As the sun sank below the horizon, the faint light of dusk painted the sky in shades of red and orange. The quiet murmurs of the forest slowly gave way to the sounds of the night. Naruto stirred, his body aching from the strain, and slowly began to wake. His eyes fluttered open as the pain in his muscles made him groan.

  "Man, my body aches! What happened?" he asked, trying to sit up but clearly struggling.

  "Well, you went psycho, of course," Travis said, his voice a little more matter-of-fact than usual. "You turned four tails and went on a rampage."

  "Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto blinked, confused as he tried to make sense of the situation.

  "Have you ever noticed yourself using the Nine Tails' chakra?" Travis asked, looking directly at him with a seriousness that Naruto wasn't used to.

  "Nine Tails?" Naruto frowned, not understanding. "Why would I ever use his power when I can simply use my own? Besides that one time in the Chuunin Exams, of course."

  Travis shook his head. "You have been, Naruto. Ever since your very first mission, you've been tapping into the Nine Tails' chakra, and you've never stopped. Almost every time you've won a fight, it's been because of him, not you. One thing you have to understand is that you're weak, Naruto. What did you even learn when you were with Jiraiya? At this rate, Sasuke can beat the hell out of you without even lifting a finger. Come here, let me show you something."

  Naruto's confusion only deepened as Travis led him to the site of their battle with Orochimaru. The devastation left in its wake was far more than Naruto had anticipated, even though he had fought in many intense battles before.

  "Do you think you could ever make this much damage when fighting someone?" Travis asked, his voice calm but tinged with an underlying challenge.

  Naruto stared at the devastation, the huge crater and the remnants of the shattered trees. His eyes widened as he took in the sheer scale of destruction.

  'Even with my Rasengan, I'd never be able to do this?' Naruto thought, the realization hitting him hard. He had always thought his strength was enough.

  "But would you believe me if I told you that you did it?" Travis asked, his words hanging in the air. "Well, with a little help from the Nine Tails, that is. What I'm trying to say is, you're weak. Weaker than Sasuke, even Sakura when it comes to raw strength. Are you just going to let that be?"

  Naruto's gaze dropped to the ground, his fists clenching at his sides as he thought back to everything that had happened. 'He's right. I am weak. What did I even do with Pervy Sage? I wasted two whole years learning how to be a better ninja instead of getting stronger.'

  "No... I won't let it be," Naruto muttered, his voice quiet but firm. "I want to get stronger. Strong enough to protect the vilge. Strong enough to single-handedly bring back Sasuke."

  Naruto looked up at Travis with determination burning in his eyes. 'And until I get that strong, I'll stop chasing after Sasuke. Sorry, Sakura. I have to do this for myself.'

  Sakura, still in the distance, was asleep, her quiet breaths a reminder that the night had fully descended. Yamato stood silently beside her, both of them unaware of the quiet shift in Naruto's resolve. The sun had set, and the moon now rose in its pce, casting a pale light over the battlefield and the broken earth.

  Naruto had made a choice.

  TO BE CONTINUED

  [A/N : How was that fight? I worked Hel hard fo make it visually easy to picture. So please drop a like ]