The Crimson Flash

Naruto leapt from tree to tree, her red hair wild and untamed, flicking like flames as she moved. Each leap was a blur, the world around her a dizzying smear of dark trunks and leaves. The frustration etched into her face was impossible to miss. Damn it, she cursed inwardly. All this power and she still didn't know how to tie her hair properly. It whipped into her face, snagged on branches, and generally made her want to scream.

As she pushed forward, the air growing cooler as she neared the border of the Lightning Country, her mind whirled with the chaotic thoughts she had been avoiding. The first being: why hadn't the past changed the future?

Jiraiya, of all people, had been the one to explain it to her in a way she could almost grasp.

"Kid, it's like this," he had said, his face serious for once, "when you change something in the past, it doesn't rewrite the future you came from. Think of it as... creating an alternate universe. A split path. Butterfly effect and all that." He paused, scratching his chin, the wheels in his head visibly turning. "So, you did change the past, but you just made a new timeline. Your original future, the one you came from, still exists. All this time-hopping? It's like skipping stones. You don't go back to the same spot, just keep hitting new ones."

She had shuddered then, and now the thought crept back into her mind, curling around her spine like a cold wind. When she returned... how would they treat her? A grim smile tugged at her lips. Kiba, Ino, and Neji would probably mock her to no end. Kiba, for sure, would never let her live it down. And winning Sakura-chan's heart now? Hah. She'd sooner befriend a rabid snake. Lee—oh God, Lee—would probably hit on her relentlessly. That was enough to send a shiver down her spine. Ew. She could practically hear him now, declaring his undying devotion to "the blossoming beauty of Naruto-kun." Ugh.

Hinata? She'd probably faint on the spot. Hinata had always been... strange around her, though Naruto had never quite understood why. It was all the more complicated now. Kankuro and Temari? No big loss. She'd never been close to them anyway. But Gaara... she couldn't help but imagine him staring at her with those deadpan eyes and saying, "We are both outcasts... and now, both redheads. Fascinating."

Yikes.

Tsunade-baa-chan would probably laugh at her misfortune, but then smack anyone who dared say something nasty. The old hag had a soft spot for her, after all. Kakashi-sensei? Well, he'd probably make some perverted joke, but she knew he'd still have her back, as always. Yamato-taichou and Iruka-sensei... they seemed cool with it, though Iruka had almost cried when she first told him.

Then there was Konohamaru... Naruto groaned aloud at the thought. Oh, hell no. She was the same age as him now, which made everything weird as hell. That little brat better not try anything funny. Would the Konohamaru Corps even still look up to her as their boss? She shuddered. The kid was already a little pervert, and with this new development... she didn't want to think about it.

And then... there was Sasuke.

Naruto's mind went dark, like storm clouds rolling in. Would Sasuke still consider her his rival? She was different now. In more ways than one. Would he still want to fight her? Or would he just... pity her?

She clenched her fists and pushed the thought away. There was no time to dwell on it. She had a war to join, and the Lightning Country's border was fast approaching. Her senses flared, catching the ripple of chakra that flowed through the trees like a current. There it was—the barrier. The invisible wall set up by Kumogakure, intended to stop anyone from entering or leaving the country without permission.

Her feet hit the last tree branch before the border, and she paused just long enough to feel the crackling energy in the air. The barrier was strong—designed to fry anyone foolish enough to touch it. But Naruto wasn't planning on stopping.

As if on cue, a group of Kumo shinobi appeared, leaping out of the shadows, their expressions hard and unforgiving. "Stop right there!" one of them shouted, holding up a hand. "If you touch that barrier, you'll be fried to a crisp! Turn back now!"

Naruto didn't even glance in their direction. She took a slow breath, her pulse steady. Chakra began to surge within her, lighting her body from the inside like a sun preparing to rise.

"I'm not stopping," she muttered, her voice low but filled with a quiet, dangerous determination.

The shinobi tensed, sensing the shift in her chakra. "You're making a mistake!" the leader called out, his voice rising with urgency. "No one can get through that barrier alive—"

But Naruto was already gone.

