At this crucial moment, perhaps even Naruto himself remained unaware of the profound changes that were taking place within his body at the cellular and spiritual level. The transformation was occurring so subtly and naturally that it felt like a dormant part of his nature was simply awakening rather than something external being imposed upon him.
Then, in direct defiance of all logical expectations, his chakra reserves—which should have been completely exhausted from the tremendous battle—began experiencing a gradual but significant restoration. Although this recovery fell far short of returning him to peak fighting condition, under the current desperate circumstances, even this partial renewal could very well determine the difference between victory and defeat.
With Naruto's straightforward and action-oriented personality, he would not waste precious time questioning the source of this unexpected chakra influx. Instead, he would immediately put it to the most effective use possible.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" he called out with renewed determination.
Behind him, hundreds of shadow clones suddenly materialized and rushed forward in a coordinated assault that demonstrated remarkable tactical sophistication despite being executed under extreme pressure.
Among the crowd of duplicates, fierce chakra light spread outward and surged directly beneath the Nine-Tailed Fox's massive form, creating a concentrated point of attack that the bijuu would find difficult to defend against effectively.
"Big Ball Rasengan!" Naruto declared, his voice carrying the power of his restored energy.
Before the Nine-Tails could complete the formation of its devastating Tailed Beast Ball technique, the massive bijuu's body was struck by another tremendous chakra assault that disrupted its concentration and defensive posture.
Bang!
The impact forced the Nine-Tails to retreat several steps, and during this moment of instability, the fox-shaped chakra constructs that had remained connected to its body and had not yet been completely extracted were finally pulled free by Naruto's relentless efforts.
This powerful chakra immediately began flowing toward Naruto's abdominal region in streams of visible energy that seemed to burn with their own inner fire.
The Nine-Tailed Fox appeared genuinely exhausted for the first time during their confrontation, and the partially formed Tailed Beast Ball that had been gathering at the back of its throat disintegrated without being released.
When all of the extracted chakra had poured into Naruto's body, it then began overflowing outward in a dramatic transformation that marked the successful completion of his desperate gambit.
Boom!
Golden chakra erupted like flames around Naruto's feet and rapidly spread upward to envelop his entire body in this brilliant coloration. The energy seemed to pulse with life itself, creating an aura that radiated power and vitality.
Naruto lowered his now-glowing eyes and observed the changes taking place throughout his form with a mixture of amazement and cautious satisfaction.
"Is this the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode?" he murmured to himself, recognizing the technique from his mother's previous demonstrations.
The only noticeable difference between Naruto's manifestation and Kushina's version was that the chakra surrounding his body appeared particularly bright and vibrant, as if it contained infinite vitality and potential for growth.
"Little brat!" the Nine-Tailed Fox snarled, its voice carrying equal measures of resentment and confusion as it glared at the transformed human before it.
The bijuu was deeply troubled by what it had witnessed. Naruto's chakra had been completely exhausted just moments earlier—so where had the power that enabled his final decisive burst come from? The source of this energy remained a complete mystery.
But of course, the Nine-Tails was unwilling to simply accept having its chakra extracted and utilized in this manner. Despite appearing noticeably thinner and weaker than before, the legendary bijuu began gathering its remaining strength and preparing to resume hostilities.
Naruto sensed this renewed hostility through his enhanced awareness, and at this critical moment, some kind of profound understanding seemed to emerge in his mind from an unknown source.
He extended his hand toward his abdomen and began manipulating the sealing formula that had been placed there, twisting the intricate patterns in a way that seemed both completely natural and entirely unprecedented.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, enormous red torii gates began falling from the sky above the Nine-Tailed Fox's position with tremendous force and precision.
The massive wooden structures that descended from above systematically restrained each of the Nine-Tails' nine tails individually, then secured its waist, and finally locked around its neck in a comprehensive binding system.
Click.
The torii gates suddenly connected with each other through supernatural mechanisms, forming an entirely new sealed cage that enclosed the Nine-Tailed Fox more thoroughly than its previous prison.
The cage door closed with a sound of absolute finality, once again confining the Nine-Tailed Fox within barriers that it could not easily break.
"This is..." the Nine-Tailed Fox whispered in shock as it found itself suppressed and contained once more.
It could sense some kind of extraordinary and unfamiliar power emanating from the torii gates that were now holding it captive. This was not ordinary sealing technique—it carried the resonance of something far more ancient and powerful.
The bijuu's massive eyelids trembled as it stared at Naruto with growing realization. "This child... could it be that he possesses..."
Naruto was also gazing at the newly constructed seal before him with profound amazement. While the binding system was completely different from anything he had seen before, he didn't find its appearance or function particularly strange or surprising.
He was certain that he had never encountered such a sealing technique in any of his training or studies, yet somehow he didn't find its manifestation unexpected or foreign.
Although he had successfully suppressed the Nine-Tails and obtained access to its chakra, Naruto did not feel any sense of triumph or excitement at this moment. Instead, his expression carried a note of genuine regret.
"I'm sorry, Nine-Tails, for borrowing your power in this way," he said, lowering his eyelids as he addressed the imprisoned bijuu with sincere remorse.
"Stop being so hypocritical!" the Nine-Tailed Fox snapped angrily, its eyes blazing with resentment at what it perceived as false sympathy. "Just wait, Naruto! This isn't over!"
"One day, I will prove my true feelings to you and earn your genuine cooperation," Naruto replied with unwavering determination, looking directly at the Nine-Tails despite its obvious hostility. "But before that time comes, I need your strength to protect everyone I care about!"
The Nine-Tails' expression remained filled with negative emotions and bitter anger, refusing to acknowledge any validity in Naruto's words or intentions.
