The return to Konoha was a deafening silence. The exhausted and bruised rescue team dragged their wounded bodies, carrying Sasuke on a makeshift stretcher. News of his escape with Orochimaru had already spread, and the sight of the unconscious Uchiha and a heartbroken Naruto was a blow to the village's already fragile spirit.
In Konoha's infirmary, Tsunade examined Sasuke with a grim expression. The marks of the Cursed Seal were unmistakable, and the damage he had inflicted on his own body in his quest for power was severe. Sakura, with tears in her eyes, watched helplessly by his side.
"He's out of danger for now, but the scars of the Cursed Seal are profound," Tsunade ruled. "It's a miracle he's even alive after using so much power."
Her gaze fell on Naruto, who was sitting on the ground, his head in his hands. "Naruto, are you okay?"
Naruto looked up, his eyes red and swollen. "I failed, Tsunade-obachan. I couldn't bring him back."
Tsunade knelt beside him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You didn't fail, Naruto. You fought with everything you had. Sometimes, people make their own decisions, and we can't force them. But that doesn't mean your effort was in vain."
His gaze shifted to Gojo, who was standing at the entrance to the infirmary, with his usual indifference. "Besides, it seems the Uchiha is still alive thanks to you and your training."
Gojo just nodded with a small smile. "Sometimes, losses are the best teachers."
The days following Sasuke's rescue were a period of reflection for Naruto. The pain of his friend's departure mingled with impotent fury. But also, a spark of determination ignited.
He had experienced Kurama's power in a new way, and the nascent Emperor's Haki that Gojo taught him had proven to be a formidable tool.
Gojo Satoru, for his part, dedicated himself to a more rigorous training regimen for Naruto. It was no longer just a matter of learning techniques, but of mastering control over his own existence.
"Blondie," Gojo said one morning while they were in an isolated training camp, "you saw what Orochimaru's power did to Sasuke. And what your own power did to you." Gojo pointed to the First Hokage necklace Naruto was wearing. "This necklace, by the way, has a latent energy that resonates with a particular type of chakra. When you master it, you'll be able to access incredible natural power. I'll explain it in simple terms so your monkey brain understands it."
Naruto looked at him curiously. "What are you talking about, Gojo-sensei?"
"I'm talking about a state where you merge with the natural energy of the environment. Some call it Sage Mode," Gojo explained, conjuring a small glowing energy sphere in his hand—the same one he'd used to stun the Seven-Tails. "But to get there, you first have to master your own energy, your own will."
Gojo's training for Naruto focused on advanced sensory perception and internal energy control. He had him sit for hours in a peculiar meditative state, trying to sense the flow of chakra in his own body and in the environment.
Sometimes, Gojo would attack him with invisible energy balls or disorient him with illusions of his Infinity, forcing him to react using only his instincts and his Haki.
"Haki isn't just for fainting frogs, Naruto," Gojo explained. "It's an extension of your will. Your will to protect. Your will to overcome. The stronger your will, the stronger your Haki. And the more you'll be able to sense the energy of everything around you. It's the first step to mastering your own body, and eventually, natural energy."
In addition, Gojo spent time helping Naruto improve his control over Kurama's chakra. He wasn't looking for an uncontrolled release, but rather an integration. He taught Naruto to visualize the chakra veins and control them precisely.
"Think of Kurama as a giant battery," Gojo told him. "You need a switch to turn it on and off at will, not a short circuit that burns you up."
While Naruto immersed himself in his training, Orochimaru recovered in his hiding place, his fury boiling. The humiliation at Gojo's hands was a scar on his pride, and the inability to use his arms drove him mad. Kabuto Yakushi, at his side, brewed potions and conducted research on the sorcery techniques Gojo had demonstrated.
"Unacceptable! Humiliating!" Orochimaru hissed, stamping his foot on the table. "That Gojo... What exactly is he? His energy isn't chakra. It isn't pure cursed energy. It's... something else. But his power is real."
Kabuto nodded. "Lord Orochimaru, I have analyzed the reports. Gojo Satoru seems capable of manipulating space itself. It is a power that transcends all we know of ninjutsu."
"It doesn't matter," Orochimaru replied, his eyes glowing with a dark light. "I need new arms. And a new body. And then, that Gojo Satoru... will pay for his insolence. No one stands in Orochimaru's way."
The Sannin resumed his forbidden experiments, now with even greater urgency. If before he sought immortality, now he sought the power to crush any obstacle, even a sorcerer who could bend reality to his will. The ninja world was about to feel the impact of Orochimaru's vengeance.
The next phase of Naruto's journey had begun. Grief and loss drove him on, but Gojo's training offered him new tools and a different perspective on power. Konoha, led by Tsunade, cautiously rebuilt itself, unaware of the new threats lurking in the darkness—threats that only a being like Gojo Satoru could fully perceive.