With a flash of gold and crimson, her body was engulfed in the fiery glow of Chakra Mode-I. The air around her crackled with energy, swirling like a storm as she drew her hands together, forming a condensed Rasengan. The chakra sphere hummed in her palms, vibrating with a power that sent the Kumo shinobi stumbling back, wide-eyed.

"Last chance!" one of them shouted, desperation creeping into his voice.

But Naruto wasn't listening.

With a sharp, decisive motion, she launched the Rasengan forward, the ball of pure chakra crashing into the barrier like a wrecking ball. For a moment, the world went silent. Then, with a deafening roar, the barrier split open, the energy within it exploding outward in a violent surge.

Naruto didn't wait to see the aftermath. In a blur of red and gold, she shot through the gaping hole, disappearing in a flash of light, her figure swallowed by the dense mist of the Lightning Country.

The shinobi stood frozen, their jaws slack, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" one of them muttered, his voice shaking.

The leader, still staring at the smoking remnants of the barrier, swallowed hard. "That..." he began, his voice barely a whisper, "was the Flying Thunder God Technique..."

The group remained silent, the weight of what they had just witnessed settling over them like a heavy, oppressive fog. Naruto Uzumaki—no, Naruto-Kushina Uzumaki—had just torn through one of the strongest barriers in the world, and vanished without a trace.

And for the first time in a long while, the shinobi of Kumogakure felt a deep, unsettling fear stir in their chests.

Û~Û

In the heart of the Shinobi Alliance Headquarters, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a kunai. Inoichi, his brow furrowed beneath the heavy mind-chakra helmet, sat cross-legged in the center of the room, his hand forming the ram seal. The glow of the communications jutsu flickered around him, casting an eerie light over the gathering. His mind was elsewhere—linked to the faraway mountains of Kumo where the war council was stationed. Shikaku had just sent through a message, and it wasn't something he could easily digest.

Ay, the towering Raikage, loomed over him. His muscles bulged beneath his robes, his face set in a hard, expectant scowl. The Raikage was not a man known for patience, and he was very close to snapping. The only other Kage present was Tsunade, her blonde hair tied back, her eyes sharp despite the chaos they'd all been dealing with. They both waited, breaths held, for Inoichi to speak.

Ay's voice broke the silence, deep and commanding. "What did Shikaku say?"

Inoichi hesitated, his fingers twitching slightly as he maintained the connection. The information was so bizarre, so completely out of the ordinary, that for a second, he wondered if Shikaku was messing with him. But Shikaku didn't have the time for jokes. Especially not now.

Tsunade, not one for waiting, narrowed her eyes. "Inoichi. Spill it. What's the message?"

Swallowing hard, Inoichi finally spoke, his voice cautious. "It's about Naruto."

Both Kage straightened, instantly more alert. Tsunade leaned forward, and even Ay, the man who treated every moment like it was a sparring match, stilled.

"The good news is…" Inoichi started, the words seeming to drag from his mouth, "Naruto has…mastered the power of the Nine-Tails."

Tsunade blinked, processing that bit. "Mastered? Like, he can control it?"

"Fully," Inoichi confirmed, nodding slightly. "He's got complete control over the Fox's chakra. It's—well, it's incredible news."

"Good news?" Ay rumbled, crossing his massive arms over his chest. "Why do I feel like that's not the end of it?"

Inoichi hesitated again. His lips parted, but no words came out. He had no idea how to break this next part. The atmosphere in the room shifted, heavier, as if the air had been sucked out.

Tsunade's eyes sharpened, her patience vanishing. "Out with it, Inoichi. What's the catch?"

Inoichi sighed, glancing nervously between them. "The Fox... is dead."

Silence. A long, cold silence that felt like it stretched for an eternity.

"What?!" Tsunade's voice was loud enough to shake the walls. The Nine-Tails—dead? Impossible. The Kyuubi, the most powerful of the tailed beasts, couldn't just die. That was absurd. She took a breath, forcing herself to calm down. "How?"

"That's the thing," Inoichi continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "We don't know how. But it gets… weirder."

