In a dark, watery prison, enclosed by cramped walls.
Dark red Chakra permeated the water body, extending all the way to a massive cage, making the giant beast hidden in the shadows reveal a pleased smile.
"Ah, where am I?"
The blond boy floating on the water's surface suddenly woke, sitting up from the water.
"Uzumaki Naruto..."
The Tailed Beast hidden in the shadows revealed its immense form. Its mountain-like giant claw slammed against the seal before it, only to be forced back by a flash of lightning.
"Damn Fourth!"
The fox bared its sharp teeth, emitting a low growl.
"Nine-Tails, what do you want? Let me go back now!"
Instinctively adopting a Chakra-water-walking stance, Naruto flipped to his feet, glaring angrily at the Tailed Beast.
"What do I want? Isn't all this born from your own desires?"
Crossing its front paws, the Nine-Tails, lying on the ground, rested its head upon them, adopting a leisurely posture.
"It's your subconscious craving power, desperate to catch up with those two. Every night, your dark side comes running to me shouting 'Power! Power!' Now that I've given it to you, you don't want it anymore?"
"Bastard! Stop peeking into my heart!"
Like a girl with her feeling exposed, the blushing boy pointed at the Nine-Tails, angrily stomping the water's surface. "And give me back my body!"
"Hmph!"
The Nine-Tails gave a disdainful glance, completely ignoring Naruto's intense fury.
It was this fool's own excess energy that allowed the darkness in his heart to fuse with the malevolence of the Tailed Beast's Chakra.
Now, his dark side, cooperating with the external Nine-Tails' Chakra and resonating with his own Chakra, continuously stole its Chakra from the seal… a process even it couldn't stop unless Naruto himself realized it.
Although the Nine-Tails knew a way to make Naruto stop, why should it tell this vessel that sealed it away?
Letting the vessel destroy everything it cherished, falling into an even deeper abyss of despair...
While it watched the show from the sidelines and potentially gained freedom… wouldn't that be beautiful?
"So useless. Your talent doesn't even compare to that woman you were fighting!"
The amused fox curled its lips, maliciously stoking the fire in secret.
"Ah, that's true. Sakura-chan has been amazing since we were kids~"
Realizing he couldn't escape, Naruto sat cross-legged. Upon hearing the Nine-Tails mention Sakura, he revealed a brilliant smile again.
Nine-Tails: "???"
'What's going on? Where's your jealousy? Your malice? Your resentment?'
Blinded by this sudden sunshine, it felt like a louse in a damp, dark environment, unexpectedly scorched by this light, feeling as if its entire body was burning.
'Hmph! If you like watching, then watch closely! See how I pummel your goddess!'
The Nine-Tails waved a hand, making the water on the ground reflect the scene of Naruto, in his half-Tailed Beast form, battling Sakura.
Outside, with more Tailed Beast Chakra supporting him, Naruto grew a sixth and seventh tail behind him.
"Roar—!"
After a savage roar, crimson Chakra sprouted from the gaps in the skeletal frame, forming the bodies of over a dozen half-Tailed Beast Nine-Tails.
Heat erupted, flames swept across.
These half-Tailed Beast Nine-Tails slithered forth, gathering immense Chakra in their hands, firmly gripping the Hobi Technique's shield, prying it open bit by bit along its seams.
"Ramping up this fast? Did something sad happen to him?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow, her voice tinged with surprise.
The dozen half-Tailed Beast Nine-Tails charged to her front, simultaneously opening their mouths to gather Tailed Beast Bombs.
Having shed the Tailed Beast's huge, clumsy form and appearing in a half-Tailed Beast state from the Jinchuriki's body, these beasts actually became more dangerous.
"However, don't think this means you can beat me!"
Sakura took a step back. The sound of torn space-time rang out.
Whoosh!
Amidst the passing streak of light, the girl raised a jet-black fist. Sakura-colored Haki burned upon it, erupting with dark lightning and terrifying presence.
One punch!
A lightning-fast punch delivered through space-time ninjutsu directly smashed into the half-Tailed Beast Naruto's head. The Haki-imbued fist, making contact through the air, shattered the outermost Nine-Tails' bones and Chakra Cloak.
