Chapter 264: So Your Name Is Kurama
Wearing the flak jacket provided by the logistics unit, Naruto sprinted across the battlefield. His movements were swift yet rhythmic — each breath synchronized with the natural energy around him, merging perfectly until his presence vanished entirely from perception.
Inside him, the restless Nine-Tails tried to suppress its chakra, unwilling to interfere or drag him down in the coming battle.
"This is the son of the Fourth Hokage!"
Those words echoed in the minds of Killer Bee and Han. The pride of the Konoha ninja who had spoken them earlier now resonated in their hearts. Their initial disdain for Naruto's youth slowly faded.
If they hadn't been observing him this whole time, they might never have sensed where he was at all.
"Should we split up?" Han asked briefly.
"It's better not to—" Killer Bee began, but before he could finish, the will of the Eight-Tails suddenly interrupted him.
From the distant horizon, a massive figure — ancient and godlike — unleashed three colossal chains, each as thick as a bridge, hurling them toward Naruto and his two allies.
"Danger!"
Though enormous, the chains shot forward at a speed that defied belief.
In the blink of an eye, they reached the trio. Instinctively, all three leapt in separate directions to evade.
But before Killer Bee or Han could land, their bodies froze in shock — two black rods had impaled them from behind.
Sealing power surged from the rods, instantly suppressing the chakra around the wounds and halting their movements.
When Naruto turned to help, the sight that greeted him made his eyes widen. Both Jinchūriki were bound tightly by the Ten-Tails' chains, their bodies riddled with those same black rods — motionless, powerless.
Before he could even react, his instincts screamed a warning. His body moved on its own — Sage Mode heightening every sense — as he spun and thrust out his palm.
A Rasengan formed instantly, glowing like a star in his hand.
"Sage Art: Rasengan!"
The spinning sphere met something — unseen, yet solid. His palm stopped midair, the Rasengan colliding with an invisible force.
A screeching sound like metal tearing through steel echoed through the battlefield, followed by a violent explosion.
Bang!
Naruto's body was flung backward. Though he had sensed the attack in time, his Rasengan hadn't blown the enemy away as expected. Instead, a powerful counterforce slammed into him, shaking his entire body.
"It's not over yet…"
Despite being thrown off balance by an unseen foe, Naruto's mind remained calm. While still in midair, that familiar sense of danger returned — sharper this time.
He twisted mid-spin, defying gravity, and raised his arm just in time. A black rod shot toward him, which he blocked with precision.
For an instant, he caught a glimpse of his enemy's weapon — a dark staff identical to those piercing Killer Bee and Han.
The rod stabbed into his arm. Naruto gritted his teeth as pain and sealing energy spread rapidly through his body, suppressing his chakra flow.
"So that's why they lost their strength so quickly…" he realized grimly.
For ordinary chakra, this sealing might not have mattered. But for a Jinchūriki's wild and turbulent energy, the suppression was devastating. The Ten-Tails' chains must have carried even stronger sealing power.
"But this… this isn't the same attack as before," Naruto analyzed coldly, ignoring the pain. "It's faster. That means— there are two of them."
His sharp instincts guided him. In one smooth motion, he condensed another Rasengan and struck the black rod, severing it cleanly.
Then he leapt back, putting distance between himself and the enemy.
Indeed — two killing intents pursued him relentlessly.
"Boy, you need my power!"
Kyuubi's voice thundered within his mind, but Naruto only exhaled.
"Unless you submit to me willingly, I'll rely on my own strength!"
He yanked the remaining fragment of the rod from his arm, formed a quick seal, and summoned fresh energy from the mark on his forehead.
Senjutsu chakra erupted from within, surging through his body like a storm. In moments, a white aura cloaked him, and the dark markings around his eyes deepened.
He now resembled the legendary Sage himself.
"Just like Hashirama Senju…"
Far away, atop the Divine Tree, Madara observed with folded arms and a faint smirk.
"The Sage Arts of the Shikkotsu Forest, hm? Not bad, brat."
Under his Rinnegan's gaze, two identical figures fought Naruto — perfect shadow doubles of Madara himself.
With a complete Rinnegan, Madara could manifest four clones, each equal in power to his true self. Few could even perceive the techniques used by those eyes.
Naruto wasn't sensing their chakra — he was feeling their killing intent. That was how he dodged attacks invisible to the naked eye.
Such a feat defied reason — and it came at a steep cost.
Even Madara couldn't use the Rinnegan's full power repeatedly in short bursts.
Previously, Might Guy had destroyed two of his shadows. Two remained — and Naruto was facing them alone.
At first, Madara thought little of the young Jinchūriki who hadn't yet mastered the Nine-Tails' power.
But now, watching Naruto battle evenly without drawing on the beast's chakra, Madara's expression shifted slightly.
"So… you've solved the problem," he murmured.
Beside him, Black Zetsu returned, glancing down at the battlefield where the Allied Forces were pinned by towering wooden clones.
He hadn't expected that in less than an hour, the entire situation would be turned on its head.
Uchiha Madara, who once thought arrogance would cost him dearly, now stood upon the towering Sacred Tree he had summoned. The Allied Shinobi Forces, who once believed they could threaten him, now looked like helpless children being toyed with by a few wooden clones.
Black Zetsu glanced at the battlefield and muttered grimly, If I had returned any later, he might've already begun the final stage of his plan. And by then, I wouldn't even have a chance to betray him.
