Crimson Shadow: What if Naruto Had Alucard's Regeneration and Immortality?

Blood pooled beneath Naruto's fingertips, spreading across the forest floor in jagged rivulets. The blade protruding from his chest gleamed in the moonlight, its metal slick with his life essence. Mizuki stood above him, face twisted in a triumphant sneer.

"Die, demon fox!"

Naruto's vision blurred. The forbidden scroll he'd stolen—tricked into stealing—lay just beyond his grasp. His fingers twitched toward it, desperate for one last attempt at... at what? Proving himself? Becoming a real ninja? The reasons seemed meaningless now as darkness crept into the edges of his vision.

Inside his mind, something ancient stirred.

So this is how you die? Pathetic.

The Nine-Tails' voice reverberated through his consciousness, dripping with contempt.

"Shut... up..." Naruto gasped, blood bubbling between his lips.

I refuse to die because my vessel is weak.

"Not... weak..."

Mizuki twisted the blade deeper. "Still talking to yourself, monster? Just die already!"

The forbidden scroll suddenly pulsed with crimson light. Ancient seals inscribed on its surface began to glow, responding to the mixture of Naruto's blood and the Nine-Tails' chakra seeping from his wound. The scroll unraveled itself, pages flipping wildly as if caught in a supernatural wind.

Naruto's fading consciousness registered strange symbols appearing on the parchment—symbols that hadn't been there before. They weren't standard jutsu formulas or sealing techniques. They were something older, darker, written in a language he couldn't comprehend yet somehow understood.

Take it. The Nine-Tails' voice had changed, become urgent, almost... afraid? If you die here, I die too. And I REFUSE.

With his last ounce of strength, Naruto pressed his bloodied palm against the scroll.

The world exploded in crimson.

Mizuki stumbled back, shielding his eyes from the blinding light that erupted from the boy's body. "What the—"

The light coalesced into thousands of glowing red symbols that swirled around Naruto's prone form. They spiraled inward, sinking into his flesh through the wound, flowing through his veins like liquid fire. His back arched as he screamed—a sound that was part human, part something else entirely.

Inside Naruto's mindscape, the Nine-Tails thrashed against its cage, roaring as the strange symbols infiltrated even this sacred space. They crawled across the bars of the seal, morphing and changing its fundamental structure.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, BOY?

Reality fractured. Naruto felt himself falling through endless darkness, tumbling through memories that weren't his own—blood-soaked battlefields spanning centuries, castles burning against midnight skies, monsters in human skin committing atrocities beyond imagination. And through it all, a figure in red, consuming, devouring, becoming...

In the forest, Naruto's body convulsed once more, then went still.

Mizuki approached cautiously, kicking the boy's side. "Finally." He reached for the scroll, eager to deliver it to Orochimaru.

Naruto's hand shot up, gripping Mizuki's ankle with inhuman strength.

"What the—you're dead! I killed you!" Mizuki tried to pull away, but Naruto's grip was unbreakable.

Naruto's eyes snapped open. Where once they were blue, now they glowed a deep, unnatural crimson. His trademark whisker marks had darkened and elongated across his cheeks, and his smile—that smile sent ice through Mizuki's veins.

"You can't kill what's already embraced death," Naruto said, his voice overlaid with something ancient and terrible. He reached up with his free hand and grabbed the blade still embedded in his chest. Without flinching, he pulled it out slowly, the metal making a sickening sound as it slid from his flesh.

The wound didn't bleed. Instead, it bubbled with darkness, closing over with unnatural speed.

Naruto stood, still gripping Mizuki's ankle, and casually flung the chunin against a nearby tree. The impact cracked the trunk. Before Mizuki could recover, Naruto was suddenly before him, moving with impossible speed.

"What are you?" Mizuki whispered, terror replacing his earlier confidence.

Naruto tilted his head, considering the question. "I'm not entirely sure anymore." He glanced down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing new muscles. "But I think... I've become something wonderful."

Red chakra pulsed around him, but it was different from the Nine-Tails' power—darker, older, tinged with something that smelled of graves and midnight. It coalesced around his arm, hardening into a gauntlet of living shadow.

"Let me show you."

Mizuki's screams echoed through the forest, but didn't last long.

When Iruka arrived minutes later, following the sounds of the commotion, he found Naruto sitting calmly beside the scroll, illuminated by moonlight. Of Mizuki, there was no sign save for a dark stain seeping into the forest floor.

"Naruto?" Iruka approached cautiously. "Are you alright? Where's Mizuki?"

Naruto looked up, and for an instant, Iruka swore his student's eyes flashed red. Then Naruto smiled—that same troublemaker grin—and any notion of something amiss vanished.

"Iruka-sensei! I learned a cool jutsu from the scroll, just like Mizuki-sensei said! But then he tried to kill me and take the scroll for himself. He said..." Naruto's voice faltered. "He said I was the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Iruka knelt beside his student, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, you are not the Fox. You're its jailer, its prison. You protect us all."

Naruto nodded, but his eyes drifted to the shadows where Mizuki had disappeared. "I protected myself tonight."

Inside him, the Nine-Tails prowled restlessly in its cage, disturbed by the changes to its prison—and its prisoner. The ancient symbols now entwined with the original seal pulsed with alien power. For the first time in centuries, the demon fox felt something akin to unease.

Something had awakened in Naruto Uzumaki. Something that made even a tailed beast wary.

As Iruka led him back toward the village, neither noticed the small crimson bat that detached itself from Naruto's shadow, fluttering silently into the night.

The morning after the incident with Mizuki dawned bright and clear, but Naruto barely noticed the sunlight filtering through his apartment window. He stood before his bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection with fascination and horror.

His whisker marks were more pronounced now, deeper and darker against his skin. His canines had lengthened slightly, becoming more prominent when he smiled. But it was his eyes that captivated him most—they would flash crimson when his emotions surged, a deep, blood-red that reminded him of sunset and slaughter.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered.

The bathroom mirror cracked suddenly, a jagged line splitting his reflection. In the fractured glass, for just an instant, another face overlaid his own—pale, with wild black hair and a maniacal grin full of fangs.

Naruto jumped back, blinking rapidly. When he looked again, only his own face—slightly paler than usual—stared back at him.

A knock at his door startled him further. He composed himself quickly before answering.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto was surprised to find the jōnin at his doorstep.

"Good morning, Naruto." Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in what might have been a smile beneath his mask. "Just checking in. The Hokage was concerned after last night's... incident."

Naruto tensed. "I already told Gramps everything."

"Yes, you did." Kakashi's gaze was penetrating. "But given the circumstances, he thought you might appreciate having the day off before team assignments tomorrow."

Naruto forced his trademark grin. "I'm fine! Believe it! Nothing keeps Naruto Uzumaki down!"

Kakashi studied him for a long moment. "There was no trace of Mizuki found."

The statement hung in the air between them. Naruto's smile didn't waver, but something cold flickered in his eyes.

"Maybe he ran away?" Naruto suggested lightly. "He was a traitor, after all."

"Perhaps." Kakashi didn't sound convinced. "Well, enjoy your day off. And Naruto? If you notice anything... unusual, speak to the Hokage immediately."

After Kakashi left, Naruto collapsed onto his couch, heart racing. They suspected something. Of course they did. Mizuki had disappeared without a trace because there was no trace to find. Naruto had...

He swallowed hard, memories flashing behind his eyes. Mizuki's terror. The strange power surging through him. The hunger. The way his body had moved of its own accord, dissolving into shadows that engulfed the traitor completely.

Naruto closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, only to find himself standing in a familiar sewer—his mindscape where the Nine-Tails was sealed. But something had changed. The water that usually flooded the floor had been replaced by a dark, viscous liquid that resembled blood more than water. The walls were inscribed with glowing crimson symbols he didn't recognize.

And the Nine-Tails' cage... the original seal remained, but now it was interwoven with strange, pulsing chains of that same crimson script.

"What's going on?" Naruto demanded, approaching the cage.

The Fox's massive eyes opened in the darkness, but they were wary now, almost cautious as they regarded him.

You've done something foolish, brat. The demon's voice rumbled through the mindscape. Those symbols on the scroll... they weren't meant for humans.

"What were they, then?"

A binding contract. Ancient magic from before the time of chakra. The Nine-Tails shifted, causing the new crimson chains to clink ominously. You've bound yourself to something old. Something that hungers.

"Like you don't?" Naruto shot back.

The Fox snarled. My hunger is natural, part of this world's balance. What you've invited in is... something else. Something that doesn't belong in our reality.

Before Naruto could respond, the blood-like substance at his feet began to churn and rise, forming a humanoid shape beside him. It solidified into a tall figure dressed in Victorian-era clothing—a charcoal suit with a red cravat and an ankle-length red coat. Raven-black hair framed a pale face with eyes that glowed the same crimson as Naruto's did now.

"I believe the proper term is 'vampire,'" the figure said, his deep voice carrying an accent Naruto couldn't place. He grinned, revealing elongated canines. "Though I've been called monster, demon, nightwalker... the No-Life King."

Naruto stumbled back. "Who—what are you?"

"Alucard." The figure bowed with theatrical flourish. "Or at least, an echo of him. A memory given form through blood and forbidden magic." He straightened, eyeing the Nine-Tails with interest. "Fascinating creature you've got locked away in here."

Stay back, bloodsucker. The Fox growled, pressing against the far side of its cage. Your kind were purged from this world millennia ago.

"And yet, here I am." Alucard's grin widened impossibly. "Or rather, here we are." He turned to Naruto. "You've taken my essence into yourself, boy. My power, my curse, my hunger. The question is... what will you do with it?"

Naruto looked between the Fox and the vampire, confusion and fear warring on his face. "I didn't ask for this!"

"Few who receive power truly ask for it." Alucard circled him slowly. "But you were dying. You reached out for something—anything—to save you. And the scroll answered."

"How do I get rid of it? How do I go back to normal?"

Alucard laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the mindscape. "Normal? A child with a demon fox sealed in his belly, hated by his village, dreams of becoming their leader? That was normal?" He shook his head. "There's no going back, only forward. Besides," his expression turned serious, "the integration has already begun. My essence is binding with yours and the Fox's. Separation now would kill you all."

The Nine-Tails growled in confirmation. The vampire speaks truth. The binding is irreversible.

Naruto sank to his knees in the blood-like liquid. "So what happens now? Am I... am I going to become a monster?"

Alucard knelt before him, crimson eyes meeting Naruto's blue ones. "That depends entirely on you. Power doesn't make monsters—choices do." He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I was a monster long before I became a vampire. And I remained one by choice, not necessity."

"I don't want to hurt innocent people," Naruto whispered.

"Then don't." Alucard shrugged as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Channel your hunger toward those who deserve it. Protect what you value. Build your own kingdom, as I once did."

"But the bloodlust—"

"Will be manageable, with practice." Alucard stood again. "The Fox's chakra already gives you remarkable healing. My essence merely... expands upon that concept. Death becomes merely an inconvenience. Wounds, a temporary annoyance."

Naruto slowly rose to his feet. "And the hunger?"

Alucard's smile turned predatory. "A necessary sacrifice. But the Fox's chakra should help sustain you for now. Blood will become... optional, though you'll crave it in times of extreme regeneration."

This is madness, the Nine-Tails interrupted. The boy can barely control my chakra. Adding your cursed powers will only—

"Give him options beyond your limited imagination," Alucard cut in smoothly. He turned back to Naruto. "I was once bound by seals and restrictions too, boy. My master—" a brief look of something like respect crossed his features, "—she understood that absolute power requires absolute control. We can implement similar measures for you."

"What kind of measures?" Naruto asked warily.

"Restrictions. Release states. Levels of power you can access based on need and control." Alucard's form began to shimmer, becoming less solid. "My time grows short. This manifestation is temporary—a product of the initial binding. Soon, I'll be simply another part of you, accessible through blood and will."

"Wait!" Naruto reached for him. "I have more questions!"

Alucard's form continued to dissipate. "Find the restrictions, boy. Create the seals. Or you'll lose yourself to the hunger." His grin was the last thing to fade. "And wouldn't that be... interesting."

Naruto jolted back to consciousness on his apartment floor, gasping. He'd fallen off the couch, and the sun had shifted position—hours had passed while he was in his mindscape.

He staggered to his feet, his body feeling simultaneously stronger and somehow wrong, as if his skin didn't quite fit anymore. The hunger Alucard mentioned gnawed at him, a hollow sensation that had nothing to do with food.

"Restrictions," he murmured, remembering Alucard's final words.

His eyes fell on a small stack of scrolls he'd "borrowed" from the Hokage's library months ago—basic sealing techniques he'd been trying to learn in secret. He'd always had an interest in seals, given what he now knew about the one on his own body.

With new purpose, Naruto spread the scrolls across his table. If he was going to control this new power, he needed to understand how to bind it properly. How to create restrictions that would prevent him from becoming the monster both Alucard and the village already believed him to be.

Outside his window, unnoticed, a small crimson bat perched on the sill, watching with gleaming red eyes before dissolving into shadow.

Tomorrow was team assignment day. His first step toward becoming a true shinobi of the Leaf.

And now, perhaps, something more.

The classroom buzzed with excitement as newly graduated genin awaited team assignments. Naruto sat in his usual spot, uncharacteristically quiet. Dark circles underlined his eyes—evidence of a sleepless night spent studying sealing techniques and fighting the strange new hunger that gnawed at his insides.

"Hey, dead-last! What's with the brooding act?" Kiba's voice cut through his thoughts. "Trying to copy Sasuke's style?"

Naruto forced a smile. "Just thinking about which awesome jutsu to learn first, dog-breath."

As if summoned by his name, Sasuke slid into the seat beside Naruto, his customary scowl firmly in place. Their eyes met briefly, and Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"Your eyes look different," he stated flatly.

Naruto stiffened. He'd checked the mirror obsessively that morning—his eyes had remained blue, the crimson only flashing when his emotions spiked. Had Sasuke noticed something?

"Just excited about teams," Naruto deflected, turning away.

Before Sasuke could press further, a pink-haired whirlwind descended upon them. "Sasuke-kun! Can I sit next to you?"

Sakura Haruno barely acknowledged Naruto as she pushed past him, her attention completely focused on the Uchiha prodigy. Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have protested loudly, competing for Sakura's attention. Today, he simply shifted to accommodate her, earning curious glances from both his classmates.

The hunger intensified suddenly, making Naruto grip the edge of his desk. The fresh scent of Sakura's shampoo as she flipped her hair, the steady rhythm of Sasuke's pulse beside him—when had he become aware of such things? He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to sink newly sharpened teeth into the nearest warm body.

Control it, brat, the Nine-Tails' voice echoed in his mind, surprising him with its intervention. Draw on my chakra if you must, but control it.

Naruto inhaled deeply, reaching for the familiar burning sensation of the Fox's chakra. It responded, flowing through his system and temporarily sating the hunger. The relief was immediate but incomplete—like drinking salt water to quench a thirst.

Iruka entered the classroom then, drawing everyone's attention with his list of team assignments. Naruto only half-listened until he heard his name.

"Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno—" Naruto perked up despite himself, "—and Sasuke Uchiha."

Mixed emotions churned through him. Once, this would have been simultaneously his dream and nightmare—teamed with his crush and his rival. Now, it simply felt like a complication.

"Your jōnin instructor will be Kakashi Hatake."

Naruto frowned. The same jōnin who'd visited him that morning. Coincidence? Unlikely. The Hokage was keeping an eye on him through Kakashi.

Hours later, Team Seven still waited for their chronically late sensei. Sakura complained loudly while Sasuke brooded by the window. Naruto, uncharacteristically, hadn't set up a single prank or made any noise. He'd been focusing on suppressing the hunger that continued to build inside him.

The classroom door finally slid open, revealing a silver-haired jōnin with his hitai-ate slanted over one eye.

"My first impression is... you're boring," Kakashi declared flatly. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

On the rooftop, Kakashi leaned against the railing and surveyed his new team. "Let's introduce ourselves. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future."

After a brief demonstration that revealed almost nothing about himself, Kakashi pointed to Sakura.

Her introduction focused primarily on Sasuke, with pointed glares at Naruto and declarations about her dislikes (namely, Naruto). Once, this would have crushed him. Now, Naruto barely registered the rejection, too focused on controlling the strange energies swirling within him.

Sasuke's turn revealed his obsession with killing "a certain someone" and restoring his clan. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly at the declaration but moved on quickly.

"Blondie, you're up."

Naruto blinked, realizing everyone was staring at him. "Oh, right. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like..." He paused. What did he like anymore? Ramen still, certainly, but it didn't hold the same appeal since last night. "I like training and learning new jutsu. I dislike people who judge others without knowing them." His voice hardened slightly. "My hobby is studying sealing techniques. And my dream..." He hesitated again. Becoming Hokage still mattered, but something else burned within him now—understanding and controlling what he was becoming. "My dream is to become someone the village acknowledges and respects."

