How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

In the hospital room, Sasuke had already fallen asleep. Naruto sat outside the door, looking into the quiet room, still not quite used to the silence of the hospital.

In this atmosphere, Naruto suddenly spoke up, saying, "Kurama, I want to learn Rasengan."

Kurama glanced at him. "Haven't you been learning it already?"

"It's different," Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Before, I learned it because you told me, and because Rasengan is my father's jutsu, so I wanted to learn it. But I always thought Rasengan wasn't as powerful as the Tailed Beast Bomb."

It was just for the sake of learning.

"But now it's different." Naruto looked at Kurama, smiling a bit shyly. "When I fought Kimimaro and that big guy, I realized that while the Tailed Beast Bomb is powerful, I couldn't hit them. And when I tried to use other techniques, I realized I didn't know anything else."

Even with Kurama's chakra and the Tailed Beast Bomb, fighting felt like he couldn't touch his opponents. If Kurama hadn't taught him the tactics of the Tailed Beasts, Naruto might still have struggled against Jirobo.

Naruto recognized the weakness in his abilities—his lack of techniques for dealing with enemies.

Stronger ninja always have more ways to deal with their opponents. It doesn't mean they know every type of combat, but they generally have more techniques to handle a wider range of enemies.

Take Kakashi, for example. His nickname, the Copy Ninja, is known throughout the ninja world. But does that mean Kakashi only relies on his Sharingan? No, Kakashi's Earth Release, Lightning Release, and even Fire Release and Genjutsu are all strong. His Taijutsu isn't bad either, and he's even dabbled in the Eight Gates technique.

While these techniques might not be as mastered as his Sharingan, they give Kakashi many more options in battle.

Against strong Taijutsu users, Kakashi can use Genjutsu and Ninjutsu. Against strong Ninjutsu users, he can use Sharingan. And against Genjutsu users, he can combine Sharingan and Taijutsu to fight back.

Kakashi uses his diverse skills to gain an advantage in battle. But Naruto? Apart from the Tailed Beast Bomb and Taijutsu, he has no other options. If Jirobo hadn't been so arrogant and had taken Naruto seriously, would Naruto still have been able to win so easily?

The answer is clear.

Genjutsu doesn't work on Naruto, but against stronger Taijutsu users, he'd be at a disadvantage. Against Ninjutsu users with certain restrictions, Naruto might not even be able to land a hit. His only options would be to get close for a physical attack or try to gather the Tailed Beast Bomb.

This isn't necessarily a huge problem, but the Tailed Beast Bomb isn't Naruto's technique; it's Kurama's. He can only use it because Kurama lends him chakra. Without that, what other options does Naruto have?

Shadow clones?

Last night, Naruto wasn't the only one who realized how weak he was—Sasuke had noticed it too.

Kurama grinned, a hint of approval in his smile. "If you realize it, that means you're not stupid. You've always relied too much on my chakra. I told you during the Chunin Exams—just borrowing my chakra to win doesn't make you strong. You need to strengthen yourself."

"And it seems you've been ignoring that point for a while. It's not too late to realize it now."

Naruto looked up, his face serious as he gazed at the massive figure in the cell. "So what should I do, Kurama?"

"Just get stronger," Kurama said, resting on the ground, eyes fixed on Naruto. "I told you, I'll take you to a place soon, and there you'll be able to make improvements like never before. It's up to you if you have the ability to handle it."

"I understand." Naruto said firmly, clenching his fist. But then, as if recalling something, he slowly asked, "Kurama, can I bring Sasuke along?" 

Kurama's joyful expression froze for a moment. "Bring that kid along? Why?" 

He had originally planned to take only Naruto. Sasuke's growth was already under Orochimaru's guidance, and although Sasuke probably wouldn't be heading to Orochimaru's side now... 

Hmm, now that he thought about it, there really wasn't anyone else to teach Sasuke. 

Kakashi could, but compared to Orochimaru, Kakashi had a gap in ability. At first, it wouldn't be a problem, but over time, there would be a difference. Jiraiya and Tsunade, both of them clearly weren't a good match for Sasuke. Thinking about it, it seemed like there wasn't really anyone who could teach Sasuke. 

There's no way I'm going to look for Itachi, right? 

Kurama fell into deep thought. 

Meanwhile, Naruto spoke up, sharing his thoughts. "I don't really know why, but I always feel like Sasuke and I are very similar. 

If I get stronger, I know Sasuke will get stronger too. And if Sasuke gets stronger, I'll get stronger as well." 

"So, I want to bring him with me. We can both get stronger together." 

Naruto then looked up at Kurama. "Kurama, even though you never tell me what I'll be facing in the future, I believe Sasuke can help you just as much as I can." 

Naruto's eyes shone brightly, as if praying for hope in the future. 

Kurama thought for a moment and said, "He can indeed help me. And where I'm going to take you next, it might benefit him even more than it benefits you. By then, you might not even be his match. Is that okay with you?" 

"I don't mind!" Naruto said with a gentle smile. "I've always been chasing after Sasuke. Since school, I've wanted to catch up to him. Just like you told me, getting stronger isn't something you can just talk about. I need a goal." 

"Sasuke is my goal." 

"Even if he's weaker than you now?" Kurama asked. 

Surprisingly, Naruto shook his head and looked at Kurama with serious eyes. "Sasuke is stronger than me. I'm not strong. You are the one who's strong." 

Kurama couldn't help but smile, his grin becoming carefree. "Good. I like your attitude." 

Naruto's eyes lit up. "So, you're willing to bring Sasuke along?" 

"Sure." Kurama nodded. "But I have conditions." 

"Any condition is fine!" Naruto agreed without hesitation. 

"Heh." Kurama chuckled. "Let me finish. My condition is that within the next week, you need to master Rasengan, and be able to fully use it with just one hand. Also, you need to learn the basics of either the Diamond Seal or the Yin Sealing Technique. You can use whatever methods you want." 

Kurama didn't want to see Naruto still relying on Shadow Clones to make Rasengan in the future. Doing Rasengan with one hand is the real deal. As for the Diamond Lock and Yin Sealing, these techniques require a strong foundation in sealing techniques, so Kurama only asked Naruto to learn the basics, so that after leaving Konoha, Naruto could continue learning these techniques on his own. 

"If you meet these two conditions, I'll agree to bring Sasuke with us. How about it?" Kurama smiled at Naruto.

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