"Where's that brat, Obito?" Madara asked calmly, his crimson eyes gleaming.
"He's hiding," replied Black Zetsu. "His Kamui dimension is different from the real world. I can sense the White Zetsu attached to him, but I can't reach or locate him."
"As long as that kid stays out of my way, there's no problem." Madara's voice was cold as his gaze shifted toward the battlefield below, where the Ten-Tails had begun absorbing the chakra of the captured Jinchūriki. "But if he dares to interfere… he's only courting death."
Bang!
With a grotesque sound, the Ten-Tails spat out two unconscious bodies, wrapped in viscous mucus, crashing heavily onto the ground. Their tailed beasts — once sealed within them — were now being devoured at terrifying speed.
Nagato had once required the combined power of many to extract and seal tailed beasts. But now that the Rinnegan had returned to its true owner, things were entirely different. Madara could directly command the Ten-Tails with his ocular power, forcing it to absorb and suppress the beasts on his own.
The efficiency was incomparable.
Roar!
The Ten-Tails bellowed, its body swelling as power surged within. The fragments of its being were reuniting. Massive tails whipped across the battlefield like ancient branches, shaking the very air. Eight enormous eyes glared toward the horizon where Naruto stood.
"Calm yourself," Madara murmured, resting a hand upon the creature. As its controller, he could feel its hunger — its urgency.
It's time to end this.
He cast a distant glance over the shinobi struggling below, trapped by his Wood-Style clones. To him, they were all the same — Genin, Jonin, even Kage — mere numbers on a battlefield already lost.
Bang!
In the distance, his two shadows staggered back, forced to retreat. Shock flickered across their faces. They hadn't expected their own Shinra Tensei to backfire.
When Naruto sensed their attack and countered, the power of his jutsu surpassed even the repulsive force of the Rinnegan's technique — something they hadn't accounted for.
"Sage Art: Infinite Breakthrough!"
A roaring gale burst forth, the wind release amplified by sage chakra until it rivaled the very shockwaves caused by the Ten-Tails' summoning. The raging wind collided with the invisible repulsion head-on, tearing through it with overwhelming force.
Empowered by senjutsu, Naruto's body was reaching its absolute limit — his speed, strength, perception, and reflexes had surpassed human boundaries. His mastery of Sage Mode far exceeded Jiraiya's; he wielded its power with perfect efficiency.
Combined with his profound understanding of Wind Release and chakra control, his fusion techniques were more devastating than even the coordinated assaults of the Five Kage.
"So that really was Shinra Tensei — one of the Rinnegan's abilities," Naruto muttered, gauging the rhythm of his enemy's attack.
He remembered the reports from the sensory units during the coalition's earlier battle against Nagato and Madara. Those sacrifices hadn't been in vain — their data had revealed every ability of the Rinnegan.
He knew that if a force stronger than Shinra Tensei clashed against it, the backlash would injure the caster.
Naruto's eyes narrowed toward the trunk of the giant tree. "That guy's still up there… so these two are clones?"
Having made his deduction, he immediately turned toward the direction of the Allied Forces. No matter what, he needed reinforcements — and the only ones left were those comrades still fighting below.
"Impressive reaction speed."
Madara's deep voice carried across the field, tinged with rare admiration.
To predict unseen attacks by sensing murderous intent alone — such instinct was rare even among seasoned warriors. For someone so young, it was extraordinary.
But Madara's lips curled into a faint, cruel smile.
"Unfortunately for him, he's up against me — someone with talent and experience far beyond his own."
He closed his eyes briefly. If the boy could sense danger and intent… then all he had to do was make him lose that ability.
A moment later, Naruto froze mid-run. Cold sweat trickled down his temple. His heartbeat thundered in his chest — not from fear, but from instinct.
Something was wrong.
The sense of danger that had always guided him — his sharpened intuition suddenly came from everywhere.
From the sky, from the ground, from the horizon itself.
It was as if the very world had turned against him.
The killing intent pressed down like an ocean, drowning him in confusion. He couldn't tell where the real threat lay.
He was paralyzed.
"Damn it…"
Inside the spiritual space, the Nine-Tails stirred violently. Even it felt the suffocating malice emanating from afar — a power so great it could erase them both.
"That accursed beast… it wants to devour us!"
For the first time, true fear flashed in Kurama's eyes.
"If the Ten-Tails consumes me, I'll return to the source — and my consciousness will vanish! No rebirth, no resurrection… just nothingness!"
The realization tore through him, and he roared, voice shaking the entire inner realm.
"I'll lend you everything, boy! My power — all of it! Use it before we both die!"
"Move, damn it!"
Naruto, standing still in the chaos, let out a faint laugh.
"Finally decided to listen to me, huh?"
The next moment, immense power surged through his body — hot, bright, and pure. The once-destructive chakra of the Nine-Tails flowed through him without malice or corruption.
It wasn't hateful fire anymore. It was warm — like sunlight.
Golden chakra wrapped around his body, fusing seamlessly with his sage energy.
He didn't need practice or adjustment. Their powers united naturally, as if they'd always belonged together.
Inside, Kurama's consciousness receded, surrendering fully. His strength no longer opposed Naruto's — it became his.
Rather than borrowing the fox's chakra, Naruto had become one with it — his spirit inhabiting Kurama's might.
He was no longer merely using the Nine-Tails' power.
He was the Nine-Tails.
Naruto smiled softly, the wind swirling around him as his golden aura blazed brighter than ever.
"So… your name is Kurama."
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