Kakashi studied him intently. The answer was both similar to what he'd expected and subtly different. The boisterous declarations about becoming Hokage were absent, replaced by something more measured.

"Interesting," the jōnin said finally. "Well, now that we know each other, I should tell you about your real genin test."

The revelation that they might fail and be sent back to the Academy shocked Sakura but barely registered with Naruto. A test of survival seemed trivial compared to the internal battle he was already fighting.

"Training Ground Three, 5 AM. Don't eat breakfast." Kakashi eye-smiled before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

As Sakura tried engaging Sasuke in conversation and was predictably rebuffed, Naruto slipped away silently, heading for the one place he thought might help him understand his new condition better—the Hokage's personal library.

Night fell over Konoha as Naruto crouched outside the Hokage Tower, studying the patrol patterns of the ANBU guards. Breaking into the restricted section had always been challenging—a game to him before. Now, with his enhanced senses and newfound abilities, it felt almost too easy.

He waited for the precise moment when the guards rotated, then simply... dissolved. His body melted into shadows that slithered across the ground, flowing through the narrowest crack beneath the library door. Inside, the shadows reconstituted into Naruto's form.

"Whoa," he whispered, looking at his hands in wonder. He hadn't planned that—his body had simply responded to his need for stealth.

The restricted section loomed before him, its shelves laden with forbidden knowledge. Naruto moved silently through the stacks, drawn to the oldest scrolls that emanated a familiar energy—similar to what he'd felt from the forbidden scroll that started all this.

His fingers brushed across ancient parchment, coming to rest on a small, unassuming black scroll tucked between larger texts. Something about it called to him, a resonance with the power now flowing through his veins.

As he slid it from the shelf, a voice spoke from the shadows.

"The Hokage's personal library is off-limits to genin, Naruto."

Naruto spun, finding Kakashi leaning against a bookshelf, orange book in hand but eyes focused squarely on him.

"Kakashi-sensei! I was just... uh..."

"Stealing forbidden jutsu the night before your critical genin exam?" Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "Strange choice."

Naruto clutched the scroll tighter. "I need to understand—" He stopped himself.

"Understand what?" Kakashi closed his book with a snap. "What happened with Mizuki, perhaps? Or why you suddenly can move like a jōnin despite having the lowest Academy scores in your class?"

The hunger flared suddenly, responding to the threat Kakashi presented. Naruto's vision tinged red around the edges, and he felt his canines lengthening involuntarily.

Kakashi tensed, his hand drifting subtly toward his weapons pouch. "Naruto, your eyes..."

With tremendous effort, Naruto forced the hunger back, blinking rapidly until he felt the crimson fade from his vision. "Something's happened to me," he admitted quietly. "That night with Mizuki and the scroll... I changed."

For a long moment, Kakashi said nothing, simply evaluating the boy before him. Then, surprisingly, he relaxed his stance.

"The Hokage suspected as much," he said finally. "Which is why he assigned you to me specifically." He nodded toward the scroll in Naruto's hand. "That won't help you, though. It's a treatise on chakra theory from the Second Hokage—brilliant, but not what you're looking for."

"Then what am I looking for?" Naruto challenged.

"Control." Kakashi approached slowly, as one might a wounded animal. "Whatever power you've awakened, whatever changes you're experiencing—they mean nothing without control."

The words echoed Alucard's warning from Naruto's mindscape.

Kakashi continued, "Pass my test tomorrow. Show me you can function as part of a team despite... whatever's happening to you. Then, perhaps, I can help you find the answers you're seeking."

Naruto hesitated, then carefully returned the scroll to its shelf. "You won't tell the others?"

"About your midnight library excursion? No." Kakashi's eye crinkled in what might have been a smile. "About whatever else is going on with you? That depends entirely on whether it endangers the team."

The next morning dawned gray and misty as Team Seven gathered at Training Ground Three. Sasuke and Sakura arrived separately, both looking irritable and hungry. Naruto appeared last, emerging silently from the morning fog.

"You look awful," Sakura commented, noting the dark circles beneath his eyes.

Naruto managed a weak smile. "Couldn't sleep."

The hunger had grown nearly unbearable overnight. He'd tried consuming massive amounts of ramen, then raw meat, but nothing satisfied it. Only by drawing heavily on the Nine-Tails' chakra had he maintained control.

Hours passed with no sign of Kakashi. Sakura paced impatiently while Sasuke maintained his stoic facade. Naruto sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed, focusing on his breathing and the chaotic energies within him.

Inside his mindscape, he stood before the Nine-Tails' cage, studying the crimson symbols that now interwove with the original seal.

The hunger will only grow worse, the Fox growled. You need blood, brat.

"I'm not drinking blood," Naruto insisted.

Then you'll lose control. And when you do, your precious teammates will be the first to fall.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "There has to be another way."

Perhaps. The Fox's massive eyes narrowed in thought. The vampire's essence merged with your chakra network and mine. In theory, you could sustain yourself on chakra alone—but it would have to be powerful chakra, not your own.

"Like yours?"

Yes, but there are... consequences to drawing too deeply on my power. The Fox's tails lashed against the bars of its cage. The sealing array is changing, evolving with this new power. I cannot predict how it will react if stressed.

Before Naruto could respond, Kakashi's arrival in the physical world pulled him from his mindscape. He opened his eyes to find the jōnin explaining the bell test—two bells, three students, one would fail.

"You have until noon," Kakashi concluded, setting an alarm clock on a nearby stump. "Come at me with the intent to kill, or you won't stand a chance."

The test began, and Sasuke and Sakura immediately concealed themselves in the surrounding forest. Naruto, however, remained standing in the clearing, staring intently at Kakashi.

"You know, the basics of shinobi combat begin with concealment," Kakashi remarked, not looking up from his book.

"I'm not feeling very basic today, sensei." Naruto's voice had acquired a slight edge, his hunger sharpening his senses and reflexes.

Kakashi finally looked up, his visible eye widening slightly at what he saw. Naruto's posture had changed completely—gone was the boisterous, clumsy Academy student. In his place stood someone with the relaxed confidence of a predator.

"Interesting," Kakashi murmured, tucking his book away. "Show me."

Naruto moved.

One moment he stood twenty feet from Kakashi, the next he was directly before the jōnin, fist aimed at his solar plexus. Kakashi barely managed to block, his surprise evident in his widened eye.

The force of the blow sent the jōnin skidding backward. Naruto pressed his advantage, unleashing a series of strikes that would have been impossible for a fresh genin. His movements flowed with unnatural grace, each attack seamlessly transitioning into the next.

Kakashi shifted from defense to offense, striking out with a kick aimed at Naruto's midsection. It connected solidly—only for Naruto's body to burst into a swarm of bats that scattered in all directions before reforming behind the jōnin.

From their hiding places, Sasuke and Sakura watched in stunned disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" Sasuke whispered, Sharingan activating instinctively as he tried to track the impossible transformation.

In the clearing, Kakashi spun to face the reconstituted Naruto, his stance now serious. "That's not a standard jutsu they teach at the Academy."

Naruto grinned, his canines noticeably elongated. "I'm a quick study."

The hunger was growing stronger, fueling his movements but threatening his control. Each heartbeat of the jōnin before him called to something primal now woven into Naruto's being. The scent of Kakashi's blood beneath his skin was maddening.

Kakashi's hands flashed through seals. "Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"

A compressed sphere of water shot toward Naruto at high speed. Instead of dodging, Naruto raised his hand. The water bullet hit his palm—and was absorbed into his body as if he were a sponge.

"What the—" Kakashi didn't finish his sentence as Naruto suddenly liquefied, his body transforming into a torrent of blood-red water that surged toward the jōnin.

Kakashi leapt away, but the crimson tide followed, reforming into Naruto's physical shape directly in his path. This time, Naruto's eyes blazed fully red, all pretense of normalcy gone.

"Enough!" Kakashi's voice cracked like a whip. He raised his hitai-ate, revealing his Sharingan eye. "Control yourself, Naruto. Now."

The command penetrated the bloodlust haze clouding Naruto's mind. He blinked, the crimson in his eyes receding slightly. "I... can't..." he gasped, doubling over. "The hunger—it's too strong."

From the trees, a shuriken whistled through the air, aimed at Kakashi's exposed back. The jōnin caught it without looking, his attention fixed on Naruto's struggling form.

"Sasuke, stay back!" Kakashi ordered.

Too late. The Uchiha had emerged from cover, his own curiosity and competitive nature driving him forward. "What kind of jutsu is that, dead-last?" he demanded, approaching Naruto. "When did you—"

Naruto's head snapped up, his eyes now fully crimson. "Get back," he warned, voice strained.

Sasuke, never one to retreat, activated his Sharingan again. "Make me."

The challenge broke what remained of Naruto's control. With a sound that was half-growl, half-scream, he lunged at Sasuke with impossible speed.

Kakashi intercepted, Body Flickering between them and catching Naruto's arm. "I said enough!"

The contact triggered something in Naruto—a flash of memory that wasn't his own. A blonde woman with a stern expression, a gloved hand extended in absolute command. Words echoing across decades:

"Control Art Restriction System... Release to Level Three."

Understanding bloomed. The restrictions Alucard had mentioned—they weren't just seals to contain the power, but to channel it.

In that moment of clarity, Naruto formed the hand sign for Tiger and focused his chakra while visualizing the system he'd designed during his sleepless night.

"Control Art Restriction System," he intoned, his voice overlaid with something deeper, older. "Level Zero lockdown in effect. Situation A. Cromwell Approval recognized. Commencing Limited Release to Level Five."

Red symbols appeared on the back of his gloved hands—seals combining elements of the Eight Trigrams Seal that contained the Nine-Tails with the strange crimson script from the forbidden scroll.

The effect was immediate. The overwhelming hunger receded, not disappearing entirely but becoming manageable, controllable. Naruto's body stabilized, the wild transformations ceasing as his form solidified.

Kakashi maintained his defensive stance, Sharingan eye monitoring the changes in Naruto's chakra. "What did you just do?" he demanded.

Naruto examined his hands, watching as the glowing symbols faded into his skin like tattoos. "I created... restrictions," he said slowly. "Locks to contain the power."

"What power?" Sasuke's voice cut through the moment, his Sharingan still active as he studied Naruto with newfound wariness. "What are you?"

From the treeline, Sakura finally emerged, her face pale with shock. "Naruto, your eyes..."

Naruto closed them briefly, focusing on the new system of locks he'd established within himself. When he opened his eyes again, they had returned to their natural blue.

"I'm still figuring that out," he answered honestly.

Kakashi lowered his arm slowly, though his posture remained alert. "I think," he said carefully, "that this exercise is over for today."

"But the bells—" Sasuke began to protest.

"Are meaningless compared to what just happened." Kakashi's tone brooked no argument. "The real purpose of this test was to evaluate your teamwork. Which, I might add, was abysmal."

"Teamwork?" Sakura's brow furrowed. "But there were only two bells."

"Exactly. The test was designed to pit you against each other," Kakashi explained. "True shinobi look underneath the underneath. A team that abandons its members is worse than trash."

He fixed each of them with a stern look. "Normally, I would fail all of you and send you back to the Academy. However..." his gaze lingered on Naruto, "circumstances have changed. It seems we have more urgent matters to address than basic teamwork."

"You can't pass us just because the dead-last suddenly has some weird jutsu," Sasuke objected, though his eyes remained fixed on Naruto with something between suspicion and envy.

"I'm passing you because, despite your failures today, I see potential in this team," Kakashi corrected. "But make no mistake—we have a long way to go." He gestured toward the village. "Report to the Hokage's office in one hour. All of you."

As Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, an uncomfortable silence fell over the three genin.

"Naruto..." Sakura began hesitantly. "What happened to you?"

Naruto looked between his teammates, seeing the mixture of fear, curiosity, and wariness in their expressions. Part of him wanted to laugh it off, to claim it was just some awesome new jutsu he'd developed. But he sensed that deception would only worsen the situation.

"It's complicated," he said finally. "I'm still trying to understand it myself. But I'm still me." He managed a small, genuine smile—careful to hide his elongated canines. "Still the same Naruto who wants to protect his friends and become Hokage someday."

Sasuke scoffed, but there was less hostility in it than usual. "Whatever it is, it made you almost fast enough to match Kakashi-sensei. That's... not nothing."

Coming from Sasuke, this was practically effusive praise. Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Thanks, I think."

Sakura looked between them, then sighed dramatically. "Well, we'd better head to the Hokage Tower. And Naruto?" Her green eyes met his with unexpected directness. "Whatever's going on with you, don't think it gets you out of explaining eventually."

As they walked toward the village, Naruto felt the hunger stir again beneath the restrictions he'd placed, like an animal testing the bars of its cage. The temporary solution had worked, but he knew instinctively it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, he would need to feed.

But for now, he had a team. And perhaps, if he was very lucky, he wouldn't have to face this transformation alone.

The Hokage's office was silent as Hiruzen Sarutobi studied Team Seven with weary eyes. Kakashi had just finished delivering his report, carefully detailing Naruto's unexpected abilities while the three genin stood before the desk.

"I see," the Hokage said finally, his gaze settling on Naruto. "And you say these changes began after the incident with Mizuki and the forbidden scroll?"

Naruto nodded, uncomfortably aware of Sasuke and Sakura's scrutiny. "Yes, Hokage-sama. When Mizuki stabbed me, my blood... interacted with the scroll somehow."

The Hokage's expression revealed nothing, but his fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around his pipe. "And Mizuki?"

Naruto swallowed hard. This was the question he'd been dreading. "I... I'm not sure what happened exactly. One moment he was there, and then..." He trailed off, unwilling to describe the hunger that had overwhelmed him, the way his body had moved of its own accord, dissolving into shadows that consumed the traitorous chunin completely.

"I see," the Hokage repeated, his tone suggesting he understood more than Naruto had actually said. He turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "You two are dismissed for now. Please wait outside."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Sasuke spoke up, surprising everyone, "if we're going to be on a team with Naruto, shouldn't we know what's happening to him?"

"In time, perhaps," the Hokage allowed. "But first, I need to speak with Naruto privately."

After Sasuke and Sakura reluctantly left, the atmosphere in the office changed. The Hokage activated a privacy seal with a casual hand sign, and the air hummed with chakra.

"Now, Naruto," he said, his voice gentle but firm, "tell me everything. Including what really happened to Mizuki."

The dam broke. Naruto detailed the events of that night—the stabbing, the strange symbols on the scroll, the merger of the vampire essence with his own chakra and the Nine-Tails'. He described his encounter with Alucard in his mindscape, the hunger that now plagued him, and his attempts to control it through self-imposed restrictions.

Throughout the explanation, the Hokage's expression remained carefully neutral, though Kakashi's visible eye widened at several points.

"And you believe this... Alucard... was a vampire?" the Hokage asked when Naruto finished.

"That's what he called himself," Naruto confirmed. "He said his kind were purged from this world long ago, but somehow the scroll contained his essence."

The Hokage exchanged a significant look with Kakashi before sighing heavily. "There are legends, predating the founding of the hidden villages, of creatures that fed on human blood. Most dismiss them as myth, but..." He tapped his pipe thoughtfully. "The First Hokage mentioned encountering such beings during the Warring States period. They were believed extinct."

"So I've become something that shouldn't exist anymore?" Naruto asked, his voice small.

"You've become something unique," the Hokage corrected gently. "A shinobi with the Nine-Tails' chakra now merged with this... vampiric essence. The question is, can you control it?"

"I think so," Naruto said, with more confidence than he felt. "The restriction system I created seems to be working, at least for now. But..." He hesitated.

"But?"

"The hunger is still there, just... muted. Alucard said I would need blood eventually, especially after major regeneration. The Nine-Tails thinks I might be able to substitute powerful chakra instead, but we're not sure."

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Then we must prepare for both possibilities." He turned to Kakashi. "I'm assigning Team Seven exclusively to your supervision, Kakashi. No missions outside the village for now, until we better understand Naruto's condition."

Naruto's heart sank. His dreams of exciting missions, of proving himself as a shinobi, seemed to be evaporating before his eyes.

"Additionally," the Hokage continued, "I'm authorizing you to access the restricted research on the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Kushina's notes may provide insight into managing this... complication."

Naruto perked up at the unfamiliar name. "Kushina?"

"The previous jinchūriki," the Hokage explained, his expression softening. "She had unique methods of controlling the Fox's chakra that might be adaptable to your situation."

"And what about my teammates?" Naruto asked hesitantly. "What do I tell them?"

"For now, as little as necessary," Kakashi advised. "They've seen some of your abilities already. Explain it as a bloodline limit or unique jutsu if pressed, but avoid details about the hunger or the true nature of the transformation."