Ay raised an eyebrow, not liking where this was going. "Weirder than the Nine-Tails being dead? What else could possibly—"

"Apparently, Naruto's a girl now," Inoichi blurted, his face pale as he said it.

Both Kage stared at him.

Tsunade blinked. "What?"

Inoichi nodded, swallowing hard. "A redhead. A... preteen girl. Shikaku wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow, Naruto... the blonde teenage boy we all know, is now a redhead preteen girl."

Tsunade's mouth opened and closed several times as if she was trying to form a response. Ay, meanwhile, seemed frozen, his mind grinding to a halt as he processed this information.

"The Fox is dead... and Naruto's a little girl?" Tsunade repeated slowly, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it make sense. It didn't.

"That's not all," Inoichi added quickly, holding up a hand before either of them could explode again. "Naruto has… Adamantine Chakra Chains now."

Ay blinked. "The Uzumaki clan technique?"

"Yeah, and advanced sealing techniques too. Somehow, he—she knows things that no one ever taught her. And another thing is she can use the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Tsunade's mind raced. Adamantine Chains? Advanced sealing? Those were Kushina's abilities. How was Naruto—no, this redheaded version of Naruto—able to use those techniques? And the Flying Thunder God? Hadn't that been Minato's signature jutsu?

Inoichi cleared his throat. "And one more thing."

"Of course, there's more," Ay grumbled, the frustration creeping into his voice. "Why wouldn't there be?"

"Naruto... escaped Turtle Island."

The room went silent again. Ay's eye twitched. Tsunade felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"He what?!" Tsunade nearly screamed.

Inoichi winced. "Apparently, after mastering the Fox's chakra, Naruto... somehow broke free and left Turtle Island. He's—she's now heading straight for the war. And she's almost out of the Lightning Country."

Ay's reaction was instant. His fist came down on the table in front of him with a crack that echoed through the headquarters. Wood splintered and shattered beneath his hand, and the table collapsed into a pile of debris. He stood, the anger rolling off him like a thunderstorm. "That damn kid!"

The room was silent for a moment, only the sound of the broken table settling as Ay seethed. His assistant, a long-suffering shinobi who had clearly seen this before, stepped forward, her voice deadpan.

"That's the ninth table, Raikage-sama. You'll need to pay for this one too. Kumo won't cover it anymore."

Ay glared at her, his eyes flashing with barely restrained fury. "I know that!" He roared, towering over her. But she didn't flinch—this wasn't her first broken-table rodeo.

He turned his gaze on Tsunade, still fuming, but there was something else in his eyes. Fear, maybe. Panic. "We cannot let Naruto Uzumaki—whatever the hell he is now—join this war. We've kept him out of it for a reason. That reason hasn't changed."

Tsunade stared at him, still trying to process everything that had just been dumped on her. Naruto—a girl, the Fox gone, and now a warbound redheaded whirlwind? "I get that," she said slowly, "but what the hell are we supposed to do about it?"

Ay's fists clenched, his jaw tight. "I'm going to chase her down. Personally. I'll drag her back to Turtle Island if I have to."

Tsunade blinked, her shock finally giving way to a stubborn glare. "Like hell you are," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Naruto is my jinchuriki. I'm not just going to sit here while you run off and play hero. I've got a responsibility too. I'm going after her."

Ay turned to face her, his eyes narrowing. The room suddenly felt much smaller.

Ay's eyes narrowed, the tension between him and Tsunade thick enough to choke on. His muscles rippled beneath his robes as if ready to explode at any moment. He wasn't used to being challenged—especially not by someone as stubborn as Tsunade. The air seemed to crackle with their clashing wills, both leaders unwilling to back down.

"Hokage," Ay growled, his voice low and menacing, "this isn't about your personal attachment. This is about the safety of the entire shinobi world. If Naruto—whatever she is now—gets involved, everything we've worked for could be thrown into chaos. She's a target. Do you understand that?"

Tsunade's gaze didn't waver. "I'm well aware of what's at stake, Raikage," she said, her voice equally cold. "But you seem to forget one thing—Naruto isn't just some kid anymore. He's—she's mastered the Nine-Tails. You said it yourself. That's not the kind of power we can just lock away because we're scared of it."

