Giant Beast Takes Shape! In Front of the Tailed Beast, Big Brother Gives You Two Choices

The surrounding Hidden Leaf are about two kilometers from the venue.

The moss on the tree trunk was shaken off by the Tailed Beast Chakra.

Kankuro half-dragged, half-carried Gaara as they ran wildly through the forest, the puppet parts on his back clanging loudly. Black Ant's head slammed into a tree trunk, chipping off a piece of paint. Gaara's right side was a mangled mess, yellow sand and blue patterns spreading from his shoulder to the back of his hand. His thick, tanuki-like arm swung wildly out of control, each strike tearing deep, bone-revealing claw marks into the tree trunk beside him.

Kankuro's voice trembled with tears. "Sister! Try to stop them!"

Temari a deep breath. She drew her Iron Fan with both hands, unleashing its full power, and assumed a horse stance, holding it firmly behind her. Her hands trembled as she gripped the handle, and her jaw ached from clenching her teeth. The wind was her only weapon. No matter how chaotic her mind was, she couldn't let her younger brother die here.

The blond figure shrank from 800 meters away to less than 200. His steps were neither hurried nor slow, as relaxed as if he were taking a walk in the woods.

"He's catching up!" Temari's voice was three octaves higher than she had expected.

Naruto didn't stop. He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and casually swung it forward.

The pure physical burst of the Sage Body created a gust of wind that precisely blew Kankuro and his puppet more than ten meters away, causing them to crash into the bushes, roll three times, vomit blood, and faint.

But Temari didn't move. She stood in a horse stance, stubbornly resisting the wind pressure. The Iron Fan in her hand trembled and buzzed, and her feet plowed two half-meter-long furrows in the ground.

The wind paused for a moment. Naruto stopped less than a step away from Temari, looking down at her.

Temari's Iron Fan pressed against his chest, the ribs trembling. Naruto looked down at her, a slightly inappropriate smile playing on his lips. He reached out, two fingers gently pinching the edge of the Iron Fan's blade, and slowly pushed it aside.

"Princess of Hidden Sand. A defective product who can't even control her Chakra will only become nourishment for that tanuki." Naruto coldly ordered, his back to her. "You have two choices. First, come with me, and I'll save your brother's life. Second, continue blocking my way, and I'll knock you out, carry you on my shoulder, and then go save him. The result is the same, only the process is different. You choose."

It's not asking for consent, it's issuing a notification. A domineering desire to control to the core.

Temari didn't have time to answer.

A devastating roar came from behind. Gaara, in his Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, completely lost control. His massive sand tail swept across, violently shoving Temari, who was trying to grab him, away.

Naruto grabbed Temari by the waist and steadied her.

A burning hot chest pressed against her back. The residual heat of Yang Release energy seeped through her clothes and burned into her skin. Temari froze for a moment, feeling an extremely domineering yet absolutely safe sense of protection. The dignity of the Hidden Sand princess shattered in this heat, and her admiration for strength fully awakened.

[Ding! Detected a significant fluctuation in the S-rank target Temari's affection level! Current status: Admiration and submission! Affection level surpasses 80: Deepening bond!]

Temari away, her face burning to her ears, her eyes red as Gaara had disappeared. "He'll die... He'll never come back after Shukaku takes complete control..." Her voice was hoarse.

Naruto glanced towards the high platform. Inside the purple barrier, the Third Hokage and Orochimaru's Chakra were clashing fiercely. The old man could hold on. The village's defenses wouldn't collapse so easily. The only variable was the One-Tail Beast, which was still forming its complete form.

"Alright, follow me." Naruto pushed off with his toes, the ground cracked, and his figure shot into the depths of the dense forest. Temari gritted her teeth, put away her Iron Fan, and followed.

At the same time, below the stands.

When Sasuke jumped down from the stands, the Snake Mark was being suppressed by the Yang Release Mark on his shoulder. The pain was excruciating. But he didn't care. His Sharingan locked onto the direction Naruto had disappeared in.

"My brother went after them... This time I can't just stand by and watch!"

He gritted his teeth and rushed into the same forest.

Sakura was chasing after Sasuke, her legs wouldn't stop. Then a figure blocked her way: Kakashi Hatake.

