The world returned to Naruto in fragments—first the warmth, then the pressure in his chest, and finally, the sharp throb behind his eyes. His mind rose slowly from the depths of unconsciousness, as if breaching the surface of a cold, silent sea.
Then came the pain.
It bloomed along his ribs and spine, a dull echo of a battle not yet fully remembered. But it wasn't the pain that stirred his eyes open—it was the hollow, aching silence.
Not silence of the room, but of the soul.
He lay motionless beneath the cold white glow of the operating chamber. The lights above hummed softly. Suppression seals flickered along the walls, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. His body, tightly bound in chakra-infused bandages and tagged with sealing formulas, felt unfamiliar—both heavy and weightless at once.
And then, Naruto's eyes opened.
His gaze found the sterile ceiling above, the breath in his chest slow and thin.
Memories surged.
Orochimaru's laugh, cold and venomous. The agony of the Five Element Seal scorched into his stomach mid-battle. And then—Sasuke.
"Sasuke…" he mumbled.
Why?
They were never close after graduation, Sasuke had rarely acknowledged him at all and truth be told neither had he. But none had never gone out of their way to harm each other. Not once. Naruto could never have imagined betrayal coming like this.
His hand clenched into the sheets.
Something was missing. Not just in this action of his—but inside of him. A presence that had always been there in the shadows of his mind… was now gone.
A deep, invisible ache welled up inside.
The Kyūbi.
Naruto remembered—the vast iron bars, the red mist curling like smoke, the fading gleam of a single eye. That voice, gruff yet strangely calm, as it spoke in parting.
"You're not dying."
"You'll live."
"And maybe… maybe you'll do what the Sage dreamed of."
And then, silence.
He gave everything for me…
The door seals clicked and parted with a low hiss.
Flickering chakra wards shifted aside as Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san entered. They looked tired, as they always did, caught in the endless routine of tending to the wounded and rebuilding the village. Neither expected anything different from this visit—until their eyes fell on him.
And they froze.
"…Naruto," Tsunade whispered.
His head turned slowly toward her, weak but conscious. "Tsunade-sama…"
"Y-you're awake?" Shizune gasped, hands flying to her mouth.
Tsunade was already striding forward, her expression torn between disbelief and fierce concern. She activated her sensory field mid-step—and stopped dead in her tracks.
His chakra. It was alive.
Not just active, not just stable—but Vast. Multilayered. Vibrant, humming with layered complexity, dense yet controlled. It radiated like a sun behind clouds.
And massive.
Far beyond genin. Far beyond chūnin. Even most jōnin wouldn't match this.
Shizune's breath caught. "His chakra… it's overwhelming. Like it's already upgraded to its new scale."
Tsunade leaned in, eyes narrowing. Her gaze traced his form—observing the transformation that could no longer be denied.
His eyes still shone blue—yes, but no longer the vibrant, childish shade. They were deeper now, glowing faintly with crystalline clarity, and the pupils darkened — refined like obsidian glass, enhanced in ways she couldn't explain.
His hair—once short, untamed spikes—now fell in softer, longer strands of golden blond, catching the light with an almost ethereal sheen. And the whisker marks that once marked his cheeks?
Gone.
Not faded. Erased.
Tsunade's voice dropped low. "Your chakra signature has changed entirely. And the seal…"
She reached for his abdomen and lifted the edge of his gown. Her eyes widened.
It was gone.
No spiral seal. No marks. No trace of the beast that once resided within him.
Naruto saw the look in her eyes and nodded faintly. "The Kyūbi's gone."
He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the final exchange. "Before it faded… it said you did everything you could to save me. Even… giving your own blood."
Tsunade didn't answer right away. Then, with a sigh, she confirmed, "Yes. The poison Orochimaru used… it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I couldn't just heal it myself. I had to act fast. So I used cells cultivated from my grandfather, Hashirama Senju. His regeneration was the only thing potent enough to hold your body together."
Naruto blinked, stunned. "You… you used that on me?"
She nodded. "I stabilized it. Infused it with a blood transfusion. You should have survived. And not just survived—you changed."
He bowed his head slightly. "Thank you… Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade gave a quiet scoff, crossing her arms. "You'd better make it worth it, brat. You owe me a whole damn decade of gray hair."
Shizune adjusted the monitors. Tsunade ran another chakra sweep across his body.
"His coils have rewired themselves," she murmured, almost in disbelief. "Wider. Denser. But more refined. This isn't just a recovery. This is… evolution."
Naruto didn't respond. His thoughts were still with the Kyūbi—the last words.
Tsunade's gaze softened. "You've changed. Not just physically. Chakra, seal, appearance… it's going to be hard to explain this to the council."
She paused, then added, "Which is why we'll say you changes because of death of biju. You'll also be transferred to the Senju compound for long-term healing and rehabilitation. You've already been living there under surveillance for over a month. Now that you're awake, you'll stay there officially."
Naruto nodded faintly.
As Tsunade turned to leave, she glanced over her shoulder. "My inauguration as Hokage is in three days. I want you there, Naruto. In the Hokage's office before it begins."
Naruto closed his eyes again, letting her words settle.
His body felt foreign, but powerful. His vision seemed clearer. Sharper. Every breath he took stirred something inside, something alive.
Something new.
"Even my eyes feel different… and this body… it's no longer the one I knew."