Natsuki didn't say anything else. He just charged straight at the Ten-Tails.
His targets were either the Ten-Tails or Madara. Only those two threats required his hand—everything else didn't. There were people assigned for that.
But Tenten, Sasuke, Neji, Shino, Naruto, Fū, Konan, and the others immediately followed right behind him.
Better to stop talking and just cut their way in.
As for whether to trust Orochimaru… that call was on Tsunade. They didn't need to overthink it.
Before long, Natsuki met the first Ten-Tails clone. He drew the Demon Blade: Thousand Blades and took its head off in a single slash, never even slowing down.
Behind him, Tenten switched into the Craftsman Ninja Village four-piece set. The Dragon-Eye Telescoping Sword on her back shot out to strangle and shred, her left hand's Peacock Sword rode the wind, and her right hand's light sword spat fire. She carved forward like an avalanche.
Sasuke wasn't any slower—Lightning Body Flicker under his feet, Kusanagi in hand, his kill speed barely behind Natsuki's.
Neji ran with both palms thrusting out again and again. Each Ten-Tails clone he struck went flying like trash, utterly unable to fight back.
As for Shino—his Body Flicker was just as fast, and every time he passed a clone he only threw a light punch, looking like it did nothing. In reality, he slipped parasitic insects into the clone's body; the moment he moved on, the clone swelled from within and burst apart.
Fū, Naruto, and Konan each unleashed their own specialties as well.
Watching from the rear, the base's shinobi were instantly fired up. They stopped agonizing and made the decision—charge.
Luckily, A's booming voice cut through the chaos.
"All shinobi—form up by your villages' original squad assignments! Engage as squads! Anyone lacking strength, do not fight alone! Now—begin the offensive!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Shinobi were superpowered, and their discipline wasn't inferior to soldiers. In short order, everyone regrouped into their established village squads, then advanced in three lines to meet the Ten-Tails clones head-on.
There were simply too many clones. Natsuki and the others cut through wave after wave and still couldn't clear them all—so the remaining hordes fell to the tens of thousands of shinobi behind them.
Natsuki didn't look back. He kept pushing at the very front, and soon he reached the Ten-Tails itself.
He snapped into Sage Mode and hurled out a Super Massive Vortex Boil Bomb.
But in the next instant, the Ten-Tails lifted a hand and flicked—casually batting the Vortex Boil Bomb away, as if swatting an ant.
The Boil Bomb slammed into the ground and happened to land among several clones, instantly crushing and pinning them.
Natsuki's brow twitched.
"So once it's gathered the power of all the tailed beasts, it really is on another level. To it, my Vortex Boil Bomb is probably just a scratch. Even the railgun might not do much."
That made things messy. If he couldn't deal damage, how was he supposed to kill it?
Maybe it was time to use something he'd been saving.
Tenten arrived behind him, staring up at the Ten-Tails' enormous form. Fear crept into her face.
"Natsuki… how bad is it?"
Natsuki put an arm out to stop her. "Tenten, this Ten-Tails is dangerous. It's hard to deal meaningful damage, and even the Six Paths tools might not work. Don't get close unless you have to."
Tenten looked a little crestfallen, but she knew this wasn't the time to force it.
She forced a grin. "I thought I could finally fight at your side, but I've still got a long way to go. That said… I can take Kabuto, right?"
Natsuki gave her a thumbs-up. "Yeah. Kabuto's yours!"
There weren't many enemies left now. The Ten-Tails and Madara weren't targets Tenten could realistically touch. Obito's intangibility had to be countered by Kakashi. That left only Kabuto.
Kabuto had a Rinnegan, but after everything so far, he still didn't seem able to bring out its true power.
So letting Tenten handle him made sense.
Shino arrived nearby. "I'll go with Tenten. Kabuto's weird. If she's alone, I won't feel good about it."
Natsuki nodded, grateful. "Then I'm counting on you."
Shino gave a cool, simple nod, and the two of them headed for Kabuto.
Natsuki's gaze locked onto Madara.
Madara and Obito stood close to the Ten-Tails, like they were weighing who would become its jinchūriki.
But the two of them clearly weren't going to agree.
Obito wanted to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki himself. He had no intention of reviving Madara.
Madara had likely guessed that from the start, so he didn't look surprised. And an Edo Tensei body could become a jinchūriki too—so he had no reason to hand the chance over to Obito.
They were already plotting against each other. Now it was just a matter of who played the better hand.
And in the shadows, Black Zetsu was scheming as well—currently on Madara's side, because it didn't believe Obito could succeed, and it favored the stronger Madara.
Natsuki didn't care about any of that.
He surged forward and closed the distance.
Madara turned, war fan still in hand. The moment he saw Natsuki, he laughed.
"Hahahaha! Natsuki—you're back! So we fight again! But you're doomed to lose. The Ten-Tails is complete. The tide can't be stopped anymore!"
Natsuki shook his head. "If I kill you two, your 'tide' is nothing but bullshit."
"Well said. But even if you're strong, killing me won't be that easy!"
"Oh yeah?" Natsuki's eyes sharpened. "Then—Eight Gates: Gate Seven… OPEN!"
A surge of blue aura exploded off his body, like a Super Saiyan God Blue, and his presence climbed in an instant—towering pressure crashing down on both Madara and Obito.
"Gate Seven…"
Madara didn't dare take him lightly.
Earlier, Might Guy's Seventh Gate had fought him to a standstill. And Natsuki's Sixth Gate had already reached the same level as Guy.
Which meant Natsuki's Seventh Gate would be even more terrifying.
If he let his imagination run wild… Natsuki might even be comparable to an Ōtsutsuki jinchūriki at Kage level.
It sounded ridiculous, and yet—
Madara felt an unsettling urge to believe it.
Crack!
The instant Natsuki's foot shattered the ground, he vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already in front of Madara—one kick punching straight through Madara's abdomen.
Madara and Obito both stared, eyes wide in shock.
Too fast. Too strong.
Their eyes couldn't track him. Their bodies couldn't even react.
"Shinra Tensei!" they roared together, releasing a repulsive-force blast.
But Natsuki vanished again.
The next time he appeared, he was at Madara's flank—his fist smashed through the repulsive-force barrier, then pulverized Susanoo with the follow-through, and finally erased half of Madara's head in a shower of dust and gore.
Obito recoiled in panic and tried to retreat—but Natsuki's gaze had already pinned him.
Natsuki's fist was there.
The repulsive barrier broke again.
And the pressure of that punch distorted space itself—forcing Obito's intangibility to fail.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]