The next morning, just as Raikage had promised, Darui arrived at Naruto and Inoiki’s quarters to escort them. Both of them were already prepared, gear checked and minds focused. Without wasting any time, the three left Kumogakure together and began their journey.

They traveled for hours, the sun steadily rising toward midday. By the time they reached a wide, open seashore, the salty breeze rolled in with the sound of crashing waves. From there, Darui continued onward—directly across the water—clearly following some kind of guidance only he could sense.

Naruto and Inoiki followed him across the surface, their footsteps rippling the sea. After some distance, an enormous shadow appeared ahead of them, and soon the outline of something colossal took shape.

A moving island.

Naruto’s eyes widened. "H-Hey, am I seeing things? Is that island actually moving!?"

Inoiki remained calm, his Observation Haki already sweeping across the entire massive structure. "That’s not an island, Naruto," he said. "It’s the back of a giant turtle."

Naruto’s shock only deepened at the explanation. His jaw practically dropped. "A giant... turtle!?"

Darui, walking beside them, nodded. "Inoiki is right. This is Genbu—the training ground. This is where Jinchuriki come to learn how to become perfect."

Hearing this, Naruto drew in a deep breath. Determination settled across his face, a steady flame in his eyes as he prepared himself for whatever lay ahead.

Darui continued guiding them forward, and the moment their feet touched the surface of the "island," several Kumogakure shinobi appeared in a blur of movement. They surrounded the trio instantly. One of the guards stepped up and questioned Darui, demanding to know who the two strangers were and why he had brought them onto Genbu.

Darui answered calmly, "It’s by the Raikage’s orders. I was instructed to bring them here."

To prove it, he pulled out a scroll and handed it over. The ninja unrolled it and immediately recognized the Raikage’s seal and handwriting. The tension in the air eased at once.

Genbu was one of Kumogakure’s most sacred and heavily protected locations. Even though everyone present knew Darui well, no one—not even he—was allowed to escort outsiders in without explicit authorization. The verification was strict, but necessary.

Once everything was confirmed, the guards stepped aside. Darui then led Naruto and Inoiki deeper into Genbu’s inner area. After a short walk, they arrived in front of a peculiar building—its exterior shaped unmistakably like the Eight-Tails.

Pointing at it, Darui said, "This is Lord Killer B’s house. While you’re on the island, you can stay here whenever you’re not training."

Inoiki nodded after hearing Darui’s words. Then Darui led them farther in, stopping before a wide waterfall whose roaring sound echoed through the trees. Mist drifted in the air, cool and refreshing. He pointed toward the stone platform at its base.

"This," Darui said, "is the Falls of Truth. By sitting on that platform, you can confront your inner negative self. This is one of the most crucial steps for any Jinchuriki trying to master their Tailed Beast’s power."

He looked specifically at Naruto.

"If you can’t overcome the negative emotions built up over the years—disdain, hatred, loneliness—everything you were forced to endure from your villagers... then even if you gain power, you’ll only end up destroying your own home. That makes this the greatest hurdle for your friend here, Naruto. If Naruto wants to advance toward mastering the Tailed Beast inside him, he must first defeat his negative self. If he can’t do that, then he’ll become a danger to his village—causing more destruction than help."

Inoiki nodded slowly, fully understanding the weight of the task. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

After giving these instructions, Darui reached into his vest and pulled out an old, worn book. He handed it to Inoiki.

"Inside this," he said, "is the entire basic process you’ll need. The rest is up to the two of you."

The waterfall continued to thunder behind them, as if emphasizing the seriousness of the path ahead.

Inoiki nodded after hearing Darui’s words. As for Naruto losing to his negative self, Inoiki didn’t even entertain the thought. Naruto was too bright, too stubborn, too overflowing with raw positivity. He definitely won’t lose to something like that. He didn’t even lose in the original story, Inoiki reminded himself with quiet confidence. And even if, by some impossible chance, Naruto began to falter, Inoiki’s own psychokinesis and immense mental strength would be enough to steady him. He would never allow Naruto to fall into darkness.

After that, Darui took his leave, leaving Naruto and Inoiki alone in front of Falls of Truth.

Under Inoiki’s watchful gaze, Naruto immediately approached the stone platform at the base of the waterfall. The roar of crashing water echoed like a drumbeat as he sat down. The moment he closed his eyes and settled onto the platform, his consciousness sank inward—straight into his mental space.

There, he came face-to-face with his negative self.

Outside, Naruto’s body tensed, hands clenching, breath growing uneven. His negative self was clearly fighting him hard, pushing, pulling, trying to seize control. The struggle in his mind reflected visibly in every twitch of his muscles.

But Inoiki didn’t intervene. Not yet.

He simply folded his arms and watched with calm focus, the wind stirring faintly around him. Come on, Naruto... you can handle this. He knew he couldn’t interfere unless it became absolutely necessary. This was Naruto’s battle—one he had to win on his own.

Only if Naruto truly couldn’t win would Inoiki step in.

But in the end, Inoiki didn’t need to take any action at all. After nearly half an hour of intense struggle—his body trembling, breath unsteady—Naruto finally overpowered his negative emotions. His negative self shattered, and a calm, stable sense of self-control settled over him like a steady flame.

While Naruto fought inside his mind, Inoiki spent the time reading through the old instruction book Darui had given him. The pages described in detail the process of becoming a perfect Jinchuriki. The next step after defeating one’s negative self was clear:

He would have to fight the Nine-Tails directly in his mental space.

Only after overpowering the Tailed Beast could a Jinchuriki begin extracting and using the beast’s chakra freely. In Naruto’s case, if he managed to defeat the Nine-Tails, he would be able to draw on its chakra without any resistance—even forcefully taking a portion of it if he wanted. The Nine-Tails wouldn’t be able to interfere at all.

Only a Jinchuriki who could accomplish this was known as a perfect Jinchuriki.

Once Naruto returned from his inner world—breathing heavily but with clear determination in his eyes—Inoiki closed the book and stood up. Together, the two of them stepped deeper into the chamber hidden behind the waterfall, moving toward the place where the real battle would begin.

----

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