Buzz!
Buzz!
The air trembled with violent chakra currents as clouds of dust rolled across the battlefield.
Shigure stared into the storm ahead, his eyes narrowing. He never expected Naruto to unleash the Nine-Tails' chakra now of all times.
He couldn't tell if his luck was good or bad.
He had, after all, forced Naruto to draw on his ultimate power—his cheat.
Still, this might not be so bad. If he could absorb even a fraction of that chakra, the payoff would be enormous. The Nine-Tails' chakra was far more tempting than Shukaku's ever was.
Meanwhile, inside the storm, Naruto stood engulfed by crimson energy.
'Is this your chakra?' he asked inwardly.
The Nine-Tails gave a derisive snort.
Naruto grinned. 'Your chakra feels way stronger than mine!'
'Of course it does, fool!' the beast snapped. 'This great lord is the mightiest of all Tailed Beasts!'
Naruto chuckled. 'The strongest, huh? Then let's make a deal.'
That piqued the Nine-Tails' interest. 'Oh? What kind of deal?'
Naruto's expression hardened as he looked up through the haze, locking onto Shigure's distant silhouette.
'Help me beat him. I'll bring him back to Konoha.'
The Nine-Tails huffed. 'Why should I help you, brat?'
Naruto hesitated briefly, then spoke with resolve. 'If you help me, I'll agree to one request—anything except letting you out. Anything else is fair.'
The great fox's eyes slowly opened, its massive pupils reflecting Naruto's determination.
'You'd better think this through, kid.'
'I already have,' Naruto replied firmly.
For a moment, silence lingered—then a deep rumble echoed through the seal. The Nine-Tails gave a low, rumbling laugh.
'Fine. This lord will accept. Try not to die too quickly, human.'
In the next instant, crimson chakra surged from the fox's body, flooding into Naruto's. The ground shook as a chakra cloak burst to life around him—fiery red, violent, alive.
Two tails unfurled behind him.
Naruto clenched his fists, feeling the raw, unstoppable power coursing through him.
One word came to mind—strong.
With this strength, there was no way Shigure could stand against him for long.
Crack!
Naruto stomped hard, launching himself forward like a cannonball. He became a blazing red streak cutting through the dust.
Before Tsunade or the others could even blink, he was already upon Shigure—his fist arcing forward with monstrous force.
Shigure barely had time to react. Lightning flickered along his arm as he raised it to block.
Boom!
The collision split the air. Shigure was sent skidding backward, his feet tearing trenches in the ground for dozens of meters before he came to a halt.
Pain lanced through his arm. He glanced down—his right forearm, the one that had taken Naruto's punch, was completely fractured.
Shigure glanced down at his slightly twisted arm.
Across from him, Naruto stood confidently, a faint smile tugging at his lips as the dust settled.
"Come back to Konoha with me!" Naruto called out, his voice carrying over the battlefield.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she watched the crimson chakra swirling around him.
"He can already control the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
She turned to Jiraiya for confirmation.
Jiraiya simply waved a hand. "Don't look at me—I didn't teach him that."
Orochimaru, standing nearby, curved his lips into a faint smirk.
"As expected of the Fourth Hokage's son," he murmured. "His talent and chakra control are no less impressive than Shigure's."
He let out a quiet sigh. "Three remarkable young men… what a pity Konoha allowed such a trio to fall apart."
His tone carried a strange weight—lamenting Shigure and the others, but perhaps himself and his two teammates as well.
Tsunade folded her arms.
"And what about that Uchiha brat you mentioned? Is he still in Konoha?"
Hearing Orochimaru's remark, she too grew curious. These three—Naruto, Shigure, and the last one—were all monsters in their own right.
Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, gifted with immense chakra reserves and incredible Wind Release potential.
Shigure, a prodigy of Water Release and unparalleled in swordsmanship.
Then there was the final one, the boy who could stand beside these two in strength.
Are all kids this strong now? Tsunade wondered silently, intrigued despite herself.
Orochimaru didn't answer immediately. His expression darkened.
Jiraiya's brows furrowed. "Don't tell me… Uchiha Sasuke isn't in the village anymore?"
The question hung in the air like a blade.
Orochimaru gave a soft chuckle. "That's right. He's not."
Jiraiya's expression hardened. "Then where is he?"
Orochimaru turned his gaze toward him. "He's in—"
Boom!
A deafening roar tore through the field before he could finish.
Naruto and Shigure were already at it again, their clash shaking the ground.
Shigure's body moved with frightening precision. Empowered by the Shikotsumyaku, his skeletal structure reinforced his physique, and chakra coursed over his body like armor—a protective shroud.
But even that had its limits.
Naruto's power came from the Nine-Tails itself. Shigure's chakra was immense for a human, but compared to Tailed Beast chakra—it was like fire against a sun.
He was being overwhelmed.
Each collision sent shockwaves across the landscape. With every hit, cracks ran deeper along Shigure's arm bones, the damage spreading.
Yet he refused to back down.
Shigure's expression remained calm, even as pain rippled through his body. His self-regeneration had grown powerful—bordering on monstrous—and with the Great Sage's Liquefaction Healing Technique, he could repair even severe injuries mid-battle.
It was almost like a lesser version of Tsunade's Creation Rebirth.
The ferocity of their duel left even the Legendary Sannin speechless.
"When did battles between the younger generation become this terrifying?" Jiraiya muttered, awed.
What shocked them most wasn't Naruto's control over the Nine-Tails' chakra—but that Shigure could keep up with him.
An ordinary human, matching blows with a Jinchūriki in Tailed Beast Chakra Mode… and not only surviving, but countering with precision.
In close-quarters combat, Shigure's refined taijutsu technique and adaptability allowed him to hold his ground—and even force Naruto to retreat more than once.
Boom!
Naruto's fist came crashing down, but Shigure didn't yield. He redirected the strike using a burst of chakra through his arm, neutralizing the force entirely.
The Nine-Tails' chakra rippled around Naruto like wildfire, and even the beast itself stirred in surprise.
This human… he's adapting?
Naruto gritted his teeth. "It looks like my current power isn't enough to beat you." His eyes hardened. "Then I'll just get stronger!"
He let out a primal roar. The crimson cloak flared violently, and two more tails erupted behind him—now four in total.
The ground beneath his feet cracked from the sheer pressure.
Shigure's expression didn't waver. He raised a hand to guard, but in a flash, Naruto was already upon him.
Naruto seized his wrist and drove his other hand forward—chakra spiraling rapidly.
Rasengan!
The Tailed Beast-infused Rasengan slammed into Shigure's abdomen.
A thunderous impact exploded outward, sending Shigure hurtling through the air. Blood scattered like rain as his body hit the ground with a heavy crash.
Crack!
He lay still, chest bloodied and breath shallow.
Tsunade sighed softly. "He did well. To fight against Tailed Beast Chakra in close combat as a human… it's no small feat."
Head-on, hand-to-hand, with no borrowed power—that kind of courage deserved respect.
Naruto straightened, panting. "I told you I'd knock you out and drag you back myself!"
He thought the fight was over.
But then—
Shigure lifted his head, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Your Tailed Beast's power is indeed strong…" he said, voice steady despite the pain.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"…But you're not the only one with a Tailed Beast, Naruto."
Boom!
A crimson chakra wave erupted from Shigure's body, surging outward like an explosion. The ground trembled as the two monstrous chakras collided, shaking the heavens.
...
TN:
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