The golden Nine-Tailed demonstrated astonishing agility completely unsuited to its massive body; its hind legs pushed off with a sudden burst of power, and its huge form leaped up as if weightless, landing steadily on an open space outside Konoha Village, not far in front of Shukaku.
Kurama gazed at Shukaku, who was baring his fangs and claws, letting out roars of impotent rage, and an unidentifiable anger flared within him.
He hadn't expected this idiotic tanuki to be controlled by someone! And that familiar ocular power entanglement around him… it was from the same source as the power that controlled him to attack Konoha more than ten years ago!
"If it weren't for that shadowy bastard…" the Nine-Tailed thought resentfully, "how could I have done such a thing to Naruto's parents?!"
He selectively ignored the fact that, without that attack, he might never have been sealed inside Naruto.
"One day, I will make that bastard who toyed with me using ocular power pay the price!"
"Roar—!!!"
The golden Nine-Tailed let out a roar, and the shockwave formed by the Chakra leakage from that roar alone pushed forward like a tangible tsunami, forcing Shukaku's massive body, which was charging fiercely, back several steps, causing its sand-composed body to shake violently.
Though both were Tailed Beasts, the disparity in strength between the Nine-Tailed and Ichibi was now clear.
"Naruto," Kurama's voice echoed in their shared consciousness, "because this is our first attempt at a full Tailed Beast transformation, our coordination isn't perfect yet, and Chakra consumption is faster than expected. The situation isn't good; we can probably only maintain this state for two more minutes at most."
"Understood," Naruto's consciousness responded quickly, without a hint of panic. He deeply understood the absolute advantage of the Nine-Tailed's power. "Don't worry, I'll end the battle within half a minute."
His gaze, through the Nine-Tailed's vision, locked onto the still raging Shukaku, and deep within, Gaara's consciousness.
"Sorry, Gaara, Shukaku," Naruto murmured to himself, "fighting in this state could easily affect the Village and others. So… I'll just have to use the fastest and most brutal method!"
The golden Nine-Tailed charged fiercely towards Shukaku with an unstoppable momentum, each step shaking the earth!
Seeing this, Shukaku's massive claws quickly formed hand signs with a speed unsuited to his size!
"Sand Tsunami!"
Rumble—!
The entire ground beneath him instantly turned to sand, and countless grains of sand shot skyward, forming a vast, swirling ocean of sand that swept towards the Nine-Tailed, attempting to entangle and bind its massive golden body!
However, facing this sand ocean capable of devouring everything, the golden Nine-Tailed didn't even slow down! He merely let out a disdainful growl, and his hind legs, entangled by the sand current, suddenly erupted with terrifying power, his massive body swiftly turning in mid-air!
"Crack—Bang!!!"
The sand tentacles wrapped around him were violently snapped and shredded by this brutal twist! Sand rained down like golden droplets from the Nine-Tailed's shimmering body.
"Bang—!!!"
A colossal impact, like mountains colliding, exploded! The golden Nine-Tailed's claw, transformed into a giant golden fist, slammed squarely and unceremoniously into Shukaku's massive face!
"Woooooah—!"
Shukaku let out a painful wail, the immense impact causing his entire head to cave in, and his massive body was once again uncontrollably sent flying, crashing heavily into the distant forest.
But Naruto had said this battle needed to be resolved instantly!
Giving Shukaku no chance to catch his breath, the Nine-Tailed's massive form followed like a shadow, charging forward again with astonishing speed! The moment he neared the fallen Shukaku, his nine colossal tails, like pillars reaching the heavens, simultaneously rose high, covering the sky!
The next moment—
"Boom!!!!!"
The nine giant tails, carrying the power to destroy all creation, simultaneously slammed down hard onto Shukaku's still unrisen massive body!
The earth let out a groan of unbearable strain, as if a violent earthquake had erupted! A terrifying shockwave spread outwards in a frantic ring, uprooting surrounding trees, and sending shattered rocks flying like bullets! The merely affected area was already a mess.
Kurama felt Naruto's fluid and decisive fighting style, and his momentary worry vanished. This kid, using full Tailed Beast transformation for the first time, was performing exceptionally well!
The disparity in strength was truly despair-inducing. Under this single blow, Shukaku's sand-composed body suffered extensive disintegration and cracks, like a shattered clay figurine, lying motionless in the center of a huge crater, even his violent Chakra weakening.
"Good, Naruto!" Kurama's voice carried approval. "Now this idiotic tanuki has completely lost the ability to resist! Take this chance to inject your Chakra, mixed with my power, into his body, find and break through the genjutsu placed on his mind! As soon as the genjutsu is dispelled, this battle will be over!"
"Understood, I'll do it!"
Naruto had the same intention. He controlled the Nine-Tailed, slowly raising a giant claw, with another thought in his mind: to take this opportunity to add a more secure "insurance" for Shukaku.
He strongly suspected that Shukaku's ability to constantly whisper in Gaara's ear was largely due to the sealing jutsu of Sunagakure… which was simply too terrible!
Naruto's Chakra, combined with the Nine-Tailed's power, flowed into Shukaku, whose body served as Gaara's vessel, penetrating the turbulent surface of the Tailed Beast Chakra to explore the suppressed and locked deep consciousness.
— — — — — —
"Where… am I…?"
Boundless darkness slowly receded like a tide, and fragments of consciousness painstakingly pieced themselves back together. His last memories were blurry, leaving only violent Chakra and piercing roars.
Gaara murmured, looking around blankly, completely bewildered as to why he was in such a place.
Clearly, this was not Sunagakure where he grew up. The surrounding architecture was ancient and unfamiliar, and the air was filled with a moist and fresh scent, completely different from the Land of Wind.
However, in Gaara's traumatized memory, his so-called "hometown" was merely a cage where everyone wanted to kill him.
Pedestrians came and went on the street, noisy and full of life, yet no one cast a glance at his sudden presence.
What made it even more bizarre was that when someone walked towards him, they "passed through" his body without any hindrance, as if he were just an ethereal wisp of air.
Is… this a dream?
As soon as this thought surfaced, it was drowned by a deep sadness. The word "dream" was such an alien and distant concept to Gaara, who yearned for a peaceful sleep but was tormented daily by Shukaku's whispers and murderous urges.
Unable to comprehend the present, he felt an unprecedented, deathly stillness within. The relentless murderous impulse that gnawed at his sanity day and night had completely vanished. This feeling of lightness left him somewhat disoriented, and he could only wander aimlessly through this unfamiliar street like a lost child.
However, this brief tranquility did not last long.
A sharp roar, filled with disgust and fear, like a poisoned thorn, suddenly came from the entrance of a nearby shop, piercing deeply into Gaara's ears.
"I won't sell to you! Why are you in my shop! Get out! You monster!"
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