"Kurama, you're absolutely right."
Naruto's voice was low, choked with emotion. The Nine-Tails' mocking laughter still echoed in his head, but there was no malice in it this time, just cold, hard truth.
"Everything is my fault."
His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. If Menma were still alive, Sakura never would have been taken. She wouldn't have joined Akatsuki during the mission to the Tsuchigumo Clan Fortress. He wouldn't be pinned to the ground, helpless and in agony.
Instead, Menma would have beaten Sasuke and the others senseless, captured them, and dragged the mastermind out of the shadows. The thought made something sharp and painful stab at Naruto's heart.
Maybe it should have been me who got sealed away instead.
He shoved the thought down immediately. No time for that. He took a deep breath, focusing on the dark chakra bubbling inside him.
"Thank you, Kurama," Naruto whispered to the fox in his mind. "I really am useless. I can only rely on you."
"And you're right," he continued, his voice trembling. "If I were him... Jiraiya and the others wouldn't be under that eye jutsu. They wouldn't have those empty circles in their eyes."
Outside, the air grew heavy. As Naruto spoke to the fox, four tails of pure red chakra erupted from his back, whipping violently. A storm of wind pressure blasted outward, kicking up dust and debris.
The six figures of Pain stood firm, their red cloaks fluttering in the gale.
"The Nine-Tails' power..." Deva Path muttered, his expression unreadable. "It's just like that other one. Even more dangerous."
CRACK!
The black rods pinning Naruto's limbs shattered into dust. He pushed himself up, his fox tails acting as leverage against the ground. His eyes, once blue, were now burning crimson slits.
Crack.
He flexed his fingers, mimicking Menma's brutal fighting style.
"I don't know what kind of eye trick you're using," Naruto growled, the four chakra tails whipping behind him like angry snakes, aiming squarely at Deva Path, "but these people are precious to me. I won't let you control them anymore."
"I'm going to stop you. And if I have to... I'll kill you."
Deva Path's face remained frozen, a mask of indifference. "You've only just felt a fraction of the pain. You're still thinking about saving them, about sparing your enemies. That weakness is why you'll fail."
He raised a hand. "Attack."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The five Paths of Pain scattered instantly. Naruto moved like a red blur, meeting them head-on.
In the lead was Asura Path—Sasuke.
Seeing the crimson figure charging, Sasuke's hands split open like a puppet's, revealing hidden missile ports. From the dark, circular muzzles, several missiles shot out, trailing fiery tails.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"!" Naruto's eyes widened. "His hands... opened up?"
Imagining the horrific modifications forced upon his friend, fury surged through him. He bit his lip until it bled, but the blood didn't fall. It stained his cheeks as he roared, "Sasuke! I'll save you! I'll fix you!"
He stopped his charge abruptly. Two massive chakra tails shielded him from behind, while the other two lashed out like whips.
BOOM!
The incoming missiles detonated mid-air, blasted apart by the fox tails. Smoke filled the area.
Before Naruto could breathe, two figures burst from the smoke: Human Path Jiraiya and Hell Path Iruka Umino. They wielded black rods, thrusting for Naruto's neck and chest.
"Perverted Sage... Iruka-sensei..."
Naruto's nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. His fox tails reacted before his mind could, intercepting the rods and wrapping around the two men, yanking them into his grip.
But while his attention was on them, Preta Path—Teuchi—suddenly appeared behind him. The ramen chef's hands clamped onto Naruto's back.
"Teuchi?" Naruto gritted out. The man wasn't even a shinobi. He thought of Ichiraku Ramen, closed for days now, and a murderous intent flared in his eyes. "You want to die?"
He moved to control Teuchi with another tail, but it was too late.
The Nine-Tails chakra inside him began to drain rapidly, sucked away by the Preta Path behind him. The four tails flickered and vanished. Jiraiya and Iruka Umino broke free from his hold.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two black rods pierced Naruto's collarbone and chest.
"Pathetic," Kurama's voice echoed in his mind. "I gave you four tails, and you still got hit. If it were Menma, he would have crushed them by now."
"I know! I know I'm trash!" Naruto screamed in despair, clutching his bleeding chest. "Kurama, more! Give me more power!"
"Even if you take my body after this, I don't care! Just let me save them! Please!"
"Hahaha!" Kurama's laugh was triumphant. "Deal. After this is over, your body is mine."
BUZZ!
The four chakra tails reappeared, burning brighter than before. And then, a fifth tail erupted with terrifying pressure, slamming into Preta Path and knocking him away.
"He's getting stronger after communicating with the fox," Sakura Haruno's voice cut through the air. She stood off to the side, the Animal Path user, her hand slamming onto the ground. "No wonder he defeated Itachi Uchiha and Menma. Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five massive clouds of smoke appeared around her. In an instant, five colossal summons—Crimson Dog, Hell Crab, Chameleon, Yatagarasu, and Bull—materialized, all pierced with black rods. They charged instantly.
Naruto didn't flinch. His five tails transformed into streaks of red light, moving with blinding speed.
Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash.
Except for Crimson Dog, the other four summons were torn to pieces. Blood rained down, staining the ground crimson.
"Looks like I'll have to take action myself."
Pain's voice was suddenly right beside him. Naruto turned his head to see a raised hand.
"Shinra Tensei!"
An invisible, crushing force slammed into Naruto, blasting him into the air.
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