The immense force pressed it inch by inch into the ground, trampling it along with the earth until it warped.
Creak... Crack!
Amidst sudden, mournful cries, after the roughly torn bones and Chakra Cloak dissipated, the brief future foreseen by Observation Haki made Sakura stunned.
Because lying within wasn't Naruto's foolish face, but a whole block of compressed white, waxy crystal!
It was too late to change. The Haki-wrapped fist had already opened the 'sealed package'.
Nine-Tails: Surprise! Bet you didn't expect that!
Boom—!
The crystal, forged from a mix of Tailed Beast's Chakra and Devil Fruit ability, ground until crimson, igniting with radiance, transforming into hellfire that annihilated everything, surging and burning as it rushed skyward.
"Cough... cough cough"
As if impervious to the horrific heat and toxic gas, Sakura grabbed the flames with one hand and crushed them, walking out from the smoke and dust.
'Who would have thought this damn Nine-Tails would be better at Devil Fruit development than Naruto himself? Truly, the cheat left by his dad. Once Naruto reconciles with the Nine-Tails, this development experience will be his.'
'So jealous! I'm so jealous!'
"Ha—!"
A roar, already sharp and gradually rising to a piercing shriek, sounded. The mere airwave from the roar blew away all the smoke and flames.
On the ground, the Nine-Tails, now growing an eighth tail, had muscles sprouting all over its body. Supporting itself on the ground with one claw, it raised the other and slammed it down fiercely towards Sakura.
"Sigh, can't play around anymore!"
Sakura sighed lightly, drawing Kumotsuna from her waist, coalescing it into a giant axe.
Behind the Nine-Tails, the kneeling giant Wood Human, as if in contemplative prayer, trembled and rose. Enduring the burning of Nine-Tails' Chakra, it charged forward.
Confirming its enemy, the Nine-Tails pointed its giant, fanged maw at Sakura. Black Chakra rapidly gathered, forming a giant black sphere distinct from all other Tailed Beast Bombs.
"Wood Release: Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
Sakura's Chakra was held back no longer, erupting like a tidal wave.
A Kanji appeared in the palm of her empty, claw-shaped hand. The Wood Human raised its arm in the same gesture, pressing heavily onto the Nine-Tails' head. Simultaneously, vines on the ground expanded chaotically, growing upwards to entangle the Nine-Tails' body and tails.
The powerful sealing technique blocked the Nine-Tails' leaking Chakra, calming it. The black Tailed Beast Bomb gathered in its mouth also lost Chakra support, solidifying and shattering!
"Let me see where you are, you brat!"
Seizing the moment, Sakura closed her eyes. Observation Haki spread inside the Nine-Tails' body, locking onto Naruto, who had shifted to an elemental state and moved to the Nine-Tails' head.
"Found you!" The girl's eyes narrowed.
Conqueror's Haki coiled around Sakura's axe. Kumotsuna drew heat from the sky, expanding to a size comparable to the Nine-Tails' head.
As the axe-wielding girl leaped into the air, it emitted an indescribable, dusky-yellow light.
[Conqueror's Haki Infusion - Heavenly Joy Axe!]
Gathering all light in the world, proclaiming the arrival of eternal death and silence, the axe light and the Nine-Tails' head passed by each other.
Slash!
In an instant, a trench appeared cleanly across the entire Land of Fire's capital.
Extending straight forward from beneath the Nine-Tails' feet, all rubble and debris on the ground were swept away, then incinerated into scorched earth. The entire capital was utterly erased from history, leaving not a single trace behind.
A snapping sound rang out.
The Nine-Tails' head was thus pressed straight down by the giant Wood Human, smashing into the ground and shattering into pieces.
Naruto, covered in wounds, fell out from within, caught by the arriving Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry..."
Naruto forced his head up to apologize, then fell unconscious, unaware of anything.
"The one who should apologize is me, for using you."
Sakura shook her head with a sigh. "But I promise you, when you wake up, you'll see a better village and a better Land of Fire!"
Having said that, Sakura, carrying Naruto on her back, turned and walked away amidst the gradually brightening dawn.
And the storm of reform that would sweep across the Ninja World began to blow from beneath the footsteps of this boy and girl.