The plaza fell silent, broken only by the gurgling of the black sludge monster. It had no fixed shape, yet it had risen to half the height of Hokage Rock. Its twisted face barely resembled Momoshiki's features, and viscous, oil-like liquid streamed from its hollow eye sockets.
"What... is that?" someone in the crowd asked, their voice trembling.
"Don't panic!" Kakashi immediately leaped onto the railing. He still had that little orange book in his hand, though who knew how many times he'd read it, but his presence had changed. "Anbu, evacuate the civilians! Clear the front rows!"
"Honestly, it couldn't even let us have this last moment in peace." Naruto sighed and reached to undo the collar of his Sacred Robe.
"What are you planning?" Shikamaru grabbed him. "With the amount of Chakra you have left, even making a Rasengan would be a struggle. That thing is a mass of pure Chakra resentment. If we don't blast it to bits in one go, it'll keep regenerating."
"Still, I can't just watch it run wild at my inauguration." Naruto carefully took off the robe Hinata had just mended, folded it, and handed it to Shikamaru. "Hold onto this for me. Don't get it dirty. It's a gift from my wife."
Shikamaru looked at the robe, still warm from Naruto's body, and his mouth twitched. "Is this really the time...?"
"Naruto!" Sasuke called from below. He didn't draw his sword. His bandaged eye still wasn't usable, so he formed a hand seal with one hand. "Don't use ninjutsu. That thing is the remnant of the Preta Path's ability. Any ninjutsu you hit it with will just become food for it."
"Huh? Then what do we do?" Naruto leaped from the rooftop and landed heavily in the middle of the plaza, kicking