A Strange New Life || Isekai'd Reader To Naruto World

The Weight of Sacrifice

As we arrived at the battlefield, the air was thick with tension and the aftermath of destruction.

Naruto stood at the center, hunched over, his body cloaked in the violent red chakra of the Nine-Tails. One tail had already formed, and the heat from his transformation made the air waver around him.

I knew this was bad.

“Naruto!” Kakashi’s voice rang out as he moved swiftly, trying to intercept him before things escalated further.

But Naruto wasn’t listening.

His eyes glowed red, and his movements were erratic, untamed—all logic buried beneath raw fury.

Then I saw it—the flicker of the second tail beginning to take form.

Shit!

Kakashi didn’t hesitate.

He flashed forward, dodging a wild swipe from Naruto’s clawed chakra, and slammed a seal onto his forehead protector. The moment it made contact, a surge of energy pulsed through the air, suppressing the raging chakra.

Naruto let out a strangled, pained grunt before the demonic aura snapped back into his body.

The silence that followed was heavy.

Sakura and Granny Chiyo arrived then, and the second they spoke, Deidara—who had been hiding nearby—tried to escape.

Unfortunately for him, he ran straight into us.

“Not so fast.” Neji's Byakugan had already pinpointed his exact location.

Deidara scoffed. “Tch. The Hyūga’s eyesight really is something.”

I didn't give him time to react.

I launched forward, shuriken glowing with my Kekkei Genkai, ricocheting through the air in perfect arcs.

Deidara barely dodged, twisting away at the last second, but it left him open for Lee’s sweeping kick.

Neji struck next, his Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm slamming directly into Deidara's chest, sending him flying back.

Still, even with no arms, Deidara was fast.

He bit off a chunk of clay, molding it into explosive form with his mouth.

But before he could detonate it—Kakashi acted.

Kamui.

In an instant, Deidara’s explosive was sucked into another dimension, the sheer effort causing Kakashi to stagger, his vision blurring from Mangekyō Sharingan overuse.

Then, at last, the battle was over.

The moment Naruto's shadow clones returned carrying Gaara’s lifeless body, the air turned somber.

Sakura desperately tried to heal him, her hands glowing with chakra—but it was useless.

Naruto stood frozen, fists clenched, his eyes burning with anguish.

His voice finally cracked.

"He just became Kazekage… and now… and now he's just—!"

The pain in his voice was unbearable.

He trembled, shoulders shaking as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Then his anger turned outward—toward Granny Chiyo.