It would have made no sense if chakra consumption did not depend on distance.
Naruto silently calculated the rate at which his chakra was draining while flying through the air. Even with his enormous reserves, he could already tell the technique consumed a frightening amount of energy.
"Hm… even with my chakra levels, I can probably maintain this for only five minutes at most…"
But instead of discouraging him, the realization only made him more excited.
"This… this is my greatest weapon!"
A fierce gust of wind exploded around him.
"Wind Release Chakra Mode!"
The chakra surrounding Naruto's body erupted violently, wrapping around him like blazing wind flames. The air trembled wherever he passed, and his speed increased to a terrifying level as he shot across the desert sky like a hurricane.
Meanwhile, far away from him, Gaara and the others were hurrying back toward Sunagakure.
The atmosphere around the village had been tense lately, so everyone remained alert.
Suddenly, Hinata's expression changed.
"Hm?"
Without hesitation, she activated her Byakugan and looked behind them. Through her enhanced vision, she detected a powerful chakra signature rapidly approaching through the wind.
But what shocked her most was how late she had sensed it.
The figure had already gotten dangerously close before she noticed anything at all.
An enemy capable of concealing themselves from her perception to such a degree was terrifying.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Hinata immediately warned the others.
Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro instantly turned around, their bodies entering combat stance without hesitation.
At that exact moment, a figure wrapped in violently flowing wind chakra rushed toward them at incredible speed.
The pressure radiating from the approaching silhouette was overwhelming.
"This is bad…"
Thinking an enemy was attacking, the four of them launched their strongest attacks immediately.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
"Repeated Sand Shot!"
"Wind Release: Kamaitachi!"
"Puppet Black Secret Technique: Body Blade!"
In an instant, four terrifying attacks surged forward simultaneously.
Air cannons, razor-sharp wind blades, dense waves of sand bullets, and lethal puppet weapons merged together into a devastating assault.
Even an elite Jonin would have been forced to retreat from such combined power.
Just then, Hinata's eyes widened.
"Wait… that person is—"
But it was already too late.
Facing the overwhelming barrage, Naruto showed no intention of dodging.
Instead, his eyes shone with excitement.
"Perfect timing!"
Rather than retreating, he accelerated straight toward the attacks.
"This is my absolute defense!"
The wind chakra around him roared violently.
"Armor of the Gentle Wind!"
Boom!!!
The combined attacks crashed directly into Naruto's body.
The desert trembled.
Explosive winds tore through the surroundings while blades and sand projectiles rained everywhere. The impact was powerful enough to shatter massive boulders into dust.
Yet Naruto remained standing in the middle of the chaos completely unharmed.
The flowing Wind Release chakra surrounding his body acted like a living armor.
It did not simply block attacks.
It redirected them.
Deflected them.
Cut through them.
Neutralized them.
The violent chakra currents spun around his body at terrifying speed, creating multiple layers of defense simultaneously.
Any attack that managed to penetrate one layer would immediately be weakened or redirected by the next.
This was the evolved defensive ability of Wind Release Chakra Mode.
Flow.
That was the true essence of wind.
Wind was not merely destruction.
It was movement.
Circulation.
Redirection.
Naruto could feel every current of air around him as though it were an extension of his own body.
The incoming attacks lost their force one after another before scattering harmlessly into the desert.
At that moment, Hinata finally recognized the chakra signature hidden beneath the unfamiliar power.
"N-Naruto-kun?!"
Her face filled with shock.
The chakra she sensed now felt completely different from before, which was why she had failed to recognize him immediately.
Naruto landed gracefully on the sand while the remaining wind currents swirled around his body like flames dancing in the storm.
He looked almost like a god of wind descending from the heavens.
Even Gaara felt a chill run down his spine.
The pressure radiating from Naruto was overwhelming.
The others stared at him in disbelief.
"Naruto?!"
"What are you doing?!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly while laughing.
"Sorry about that!"
His body was still wrapped in rapidly flowing Wind Release chakra, making him appear majestic and intimidating at the same time.
Temari stared at him with wide eyes.
"T-This can't be…"
"That's Wind Release Chakra Mode, isn't it?!"
