive."

Seeing Riku, Kakashi was visibly stunned. From what he could tell, Riku hadn’t left a Flying Thunder God marker on any of them.

So how had Riku teleported back here? The technique he had used definitely wasn’t Body Flicker.

Sakura suddenly remembered something. "Back then... he left a Flying Thunder God mark on me."

As the memory surfaced, her cheeks flushed red. It had been the first time someone had seen her so clearly.

But Riku hadn’t returned because of her. He had simply snatched Gaara’s body and rushed to suppress Naruto.

Just as Kakashi was about to ask Riku about Naruto—

A violent roar erupted from deep within the forest. "ROAR—!"

With the roar of a tailed beast, a terrifying surge of chakra exploded, and birds scattered from the canopy in every direction.

BOOM—!

A shockwave rippled out from the forest’s center.

Riku rose to his feet, his gaze sharp as he looked into the forest.

In the next moment, he vanished in a bolt of lightning.

"Riku! Be careful!" Sakura shouted after him.

Temari rushed to Gaara’s side. Seeing him lying there, lifeless, she couldn’t hold back her sobs.

Granny Chiyo stood quietly to the side, watching the scene in silence.

After a long pause, she stepped forward.

She crouched beside Gaara and murmured, "This is all my fault. I’ve lived long enough... let me give my life to bring a new one to Sunagakure."

The veteran shinobi nearby were stunned. Then, slowly, realization dawned.

"Advisor Chiyo... wait—"

Chiyo smiled faintly. "Seventy-plus years is more than enough. Sunagakure needs Gaara."

"Let me do one last thing for our village."

She raised her hands, and under Temari’s shocked gaze, began weaving seals.

"Reanimation Ninjutsu."

When she finished forming the seals, she pressed her hands against Gaara’s abdomen. A soft green medical chakra flowed from her palms.

Chiyo’s remaining life force transformed into pure vitality, pouring continuously into Gaara’s body. His dead body slowly began to show signs of life.

Temari, tears streaking her cheeks, stared in disbelief at the miracle unfolding before her.

Meanwhile, Sakura remained focused on the forest.

Kakashi and Guy did the same.

They all had a terrible feeling.

This time... Riku might be in real danger.

—

When Riku entered the forest, he appeared directly in front of Naruto.

"So much chaos, just from your chakra, Nine Tails."

From within Naruto’s body, Kurama responded to Riku’s words.

"Boy, you know the old man’s power goes far beyond this. But what’s affecting him now isn’t me—it’s the darkness buried in his heart."

"He’s been suppressing it until now, but it’s breaking free. His body stole a massive amount of my chakra on its own. And my chakra... it carries negative will. I can’t control it anymore."

Kurama wasn’t afraid of Riku’s ability to suppress him—he simply wanted to make it clear this wasn’t his doing.

At that moment, Naruto—now in his Six Tails form—radiated terrifying power. Even Pain’s Deva Path had once been overwhelmed by it. Their previous clash nearly destroyed an entire Great Nation village.

And that was just Six Tails.

There was a reason Uchiha Madara had chosen Kurama as his personal Summoning Beast—Nine Tails’ destructive power was unmatched.

The Tailed Beast Bomb alone surpassed the combined might of the other eight beasts.

Even a fully armored Susanoo would struggle to match a full-force strike from Kurama.

Now, the sheer intensity of Six Tails Naruto’s chakra had filled the surrounding area. The trees in the area had all been obliterated.

Riku stood before the feral Naruto, frowning.

"Naruto, snap out of it. It’s been three years—and you still haven’t improved? Three years ago, you promised you’d learn to control the Nine Tails’ chakra. Don’t forget that."

But the power of Kurama’s chakra was overwhelming—it couldn’t be conquered by sheer will.

Upon hearing Riku’s words, Six Tails Naruto let out a monstrous roar and vanished in a blur of motion.

BOOM—!

BOOM—!

He reappeared in front of Riku in an instant, swiping his massive claw at Riku’s face.

Riku raised a hand and blocked the blow.

The ground beneath them caved in from the force of the impact.

The earth cracked and collapsed under the pressure. Even Tsunade using the Strength of a Hundred Seal wouldn’t be able to match such raw destruction.

Despite the overwhelming force, Naruto’s attack couldn’t break through Riku’s defense.

Riku caught the blow with his bare hand.

But even as he stood firm, he frowned. "No wonder Pain couldn’t resist... this power really is monstrous."

"And that was just a physical strike."

Naruto responded by suddenly extending a massive chakra arm from his abdomen—aimed directly at Riku’s gut.

Before it could connect, lightning burst from Riku’s body.

ZAP—!

It turned into a writhing thunder serpent, which coiled around the chakra arm.

Under the assault of the thunder snake, the chakra construct shattered—and the outer layer of Naruto’s Tailed Beast Cloak was torn away.

The sheer force of the lightning knocked Six Tails Naruto back several steps.

Even Kurama winced from within Naruto’s body.

"This guy’s Lightning Style is terrifying... it can tear through the Tailed Beast Cloak even in this form? That’s just absurd."

Naruto didn’t stop—he recovered quickly and began circling around Riku.

He was looking for an opening.

Every step he took made the forest tremble.

Riku, meanwhile, kept a close eye on Naruto, trying to discern the characteristics of his current transformation.

Outside the forest, the others waited nervously.

Especially Kakashi and Sakura.

Sakura looked like she might rush into the forest at any moment—but Kakashi held her back.

Eventually, Granny Chiyo completed the resurrection jutsu. Gaara stirred—alive once more.

Temari, wiping away her tears, joined Kakashi and Sakura as they stood silently at the edge of the forest, waiting... and hoping.

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