Sasuke and Obito gave it their all, trying desperately to counter the incoming conical Tailed Beast Bomb.
Obito immediately activated Kamui, intending to warp the bomb away—but the sheer force of it caused unstable ripples in his space-time dimension.
Left with no other choice, the two of them commanded the Ten Tails to quickly form another Tailed Beast Bomb and fire it toward the one coming from above.
At the same time, Naruto created several Shadow Clones, darting through the Allied Shinobi Forces, distributing the Nine Tails' chakra to everyone he passed.
Sasuke and Obito also had the Ten Tails wrap its ten tails around them like a shield to protect them.
BOOM!
The two Tailed Beast Bombs collided in the sky, detonating with earth-shattering force. The shockwave ripped across the battlefield, leveling mountains and tearing open the earth.
Floating high above, Hyuga Gakuya stood in the sky completely unfazed, looking down on the battlefield below with a calm, unreadable expression.
The Allied Shinobi Forces were far enough from the blast and protected by Naruto's chakra, so they emerged unscathed.
But for those at ground zero—Sasuke, Obito, and the Ten Tails—the impact was devastating. The explosion sent shockwaves through their bodies. Even the Ten Tails howled in pain.
Seeing this through the cracks in the Ten Tails' defense, Gakuya finally seemed satisfied and began descending toward the Allied Forces.
As he landed, those familiar with him immediately rushed over.
Shikaku and Inoichi bowed deeply.
"Thank you for saving our fathers."
Gakuya waved it off with calm grace.
"I'm the commander of the Allied Forces. It's my duty. From here on, I'll be fighting alongside you."
At that moment, Nagato asked, "What happened over there?"
Gakuya nodded.
"It's done. Kabuto has agreed to join our side. He's gone to retrieve Uchiha Itachi's body."
"It was taken by Sasuke, so we're not sure where it is—but he'll find it. As long as Itachi shows up in person, he might be able to convince Sasuke to change course."
As Gakuya spoke, the next phase of his plan began to unfold. He had just met with Kabuto and brought him back to the Allied side, instructing him to retrieve Itachi's body and perform Edo Tensei. When the moment was right, Itachi would appear and try to bring Sasuke back to the light.
"That's great!" Naruto said, clapping his hands together excitedly.
Gakuya let out a soft sigh.
"Let's just hope we're not too late. The battle from here on will be up to you. My eye power is nearly drained—I won't be much help. I might've been bluffing a little earlier."
He even looked slightly weak, and none of those present—not even Tsunade—could see through his act.
Naruto pounded his chest.
"Don't worry! Leave it to me!"
Gakuya then turned to Hashirama and Tobirama, taking out two vials containing Hashirama's cells.
"Let me restore some of your strength. Your current bodies are too limited."
Hashirama's eyes lit up.
"Ha! Finally! I can use Sage Mode again!"
His enthusiasm was almost identical to Naruto's—no surprise, considering they were reincarnations of the same chakra.
Gakuya split the Hashirama cells in half and placed them onto Hashirama and Tobirama's chests.
Flesh wriggled and fused with their bodies. The integration restored a significant portion of their power.
The others around them, hearing Gakuya's plan, felt their morale surge.
...
Meanwhile, Sasuke and Obito both sensed Gakuya's apparent weakness.
Sasuke's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Just as I thought—his fight with Uchiha Madara drained him completely."
Obito watched Sasuke's reaction silently. For a fleeting moment, a trace of pity crossed his heart.
Poor kid... still thinks Gakuya can be taken down.
If he truly knew what Gakuya was capable of, he wouldn't be so naive.
But Obito wasn't about to share that information. If Sasuke didn't become the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki, then Obito would be forced into that role—and he had no desire to be that kind of sacrificial pawn.
He just wanted to complete Gakuya's mission and, afterward, go find Rin and win her heart.
Obito's expression remained unreadable.
"Let's move. We need to finish this now."
The two regrouped and launched another assault on the Allied Forces.
The Ten Tails raised all ten of its arms into the air. Countless wooden spikes shot out from its hands like a storm of arrows, raining down on the shinobi below.
Hashirama stepped forward, hands clasped together, instantly entering Sage Mode. A black Sage marking appeared across his face.
Ten massive red torii gates descended from the sky, slamming down on the Ten Tails' tails and arms, pinning it to the ground and halting its attack.
Naruto wasn't going to be outdone. In his hand, a Rasenshuriken began to form.
"Let's go, everyone! All together!"
The shinobi—now empowered by Tailed Beast chakra—rallied behind Naruto, charging straight at Obito and Sasuke.
Despite being restrained, the Ten Tails' power remained overwhelming. It thrashed and struggled, trying to break free.
Its massive head, still unpinned, formed another Tailed Beast Bomb and launched it toward the approaching shinobi.
But Naruto had already linked everyone through Kurama's chakra, transforming them into a massive red bird. Without hesitation, they flew directly into the path of the bomb.
Sasuke shouted, "Are you trying to get yourselves killed!?"
The bird beat its wings once—then smashed directly into the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Astonishingly, the bomb shattered into dust.
The red bird surged forward toward Sasuke and Obito.
"Nice one!" shouted someone from the rear, as cheers erupted and the shinobi forces surged after them.
...
At the rear, Gakuya stroked his chin, looking as though he were contemplating the next phase of his strategy.
But in truth, he was trying to figure out how Naruto managed to smash through a Tailed Beast Bomb using just Kurama's chakra.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Was it Asura's chakra acting up again?
Or is this that legendary "power of bonds" thing? In the original timeline, Neji sacrificed himself and the power of love reached its peak. So what is it this time?
Sasuke, seeing the tides turn, broke into a nervous sweat.
Obito clenched his jaw.
"Just ten more minutes. Once the Ten Tails evolves, it's over."
A look of grim resolve flashed through Sasuke's eyes.
"If that's what it takes to become the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki, then I'll risk everything."
The two prepared to throw everything they had into the next clash with the Allied Forces.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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