"Hee-hee!"
Shukaku let out a strange cry.
Naruto had never heard anyone say that tanuki made noises like that.
It seemed Shukaku was extremely happy to be free.
"What fate?"
"I can break it with my own fists."
Naruto remained atop the tree.
But Shukaku's enormous form made the tree look like a weed.
Everyone who had come to rescue Sasuke witnessed the same scene.
"What is that?!"
Sasuke felt even more devastated.
If Gaara's true strength was this terrifying, then what had his fight with him amounted to?
"Only Naruto can make him use his full strength? Damn it!"
Sasuke felt that he was too weak.
Neji had already proved to be his equal among their peers.
He hadn't expected Gaara and Naruto to be the strongest!
But—
Sasuke thought to himself.
At this point—
Even Naruto couldn't defeat Gaara.
That power was beyond the limits of an ordinary ninja.
A Jinchuriki capable of wielding Tailed Beast Chakra was someone who could contend for the title of Kage!
Sasuke didn't know that Gaara hadn't even intended to let Shukaku fully awaken.
Naruto had brought out the real Shukaku himself!
"Summoning a giant toad to fight you would take too long. I'll just skip a step."
Nine chakra tails sprouted behind Naruto.
His blood-red Chakra Cloak radiated seething hatred and negativity.
Nine-Tails Chakra sure came in handy!
Hm?
Shukaku lowered his head, immediately realizing Naruto was using the Nine-Tails' chakra.
He spoke directly to the Nine-Tails.
"Stinky Fox, you've surrendered!"
The Tailed Beasts communicated directly mind to mind.
"Shut up! Fat Tanuki, it's none of your business."
The Nine-Tails glanced at Shukaku.
While Naruto had been training, he'd constantly taken chakra from the Nine-Tails.
Some of it he converted, and some he kept for later.
After all, what kind of decent person converted the Nine-Tails' chakra into his own, then stored it in his Yin Seal?
That was downright shameless!
"Argh!"
Shukaku went berserk. He hated being called fat more than anything, especially by a tanuki!
"Hey, Kurama, did you two start a private group chat?"
"What were you saying? Is that sand-playing tanuki strong?"
At Naruto's words,
the Nine-Tails immediately stopped talking.
He was definitely about to steal more chakra again!
"My fox says you're weak—and the weakest Tailed Beast, because you have the fewest tails!"
When no answer came, Naruto answered for him.
"What?!"
Shukaku bristled.
"Stinky Fox! How dare you say that!"
Shukaku contacted the Nine-Tails directly again.
"I didn't say that. But he's right—I am the strongest! Stupid Tanuki!"
The Nine-Tails would only admit that he was the strongest Tailed Beast.
He really hadn't said anything else.
"Argh!!"
Shukaku went berserk.
That damned fox was as sharp-tongued as ever.
"Wind Release: Empty Air Cannon!"
Boom!
It seemed that as long as you had enough chakra, even the simplest jutsu could have limitless power.
Both cases involved compressing as much Wind Release chakra as possible.
An ordinary person could only blow a gust of wind or fire an air bullet capable of smashing a tree.
In Shukaku's hands, it became a terrifying weapon with enough destructive power to level an entire village!
"Flying Thunder God: Spin!"
Naruto didn't care how far Shukaku could attack or how destructive his attacks were.
He leaped straight onto Shukaku's head.
"When did you do that?"
Shukaku had no idea when Naruto had marked him with a formula.
"Did you think I was punching you for nothing? Of course I left something behind!"
Naruto had planted Flying Thunder God Formulas while punching and kicking Gaara.
As for why Flying Thunder God Slash had become Spin—
Naruto was about to spin something!
"Blood-Cruel Rasengan!"
He used Nine-Tails Chakra, fueled by emotions like pain and hatred.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode formed his armor, while the blood-red chakra served as his cloak.
Naruto slammed the enormous Rasengan, over three meters in radius, onto Shukaku's head.
"Humans are as despicable as ever!"
Part of Shukaku's head was blown away.
Yellow sand blasted in every direction, each grain turning into a force like Sand Spears.
They punched hole after hole through the tree.
"Naruto, when did he completely surpass me?!"
Sasuke felt he'd die without ever understanding if he kept watching.
Naruto was too strong!
Why was his only bond so strong?
How was he supposed to kill his bond and become stronger now?!
Tailed Beasts were conglomerations of chakra, so how could they die?
Shukaku's body re-formed in the blink of an eye, but he regarded Naruto with caution.
This human Genin seemed to be absurdly powerful!
"Would a Sealing Technique work? Could I seal this kid?"
Shukaku considered his options.
Taking advantage of the moment, he formed a large number of Empty Air Cannons inside himself.
"Have you heard?"
"The Eight-Tails in Kumogakure had half one of its horns chopped off."
"Shukaku! That's your name, right?"
"Will you follow me?"
Naruto wore a smile, yet released a dark aura that made even Shukaku's heart pound.
What was going on?
Shukaku wondered. Had years of Bunpuku's advice weakened his hatred?
"Stinky Fox!"
"Don't tell me you gave humans your ability to sense the emotions of living beings, too? Can you give that ability to someone else?"
Shukaku was utterly confused.
He'd certainly seen something new by coming to Konoha today.
The Nine-Tails lifted his eyes, his tail swishing casually.
"What if I told you he's darkness itself? Would you believe me?"
Who would?
Even Kurama had been startled the first time Naruto deliberately let his inner self show.
When had humans stopped acting human?
"Damn it!"
Shukaku spat out Empty Air Cannons one after another.
He wanted to destroy the entire area where Naruto stood.
"It won't work."
Naruto tossed a kunai bearing a Flying Thunder God Formula onto one of the Empty Air Cannons.
The moment they met, he teleported the cannon to a distant wasteland.
Boom!
The dunes in the wasteland were flattened, the sand reduced to ashes.
The Empty Air Cannons were powerful, but in Naruto's eyes, they were nothing special.
"Good. That was just the test I needed. Turns out I can do it, too."
Naruto appeared on Shukaku's head once again.
"Human, get down!"
Shukaku let out a piercing shriek.
Just having his Empty Air Cannons deflected was humiliating enough.
Then Naruto used the same technique to stand on his head again, making it even more embarrassing!
"That's Flying Thunder God - Second Stage. I can explain: I threw another kunai onto you just now. Guess you were too big to even notice."
This time, Naruto didn't form another Rasengan.
"Who wants to hear your explanation, you damn Konoha Genin!"
Shukaku grumbled furiously.
"Yeah."
"The cherry blossoms in Konoha are blooming. The rainy season is almost here again."
Naruto's blood-red Chakra Cloak, formed through Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, quietly began to change.
"What are you babbling about? It's rude to sit on a Tailed Beast's head!"
Shukaku reached out to grab him, but couldn't touch Naruto at all. Instead, he felt a sudden unease!
It was so familiar, yet he hadn't felt it in ages.
It was the real Nine-Tails Chakra!