Swish—
Under the control of Yomi's clone, Minato—who was also cloaked in the Nine-Tails' chakra—launched another attack.
He pulled out a three-pronged kunai, infused it with Wind Release, but instead of throwing it at Naruto, he tossed it high into the sky. He then rapidly formed hand seals.
Seeing this, Kakashi's eyes widened as a memory surfaced. He shouted desperately, "Naruto! Sakura! Get out of there, now! Or you'll be riddled with holes!"
Whoosh whoosh...
Unfortunately, Kakashi's warning came too late.
As Minato finished his seal, the kunai in the sky suddenly multiplied. Like Sato using the Shadow Clone Technique, afterimages split from the original kunai until they formed a solid cloud of steel. Then, they rained down like a torrential storm.
This was the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique—adapted for kunai.
Facing this overwhelming number of projectiles, Naruto and Sakura had no time to dodge. They were forced to defend, deflecting as many as they could.
However, even though they blocked some, the remaining kunai landed all around them, effectively surrounding them in a field of teleportation markers.
Boom!
The moment the formation was set, Minato vanished.
Using the Flying Thunder God: Second Step, he appeared instantly behind Sakura. Sakura, whose senses were heightened by fear and training, reacted just in time, spinning around to punch him.
But Minato was faster. He disappeared again before her fist could connect and reappeared behind Naruto.
Naruto's eyes widened. He had seen Minato appear behind Sakura and wanted to warn her, but in that split second of distraction, Minato was already behind him.
A Rasengan slammed into Naruto's back.
The terrifying force of the attack drove Naruto into the ground. The protective limit of his transparent demon fox cloak shattered like a balloon. The violently spinning chakra tore through Naruto's clothes and flayed the skin on his back.
Boom!
Just as Minato instinctively reached out to place a Flying Thunder God seal on Naruto's back, a surge of dazzling, dark red chakra erupted from Naruto's body.
This was different from the transparent red chakra earlier. This was dense, heavy, and toxic. It covered Naruto's entire body in an instant, transforming him from a humanoid fox into a miniature beast.
A dark red tail, carrying immense power, lashed out at Minato.
Facing the sudden counterattack, Minato instinctively used the Flying Thunder God to teleport away.
"ROAR...!"
The moment Minato vanished, Naruto—who had lost his target—let out a beast-like roar. A terrifying shockwave blasted outward, blowing away all the surrounding kunai.
Naruto had entered the Version 2 state with four tails manifested.
Encountering the Fourth Hokage, the man who had sealed the beast within him, had triggered Kurama's rage. He released his power fully, influencing Naruto to enter a berserk state. And Naruto, desperate to protect Sakura, accepted the power willingly.
Minato's strength was simply too terrifying. He was the most powerful enemy Naruto had ever faced. If Sakura hadn't reacted earlier, the person slammed into the ground might have been her.
To defeat the Fourth Hokage, Naruto sacrificed his reason. The chakra leaked rapidly, forming a fifth and then a sixth tail.
"Ugh... Naruto..."
Seeing Naruto in this form for the first time, Sakura felt a deep sense of dread. She subconsciously called out to him, trying to wake him up.
Her voice attracted the attention of the Six-Tails Naruto.
Naruto, whose skin had completely peeled off to reveal the dark red chakra beast beneath, turned his murderous gaze toward Sakura.
In the next second, he became a dark blur, distorting the air as he rushed toward her.
"Sakura, get out of the way!" Kakashi shouted anxiously. But he was entangled by the Third Raikage, and Chiyo was busy with the Third Kazekage. It was too late to rescue her.
Boom—
Just as Naruto was about to reach Sakura, a small sapling suddenly burst from the ground.
In an instant, it grew into a thick wooden tendril, breaking through the earth like a boa constrictor and binding the rushing Naruto.
Sensing the threat, Naruto—acting entirely on beast instinct—immediately leaped into the sky. Ignoring gravity, he smashed the ground beneath his feet and soared tens of meters into the air.
However, just as he prepared to attack from above, the sound of rattling chains reached his ears.
Clatter...
Five silver chains shot out from the ground, intercepting him in mid-air. Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Naruto couldn't dodge in the air. He used his four chakra tails to knock the chains away, grabbing the last one with his hands to prevent it from binding him.
But the chains were just a distraction.
While Naruto struggled with the chains, the wooden tendril that had missed him earlier grew wildly, chasing him into the sky. Like a python, it wrapped around his entire body, tying him into a wooden cocoon, and dragged him back down.
BOOM!
The huge wooden bundle slammed into the ground like a meteorite, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. When the dust settled, a small crater appeared on the plain.
At this moment, a figure wearing a black cloak and a white cat-face mask appeared in the air. He dropped into the crater, extending a palm that glowed with the kanji for "Sit" (座).
"Hokage-Style: Sixty-Year-Old Technique - Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
With a shout, several more wooden branches broke out of the ground. They formed wooden pillars around Naruto, instantly suppressing the Nine-Tails chakra.
Sato landed in the pit and pressed his palm onto Naruto's head.
The rampaging Naruto suddenly went still. The dark red chakra faded away quickly. After a moment, his skin—which had been burned away—began to heal, though he remained unconscious, covered in burn marks.
Swish!
Before Sato could retrieve Naruto, a figure instantly appeared at the bottom of the pit, stabbing at Sato with a wind-infused kunai.
The attacker was none other than Minato Namikaze.