Around Naruto, a beautiful crimson cloak formed in a second.
The transformation happened instantly, like a flame igniting around his body. Deep red chakra poured out of him in waves, wrapping around his form like living fire. The cloak shimmered and flowed constantly, never still for even a moment.
But when it did, everything around them began to react to it.
The wind itself began to howl even louder. A violent gust swept across the valley as Naruto's chakra surged outward. The air trembled as if the atmosphere itself was struggling to remain stable under the pressure.
The ground cracked.
Thin fractures spread beneath Naruto's feet, crawling across the earth like spreading lightning. Pebbles lifted slightly from the ground, vibrating from the overwhelming chakra flooding the area.
As the hills surrounding them began to drop rocks.
Small landslides started along the nearby cliffs. Stones loosened and tumbled down the slopes as the pressure in the environment increased. Dust drifted through the air as nature itself seemed to react to the presence of the Nine-Tails' power.
Everyone around Naruto felt the chakra. It washed over the battlefield like a massive tidal wave. It was powerful. More powerful than anything they'd ever felt before.
Bee's eyes widened behind his sunglasses.
Even he, a perfect jinchūriki who had mastered the Eight-Tails, felt the weight of that chakra pressing against him.
Tsunade stood on the distant rock formation, her arms slowly lowering from their crossed position as her eyes sharpened.
Even A, whose lightning cloak had dominated countless battlefields, felt his instincts scream in warning.
The crimson cloak fluttered in the wind like a living mantle of energy. The chakra constantly flowed around Naruto's body in smooth waves, almost elegant in its movement despite the overwhelming power behind it.
It had the ears of a fox over his head. Two pointed chakra ears rose from the top of the cloak, swaying slightly with the flowing energy.
Naruto's eyes completely changed to match a fox's. His pupils narrowed into slits while the irises glowed with a deep crimson light.
This time, no tail.
Naruto glanced behind himself briefly.
'The tail makes me feel like a furry,' he thought.
Inside his mindscape, Kurama's massive eyes opened lazily. The Nine-Tailed Fox chuckled.
'You kinda are.'
Naruto frowned slightly. Kurama continued.
'You've had whiskers since you were born.'
Naruto rolled his eyes internally. Kurama stretched his massive body inside the cage.
'You acted feral.' A pause. 'Well… used to.'
Naruto scratched his cheek. Kurama's voice carried a teasing tone. 'Not to mention how aroused you are most of the time.'
Naruto simply sighed. 'What did I ever do to you bro?'
Kurama's tails flicked behind him. 'You caged me in here for sixteen years.'
Naruto groaned. 'That wasn't even me!'
Kurama snorted. 'Yeah… but still.'
Naruto simply shook his head. Their strange conversation ended as quickly as it began. Naruto lifted his head again. His attention returned to the battlefield. He focused back on A in front of him. The Raikage stood frozen for a brief moment.
The lightning cloak around his body flickered slightly as he stared at Naruto.
He was shaken. The sheer density of Naruto's chakra was overwhelming. Even his battle instincts, forged through countless wars, were telling him that the person standing in front of him now was something else entirely.
'Damn,' Naruto thought as he moved.
The ground beneath his feet cracked the moment he stepped forward. The movement looked simple, almost casual, but the speed behind it bent the air itself. His crimson cloak flickered violently as he crossed the distance between them.
In a single step, Naruto moved faster than before.
The valley floor split where he had been standing only a moment ago. Dust exploded outward as his body blurred forward like a streak of red lightning.
He stopped in front of A.
The sudden halt created a violent burst of wind that slammed into the Raikage like a wall. The gust whipped A's cloak and hair backward as debris lifted into the air.
A flurry of wind burst forward on A.
The Raikage's eyes widened slightly. Even with his lightning cloak heightening his senses, Naruto's movement had been nearly impossible to follow.
A didn't even see Naruto raising his hand. Naruto simply lifted two fingers. He flicked his finger on his shoulder.
The motion was small. But the moment Naruto's finger touched him—
The impact detonated. A blast of force erupted outward like a cannon firing at point-blank range. The pressure crushed the air around them and sent shockwaves ripping across the valley floor.
Then in a blink A had crashed into a huge hill. His body shot backward like a missile.
BOOM
CRASH!
The Raikage smashed into the rocky hillside with terrifying force. The entire cliffside collapsed inward as massive chunks of stone broke free and buried him under tons of rubble. Dust clouds billowed into the sky while smaller rocks continued raining down.
For several seconds the valley echoed with the sound of falling debris.
Naruto's cloak was absorbed back into his body as he stood there.
The crimson chakra slowly faded, flowing back into him like water returning to a calm lake. The fox ears dissolved into sparks of light until only Naruto remained standing in the clearing.
He dusted his shoulder lightly.
'Well he won't get up anytime soon,' he thought.
Behind him Bee suddenly sprinted forward.
The tall jinchūriki dashed across the battlefield, kicking aside broken stones as he reached the collapsed hill.
He stopped in front of A who was laid under the rubble.
The Raikage's body was partially buried beneath shattered rock and dirt. His lightning cloak had faded, leaving him bruised and battered.
He wasn't passed out yet. None of his body could move. Bee leaned forward slightly, peering down at his brother.
" You got knocked the fuck out, ya fool!" Bee said.
A's eyes widened in fury.
"Who are you calling a fool!" A shouted.
His voice echoed weakly from beneath the rubble. But Bee simply smiled. Despite everything, there was genuine respect in his expression.
"I'll be back, bro," he said before getting up and walking back to Naruto.
Naruto waited calmly as Bee approached. The moment Bee reached him.
The two dapped each other up. Their hands slapped together loudly. The dap echoed through the valley like a small thunderclap.
Both of them grinned.
"Let's go, kid," Bee said.
"Yeah," Naruto replied.
They began walking.
The two jinchūriki moved down the valley path side by side, their footsteps crunching softly over loose gravel.
Passing A.
The Raikage could only glare helplessly from the ground as they walked past him.
Before Naruto left he glanced toward the distant rock formation.
He gave Tsunade a wink. Tsunade raised an eyebrow before smiling slightly.
'You keep breaking everyone's expectations,' she thought. 'That's what I like about you most.'
'Tell headquarters to summon us back,' she thought.
Moments later the teleportation technique activated. Their figures flashed as they returned.
A sudden burst of light appeared in the valley before both Tsunade and A disappeared from sight.
Back at headquarters, several shinobi tried very hard not to laugh as the battered Raikage appeared lying flat on the ground, still unable to move properly.
Back with Naruto. The two jinchūriki continued forward. Their pace gradually increased as they traveled deeper toward the warfront.
The forests around them grew quieter the further they moved. But Naruto's senses were sharp.
He could feel the subtle disturbances in chakra around them. On their way they ran into many White Zetsu hiding as ninja.
Some disguised themselves as wounded shinobi. Others pretended to be scouts hiding in the trees.
But Naruto could tell them apart instantly. His sensory abilities picked up the strange chakra signatures the moment they got close.
Before the Zetsu could even react—
Naruto and Bee attacked.
Naruto's clones appeared in bursts of smoke, tearing through the disguised enemies with Rasengan strikes.
Bee's swords flashed through the forest like silver streaks, cutting down multiple Zetsu at once while he rapped loudly during the fight.
Within minutes the hidden enemies were completely wiped out. Broken white bodies scattered across the forest floor.
Naruto and Bee didn't slow down. They killed them all and moved forward.
TO BE CONTINUED