Majestic Attire Susanoo Nine-Tails!

The two of them nodded at the same time.

There were no extra words. No tactical discussion, no second confirming glance. Naruto knew what Sasuke would do, and Sasuke knew what Naruto would do. The fact that they needed no words between them had been settled the first time their fists met in the Valley of the End.

Naruto's Chakra exploded in an instant.

It was not leaking—it exploded. Nine-Tails' Chakra surged out from every wound on his body at once. Scorched meridians, ruptured blood vessels, half-healed muscles—all of them became outlets. Blood spilled from his seven orifices, mixing with the Chakra to form a red mist around him that smelled of rust.

Nine-Tails' Chakra took shape behind him. First one ear, then the second, then the outline of a head, a gaping maw, a swelling chest—Nine-Tails expanded outward with Naruto's body as its axis, its blazing white Chakra shining in the night sky like a collapsing star. The instant all nine tails lashed out from the sphere of light, the mountainside nearest them lost three meters of rock to the gust from those tails. The debris was burned red-hot by the Chakra's heat and rained down like an inverted meteor shower.

Sasuke's Rinnegan turned at that same instant.

The Susanoo skeleton did not dissipate—it climbed higher.

Purple bones grew along the outside of Nine-Tails' rib cage, like vines winding around a great tree. Ribs, shoulder blades, spine, arm bones, piece by piece, inch by inch, the complete Susanoo skeleton covered the surface of Nine-Tails' Chakra. Golden-purple sparks burst from the joints where bone met Chakra. The two types of Chakra repelled, clashed, and tore at each other—yin power and yang power devoured one another through every gap in the armor. Golden-purple cracks spread across its entire body, like porcelain