The Hokage nodded in agreement. "Until we understand this better, knowledge of your condition must remain restricted to those who need to know."

As Naruto left the office to rejoin his waiting teammates, he felt both relief and trepidation. The Hokage hadn't rejected him outright or condemned him for Mizuki's fate. But the road ahead seemed more uncertain than ever.

Outside, Sasuke leaned against the wall with studied nonchalance while Sakura paced nervously. Both straightened when Naruto emerged.

"Well?" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto forced a grin. "Looks like we're officially Team Seven! The Hokage confirmed it."

Sakura frowned, clearly sensing the evasion. "That's not what we're asking, and you know it."

Naruto's smile faltered. "It's... complicated. The Hokage thinks I may have awakened a rare bloodline limit when Mizuki attacked me. They're still trying to figure out exactly what it does."

"Bloodline limit?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "The Uzumaki clan wasn't known for having one."

"Well, I didn't exactly know my parents, did I?" Naruto countered, unexpectedly sharp. The hunger stirred at his brief flare of anger, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Look, I'm still figuring this out too. All I know is that I can do things now that I couldn't before."

Before either could respond, Kakashi emerged from the Hokage's office. "Team meeting tomorrow at Training Ground Three, 8 AM. We'll be focusing on teamwork exercises and assessing each of your individual capabilities." His eye fixed meaningfully on Naruto. "All of them."

The next few weeks established a routine. Mornings were dedicated to team training—basic formations, coordination exercises, and combat drills. Afternoons split the team, with Sasuke and Sakura performing D-rank missions inside the village while Kakashi worked privately with Naruto on controlling his new abilities.

These sessions took place in a secluded training ground surrounded by privacy seals, where Naruto could safely explore the extent of his transformation without fear of discovery.

"Try it again," Kakashi instructed, his Sharingan uncovered to track the chakra flow. "Release to Level Four this time."

Naruto formed the tiger seal. "Control Art Restriction System, releasing to Level Four."

The symbols on the backs of his hands glowed crimson as the restrictions loosened. Power surged through him—intoxicating, primal, hungry. His body responded immediately, partially dissolving into a swarm of bats that circled the clearing before reforming.

"Good," Kakashi nodded. "Now hold that state and spar with my clone."

A shadow clone of Kakashi stepped forward, and the battle began. At Level Four, Naruto's speed and strength were enhanced beyond human limits. He moved like liquid shadow, his strikes powerful enough to shatter the clone's guard.

But the hunger also intensified with each passing minute in this state. Naruto felt it clawing at his insides, demanding satiation. The clone's heartbeat became thunderously loud in his ears, the scent of its chakra-infused blood overwhelming his senses.

"Focus, Naruto," Kakashi's voice cut through the bloodlust. "Control it."

With tremendous effort, Naruto channeled the hunger into his strikes instead of giving in to it. He finished the clone with a roundhouse kick that dispelled it in a puff of smoke.

Immediately, he reactivated the full restrictions. "Level Zero lockdown in effect."

The symbols flared once more, and the power receded, taking the worst of the hunger with it. Naruto dropped to one knee, panting.

"Better," Kakashi assessed, covering his Sharingan again. "Your control is improving, but the hunger still affects your technique. You become sloppy when it peaks."

"I can't help it," Naruto admitted. "It's like fighting while starving to death."

Kakashi considered this. "We may need to address the root cause, then. You can't keep suppressing the hunger indefinitely."

"You mean I need to..." Naruto couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Feed," Kakashi finished for him. "Yes, eventually. The question is, can it be done safely, without harming innocent people?"

The answer came unexpectedly the following day during a particularly grueling training session. Sasuke, frustrated by what he perceived as Naruto's rapidly growing power, had pushed himself to exhaustion trying to keep pace. A mistimed fire jutsu had left him with chakra depletion and minor burns on his hands.

As Sakura tended to his injuries with basic first aid, a drop of Sasuke's blood fell to the ground. The scent hit Naruto like a physical blow, momentarily overwhelming his restrictions. His eyes flashed crimson before he could control himself.

Sasuke, ever observant, didn't miss the reaction. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded, pulling his bandaged hand away from Sakura.

"Nothing," Naruto lied, turning away. "Just worried about you, bastard."

Later, as they packed up their gear, Sasuke approached Naruto alone.

"You reacted to my blood," he stated bluntly. "Why?"

Naruto froze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't insult my intelligence," Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Your so-called 'bloodline limit' has something to do with blood, doesn't it? That's why you've been avoiding injuries during training, why you tense up whenever someone gets a cut."

For a long moment, Naruto said nothing, weighing his options. Finally, he sighed. "Yes."

"You need blood," Sasuke concluded, his analytical mind putting the pieces together. "That's what's holding you back in training. You're hungry."

Naruto stared at his teammate in shock. "How did you—"

"I've studied most known bloodline limits," Sasuke shrugged. "And I pay attention. So, am I right?"

Reluctantly, Naruto nodded. "But I'm managing it."

"Barely," Sasuke scoffed. "Your control slips when you're tired or stressed. That's dangerous for all of us."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Naruto snapped. "It's not like I can just walk up to people and ask for a drink!"

Sasuke's expression didn't change as he pulled a kunai from his pouch and made a small, deliberate cut across his palm.

"What are you doing?" Naruto backed away, the hunger surging at the fresh scent.

"Solving a problem," Sasuke said coolly, extending his bleeding hand. "If you need blood to function effectively as a team member, then take some of mine. Better that than have you lose control during a real mission."

Naruto stared at the offered hand in disbelief. "Why would you—"

"Don't misunderstand," Sasuke cut him off. "This isn't friendship or charity. It's practicality. Your... condition... gives you abilities I've never seen before. Abilities that could help me achieve my goal." His eyes hardened. "And I refuse to let a teammate's weakness compromise my path to power."

The naked ambition in Sasuke's voice should have been a warning sign, but Naruto was too overwhelmed by the gesture itself—and by the hunger now screaming for satisfaction.

"I don't know if I can control myself," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Try," Sasuke challenged.

Slowly, fighting every instinct to lunge forward, Naruto took Sasuke's hand. The first drop of blood to touch his tongue was like lightning through his system—chakra-rich, powerful, alive with the distinctive Uchiha energy. The hunger roared in approval.

With tremendous effort, Naruto limited himself to just a few mouthfuls before releasing Sasuke's hand and stepping back, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"Enough?" Sasuke asked, seemingly unfazed by what had just transpired.

Naruto nodded, unable to speak immediately. The effect was astonishing—the constant gnawing hunger had retreated completely for the first time since his transformation. He felt energized, focused, his senses sharper than ever but without the desperate edge.

"Thank you," he managed finally.

Sasuke bound his hand with a fresh bandage. "Don't mention it. Seriously, don't—especially to Sakura. She wouldn't understand."

As his teammate walked away, Naruto remained rooted to the spot, processing what had just happened. He'd fed. And while part of him was disgusted by the act, another part—a growing part—had found it not just necessary but satisfying in a way food never could be.

More concerning was Sasuke's apparent interest in his abilities. The hunger for power in his teammate's eyes had been almost as strong as Naruto's own hunger for blood.

He would need to be careful. Very careful.

Their first real test came three weeks later when the Hokage, satisfied with Team Seven's progress and Naruto's apparent control, assigned them a C-rank mission outside the village—escorting a bridge builder named Tazuna to the Land of Waves.

"Are you sure about this?" Kakashi asked the Hokage privately after the initial briefing.

"Naruto's control has improved significantly," the Hokage replied. "And frankly, keeping him bottled up in the village indefinitely isn't viable. Better to test his limits under your supervision in a relatively low-risk mission."

What none of them could have predicted was how quickly the "low-risk" mission would escalate.

The attack came less than a day's travel from Konoha—two chunin-level missing-nin emerging from a puddle on a dry road. Their poisoned chains ripped through Kakashi's substitution before turning their attention to the genin protecting Tazuna.

Sasuke moved first, displaying impressive skill as he immobilized the chains with shuriken and kunai. Sakura took up a defensive position before Tazuna, kunai gripped tightly.

Naruto, however, froze momentarily—not from fear, but from the sudden surge of the hunger. The scent of the attackers' blood, pumping hard with battle adrenaline, triggered an instinctive response. His vision tinged red as his canines lengthened involuntarily.

"Naruto, focus!" Kakashi's voice cut through the haze of bloodlust.

With effort, Naruto channeled the hunger into controlled action. "Control Art Restriction: Level Five release," he muttered, just loud enough for his own ears.

The restriction seals on his hands glowed briefly beneath his gloves, and power flowed through him—controlled, directed, but still fearsome.

As one of the attackers broke away from Sasuke and lunged toward Tazuna and Sakura, Naruto intercepted with unnatural speed. His hand caught the poisoned gauntlet bare centimeters from Sakura's face.

"What the—" The attacker didn't finish his exclamation as Naruto's free hand drove into his solar plexus with enough force to lift him off his feet.

The missing-nin crashed into a tree, momentarily stunned. Before he could recover, shadows pooled at Naruto's feet and streaked across the ground with a life of their own, wrapping around the attacker's legs and arms like living restraints.

"Demon Brothers captured," Kakashi announced, reappearing with the second attacker unconscious under his arm. He eyed Naruto's shadow restraint technique with cautious approval. "Well done, team. Particularly you, Naruto. Good control."

But control was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. The proximity to fresh blood, the adrenaline of real combat—the hunger growled and paced within him like a caged beast testing its enclosure.

Later, after Kakashi had extracted information from the prisoners and the true nature of the mission had been revealed, Team Seven faced a crucial decision.

"This is now at least a B-rank mission, possibly A-rank if Zabuza Momochi is truly involved," Kakashi informed them gravely. "We should return to the village and request appropriate backup."

"We can't abandon Tazuna," Sakura argued, her earlier fear now tempered by determination. "His country needs this bridge!"

"I agree," Sasuke added, the challenge of facing stronger opponents clearly appealing to him. "We can handle this."

All eyes turned to Naruto, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since the encounter.

"Naruto?" Kakashi prompted. "This decision affects you perhaps more than anyone. Are you confident you can maintain control if we encounter jōnin-level opponents?"

The question hung heavy in the air. Naruto knew what Kakashi was really asking—could he keep the hunger in check during intense combat? Would his teammates be safe not just from their enemies, but from him?

He thought of the small vial of blood Sasuke had discreetly provided before they left the village—"insurance," the Uchiha had called it. It remained untouched in his pack, a last resort.

"I can do this," Naruto said finally, meeting Kakashi's gaze steadily. "I won't let my team down."

Kakashi studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Then we continue to the Land of Waves."

The mist rolled in thick and unnatural as their small boat approached the shores of Wave Country. Through it, the massive unfinished bridge loomed like a skeleton, its concrete supports reaching toward the mainland.

"We'll be exposed once we land," Kakashi warned quietly. "Stay alert."

The silence as they moved through the forest beyond the shore was oppressive, broken only by the occasional sound of wildlife. It was Naruto who detected the anomaly first—his enhanced senses picking up the whistle of something large moving through the air.

"Down!" he shouted, tackling Tazuna to the ground as a massive sword whirled overhead, embedding itself in a tree trunk.

A figure materialized atop the sword's handle—tall, muscular, his lower face wrapped in bandages and torso bare despite the cool mist. Killer intent rolled off him in waves that made Sakura gasp and Tazuna tremble.

"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi identified, sliding his hitai-ate up to reveal his Sharingan. "Demon of the Hidden Mist."

Zabuza's eyes crinkled in what might have been a smile beneath his bandages. "Kakashi of the Sharingan. No wonder the Demon Brothers failed." His gaze swept over the genin dismissively before pausing on Naruto. "Interesting... one of your brats smells different."

Naruto tensed, the hunger responding to the powerful chakra emanating from the missing-nin. Beneath his gloves, the restriction seals burned.

"Protect Tazuna," Kakashi ordered his team, stepping forward to engage Zabuza directly.

What followed was a deadly dance through mist and shadow. Kakashi and Zabuza traded water jutsu with devastating force, their speed almost too fast for the genin to follow. Only Sasuke with his awakening Sharingan and Naruto with his enhanced senses could track the movements accurately.

The battle shifted when Zabuza trapped Kakashi in a Water Prison Jutsu, leaving the three genin to face his water clone.

"Run!" Kakashi shouted from his liquid prison. "His water clone can't travel far from his real body! Take Tazuna and go!"

But retreat was the furthest thing from Naruto's mind as the hunger surged, responding to the immediate threat and the intoxicating scent of Zabuza's powerful chakra.

"Sasuke," he called, an unspoken question in his tone.

The Uchiha nodded sharply. "Do it."

Drawing a deep breath, Naruto formed the tiger seal. "Control Art Restriction, releasing to Level Three."

The effect was immediate and dramatic. The symbols on his hands blazed through his gloves, and his chakra signature darkened, becoming dense and heavy with something ancient and predatory. The mist around him seemed to recoil, swirling away as if repelled by his very presence.

Zabuza's water clone paused, its expressionless face somehow conveying surprise. "What manner of jutsu is this?"

Naruto didn't bother responding. At Level Three, the hunger was a tangible force driving his movements, but still within his control—barely. He launched himself at the water clone with inhuman speed, his body partially dissolving into shadow mid-leap.

The clone raised its massive sword to block, but Naruto's form split around it, reconstituting behind the clone. His hand, now transformed into a mass of writhing shadows, plunged through the clone's back.

The clone burst into water, but Naruto wasn't finished. Without breaking momentum, he continued toward the real Zabuza, his body leaving a trail of crimson mist in its wake.

"Impossible," Zabuza growled, maintaining the Water Prison with one hand while raising his free arm defensively.

Naruto's attack never connected. A volley of senbon needles shot from the trees, striking Zabuza's neck with surgical precision. The missing-nin's eyes widened briefly before he collapsed, his jutsu dissolving and freeing Kakashi.

A masked figure dropped from a nearby branch, dressed in the distinctive uniform of Kirigakure's hunter-nin corps.

"Thank you for your assistance," the newcomer said, voice soft and androgynous behind the mask. "I've been tracking Zabuza for weeks."

But Naruto wasn't listening. The hunter-nin's appearance had interrupted his attack, leaving the hunger unsated and raging through his system. The scent of Zabuza's blood, still pumping despite his apparent death, filled his nostrils.

"Naruto," Kakashi's voice cut through the bloodlust haze. "Stand down. Level Zero, now."

With tremendous effort, Naruto forced the hunger back, reactivating the full restrictions. "Level Zero lockdown in effect," he gasped, the crimson fading from his eyes as his body fully solidified again.

The hunter-nin collected Zabuza's body, thanked them once more, and disappeared in a swirl of mist, seemingly unperturbed by Naruto's display.

As soon as they were gone, Kakashi turned to Naruto with concern. "Are you in control?"

Naruto nodded shakily. "Yeah, but... that was close."

"Too close," Kakashi agreed, his expression grim. "And I don't think our troubles are over. Something about that hunter-nin feels off."

Sasuke stepped closer to Naruto, ostensibly to help support the exhausted Kakashi, but his words were pitched for Naruto's ears alone.

"Tonight," he murmured. "You need to feed before we face them again."

Naruto didn't argue. The hunger still gnawed at him, demanding satisfaction. And something told him they would need his full strength very soon.

In the shadows of the forest, unseen by the departing shinobi, a small crimson bat observed everything before dissolving into mist.

Night fell over Tazuna's modest home like a shroud, heavy with humidity and unspoken tensions. Inside, Tsunami bustled about preparing dinner while her father regaled Team Seven with tales of the bridge's importance. Inari, Tsunami's young son, watched the shinobi with suspicious, haunted eyes.

In the small guest room upstairs, Naruto sat cross-legged on his futon, struggling to meditate as Kakashi had taught him. The hunger had grown nearly unbearable after the confrontation with Zabuza, made worse by the suspicion that their opponent wasn't truly dead.

A soft tap at the window broke his concentration. Sasuke crouched on the sill, gesturing for Naruto to join him outside.

The night air was thick with sea salt and impending rain as they made their way silently to a small clearing in the woods behind Tazuna's house.

"You can barely focus," Sasuke observed bluntly. "Your eyes keep changing color."

Naruto grimaced. "I used too much power against Zabuza's clone. The hunger's worse than it's ever been."

"Then feed," Sasuke said simply, pulling a kunai from his pouch.

Naruto eyed the weapon warily. "I don't know if that's safe. Last time was just a little, but now... I don't think a few drops will be enough."

"How much do you need?"

The directness of the question startled Naruto. "I... I don't know exactly. But more than before."

Sasuke seemed to consider this, weighing options behind his impassive expression. "We need you at full strength when we face Zabuza again," he said finally. "And that hunter-nin working with him."

