Two colossal Tailed Beast Bombs collided mid-air—two blazing spheres of pure chakra, crashing against one another with violent intensity. Neither force yielded.
In the end, Naruto's bomb pressed Sasuke's upward, launching it high into the sky before it detonated in a thunderous explosion.
Though the detonation occurred in the upper atmosphere, the sheer force of the blast sent a shockwave across the ground below. The earth split open. Jagged cracks ran through the battlefield, and shards of rock were launched into the sky like bullets.
Hidden safely within a shield formed by Gyūki's (Eight-Tails) tails, Jiraiya and Minato observed the spectacle through a narrow gap.
Jiraiya whistled.
"Seems like Naruto aimed low and used the impact to shoot Sasuke's bomb upward. Smart thinking."
Gyūki grunted in approval.
"Hmph, hell of a move. That was one beautiful clash. And once again, Kurama's flexing his power. Nine-Tails really is in a league of his own!"
Inside Minato, Yin Kurama—the dark half of the Nine-Tails—snorted smugly, radiating pride.
Gyūki frowned slightly, having sensed Yin Kurama's chakra through his connection with Naruto's Kurama.
"Wait... is that...? What's sealed inside the Fourth's body?"
Minato explained calmly.
"It's the Yin half of Kurama. During the sealing process, I split the Nine-Tails. The Yang half remained with Naruto, while the Yin half was sealed inside me."
Killer Bee wiped sweat from his brow.
"Damn! If just half is that powerful, then the full Nine-Tails must be completely insane!"
The explosion's shockwave swept across the battlefield.
Suigetsu, Jūgo, and Karin were buried inside makeshift foxholes, shielding themselves. Orochimaru, too, had retreated into a self-dug underground hideout. There was no way a normal body could survive that blast. The intense heat and force were enough to vaporize unprotected shinobi.
Meanwhile, Obito stood eerily still, unmoved. His eyes remained locked on the battlefield, cold and calculating.
Taking advantage of the cover created by the explosion, Naruto went on the offensive.
Kurama's nine tails transformed into massive chakra arms, reaching out like serpents and grabbing hold of the tailed beasts!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With precision, Naruto restrained all seven tailed beasts.
In each chakra hand, a Nine-Tails Chakra ModeShadow Clone had been hidden—each one grabbing hold of the black receivers embedded in the tailed beasts' bodies, the very rods Sasuke was using to control them.
Sage Mode Clone Naruto grinned.
"Perfect! Got the receivers!"
The plan had worked.
Naruto nodded to his clone, then glanced toward Obito. His expression sharpened.
"Obito... what's your next move?"
But before he could react, a familiar pull tugged at his consciousness. Through the chakra link now shared with the seven tailed beasts, Naruto's mind was suddenly drawn inward—into the spiritual plane, where the tailed beasts' souls resided.
Naruto found himself standing in a vast, timeless void, surrounded by the seven tailed beasts.
He had returned—once again—to the Tailed Beast Mindscape.
Naruto smiled warmly.
"It's been a while, everyone. I've waited a long time for this."
To them, it was their first meeting. But to Naruto—who carried memories of his past life—it was a reunion.
Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, squinted suspiciously.
"Why does this kid act like he knows us already...?"
Matatabi's former Jinchūriki, Blue B, laughed gently.
"Any Jinchūriki who sees us as comrades instead of tools... can enter this space. That's how he's here."
Utakata, the Jinchūriki of Saiken, stepped forward from Kirigakure and waved.
"Yo, Naruto. Long time no see."
Naruto waved back with a grin.
"Haha, Utakata! You're alive in this timeline. That's a relief."
They had bonded over a mission once. The friendship still lingered.
Shukaku, the One-Tail, huffed.
"Tch. Who would've thought the arrogant fox would ever make friends?"
Kurama, standing behind Naruto, growled.
"You damn raccoon. If you don't shut up, I'll shove your sand tail back in the desert where it belongs!"
"Tch, you arrogant flea-ridden fox!" Shukaku snapped.
"The only reason you've got more tails is because Hagoromo played favorites!"
Naruto chuckled. He had missed this: Kurama and Shukaku's endless bickering. The absurdity of it was somehow comforting.
From behind, Yagura, the former Jinchūriki of Isobu (Three-Tails), crossed his arms and smiled.
"Naruto, you're just in time. On behalf of the Jinchūriki and tailed beasts... we thank you."
Naruto looked up, smiling softly.
"Yagura... it's good to see you. You died way too young in the last timeline. What a shame. Bet you didn't even get to kiss a girl, huh?"
Yagura's eye twitched.
"Oi! I'm the Fourth Mizukage! I don't need a girlfriend!"
Naruto grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry, sorry. Just teasing."
Kurama chuckled darkly.
"In your past life, you didn't date either. And the only lips you kissed were Sasuke's!"
Naruto turned red.
"Kurama! You swore we'd never bring that up!"
Shukaku scoffed.
"Wow. You two really are close. He even knows your embarrassing secrets."
Son Gokū narrowed his eyes.
"Wait... Kurama, did your Jinchūriki just say past life?"
Kurama glanced at Naruto.
Naruto nodded and stepped into the center of the mindscape.
"Yeah. There's something you all need to know."
With that, Kurama reached outward, a massive chakra limb stretching into the physical world. In an instant, he dragged Gyūki and Killer Bee into the mindspace.
They landed with a thud. Killer Bee blinked.
"Yo, where the hell are we now?"
Gyūki answered:
"This is the spiritual plane—the heart of the tailed beast network. Only Jinchūriki who have completely synced with their tailed beasts can enter."
Bee whistled.
"So that means that masked freak and Sasuke can't come in here?"
Gyūki nodded.
"Exactly."
Naruto clapped his hands.
"Perfect. Now that we're all here, let's do roll call!"
He pointed to each one, calling them by their true names.
"Ichibi – Shukaku.
Nibi – Matatabi.
Sanbi – Isobu.
Yonbi – Son Gokū.
Gobi – Kokuō.
Rokubi – Saiken.
Nanabi – Chōmei.
Hachibi – Gyūki.
Kyūbi – Kurama."
The moment he uttered their names, a hush fell over the group.
Every tailed beast and Jinchūriki froze.
They knew what this meant.
No one could call a tailed beast by its real name unless that beast trusted them. Even most Jinchūriki never learned them.
Son Gokū's eyes narrowed.
"How do you know our names?"
He glared at Kurama.
"Did you tell him?"
Kurama puffed out his chest.
"Tch. As if I'd waste my breath on that. Ask him yourself."
Gyūki and Bee smirked. They already knew.
Naruto took a step forward.
"Do you remember what the Sage of Six Paths told you before he passed?"
At that question, every tailed beast stirred.
Naruto continued.
"He said a blue-eyed boy would come. One who knew your names and treated you as equals."
Their eyes widened.
"What...?"
The entire spiritual space trembled.
Only Kurama and Gyūki remained calm.
But the rest—all seven tailed beasts—stood stunned, as if lightning had struck their souls.
They were beginning to understand.
This boy… Uzumaki Naruto… wasn't ordinary.
He was the one they had been waiting for.
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