Zhengdong—Zhengdong—Zhengdong—
The ground trembled under the heavy, thunderous footsteps of the massive Susanoo in its perfect form. Towering at over 230 meters, the colossal chakra construct loomed above the ruins of Konoha, stepping ever closer to the surviving Shinobi.
Its every movement exuded a pressure so overwhelming that even the most battle-hardened ninja instinctively took steps back. Some simply collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the suffocating weight of despair.
"We… we can't possibly win against that…"
The words slipped from the lips of one Konoha Shinobi, trembling as he looked up at the gigantic form. His voice was barely audible, swallowed by the silence of helplessness.
It was true.
Countless ninjas stared in horror at the full-body Susanoo marching toward them. The sheer scale of Leo's power was beyond comprehension, beyond logic—utterly divine.
"The gap between us… it's like heaven and earth," someone whispered.
At that moment, Kurenai Yuhi dropped to her knees, tears brimming in her red eyes. "He's too strong… what can we even do?"
"Bastard…" Princess Tsunade clenched her fists so tightly her nails pierced her skin. Her gaze swept over the ruined village—her village—now split in half by one devastating sword strike. "Damn it… we're powerless…"
Kakashi remained silent, but the expression in his lone eye said it all. The man known as Uchiha Madara—no, Leo—was on a level that defied resistance.
Then it happened.
The perfect Susanoo stopped in front of them.
The Konoha forces—battered, bloodied, and broken—were completely still. Their will to fight had withered. Fear had fully taken root.
Inside the brilliant, diamond-shaped crystal embedded atop the Susanoo's head, Leo stood calmly with his arms crossed. Dressed in red armor, his eternal Mangekyō eyes gleamed with cold disdain.
"So… finally giving up?" he said coolly, his voice echoing across the battlefield like the toll of a funeral bell.
But just as his words faded—
Roar——!
A bestial howl tore through the silence, shaking the ruins of Konoha.
Leo's expression shifted slightly, his gaze lowering toward the ground. Below, a crimson chakra flared like a rising storm.
A figure snarled, cloaked in red, beast-like chakra. Behind him, four fox tails waved menacingly.
It was Uzumaki Naruto—now in a partial Tailed Beast state.
"Oh?" Leo raised a brow, a smirk forming. "So the little jinchūriki still has some bite…"
Inside Naruto's subconscious, Kurama—The Nine-Tails—spoke with a rare tone of resolve.
"Brat, I'll help you this time. That bastard Madara… I'm not going to be used by him again."
Kakashi's eyes widened. "Naruto?!"
Jiraiya, lying bloodied on the ground with his right arm lost, tried to push himself up. "Naruto…" His voice trembled—not with fear, but hope.
Though he was injured and unable to intervene directly, Jiraiya didn't stop Naruto. If Naruto saw Leo as an enemy… maybe his rage would become a weapon.
Bang!
Naruto, now in his Four-Tails form, pounced like a wild beast. He charged at the towering Susanoo, his hands clawing into the earth, building momentum.
Then—CRACK!—he struck.
A massive red claw formed from pure tailed beast chakra slammed against the ankle of Leo's Susanoo.
It made a sound.
But that was all.
"Hmm… a little itchy," Leo remarked mockingly, his arms still crossed, eyes glowing with eternal Mangekyō.
"RAAAHHH!!" Naruto howled in rage. The red chakra grew darker, hotter—more feral.
The fifth tail sprouted.
His body was now almost completely enveloped in a burning red cloak, and his skin had begun to flake and char under the corrosive chakra.
"That's… Naruto?!" Uchiha Sasuke stared, stunned by the overwhelming chakra Naruto was radiating.
Haruno Sakura could barely speak. "So much power…"
"This is bad," Kakashi muttered, his expression dark. "He's at five tails already… Naruto can't hold on much longer."
Nearby, Jiraiya coughed up blood. "Naruto… hang on…"
Tsunade stood still for a moment, then turned to Naruto, her eyes full of emotion. Watching his transformation, seeing the Fifth Tail rise—she understood the cost.
If Naruto reached Nine Tails, there might be no turning back.
But… if he didn't, Konoha would fall.
Tsunade clenched her jaw and looked at Jiraiya. He was hurt. She knelt beside him.
"Don't move," she said, activating her healing chakra.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya whispered hoarsely, "help me…"
She paused.
His broken right arm. His bloodied face.
She understood.
Wiping the blood from his arm, she nodded without a word.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya rasped.
Meanwhile, Naruto's transformation wasn't done.
The sixth tail erupted from his back.
ROARRR!!
A monstrous cry echoed as Naruto stood tall in his Six-Tailed form, his body now covered in hardened, burning chakra. The air around him vibrated with raw fury.
"Oh no… Six Tails…" Kakashi clenched his fists.
Sasuke and Sakura stood frozen in place, watching their teammate become a beast.
Hisssss——
Six-Tails Naruto opened his mouth and began forming a black sphere of concentrated chakra.
The Tailed Beast Bomb!
With a mighty snarl, Naruto launched the bomb straight at Susanoo.
BOOM!!!
The explosion rocked the battlefield.
Dust and debris were thrown into the sky.
But when the smoke cleared…
Leo's Susanoo had moved back by a single step.
Just one.
"Hmph," Leo chuckled darkly from his perch. "You're getting stronger… good. Let's see how far you'll go."
He didn't plan to stop Naruto.
In fact, Leo was waiting for it—for Naruto to completely lose control. For the full release of the Nine Tails.
And then…
Leo would tame the beast.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, beams of sealing energy extended from a crystal necklace on Naruto's neck—Minato's chakra suppression seal.
The beams wrapped around Naruto, attempting to bind him.
To stop him from losing himself completely.
But…
Crack!!
Naruto, with one swipe, shattered the necklace.
The seal shattered like glass.
In an instant, the pressure holding him back vanished.
And then—
ROAR!!!
The seventh tail emerged!
The red chakra boiled with ferocity. Flames of rage swirled around the battlefield.
The monster within Naruto was breaking free.
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