With the strength of a Tailed Beast and the advantage of fighting on its own territory, the Three-Tails didn't even need to rely on ninjutsu.
Every swing of its massive body shook the sea and the sky.
Towering waves crashed in every direction, carrying enough force to flatten entire coastlines.
Yet...
The masked man called Tobi remained completely unconcerned.
"Oh my..."
"How terrifying!"
"As expected of the Three-Tails!"
Although his words sounded full of admiration, his tone remained playful.
The enormous waves surged toward him...
Only to pass straight through his body as though he were nothing more than a ghost.
Not a single drop of water touched him.
Naruto's expression changed.
"What's going on?"
"Is he using some kind of Space-Time Ninjutsu to make himself intangible?"
"If that's true..."
"This is going to be difficult."
---
To confirm his suspicion, Naruto immediately flew low over the ocean.
His Wind Release Chakra Mode surrounded his body as he rapidly closed the distance.
Although he had recovered some chakra...
He had already exhausted a large amount while training the Great Rasengan.
He wasn't anywhere near his peak condition.
The Wind Release Chakra Mode wouldn't last much longer.
He had to finish the battle quickly.
Naruto formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Leap Forward!"
A violent gale erupted.
The roaring wind swept away the surrounding waves and engulfed the entire battlefield.
The sea churned violently.
Foaming tides surged into towering walls of water.
A massive tsunami roared toward Tobi.
Tobi's eyes widened dramatically.
"No way!"
"Putting the Three-Tails aside..."
"Can that blond brat really unleash this kind of power?"
"That's terrifying!"
Even while saying that...
His body remained completely motionless.
The hurricane...
The waves...
Every attack simply passed through him.
None of them caused even the slightest injury.
Naruto clenched his teeth.
"What exactly is happening?"
"If every attack passes through him..."
"Then how are we supposed to defeat him?"
---
At that moment...
The Three-Tails suddenly spoke.
"Uzumaki Naruto..."
Naruto looked at the giant turtle.
"What is it?"
The Three-Tails' voice became noticeably colder.
"The man standing before us..."
"He's the one who once controlled both me and the Fourth Mizukage with Genjutsu."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Are you certain?"
"I'm certain."
"His personality may be completely different now..."
"But I remember his chakra..."
"His scent..."
"And that mask."
"I could never mistake him."
The Three-Tails had willingly revealed this information.
Partly because Tobi was the enemy it hated the most...
And partly because Naruto had chosen to fight alongside it instead of trying to subdue it.
Naruto couldn't hide his shock.
Judging by Tobi's carefree personality...
He had assumed this man was simply a new member of the Akatsuki.
But according to the Three-Tails...
Tobi had secretly controlled the Hidden Mist Village for decades.
That cheerful personality...
Was nothing more than a disguise.
---
The Three-Tails was equally surprised that Naruto was speaking with it so naturally.
Still...
It felt a rare sense of relief.
"No matter how terrifying I may be..."
"As long as we're fighting together..."
"We won't let him control me ever again."
Naruto smiled confidently.
"I already knew the Akatsuki wanted the Nine-Tails."
"They're after me too."
The Three-Tails nodded.
"The Nine-Tails is an even greater target than I am."
"They'll stop at nothing to capture you."
Naruto simply laughed.
"I've known that for a long time."
"So..."
"Since we share the same enemy..."
"Let's combine our strength and fight together."
The Three-Tails fell silent for a moment.
Finally...
It nodded.
"Very well."
---
Naruto landed atop the Three-Tails' enormous shell and scratched his head.
"That sounds great..."
"But there's still one huge problem."
"That guy ignores every attack."
"Nothing we've done has worked."
The Three-Tails spoke gravely.
"Don't be fooled by his behavior."
"He's probably..."
"The most dangerous member of the Akatsuki."
Naruto slowly tightened his fists.
"No matter what..."
"This is a fight to the death."
"We can't retreat."
"The only path left..."
"Is forward."
The Three-Tails quietly looked at the blond boy standing before it.
For the first time...
It realized they shared the same fate.
Many people fought for their village.
