Tailed Beast Ball

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly arranged for the Anbu to pin down the rampaging Naruto and Menma, while Jiraiya handed a slip of paper to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, we will each take one. Wait for the right moment to stick this paper onto their foreheads; that will instantly suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra," Jiraiya said.

"I understand, Lord Jiraiya." Kakashi took the paper and locked his gaze onto the Anbu ninjas currently engaging the Nine-Tails at close range.

Seeing the situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly shouted, "Is the Flying Thunder God squad present?"

Hearing the Third Hokage's call, Genma Shiranui, Namiashi Raidō, and Iwashi Tatami immediately appeared before him.

"Lord Third, what are your orders?" the three asked in unison.

"We must move the jinchūriki outside the village. Although there is a barrier, being trapped inside with them is as dangerous as being locked in a cage with two wild beasts. I want you to use the Flying Thunder God to transport them outside the village. We can resolve the issue there. Is that clear?" Hiruzen Sarutobi explained.

"Theoretically, there is no problem. We will give it our all. To protect the village, we are prepared to lay down our lives," Genma Shiranui said firmly, and the other two nodded in agreement.

With that, the three instantly used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before Naruto and Menma, surrounding them in a triangle. They immediately activated the Flying Thunder God formation, and in an instant, everyone within the array was transported outside the village.

On a clearing outside the village—the very spot where Minato had sealed the Nine-Tails years ago—the Flying Thunder God mark left by Minato still remained on the ground.

Seeing this, the three used the Flying Thunder God formation to depart once more, then returned to the others using the Flying Thunder God kunai from Kakashi's pack.

The situation was critical and left no room for talk. Hiruzen Sarutobi commanded the group:

"Barrier team, drop the barrier. Jiraiya, Kakashi, let's go."

Hearing the order, Jiraiya moved to the side of Kakashi and Hiruzen Sarutobi without a word. The three activated the Flying Thunder God formation and arrived instantly where Naruto and Menma were.

At that moment, one of Naruto's tails lashed out at an Anbu ninja, who dodged with agile reflexes.

The tail pierced the ground, but a chakra arm suddenly extended from beside it, reaching for the ninja. The Anbu ninja cursed under his breath, dodging the continuously manifesting chakra arms with a series of maneuvers, leaving everyone panting for breath.

They dared not grab them directly, as others had already tried; the temperature of the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak on Naruto and Menma was so high that their hands were severely burned upon contact.

"Damn it, is there no better way?" an Anbu ninja asked helplessly, staring at the rampaging pair.

Suddenly, Naruto and Menma raised their hands high and slammed them into the ground. In an instant, the earth shook violently, and four chakra arms erupted from the ground beneath the Anbu, reaching out to grab them.

The Anbu ninjas with stronger sensory abilities dodged in time before the arms fully emerged, while also warning the others.

One slower Anbu ninja was unfortunately caught by the leg; the chakra arm squeezed hard, instantly shattering the ninja's leg.

Hearing the ninja's agonizing scream, the other Anbu threw kunai and shuriken, attempting to stop the rampaging Naruto and Menma.

However, neither the kunai nor the shuriken could pierce the dark red chakra cloak covering Naruto and Menma; they didn't even leave a scratch.

"Good chance!" Seeing Naruto and Menma with their arms buried in the ground, Jiraiya immediately signaled Kakashi to prepare for close combat.

Kakashi realized this was a rare opportunity and rushed toward Menma alongside Jiraiya.

Sensing their approach, Menma extended four tails, stabbing repeatedly at Jiraiya and Kakashi.

The two moved with agility, dodging every attack with fluid grace. Seeing this tactic fail, Menma retracted his arms and immediately extended them again, reaching for Kakashi and Jiraiya.

The two reached Menma's side unscathed, and Kakashi quickly formed hand seals.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

Instantly, four earth walls bearing dog-head patterns rose from the ground, trapping Menma in a square.

However, Menma was not trapped for long; with a wave of his arm, the walls crumbled. The moment they collapsed, Kakashi was already before Menma, slapping the paper onto his forehead.

A flash of white light erupted, and the Nine-Tails' blood-red chakra cloak faded at a visible rate.

"Ah... ah..." Menma let out a heart-wrenching cry. He gradually returned to his original form, but his skin had been severely burned by the Nine-Tails' chakra, exposing raw flesh.

Seeing Menma in this state, Kakashi felt a pang of heartache. Once the cloak fully dissipated, Menma lost consciousness and collapsed toward the ground.

Kakashi reacted quickly, catching Menma and retreating a few steps to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.

Looking at the unconscious Menma in Kakashi's arms, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a complex mix of emotions. He turned his gaze to the still-rampaging Naruto, grabbed his Adamantine Staff, and charged forward.

Naruto noticed Jiraiya approaching, pulled his arm back to dodge, and swung his tail. Jiraiya didn't react in time and was sent flying, though he quickly regained his footing.

Naruto retreated a few steps, putting some distance between himself and the others. Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived beside Jiraiya, and seeing this, a sense of dread welled up in Jiraiya's heart.

