Skeleton-Type Tailed Beast Transformation 2

Qiuyang left the Hokage's office and followed the route map, rushing toward his destination without a moment's rest.

At the site where Choji and Neji had fought, the two had likely been rescued by someone else as the battle had started early, leaving only the corpses of Jirobo and Kidomaru behind.

The battlefield where Shino, Shikamaru, and Rock Lee were engaged was already being assisted by Sand Shinobi, so he merely glanced at it before continuing to press forward.

He arrived directly at the Valley of the End just as Sasuke was deciding to spare Naruto and preparing to defect to Orochimaru.

"Hmph, is there anyone else coming to stop me?"

Sasuke turned back to see Qiuyang and activated his newly upgraded Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his expression remaining cold:

"Are you here to stop me too, Qiuyang?"

So disrespectful; can't you call me brother like Hanabi does? Qiuyang muttered, shaking his head to indicate he wasn't there to stop his defection.

Regarding one of the only two remaining members of his clan in this world, Sasuke actually still harbored some lingering affection:

"The task of reviving the Uchiha Clan will be left to you from now on. I believe that with your current strength, you will still be appreciated in Konoha."

As for the task of avenging the clan by killing Itachi, he would be the one to complete it, having turned toward the darkness today!

"Hey, don't just go assigning me tasks, Sasuke-kun... I'm just someone who likes to lie flat; you can finish those tasks yourself."

What is "lying flat"?

Sasuke didn't understand the meaning of the term, but it certainly didn't sound like a good thing. He shot a cold glance at the clan-less Qiuyang and left without looking back.

What a non-mainstream brat. Qiuyang shrugged, then turned to see Naruto, who had already lost consciousness in the water, and sighed as he walked over:

"Who told you to be my junior, right, Naruto? Let me fish you out of the water!"

However, it was precisely because of his actions that Naruto's consciousness flickered back to life for a moment, mistakenly believing he was still in the middle of his battle with Sasuke.

Naruto had been screaming in his heart to keep Sasuke behind, but his chakra was already completely exhausted. With these two factors at play, what would happen?

The answer was obvious.

Gurgle... gurgle...

Qiuyang noticed the anomaly in Naruto immediately.

"Hey, hey, this is not good!"

Qiuyang panicked, slapping Naruto's cat-like face a few times and shouting in an attempt to wake him up:

"Naruto, look closely! I'm Qiuyang, not Sasuke, the one you have a bond with!"

But it was too late. Naruto's body continued to emit "gurgle" sounds, and a high-density, bright red chakra began to leak out from his surroundings.

The hatred-filled chakra affected anyone who got close. Qiuyang couldn't hold on for long and had to set Naruto down, retreating a dozen steps to observe.

He watched in horror, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The chakra seemed to have a life of its own, lifting Naruto into the air before suddenly compressing entirely into his body.

Aside from his facial features, Naruto had transformed into a red, humanoid Tailed Beast form.

What terrified Qiuyang even more was that this blood-red entity not only had four swaying tails extending from its rear, but a skeletal frame was also slowly growing from head to toe...

Damn it, this is the Version 2 humanoid Tailed Beast form.

"Something incredible is about to emerge."

Qiuyang observed with a bitter smile, guessing that Naruto, the junior who had set him up, must have mistaken him for Sasuke and was determined to break his limbs and drag him back to Konoha.

He didn't hesitate any longer, immediately activating his right Mangekyo Sharingan and unleashing the Mangekyo technique, Frost of Frozen Void.

He wanted to freeze Naruto in space and bring him back to the village for Yamato to suppress with Wood Release.

However, this move, which had never failed before, shocked Qiuyang today:

After the white mist capable of freezing space formed, it was dissipated and melted by the leaking Nine-Tails chakra, failing to solidify the space at all.

No, I have to freeze this thing, or it's going to attack me once its chakra stabilizes.

Blood trickled from Qiuyang's eye as he pushed his Mangekyo ability, ignoring the strain on his ocular power.

The white mist formed rapidly and truly managed to briefly restrain the Tailed Beast Naruto.

"Ugh, huff... huff..."

Thinking he had succeeded, Qiuyang knelt, clutching his right eye and gasping for air.

I really shouldn't use the Mangekyo too often; my vision is already starting to blur...

ROAR...

Unexpectedly, the skeletal Tailed Beast Naruto suddenly went berserk, extending four chakra arms from within and breaking through the spatial seal of the Frost of Frozen Void.

Three of the arms frantically pounded the restraint, while the fourth aimed a punch directly at the culprit.

Damn it, the Nine-Tails is too overpowered!

Qiuyang relied entirely on his body's instinctual reflexes to narrowly dodge the heavy blow. The chakra arm grazed his scalp and slammed fiercely into the water surface...

BANG...

The force generated was no less than a mountain-sized rock hitting the water. The sonic boom from the fist colliding with the surface seemed to pierce Qiuyang's eardrums, leaving them ringing.

He was swept up by the water once more, tossed high into the air before being slammed back down onto the surface.

Before he could even steady himself upon rising, a flash of dazzling light caught his eye from the direction of Naruto.

Damn it...

Qiuyang's adrenaline spiked; he didn't dare turn his head, fearing the loss of even a second.

He moved at top speed, smearing the blood from a cut caused by the water's impact onto his right palm with his left thumb.

He then performed the hand seals at lightning speed: "Summoning: Rashomon."

The Rashomon had barely risen halfway when the energy blast slammed into it.

Visually, the small energy blast seemed easily blocked by the massive Rashomon.

Yet, the moment the blast made contact with the gate, a massive explosion erupted.

Energy beams deflected by the Rashomon flew everywhere, detonating in the air and water with a force even greater than when Qiuyang had scorched the gate with his Great Dragon Fire back then.

Boom—

When everything finally fell silent, there was no trace of the Rashomon left.

As expected of an energy blast condensed from Nine-Tails chakra; a single shot had obliterated the Rashomon.

Qiuyang, hiding behind the gate, was naturally swept away again by the shockwave, and when he surfaced, his body was stained red with blood in multiple places.

He looked utterly wretched;

And simultaneously, absolutely furious.

Nine-Tails, you bastard. I hadn't even mastered that technique yet, and today you forced me to use it.

From this moment on, a grudge was forged between Qiuyang and the Nine-Tails.

He couldn't remember the last time he had suffered such a heavy loss; the last time was during the night of the clan massacre when he faced Obito!

Very well, you are the second one to leave me in such a state, Nine-Tails. Just you wait!!!!

However, Qiuyang was merely venting; he knew full well that with his current strength, he could not face the Humanoid Tailed Beast Mode 2 head-on.

If the Nine-Tails were fully released, he could still control it with genjutsu, but the problem was that in this current form, it was highly resistant to such illusions.

What, then, was he supposed to do now?