"Sakura, stay. Assist in the evacuation of civilians."

Sakura bit her lip. Kakashi glanced in the direction Sasuke had disappeared. "Sasuke's there with Naruto. You'll only be a burden to him if you go."

Sakura stopped in her tracks. She didn't even have the right to chase after him now.

During the pursuit.

Naruto's speed was reduced due to his weakened state. A distance he could cover in two seconds now took five seconds. His leg muscles reacted a beat slower than at their peak.

Mind's Eye of the Kagura is tracking in real time. Gaara's Tailed Beast Chakra concentration is increasing at a rate of doubling every ten seconds. In a maximum of three minutes, Shukaku's complete form will be formed.

On the other side, Sasuke was chasing at full speed, putting a 300-meter gap between himself and Naruto.

Three figures shot out from the side of the tree canopy. Hidden Sound.

One person unleashed Sonic Wave Technique to stun Sasuke, while two others attacked from both sides, Kunai straight Sasuke his throat. Sasuke's Sharingan instantly activated, anticipating the attack's trajectory as he dodged to the side, and with a powerful spinning kick of his right foot, sent one of them flying.

The Snake Mark on the back of Sasuke's neck jerked violently under the adrenaline rush of battle. A chilling power tried to crawl out along his meridians. The Yang Release Mark emitted a warm light, clashing fiercely with that chilling power. Sasuke's movements faltered for a moment.

The third Hidden Sound's Kunai across his ribs, tearing his clothes and drawing a line of blood.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. The two Tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly. He didn't wait for the second wave of attacks and charged forward. His Kunai sliced through the air, precisely severing the Hidden Sound's Forehead Protector. His knee slammed into the opponent's abdomen, and his elbow struck the spine.

Three people, twelve seconds, all dealt with.

Sasuke shook the blood off his hands, pressed his throbbing neck, and continued the chase. The warmth of the Yang Release Mark caused the chilling aura to recede once more.

Naruto stopped when he reached an open river valley.

The sight before him made him squint.

The silhouette of a three-story-tall, sand-colored behemoth completely solidified in the center of the valley, letting out a roar that ripped through eardrums. The massive Tailed Beast Chakra transformed into a tangible storm that swept outwards, uprooting large swathes of trees.

The behemoth opened its mouth, and a black Chakra bullet, over two meters in diameter and extremely compressed, was gathering. Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet.

The attack was aimed directly at the residential area on the outskirts of Hidden Leaf. The power of this attack was more than ten times greater than the one on the field.

Naruto didn't hesitate. Regardless of his weakened state, if this attack landed in a crowd, it wouldn't just kill one or two people.

"The Gate of Life Opens."

Muscles swelled. Green steam rose from his body. The muscles of the Perfect Sage Body instantly swelled to a full size, facing the Drilling Air Bullet.

The Drilling Air Bullet struck Naruto head-on, exploding with a deafening roar. The powerful shockwave scraped up half a meter of ground, and the resulting dust obscured visibility.

On the treetop, Sasuke, who had just arrived, had scratched his palm with his fingernails. His Sharingan could see through the sand and dust, clearly capturing Naruto's unharmed body. The minor scratches on his skin healed completely in less than a second under the nurturing of Yang Release.

Sasuke his morbid desire to steal techniques to utter madness.

The dust settled. Naruto cracked his neck. The Chakra stagnation caused by the 12-hour period of weakness annoyed him, and he decided to stop playing the war of attrition.

He raised his left hand, compressing the icy blue Chakra of the Extreme Cold Ice Release into his palm. The surrounding temperature instantly plummeted below freezing, and a thick layer of white frost formed on the surface of the sand.

Ice Release: Absolute Zero Domain

He thrust out his left palm. A massive ice wall rose from the ground, five meters high and three meters thick, completely absorbing and freezing the remaining shockwave from the Drilling Air Bullet, turning it into harmless ice crystal fragments that drifted down.

Temari chased to the edge of the valley, her eyes wide, her breath catching in her throat. The Hidden Sand's top-secret files contained no information whatsoever that this blond monster had lost his Ice Release.