Just then, a mass of dark red and pale blue chakra spheres surged from within Naruto. Naruto tilted his head back, opened his mouth as it emitted a white glow, and his four tails extended above his head.

At that moment, the two differently colored chakra spheres converged at Naruto's mouth, forming a massive black chakra ball.

Through his Sharingan, Kakashi clearly saw the immense chakra contained within the black sphere and was struck with shock. The others began to panic as they witnessed the scene.

Jiraiya seemed to realize something and shouted, "Everyone, use defensive ninjutsu! If we are hit by this, we won't survive!" Hearing this, the group gathered quickly and began casting defensive techniques.

"Earth Style: Great Earth-Style Wall!", "Earth Style: Earth-Style Rampart!"

The group slammed their hands onto the ground after forming seals, and several massive, thick earth walls rose up, shielding everyone behind them.

"Damn it, this might not be enough," Jiraiya gritted his teeth.

Just then, Genma Shiranui, Namiashi Raidō, and Iwashi Tatami stood in a triangle and began forming seals. The three slammed their hands onto the ground simultaneously, and a triangular purple barrier rose up.

"Four Violet Flames Formation!" the three shouted in unison.

Seeing the barrier, the group breathed a slight sigh of relief; they knew the strength of this barrier and did not believe it would be easily broken.

"It's not enough, we have to do something else," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, as if sensing something.

At this moment, the black chakra ball at Naruto's mouth began to compress and shrink. With every compression, the ground trembled, and the earth beneath them began to cave in, forming a circular crater.

Naruto opened his mouth wide and swallowed the black chakra sphere. Instantly, his body swelled up like a balloon, as if he were about to explode at any moment. Just as Naruto prepared to open his mouth to fire, Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed it.

"Now! Earth Style: Earth Flow Spear!"

After Hiruzen Sarutobi formed the hand seals, he slammed his hands onto the ground. A stone suddenly erupted from the earth beneath Naruto, flying toward his head. This impact caused Naruto's head to tilt slightly, and the Tailed Beast Bomb he fired shifted its trajectory accordingly.

At that moment, the Tailed Beast Bomb flew past the group and slammed into the earth wall.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the Tailed Beast Bomb instantly obliterated the earth wall. The technique, which had once been able to withstand the attacks of the Third Raikage, vanished the instant it made contact with the blast.

The people before it were all startled; they had not expected the power to be so immense. A flash of light blinded them, followed by a ringing in their ears that left them momentarily dazed.

Fortunately, the Tailed Beast Bomb did not break the Four Violet Flames Formation. When the group regained their senses, they discovered that everything surrounding their position had been devastated by the blast. Seeing this, they were even more terrified.

They knew that if the chakra had been any more condensed, their lives would surely have been forfeit.

Before they could even celebrate their narrow escape, Naruto charged directly at them. Genma Shiranui, Namiashi Raidō, and Iwashi Tatami saw this and immediately dispelled the barrier. Seeing the barrier open, the others scattered in all directions.

Naruto's claw swiped at empty air, and he immediately pivoted, charging toward Kakashi.

Kakashi was shocked, clutching Menma as he dodged to the side. Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya rushed forward, placing themselves in front of Kakashi.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted after forming the seals. Suddenly, the ground transformed into a mudslide, flowing toward Naruto. Naruto's footing became unstable, and he began to sway.

At this moment, an Anbu ninja from the Nara Clan saw the opening. Knowing the time was right, he immediately cast Shadow Possession Jutsu, pinning Naruto in place.

"Quick! Lord Jiraiya, I cannot hold him for long!" the Nara Clan Anbu ninja shouted to Jiraiya.

"I know," Jiraiya replied. He quickly reached Naruto's side and slapped a seal paper onto his forehead.

The moment the paper touched him, it emitted a glow. Just like with Menma, the Nine-Tails' dark red chakra cloak gradually dissipated, revealing Naruto's original form.

Likewise, Naruto's skin had been scorched by the Nine-Tails' chakra, exposing raw flesh.

"Ah... ah..." Naruto let out a heart-wrenching, agonizing scream.

The Nara Clan Anbu ninja let out a long sigh of relief and released the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

As the chakra cloak continued to fade, Naruto fell unconscious and tipped backward once it was completely gone. Jiraiya was quick-witted and agile; he stepped forward to catch Naruto, then carried him over to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.

Everyone looked at Menma and Naruto in the arms of Kakashi and Jiraiya, suddenly noticing that their skin was recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Their self-healing abilities are truly formidable," an Anbu remarked from the side.

Because Menma had exited his berserk state earlier, he had already recovered significantly and looked no different than he had before the rampage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over at the Anbu ninja whose leg had suffered a comminuted fracture and asked, "Are you alright? Take time to rest and recover as much as you can."

The Anbu ninja with the shattered leg, supported by two others, nodded to indicate he understood.

"Then let us return," Jiraiya said.

Subsequently, Genma Shiranui, Namiashi Raidō, and Iwashi Tatami stepped forward and activated the Flying Thunder God teleportation formation, transporting the entire group directly back to Konoha.