"Boom—!!!"
In the forest outside Konoha Village, a deafening roar exploded once again! A Nine-Tailed claw, entirely made of raging crimson Chakra, slammed down hard on the spot where Uchiha Itachi stood!
Before the giant claw had fully descended, the energy it emanated had already inflicted devastating damage on the forest below. Trees, rocks… everything began to violently twist and melt even before contact.
However, just as the destructive giant claw was about to strike.
Uchiha Itachi's figure suddenly blurred like a phantom, then transformed into countless black crows, letting out a cacophony of caws, scattering in all directions.
On the other side, tens of meters from the original spot, Uchiha Itachi's figure quietly appeared, her hands already having completed the hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Chakra compressed and transformed in her throat, then spewed out! A gigantic fireball, far exceeding the usual size and intensely hot, suddenly appeared, fiercely blasting towards the center of the flat ground created by the Nine-Tails' Chakra pressure—Naruto in his Four-Tails form.
Naruto reacted instantly, another monstrous giant claw, entirely composed of energy, suddenly separated from his outer coat.
"Boom!"
The giant claw precisely and accurately gripped the entire huge Great Fireball firmly in its palm! The scorching flames and violent Chakra clashed fiercely, and the next moment, the giant claw abruptly closed its five fingers!
Bang!
The fireball was easily crushed and extinguished, turning into scattered sparks and dense smoke, which quickly dissipated into the air.
And just as the swirling smoke obscured the view.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures shot out rapidly from both sides of the smoke! Two identical Uchiha Itachi, holding kunai, lunged at Naruto's vital points from both sides, attempting to use a Shadow Clone feint for close-quarters subdual!
Naruto suddenly raised his arms, which had completely transformed into crimson claws, and with incredible precision, he seized both "Uchiha Itachi" by their necks!
The next second, the two "Itachi" he had grabbed dissipated with a "poof" like bubbles, revealing them to be Shadow Clones used to lure the enemy.
The next moment, another Uchiha Itachi suddenly appeared from the smoke directly in front of Naruto! The kunai in her hand stabbed directly at Naruto's Chakra cloak.
Clang—Crack!
However, the expected sensation of the kunai piercing flesh did not come. The metal tip of the kunai, upon contact with the boiling crimson Chakra cloak, made a sharp, teeth-grinding sound, as if it had encountered a superheated branding iron!
The blade of the kunai rapidly turned red, softened at a visible speed, and was finally directly dissolved and vaporized by the violent energy.
"What?!" Uchiha Itachi's expression changed drastically.
The next moment, the small Nine-Tails in front of Itachi had already opened its mouth again, and a crimson energy ball was rapidly condensing at an astonishing speed.
The aura of destruction locked onto her once more!
"Boom—!!!"
The second Tailed Beast Chakra Cannon exploded at point-blank range! A crimson torrent of destruction instantly engulfed the area where Uchiha Itachi had just stood, triggering an even more intense explosion than before!
Rumble—!
Dozens of meters of smoke and rubble mixed with vaporized soil shot into the sky, and the dazzling red light dyed half the sky an ominous color.
However, as the smoke gradually cleared, the center of the explosion was empty, save for an even deeper and more terrifying giant crater.
Sure enough… was this also a Shadow Clone or Substitution Jutsu set up in advance?
Four-Tails Naruto scanned the empty charred crater, a hint of understanding flashing in his mind.
Uchiha Itachi's true body silently appeared behind a charred tree stump dozens of meters away, leaning on the rough trunk with one hand, panting heavily, her heart filled with unprecedented surprise and confusion.
What exactly was going on? Kurama was undoubtedly rampaging; the pure and violent Tailed Beast Chakra couldn't be faked.
But… why? Why didn't the rampaging Tailed Beast harm the defenseless Satsuki, who was so close? It even… seemed to be protecting her?
This completely defied her understanding of Tailed Beasts! Doubt entangledher thoughts.
But no matter what, the fact that Satsuki was temporarily safe allowed her taut heartstrings to relax for a moment. However, this moment of slackness was immediately replaced by greater anxiety—she couldn't gamble!
She couldn't gamble on whether this Jinchuriki was merely not harming Satsuki due to the last remnant of instinct. If this state of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were to rush towards Konoha Village the next moment… that would be a disaster far more terrifying than the Uchiha coup!
She must stop him! Right here!
"Shisui…"
She unconsciously whispered that name, the person who had entrusted all his will and hope to her.
She must fulfill Shisui's "dying wish," protect the village, and protect the Uchiha name!
