Once More by ItsHardToFindAPenName

Chapter 23: Children of Destiny!

She immediately coated her hand with as much chakra as she could, and backhanded the deadly attack. The Rasengan was bashed aside; it flew to a cliff nearby and took out a chunk of it.

What, do you think they would bring a fight like this to the middle of a town?

"Aw, that's so unfair!" Naruto complained. "The Rasengan is not supposed to be stopped like that! This is not Dragon Ball!"

"I'm impressed," Tsunade said. "Your teamwork has become better than before. But you have to do better than that to defeat me!"

Well, that's only what she said, though. Despite being able to deflect the Rasengan like that, her hand still felt a little bit numb.

"Tch..." Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"What's the matter?" Tsunade taunted again. "Is that everything you got?"

"Heh," Naruto grinned, "that's only the beginning! Today we are not the Team 7 of one week ago! That's not even half of our tricks!"

"All right," Tsunade taunted again. "Then show me what you got!"

The two sides lowered their stances, ready to charge at each other again...

Then an explosion shook the ground.

Everyone froze in place, looking at each other in horror.

"What the hell, Naruto?" Sasuke looked at Naruto. "What have you done this time?"

"What?" the blonde protested. "I didn't do anything!"

Sasuke, Sakura and Jiraiya raised their eyebrows.

"Oh come on! Stop treating me as if I'm the God of Destruction, you guys!"

Somewhere across the multiverse, a purple cat-like creature sneezed.

"That explosion was from over there," Jiraiya pointed at a range of mountains about three miles from where they were standing, at the other side of the town. "It seems someone is fighting there."

"But who?" Shizune, who was standing next to Jiraiya, asked worriedly. "That explosion was not normal at all..."

Then suddenly, an incredibly huge chakra spiked up from where the explosion was from.

Naruto paled. There is only one person here with chakra like that...

Chakra suddenly exploded from Naruto's body. The other people were nearly thrown off their feet when the blonde jinchuriki disappeared in a flash of yellow light, leaving a loud "boom" and a cloud of smoke behind.

"What...?"

That was the only word Tsunade and Shizune could utter seeing what happened.

Tsunade turned to Jiraiya. "Is that...?"

"Yes Tsunade, that's the power of the Kyuubi," Jiraiya nodded. "Naruto has mastered it to a level no jinchuriki could have ever done before. He has, not only tamed the beast, but also managed to befriend her; that's why he's so powerful. Had he used that power from the beginning, you would have lost for sure, Tsunade."

"Then why..."

"...didn't he use it?" Jiraiya cut her short in a sharp tone. "Well, it is I who forbade him from using it. But even if I didn't, he still wouldn't use it. Unlike most shinobi, Naruto is not someone who uses people for his own benefit. Rather, he fights for the sake of people, to protect them with his own power. You might think that he is foolish... but no, I think he is the most admirable person in the world. There is almost no person in the world that can be ready to give up even himself for other people... and Naruto is one."