Naruto: Different Path

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Naruto's jutsu was utterly spectacular, drawing attention from both sides of the battlefield. 

A Konoha ninja shouted in awe, "Everyone, look! It's the White Flash of Konoha! What an incredible jutsu—it's nothing short of a miracle!" 

Many Konoha shinobi paused to admire Naruto's masterpiece, filled with admiration. 

In contrast, the Iwagakure shinobi's expressions darkened as they witnessed the scene.

Onoki, who was hovering in mid-air, realized that contending with Naruto's massive-scale techniques by expending chakra was futile. 

His sharp gaze shifted toward the distant Konoha shinobi battling the Iwagakure forces, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. 

As a hardened veteran of countless wars, Onoki had long grown accustomed to employing brutal tactics. 

Seeing that Naruto's jutsu could no longer reach him, he prepared to attack the Konoha shinobi below, aiming to use them as leverage against Naruto.

"Senpō: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"

Without warning, a massive wooden dragon materialized from the surrounding trees. 

Towering in size, it was a colossal entity, especially when compared to Onoki's diminutive stature. 

The wooden dragon surged toward Onoki, coiling its enormous body around him, leaving no room to evade. 

Forced to ignore the cost of his chakra, Onoki activated Dust Release once more, a beam of white light obliterating the wooden dragon.

However, Naruto's assault didn't relent. From below, a Rasenshuriken had already been launched. 

The spinning, whirring chakra projectile carried an overwhelming sense of menace, hurtling directly toward Onoki. 

Out of options, Onoki was forced to use Dust Release yet again, neutralizing the Rasenshuriken.

Naruto summoned a shadow clone to replenish his Sage Mode chakra while Onoki took the opportunity to catch his breath, panting heavily in the air. 

His earlier plan had been disrupted by Naruto's attacks, and just as he prepared to act again, two more Rasenshuriken surged toward him from below. 

They were like two missiles, threatening his very life. With no other choice, Onoki used Dust Release once more to counter them.

A loud crack echoed through the air as Onoki's ageing body finally gave out—his back gave way. 

Clutching his lower back, he could no longer move and began to fall from the sky.

Naruto, noticing this, summoned another shadow clone to restore his Sage Mode chakra. 

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared, darting toward Onoki at incredible speed. 

Before the Tsuchikage could hit the ground, the figure caught him and swiftly fled without even glancing at Naruto.

By the time Naruto finished replenishing his chakra, Onoki and his rescuer had disappeared. 

Naruto could only sense their chakra moving rapidly away. 

Although he wanted to pursue them, the enemy's speed was too great, and his attention was drawn to the ongoing battle, where Konoha shinobi were still fighting desperately against Iwagakure forces.

Sakura Haruno, experiencing the brutality of the battlefield for the first time, was visibly shaken and struggling to adapt to the grim environment.

Naruto turned in the direction Onoki had fled and declared, "Onoki, you're lucky this time, but your subordinates won't be as fortunate."

With a quick series of hand signs, he shouted, "Senpō: Deep Forest Emergence!"

A vast forest sprang up around Naruto, transforming the battlefield into a sea of trees. 

The dense foliage surged toward the combat zone, targeting the Iwagakure forces specifically. 

Thanks to Sage Mode's sensory abilities, Naruto could precisely locate the Konoha shinobi amidst the chaos.

Unlike other large-scale jutsu, Wood Release offered exceptional control. The trees surged into the battlefield, attacking only the Iwagakure shinobi. 

At first, some of the Iwagakure forces thought they could evade by maintaining a strategic distance from Konoha shinobi. 

Even some Konoha shinobi were initially alarmed, fearing they might be caught in the attack. 

However, it soon became clear that the trees were selectively targeting Iwagakure's forces.

Within moments, the trees were either binding or directly attacking the Iwagakure shinobi. 

Some were ensnared, others killed outright, their screams echoing through the battlefield. 