"How do you know they're working together?"

"Hunter-nin dispose of bodies on-site," Sasuke replied. "It's standard protocol to prevent village secrets from falling into enemy hands. The fact that this one took the body away suggests deception."

Naruto nodded, impressed despite himself by Sasuke's deductive reasoning. "So we could be facing both of them, maybe as soon as tomorrow."

"Exactly. Which means you need to feed. Now." Sasuke rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm. "Just don't take too much."

Naruto hesitated, the hunger roaring at the sight of exposed flesh and the promise of blood beneath. "Sasuke, I don't think you understand what you're offering. This isn't like last time. I might not be able to stop."

"You will," Sasuke replied with unshakable confidence. "Because you need me alive to help you kill Itachi someday."

The statement was so unexpected that Naruto momentarily forgot his hunger. "What?"

"Your new abilities," Sasuke elaborated, "they're unlike anything in the Five Great Nations. With proper training, you could become powerful enough to help me hunt down my brother." His eyes took on a calculating gleam. "And I can help you control the hunger, provide sustenance when necessary. A mutually beneficial arrangement."

Naruto stared at his teammate, understanding dawning. This wasn't friendship or altruism—it was a cold, calculated deal. Sasuke saw him as a potential weapon in his quest for vengeance.

Under normal circumstances, Naruto might have been offended, might have rejected such a transparent attempt at manipulation. But the hunger clouded his judgment, and a darker part of him—the part that resonated with Alucard's memories—appreciated the straightforward nature of the proposition.

"A blood contract," Naruto murmured, the words coming from somewhere deep within his transformed essence.

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "What?"

"In the old days, vampires sometimes formed pacts with humans—protection and power in exchange for blood." Naruto wasn't sure how he knew this, but the knowledge felt ancient and certain. "A symbiotic relationship."

For a moment, something like unease flickered across Sasuke's face, quickly replaced by his usual stoic expression. "If that's what you want to call it."

"Blood freely given is different from blood taken," Naruto continued, still drawing on knowledge that wasn't quite his own. "It creates a bond, a connection."

"I'm not interested in bonds," Sasuke said flatly. "Just results."

Naruto might have argued once, might have preached about friendship and teammates. Now, he simply nodded. "Your choice. But the connection will form regardless."

Without further preamble, he took Sasuke's offered arm. This time, there was no hesitation as his elongated canines sank into the pale flesh of Sasuke's wrist. The Uchiha hissed but didn't pull away.

The blood that filled Naruto's mouth was everything he remembered and more—rich with chakra, vibrant with life, tinged with the distinctive flavor of the Sharingan's power. But there was something else too, emotions carried in the crimson tide: ambition, determination, loneliness, rage... and beneath it all, a desperate, aching sorrow.

Naruto drank deeply, feeling Sasuke's essence flow into him, strengthening him in ways mere food never could. The hunger receded with each swallow, replaced by a warm satisfaction that spread through his entire being.

When he felt Sasuke's pulse begin to slow slightly, Naruto forced himself to stop, pulling away with effort. His canines retracted as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Enough?" Sasuke asked, his voice steady despite the pallor that had crept into his features.

Naruto nodded, not trusting himself to speak immediately. The effect was profound—his senses sharper than ever, his chakra flowing strong and controlled, the hunger completely satisfied for the first time since his transformation.

"You should eat something," Naruto said finally, noting Sasuke's pallor. "And rest. Your body needs to recover."

Sasuke bound his wrist with a bandage he'd prepared beforehand. "I'll be fine by morning," he said dismissively, though he swayed slightly as he stood. "Just make sure this power serves us both."

As they made their way back to Tazuna's house, neither noticed the masked figure observing them silently from the trees, nor the look of calculation behind the hunter-nin's mask.

Morning brought renewed focus to Team Seven's training. With Kakashi still recovering from chakra exhaustion, he set the genin to tree-walking exercises while he guarded Tazuna at the bridge construction site.

"This is basic chakra control," Sasuke scoffed, though he tackled the exercise with his usual determination.

Sakura, to everyone's surprise, mastered it almost immediately, her precise chakra control giving her a natural advantage.

Naruto, however, faced unexpected difficulties. His chakra, always wild and abundant, had become even more unruly since feeding on Sasuke's blood. It surged and ebbed unpredictably, sometimes burning the tree bark, other times causing his feet to slip.

"Concentrate, Naruto," Sakura called from her perch high in the branches. "You need to use steady, even chakra flow."

"I'm trying," he growled in frustration, leaving another scorch mark on the trunk.

Inside his mindscape, the Nine-Tails stirred. Your chakra network is changing, brat. The vampire's essence is reshaping it, especially after feeding.

"Great timing," Naruto muttered sarcastically. "Any helpful advice?"

Try channeling chakra through the restriction seals, the Fox suggested, surprising Naruto with its cooperative attitude. They were designed to control and direct the vampire's power. They might work for chakra too.

Naruto considered this, then adjusted his approach. Instead of pushing chakra directly to his feet, he channeled it through the seals on his hands first, mentally designating them as control points.

The difference was immediate. The chaotic energy smoothed, becoming more manageable as it flowed through the restriction framework. His next attempt carried him several meters up the tree before he lost concentration.

"Better!" Sakura called encouragingly.

By midday, both Naruto and Sasuke had made significant progress, though for different reasons. Sasuke drove himself with single-minded intensity, perhaps to prove he hadn't been weakened by the previous night's blood donation. Naruto found his control improving rapidly as he adapted to working with the restriction system.

As the sun began to set, Kakashi returned from the bridge with Tazuna, eyeing his students' progress with approval.

"Well done, all of you," he said. "Especially you, Naruto. Your control has improved significantly."

"I figured something out," Naruto replied cryptically, exchanging a brief glance with Sasuke.

That night, over dinner, Tazuna shared more about Gato's stranglehold on Wave Country and the bridge's importance for breaking his monopoly. The conversation grew tense when Inari suddenly lashed out.

"You're all going to die!" the boy shouted, tears streaming down his face. "No one can stand up to Gato! Heroes don't exist in this world!"

The outburst hung in the air, heavy with the boy's pain. Before anyone could respond, Naruto spoke, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"What makes you think death is the end, kid?"

All eyes turned to him, startled by the strange question.

"What?" Inari asked, momentarily shocked out of his tears.

"Death," Naruto repeated, his blue eyes taking on a distant quality. "It's not the end. It's not even really death if you refuse to accept it." He leaned forward, his expression intense. "The real monster isn't Gato. It's giving up, letting fear consume you until you're nothing but a shadow of what you could be."

The words weren't entirely his own—they carried echoes of Alucard's ancient wisdom, filtered through Naruto's own experiences of isolation and resilience.

Inari stared at him, speechless, before running from the table in tears.

"Naruto," Sakura admonished, "he's just a child."

"A child who needs to hear the truth," Naruto countered. "This whole country has given up. That's why Gato wins." He stood, excusing himself from the table. "I'm going to train some more."

Outside, in the moonlit forest, Naruto pushed himself harder than ever, mastering not just tree-walking but beginning water-walking on a nearby pond. The borrowed blood from Sasuke enhanced his physical abilities, but more importantly, it allowed him to think clearly without the distraction of hunger.

It was during this intense training that he first noticed the change in his shadow.

As he moved across the water's surface, concentrating on maintaining steady chakra flow, his shadow on the moonlit pond began moving independently—stretching, shifting, forming shapes that mimicked his movements but weren't bound by his body's limitations.

Intrigued, Naruto experimented, directing his chakra deliberately into his shadow. It responded, extending tendrils across the water's surface like living ink.

"Shadow manipulation," he murmured, remembering how his shadows had restrained Zabuza's water clone. Not quite like the Nara clan's techniques, but similar in principle—a core aspect of his vampiric abilities.

He spent hours refining this new skill, learning to extend his shadow as additional limbs, as weapons, as barriers. By the time exhaustion forced him to return to Tazuna's house, he had developed the foundations of a new fighting style—one that incorporated his shadow as an extension of himself.

The next day, Kakashi left Naruto to recover while he took Sasuke and Sakura to guard Tazuna at the bridge. "You pushed yourself too hard last night," the jōnin observed, noting Naruto's apparent exhaustion. "Rest today. We'll need you at full strength soon."

But Naruto's "exhaustion" was mostly an act—a precaution suggested by Sasuke, who theorized that Zabuza would attack the bridge once both he and Kakashi were present. By staying behind, Naruto could protect Tsunami and Inari while providing unexpected backup if needed.

His instincts proved correct. Barely an hour after the others left, two of Gato's thugs arrived at the house, swords drawn and killing intent evident in their malicious grins.

"We're here for the bridge builder's daughter," one announced as they kicked in the door. "Come quietly and the kid might live."

Tsunami stepped protectively in front of Inari, who stared at the intruders with wide, frightened eyes. "Leave my son alone," she pleaded. "I'll go with you."

"Smart choice," the second thug leered, reaching for her arm.

His hand never made contact. A shadow shot across the floor, wrapping around his wrist like a vise. The thug stared at it in confusion, then followed its path back to the darkened corner of the room where Naruto stood, eyes gleaming crimson.

"You know," Naruto said conversationally, stepping into the light, "I woke up hungry this morning."

The thugs backed away instinctively, something primal recognizing the predator before them. "What the hell are you?" the first one demanded, raising his sword defensively.

Naruto smiled, revealing elongated canines. "Just a shinobi who doesn't appreciate uninvited guests." The shadow holding the second thug's wrist expanded, wrapping around his entire arm. "Especially ones who threaten children."

The thugs exchanged a nervous glance before the first one charged with a battle cry, sword aimed at Naruto's heart. The blade connected—and passed through Naruto's chest as his body dissolved into a swarm of bats that scattered throughout the room before reconstituting behind the attacker.

"That was rude," Naruto chided, his voice taking on a deeper resonance as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I wasn't finished talking."

The thug screamed as shadows erupted from Naruto's palm, flowing across his body like liquid darkness. They didn't harm him physically, but whatever he experienced within their embrace left him collapsed on the floor, whimpering like a child.

The second thug, witnessing his partner's fate, broke free of the shadow restraint through sheer desperate strength and bolted for the door.

"Please," Naruto called after him, "tell Gato I'm coming for him next."

When the thug was gone, Naruto turned to Tsunami and Inari, his eyes fading back to blue. "Are you both okay?"

Inari stared at him with a mixture of awe and terror. "How did you do that? What did you do to him?" He pointed at the whimpering thug on the floor.

"I showed him his worst fears," Naruto explained simply. "He'll recover... eventually."

Tsunami approached cautiously, studying Naruto with new eyes. "You're not an ordinary shinobi, are you?"

"Not anymore," Naruto admitted. "But I'm still on your side." He glanced toward the direction of the bridge, his enhanced senses picking up distant sounds of combat. "I need to go help my team now. Can you tie him up?" He gestured to the incapacitated thug.

Inari nodded with newfound determination. "I can do it. Go help your friends."

As Naruto raced toward the bridge, he reflected on the boy's transformation from despair to resolve. Sometimes fear could be overcome not by denying monsters existed, but by realizing you could become a greater monster in defense of what mattered.

The scene at the bridge was chaos. A thick mist obscured much of the structure, but Naruto could hear the clash of weapons and feel the surge of powerful chakra signatures. He slipped into the mist silently, using his enhanced senses to navigate.

At the center of the bridge, Kakashi was engaged in deadly combat with Zabuza, their movements almost too fast to follow. Nearby, trapped within a dome of ice mirrors, Sasuke fought desperately against the masked hunter-nin, his body already pierced with multiple senbon needles.

Sakura stood guard over Tazuna at the edge of the mist, kunai raised defensively as she tried to track the battles she could barely see.

Naruto assessed the situation quickly. Kakashi could hold his own against Zabuza, but Sasuke was clearly outmatched by the hunter-nin's ice mirrors. The decision was easy.

Moving with vampiric speed, Naruto slipped inside the mirror dome just as Sasuke collapsed to his knees, blood flowing from numerous wounds.

"About time," the Uchiha gasped, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

"Sorry I'm late," Naruto replied, positioning himself back-to-back with his teammate. "Had to deal with some uninvited guests at the house."

The masked ninja regarded them from all mirrors simultaneously, senbon needles held ready between each finger. "Another opponent won't change the outcome," the soft voice stated. "You cannot defeat my Crystal Ice Mirrors."

"We'll see about that," Naruto replied, forming the tiger seal. "Control Art Restriction: Level Three release."

The symbols blazed through his gloves as power surged through him, temporarily pushing back the mist within the dome. His eyes burned crimson as shadows pooled at his feet, rising to swirl around him like a living cloak.

"What are you?" the hunter-nin asked, genuine curiosity in their voice.

Naruto grinned, revealing elongated canines. "I'm complicated."

The battle resumed with new intensity. The hunter-nin's speed was exceptional, moving between mirrors faster than ordinary eyes could track. Senbon needles rained from all directions, but now Naruto could follow the movements, his enhanced reflexes allowing him to deflect many of the projectiles.

Sasuke, drawing on his awakening Sharingan and second wind, began tracking the hunter-nin's patterns as well. Working in tandem, they gradually pushed their opponent into more desperate maneuvers.

"Water Style: Hydro Spikes!" the hunter-nin called, forming one-handed seals with impressive dexterity.

The moisture in the air crystallized into hundreds of ice needles that shot toward the genin from all angles. Sasuke dodged what he could, but several pierced his already wounded body, drawing fresh blood.

The scent hit Naruto like a physical blow, momentarily distracting him from the battle. Not just any blood—Sasuke's blood, which he had tasted, which now called to something primal within him.

The hunter-nin, sensing weakness, launched a final attack aimed at Naruto's exposed back.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, throwing himself into the path of the senbon.

Time seemed to slow as Naruto turned, witnessing Sasuke's body jerking with the impact of a dozen needles striking vital points. The Uchiha crumpled, falling into Naruto's arms.

"Why?" Naruto demanded, lowering his teammate to the ground.

Sasuke coughed, blood spattering his lips. "My body... moved on its own," he managed, his voice fading. "Idiot... don't waste this..."

His eyes closed, pulse fading to nothing beneath Naruto's fingers.

Something broke within Naruto—a final seal, a last restraint on the monster he had been becoming since that night with the forbidden scroll. The hunger, the rage, the ancient predatory instinct all coalesced into something new and terrible.

"Control Art Restriction," he whispered, his voice overlaid with something older, deeper. "Level Zero."

The symbols on his hands burned through his gloves, incinerating the fabric to reveal glowing crimson script that spread up his arms like living fire. The shadows around him exploded outward, shattering the nearest ice mirrors like glass.

The hunter-nin leapt frantically between remaining mirrors, trying to maintain distance. "What is this chakra?" they gasped, feeling the oppressive, ancient power rolling off Naruto in waves.

"Not chakra," Naruto corrected, his voice distorted as his body began to change. His form grew fluid, shadows and blood intermingling as he expanded beyond human limitations. "Something older. Something hungry."

The hunter-nin launched a desperate attack, sending thousands of ice needles toward the transforming genin. They passed through him harmlessly, his body now more shadow than substance.

"My turn," Naruto growled, extending a hand toward the mirrors.

Darkness erupted from his palm—not shadow clones or a jutsu, but hundreds of writhing, crimson-eyed familiars that swarmed the ice dome. They tore through the mirrors like paper, revealing the hunter-nin's true position.

Before the masked ninja could react, Naruto was there, moving faster than thought. One hand closed around their throat, lifting them off the ground.

"You killed my friend," he snarled, his free hand morphing into something monstrous—claws and shadow and hungry intent.

"Wait!" the hunter-nin gasped, reaching up to remove their mask.

The face revealed was young, androgynous, and startlingly beautiful. "He's not dead," they choked out. "I never aim to kill. The senbon only placed him in a death-like state."

Naruto hesitated, his enhanced senses confirming a faint, thread-like pulse in Sasuke's body. The momentary distraction was enough for the hunter-nin to form ice crystals that forced him to release his grip.

"My name is Haku," they said, maintaining a defensive stance. "I fight for Zabuza because he saved me, gave me purpose when the world rejected me for my bloodline limit." Their eyes, soft and sad, met Naruto's crimson ones. "You understand what it's like to be a monster, don't you?"

The words penetrated Naruto's rage, resonating with his own experiences of isolation and fear. The shadows composing his transformed state rippled, uncertainty battling the hunger for vengeance.

A sudden surge of killing intent from elsewhere on the bridge interrupted the moment. Kakashi's chakra spiked dramatically, accompanied by the distinctive chirping sound of his Chidori technique.

"Zabuza-sama!" Haku cried, forming an ice mirror and disappearing into it.