The ice wall shattered. Naruto pierced through the curtain of ice shards, his left arm bearing obvious frostbite marks. Ice Release backlash.

But he didn't stop. He slammed his left palm into the ground. Huge, ice-blue spikes rose from the ground, growing at an unreasonable speed, directly piercing through Shukaku's massive right arm that was trying to strike down, forcibly freezing the Yin Chakra.

Shukaku let out a painful scream.

Naruto used the ice pillars as leverage to leap into the air, his right fist clenched, and the golden life energy of Yang Release burst forth with a dazzling halo between his joints.

Behind a tree at the exit of the secret passage in the distance, Kabuto Yakushi witnessed the entire scene. He recorded the combined suppressive power of Naruto's Ice Release and Yang Release, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He immediately abandoned his original plan to take Sasuke away and turned to disappear into the shadows to report the information.

Sasuke witnessed all of this from the treetop, his emotions reaching a fever pitch. At that moment, the Snake Mark the back of his neck, stimulated by intense Chakra, suddenly wriggled and erupted, clashing violently with the Yang Release Mark on his shoulder. Sasuke screamed and fell from the tree.

In mid-air, Sasuke gritted his teeth and, enduring excruciating pain, threw three fireballs at Shukaku's back. The purpose wasn't to inflict damage, but to draw enemy fire.

"Look this way! You fat raccoon!"

Shukaku's massive tail turned towards Sasuke. The Sand Tail swept across. Sasuke barely dodged it thanks to his Sharingan's prediction. The tip of the Sand Tail grazed his cheek, severing a few strands of black hair.

That two-second window is enough.

Naruto kicked off with his toes, his figure shooting out. His right palm, radiating the heat of the sun, pressed against Shukaku's forehead.

"Yang Release - Sun Wheel Seal!"

Golden patterns spread like lightning. Shukaku let out a mournful howl, and the entire behemoth trembled violently. The sand shell began to crumble.

But three seconds later, the golden light suddenly dimmed. His output during the weakened state was only 60% of his peak. Naruto's palm was repelled by a violent rebound force, and he was thrown backward.

"Tsk."

Naruto landed on one knee, his right hand bracing against the ground. His fingertips trembled slightly. His Yang Release reserves were almost depleted. He was just a little short. He was one breath away from victory.

Shukaku's disintegration stopped at 70%. The sand shell on its lower body reformed. The giant beast shook its head, and something new appeared in its four-pointed star-shaped pupils: madness beyond fear. It no longer attacked Hidden Leaf, locking all its killing intent onto Naruto.

"That light... disappear—!" Shukaku's voice was completely unlike a human's.

The system's voice sounded cold and impersonal.

[Host's current cellular activation reserves: 4%. The Eight Gates cannot be opened. Yang Release's remaining reserves are insufficient to execute the sealing. Immediate evacuation from the battlefield is recommended.]

Naruto knelt on one knee, breathing rapidly. The combined Opening Gate during his weakened state, the backlash from Ice Release, and the depletion of Yang Release meant he was experiencing a triple drain on his strength. This was the first time since his transmigration that he had truly felt powerless.

He grinned, stood up, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Evacuate? When did Big Brother ever run away?"

Just then...

A sound came from the direction of the upper reaches of the valley. It was the sound of hurried footsteps.

A red figure appeared on the edge of the field of vision. Long red hair fluttered in the wind, and red glasses reflected the Kakkō of the battlefield.

Karin. How did she get out of the secret passage? What about Haku?

In the instant Naruto subconsciously activated his Pure Byakugan, he saw Karin's arm covered in dense, intricate teeth marks—a unique healing method of the Uzumaki Clan. She was using her own bloodline power to bolster her courage.

She was trembling all over, her face was deathly pale, and her teeth were chattering. But she was running. Running towards Naruto.

"Naruto... Naruto!" His voice trembled uncontrollably. "Haku-nee said... that you need my power... and told me to come find you..."

Naruto's pupils reflected the red-haired girl, trembling but desperately running forward. The curve of his lips changed. From a weary, strained effort, it transformed into a genuine, warm smile.

"Good timing." He held out his hand. "Come here. Your older brother needs you."