Those who were farther away and quick to react attempted to flee, but Konoha shinobi swiftly intercepted them, assisting Naruto's assault.

Despite this, a few Iwagakure ninjas managed to escape the range of the forest. 

Just as they began to feel relief, Naruto appeared before them, blocking their path.

"What?!?" The Iwagakure shinobi collectively gasped in shock.

Seeing the white-robed youth before them, many of the Iwagakure shinobi looked as though they had seen the Grim Reaper. 

Some were already visibly trembling. Without hesitation, Naruto formed hand signs and launched another "Senpō: Deep Forest Emergence." 

The forest surged from the opposite direction, once again trapping the Iwagakure forces.

Those who were still able to think realized that escape was impossible. 

In desperation, they turned and charged toward the Konoha shinobi behind them. As for those who had lost their composure, their fate was sealed.

The battle resumed, but this time the objectives were starkly different. 

The Konoha shinobi only needed to hold their ground, while the Iwagakure forces fought desperately to escape. 

The difference in their positions was enormous. 

Coupled with Konoha's numerical advantage following the earlier skirmish, the Iwagakure forces stood little chance.

In the end, only a handful of Iwagakure shinobi managed to survive, fleeing into the distance. 

The battlefield was left covered in a vast sea of trees, the bodies of Iwagakure's Anbu, and the remnants of their scattered forces.

A few Konoha jonin quickly pursued the fleeing Iwagakure ninja to prevent their escape. 

Naruto, meanwhile, infused several kunai with large amounts of chakra and hurled them in different directions.

Although the kunai were skillfully thrown, it was unlikely they would harm the escaping jonin, as their abilities allowed them to evade such attacks. 

But in the next instant, a figure wielding a massive Rasengan appeared out of nowhere.

The sheer density of chakra in the attack made it impossible for anyone to survive a direct hit, and the sudden appearance left the Iwagakure shinobi no chance to react.

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Naruto pursued the fleeing shinobi relentlessly. 

Even those who recognized the jutsu and tried to counter it found it was too late.

By the end of the battle, Naruto, through Sage Mode, could confirm the results:

Apart from Onoki and the mysterious Anbu who had rescued him, every single Iwagakure Anbu who had participated in the battle was eliminated—either slain by Konoha shinobi or consumed by the sea of trees. 

Even the few who had tried to escape were ultimately hunted down by Naruto's Flying Thunder God.

Not a single Iwagakure Anbu escaped!

...

The Leaf Village celebrated another victorious battle, with some already rejoicing over their potential promotion to Jonin. 

Naruto, meanwhile, was comforting Sakura Haruno, who was struggling to adapt to the brutal realities of the battlefield. 

The Leaf shinobi present gained an even greater respect for Naruto as a hero of the village. 

Some even began idolizing him. Kakashi observed Naruto with a proud smile, honoured to have such a remarkable subordinate.

On the Stone Village's side, an elite Anbu, adept in speed, carried the injured Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, away. 

They fled far from the borders of the Land of Fire, only stopping after ensuring no pursuit followed. 

Ōnoki clutched his aching back and lamented, "If I were younger, I'd fight him again!" 

The Anbu, however, bluntly remarked, "With all due respect, even in your prime, you wouldn't be his equal." 

"That boy's power rivals the legendary Hashirama Senju, the founder of the Leaf Village."

Ōnoki, clearly displeased, retorted, "What?! Are you implying I'm weak?—Ah! My back!" 

Despite the mask obscuring his expression, the Anbu's exasperation was palpable. 

After finding a safe place to rest overnight, Ōnoki's back finally recovered the next morning, allowing him to fly back to the Land of Earth. 

Upon returning to the Stone Village, he called a meeting and received some good news: the two Jinchūriki had been located.

At the meeting, Ōnoki erupted in fury, while the Anbu commander and the representatives of the Daimyō sat in silent shame. 

