Let the Nine-Tails Fly a Little Longer

The explosion of light beams echoing across the horizon stirred a violent gale over the land, whipping up sand and dust into a tangible hurricane that sent shattered rocks and broken timber flying in every direction amidst the shockwaves.

Debris tumbled through the wind, slamming against the steep mountain face; feeling the stone walls shudder, Tobirama tightened his jaw, his face taut as he maintained a steady output of chakra to stabilize the Earth Style: Mud Wall.

As the wind began to subside, his red pupils scanned the scene of ruin and wreckage, flickering with a sense of relief; his tense body finally relaxed, grateful they had reached the ground in time—had they remained in the treetops, there was no telling where this gale might have blown them.

He had faced a scene like this once before.

No, he corrected himself in his heart, it had been even more magnificent than this.

That was the first battle after Madara awakened the Eternal Mangekyo, but as the result came to mind, the memories began to dissipate like the wind outside; Tobirama stood up and looked toward his students with concern, asking if anyone was injured.

"I knew it, this cliff was created by you lot."

Once the wind died down, a group of figures arrived via Body Flicker, causing a stir within the cave; fortunately, their distinct red hair made their identity as ninjas of the Uzumaki Clan clear.

Kaimi's vibrant red hair was matted with dead branches and leaves, his pristine ninja uniform stained with dust, yet he kept his loosely open jacket tightly wrapped around the wooden crate at his chest; seeing the box was undamaged, he turned to look at his clansmen sitting on the ground, and as they caught sight of each other's disheveled states, they burst into mindless, hearty laughter.

Tobirama, a veteran of countless battles, watched them with a calm expression, well aware of what lay beneath their complex laughter: it was panic, the relief of having survived a brush with death.

Elder Brother and Madara had done their utmost to guide the Nine-Tails' attacks, but at such close range, the sky-piercing waves of fire and the trembling earth had descended upon them like the end of the world.

Fortunately, they seemed unaffected, instead sitting slumped on the ground, excitedly discussing the figures that clashed like gods and demons.

The human heart is truly complex, Tobirama thought with a faint sense of melancholy; such blind trust was truly unsettling.

"Quiet." Uzumaki Ashi, having regained some strength, dragged his weary body over to Tobirama's side and asked, "What is the situation on the battlefield now?"

Tobirama, adjusting his mindset, smiled and called out in a clear voice: "Taiichi!"

"Here!"

The boy wearing black sunglasses extended his sleeves, and the Kikaichū he had just bred buzzed as they fanned their wings, guided by his chakra to attach themselves like chains to the ankles of the Uzumaki ninjas.

With their chakra connected and the transmission of the Yamanaka secret technique combined with the vision of the Byakugan, the scene instantly flooded their minds.

The Nine-Tails crouched, lifting its head as it fired a succession of Tailed Beast Bombs toward the Wood Golem in the sky; the surging recoil caused the ground beneath the Nine-Tails to sink violently.

The Wood Golem, clad in blue armor, calmly drew another long blade from its waist in mid-air; a sharp flash of steel shimmered across the firmament, slicing every black sphere in half before they flew off into the distance to explode in the dense forest.

"Madara, this won't do!" Hashirama looked with heartache at the land behind them, now pitted with deep craters from the explosions; fortunately, it was all vast, uninhabited forest, but if the Nine-Tails were allowed to bomb indiscriminately, the entire continent would suffer.

"I know!" Madara controlled the Wood Golem as it flew rapidly toward the Nine-Tails on the ground. "Chakra, Hashirama, I need Wood Release chakra."

"No problem!"

As the scenery blurred in retreat, Hashirama pressed his palms together, a smile on his face.

"The Nine-Tails has nine tails; shouldn't we have nine arms as well?"

Though Madara's voice was soft, it carried a logic that could not be refuted, and Hashirama, arms crossed, nodded in affirmation.

The Wood Golem's seemingly bulky frame possessed unexpected agility, soaring through the sky to dodge every one of the Nine-Tails' attacks, its long blade teasing the bristling little fox like a cat toy.

Their chakra began to meld; within the blue armor, the Wood Golem's pale green body began to shift, and with a creaking, strained sound, identical faces appeared on the other two sides of the Golem's head.

The broad shoulders underwent a strange transformation as well, with massive, thick arms surging forward to swing wildly like giant fans.

"Nezha?" Rikusei, hiding in the cave, fell into a stupor, nearly failing to maintain the Sharingan in his eyes; he reached up to rub his face. "No, this is three heads and nine arms—it's the Wood-Nezha of Uchiha and Senju."

Beside him, Naori rolled her lively eyes, curiously observing the boy next to her; the Wood Golem looked quite handsome in her eyes—three heads and nine arms, two long blades at its waist, its blue armor shimmering in the overcast sky like a brilliant morning star. Did Rikusei not like it?

The sudden change on the battlefield left no time for Rikusei and Naori to dwell on it, and they hurriedly shifted their focus back.

The Wood Golem flew behind the Nine-Tails, all nine arms exerting force at once to grab the beast's tails and haul it into the sky; the inverted Nine-Tails struggled desperately, the Tailed Beast Bomb gathering at its mouth dissipating into nothingness as its body shook.

Holding the Nine-Tails, Madara continuously funneled chakra, controlling the Wood Golem to flap its wings and soar, sparing a glance to repair the armor shattered by the Nine-Tails' claws before saying in a low voice to the fox's eyes: "Nine-Tails, do you wish to dance?"

Thousands of meters in the air, the Wood Golem hovered, its wings vibrating; the sunlight, having broken through the clouds once more, shone cautiously upon the armor, afraid to disturb a sight never before seen in the firmament.

"The Nine-Tails is being held up like a little chick." Hiruzen's mouth hung open, his teeth chattering involuntarily; he grabbed Danzo beside him, hoping to see the same expression on his face.

He was disappointed.

Danzo's narrow eyes had lost their luster, and it was only when Hiruzen turned his body that a ripple of emotion finally stirred on his otherwise unchanging face.

"Is this real?"

Danzo asked in disbelief; he could accept the earlier brawl between the Wood Golem and the Nine-Tails—he could even feel the Wood Golem's fists landing on the Nine-Tails as if he were throwing the punches himself, the pure taijutsu contest having set his blood boiling.

But this one-sided situation left him bewildered; he couldn't believe that the Hokage and Lord Madara had just been playing.

Yet the Nine-Tails being tossed about in the sky seemed to tell him that they had indeed been playing.

"Are you alright, Danzo?" Seeing his dazed expression, Hiruzen walked over with concern to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, finding his temperature normal and assuming he, like himself, had simply been stunned.

"Look, Hiruzen!"

Biwako Sarutobi spoke in a soft voice, alerting him to another change in the battle.

"The dance moves are only so-so." Madara, having had his fill of tossing the Nine-Tails, remarked with appreciation. "It's a pity the champion of the first Dance King Tournament is actually the Sarutobi Clan! Hashirama, you have to take primary responsibility."

"Huh?" Hashirama, dizzy from being flown about, shook his head slightly to clear his mind; he seemed to be getting motion sickness from the blue Wood Golem.

"It's your turn next."

Madara smiled indifferently, controlling the Wood Golem's nine arms to lift the orange fox high into the air in unison, before abruptly hurling it toward the ground.