Meanwhile-
In the Summoning Realm-
Charles had summoned Naruto Uzumaki back through the ninja dogs.
Using reverse summoning, Naruto arrived and greeted Charles Doyle with a cheerful tone:
"Lord Charles, what's up? Did something happen?"
Charles didn't immediately respond but instead smiled and asked, "Did you track Sasuke down yet?"
Naruto's face lit up with his characteristic sunny grin as he replied, "We've found some clues through Pakkun. It shouldn't take long before we locate Sasuke."
Seeing the confident smile on Naruto's face, Charles said, "Sasuke has gone to seek out Itachi. There are quite a few Akatsuki members in that area."
"Knowing Sasuke, a fight is bound to happen."
Naruto's smile wavered for a moment as he remembered how powerful the Akatsuki members were.
His mind flashed back to their battle against Hidan and Kakuzu, where it had taken a significant number of their forces to handle just two of them.
But Naruto quickly regained his composure and said with determination, "Lord Charles, we'll help Sasuke, no matter what!"
Charles reached out, ruffling Naruto's blond hair, and said, "I called you here to make sure you're ready—to strengthen you so that you won't feel powerless when facing the Akatsuki."
Naruto's grin grew even brighter.
"Thank you, Lord Charles!"
Charles then focused his mind and entered the system's interface. He selected Naruto Uzumaki's ninja card and removed it from the active lineup. As a result, Naruto's form in the Summoning Realm disappeared instantly.
Do you want to fuse the B-tier Naruto Uzumaki card with the B-tier Fourth-Tailed Naruto Uzumaki card?
Yes.
With Charles's confirmation, the two cards floated into the air, merging in a dazzling display of rainbow light. A new card appeared: B-tier Naruto Uzumaki—Fused!
Inspecting the new card, Charles noticed that Naruto's skills had expanded considerably, now filling an entire page.
The fusion had combined numerous cards, including Academy Student Naruto, Pre-Shippuden Genin Naruto, First-Tailed Naruto, Shippuden Naruto, and now the Fourth-Tailed Naruto.
Naruto's abilities and potential had reached incredible levels. His Uzumaki bloodline and chakra reserves had grown exponentially.
While he couldn't yet access Sixth-Tailed or Eight-Tailed forms, his chakra reserves now compensated for that limitation.
This version of Naruto was easily on par with or even stronger than his Sage Mode self in the original world.
Furthermore, with the Fourth-Tail fusion, Naruto could now transform into his Fourth-Tailed form while maintaining full control of his actions, unlike his berserk state in the original timeline.
In terms of power, this Naruto was now a top-tier Kage-level fighter. Unless he faced a direct elemental disadvantage, most battles wouldn't be a problem.
And this was just the beginning. There were many more forms of Naruto to fuse in the future—Sage Mode Naruto, Kurama Chakra Mode Naruto, and Asura Path Naruto.
Eventually, through fusions like Kurama Mode and Golden Chakra Naruto, Naruto's internal Nine-Tails would no longer be a half-being.
He would possess the complete Kurama, along with chakra portions fused from the One-Tail and Four-Tails.
With all this, Naruto's power could one day ascend to the level of the Six Paths Sage.
As the main character of the Naruto world, Naruto Uzumaki is destined to become a formidable force in this world as well.
Charles had high expectations for Naruto's future. It was highly likely that Naruto would become a powerful being capable of traversing dimensions.
Retracting his thoughts from the card fusion process, Charles placed the newly fused Naruto card back into the active lineup.
He selected a materialization range of three meters around himself, and in an instant, the fused Naruto Uzumaki reappeared. Given the close proximity of the timelines, Naruto's appearance hadn't changed much.
However, in terms of memory, Naruto now had a new addition—a recollection of events he never experienced before.
In the original timeline, when Naruto went into his Four-Tails berserk state at Orochimaru's base, he had no clear memory of what had transpired. But now, those battle scenes replayed vividly in his mind.
He recalled his Four-Tails transformation and his relentless barrage against Orochimaru using Tailed Beast Balls.
While he hadn't managed to inflict significant harm on Orochimaru, the memory of overwhelming him in combat left an deep impression.
Naruto couldn't help but marvel at his own power as he watched the scenes unfold in his mind.
"Wow, I was so strong in that state!"
As the memory concluded, Naruto also recalled the moment when he accidentally struck Sakura Haruno with a swipe during the battle.
This left him feeling a bit embarrassed.
Opening his eyes, Naruto's longing to reunite with his teammate Sasuke grew even stronger.
At the same time, he noticed a significant increase in the Nine-Tails' power within him. He was now capable of entering the Four-Tails transformation without losing control.
With excitement, Naruto said, "Thank you, Lord Charles! My strength has improved again!"
"I'm sure I can help Sasuke and fend off the other Akatsuki members now!"
Charles smiled at Naruto's optimism, though he was well aware of potential challenges.
Someone like Kisame Hoshigaki, with his Samehada, could easily counter Naruto's tailed-beast forms due to the blade's chakra-absorbing properties.
Despite this, Charles simply encouraged him with a smile, "Keep at it. I believe you'll bring Sasuke back and be a great help to him."
Naruto nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, Lord Charles!"
"Do you have any missions for me right now?"
Charles shook his head, "Nothing at the moment. You're free to focus on your own goals."
Hearing this, Naruto said eagerly, "Alright then, Lord Charles. I'll head back now—Sakura and Kakashi-sensei are waiting for me."
Charles chuckled as he watched Naruto's unwavering concern for his teammates and waved him off.
"Poof!"
With the reverse summoning dispelled, Naruto returned to Sakura and Kakashi's side.
…
Back with his team-
Seeing Naruto reappear, Sakura couldn't contain her excitement, "Naruto, what did Lord Charles call you for?"
Kakashi's gaze also shifted toward Naruto, curious about what had happened. Naruto, with his characteristic grin, replied:
"Lord Charles boosted my strength! I can now fully control my Four-Tails form!"
Sakura and Kakashi were both stunned by the revelation.
"What? That's amazing!" exclaimed Sakura.
Kakashi, who had a deeper understanding of the tailed-beast forms' power, was even more impressed. He had an inkling of just how formidable the Fourth-Tails transformation could be.
"Congratulations, Naruto," Kakashi said warmly.
Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin and said:
"Now I'll be able to bring Sasuke back even faster. When Sasuke faces off with his brother, I'll handle the other Akatsuki members!"
Seeing Naruto's innocent smile, Kakashi couldn't help but think of his former teacher, Minato Namikaze.
"Sensei," Kakashi thought, "your son has truly become a powerful ninja."