A Child Longing for Approval
"Big Ball Rasengan!"
In the next instant, Naruto appeared above Shukaku's head, slamming the massive swirling chakra sphere directly into the One-Tail's face.
A brilliant explosion erupted on impact, sending Shukaku skidding back hundreds of meters before it crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact. Chunks of its sand-like body broke off, leaving it battered. As it struggled to reform, Shukaku locked its wide, fearful eyes onto Naruto.
Barely managing to push itself up, Shukaku clasped its hands together, ready to counterattack with a jutsu.
But what greeted it was a relentless barrage of Rasengans. One after another, dozens of Rasen Shurikens cut through the air, slamming into Shukaku's body at the same time. The sheer force left the tailed beast unable to get back up.
Shukaku was pounded into the ground again and again. Its initial fear turned into sheer panic.
How can this brat be this powerful?
It knew Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, but even Kurama couldn't overpower it so one-sidedly. Thinking about its own Jinchūriki, Gaara, Shukaku couldn't help but wonder—why is there such a massive gap in strength between Jinchūriki?
Naruto saw the fear in Shukaku's eyes but didn't stop. He needed to end this fight decisively. He still had a mission—Kurama had told him Shukaku just needed to be beaten into submission. If he could overpower the One-Tail, he would earn its recognition.
---
The Observers
"Is this really Naruto's strength…?"
Tsunade stood in stunned silence, watching the battlefield unfold.
Jiraiya had once told her that Naruto had surpassed him, but she had assumed he was just being humble. Now, seeing it with her own eyes, she realized there was no room for doubt.
"This level of power... it's beyond the Five Kage. Maybe even close to my grandfather."
But how was that possible? Naruto was only old enough to take the Chūnin Exams.
She sensed footsteps behind her and turned to see Uchiha Shisui, his Susanoo now dismissed. He approached her calmly, watching the battle unfold.
Shisui had made a calculated decision. Knowing that Naruto wanted to step in, he had dismissed his own Susanoo and left the battlefield to his "boss." While Shisui was confident he could defeat Shukaku, doing so would have drained his Mangekyō Sharingan's power. Naruto, however, crushed Shukaku effortlessly.
Tsunade frowned as she looked at Shisui.
The feud between the Senju and Uchiha clans had lasted for centuries. Even though the war had ended decades ago, old wounds remained. Suspicion and wariness still lingered between their respective clans.
Shisui, however, remained calm and said, "It's been a long time, Lady Tsunade. It seems that even after Uchiha left Konoha, the village hasn't known peace."
Tsunade remained silent. She didn't know how to respond.
---
Inside the Arena
The battle raged on, but despite Shukaku's incredible regeneration, the gap in strength was too overwhelming. Its resilience, once an advantage, had become nothing more than prolonged torture.
After several minutes of relentless attacks, Shukaku finally gave up. Gasping for breath, it looked up at Naruto, who stood atop its head like an unstoppable force.
"Brat… no more… I surrender…!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "That didn't sound very convincing."
Shukaku's body tensed. "M-My lord… I surrender! There's no need for us to fight anymore, right?"
Naruto smirked. "That's not the point. I just wanted to test your strength."
Without hesitation, Naruto used the Adamantine Sealing Chains to bind Shukaku to the ground, then placed a chakra seal onto its body. Activating a powerful genjutsu, he forced Shukaku's consciousness into an illusion—one where Gaara was peacefully sleeping.
The moment Gaara's eyes opened within the illusion, Shukaku's chakra lost control and began returning to its host.
---
Gaara's Awakening
Lying on the ground, Gaara groggily got up, his vision settling on Naruto.
"I remember... Shukaku took over my consciousness. Did you... defeat him?"
Naruto nodded slightly, his gaze unreadable.
He knew Gaara's story all too well.
Gaara, the son of the Fourth Kazekage, had been a Jinchūriki since birth. But instead of being nurtured, he was treated as a weapon. He had never known a peaceful night's sleep. The people of Sunagakure feared and despised him, and his own father had even ordered his assassination, using his uncle as the assassin—just to test Gaara's control over Shukaku.
It wasn't surprising that Gaara had grown up believing love was a lie.
Hearing Naruto confirm that he had defeated Shukaku, Gaara was shaken. Since the day he was born, Shukaku had been his nightmare. Yet Naruto, someone his own age, had easily subdued it.
"How did you defeat Shukaku?" Gaara asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Naruto glanced at him, giving him a look that seemed to pity his ignorance. "With my own strength, obviously. What did you think? I gave him a pep talk?"
Gaara hesitated. "I mean… you're my age. How could you defeat something as strong as Shukaku?"
Naruto sighed, then let out a fraction of Kurama's chakra, letting its overwhelming presence fill the air. "Besides my own strength, the tailed beast inside me is far stronger than Shukaku. You do know Shukaku isn't the only one of his kind, right?"
Gaara's breath hitched. "There… there are others?"
"Yeah. There are nine in total."
Gaara stood frozen. No one had ever told him this. That means… there are other Jinchūriki like me…?
Naruto stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Forget about that for now. Sunagakure allied with Orochimaru to attack Konoha, and you've been defeated. You should think about surrendering."
"Surrender?"
Gaara's expression darkened. He instinctively stepped back, ready to fight again.
Naruto didn't hesitate. He moved in a flash, knocking Gaara down with ease.
"Gaara, stop resisting. You can't beat me."
Gaara gritted his teeth as he looked up. From the corner of his eye, he could see a large group of Konoha shinobi approaching.
It was over. Sunagakure's plan had failed.
But… what did that have to do with him? He had never truly belonged to Sunagakure. He was just a monster, feared and despised by everyone.
Maybe… staying here wouldn't be so bad.
At least, in front of him, there was another monster like himself.
---
System Notification
At that moment, a voice echoed in Naruto's mind:
"Gaara's favorability has reached 'Approval.' Reward: [Sand Manipulation Technique]."
"Lonely children always long for approval. Even if it means becoming part of a monster."
Subscribe to Patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters