Sakura was curious but skeptical.
"You're kidding, right? There's no way Naruto has more chakra than Sasuke!"
In her mind, Sasuke was incredibly strong—second only to Yoruha among their generation. To her, Sasuke being stronger naturally meant he had far more chakra than Naruto.
But Yoruha nodded seriously.
"There's no doubt about it. In fact, Naruto's chakra reserves are even greater than Kakashi-sensei's."
"That's one of the benefits of being the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
Then he added, "Naruto, your hand's healed completely, hasn't it? Not even a scar left?"
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Uh… why are you asking that?"
Still, he raised his hand, curiosity written on his face.
Sakura and Sasuke were both stunned. Only a few days had passed since Naruto had driven a kunai straight through his palm, yet his hand looked perfectly fine—completely healed, with no trace of a scar.
It was a severe wound, one that should've taken weeks to recover from. But Naruto's hand looked as though it had never been injured at all.
Naruto didn't find it strange; his wounds had always healed quickly since he was a kid. He just assumed everyone was like that.
Yoruha explained, "That's another change brought by the Nine-Tails—your body regenerates at an incredible rate. Normally, an injury that deep wouldn't heal for months, and even then it would leave scars. But look—your palm is flawless."
Naruto glanced down. "You're right. There's not even a mark… Wait, don't other people heal this fast?"
Before Yoruha could answer, Sakura spoke up.
"Of course not! There's no way such a deep wound could heal in a few days—and without a scar at that. I'm honestly jealous, Naruto."
And she meant it.
As a girl, Sakura naturally cared about her appearance. The idea of having such perfect healing—never worrying about scars—was enviable, especially for someone as self-conscious as her.
Sasuke, too, stared intently at Naruto's hand, shock flickering in his eyes.
He hadn't expected Naruto to have that kind of ability.
That idiot… he actually has such terrifying power.
Even Sasuke didn't possess something like that. For a ninja—someone who lived on the edge of life and death—such regeneration was extraordinary. On the battlefield, it was practically like having multiple lives.
With both Sakura and Sasuke watching him in awe, Naruto puffed up with pride, grinning from ear to ear.
"Really? Sakura's jealous of me? Am I that amazing? Hahaha!"
Sakura's envy melted away instantly. Looking at his goofy smile, she sighed inwardly.
Never mind. It's not worth being jealous—he traded brains for healing.
Yoruha could only shake his head, speechless.
"This guy's emotions change faster than the wind. He was miserable five minutes ago, and now he's laughing his head off."
After laughing for a while, Naruto looked at Yoruha again.
"So… how do I control the Nine-Tails' power? If I can do that, will I really become as strong as the Fourth Hokage?"
Sasuke and Sakura both turned to Yoruha, curious as well.
After all, Naruto had always been the weakest in their team—well, maybe a little stronger than Sakura now—but still far behind Sasuke.
Sasuke, of course, had no intention of letting someone like Naruto surpass him.
Yoruha waved a hand dismissively.
"How should I know? Don't get me wrong, I'm just like you—I only graduated from the Academy recently. What I know is what Kakashi-sensei told me."
"As for controlling the Nine-Tails, even Kakashi-sensei doesn't know how. If he did, the Third Hokage would've already taught you long ago."
"But I heard that the previous Nine-Tails' jinchūriki managed to control its power through sealing techniques."
"The previous host, by the way, was the Fourth Hokage's wife—and like you, she was from the Uzumaki Clan."
Naruto froze.
Then a thought struck him.
"Wait… I'm from the Uzumaki Clan?"
Although his surname was Uzumaki, he'd never realized it meant anything. He had always assumed it was just a family name—nothing more.
Yoruha nodded. "That's right. The Uzumaki Clan was once Konoha's ally. They were incredibly powerful."
"But the clan was wiped out long ago. Otherwise, they'd still be one of the strongest families around."
Naruto's expression fell. "Wait… the Uzumaki Clan isn't part of Konoha?"
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged glances, equally surprised.
They hadn't even known such a clan existed within Konoha's history. Like Naruto, they had assumed 'Uzumaki' was simply his last name.
When Sasuke heard the clan had been annihilated, he felt an unexpected pang of sympathy. For the first time, he saw a bit of himself in Naruto—both of them survivors of fallen clans.
For Naruto, though, it was a confusing mix of feelings. Just when he thought he'd found a sense of belonging, Yoruha told him that his clan was gone—and that it hadn't even been part of Konoha to begin with.
Yoruha explained further, "No, the Uzumaki Clan came from the Land of Whirlpools. They were master sealers—experts in fūinjutsu."
"They were especially suited to becoming jinchūriki because of their unique chakra and sealing talent. But that also made other nations fear them. The great powers joined forces to destroy them and steal their sealing techniques."
"Most of the clan was wiped out, but some survived and scattered across the world. Konoha took in a few of them."
"The First Hokage's wife was an Uzumaki, and so was the Fourth Hokage's wife. Both were once hosts of the Nine-Tails."
He wasn't revealing any classified information—this was all written in Konoha's public archives. It's just that no one ever cared to read about the wives of Hokage; people only focused on the Hokage themselves.
Still, because they were important figures, the information was preserved in the village's historical records.
Yoruha looked back at Naruto.
"So I think if you can learn the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, you could do the same—control the Nine-Tails, just like the Hokages' wives did."
Naruto went quiet for a moment before muttering,
"But… I don't know where to find those sealing techniques. You said the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out—so how am I supposed to learn them?"
Yoruha shrugged. "That's beyond me. I'm not much stronger than you are. Besides, sealing techniques are probably top-secret village knowledge. Ordinary people like us wouldn't have access to them."
"But honestly, the sealing jutsu the Fourth Hokage used on you is already extremely powerful—and it benefits you a lot. You just need to grow stronger and learn to make the most of it. Eventually, you'll be able to master the Nine-Tails' power."
"Remember, the Nine-Tails is unbelievably strong. When it rampaged through the village, it caused unimaginable destruction—but that only proves how immense its power is. If you can control it, your strength could reach, or even surpass, Hokage level."
"Think about it—if the Fourth Hokage had to sacrifice his life just to seal that beast, then you, who carry its chakra, are already holding that kind of power inside you."
"Just a small leak of its chakra makes your reserves greater than Kakashi-sensei's. Imagine if you could control it completely—your chakra would be several times greater than even the Hokage's."
"Besides, since the first two Nine-Tails hosts in Konoha were both from the Uzumaki Clan, it's clear your people are naturally suited for it. Your body probably has an innate power to suppress the tailed beasts—you just haven't awakened it yet."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
Right now, more than anything, he wanted to grow stronger—to surpass Yoruha, to earn Kakashi's acknowledgment.
And hearing that mastering the Nine-Tails' power could make him as strong as, or even stronger than, the Fourth Hokage—
that thought made his heart race.
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