Chapter 128: Naruto Uzumaki!

The enormous chakra that suddenly appeared in Raiden Uzumaki's Kagura Mind's Eye immediately captured his attention. At the same time, Namikaze Minato, with his exceptional sensory abilities, also detected the anomaly.

The two looked up almost simultaneously, their gazes locking onto a specific location in Rouran City.

"Raiden, did you sense that chakra?" Minato asked, his eyes filled with curiosity. While he detected the overwhelming chakra, he couldn't perceive the other one that had appeared. The sheer size of the chakra was enough to concern him, and he turned to Raiden for answers.

"Yes, someone just appeared in Rouran. Let's check it out," Raiden replied, pointing to the location of the disturbance as they hurried off.

Deep beneath Rouran City, Naruto Uzumaki lay sprawled on the ground, slowly opening his eyes. The unfamiliar surroundings filled him with confusion. The area resembled a courtyard, but its massive scale made it unlike anything he'd seen before. Looking up, the ceiling seemed impossibly high.

"Where am I?" Naruto muttered as he sat up, scratching his head in puzzlement.

Naruto was dressed in his signature orange attire, a Konoha forehead protector tied across his golden hair, which gleamed under the sunlight filtering in. A weapon pouch was strapped to his waist, and a uniquely shaped kunai was slung across his back.

However, what stood out was that this version of Naruto lacked the whisker-like marks on his face. His appearance was strikingly handsome, different from the Naruto known in the present timeline.

Just as he was examining his surroundings, a strange mechanical noise echoed from the shadows nearby. Moments later, five puppets emerged, flying through the air toward him.

"Puppets? Is this Mukade's doing?" Naruto exclaimed. Without hesitation, he began focusing chakra into his hand. As the first puppet reached him, Naruto thrust his hand forward, slamming the spiraling chakra orb into its chest.

"Rasengan!" he shouted. The puppet exploded violently, its shattered parts scattering across the courtyard. The remaining four puppets wasted no time and lunged at him, their chakra weapons gleaming ominously.

"These things are fast!" Naruto grumbled, leaping high into the air. With chakra-enhanced feet, he stuck to the wall, narrowly avoiding the puppets' strikes. However, the puppets adjusted quickly, flying toward him again.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto formed hand seals rapidly, creating two clones to engage the puppets. While the clones delayed the attackers, Naruto scaled the wall, heading toward the top of the courtyard.

As he reached the summit, Naruto paused, taking in the towering structures surrounding him. The vibrant cityscape was vastly different from the ruins he had been exploring before. He vividly recalled pursuing the rogue ninja Mukade into the ruins of Rouran, only to be engulfed by a burst of light from the dragon vein.

"How did I end up here?" Naruto muttered, his confusion deepening.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. He glanced upward to see eight puppets descending from the sky, their chakra weapons glowing menacingly. One puppet raised its arm, firing a thick beam of chakra toward Naruto. He reacted swiftly, but the blast grazed his ankle, leaving a deep cut that bled profusely.

"What's with these things?" Naruto exclaimed, wincing as he landed. Before he could recover, the puppets unleashed a barrage of iron, diamond-shaped projectiles connected by glowing purple chakra threads. The onslaught was too fast and widespread to evade.

"Not good!" Naruto cursed, pulling out a scroll from his waist. With a swift motion, he unfurled it, releasing a massive shield of chakra that blocked the incoming projectiles.

While sheltered, Naruto quickly formed seals, whispering, "Release!"

In an instant, a red chakra cloak enveloped him, its energy pulsating with raw power. A single chakra tail swayed behind him, stirring up a cloud of dust with its movement.

"Where are you, Mukade!" Naruto growled, his heightened senses scanning the area as his chakra tail lashed out, obliterating the approaching puppets.

The sudden surge of Nine-Tails chakra startled Raiden, who was en route. He quickened his pace, alarmed by the immense power. Even Kakashi, despite his weaker sensory abilities, could feel the overwhelming chakra, his heart pounding with unease.

Moments later, Raiden and the others arrived at the scene. Naruto, crouched beside the wreckage of the destroyed puppets, raised his head as several figures appeared before him.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, his tone wary.

"Konoha shinobi? How is that possible?" Fugaku and Hiashi exchanged shocked glances, their eyes scanning the fragments of puppets littering the ground. Their focus shifted to Naruto, who wore a Konoha forehead protector. The sight left them astonished.

"This child..." Minato murmured, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Coupled with the information he already possessed, a realization began to form in his mind. He maintained his composure, glancing toward Raiden for guidance.

Raiden, however, remained silent. Using his Kagura Mind's Eye, he studied Naruto closely. The chakra he had sensed earlier undeniably belonged to the Nine-Tails, and it was emanating from the boy standing before him.

"How is this possible?" Raiden thought, his mind racing. "Why does Naruto have the Nine-Tails chakra?"

The revelation left Raiden in stunned silence. The only explanation he could fathom was grim.

"Could it be... that the future me is dead?" he wondered. "How else could the Nine-Tails chakra have been transferred to him?"

The thought sent a chill down his spine. Raiden couldn't bring himself to accept the possibility of his own demise, much less the implications it carried for the future.

(End of this chapter)