Kurama's massive body trembled violently.
The crimson Sharingan within his eyes shattered apart under the overwhelming death of Obito's chakra.
As soon as he was free, the Nine-Tails froze, not yet understanding what had happened.
But soon, that changed.
Everything came back to him at once.
He had been controlled again, treated like some pet to be used... that made his anger explode.
"ROOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!"
The roar spread through the village, making people turn pale with fear, their bodies unable to stop trembling.
A monstrous wave of chakra erupted outward from Kurama's body like a natural disaster. The broken ground beneath him collapsed even further under the pressure.
Those enormous crimson eyes immediately locked onto Shiki, and the moment they did...
Kurama's instincts screamed.
The giant fox's ears twitched violently.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Deep inside the spiritual space connected to the tailed beasts… when they were close enough, they could initiate a conversation.
Matatabi stared blankly at the situation Kurama had gotten himself into.
Then the blue-flamed cat burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! This is too unfair!"
Kurama's enormous face twitched.
Matatabi continued mercilessly.
"First, you get controlled by a lunatic Uchiha."
"Then he drags you into attacking Konoha."
"And now Shiki, who just sliced that same Uchiha into meat cubes, is staring at you instead."
"Kurama… your luck is truly terrible."
"SHUT UP!" Kurama roared furiously.
But even his roar sounded slightly panicked now.
Because Shiki was slowly walking toward him.
Every instinct Kurama possessed as a tailed beast told him the same thing.
That human could kill him.
Nearby, Tsunade had already appeared beside Kushina's collapsed body.
Her hands glowed with healing chakra as she desperately tried to stabilize her condition.
But seconds later...
Tsunade's expression darkened.
"…Damn it."
Shiki's gaze shifted slightly toward her.
"Tsunade."
Tsunade bit her lip hard enough to draw blood before finally shaking her head.
"Even if we force the Nine-Tails back into her now…"
"…it's too late."
"Kushina's vitality is still leaving her body."
"The extraction damage is too severe."
"…"
Shiki slowly looked toward Kushina.
Lying amidst the rubble…
Kushina weakly opened her blurry blue eyes, her vision trembling.
But even so...
She could still see him.
The long golden hair.
The long coat fluttering through the dust-filled wind.
A faint smile appeared on her pale face.
Her lips moved weakly, trying to say something.
But no sound came out.
Shiki's hand tightened slightly around the sword in his grasp as he spoke in a calm voice.
"…Save it for later."
"When I can actually hear you talk."
Kushina's blurry eyes widened slightly.
Without saying anything more...
Shiki closed his eyes and the world around him changed instantly.
Now standing in front of the Nine-Tails, he could see countless lines connecting the Nine-Tails to Kushina Uzumaki's body.
With his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception having evolved into a far higher realm…
Everything possessed death now.
Shiki stared at those lines silently.
If he severed them...
The connection between Kushina and the Nine-Tails would disappear completely.
Her vitality would stop leaking and she would survive but–
Kurama would die.
The massive fox immediately sensed something.
For the first time in centuries…
True fear crawled through Kurama's body.
"…What are you looking at?"
Shiki slowly opened his golden eyes once more.
"Although I can somewhat acknowledge how unfair this is… I've never been just. I was always selfish."
With that, he raised the sword back with one hand, preparing a powerful swing.
"You can resist all you want. I won't take that right from you. Let me send you off with a suitable gesture."
"Certain Death: Divine Departure!"
A dark black slash, covered in black lightning, surged forward as if carrying the very power to kill and bring death itself, heading straight toward the body of the Nine-Tails.
Kurama met it head-on, fully aware of exactly how terrifying the swordsman before him truly was.
Kurama tightened his jaws, a sphere of writhing black-violet chakra condensing between them—brighter, denser, and more lethal with every heartbeat.
"So let's test your legend, Golden Lion Shiki. If your blade truly reaches the end of all things…"
His eyes narrowed into dagger-thin slits, twin suns of malevolence.
"…then cut through this!"
BOOOOM!
The Tailed Beast Bomb burst from Kurama's maw, a comet of annihilation that scorched the air itself.
A midnight arc cleaved forward.
It howled across the battlefield, about to meet the Bijūdama head-on...
And in that brief moment...
In the Spiritual Plane
Matatabi whistled.
"He actually blunted Divine Departure? I feel sad to say this... Believe me—pfft—but you are about to die in one swing, furball."
"Shut your mouth, blue cat!" Kurama snarled, baring his fangs before closing his eyes in the spiritual space, taking Matatabi by surprise.
"Why do you look like you are about to die, Kurama?"
Kurama didn't reply.
Since some time ago, during the Land of Demons mission, he could tell that Shiki the Golden Lion was something stronger than even Madara and Hashirama at their peak.
But what made him more uncomfortable was the way Shiki's strange slashing techniques changed whenever his eyes did.
With his beastly instincts, Kurama could tell those slashes held an immense power of death over things.
Maybe they really could kill me even back then, Kurama thought.
Now, feeling the incoming slash, although he chose to resist, it was because...
He was Kurama.
Hatred itself.
The beast born from the Ten-Tails' chakra.
Even if the one before me is a monster capable of killing bijū…
…I refuse to crawl toward death quietly.
Outside the spiritual realm, time seemed to freeze.