Naruto reverted to his human form with effort, the restriction seals reactivating to Level Five, and rushed to Sasuke's side. With gentle precision, he began removing the senbon needles from his teammate's body, careful to avoid causing further damage.

"Don't die on me, bastard," he muttered, relief washing through him as Sasuke's pulse grew stronger. "We have a contract, remember?"

Across the bridge, tragedy unfolded. Haku sacrificed himself to shield Zabuza from Kakashi's Chidori, dying instantly as the lightning-charged hand pierced their chest. Yet even this noble end was tainted when Gato arrived with an army of mercenaries, betraying Zabuza and mocking Haku's corpse.

What happened next would become legend in Wave Country.

Zabuza, enraged by Gato's disrespect toward Haku, fought through his injuries to tear through the mercenary ranks with nothing but a kunai clenched between his teeth, eventually killing Gato but sustaining mortal wounds in the process.

As the remaining mercenaries regrouped, preparing to slaughter everyone on the bridge to avenge their employer, they found their path blocked by a single figure—Naruto, standing at the bridge's center, seemingly unthreatening in his orange jumpsuit.

"Leave," he commanded simply, his voice carrying unnaturally across the structure.

The mercenaries laughed, advancing with weapons drawn.

Naruto sighed, then formed the tiger seal once more. "You were warned."

The transformation this time was controlled, deliberate. No wild explosion of power, just a steady release of carefully measured terror. His shadow stretched across the bridge's surface, expanding and rising into a massive, three-dimensional silhouette behind him—a towering, monstrous shape with countless eyes and fanged maws.

"This bridge," Naruto announced, his voice resonating with power, "is under my protection. This country is under my protection." His eyes blazed crimson, reflected in each of the phantom's many orbs. "Cross this line, and I will show you true nightmares."

The mercenaries broke, fleeing in blind panic, many throwing themselves off the bridge in their haste to escape. Those who hesitated found themselves ensnared by living shadows that forced them to experience their deepest fears before releasing them to spread tales of the demon of the bridge.

In the aftermath, as mist cleared and dawn broke over Wave Country, Naruto stood beside the dying Zabuza, who had crawled to Haku's side in his final moments.

"Will I join him?" the Demon of the Mist asked, blood bubbling from his lips as he gazed at his fallen companion.

Naruto, drawing on memories and knowledge that weren't quite his own, replied softly, "If that is what you truly wish."

Zabuza's eyes closed peacefully. "Yeah... I'd like that."

Later, as Team Seven buried the two missing-nin side by side on a cliff overlooking the sea, Kakashi pulled Naruto aside.

"What you did today," the jōnin said carefully, "it wasn't just chakra or bloodline limit, was it?"

Naruto met his sensei's gaze steadily. "No. It's something else entirely."

"Something dangerous," Kakashi observed. "To enemies and allies alike."

"I maintained control," Naruto defended. "Even at Level Zero."

"This time," Kakashi acknowledged. "But we need to ensure there's always a next time." He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "The Hokage needs to know everything when we return."

Naruto nodded, knowing the reckoning for his transformation could no longer be postponed. The events on the bridge had revealed too much, to friends and foes alike.

As the newly completed bridge—now named "The Great Naruto Bridge" in his honor—faded into the distance behind them, Naruto felt a strange mixture of pride and trepidation.

He had protected those who needed protection. He had honored his word. He had controlled the monster within, channeling it toward a worthy purpose.

But word would spread. Questions would follow. And somewhere beyond the horizon, others would hear tales of a genin with impossible abilities and blood-red eyes.

The world was about to discover that Naruto Uzumaki was no longer just a jinchūriki—he had become something more ancient, more terrible, and perhaps more necessary than anyone could have imagined.

A crimson shadow in a world of shinobi.

The journey back to Konoha was marked by a new dynamic within Team Seven. Sasuke, having experienced clinical death and revival, carried himself with increased intensity, his eyes darting occasionally to Naruto with a mixture of wariness and calculation. Sakura divided her attention between fretting over Sasuke's recovery and shooting curious glances at Naruto, clearly wrestling with questions she wasn't ready to ask.

Kakashi, for his part, maintained a careful vigilance over his genin team, particularly Naruto. The display of power on the bridge had confirmed his suspicions about the extent of Naruto's transformation, and while he recognized the boy's efforts at control, the potential dangers couldn't be ignored.

One evening, as they made camp in a forest clearing, Kakashi pulled Naruto aside for a private conversation while Sasuke and Sakura gathered firewood.

"How's the hunger?" he asked without preamble, his visible eye studying Naruto intently.

Naruto tensed slightly before answering. "Manageable. The restriction system helps."

"And how long will it remain manageable without..." Kakashi paused delicately, "sustenance?"

A faint crimson gleam flickered in Naruto's eyes before fading. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "A few more days, maybe a week if I keep the restrictions at Level Five or higher."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "When we return to the village, the Hokage will want to establish protocols. For your safety and others'."

"You mean feeding arrangements," Naruto translated bluntly.

"Among other things." Kakashi's expression softened slightly. "Naruto, what happened in Wave wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for this transformation. But now that it's happened, we need to adapt—all of us."

Naruto looked away, focusing on the distant sounds of Sasuke and Sakura gathering branches. "What if they fear me? The village already saw me as a monster because of the Nine-Tails. Now I really am one."

"A monster is defined by actions, not nature," Kakashi replied, echoing Alucard's words from Naruto's mindscape. "You protected your teammates. You saved Wave Country. Those aren't the actions of a monster."

Before Naruto could respond, a sudden rustle in the underbrush drew their attention. Both shinobi tensed, but relaxed when a small rabbit darted across the clearing.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Dinner?"

To his surprise, Naruto shook his head. "Animal blood doesn't satisfy the hunger," he explained, having tried this experiment during their journey. "It needs to be human, or at least humanoid. And chakra-rich is better."

"Interesting limitation," Kakashi noted. "That could be useful information."

When they finally reached Konoha, Team Seven was immediately summoned to the Hokage's office for a mission debriefing. The genin were dismissed afterward, but Naruto received separate instructions to return that evening for a private meeting.

As he left the Tower, Sasuke fell into step beside him. "The Hokage's going to restrict you," he stated flatly. "Set up systems to monitor and control your... condition."

Naruto glanced at his teammate. "Probably. It's the smart thing to do."

"Maybe," Sasuke conceded. "But it could limit your development. Your power on the bridge..." His eyes took on a distant quality. "That level of strength could challenge even him someday."

Naruto didn't need clarification on who "him" was. "Is that all you think about? Killing your brother?"

"What else matters?" Sasuke countered. "You have your dream of becoming Hokage. I have my dream of avenging my clan. We both need power to achieve them."

They walked in silence for a moment before Sasuke spoke again, his voice lower. "Our arrangement still stands, if you want it. The Hokage doesn't need to know everything."

The offer was tempting—a solution to the hunger problem that wouldn't involve village bureaucracy or potential restrictions. But Naruto hesitated, remembering the emotions he'd tasted in Sasuke's blood: the obsession, the hatred, the all-consuming drive for vengeance.

"I'll think about it," he said finally.

That evening, Naruto returned to the Hokage Tower as instructed. To his surprise, the meeting included not just the Hokage and Kakashi, but also Jiraiya of the Sannin, who leaned against the window with his arms crossed.

"Naruto," the Hokage greeted him warmly. "Thank you for coming. You know Kakashi, of course, and this is—"

"Jiraiya of the Sannin," Naruto finished, recognition dawning from descriptions he'd read. "The Toad Sage."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting to be identified so quickly. "Well, well. The kid knows his shinobi legends."

"I've been researching sealing techniques," Naruto explained. "Your name comes up a lot."

"As it should," Jiraiya preened briefly before his expression turned serious. "I understand you've undergone some interesting changes recently, kid."

The Hokage gestured for Naruto to take a seat. "Jiraiya is one of the few people I've briefed on your condition," he explained. "His expertise in sealing techniques and the Nine-Tails' chakra makes him uniquely qualified to help assess your situation."

"And possibly adjust your seal if necessary," Jiraiya added, eyeing Naruto with undisguised curiosity. "Mind if I take a look?"

After receiving Naruto's hesitant nod, Jiraiya approached and instructed him to channel chakra. As Naruto complied, the seal became visible through his shirt—but it was no longer the clean spiral design of the Eight Trigrams Seal. The original formula remained, but now it was interwoven with crimson symbols that pulsed with a life of their own.

Jiraiya whistled low. "Fascinating. The original seal is intact, but these additional markings..." He traced a finger through the air above Naruto's stomach, careful not to touch. "They're unlike any sealing script I've ever seen. Pre-chakra era, maybe even older."

"They appeared after my blood interacted with the forbidden scroll," Naruto explained. "And they're connected to the restriction system I developed."

He demonstrated by releasing to Level Five, showing how the symbols on his hands connected with the modified seal on his stomach through visible channels of crimson energy.

"A complete system," Jiraiya murmured, clearly impressed despite himself. "The seals restrict and channel this... vampiric essence... based on your will and chakra input."

"Exactly," Naruto confirmed. "Level Zero is full release, which I've only done once. Level Ten is complete lockdown—I can access none of the abilities, but the hunger is strongest in that state."

"And currently?" the Hokage inquired.

"Level Five. A balance between access to enhanced senses and basic abilities, while keeping the hunger manageable."

Jiraiya completed his examination and stepped back, exchanging a look with the Hokage that Naruto couldn't quite interpret.

"Well, kid," the Toad Sage said finally, "you've created quite the conundrum for us. On one hand, you've developed potentially game-changing abilities that could be tremendous assets to the village. On the other, you've become something that, by your own admission, requires human blood to function optimally."

Naruto tensed. "I haven't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it."

"Yet," Jiraiya pointed out bluntly. "But the hunger will grow, won't it? Especially after using your abilities extensively."

Unable to deny this truth, Naruto simply nodded.

The Hokage cleared his throat. "This brings us to the purpose of this meeting. We need to establish protocols for managing your condition while allowing you to continue developing as a shinobi of the Leaf."

"Am I being confined to the village?" Naruto asked, voicing his worst fear.

"No," the Hokage assured him. "But there will be conditions."

The conditions, as it turned out, were both more reasonable and more intrusive than Naruto had anticipated. He would continue missions with Team Seven, but with Kakashi providing regular reports on his condition. The restriction system was approved as a control method, with strict limitations on when he could release to Level Three or below.

Most significantly, a feeding protocol was established. The hospital would provide blood packets from their medical supplies on a weekly basis, stored in a special seal-locked container in Naruto's apartment. The blood would be anonymous, collected from volunteer donors who provided extra during regular donations, ensuring no one was harmed or depleted.

"This addresses the physical need," the Hokage explained, "but Kakashi reports that fresh, chakra-rich blood provides better sustenance and control. For situations requiring this level of support, Jiraiya will be your primary donor."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "You?"

The Toad Sage shrugged. "I have exceptional chakra reserves and recovery rates. Better me than some random chunin who might not understand what they're getting into."

The implication was clear—they didn't trust just anyone to be bound to Naruto through blood ties, especially given the connection he'd described forming with blood donors. A Sannin was better equipped to handle any unforeseen consequences.

"And one more thing," the Hokage added. "The Chunin Exams begin in three weeks. Kakashi has recommended Team Seven for participation, but your involvement presents unique challenges."

"You mean my bloodlust might get triggered if I'm fighting other genin," Naruto translated.

"Precisely. The exams can be... intense. If you wish to participate, you'll need to demonstrate consistently stable control between now and then."

Naruto straightened his posture, determination evident in his expression. "I can do it. I won't let my team down."

"See that you don't," Jiraiya said, his tone serious despite his casual stance. "Because I'll be watching. If you show signs of losing control, I'll pull you out myself—for your protection and everyone else's."

The next three weeks passed in a blur of intense training and careful monitoring. The feeding protocol worked better than expected—the medical blood packets dulled the worst of the hunger, though they lacked the potency of fresh, chakra-infused blood.

Team Seven's dynamic evolved as they prepared for the exams. Kakashi emphasized teamwork exercises that played to each member's strengths: Sakura's intelligence and chakra control, Sasuke's combat prowess and tactical mind, and Naruto's growing arsenal of vampiric abilities.

To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke never mentioned their "arrangement" again, seemingly content to let the village's protocol handle Naruto's feeding needs. Only occasionally would Naruto catch the Uchiha watching him with that calculating look, as if reevaluating his potential utility in future plans.

Sakura, meanwhile, had gradually overcome her initial wariness of Naruto's changes. After witnessing him intentionally take a kunai meant for her during a training exercise—the wound healing almost instantly—she had approached him privately.

"You've changed," she stated simply, her green eyes studying him with newfound perception. "And not just your abilities. You're... calmer somehow. More focused."

Naruto had smiled ruefully. "Having a monster inside you means you have to be in control all the time."

"You're not a monster," she had replied with unexpected firmness. "Monsters don't protect their teammates. Monsters don't care about becoming Hokage to help their village."

The vote of confidence had meant more than she probably realized.

On the morning of the Chunin Exam registration, Team Seven gathered at their usual meeting spot on the bridge, each carrying the tension of anticipation in their own way. Sasuke projected his usual cool confidence, Sakura fidgeted with nervous energy, and Naruto maintained a carefully measured calm.

"Ready?" Sasuke asked as they prepared to depart for the examination building.

Naruto adjusted the gloves covering his restriction seals and nodded. "Ready."

The academy building was crowded with genin from various villages—some familiar faces from Konoha, others foreign teams carrying headbands from Suna, Ama, Kusa, and other allied nations. The air buzzed with competitive energy and barely concealed hostility.

For Naruto, it was an olfactory nightmare. Each genin carried a unique chakra signature that wafted to his enhanced senses like competing perfumes—some tantalizing, others repellent. He kept his restrictions at Level Six, higher than usual, to dampen the sensory overload.

They navigated past the genjutsu trap on the second floor without falling for it, thanks to Sasuke's Sharingan and Sakura's sharp mind. As they climbed the stairs to the actual examination room, however, they encountered an unexpected obstacle—a green-clad genin who introduced himself as Rock Lee and promptly challenged Sasuke to a fight.

The ensuing brief battle surprised them all. Despite Sasuke's Sharingan and considerable skill, Lee dominated the fight with pure taijutsu mastery, demonstrating speed that even Naruto's enhanced senses struggled to track.

Just as Lee was about to deliver his finishing technique, a tortoise appeared, followed by an older version of Lee—Might Guy, his jōnin sensei—who reprimanded his student with an emotional display that left Team Seven bewildered.

"That was... interesting," Sakura commented as they continued toward the examination room.

"He was fast," Sasuke acknowledged grudgingly, still smarting from the defeat. "Faster than I could follow, even with the Sharingan."

Naruto remained quiet, his mind analyzing what he'd witnessed. Lee's speed rivaled what he himself could achieve at Level Four restriction release—and the green-clad genin had done it through pure physical training, without bloodline limits or special transformations.

"There are many types of strength in this world," he said finally, echoing wisdom gleaned from Alucard's ancient memories. "Some born, some made, some taken, some given. The source matters less than what you do with it."

Sasuke shot him a sharp look, clearly catching the philosophical undertone, but said nothing as they entered the examination room.

Inside, dozens of genin from various villages milled about, sizing up the competition. The collective killing intent and chakra signatures hit Naruto like a physical wave, forcing him to momentarily brace against a wall.

"You okay?" Sakura asked quietly.

Naruto nodded, regaining his composure. "Just... a lot of inputs. Give me a second to adjust."

Across the room, a silver-haired Konoha genin named Kabuto approached, offering assistance and information via his "ninja info cards"—a collection of data on exam participants he'd gathered over his multiple attempts at the exam.

"Any requests?" Kabuto asked, shuffling his deck with practiced ease.

"Rock Lee from Konoha," Sasuke requested immediately.

"No challenge," Kabuto replied, pulling a card and channeling chakra into it to reveal Lee's statistics. "Rock Lee, genin of Konoha. Taijutsu specialist with minimal ninjutsu or genjutsu capabilities. Completed 20 D-rank and 12 C-rank missions. His sensei is Might Guy."

As Sasuke digested this information, he added another request. "Gaara of the Desert."

The data on the red-haired Suna genin proved sparse but alarming—a perfect mission record including a B-rank, with the note that he'd returned from every mission without a scratch.

"Anyone else?" Kabuto asked.

Sasuke's eyes slid to Naruto briefly before he shook his head. "That's all."

But they weren't the only ones gathering intelligence. Across the room, a team from Sound launched a sudden attack on Kabuto, demonstrating unusual sound-based techniques that left the silver-haired genin vomiting despite apparently dodging the physical blow.

Before the situation could escalate further, a large man with scars across his face appeared in a cloud of smoke, introducing himself as Ibiki Morino, the proctor for the first exam.