Ay's fists clenched tighter, his knuckles whitening. "I'm not scared of the Nine-Tails' power. But if she's gone rogue—"

"She hasn't gone rogue," Tsunade interrupted, her voice sharp. "She's going to the war because she believes it's her fight. Because it is. We can't coddle her forever."

The Raikage's assistant, still standing nearby, watched them both, her expression unreadable. She was probably taking mental bets on how many more tables Ay would break before the day was over.

"Coddle?" Ay's voice rumbled like distant thunder. "We've been protecting her from the Akatsuki. We've kept her hidden for a reason. And now you're telling me to just let her run off into the middle of a war zone?"

Tsunade didn't flinch. "She's not the same Naruto we sent to Turtle Island. You heard what Inoichi said. She's got new abilities, techniques even I don't fully understand. You want to treat her like a child, but she's grown beyond that. Hell, if she knows the Flying Thunder God Technique, she's practically—"

"—Minato," Ay finished bitterly, his face darkening. The name sent a shiver down his spine, and Tsunade noticed it. The Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, had left an impression on the Raikage during their battles. It was no secret that Ay respected the man's power—feared it even.

"You remember what the Yellow Flash was capable of, don't you?" Tsunade asked, her voice softer now, almost coaxing. "Naruto's not some out-of-control force. She's her father's child. And we need her in this war. If we don't let her fight—if we don't trust her—then what the hell have we been protecting her for?"

Ay stared at her, his chest heaving with frustration. His assistant cleared her throat nervously, sensing that another table might be at risk. "Raikage-sama, perhaps it would be best if—"

"Enough," Ay growled, cutting her off. He turned to Tsunade, his jaw set. "If she joins the war and something goes wrong—if she's captured or worse—it's on you."

Tsunade's gaze hardened. "I'll take responsibility. But I'm going after her. She's my jinchuriki, and I'm not letting you or anyone else handle this alone."

For a moment, it seemed like Ay was going to explode again, but then, surprisingly, he let out a deep breath. "Fine," he said, his voice still laced with anger but more controlled now. "But we're doing this my way. We find her, we bring her back. If she fights, we stop her."

Tsunade gave a curt nod. "Agreed. But if she insists on joining the war, you'll have to get through me to stop her."

Ay's lips curled into a grim smile. "Wouldn't be the first time."

As the two Kage turned to leave the room, Inoichi finally let out the breath he'd been holding. He looked around at the wreckage of the table, then at the tense faces of the shinobi around them. This was far from over.

Ay's assistant gave him a sympathetic look as she prepared to follow her boss. "You get used to it," she muttered, glancing at the debris on the floor.

Inoichi managed a weak smile. "Somehow, I doubt that."

Tsunade and Ay moved swiftly through the halls of the headquarters, their urgency palpable. Every shinobi they passed could sense the tension, stepping aside quickly as the two Kage stormed through. Tsunade's mind raced with thoughts of Naruto—this new Naruto. She hadn't seen her since the transformation, but the reports from Kumo had been...unsettling. A redheaded, chain-wielding girl with the power of the Nine-Tails? It sounded like something out of a nightmare. Or a legend.

Ay, meanwhile, was already thinking about how he was going to capture her. He wasn't looking forward to facing Naruto Uzumaki again—especially if she had the Flying Thunder God Technique at her disposal. The memories of Minato's speed still haunted him, and the thought of fighting someone who might be just as fast, just as deadly, was not something he relished.

But Naruto—or whatever she was now—wasn't just any shinobi. She was a jinchuriki, the vessel of the most dangerous tailed beast, and now, she was loose. That was a problem he couldn't ignore.

As they reached the exit, Ay glanced at Tsunade. "You ready for this?"

Tsunade smirked. "Always."

With that, the two Kage vanished in a blur of movement, heading straight for the battlefield, where a war was raging—and somewhere in the chaos, a redheaded girl with enough power to level nations was charging headfirst into the storm.

Û~Û

Author's Note:

Woah! That was really fun to write.

Next Chapter: Naruto joins the war!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, folks! Things are about to get wild, so stay tuned for what's next.

Till next time!