Kakashi was about to dive into the next part of the storyline without pause, but a sudden notification about obtaining a new Ninja stopped him in his tracks.
[[You have recruited a new character— Uzumaki Naruto [Shippuden]]
'Should I... try it out first?'
Thinking about the cheerful and sunny Naruto from three years later in the storyline, Kakashi decided to head to the training grounds to test out the character's skills.
He quickly entered the training grounds, where a Naruto completely different from the one in previous matches stood quietly, waiting for Kakashi's input.
First, Kakashi tried out the basic attacks. There were four segments, combining taijutsu and shadow clone-assisted attacks.
The basic attacks were fairly standard, but thanks to Yuto's optimizations, Naruto [Shippuden]'s basic attacks had a certain level of stability, at least on par with the normal standards of B-Rank Ninjas released later.
After testing the basic attacks, Kakashi moved on to the skills.
The first skill involved Naruto, with the help of a shadow clone, forming a large Rasengan and charging forward, dealing decent damage to enemies in its path.
Thanks to Yuto's optimizations, this skill had been improved significantly, with reduced startup and recovery frames, making it somewhat similar to Naruto [Sage Mode]'s short-press first skill.
However, Kakashi still felt the startup and recovery frames were too noticeable. That said, the attack pattern was similar to Kakashi's Raikiri in the game, and the damage was even higher, making it a decent skill overall.
Next, Kakashi tested the second skill. This skill involved punching the opponent into the air, then summoning a shadow clone to grab and perform a Taijutsu combo.
Yuto had optimized this skill, turning what was originally a half-grab into a full grab.
Why was it called a 'half-grab'? Because, under normal circumstances, it couldn't even grab Killer B's Tailed Beast Form.
The first half of the skill could be upgraded, but the main body... could only kneel in place, making it easy to interrupt.
After testing it, Kakashi nodded slightly, 'It was a decent grab skill, but the range was too short.'
Finally, Kakashi tested the ultimate skill… the Rasenshuriken, which had been showcased in the earlier storyline.
It was a Jutsu Naruto had creatively developed, as seen in the battle against Kakuzu.
The Rasenshuriken dealt impressive damage, and Kakashi discovered that it could be chained into the second skill. Thanks to Yuto's optimizations for Naruto [Shippuden]'s skill combos, there was no need to worry about accidentally triggering protection when chaining different skills.
It could be said that, with Yuto's slight optimizations, Naruto [Shippuden]'s overall strength was at least two tiers higher than his original version in the main storyline.
After fully understanding Naruto [Shippuden] and constructing a general playstyle, Kakashi eagerly returned to the event page to watch the next part of the storyline.
The new storyline focused on Naruto [Four-Tails]. Naruto in his Four-Tails Form didn't have many opportunities to shine in the storyline, as he was quickly replaced by the Six-Tails form, followed by more tails...
But if we're only counting Tailed Beast Forms, Naruto [Four-Tails] still had some notable moments, including at least two major battles.
One was the battle against Orochimaru that Kakashi hadn't finished watching earlier.
In the end, Naruto was provoked by Orochimaru and completely lost control, entering his Four-Tails form. The other battle was...
After the battle with Orochimaru concluded, the scene suddenly shifted to a man with tattered robes and half his body exposed.
Despite the dust on him, he gave off an overwhelming aura of invincibility!
As this man appeared, a powerful background track began playing in the storyline.
---
Kakashi's attention was entirely focused on the battle between the two. He only felt the pressure intensify.
The Four-Tails Naruto's art style was particularly abstract, using his tails to pull massive boulders from the ground and hurl them at the man in front of him.
Kakashi had thought the Four-Tails Naruto's art style was already abstract enough, but then he saw the man...
The man flailed his arms and legs, shattering the boulders. Why did Kakashi think of the word 'flailed'?
Because the man's art style had completely collapsed into chaos. Then, the Four-Tails Naruto punched him away, used his tail to grab another boulder, and smashed the art-style-breaking man into the ground, one brick at a time.
Kakashi's mouth twitched, 'What the... this was way too abstract. It was hard to take it seriously.'
Until the art-style-breaking man poked his head out of the ground, his onion-ring-like eyes spinning as he tilted his exposed head toward the Four-Tails Naruto and asked, "Do you hate me?"
The Four-Tails Naruto had clearly lost consciousness, driven only by the desire to defeat his opponent. But upon hearing Pain's words, he suddenly equipped himself with an exoskeleton.
Seeing this result, Nagato was satisfied. Deva Path continued, "This will do."
It was only then that Kakashi got a clear look at the man's face, but... he had no impression of him at all.
He was quite handsome, though.
But in the next moment, Deva Path spoke again, "But... my pain is greater than yours!"
After saying this, the man's art style...
Kakashi couldn't bear to look anymore, 'What kind of freak was this?'
'It looked like a child's stick figure drawing... but no mentally stable child could draw something this horrifying.'
Then, the two began their battle on the water. Pain's legs moved so fast they looked like wheels, and at one point, he swam like a fish...
Later, Fish-Man Pain came ashore, lying on the ground and using Shinra Tensei to block the incoming mini Tailed Beast Ball from the Four-Tails Naruto.
Although it was clear that both sides were using incredibly powerful techniques, the overall impression Kakashi got was...
This battle was just too... Kakashi couldn't think of the right word to describe it.
The utterly graceless Deva Path, seeing Naruto's attack stop, sneered, "Tch, is that all you've got?"
Kakashi really wanted to complain, 'After such intense exertion, surely the opponent's Chakra Reserves were running low too, right? Not everyone had the Chakra reserves of a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from the Uzumaki Clan.'
But in the next moment, the art style suddenly returned to normal, leaving Kakashi momentarily panicked.
The art-style-breaking man's art style was no longer broken. Instead, he threw out a black spherical core, like a small black sun.
The sphere began absorbing the surrounding boulders, even nearly sealing Naruto inside.
Then, the final shot of the scene showed the Nine-Tails breaking free, revealing half of its body.
At this point, the storyline abruptly ended.
Kakashi was so shocked that he couldn't calm down for a while.