Naruto sighed softly at the bijuu's continued resistance and made the decision to temporarily withdraw from the spiritual space, understanding that further conversation would be futile at this time.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, he immediately saw Kushina's joyful expression contrasted sharply with what appeared to be a mixture of pride and concern in Minato's gaze.
"Well done!" Kushina exclaimed with genuine delight, her voice carrying maternal pride and amazement at her son's achievement.
She had never expected that Naruto would become strong enough to successfully obtain the Nine-Tails' chakra entirely through his own efforts and determination.
Naruto responded with his characteristic sunny smile, though he couldn't help but notice the troubled expression that Minato was trying to conceal. "Dad, what's wrong? You look worried about something."
"Congratulations on your success!" Minato replied, forcing his features into a warm smile while speaking with gentle encouragement.
"Thank you!" Naruto nodded with appreciation for his father's support.
However, as Minato looked at the young man standing before him at this moment, he couldn't shake an indescribable feeling that something fundamental had changed about his son during the battle.
"Nine-Tails," Minato addressed the bijuu within Naruto's seal through their established mental connection, "what exactly was that sealing technique that Naruto used just now?"
During the final moments of Naruto's confrontation with the Nine-Tails, Minato had witnessed his son extracting the bijuu's chakra and then creating an entirely new form of containment that he had never seen before.
The newly formed seal within Naruto's body appeared similar to the traditional Eight Trigrams Seal in some respects, but it was clearly far more sophisticated and powerful than that conventional technique.
"The torii gates that suppressed my chakra within Naruto's body just now," the Nine-Tails explained with obvious reluctance, "are known as Myojinmon—the Sage Gates of the First Hokage."
"Myojinmon?" Minato repeated, his mind racing to understand the implications.
He possessed considerable knowledge about the abilities of the First Hokage, having studied the legendary ninja's techniques extensively as part of his preparation for leadership.
Myojinmon was indeed a specialized sealing technique that only Hashirama Senju had ever been known to master. It was specifically designed to suppress and contain the chakra of tailed beasts, making it one of the most powerful binding techniques in recorded ninja history.
"But how could Naruto possibly use a sealing technique that was unique to the First Hokage?" Minato asked, his voice carrying genuine confusion and growing concern.
"This technique was not originally created by the First Hokage," the Nine-Tails replied, its tone shifting to carry a note of ancient knowledge and deep significance.
"The first person to use Myojinmon was the Sage of Six Paths himself."
This revelation struck Minato like a physical blow as the implications became clear. "If that's the case, then the Senju clan represents the descendants of the Sage's younger son, and the Uzumaki clan are distant relatives of the Senju bloodline."
"So the reason why both the First Hokage and Naruto were able to use the Sage of Six Paths' sealing technique is because they both inherited his ancient bloodline?"
This genealogical connection provided a logical explanation for the manifestation of such extraordinary abilities. However, the only thing that Minato couldn't completely dismiss was the strange and unfamiliar sensation he had experienced when making physical contact with Naruto during the battle.
"Was that unusual feeling simply the result of Naruto's bloodline abilities awakening for the first time?" he wondered, though something about the experience continued to trouble him.
At the same time these events were unfolding at the Namikaze residence, Mikoto Uchiha made her way to the room where Sasuke had been recovering from his recent medical procedures. When she opened the door to check on him, she discovered that the opposite door leading to the garden was standing wide open.
A gentle breeze flowed through the room, causing the grass and flowers outside to sway peacefully in the afternoon sunlight.
"That boy has disappeared again," she murmured with fond exasperation.
This wasn't the first time such an occurrence had taken place over the past few days, so Mikoto didn't feel any particular concern about Sasuke's whereabouts. His independent nature and need for solitude during his recovery process were entirely understandable.
In a secluded clearing within the Uchiha forest, far from the main compound and any potential observers, Sasuke stood in perfect stillness. His straight black hair moved gently in the wind, but his posture remained as motionless as a statue.
"What exactly is this chakra that I keep sensing?" he murmured to himself, focusing intently on the strange energy signature that had been appearing in his consciousness with increasing frequency over the past several days.
He directed his enhanced perception deeper into his own spiritual landscape, searching for the source of these mysterious fluctuations that seemed to originate from somewhere beyond normal understanding.
As time passed slowly and his meditation deepened, the unusual chakra signature gradually began to fade from his immediate awareness, as if it were retreating to some more distant location within his consciousness.
However, at this crucial moment, Sasuke suddenly felt that the eyes concealed beneath his medical bandages had undergone some kind of fundamental qualitative transformation. The change was so profound that it seemed to alter the very nature of his vision and perception.
With careful deliberation, he began gradually untying the bandages that had protected his healing eyes from external light and stimulation. His closed eyelids slowly opened as the last of the cloth fell away.
Swish!
Those normally bright black eyes instantly transformed to a brilliant blood red coloration that seemed to glow with inner fire.
Three black tomoe began spinning rapidly within each eye, their rotation gradually increasing in speed until they began linking together to form a distinctive hexagonal pattern that marked the awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The hexagonal formation took complete shape, but the patterns within Sasuke's eyes did not cease their rotation at this stage. Instead, they continued evolving toward something even more extraordinary.
Within the blood-red hexagonal framework, a black triangular curved pattern began to overlap and merge with the existing design. This new element bore the distinctive shape of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan—the ocular pattern that had belonged to his beloved older brother.
The two different Mangekyo patterns began rotating simultaneously within the same visual space, gradually blending and merging with each other through supernatural mechanisms that transcended normal biological processes.
As the fusion progressed, an entirely new form of power began manifesting within Sasuke's transformed eyes—the legendary Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, a level of ocular evolution that only a handful of individuals in the entire history of the Uchiha clan had ever achieved.
The transformation was complete, and with it came abilities that would fundamentally alter the balance of power in the approaching war.