Others fought for power.
Or profit.
But Naruto...
Like the Three-Tails itself...
Was nothing more than prey hunted by the Akatsuki.
"Very well, Uzumaki Naruto."
"Let's fight together."
Naruto grinned.
"Yeah!"
---
Tobi continued floating over the sea in the distance, gently rising and falling with the waves.
"Oh my..."
"So the two of you have joined forces."
"A Tailed Beast..."
"And the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki..."
"That's pretty scary."
Naruto glared at him.
"Drop the act!"
"Just because you have that strange ability..."
"Doesn't make you invincible."
"Every ninjutsu has a weakness."
"I refuse to believe yours is any different!"
He immediately formed another series of hand seals.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
Countless razor-sharp wind blades filled the sky.
They swept across the ocean toward Tobi from every direction.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deep trenches split open across the sea.
Massive walls of water erupted into the air.
Tobi stood directly in the center of the storm.
Several wind blades sliced straight through him.
Yet...
He remained completely unharmed.
He simply continued floating atop the waves.
"Oh my..."
"What an incredible Wind Release technique."
Naruto frowned deeply.
His strongest Wind Release Chakra Mode...
Combined with his most powerful wind techniques...
Still couldn't touch this man.
"Damn it..."
"Every member of the Akatsuki has ridiculous abilities."
---
The Three-Tails remained calm.
"Naruto."
"Stay calm."
"As you said..."
"Every ability has a weakness."
"He can't remain intangible forever."
"If he could..."
"He wouldn't be standing on the surface of the sea."
Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up.
"You're right!"
"He has to become solid in order to stand on the water."
"That means..."
"The moment he materializes..."
"That's our chance."
The Three-Tails nodded.
"But that opportunity is incredibly brief."
Naruto frowned.
"So how do we force him to expose himself?"
The Three-Tails answered immediately.
"There's one moment when he absolutely must become tangible."
"When he attacks."
Naruto instantly understood.
"Exactly!"
"If he stays intangible..."
"He can't touch us either."
"So..."
"One of us becomes the bait."
"The other attacks the instant he materializes."
"That's our only chance."
The Three-Tails had lived for thousands of years.
It possessed vast combat experience.
During Yagura's time as its Jinchūriki...
It had participated in countless battles.
Its tactical instincts were beyond question.
Naruto couldn't help smiling.
"Great plan!"
"But..."
"Who's going to be the bait?"
The Three-Tails answered without hesitation.
"I will."
"I'm strongest at defense."
"And Water Release."
"But the counterattack requires speed."
"Only you can deliver that final strike."
Naruto hesitated.
"What if you get hurt?"
The Three-Tails looked directly at him.
"Then..."
"You must defeat him in one blow."
"We'll only have one chance."
"Uzumaki Naruto..."
"If we fail..."
"I'll be captured."
"And you'll become their next target."
"So I'm willing to risk my life..."
"To create a single opening."
"You must seize it."
Naruto suddenly felt an enormous weight settle upon his shoulders.
Even so...
He clenched his fists.
"I won't miss."
The Three-Tails nodded.
"Good."
---
Their strategy decided...
They immediately launched their attack.
Although the Three-Tails wasn't particularly fast...
The ocean was its domain.
Riding the towering waves...
It charged toward Tobi with astonishing momentum.
Tobi exaggeratedly panicked.
"Oh no!"
"It's going to hit me!"
"It's huge!"
The Three-Tails roared.
Its enormous body curled tightly into a massive armored sphere.
Like an unstoppable fortress...
It rolled across the ocean.
White waves exploded behind it.
"Shadow Rolling Strike!"
The gigantic spinning shell thundered across the sea like an enormous steel wheel.
It charged directly toward Tobi.
"Aaaah!"
Tobi cried dramatically while pretending to flee across the water.
But he was far too slow.
Within moments...
The gigantic shell rolled directly over him.
Yet...
Just as before...
His body became intangible.
The Three-Tails' devastating attack passed harmlessly through him.
Tobi emerged completely uninjured.
He casually dusted himself off.
"Oh..."
"That was close..."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)