Temari and Kankurō glanced at Gaara, whose entire body was trembling.
Their hearts were filled with shock.
"He actually managed to push Gaara, in his half-Tailed Beast state, to this extent… Just how strong is that Uchiha Sasuke?"
"So this is the strength of Konoha's strongest genius of this generation?"
The two of them were convinced that Sasuke was the most powerful ninja of their generation.
In fact, many in Konoha believed the same.
After all, aside from the Third Hokage, Kakashi, the older Ino-Shika-Chō trio, and Yamato, no one had ever witnessed Yoruha's true strength.
Even the Third Hokage and the others had never seen Yoruha fight at full power.
But even just Sasuke alone had already left Temari and Kankurō utterly stunned.
They knew full well that even if they worked together, they wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Baki saw that Temari and Kankurō were still frozen in place and snapped at them, "What are you waiting for? Get moving!"
Only then did Temari and Kankurō react, quickly supporting Gaara as they leaped out of the arena.
Sasuke immediately pursued them.
Baki tried to stop him, but Genma intercepted him.
Meanwhile, Kakashi instructed Sakura to dispel the genjutsu on Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others.
Once they were freed, he told them to go after Sasuke.
Some time later, Sasuke finally caught up to Gaara and his siblings.
However, in his half-Tailed Beast state, Gaara was no match for Sasuke.
Unlike in the original story, where Sasuke had struggled against Gaara after his partial transformation, the Sasuke of this timeline was much stronger.
Even with only a third of his chakra left, he barely managed to defeat Gaara.
Forced into a corner, Gaara activated Fake Sleep Technique, surrendering his body entirely to Shukaku.
The moment Shukaku emerged, Sasuke finally felt the overwhelming power gap between himself and a Tailed Beast.
To make matters worse, he had nearly exhausted his chakra.
The little that remained was being used to suppress his Curse Mark.
In theory, he could have burned through the last of his chakra and then relied on the Curse Mark's power.
But he chose not to.
As a result, he was completely overwhelmed by Shukaku and suffered a crushing defeat.
Knocked unconscious, he collapsed to the ground.
Shortly after, Naruto and Sakura arrived.
However, neither of them could do anything against Shukaku.
With no other option, Naruto summoned Gamabunta.
But unlike in the original timeline, this time, Gaara had already used too much chakra against Sasuke.
His body was now entirely controlled by Shukaku.
As a result, even after a long battle, Naruto and Gamabunta were unable to suppress Shukaku.
Instead, they were utterly defeated.
Much of the forest outside Konoha was devastated by the battle.
Shukaku finally landed a Drilling Air Bullet on Gamabunta, rendering the giant toad unable to fight.
Naruto, too, was knocked unconscious beside him.
Shukaku then turned his gaze toward Konoha.
"Despicable humans… After all these years, I'm finally free! I will destroy your village!"
As he spoke, he began gathering chakra for a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Although Shukaku rarely used Tailed Beast Bombs—preferring Wind Release and Magnet Release techniques due to their lower chakra consumption—this time, things were different.
After being sealed inside Gaara for years, he had finally been set free.
Now that he was facing the village he hated most, he had to destroy it.
As Shukaku continued gathering chakra—
Naruto's consciousness entered the sealed space.
The Nine-Tails watched as Naruto stumbled into the mindscape, still dazed.
It had already sensed what was happening outside through Naruto's body.
"That loudmouth Shukaku is still the same as ever."
"But at a time like this… why hasn't that brat Yoruha shown up yet?"
"If he doesn't appear soon, his village is going to be destroyed."
For some reason, the Nine-Tails felt a strange sense of unease.
Looking at Naruto, who had yet to wake up, the Nine-Tails grew impatient.
"Damn it, where the hell is that brat Yoruha?"
"It's already come to this, and he still hasn't made a move? Don't tell me… he's not in the village?"
The Nine-Tails' expression darkened.
It despised humans—always had and still did.
But as it watched Shukaku preparing to obliterate Konoha, it couldn't shake its growing irritation.
It didn't realize that the real reason for its agitation was because Konoha was Yoruha's village.
And, of course, it hated Shukaku.
As Shukaku's Tailed Beast Bomb neared completion, the Nine-Tails snapped.
"Damn it! What the hell is that brat doing?!"
"He really isn't in the village, is he?"
"No, I can't let Shukaku have its way. That's right—I just hate that bastard, that's all."
The Nine-Tails kept repeating this to itself.
Having made its decision, it woke Naruto up.
"Oi, brat! Wake up already!"
"If you don't wake up now, your whole existence is about to be wiped out!"
Inside the sealed space, Naruto was jolted awake.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the massive Nine-Tails before him.
Instantly, he became alert.
"Nine-Tails, what do you want? Are you trying to break the seal?"
"I won't let you!"
The Nine-Tails rolled its eyes in exasperation.
Without wasting words, it got straight to the point.
"Brat, let me take control of your body—at least for now—if you don't want your village to be destroyed."
Of course, Naruto refused.
"Not a chance!"
The Nine-Tails gritted its teeth, feeling the urge to smack him into the ground.
At a time like this, what the hell is he doing?!
But it held back and forced itself to explain.
"If you don't let me take over, I guarantee your village will be wiped out."
"Shukaku's Tailed Beast Bomb is nearly complete. Right now, only by fully transforming into a Tailed Beast can you stop it!"
When Naruto saw what was happening outside, he was shocked.
Shukaku really was preparing a Tailed Beast Bomb.
And its target was Konoha.
If that attack landed, Konoha would be reduced to rubble.
Naruto didn't know the full extent of a Tailed Beast Bomb's destructive power, but Yoruha had once described it to him.
It was a technique capable of annihilating everything within several kilometers—possibly even ten or more.
The most devastating jutsu of the Tailed Beasts.
But… what if he handed control over to the Nine-Tails, and instead of stopping Shukaku, it teamed up with it to destroy Konoha?
Naruto hesitated.
Seeing this, the Nine-Tails really wanted to just blast him with a Tailed Beast Bomb of its own.
"Brat, you don't have time to hesitate!"
"You have no choice but to trust me!"
"And… Yoruha isn't in the village, is he?"
"I don't want that brat to come back and find his village gone!"
"Besides, with his new sealing technique, I can't break free."
"So stop wasting time—Shukaku's Tailed Beast Bomb is almost finished!"
Naruto was finally convinced.
With no other option, he reluctantly agreed to temporarily let the Nine-Tails take control.
The moment Naruto agreed, Yoruha's sealing technique activated.
The Nine-Tails' chakra flowed freely through the seals, unhindered.
In the blink of an eye, Naruto's body transformed into the true form of the Nine-Tails.
"ROOOOAR!"
With a thunderous roar, the massive Nine-Tails appeared in the forest.
Buzz!
CRACK!
BOOOOOM!
The moment the Nine-Tails emerged, it didn't even wait for Shukaku to react.
In a blur of motion, it appeared right in front of Shukaku—
—and smacked its face skyward with a single swipe of its claw.
The Tailed Beast Bomb that had been forming in Shukaku's mouth was sent flying into the sky.
It shot tens of kilometers upward before finally detonating.
Even though it exploded high in the atmosphere, the shockwave still swept across the land below.
The sheer force of the explosion gouged out a crater several kilometers wide.
At that moment, the terrifying power of the Tailed Beast Bomb was fully displayed.