"Damn it—this power messes with my head!"
Naruto froze as the second tail unfurled behind him. His breath came short, his eyes flickering red. For a moment, he felt the edges of his mind blur—like something ancient and hateful whispering just beneath the surface.
With a sharp inhale, he forced it back down. The crimson chakra cloaking his body hissed and began to fade. In seconds, the monstrous aura vanished, and the boy returned to normal—sweating, panting, but himself again.
"Boy…"
The Nine-Tails' growl reverberated through the depths of his mind, heavy and venomous.
Naruto smirked. "Shut it, stupid fox. I don't care what game you're playing—I'll beat him with my own power."
"Ha-ha…" the beast rumbled, its eyes glowing like molten coals behind the seal. "You? A crane-tailed brat who can barely stand? Pathetic."
"Don't underestimate me, you overgrown furball!" Naruto snapped. But before he could retort further, Raizen lunged.
Naruto's instincts screamed. He slammed his hands together. "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
White smoke erupted in waves. In the blink of an eye, the canyon filled with more than a thousand Narutos—orange blurs stretching to the horizon.
Raizen raised an eyebrow. "No Nine-Tails form this time? Just human-wave tactics?" His tone was flat, almost bored. "That might scare weak shinobi. For me, it's just noise."
"Yeah? We'll see about that!" Naruto barked, rallying his clones. "Everyone—get him!"
The swarm surged forward like a living tide, a thousand fists and shouts merging into chaos.
Raizen sighed. "Fine. Let's do this your way."
He planted his feet, hands forming seals with mechanical precision.
"Eight Inner Gates… Open!"
BOOM!
The earth beneath him split apart as raw chakra exploded outward. His skin flushed red, veins pulsing. By the time the dust settled, Raizen's eyes glowed with razor focus.
In a blur, he moved. One kick, ten clones gone. One strike, twenty more erased in bursts of smoke. The battlefield turned into a storm of disappearing Narutos.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Th-that's—! The Eight Inner Gates?! Bushy-Brows' move!?"
Even as shock flashed across his face, he grit his teeth. "Don't stop! Keep pushing!"
More clones charged, their fists colliding with nothing but air. Every movement Raizen made left after-images in the dust. Within minutes, a thousand Narutos were reduced to barely a hundred.
"Damn it! He's too fast! How can someone that young have that kind of power?!"
From deep within, the Nine-Tails' voice echoed again, low and taunting.
"Use my power, fool. Without me, you'll die here."
"Shut up, I don't need your help!" Naruto barked back, frustration mounting.
But Raizen wasn't listening. He flicked a kunai inscribed with sealing marks—then vanished.
A black flash cut through the air. Pop!—hundreds of clones gone in a heartbeat.
Naruto staggered back. "Wh-what was that?!"
A voice whispered behind his ear. "Flying Thunder God."
"—!"
Before Naruto could turn, something struck the back of his neck. Pain exploded down his spine. His body convulsed, then collapsed, twitching on the ground.
Raizen stood over him, arms folded. "No point struggling. I hit your spinal chakra point—you'll be paralyzed for at least ten minutes."
"Y-you bastard…" Naruto growled, his voice trembling.
Raizen frowned, not smug—just thoughtful. "Hmph. You're reckless, but persistent. Killing you would be… messy."
Inside the sealed cage, the Nine-Tails grinned, its fangs glinting in the dark.
"Naruto… you can't beat him alone. Let me out, or you'll die here."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Die…?"
Before he could answer, crimson chakra surged through the bars. This time, he didn't resist.
The chakra wrapped around his body like a storm given form.
Somewhere in Loulan, a cloaked observer jolted upright as a strange sigil in his palm flared with heat. "Three tails… already? Impossible!" Without hesitation, he dashed toward the source.
Back on the battlefield, Naruto roared. The air itself shuddered. Red energy exploded outward, burning the ground to glass.
Raizen spun around, eyes narrowing. "Three tails… huh. So he gave in."
Behind Naruto, three burning tails of chakra writhed like serpents. His eyes glowed pure scarlet, his body wrapped in the fox's living flame.
Raizen exhaled slowly. "Guess playtime's over."
Naruto's claws scraped against the ground as he lunged—faster, heavier, monstrous. The crimson chakra lashed out, shaping into a massive hand that reached for Raizen.
The real fight had just begun.