In childhood, Uchiha Hikaru had rescued him from Danzō's grasp, told him the truth about his own identity, dragged him out of that dark, self-loathing abyss, watched him grow step by step, and taught him what it meant to be a ninja.
And now, that same person stood directly opposite him.
At this moment, Naruto felt an indescribable pressure tightening around his chest.
Can I really fight Brother Hikaru…?
Even though he had already become a perfect Jinchūriki, when facing Uchiha Hikaru, Naruto instinctively wanted to avoid conflict.
I'll try talking first…
Brother Hikaru isn't someone unreasonable. He'll understand me. He has to… maybe…
To Naruto's right, as the Eight-Tails' tentacle clones dispersed, Killer Bee had already realized that one of his clones had secretly struck a deal with Uchiha Hikaru.
It made him feel utterly ashamed.
Damn it!
Despicable!
How could you abandon your principles for such a tiny temptation?!
You really deserve to be just a clone.
But there was nothing to be done. After all, he—Killer Bee—was a man of integrity who honored agreements and followed through on promises.
Since his clone had already agreed, then he had to uphold that deal with Hikaru.
It was definitely not because he wanted to take shortcuts. Absolutely not.
"Don't be nervous, wherever you are," Killer Bee said in a steady voice.
"You're a perfect Jinchūriki who's trained for two and a half years."
"And you're not alone—you've got all of us Jinchūriki with you."
"There's no way we'll lose to Hikaru that easily."
Whether it was Bee's reassurance or Naruto steadying his own heart, Naruto clenched his fists and nodded hard.
"Oh!"
"Everyone—together!"
"Let them see the resolve of the Jinchūriki team!"
With that, the nine of them surged forward, chakra flaring, and reached the coastline—coming face to face with A, Uchiha Hikaru, and Tsunade.
"Ani… I didn't expect you to come too," Killer Bee said, his voice tinged with sadness as he looked at his older brother.
"Are you here to stop me as well?"
A clenched his right fist and drew it back to his waist, his stance ready to explode into motion at any second.
"Bi," A said coldly, "it was a joint decision of the Five Kage to keep the Jinchūriki in the rear."
"You shouldn't have helped Naruto do something so reckless."
His anger and disappointment were completely unhidden.
"You've truly disappointed me, Bee."
"Fine—then I'll take you back myself!"
Killer Bee glanced at the companions beside him. His sunglasses concealed his eyes, giving away nothing of what he was thinking.
"My friends," he said calmly, "leave my bastard brother to me."
"I'll go first!"
The clash erupted instantly.
Seven sharp blades burst out at once—from palms, joints, even his mouth. In that moment, Killer Bee seemed to transform into a living hedgehog, spinning through the air as he lunged straight for A.
A slammed his right foot into the ground. The recoil blasted upward, launching him forward like a cannon.
Iron arms swung at blinding speed.
Clang—clang—clang!
Metal rang out again and again as the two titans tore across the rocky terrain, trading blows without yielding an inch.
Inside Naruto's mindscape—
"Kurama… please."
"Tch. What a pain," the Nine-Tails snorted.
"I never thought you'd end up fighting this Uchiha."
"Still… it's kind of interesting."
After a pause, Kurama huffed.
"Fine. I'll help you—just this once."
"But remember this: during the fight… don't look into his eyes."
Kurama clasped his massive hands together. The nine tails behind him lashed violently as an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted outward.
In an instant, Naruto entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. His body was shrouded in brilliant orange-gold chakra, and his pupils burned with the same light.
"Brother Hikaru… Granny Tsunade…"
"What do you think you're doing?!" Tsunade snapped.
"Who told you to come to the front lines?!"
"Do you have any idea how Kushina and I would explain it if something happened to you?!"
"You're a Jinchūriki—how can you be this reckless?!"
"Come back with me. Right now!"
Naruto shook his head slowly. He could feel Tsunade's worry—raw and genuine.
This time, she wasn't angry because he'd called her Granny.
She was angry because he'd put himself in danger.
That warmth, that concern—it was the love of family, the care of an elder for someone precious.
"Granny Tsunade," Naruto said firmly, "I'm not the little kid I used to be."
"I'm a perfect Jinchūriki who's trained for two and a half years."
"I'm a Jonin of Konoha."
"And my goal is to become Hokage—Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, Chōji, Ino, Neji, Hinata, Lee, Shino, Tenten, Kiba—Akamaru too!"
"They're all on the battlefield!"
"My classmates, my comrades, ninja of the same village—ninja from all over the world!"
"They're fighting in this war right now!"
"And I'm the target of this war!"
"How can I hide behind everyone else and do nothing?!"
"I can't!"
Naruto stared straight into Tsunade's eyes.
Tsunade's brows knit tightly together. The figure before her overlapped with the memory of her younger brother—Nawaki.
So similar.
The same eyes.
The same dream.
Nawaki's death had shattered her. And now, standing in front of her, was Kushina's son.
She couldn't watch him walk the same path.
"Naruto," Tsunade said quietly, "you're very much like my younger brother."
"You share the same dream… and the same stubborn heart."
Naruto froze.
"Granny… you had a younger brother?" he asked instinctively.
Naruto might not have known—but among the Jinchūriki, Rōshi of Iwagakure understood immediately.
He had fought in the Second Shinobi World War.
"What nonsense is this?" Rōshi said harshly.
"The brother Tsunade speaks of died at the hands of us Iwagakure ninja during the Second Shinobi World War."
Naruto fell silent. His mouth opened, then closed again. He finally lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, Granny Tsunade…"
"That's right," Tsunade said bitterly.
"Nawaki died by Iwagakure's hands."
Even now, she couldn't completely let go of that hatred. Her fists trembled—but in the end, her gaze returned to Naruto.
"For the sake of peace, a ninja must set aside personal hatred."
"Across the Five Great Nations, there are countless ninja like me—still carrying hatred in our hearts."
"But for the sake of the living, we suppress it."
"That's why, even after the Ninja Alliance was formed, rebel ninja still emerged… even in Kumogakure."
"Not everyone can let go of hatred."
"Nawaki's death was my responsibility," she said softly.
"As his sister, I failed to protect him."
"And now… I won't let Kushina suffer the pain of losing her child."
Her eyes hardened.
"If you want to move forward," Tsunade declared,
"Then you'll have to defeat me first."
"Prove your resolve to me."
"Wood Release: Wooden Golem Technique."
...