Then everyone looked toward the Ten-Tails as it roared wildly, and for a moment, their hearts all sank.
Just now, they'd been far too cocky. They thought the Ten-Tails had lost all four limbs, and with Madara and Obito unable to gain the upper hand, the outcome was basically decided—so they relaxed.
The jinchuuriki, in particular, were too close to the Ten-Tails, and their guard wasn't nearly as tight as it had been earlier.
That was what gave Obito the perfect chance to strike back.
It never should've happened.
As shinobi, they should've understood: until the very last second, nothing is settled. The ending is never guaranteed. Any reversal can happen.
They had already been in a dominant position before—and still gotten hit by a desperate counterattack—so why hadn't they learned their lesson?
This flaw showed up in the original story, too. Back then, Orochimaru revived and brought several Hokage with him. They used the Deity Gates to suppress the Ten-Tails, suppressed Edo Madara, and even defeated Six Paths Obito. Everyone thought it was over—then Black Zetsu ambushed them and revived Madara. Madara turned the tables, became Six Paths Madara, and activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
It's hard to even imagine the despair of that moment. If Black Zetsu hadn't stabbed Six Paths Madara in the back, no one even knows how they could've won.
Now, that same bad habit was producing consequences just as severe.
The Ten-Tails had absorbed all the tailed beasts. Even if it was still missing a few tails and the Yin Nine-Tails, its strength was still terrifying. Trying to bully it the way they had before… probably wasn't happening anymore.
Roar! The Ten-Tails' howl grew even louder.
And it seemed to start exerting itself, using Heaven and Earth Alteration. In an instant, it was as if the entire world had been swallowed by black clouds—lightning and thunder crashing as tornadoes raged, filling everyone with a deep, suffocating hopelessness.
Back at the rear base, the shinobi who'd been convinced of victory were now terrified beyond words.
Staring at the Ten-Tails towering into the clouds, one after another fell into despair. Some finally understood what "doomsday" meant and simply collapsed to the ground, giving up on hope altogether.
Tenten's eyes were heavy with tension, but there was still light in them.
"Natsuki… you're the strongest. You'll win, right?"
She had always believed in Natsuki's strength. No matter what happened, he always found a way to solve it.
Just like when Pain invaded. Facing the overwhelming Deva Path—no one could stand against him… except Natsuki. Natsuki had beaten Pain and had even deflected Shinra Tensei.
Natsuki like that felt… unstoppable.
So Tenten believed he would win.
On this side, when everyone saw the heavens and earth changing, fear gripped them all. It looked like things really had reached the worst-case scenario.
Then they saw the Ten-Tails lock onto a direction—straight toward the rear base. It opened its mouth, spat out a fleshy, petal-like bloom, and began condensing a red energy sphere atop those petals.
Tsunade's face drained. "No! That beast holds a grudge—it wants to wipe out everyone at the rear base!"
The moment she said it, everyone turned pale.
Natsuki thrust out his hand. "Grab me. All of you. We're going back to the base. I'll use Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) to send that energy sphere away!"
No one hesitated. Hands clamped onto Natsuki's arm—and in the next instant, with a sharp whoosh, they all reappeared right in front of Tenten. The base erupted in relief.
"Natsuki! Is everyone okay?!" Tenten hurried forward.
"Tenten, don't panic."
Natsuki stopped her. "The Ten-Tails is attacking here, which is perfect. I left a formula on its body earlier. I'll use Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) to give the energy sphere back to it!"
Tenten nodded quickly and didn't interrupt, but her gaze lingered on Natsuki's shoulder.
Natsuki's eyes were locked on the Ten-Tails. The next second, a booming crack split the air—a colossal red energy sphere shot toward them.
Even the weakest among them could feel the horror packed inside that sphere. If a tailed beast bomb was a nuclear weapon, this thing might be even more terrifying than a hydrogen bomb.
"It's coming!"
Natsuki steadied his breath, chakra gathering in his hands.
Then he sprang straight up into its path. The instant his palm touched the sphere, he successfully transferred it.
Whoosh! The sphere abruptly appeared behind the Ten-Tails—exactly at the spot where the formula was on its back. The Ten-Tails froze for a fraction of a second, while Madara, Obito, Kabuto, Orochimaru, and the rest all stared, eyes wide.
"Damn it…"
BOOM—
In that moment, the world seemed to turn black-and-white.
A violent roar of sound, a mushroom cloud that punched into the sky, ground that shuddered, hurricane winds that screamed through the air—everything felt like the world itself was collapsing under the pressure.
At the rear base, everyone stood dumbstruck, staring at the scene in complete silence. Their jaws had basically hit the floor—no one even remembered to pick them up.
It was simply too shocking.
If that energy sphere had actually hit the base, everyone would've been wiped out.
And at that point, there'd be no need to worry about a shinobi-world catastrophe anymore—because everyone would already be dead.
"Hey… do you think the Ten-Tails got blown up by its own attack?" someone asked.
"Who knows. I hope so. And I hope Madara and Obito got blown up too. Then the war would finally be over," someone replied.
That was probably everyone's wish.
This war was too terrifying. Compared to it, the White Zetsu hordes and Edo Tensei army from earlier were nothing.
No one wanted to fight monsters like this. Even if you survived, you'd probably still be so scared that nightmares would run away from you at night.
Then—
A shrill scream came from within the mushroom cloud not too far away.
Everyone heard it. Their faces turned grim.
So even that hadn't killed them. Those monsters really were absurdly hard to put down.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Earlier, even back when it was still the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the thing had been battered to the point of losing limbs—and it still hadn't died. Of course it was stubbornly durable.
Before long, the mushroom cloud suddenly dispersed at high speed—the Ten-Tails was using its mangled tails to fan the air, forcibly blowing away the smoke.
Madara and Obito's figures emerged as well.
Madara threw back his head and laughed. "Hahahaha! I almost thought we were done for! Natsuki, you really know how to play—using the Ten-Tails' own energy sphere to blow up the Ten-Tails. That Flying Thunder God really is insane!"
Natsuki let out a cold laugh, his voice carrying over. "You're the real old pervert. That didn't even kill you? Why don't you just die already?"
Madara replied, "My goal isn't accomplished yet. How could I die? Now the Ten-Tails is complete—still missing a bit, perhaps, but once I become the Ten-Tails' jinchuuriki, I'll still have a chance to step into the Sage of Six Paths' realm. I can still activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi. And then the world will become a perfect world—only winners, only peace, only love!"
Perfect world? Who does he think he is—some heaven-defying emperor who can decide eternity with one stroke?
Natsuki didn't bother arguing. He focused, sensing the formula he'd placed on the Ten-Tails…
And found it was still there.
As expected: unless you had Six Paths-level power, you couldn't purge a Flying Thunder God formula. Even after the Ten-Tails had been blasted into a bloody mess, the formula remained once it regenerated.
That was almost too good.
"Konan! Where are those six hundred billion explosive tags of yours? Hand them over—I've got a show to put on!"
(End of Chapter)
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