(PROFESSOR UZUMAKI) A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

Naruto watched the churning ocean from the roof of one of the beachfront apartment buildings and couldn’t help wondering if he’d made a mistake. The wind carried the scent of salt and rain across the rooftops as it tugged at his jacket beneath a sky gradually disappearing behind dark clouds. Somewhere beyond the horizon, hidden behind the curtain of rain, Leviathan was coming.

He sighed.

Maybe he should have taught his students a few more practical techniques.

The thought had crossed his mind more than once over the past week. Chakra was an incredible gift, but it was also frighteningly easy to abuse. Handing someone a powerful ninjutsu before they had the judgment to use it responsibly felt no different from placing an explosive tag in the hands of a child and hoping common sense would prevent disaster. Taylor, Sophia, Greg, Halle and the others had made remarkable progress, yet they still had a long road ahead of them.

Would things be different if he had rushed their training?

There was no way to know.

His gaze drifted inland.

From his vantage point, every road leading inland was packed with vehicles carrying people away from the boardwalk. Emergency vehicles moved through the streets with lights flashing despite the daylight, while helicopters circled overhead and loudspeakers continued urging anyone still outside to seek shelter.

Farther back, in a building acting as a temporary command post, capes were gathering in steadily increasing numbers.

Capes continued arriving from every direction. Some bounded across rooftops while others flew overhead or climbed out of PRT transports already soaked by the rain, and Dragon’s suits descended one after another until the command centre began to resemble the staging ground before any major battle.

They were doing what experienced fighters always did before a battle, assigning rescue teams, coordinating evacuation routes and preparing for the fight ahead. Naruto studied them for a long moment before shaking his head.

Their preparations were sensible, but they all assumed Leviathan would reach Brockton Bay. Naruto intended to make sure it never did.

The sea was already retreating from the shoreline, exposing stretches of wet sand and jagged rocks that should have remained beneath the tide. More and more of the seabed emerged with each passing second, leaving rusted and damaged boats stranded where they sat, and Naruto knew exactly what came next. The water would return with devastating force.

Naruto found himself thinking of flooded streets, collapsing buildings and frightened civilians. He’d seen enough ruined homes to last several lifetimes, and he had no intention of watching another city suffer the same fate. Children shouldn’t have to watch their world disappear beneath the waves, and his students shouldn’t be risking their lives against an enemy like this while they were still learning to stand on their own.

A teacher’s responsibility didn’t end the moment lessons became dangerous. It lasted until the people under their care had grown strong and wise enough to protect themselves, and Naruto had no reason to believe that had changed simply because he’d crossed into another world.

Another thought surfaced as he looked back toward the gathering heroes.

Word had spread quickly after Halle helped save the hostages during the bank robbery. Heroes, villains and everyone in between would continue circling them, drawn by a power they wanted, whether they understood it or not. Naruto couldn’t stop that, but he could make one thing perfectly clear to anyone thinking of treating his students as easy targets: they would have to go through him first.

His students had already discovered that chakra could let someone run up walls, leap across rooftops and grow stronger with enough training, but those were only the first steps along a much longer path. They, like everyone else in Brockton Bay, had yet to see what chakra was truly capable of.

A grin slowly spread across his face, and then Naruto stepped off the rooftop.

The world rushed upward to meet him as wind roared past his ears, and before his feet touched the sand, brilliant golden chakra erupted around his body.

It poured from every tenketsu in blinding waves before taking shape around him, flowing into the familiar outline of a gigantic fox cloaked in radiant light.

Warmth spread through him, followed by the unmistakable presence that had stood beside him through triumph and tragedy alike.

Heh. Kurama’s deep voice rumbled through his mind. It’s been a while.

Naruto’s smile widened. “It has.”

The rain hissed into steam where droplets struck the cloak before rolling harmlessly away. Ahead of him, the ocean continued to withdraw as the Endbringer swam closer to the shore.

Naruto planted his feet, rolling one shoulder before looking out across the water.

“Come on, Kurama,” he said with a grin. “Let’s go kick the scaly lizard’s ass.”