"There will be no fighting without permission," he growled, his intimidating presence immediately cowing the Sound genin. "And even with permission, killing will not be tolerated."

The first exam proved to be a written test designed to encourage cheating without being caught—a test of information gathering skills rather than academic knowledge. For most genin, this presented a significant challenge.

For Naruto, with his heightened senses at Level Six restriction, it was almost too easy. He could hear the scratch of pencils from those who knew the answers, could smell the distinct changes in perspiration as confident test-takers solved problems versus those who were guessing.

But he refrained from using these advantages too obviously, aware that the proctors were watching for suspicious behavior. Instead, he relied primarily on occasional glimpses of Sakura's paper—she was solving the problems legitimately—and subtle signals from Sasuke, who was copying answers with his Sharingan.

When Ibiki revealed the true purpose of the test and presented the final, supposedly make-or-break question, Naruto remained calm. The test had been about more than information gathering—it was about courage under pressure, willingness to risk everything for the mission, for the team.

As teams began to withdraw, unable to bear the pressure of potential permanent genin status, Naruto considered raising his hand. Not out of fear for himself, but concern for his teammates. His condition made him an unknown variable—a potential liability in certain combat situations.

Sasuke, noticing Naruto's hesitation, caught his eye and gave an almost imperceptible head shake. The message was clear: we're in this together.

Naruto lowered his hand, decision made. Whatever came next, Team Seven would face it united.

When Ibiki revealed the deception and passed all remaining teams, Naruto allowed himself a small smile of relief. One hurdle cleared.

The relief was short-lived. Moments later, a kunai shattered the window, followed by a banner and a purple-haired woman who introduced herself as Anko Mitarashi, the second exam proctor.

"The easy part is over, maggots!" she declared with sadistic enthusiasm. "Meet at Training Ground 44 tomorrow at dawn. Bring your survival gear—you're going to need it."

As the genin filtered out of the room, Naruto caught the scent of someone watching him—a distinctive chakra signature that smelled of scales and old blood. He turned to find a Kusa genin with unnaturally long hair staring at him with undisguised interest.

Their eyes met briefly, and Naruto felt an instinctive revulsion—not fear, but the recognition of something fundamentally wrong, masked beneath human appearance. The Nine-Tails stirred within him, equally disturbed.

That one smells of snakes, the Fox growled. And death.

"Naruto? Coming?" Sakura called from the doorway where she and Sasuke waited.

Breaking the unsettling staring contest, Naruto joined his teammates. "Yeah. Let's go prepare for tomorrow."

That night, as Team Seven finalized their preparations separately, Naruto received an unexpected visitor. Jiraiya appeared on his apartment balcony, tapping lightly at the window.

"Thought you might need a top-up before tomorrow," the Sannin explained once Naruto let him in. "Training Ground 44 isn't called the Forest of Death for nothing."

Naruto hesitated. The medical blood had been sustaining him adequately, but it lacked the potency and chakra-enrichment of fresh blood. And tomorrow's challenges would likely push his abilities to their limits.

"The Hokage approved this?" he asked cautiously.

Jiraiya rolled up his sleeve. "Special circumstances, kid. Consider it part of your exam preparation."

The feeding was brief but significant. Jiraiya's blood carried tremendous power—decades of experience, sage chakra, and vitality that far exceeded ordinary shinobi. Just a few mouthfuls left Naruto feeling more energized than he had in weeks.

As he wiped his mouth afterward, he noticed Jiraiya watching him with analytical interest.

"What?" Naruto asked, somewhat defensively.

"Just curious about the effects," Jiraiya explained. "Did you see anything? My memories, emotions?"

Naruto considered this. Unlike with Sasuke, where emotions had transferred clearly, Jiraiya's blood had been... guarded somehow. "Not much," he admitted. "It's like there was a barrier. I felt your chakra, your strength, but not your thoughts or feelings."

Jiraiya nodded, seeming unsurprised. "Thought so. Been working on a technique to shield against mental intrusion. Glad to know it works against your kind of... connection too."

"My kind," Naruto repeated flatly.

The Sannin's expression softened slightly. "No offense meant, kid. Just being practical. If blood creates bonds, it's smart to understand and control those bonds, especially in the shinobi world."

After Jiraiya left, Naruto spent hours meditating, focusing on maintaining perfect control over his restriction system. Tomorrow would test not just his skills as a ninja, but his mastery over the monster he harbored—both the Nine-Tails and the vampiric essence that had transformed him.

Dawn found Team Seven gathered with the other remaining teams at the perimeter of Training Ground 44—the Forest of Death. The massive trees, wider than houses and taller than most buildings in Konoha, cast deep shadows even in the morning light. Strange sounds echoed from within: roars, chittering, and occasionally, what might have been screams.

Anko explained the parameters of the second exam with obvious relish—each team would receive either an Earth or Heaven scroll, then spend up to five days in the forest trying to acquire the opposite scroll from another team by any means necessary. Both scrolls would be required to enter the central tower and pass this phase.

"In this test," she concluded with a predatory grin, "you're authorized to kill. I'll have you sign these consent forms to acknowledge that fact."

As Team Seven reviewed their consent forms, Sakura voiced the concern they all shared. "This is serious. People are going to die in there."

"Only the weak," Sasuke replied, signing his form with characteristic confidence.

Naruto said nothing as he added his signature, but inwardly, he acknowledged the danger—not just to others, but from himself. The Forest of Death would mean extended combat, injuries, blood... all triggers for the hunger.

Once all forms were collected and scrolls distributed (Team Seven received a Heaven scroll, which Sasuke secreted away), the teams were led to separate entry gates around the forest's perimeter.

"Remember the plan," Sasuke said as they waited for the signal to begin. "Head straight for the tower, set up ambush points along the way. Target weaker teams first."

Naruto adjusted his gloves, ensuring the restriction seals were securely covered. "I'll scout ahead when we can. My senses can give us an advantage."

"Just make sure you stay in control," Sakura added, her concern genuine rather than accusatory.

The signal flare lit the sky, gates swung open, and the second exam began.

Team Seven moved with practiced coordination, penetrating deep into the forest within the first hour. The environment was as challenging as promised—giant insects, poisonous plants, quicksand bogs, and predators the size of small buildings required constant vigilance.

Naruto kept his restrictions at Level Five, allowing enhanced senses without risking the greater hunger that accompanied lower levels. Even so, the forest was almost overwhelming—thousands of scents, sounds, and chakra signatures bombarded him from all directions.

They made camp that first night on a high branch, concealed by dense foliage. While Sakura rested, Sasuke approached Naruto at the edge of their small platform.

"You sense anything?" he asked quietly.

Naruto scanned the darkness, extending his awareness outward. "Three teams within half a kilometer. One from Rain to the north, moving away. Another from Grass to the east, stationary—probably camping like us. And..." He frowned, focusing on the third signature. "Something strange to the south. Powerful chakra, but... masked somehow."

"The Grass genin from the first exam?" Sasuke suggested.

"Maybe." Naruto hesitated before adding, "There's something not right about that one. The Fox sensed it too."

Sasuke absorbed this information silently before changing the subject. "How's your control holding up?"

"Fine for now," Naruto replied, though the hunger was already beginning to gnaw at him despite Jiraiya's blood the previous night. The constant sensory input and stress accelerated its return. "I can manage."

"If you need..." Sasuke left the offer unspoken but clear.

Naruto shook his head firmly. "Not unless it's an emergency. We need you at full strength."

The next morning brought their first direct confrontation—a team from Amegakure attempted to ambush them as they descended from their camping spot. The Rain ninjas used water clones to create confusion, but Sasuke's Sharingan saw through the deception, allowing Team Seven to turn the ambush back on its originators.

The battle was brief but intense. Sakura displayed improved combat skills, dispatching a water clone with precise kunai throws. Sasuke engaged the team leader directly, his fire jutsu creating steam as it confronted water techniques.

Naruto faced the third Rain ninja, a wiry young man with breathing apparatus and senbon needles that discharged lightning when thrown. The weapons posed little threat to Naruto directly—his regeneration could handle electrical damage—but the metal conductors complicated his shadow manipulation.

"What kind of freak are you?" the Rain ninja demanded after witnessing Naruto's arm reform from shadow substance following a direct hit.

"The kind you shouldn't have provoked," Naruto replied simply.

He released to Level Four briefly—just long enough to move with vampiric speed behind his opponent and deliver a precise strike to the base of the skull. The Rain ninja crumpled, unconscious but alive.

With all three Ame ninjas subdued, Team Seven searched them for scrolls, finding an Earth scroll—exactly what they needed.

"That was almost too easy," Sakura commented as they secured their prize.

"It was," Sasuke agreed, his eyes scanning the forest warily. "Which means the real challenges are still ahead."

His prediction proved accurate. As they changed course toward the central tower, now in possession of both required scrolls, disaster struck. A massive wind jutsu—far beyond genin level—separated the team, sending Naruto flying in one direction while Sasuke and Sakura were blown in another.

When Naruto recovered, finding himself alone nearly a kilometer from his last position, he immediately extended his senses to locate his teammates. A spike of fear shot through him as he detected Sasuke's chakra fluctuating wildly in what could only be a high-level battle.

He raced toward the source, pushing his speed to its limits even at Level Five restriction. As he drew closer, other scents reached him—Sakura's fear, Sasuke's blood, and that wrong, snake-like chakra from the Kusa genin, now unveiling its true nature and power.

Through a gap in the foliage, Naruto finally spotted them—Sasuke and Sakura on a massive branch, confronting what appeared to be the Grass genin from the first exam. But something was horribly wrong. The Kusa ninja's face was... peeling, revealing pale white skin beneath like a shedding snake.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, you disappoint me," the figure was saying, voice shifted from feminine to androgynous. "I expected more from an Uchiha."

As Naruto watched in horror, the disguised ninja's neck elongated impossibly, shooting toward Sasuke with opened jaws. Before he could intervene, the teeth sank into Sasuke's neck, causing him to collapse in agony.

"What did you do to him?" Sakura screamed, cradling Sasuke's convulsing form.

"I gave him a gift," the snake-person replied, touching the torn face that now hung like a mask. "A taste of power. If he survives, he may seek me out for more. I am Orochimaru, after all, and I recognize potential."

The name hit Naruto like a physical blow. Orochimaru—one of the legendary Sannin, a missing-nin and traitor to Konoha. What was he doing infiltrating the Chunin Exams? Why target Sasuke specifically?

The answers would have to wait. Sasuke's condition was deteriorating rapidly, his chakra signature fluctuating wildly as some foreign energy invaded his system. And Orochimaru was advancing on Sakura, who stood protectively over their fallen teammate.

Naruto acted on instinct, releasing to Level Three as he launched himself from his concealed position.

"Control Art Restriction: Level Three release!"

His body partially dissolved into shadow and bats as he intercepted Orochimaru's advance, reforming between the Sannin and his teammates with eyes blazing crimson and shadows writhing at his feet.

Orochimaru paused, genuine surprise registering on his partially revealed face. "Well, well. What have we here? The Nine-Tails jinchūriki, yes, but... something more?"

"Get away from my team," Naruto growled, voice deepened by the power flowing through him.

The Sannin's tongue—unnaturally long and serpentine—flicked out to taste the air. "How fascinating. I'd heard rumors about your transformation after the Wave mission, but to see it firsthand..." His eyes gleamed with scientific interest. "A true vampire awakening in this era. And merged with the Nine-Tails, no less."

Sakura gasped behind him. "Vampire? Naruto, what is he talking about?"

Ignoring her, Naruto maintained his defensive stance. "I won't let you hurt them anymore."

Orochimaru laughed—a chilling sound devoid of humor. "Bold words from a genin, even one with your... unusual attributes. But I've already accomplished what I came for." He glanced at Sasuke's writhing form. "The Cursed Seal will either kill him or make him stronger. And if he survives, he'll seek me out eventually. Power calls to power, after all."

"I won't let that happen either."

The declaration seemed to amuse Orochimaru further. "Such confidence! Let's test it, shall we?"

The attack came with blistering speed—a barrage of snakes erupting from Orochimaru's sleeve, each bearing poisoned fangs. Naruto responded by dissolving partially into shadow, allowing the serpents to pass through him harmlessly before reconstituting.

"Impressive," Orochimaru admitted. "But how will you fare against this?"

The Sannin's killing intent flooded the area, so potent that it briefly paralyzed even Naruto despite his supernatural nature. In that moment of vulnerability, Orochimaru struck, his fingers glowing with purple flames as they drove into Naruto's stomach—directly over the seal.

"Five-Pronged Seal!"

Pain exploded through Naruto's system as the foreign chakra disrupted both the Nine-Tails' seal and the vampire restrictions. He crumpled, feeling his control slipping as the carefully balanced systems within him destabilized.

"Interesting reaction," Orochimaru observed clinically. "It seems your vampire abilities are now interwoven with the Nine-Tails' chakra. Disrupting one affects the other."

Inside Naruto's mindscape, chaos reigned. The crimson symbols wrapped around the Nine-Tails' cage warped and twisted under the influence of Orochimaru's seal, causing the Fox to roar in pain and rage. The blood-like substance flooding the floor began to boil and rise, forming into a towering humanoid shape beside the cage.

Alucard's manifestation appeared more solid than during their first encounter, his red coat vivid against the mindscape's gloom.

"Interference," he growled, eyeing the purple flames now marring the intricate sealing network. "Unacceptable."

Outside, Naruto convulsed as competing energies warred within him—the Nine-Tails' chakra, the vampire essence, and now Orochimaru's disrupting seal. His restriction system fluctuated wildly, cycling through levels unpredictably.

Orochimaru stepped back, watching with clinical fascination. "Such potential for study. Perhaps I should take you as well, once I've finished with the Uchiha."

"You will take nothing, snake."

The voice that emerged from Naruto's throat wasn't his own—deeper, accented, ancient with power and confidence. His body straightened despite the pain, movements suddenly fluid and controlled in a manner completely unlike his usual style.

Orochimaru's eyes widened. "What's this? A secondary consciousness?"

Naruto's—or rather, Alucard's—smile was terrifying in its predatory joy. "Consider me... the antibody to your infection."

What followed was beyond Sakura's ability to comprehend. Naruto's form shifted and changed, sometimes humanoid, sometimes dissolving into shadows, bats, or viscous blood-like substance. He moved with impossible speed and grace, attacking Orochimaru from multiple angles simultaneously.

For his part, the Sannin defended with all the skill of his legendary status—snake summons, earth techniques, and taijutsu flowing together seamlessly. But even he seemed taken aback by the ferocity and otherworldliness of the assault.

"Magnificent," Orochimaru breathed during a momentary pause in the combat, genuine appreciation in his voice despite a bleeding gash across his chest. "Two specimens of such quality in one day. Konoha has surpassed itself."

Inside his mindscape, Naruto struggled to regain control. "What are you doing?" he demanded of Alucard's manifestation.

"Protecting our shared vessel," the vampire replied simply. "The snake's seal threatens the balance we've established. Left unchecked, it could destroy us both—and release the Fox in the process."

"But you're using my body without permission!"

Alucard's crimson eyes met his. "Would you prefer I let the snake take you and your friends? The Uchiha is already marked. Would you have the girl fall next?"

Presented this way, Naruto had no counterargument. "Just... don't kill anyone. We're still in an exam."

Alucard's laughter echoed through the mindscape. "The exam is the least of our concerns now, boy. But very well—I'll refrain from killing the snake, tempting though it may be."

In the physical world, the battle had escalated. Orochimaru, realizing his opponent was more challenging than anticipated, had dropped all pretense of being a genin. A massive snake summon now coiled around the tree branch, while the Sannin prepared what appeared to be an A-rank jutsu.

"Enough games," Orochimaru declared. "Entertaining as this has been, I have other matters to attend to."

The jutsu he launched—some kind of earth prison technique—should have immobilized Naruto completely. Instead, it passed through his temporarily insubstantial form as he shifted into shadow state.

"The traditional weaknesses don't apply to this one," Naruto/Alucard observed with cool amusement. "No stakes, no sunlight, no running water or consecrated ground. Just pure, undiluted power."

He demonstrated by unleashing a wave of shadows that formed into hundreds of eye-covered hounds, each with multiple rows of fangs. They surged toward Orochimaru from all directions.

The Sannin's expression shifted from confidence to calculation to something approaching concern. With a series of hand signs too fast to follow, he created a mud wall that briefly impeded the shadow hounds, then used the moment's reprieve to form additional seals.

"Another time, perhaps," he called, his body seemingly melting into the tree branch. "I've seen what I needed to see. Two such promising specimens in one village... how fortunate for my research."

By the time the shadow hounds broke through the barrier, Orochimaru had completely vanished, his chakra signature rapidly fading even from Naruto's enhanced senses.

