Gerotora's eyes widened as he stared at Shinichi's young face.
"The God of Shinobi..." His voice trembled slightly. "So you're the one who forced Iwagakure to submit."
He did not continue. Clearly, even Mount Myoboku had already heard about the battle outside Iwagakure.
Shinichi did not respond to the title. He only looked at Gerotora and said, "Open the seal."
Gerotora took a deep breath, his round belly rising and falling once. Then he turned toward Naruto, who was lying on the bedding with his whole body tense.
"Kid," Gerotora said seriously, "this will hurt. Once the Eight Trigrams Seal is opened, the Nine-Tails' chakra that has been suppressed inside you for more than ten years will rush out all at once. Your body and your mind will both be hit hard."
His tone grew heavier. "No matter how painful it gets, stay awake."
Naruto took a deep breath. His face was nervous, but his eyes did not waver.
"It's okay," he said. "As long as I can see Dad... I can endure it."
Gerotora looked at him for a moment. Doubt flashed through his eyes, but he did not ask more. Since Jiraiya had agreed, and Shinichi had already spoken, there was no point hesitating now.
"Fine. Get ready."
Gerotora's body shifted, shrinking from his seal-key form to the size of an ordinary toad.
Naruto was just about to ask what he needed to prepare when Gerotora suddenly moved. He lifted Naruto's clothes and pressed one palm against his abdomen.
The seal patterns beneath his palm instantly turned scorching hot.
"Ugh!"
Naruto groaned, his body going rigid.
At the same time, deep inside his body, the sealed space stirred.
In the dim darkness, the mountain-sized orange fox had been lying quietly with its eyes closed. The moment the seal loosened, its crimson pupils snapped open.
"The seal..."
The Nine-Tails raised its head. Its huge claws gripped the iron gate in front of it, and a low, vicious laugh echoed through the darkness.
"So you finally couldn't hold back anymore, stupid humans."
Its chakra surged like a flood, instantly filling the sealed space.
"Then I won't waste this chance."
Before Naruto could understand what was happening, a violent force erupted from deep within his abdomen.
Dark red chakra burst out from every pore of his body.
In the wooden house, Naruto's body arched sharply as the chakra wrapped around his skin and formed a dark red cloak. A tail lashed out from behind him and struck the wooden floor with a sharp crack.
The second tail burst out almost immediately, followed by the third and fourth in quick succession.
Before Jiraiya could even react, the fifth and sixth had already formed, all six dark red tails thrashing behind Naruto and tearing through the floor and walls as the air inside the house twisted under the pressure.
Naruto's eyes began to lose focus.
A roar that did not sound human tore from his throat as hatred and malice flooded his mind like a black tide. The blue in his eyes was swallowed by crimson, and his consciousness sank into the dark.
The last thing Naruto felt was himself falling into a cold, silent abyss.
Jiraiya and Gerotora stood nearby with grim expressions.
"So fast," Jiraiya said, his fists tightening. "It reached six tails already."
Gerotora's face was just as serious. "I opened the seal as far as possible without fully releasing it. The Nine-Tails is not completely free yet, but if Naruto loses the struggle inside, it can force its way out."
He looked at Jiraiya and Shinichi, his voice heavy. "From here on, it's in your hands."
Shinichi nodded. Without wasting a word, he brought his hands together.
Natural energy rushed into Shinichi's body, and dark markings spread from the corners of his eyes as the mark on his forehead appeared. In a single breath, his chakra shifted into Sage Mode.
Jiraiya's pupils shrank slightly. He had seen it before, but watching Shinichi enter Sage Mode almost instantly still left him speechless.
Compared to his own training at Mount Myoboku, the long preparation, and the help he needed from Fukasaku and Shima, the difference was almost painful.
"So this is the difference..."
Shinichi ignored Jiraiya's murmur. His hands moved through a series of signs before pressing forward.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: Great Tree Binding!"
The wooden floor split apart, and thick vines burst from below, wrapping around Naruto's legs, waist, and arms before he could lunge forward.
But the Nine-Tails' chakra kept swelling. The six tails behind Naruto thrashed wildly, and the outline of a seventh had already begun to form, the pressure rattling the wooden house as if it might tear apart at any moment.
Shinichi's expression did not change as he formed another set of signs.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
With a low boom, a Wood Dragon surged from the ground and coiled around Naruto, locking him in place together with the vines.
Jiraiya looked at Naruto, who was still struggling and growling inside the wooden restraints, and his expression tightened. Even with the vines and Wood Dragon holding him down, the pressure from the six tails was still enough to make the wooden house tremble.
Shinichi did not waste time. He moved closer and placed one hand on Naruto's forehead.
"I'm going into Naruto's consciousness space," Shinichi said. "Before the Fourth Hokage's chakra appears and repairs the seal, I need to speak with him first."
Jiraiya understood at once.
If Minato's chakra appeared to protect Naruto, the first thing he would do was repair the seal. Once that happened, Shinichi's chance to absorb the Nine-Tails' chakra would be cut off.
Jiraiya nodded. "Be careful."
Shinichi closed his eyes. Chakra flowed through his palm and into Naruto's body, drawing his consciousness down into the seal. Darkness closed around him, and after a brief fall through the void, his feet touched cold water.
When Shinichi opened his eyes, he was standing in a dim corridor. Shallow water covered the ground, reflecting the iron bars above him. Cold stone walls stretched along both sides, and at the far end stood a massive iron gate.
In front of the gate, Naruto floated with his head lowered, his body wrapped in dark red chakra. One hand hovered near the Eight Trigrams Seal, as if he might tear it away at any moment.
Behind the bars, two crimson vertical pupils lit up in the darkness.
"Another one has come..."
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