"I warned you all not to provoke the Leaf lightly!" Ōnoki bellowed. "You thought your covert methods could defeat them?" 

"Do you have any idea how many geniuses the Leaf has? I'm lucky to have escaped alive!" 

The Anbu commander hesitantly asked, "Lord Tsuchikage, what of the Anbu who went with you?"

Ōnoki shook his head, closing his eyes with a heavy sigh. "As their leader, I've failed them. If none of them return within three days… then they are likely…" 

He paused, clenching his teeth. "Likely all dead." The room fell into stunned silence, the weight of such a complete defeat chilling everyone. 

Finally, Ōnoki decreed, "From this day forth, no one is to launch large-scale operations against the Leaf Village!"

Meanwhile, the Leaf was unaware of these developments. 

In this chaotic ninja world, those stationed at outposts worked tirelessly to protect the Land of Fire and the village, striving to do their utmost. 

Even the Cloud Village had become more cautious, acknowledging the Leaf's overwhelming strength and avoiding unnecessary conflict.

Naruto, with a bit of free time, began contemplating the future of the Manor, his orphanage. 

With the growing number of war orphans, he realized he could easily establish an entire ninja village if he wished. 

However, Naruto understood that quality outweighed quantity and focused on adopting only those with promising potential. 

Yet, one issue troubled him deeply: most of the orphans lacked sufficient chakra reserves.

Even if some were talented in ninjutsu, their low chakra levels limited their growth.

Among the thousand orphans, Naruto had taken in, fewer than ten possessed a substantial amount of chakra. 

If Kurama, the Nine-Tails, were fully cooperative, the situation might be different, but their relationship had not yet reached that level. 

While training near the outpost, Naruto sat in thought, trying to solve this issue. 

Sakura appeared, unnoticed at first, and finally asked, "Naruto, what's on your mind? Thinking about Sasuke again?"

Snapped out of his reverie, Naruto nodded absentmindedly. 

Sakura continued, "Sasuke's been with Orochimaru for so long now. With that cursed seal on him, who knows what Orochimaru is planning—"

Naruto suddenly exclaimed, "The cursed seal!" 

Surprised, Sakura asked, "Naruto, are you worried about the seal too?" Naruto nodded again, but his mind was elsewhere. 

He recalled that Orochimaru's cursed seal was a crude application of senjutsu chakra. 

While it was far from perfect and came with significant risks, it was still a usable system. 

If Naruto could develop a perfected version, his orphans might be able to utilize senjutsu chakra, alleviating their chakra limitations.

However, Naruto quickly hit a mental block. He had no expertise in the cursed seal's intricacies. 

Even Orochimaru, with his extensive research, couldn't achieve perfection, highlighting the difficulty of such a task. 

Naruto's thoughts shifted to tools like Samehada, the sentient sword capable of absorbing chakra. 

If he could create similar tools, they might solve the problem. But such legendary ninja tools were exceedingly rare, if not unique. 

Equipping an entire group with them was unfeasible.

Realizing his lack of expertise in forging tools, Naruto concluded he needed the help of skilled craftsmen. 

Apart from Konoha's weapons specialists, only the legendary Craftsmen's Village might have such talents. 

After a brief conversation with Sakura, Naruto returned to the outpost and assigned its defence to Hinata's cousin, Neji Hyūga. 

Determined to act alone, he set off to find the Craftsmen's Village.

Entering Sage Mode and using the Flying Thunder God Technique for rapid travel, Naruto reached the Craftsmen's Village in record time. 

What awaited him, however, was a smouldering ruin. 

The village had recently been destroyed, likely due to its expertise in crafting coveted ninja tools during this chaotic era. 

Unlike the Leaf, most villages lacked dedicated craftsmen, making such skills a deadly liability.

Naruto refused to give up. Logically, even if the village was destroyed, some villagers must have survived. 

Entering Sage Mode once more, Naruto began scanning the area carefully, determined to find any clue or survivor amidst the wreckage.

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