The immediate threat gone, Alucard relinquished control, leaving Naruto to collapse to his knees, gasping as the competing energies within him continued to war for dominance.

"Naruto!" Sakura called, rushing to his side while still keeping one arm around the unconscious Sasuke. "Are you okay? What was that?"

"Not now," Naruto managed through clenched teeth. "Need to... stabilize..."

With tremendous effort, he formed the tiger seal and focused what remained of his controlled chakra. "Control Art Restriction: Emergency Lockdown Protocol. Levels One through Nine suspended. Initiating Absolute Boundary State."

The symbols on his hands blazed through his gloves, then spread across his entire body in glowing crimson script. For a moment, his form seemed to flicker between solid and shadow before stabilizing completely, the foreign seal on his stomach visibly fighting against his own restriction system.

When the light show faded, Naruto remained kneeling, breathing heavily but at least in control of himself again. The hunger roared louder than ever, intensified by the extreme exertion and disrupted seals, but it was contained—for now.

"We need to move," he said finally, looking up at Sakura with eyes that still held traces of crimson. "Find somewhere defensible. Sasuke needs care, and I..." He hesitated. "I need to recover."

Sakura's expression was a complex mixture of fear, concern, and determination. "What that snake ninja said... about you being a vampire. Is it true?"

Naruto met her gaze steadily. "It's complicated. And not something I chose." He glanced at Sasuke's unconscious form. "Help me with him. I'll explain once we're safe."

Together, they managed to transport Sasuke to a hollow beneath a massive tree root system, concealed by thick undergrowth and naturally defensible. As Sakura tended to Sasuke, applying cool compresses to his fever-wracked body and monitoring the strange mark on his neck, Naruto kept watch.

The hunger was becoming unbearable—a side effect of both the intense combat and Orochimaru's disruptive seal. The emergency lockdown protocol had stabilized his condition, but at the cost of access to most of his vampiric abilities. More concerning, it wouldn't last indefinitely.

"He's getting worse," Sakura reported, genuine fear in her voice. "His pulse is erratic, and the mark keeps spreading and receding. What did that Orochimaru do to him?"

"Some kind of cursed seal," Naruto replied, recalling what he'd glimpsed of similar markings in Alucard's ancient memories. "It's forcing foreign chakra into his system—corrupting him from within."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Can you... can you help him somehow? With your..." She gestured vaguely.

"My vampiric abilities?" Naruto finished for her. "I don't know. Maybe, but..." He hesitated, unsure how to explain the danger.

"But what?" she pressed.

"I'm not stable right now either," he admitted. "Orochimaru's seal disrupted mine. The hunger is... intense. If I try to help Sasuke in this state, I might lose control."

Understanding dawned in Sakura's eyes. "The hunger. You mean for blood."

Naruto nodded, relieved that she'd grasped the implication without requiring explicit explanation.

Sakura considered this, her analytical mind working through the problem. "Sasuke needs help now. If your abilities might save him, then..." She rolled up her sleeve, extending her arm. "Use mine."

The offer shocked Naruto. "Sakura, you don't know what you're offering. It's not just blood—it creates a connection, a bond. And in my current state, I might take too much."

"I trust you," she stated simply. "And Sasuke needs both of us at full strength if we're going to get him through this and reach the tower."

The practicality of her argument was undeniable, but Naruto still hesitated. "There's something else you should know. Blood carries... emotions, memories sometimes. I would sense yours."

A faint blush colored Sakura's cheeks, but her arm remained extended. "Then you'll know I'm sincere about helping our teammate. Now stop arguing and do what needs to be done."

The decision made, Naruto took her arm gently, positioned over Sasuke's unconscious form so they could both monitor him. "This will hurt a little," he warned.

When his elongated canines pierced her skin, Sakura gasped but didn't pull away. The blood that flowed into Naruto's mouth was different from Sasuke's—lighter somehow, vibrant with intelligence and precise chakra control rather than raw power.

And the emotions... Concern for Sasuke dominated, but not the shallow infatuation Naruto had expected. There was genuine worry for a teammate, determination to prove herself useful, and surprisingly, genuine care for Naruto himself—a growing respect that had begun during their mission to Wave and solidified during their preparation for the exams.

He took only what was necessary—enough to stabilize his condition without weakening Sakura significantly. As he withdrew, carefully sealing the small wounds with a swipe of his tongue (another vampiric trait that seemed to develop instinctively), he felt his systems beginning to realign.

"Thank you," he said simply, meeting her eyes with newfound understanding between them.

Sakura nodded, applying a small bandage to her wrist. "Can you help Sasuke now?"

Naruto turned his attention to their unconscious teammate. With his hunger sated and systems stabilizing, he could sense the foreign chakra pulsing through Sasuke's body more clearly—corrupting, invasive, but also... transformative.

"I think so," he said, forming the tiger seal once more. "Control Art Restriction: Recalibrating to Level Four."

With his restrictions reset to a functional level, Naruto placed one hand over the cursed seal on Sasuke's neck. The mark resembled three tomoe arranged in a circle—reminiscent of the Sharingan but twisted into something malevolent.

Drawing on both his vampiric essence and what he'd learned of sealing techniques, Naruto channeled his unique energy into the mark. Not to remove it—that was beyond his capabilities—but to contain it, to establish boundaries similar to his own restriction system.

Crimson script flowed from his hand onto Sasuke's skin, spreading outward from the cursed seal in concentric circles. Where Orochimaru's mark was chaotic and invasive, Naruto's additions were ordered and containing—a framework to prevent the corruption from spreading further.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, watching the process with fascination.

"Creating a secondary seal," Naruto explained, concentration evident in his voice. "It won't remove Orochimaru's mark, but it should contain it, give Sasuke the choice of whether to use its power or not."

The process took nearly an hour, during which Naruto inscribed dozens of tiny symbols around the original mark, binding them with his blood and chakra into a comprehensive containment system. When he finally withdrew his hand, the cursed seal remained, but now surrounded by a circle of crimson script that pulsed briefly before fading into Sasuke's skin like a tattoo.

"Is it done?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded tiredly. "For now. The rest depends on him—his will to resist the corruption."

As if responding to his words, Sasuke's eyes snapped open, the Sharingan activating instinctively before fading to his normal dark gaze.

"What happened?" he demanded, trying to sit up. "Where's that snake freak?"

"Gone," Sakura answered, gently urging him to remain lying down. "He did something to you—put a cursed seal on your neck."

Sasuke's hand flew to the mark, feeling the slight raised pattern of both Orochimaru's original seal and Naruto's additions. "What is this? It feels... strange."

"Orochimaru called it a gift," Naruto explained grimly. "But it's more like a poison. It gives power, but at a cost."

"I've added a containment seal," he continued, meeting Sasuke's questioning gaze. "It should help you control the cursed seal rather than letting it control you."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You did what?"

"Saved your life, probably," Sakura interjected. "Both Naruto and I put ourselves at risk to help you after that Orochimaru person left you convulsing with fever."

The blunt assessment gave Sasuke pause. After a moment, his expression softened marginally. "Then... thank you. Both of you."

He tried standing again, more successfully this time though still unsteady. "We should keep moving toward the tower. How long was I out?"

"About six hours," Sakura answered. "It's late afternoon now. We still have both scrolls, so we just need to reach the center."

As they gathered their equipment and prepared to move out, Sasuke pulled Naruto aside briefly.

"I felt it," he said quietly, ensuring Sakura couldn't overhear. "When I was unconscious. Something inside me fighting against Orochimaru's mark. Something that felt like... you."

Naruto nodded. "The containment seal creates a connection. Similar to blood sharing, but different. I had to use some of my essence to counteract his."

"And now?"

"Now your body has two foreign powers competing for influence," Naruto explained. "Orochimaru's cursed seal offers power through corruption. My containment offers control through limitation."

Sasuke's hand drifted to the mark on his neck again. "Two monsters battling within me," he murmured, a strange light entering his eyes. "Fitting, perhaps."

"Sasuke..." Naruto began, concerned by his teammate's tone.

"I'm fine," the Uchiha cut him off. "And I'm still me. Let's get to the tower before anything else goes wrong."

The journey to the central tower proved mercifully uneventful. With both Naruto and Sasuke recovering from their respective ordeals, they moved cautiously, avoiding other teams when possible. Sakura took point, her enhanced chakra sensing abilities—a result of Naruto's previous blood sharing—allowing her to detect approaching threats.

They reached the tower late on the third day, well ahead of many teams despite their setbacks. Inside, they opened both scrolls simultaneously as instructed, revealing a summoning jutsu that brought forth Iruka-sensei in a puff of smoke.

Their former Academy teacher congratulated them on passing the second phase, though his smile faltered when he noted their battered condition and the strange mark visible at the edge of Sasuke's collar.

"You should all see the medical team," he suggested, concern evident in his voice. "Particularly you, Sasuke."

"I'm fine," Sasuke insisted, adjusting his collar to hide the mark.

Naruto exchanged a meaningful glance with Sakura. They both knew the situation was far from "fine," but this wasn't the place to discuss it.

"We'll rest here until the exam concludes," Iruka continued. "There are dormitories, bathing facilities, and a mess hall available. The preliminary matches for the third phase will begin once all qualifying teams have arrived or the five-day limit expires."

As Iruka departed to report their arrival, Team Seven was shown to their assigned quarters—a simple room with three beds, basic amenities, and a small adjoining bathroom.

Sakura claimed the shower first, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone. The silence between them was heavy with unspoken concerns.

"We should tell the proctors about Orochimaru," Naruto said finally. "A Sannin infiltrating the exam isn't just some unexpected challenge—it's a major security breach."

Sasuke's expression darkened. "And tell them what? That I've been marked? That I'm potentially compromised?" He shook his head. "They'd pull me from the exam immediately."

"Maybe that would be for the best," Naruto suggested carefully. "Orochimaru did something to you that even I don't fully understand, and I'm literally fused with an ancient vampire."

A humorless smile twisted Sasuke's lips. "That's just it, isn't it? You've found your power, your path. I'm still searching for mine." His fingers traced the outline of the concealed mark. "Maybe this is it."

Alarm shot through Naruto. "Sasuke, that seal is corruption, not power. It's Orochimaru trying to get his hooks into you."

"Maybe," Sasuke conceded. "Or maybe it's an opportunity—one I need to understand before rejecting."

Before Naruto could argue further, Sakura emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel with her pink hair dripping. "Shower's free," she announced, either oblivious to or deliberately ignoring the tension between her teammates.

The next two days passed in relative calm as more teams trickled into the tower, some barely making the deadline. Team Seven used the time to recover, Sakura and Sasuke through conventional rest while Naruto supplemented with discreet blood packets provided by the Hokage through ANBU channels.

On the morning of the fifth day, all qualifying genin were summoned to a large arena within the tower. Eight teams had survived the Forest of Death—twenty-four candidates in total, more than the proctors had anticipated for the final tournament.

"Congratulations on passing the second phase," the Hokage addressed them, standing on a raised platform with the various jōnin sensei and exam proctors. "However, as the number of remaining candidates exceeds our capacity for the final tournament, we will now hold preliminary matches to reduce the field."

The announcement was met with mixed reactions—groans from the more exhausted contestants, excitement from the combat-eager.

"The matches will be one-on-one, determined by random selection," the Hokage continued. "Victory is achieved by knockout, surrender, or if I or the proctor determine a contestant cannot continue. Killing is discouraged but not explicitly forbidden."

A sickly-looking jōnin named Hayate stepped forward to take over as proctor, explaining that anyone not feeling up to fighting could withdraw now without penalizing their team, as they had already passed the second phase collectively.

To everyone's surprise, Kabuto raised his hand to withdraw, citing exhaustion from the forest ordeal. As he exited, Naruto caught a peculiar scent from the silver-haired genin—a faint trace of that same snake-like essence that had permeated Orochimaru.

The gray-haired one serves the snake, the Nine-Tails confirmed within Naruto's mind. His chakra carries the same taint, though well-disguised.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he watched Kabuto's departing back. Another piece of the puzzle, another threat to be wary of. But before he could consider the implications further, the electronic board on the wall activated, randomizing names for the first match.

SASUKE UCHIHA VS. YOROI AKADO

Sasuke stepped forward, his expression carefully neutral despite the cursed seal still causing him visible discomfort. Across from him, a masked Konoha genin from Kabuto's team took position, chakra already visibly gathering around his hands.

"Begin!" Hayate called, jumping clear of the arena floor.

The match revealed Yoroi's ability to absorb chakra through physical contact—a particularly dangerous opponent for Sasuke, whose techniques relied heavily on chakra manipulation. Worse, each time Yoroi managed to grab Sasuke, the cursed seal visibly pulsed beneath his collar, threatening to activate.

From the sidelines, Naruto watched intently, ready to intervene if the seal broke through his containment. Beside him, Kakashi stood similarly vigilant, his stance casual but eyes sharp.

"Your work?" the jōnin asked quietly, nodding toward the containment symbols occasionally visible around Sasuke's cursed mark.

Naruto nodded. "Best I could do under the circumstances."

"Impressive," Kakashi acknowledged. "It's holding, despite the strain of combat."

Below, Sasuke found himself in an increasingly desperate situation. Conventional taijutsu proved dangerous against Yoroi's absorption technique, while ninjutsu would only deplete his already dwindling chakra reserves. The cursed seal pulsed with temptation, offering power if he would only embrace it.

In a moment of clarity, Sasuke found his answer—not in Orochimaru's corrupting gift, but in something he'd witnessed with his Sharingan during the Forest of Death. Specifically, Rock Lee's taijutsu.

With renewed determination, Sasuke switched tactics completely, emulating Lee's movements with the Sharingan's copied precision. The Primary Lotus technique, adapted and modified into his own "Lion's Barrage," caught Yoroi completely off-guard.

The masked genin crashed to the arena floor, unconscious. Sasuke landed in a controlled crouch, breathing heavily but victorious—without resorting to either the cursed seal's power or his Sharingan.

"Winner: Sasuke Uchiha!" Hayate announced.

As medical nin carried Yoroi away, Kakashi appeared beside Sasuke, casually helping him up while whispering something in his ear. The Uchiha nodded, then followed Kakashi out of the arena rather than rejoining the spectator balcony.

"Where are they going?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Probably to reinforce the seal properly," Naruto guessed. "My containment was temporary at best. Kakashi-sensei likely knows more permanent methods."

The electronic board randomized again, displaying the next match:

SHINO ABURAME VS. ZAKU ABUMI

The fight between the Konoha bug-user and the Sound ninja with air cannons implanted in his arms was brief but brutal. Shino's strategic brilliance and unflappable demeanor led to a decisive victory when his insects clogged Zaku's air tubes, causing catastrophic backflow that shattered the Sound ninja's arms from within.

Next came a surprisingly intense battle between two kunoichi:

SAKURA HARUNO VS. INO YAMANAKA

The former friends and rivals fought with everything they had, showcasing significant growth since their Academy days. Sakura, in particular, displayed newfound confidence and tactical acumen that impressed even the jōnin observers.

When Ino attempted her Mind Transfer Jutsu as a last resort, something unexpected happened. Instead of gaining control of Sakura's body, she encountered resistance beyond Sakura's normal mental barriers—a secondary presence, faint but distinct, that forced the Yamanaka heir out of Sakura's mind with jarring force.

As both girls collapsed from exhaustion, fighting to a draw, Naruto realized what had happened. His blood sharing with Sakura had left an echo of his presence—or perhaps Alucard's—within her, providing unexpected protection against mental infiltration.

The matches continued in rapid succession:

TEMARI VS. TENTEN (A one-sided display of Suna's wind mastery overwhelming Konoha's weapons specialist)

SHIKAMARU NARA VS. KIN TSUCHI (A brilliant tactical victory for the lazy genius against the Sound kunoichi)

NARUTO UZUMAKI VS. KIBA INUZUKA

When his name appeared on the board, Naruto felt a surge of anticipation. Kiba had always been among the more physically dominant Academy students, and his partnership with Akamaru made him a formidable opponent.

"Try not to kill him," Kakashi muttered as he returned to the balcony, having completed whatever sealing work he'd performed on Sasuke.

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked immediately.

"Resting in the medical wing," Kakashi replied. "The sealing procedure was... taxing. But effective."

Down in the arena, Kiba grinned cockily as Naruto approached. "Luck's not on your side, drawing me as your opponent," he boasted. "Right, Akamaru?"

The small white ninken barked in agreement, taking position beside his master.

"I don't need luck," Naruto replied simply, adjusting his gloves to ensure the restriction seals remained covered. He had maintained Level Five throughout the preliminaries—enough to enhance his natural abilities without risking loss of control in combat.

"Begin!" Hayate called.

Kiba immediately activated his Beast Mimicry jutsu, dropping to all fours as his features took on more feral aspects. With enhanced speed, he charged Naruto directly, aiming to end the match quickly with overwhelming force.