Taking a deep breath, the three-tomoe Sharingan in Uchiha Itachi's eyes began to spin rapidly, finally transforming into the Mangekyo pattern!
She must finish this quickly! Control him in one fell swoop!
Her figure once again transformed into a swift shadow, rushing without hesitation towards the small Nine-Tails emitting overwhelming malevolence! The Mangekyo pattern in her eyes suddenly focused!
Just as Naruto noticed her movement, raised his crimson giant claw, and was about to bring it down—
[Tsukuyomi]!
Genjutsu, activate!
Buzz—!
Naruto only felt the scenery before him suddenly spin, the charred smell of the surrounding forest, the sense of Kurama's violent Chakra energy, and even the sensation of his body instantly receded.
When his "vision" returned to clarity, he found himself standing in a bizarre, void, dim space composed only of black, white, and red.
Looking down, the reassuring crimson Chakra cloak on his body had disappeared, his limbs returned to their original state, transforming back into the ordinary Uzumaki Naruto.
In front of him, Uchiha Itachi was holding her cold short blade, walking towards him step by step with an expressionless face.
"A genjutsu?" Naruto immediately understood his situation.
"Kurama." Uchiha Itachi's voice echoed in this space, "In this Tsukuyomi world where I control all time, space, and mass, how long… can you last?"
She raised the short blade in her hand.
"For the next 72 hours, I will continuously use this blade to pierce your body."
"Don't try to resist, all of this… is the 'reality' destined to happen."
Uchiha Itachi raised the short blade in her hand, the blade pointed at Naruto's chest. This was the fastest way she could think of to resolve the current crisis.
As long as the Jinchuriki's mental will was completely crushed, causing him to collapse, then the Tailed Beast transformation in the outside world would naturally be dispelled.
This guy… is definitely a psychopath…
Facing Itachi's calm yet chilling declaration, even knowing it was only a genjutsu, Naruto couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation on his scalp.
He had no doubt that someone who could do such a thing to their closest relatives would absolutely carry out this 72-hour torture without mercy.
Just as the short blade was about to stab down, moments before touching Naruto's "skin"—
"Hey, Uchiha brat."
A deep, powerful, gigantic voice boomed in this Tsukuyomi space constructed by ocular power!
Itachi's movement suddenly froze, and she looked up in astonishment.
Behind Naruto, an incredibly vast, sky-obscuring giant shadow was slowly emerging! Its massive body resembled an orange-red mountain.
"What are you… doing to my person?"
Kurama's voice carried undisguised indignation and absolute protectiveness, his huge beast eyes, like two blood moons, locked onto Uchiha Itachi below.
The next moment—
Boom!!!
Kurama's incredibly violent Chakra, like a bursting flood, surged and eroded madly towards the entire black, white, and red Tsukuyomi space, centered around Naruto!
"Ugh!"
In the real world, Uchiha Itachi suddenly let out a muffled groan, her body uncontrollably retreating half a step. A sharp, needle-like pain shot through her eyes, and her vision even blurred for a moment.
And when she forcefully steadied herself and looked forward again, her heart sank—the small Nine-Tails enveloped in crimson Chakra, the momentary daze in its eyes instantly vanished, replaced by that cold and clear light once more.
Naruto's inner world.
"Thanks, Kurama! You're a big help!" Naruto let out a long breath, expressing his sincere gratitude. For a moment there, he had truly panicked a bit.
"Hmph! Don't get carried away!" Kurama awkwardly turned his head, but his tail unconsciously wagged slightly. "This old man just did it on a whim! Who told you to be so useless, getting controlled by such a level of genjutsu!"
"Is that so… But Kurama, you just said… 'my person'? Does that mean…"
"Th-that was a slip of the tongue! Absolutely a slip of the tongue!" Kurama bristled as if his tail had been stepped on, instantly getting agitated and trying to cover his embarrassment with a roar, "Who told you to be so weak! This old man just misspoke in a moment of urgency! Don't you dare overthink it!"
His original intention was indeed to lend Naruto Chakra so he could quickly escape this dangerous Uchiha. But just now, when he directly clashed with those Mangekyo Sharingan,
He clearly perceived—although the aura of these eyes was from the same source as Uchiha Madara, who controlled him back then, and was disgusting, the "quality" and "quantity" of their ocular power were vastly different compared to that guy.
His fear dissipated considerably, replaced by a kind of provoked annoyance.
"Never mind those unimportant things!" Kurama forcefully changed the subject, "Go quickly! Show that ignorant Uchiha brat outside a thing or two!"
"This old man clearly sensed the undisguised malice she showed you just now! Give her a lesson she'll never forget!"