"What was that?"
Deep within a lush forest, several hundred kilometers away.
Naruto stood atop a towering tree, gazing into the night sky stained in a riot of purple, gold, and blue light.
Jiraiya had forcibly made him stop here for the night, but Naruto could not sleep at all. He wished he could sprout wings and fly straight to the battlefield.
"It's him. He's appeared!"
An irritable voice suddenly rang out from the Sealing World within Naruto.
"Kurama!"
Naruto immediately projected his consciousness into the sewers of the Sealing World and pressed, "Who? Who is it?"
"Uchiha Madara!"
Having already formed a bond with Naruto on the Island of Paradise in the Land of Lightning, Kurama naturally did not hide anything from him. "I can sense that evil ocular power of his!"
"Uchiha Madara? I feel like I've heard that name before." Naruto wore a conflicted expression as he wracked his brain, yet could not remember where he had heard it.
"Uchiha Madara was the first of the Uchiha Clan to awaken the Mangekyou. His ocular power can effortlessly control all Nine Tailed Beasts, including me. Its might is enough to destroy heaven and earth!" Kurama said gravely. "Naruto, I advise you not to go any farther. You can't possibly be his match!"
Naruto shook his head without a moment's hesitation. "How could I?! My companions are all fighting there. I will never abandon them! Even if it's Uchiha Madara, I'll defeat him!"
"Hmph, you simply don't understand how terrifying Uchiha Madara is! Your naivety will get you killed sooner or later!" Kurama curled his lip in disdain, though a faint trace of comfort showed in his scarlet eyes.
"My Ninja Way is to never go back on my word. Even in the face of death, it will never