Instead of dodging, Naruto stood his ground, catching Kiba's clawed hand before it could connect with his face. The impact created a shockwave that rippled through the arena, dust billowing from beneath their feet.

"What the—" Kiba gasped, genuine shock in his eyes.

"You're not the only one who's changed since the Academy," Naruto said quietly, before flinging Kiba across the arena with seemingly effortless strength.

The Inuzuka heir recovered in mid-air, landing in a crouch with Akamaru beside him. His expression had shifted from cocky to wary.

"Akamaru," he called, tossing a soldier pill to his partner. The ninken's fur turned red as the pill enhanced his capabilities, then transformed into a perfect copy of Kiba through the Man-Beast Clone technique.

"Fang Over Fang!" Kiba shouted, and both he and the transformed Akamaru launched into spinning tornados of claws and fangs, attacking Naruto from opposite directions.

This time Naruto did move, but with such controlled precision that he seemed to flow between the attacks rather than dodge them. Where once he would have relied on shadow clones and overwhelming numbers, now he fought with economy of movement and supernatural awareness.

"He's different," Kurenai observed from the balcony, watching her student's growing frustration. "That's not the same hyperactive kid from the Academy."

"No," Kakashi agreed, his visible eye tracking Naruto's movements carefully. "He's found his center."

After several failed Fang Over Fang attempts, Kiba changed tactics, deploying smoke bombs to obscure Naruto's vision while he and Akamaru attacked from within the concealing cloud.

It might have worked against an ordinary opponent, but Naruto's enhanced senses made the strategy counterproductive. He could smell Kiba and Akamaru's positions perfectly, hear their movements through the smoke, even taste the distinction between human and ninken in the air.

When Kiba lunged through the smoke for what he thought was a surprise attack, he found Naruto waiting, hand outstretched to intercept him once more.

"My turn," Naruto said simply.

What followed was not the wild, unpredictable fighting style the audience might have expected from Konoha's most unpredictable ninja. Instead, Naruto moved with precise, measured strikes—targeting pressure points and nerve clusters with surgical accuracy.

Akamaru fell first, a gentle tap at the base of his skull reverting him to ninken form and rendering him unconscious without injury. Kiba, enraged by his partner's defeat, attacked with renewed ferocity but decreasing technique.

The end came when Naruto sidestepped a particularly wild lunge, placed his palm against Kiba's back as he passed, and channeled just enough of his unique energy to disrupt the Inuzuka's chakra flow. Kiba collapsed, conscious but temporarily paralyzed.

"I can't move," he gasped, struggling against the invisible force binding his muscles.

"Shadow paralysis," Naruto explained softly, kneeling beside his opponent. "It'll wear off in a few minutes."

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!" Hayate declared after confirming Kiba's inability to continue.

As medical nin attended to Kiba and Akamaru, Naruto returned to the balcony, meeting the assessing gazes of his fellow competitors with quiet confidence. Most had expected the "dead-last" to struggle or rely on luck. Instead, they'd witnessed controlled dominance.

"Well done," Kakashi murmured. "Restrained but effective."

The electronic board randomized again:

HINATA HYŪGA VS. NEJI HYŪGA

The match between Hyūga cousins revealed deep clan divisions and painful history. Neji's superior technique and psychological warfare gradually wore down Hinata's determination despite her impressive growth and courage.

When Neji delivered a potentially fatal strike after Hinata was clearly defeated, the jōnin intervened to prevent a killing. Naruto, who had watched the match with growing anger at Neji's cruelty, found himself gripping the railing so hard it bent beneath his fingers.

Something about Hinata's quiet determination and refusal to surrender despite overwhelming odds resonated with him. Her courage in facing someone stronger without resorting to hatred or shortcuts stood in stark contrast to Sasuke's willingness to consider Orochimaru's cursed power.

As Hinata was carried away on a stretcher, Naruto dipped his finger in the blood she had coughed onto the arena floor, then held it up as a promise to the watching Neji.

"I vow to win against you," he declared, his eyes briefly flashing crimson. "For her sake."

The remaining matches proceeded quickly:

GAARA VS. ROCK LEE (A devastating battle that ended with Lee suffering career-threatening injuries despite opening several of the Eight Gates)

DOSU KINUTA VS. CHOJI AKIMICHI (A quick victory for the Sound ninja using his melody arm against Choji's Human Boulder technique)

With the preliminaries concluded, the ten advancing genin drew numbers to determine the final tournament match-ups:

1. Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyūga

2. Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara

3. Shino Aburame vs. Kankuro

4. Temari vs. Shikamaru Nara

5. Dosu Kinuta (receiving a bye to the second round)

"The final phase will take place one month from today," the Hokage announced. "This time is provided for recovery, training, and preparation. Use it wisely."

As the genin dispersed, Jiraiya appeared beside Naruto, having observed the later matches from a concealed position.

"Not bad, kid," the Toad Sage commented. "Though I noticed your seal's been tampered with." His eyes narrowed. "Orochimaru's work?"

Naruto nodded grimly. "In the forest. He was after Sasuke, but interfered with my seals when I tried to stop him."

"That complicates things," Jiraiya murmured. "Come with me. We need to address that five-pronged seal before it destabilizes your... unique condition further."

In a secluded training ground, Jiraiya examined both Naruto's original seal and Orochimaru's addition with expert eyes.

"The good news is, I can remove his five-pronged seal easily enough," the Sannin concluded. "The bad news is, your vampire abilities and the Nine-Tails' chakra have become even more intertwined since I last checked you. Orochimaru's interference accelerated the merger."

"Is that dangerous?" Naruto asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Uncertain," Jiraiya admitted. "But it means your training during this month needs to focus on harmonizing these powers rather than separating them."

He formed his fingers into a specific configuration, chakra gathering at each tip. "This will hurt," he warned, before driving his hand into Naruto's stomach. "Five-Pronged Seal Release!"

Pain exploded through Naruto's system, then receded as Orochimaru's disruptive seal dissolved. The relief was immediate—his chakra flow stabilized, and the connection between his restriction seals and the modified Nine-Tails seal strengthened once more.

"Better?" Jiraiya asked, watching as Naruto caught his breath.

"Much," Naruto confirmed, feeling the familiar balance return to his systems. "So what now? What kind of training did you have in mind?"

A slow smile spread across the Toad Sage's face. "Something special. If you're going to master both the Nine-Tails' chakra and this vampire essence, you'll need to understand the fundamentals of chakra control at a level few shinobi ever achieve."

He reached into his vest, producing a small scroll. "And the first step is learning this—a technique the Fourth Hokage created. The Rasengan."

Naruto's eyes widened. "The Fourth's jutsu? Why would you teach me that specifically?"

Jiraiya's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. "Because your condition gives you unique advantages in chakra manipulation that might allow you to take the technique even further than its creator intended." He paused, something like regret flickering across his features. "And because he would have wanted you to learn it."

As the month of training began, Naruto found himself dividing his time between three critical areas: mastering the Rasengan under Jiraiya's tutelage, refining his vampiric abilities through careful experimentation, and developing a strategy specifically to counter Neji's Gentle Fist style.

The Rasengan training proved particularly challenging, requiring levels of chakra control that had always been Naruto's weakness. However, his vampiric transformation had fundamentally altered his chakra network, making precise manipulation more accessible than before.

"The Rasengan has three steps," Jiraiya explained, demonstrating with a water balloon. "Rotation, power, and containment. Master all three, and you'll have one of the most versatile and destructive techniques in any shinobi's arsenal."

While Naruto progressed through the stages of Rasengan training, he also explored the evolving capabilities of his vampiric essence. The blood sharing with both Sasuke and Sakura had created subtle connections that manifested in unexpected ways—enhanced teamwork, instinctive awareness of each other's positions, and even limited empathic sensing during times of extreme stress.

Most significant was his discovery that the shadow manipulation aspects of his abilities could be refined into precise techniques rather than just raw manifestations of power. By studying scrolls on the Nara clan's shadow possession jutsu (without actually attempting to copy it), Naruto developed his own variation—shadow familiars that could operate semi-independently while remaining connected to his chakra.

These familiars could take various forms—bats for reconnaissance, hounds for tracking, even humanoid shapes for limited combat support. Unlike shadow clones, they didn't require equal chakra division, instead drawing continuously from Naruto's reserves while active.

One evening, as Naruto practiced maintaining multiple shadow familiars while simultaneously working on the second stage of the Rasengan, Jiraiya observed him with thoughtful eyes.

"You know," the Sannin commented, "what you're developing there isn't entirely unlike summoning techniques."

Naruto looked up, surprised by the comparison. "Summoning? Like your toads?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Summoning involves forming a blood contract with a specific species, then using your chakra to temporarily bring them into our dimension to fight alongside you." He gestured to the shadow bat perched on Naruto's shoulder. "Your familiars seem to work on a similar principle, except they're manifestations of your own essence rather than independent beings."

The observation sparked an idea. "Could I combine them somehow? Use summoning techniques to enhance my shadow familiars?"

"Theoretically," Jiraiya mused, stroking his chin. "Though traditional summoning contracts might be... complicated... given your unique nature. The animal clans are particular about who they form contracts with."

"What about non-traditional contracts?" Naruto pressed.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

"In the memories I've accessed from Alucard, there are references to binding familiars—souls consumed and bound to serve. I don't want to do exactly that, but maybe there's a middle ground." Naruto explained his concept—using willing blood donors to create specialized familiars that carried aspects of the donor's abilities.

"Dangerous territory," Jiraiya warned. "Blood sharing already creates bonds. What you're suggesting would deepen those connections significantly."

"But it could be powerful," Naruto countered. "Imagine a familiar with Sasuke's fire affinity, or Sakura's precise chakra control."

"Or imagine the psychological impact of being partially bound to your consciousness," Jiraiya pointed out bluntly. "This isn't just jutsu development, kid. It's tampering with something fundamental to human identity."

The warning gave Naruto pause. He dismissed his shadow familiars with a thought, watching them dissolve back into ordinary shadows.

"You're right," he acknowledged. "I got carried away with the possibilities without considering the consequences."

Jiraiya's expression softened. "That self-awareness is what will keep you human, Naruto, despite everything else you've become. Never lose it."

The final week before the tournament, Naruto focused exclusively on preparing for his match against Neji. Having witnessed the Hyūga prodigy's techniques against Hinata, he understood the dangerous precision of the Gentle Fist style and its ability to target chakra pathways directly.

What Neji couldn't know was how Naruto's unique physiology had changed those pathways—how the vampire essence had created redundancies and alternatives in his chakra network that made traditional chakra point strikes less effective.

The day before the tournament, Naruto visited Hinata in the hospital, bringing flowers and updates on his training. She had recovered from the physical damage of Neji's attacks but remained weakened, her quiet determination undiminished.

"Thank you for standing up for me," she said softly, a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks.

"I meant what I said," Naruto replied, his resolve evident in his steady gaze. "He was wrong about you, about fate, about people being unable to change. Tomorrow, I'll prove it."

As he turned to leave, Hinata called after him hesitantly. "Naruto-kun... people are saying things about you. About what happened during the second exam. That you've... changed somehow."

Naruto paused in the doorway, considering how to respond. Finally, he looked back with a small smile. "I have changed, Hinata. But the things that matter—my dreams, my determination to protect my precious people—those are still the same."

Her answering smile, shy but genuine, carried him through the night and into the dawn of the tournament day.

The arena was packed with spectators from across the Five Great Nations—civilians, shinobi, nobility, and even the Kazekage himself, seated beside the Hokage in the officials' box. The atmosphere thrummed with anticipation as the finalists gathered in the center of the stadium.

Sasuke was notably absent, though Kakashi had sent word that they would arrive before his scheduled match. Gaara stood apart from the others, his expression blank but killing intent palpable. The remaining competitors maintained professional distance, each focused on their upcoming battles.

"The rules remain the same as the preliminaries," the new proctor, Genma Shiranui, explained. "Victory by knockout, surrender, or my determination. Deaths are discouraged but possible."

As the other competitors moved to the waiting area, Naruto and Neji took their positions for the first match. The Hyūga prodigy stood with perfect posture, his pale eyes evaluating Naruto with calculated dismissal.

"You should withdraw now," Neji suggested coolly. "Fate has already determined this outcome."

Naruto adjusted his gloves, ensuring the restriction seals remained covered. For this match, he had decided on Level Four—enough access to his enhanced abilities to counter the Gentle Fist, without risking loss of control in front of thousands of spectators.

"You know," he replied conversationally, "I used to think fate had determined my path too. The dead-last, the troublemaker, the village pariah." His blue eyes met Neji's pale ones steadily. "Then I learned something important: fate is just an excuse used by those too afraid to change their circumstances."

Neji's expression hardened. "Bold words from someone about to experience the reality of difference in ability."

"Begin!" Genma called, jumping clear.

Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and settled into the traditional Gentle Fist stance. Naruto remained relaxed, hands at his sides, evaluating.

The Hyūga struck first, closing distance with impressive speed to deliver a precise strike aimed at Naruto's heart tenketsu. Instead of blocking or dodging conventionally, Naruto partially dissolved the targeted area of his chest into shadow substance, allowing Neji's fingers to pass through harmlessly before reconstituting.

Gasps rose from the audience as Neji's eyes widened in shock. "What jutsu is this?" he demanded, jumping back.

"Not quite a jutsu," Naruto replied, shadows swirling briefly around his reformed chest. "More of an... adaptation."

Recovering quickly, Neji pressed his attack, launching a series of Gentle Fist strikes targeting vital chakra points throughout Naruto's body. Each time, Naruto either dissolved the targeted area or moved with supernatural speed to avoid contact.

"Impressive evasion," Neji acknowledged after a particularly intense exchange. "But ultimately futile. You're within my field of divination."

He shifted stance dramatically. "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

The technique was devastating—a precisely choreographed sequence of strikes doubling in intensity with each set. Even with his enhanced reflexes and partial dissolution ability, Naruto couldn't avoid all sixty-four hits. Several connected, sending sharp pain through his chakra network.

When the assault concluded, Naruto stood hunched over, breathing heavily. Conventional wisdom held that anyone struck by the full Sixty-Four Palms would be completely incapacitated, their chakra points sealed.

"As I said," Neji stated, stepping back with confidence. "Fate cannot be defied. You should have heeded my warning."

To his shock, Naruto straightened slowly, rolling his shoulders as if working out mild stiffness. "Interesting technique," he commented. "Effective against normal chakra networks. Unfortunately for you..." His eyes shifted from blue to crimson. "Mine isn't normal anymore."

The restriction symbols on his hands blazed through his gloves, visible to the audience as crimson light. Naruto's sealed chakra points reopened as the vampire essence flowing through his system created alternative pathways around the blockages.

"Impossible," Neji whispered, his Byakugan revealing the unnatural adaptation occurring within Naruto's chakra network.

"You know what I see when I look at you, Neji?" Naruto asked, shadows beginning to pool at his feet. "Someone trapped by hatred and anger. Someone who hurt Hinata not because you had to, but because you wanted to make someone else suffer for your pain."

He formed the tiger seal. "Control Art Restriction: Level Three release."

Power surged visibly around him, manifesting as swirling shadows and crimson energy. The grass beneath his feet withered as if the very life was being drawn from it.

"Your fate was sealed by someone else's decisions," Naruto continued, advancing slowly as Neji instinctively backed away. "I understand that pain better than anyone. But your response was to become what you hated—someone who cages others with predetermined destiny."

Neji recovered his composure, settling back into a defensive stance. "Pretty words won't change reality. The Caged Bird Seal on my forehead is proof that some fates cannot be escaped!"

"Then let me show you something," Naruto offered, his voice carrying a deeper resonance than usual. "Let me show you what true imprisonment looks like—and how it can be overcome."

His shadow expanded suddenly, racing across the ground toward Neji faster than the Hyūga could retreat. It enveloped him not in physical restraint but in sensory illusion—a glimpse into Naruto's mindscape where the Nine-Tails raged against its cage, where vampiric essence intertwined with human determination, where monsters were bound but not defeated.

The illusion lasted mere seconds in real time, but for Neji, it seemed an eternity. When Naruto's shadow retreated, the Hyūga stood frozen, his Byakugan deactivated, sweat beading on his forehead.

"What... what was that?" he gasped.

"The truth," Naruto answered simply, returning to Level Five restriction as his eyes faded back to blue. "My prison. My burden. My choice to carry it differently than those who placed it upon me intended."

Understanding dawned in Neji's eyes—not complete, but a beginning. "The Nine-Tails," he murmured, pieces falling into place. "You're its jailer."

Naruto nodded once. "As you are the bearer of the Caged Bird Seal. Neither of us chose our marks, but we both choose what to do with them."