The slash kissed the Bijūdama and it shattered like glass.
Thousands of violet shards drifted upward, twinkling against the smoke-black sky before vaporizing into nothing.
The impossible sight drew collective gasps from what remained of Konoha's defenders.
Kurama's pupils shrank.
He knew what came next—
Yet pride forbade a scream.
He clamped his jaws shut, muscles tensing for pain he could scarcely fathom.
The black arc carried on, carving straight through his improvised lattice of tails and slamming into his chest with the sound of worlds breaking.
A canyon of seared flesh split through skin and bone...
Death-lines ruptured in a spiderweb across his entire body.
Kurama's vision flickered.
So this is a slash that can kill even chakra creatures like us...
Shiki's eyes, still reflecting the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, remained calm as dawn as he studied the struggling fox.
"Stubborn. I respect that."
He could tell the Nine-Tails wouldn't survive this.
Kurama managed one final, defiant grin, knowing full well that his death was near.
"Heh… figures… my life ends with a damn human."
"Next time... if there is a next time, I'll grant you more freedom. Become a guardian, not a weapon–if that suits you."
Kurama's slitted pupils narrowed in puzzled disbelief.
Freedom?
Guardian?
The notion was so alien that he couldn't even snarl a reply.
The unanswered question hung on his tongue.
Then Kurama vanished in a swirl of crimson embers, the mystery following him into silence.
Shiki shook his head.
Although he had used the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, that had only been to cut the connection between Kurama and Kushina. He hadn't truly killed Kurama from the root cause.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception he possessed now held multiple choices.
With them, he could bypass regeneration and immortality.
But whether or not to cut from the root cause was his decision.
For the tailed beasts, he had only used the regeneration bypass, so they could still be reborn.
So his words weren't empty promises.
He really did intend to make Kurama a giant guardian of Konoha.
As for where he would stay...
Well, there were plenty of places anyway.
That guy could control his size, after all.
...
A Little Later—Konoha Hospital
Rin pressed close as Tsunade stepped out of the ward.
"So… is she all right? Is Kushina-san going to be fine?"
Tsunade solemnly shook her head.
A wave of dread washed over everyone
Until she sighed and rolled her shoulders.
"Relax. She's not dying. She's just unconscious and already demanding extra-salt ramen the moment she wakes up. Honestly, Uzumaki appetites are tougher than any medical emergency."
The gathered friends face-faulted in unison.
"Seriously?!" Rin sputtered.
"Well… that does sound like her," Kurenai admitted with a relieved smile while rubbing her forehead.
They had long since regarded Kushina as someone close to them now.
Seeing her in that state earlier had left none of them in a good mood.
"Leave that to me. I'll make some," Yugito suddenly declared, raising her hand and puffing her chest out.
During the fight earlier, she felt that she had made a lot of mistakes.
If she had gone into full Two-Tails mode from the start, maybe some things could have been avoided.
She wanted to make up for that.
"Well, let's go meet her first. Can we do that, Lady Tsunade?" Rin asked pleadingly, her expression turning cute.
"Of course you can. Who do you think attended to her? She's already back. All fine." Tsunade snorted proudly.
"What about you, Shiki-nii? Aren't you coming as well?" Kurenai asked, looking at the somewhat silent Shiki.
He hadn't said a word during this time.
She felt a bit worried.
"You guys go ahead. I have something to do."
Shiki waved his hand at them and left without waiting for them to speak, leaving worried and confused gazes behind him.
...
After leaving the hospital, Shiki looked at the destroyed houses and buildings.
Even without Observation Haki, he could hear the crying and despairing voices from all around.
"Tch."
Shiki clicked his tongue and left with a cold face.
After finding a high spot on top of a huge tree overlooking the village, with the leaves rustling in the wind, Shiki sat on a thick limb, his back propped against the trunk and a gourd of plum wine resting on one knee.
He tipped it toward his lips
Only to pause when another presence landed lightly beside him.
Tsunade brushed a lock of honey-blond hair from her cheek and folded her arms.
"So this is the 'something important,' huh?"
Shiki smirked without looking up.
"Don't act surprised. You know I brood better with altitude."
She rolled her eyes but sat anyway, her legs dangling over empty air.
For several heartbeats, they watched the village in silence.
Tsunade exhaled.
"Are you blaming yourself for being late?"
Shiki's brow twitched, but he didn't reply.
Tsunade sighed quietly.
"You know…"
"You being late wasn't your fault."
Shiki glanced sideways at her with narrowed eyes.
Tsunade continued while resting her chin on her hand.
"You trusted us to handle things... and we trusted you just as much."
"That's not something either side did wrong."
The wind brushed through her blonde hair as her expression softened.
"If we start blaming ourselves every time something goes wrong…"
"…then we'll never stop carrying regrets."
Shiki stared at her for a moment before suddenly laughing.
"You've matured quite a bit."
Tsunade leaned her head against his shoulder, her lips quirking.
"Bold accusation... I prefer the term 'aged like fine sake.'"
Shiki raised both hands in surrender.
"Mercy, Hokage-sama. Besides, matured or not, I still plan to tease you until your hair turns gray."
"Ha! Joke's on you—I can reverse my aging anytime."
She poked his rib.
"Face it: you're stuck with me exactly like this."
Shiki sighed in pretend exasperation, then draped an arm around her waist.
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