NOVEL WEB Chapter 42: Violation Level: 7
In the damp and cold sealed space, a person and a fox stared at each other from a high and low position, separated by the red-barred prison gate.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Water droplets fell from above the dark, lightless cell, emphasizing the eerie silence within the sealed space.
"Human... how do you know my name?"
Kurama could no longer hold back, breaking the silence first, glaring intently at Naruto.
With his hands in his pockets, Naruto, dressed in a large black robe, wore a nonchalant expression and answered with a dead-fish look.
"I heard it from someone else."
"You're lying!" Kurama immediately reacted, baring its teeth in anger. "Despicable human, are you trying to deceive me further?"
"Human? Are you calling me that?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Despicable human, when I get out, I'll tear you to shreds!"
"It seems you still don't understand the situation, Kurama." Naruto looked up with a grin, suddenly pointing at Kurama.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Haha, just messing with you. Look how scared you are," Naruto laughed.
"How dare you mock me!"
Kurama was furious, seemingly ready to unleash another wave of red chakra.
But this time, Naruto's expression changed, the smile fading, replaced by seriousness. Pointing at Kurama, he said:
"Restrain it."
As he spoke, the red-barred prison gate shrank inward, rapidly compressing Kurama's movement space.
"Roar!!"
"Damn it! What have you done to me?!"
Kurama's furious roar echoed, and the red prison gate shook under its relentless pounding.
[Level 4 Seal: Max Level]
Naruto stood calmly in place, patiently waiting for Kurama's anger to subside until the sealed space fell silent once more.
"Human..."
"I'll be back, Kurama. I hope next time we can have a pleasant conversation." Naruto said, and his consciousness flickered as he exited the sealed space.
As his vision returned, Naruto found himself in the hallway. Outside, the storm had mostly passed. He reached into his pocket, looking for the apartment key.
Just as he took the keys out, he heard footsteps approaching from down the hallway—more than one person, it seemed.
After the recent events, Naruto's brow furrowed, and he stared intently at the end of the hallway.
"Naruto!"
A girl's voice, bright and melodious, contrasted sharply with the bloodshed and death. Her fair neck swayed with her sakura-pink hair, a gleaming white.
Sakura smiled as she stepped out of the hallway, waving at Naruto. The post-rain golden sunlight glimmered through her hair.
Behind her were two figures, the laid-back Kakashi and the stoic Sasuke.
"Yo, Naruto." Kakashi greeted Naruto awkwardly, unfamiliar with entering through a door, having mostly appeared on rooftops or outside windows.
Sasuke, with a disdainful look, watched Naruto at a distance, his gaze settling on Naruto's forehead, bare without a ninja headband.
"Tch."
"Sakura? Kakashi-sensei? Sasuke? Why are you all here?" Naruto's hand moved behind his back, ready to activate the Level 4 Seal at any moment.
"The Chunin Exam..." Sakura took a deep breath, raising her voice. "We all want to take it together with you, Naruto!"
"Huh?"
Naruto tilted his head, his hand slowly relaxing behind his back.
---
**In the Root Organization Underground Office**
"Lord Danzo, the mission failed. The... operative is dead."
A Root ninja in a mask with green patterns kneeled on the floor, while Danzo, with his right eye wrapped in bandages, sat solemnly at the desk without a word.
"Dead?" Danzo asked grimly. "What about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"He..."
"Speak!" Danzo's gaze was severe as he looked at the ninja.
The kneeling ninja broke out in a cold sweat, answering mechanically.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki swallowed him."
"Swallowed?"
"It's a sealing technique!" the Root ninja reported accurately. "It seems to be the Uzumaki Clan's Level 4 Seal. He was absorbed into the seal."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Danzo tapped on the table, his face cold.
"Inform the Third Hokage that the Jinchuriki qualification test has failed and that the target exceeds the containment value of the Root Organization."
"Temporarily set the violation level to: 7."
In the Root Organization, Danzo's orders were followed with absolute obedience. The Root ninja acknowledged and disappeared to carry out the command.
On the other side, the Third Hokage sat solemnly at his desk, puffing on a dry pipe while reviewing two reports, his expression severe and brows furrowed.
One report was the mission failure results from Root; the other was Team 7's collective request to restore Naruto's Chunin Exam qualification.
Not only did it include requests from Sakura and Sasuke, but also an unexpected letter of accountability from Kakashi, with handprints and signatures.
"Lord Hokage, this..." a Hokage guard named Raidou, also with a grim face, said, "The power of the Jinchuriki has surpassed the village's control."
"It's not to that extent," the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, exhaling a puff of smoke. His face was weathered, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk.
"Kakashi mentioned Naruto's jutsu in the Land of Waves, a burning magma. That's the Lava Release—a combination of Earth and Fire Release, used by the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of the Land of Earth."
"Jinchuriki... the Tailed Beast?" Raidou was surprised. "How could Naruto know the Tailed Beast's technique from the Land of Earth?"
"Unclear," the Third Hokage replied solemnly. "I initially wanted to test whether Naruto had been replaced in the Land of Waves, perhaps by the one recently calling himself the 'God of Shinobi.'"
"Naruto's recent actions have been strange—sudden wealth and power... But only the Uzumaki Clan's descendants can use the Level 4 Seal, and only Naruto can contain the Nine-Tails..."
The Third Hokage sighed helplessly, closed his eyes, and instructed, "Order the Anbu to cancel the surveillance on the Jinchuriki."
"But... Lord Hokage, if the Jinchuriki goes unsupervised, won't that be too dangerous?"
Raidou's gaze fell on the Root report with its clear designation:
[Violation Level: 7]
"Lord Hokage, isn't the maximum violation level 10? But the Nine-Tails' danger level is only 6."
"The Level 4 Seal is a dangerous jutsu. It can seal the Nine-Tails, even anything," the Third Hokage explained gravely.
"The Root often exaggerates, ignoring the individual. But humans have emotions, and weapons can be controlled."
"Sunlight, flowers, bonds of friendship, budding love, and village acceptance—these are the best ways to keep weapons stored."
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