Naruto grinned proudly.
"Yep! I finally succeeded!"
Hinata's face lit up with happiness.
"Congratulations, Naruto-kun!"
Then her expression quickly turned worried again.
"But what you just did was far too dangerous!"
Naruto laughed loudly.
"I just wanted to test the defensive power of the technique!"
Kankuro frowned.
"You call that a test?! We attacked with everything we had!"
Gaara, however, seemed more focused on something else entirely.
"Wait…"
He narrowed his eyes at Naruto.
"The massive sandstorm that covered Sunagakure earlier…"
"Was that caused by you?"
Naruto rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"Ah… yeah."
"That was my Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
"I didn't expect Wind Release Chakra Mode to amplify its power that much…"
The group instantly froze.
They had all assumed the enormous sandstorm was a natural disaster.
Who could have imagined it was created by Naruto alone?
Gaara looked at him in complete disbelief.
"Naruto… just how strong have you become?"
Naruto crossed his arms proudly and puffed out his chest.
"To be honest, I'm not completely sure yet."
"But Pervy Sage said that once Wind Release Chakra Mode is perfected, it should grant power comparable to a Hokage."
"Right now, I wouldn't dare say I've completely reached that level…"
"But I think I'm pretty close!"
Silence fell over the group.
Kage level.
That legendary realm stood at the peak of the ninja world.
Every Kage was a monster capable of suppressing an entire nation through sheer strength alone.
And Naruto had reached that level before even turning fourteen.
It was absurd.
No—
It was unbelievable.
A true genius.
A miracle.
A legend in the making.
Hinata's cheeks turned red as she looked at Naruto with sparkling eyes.
"T-That's amazing, Naruto-kun…"
Naruto scratched his head while laughing sheepishly.
"I've only just developed the technique, so I'm still far from mastering it completely."
"From now on, I'm going to combine all the Wind Release ninjutsu, taijutsu, and nin-taijutsu techniques I've learned with Wind Release Chakra Mode."
"Once I do that…"
"I'll truly possess power equal to a Hokage!"
"Hahahaha!"
Hinata smiled warmly while watching him.
Her heart felt genuinely happy for him.
"Naruto-kun…"
"You're getting closer and closer to your dream of becoming Hokage."
Her words struck Naruto deeply.
For a moment, he simply stared at her before breaking into a bright smile.
"You're right, Hinata!"
"Hahaha!"
At that moment, Naruto felt happier than ever.
Gaara also smiled faintly, something incredibly rare for him.
"Naruto…"
"You've completely broken free from the destiny that once bound you."
"You've proven your existence to everyone."
Then his eyes sharpened with determination.
"But I won't fall behind either."
Naruto grinned and raised his fist.
"Yeah!"
"Let's keep getting stronger together, Gaara!"
Then Naruto suddenly shook his head.
"But this strength isn't mine alone."
He looked toward the sky thoughtfully.
"Iruka-sensei…"
"Bushy Brow-sensei…"
"Asuma-sensei…"
"Kakashi-sensei…"
"Pervy Sage…"
"Granny Tsunade…"
"Shizune-neechan…"
"And of course Hinata, Sasuke… and everyone else…"
"If it weren't for all the people who helped me, I never could have reached this point."
Gaara fell silent for a moment.
"Help from others…"
Then he smiled softly.
"Naruto…"
"That really is your greatest strength."
Naruto nodded firmly.
"Mm!"
The desert wind continued to howl around them.
But unlike before, the atmosphere now felt warm instead of lonely.
Naruto stood proudly beneath the endless sky, surrounded by the people who believed in him.
A young ninja who had once been hated and ignored had now stepped into the realm of legends.
And he was still growing stronger.
However, news of Naruto mastering Wind Release Chakra Mode did not spread beyond that moment.
Aside from Gaara and his siblings, along with Team 7, almost nobody knew what Naruto had achieved.
No one realized that a monster capable of rivaling a Kage had already begun to rise within the Hidden Leaf Village.
And when the world finally learned of Uzumaki Naruto's new power…
The entire ninja world would tremble.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)