The golem let out a second roar. But this time, it wasn't alone — around it, runes lit up, activating secondary statues, smaller but far faster.
Guardians.
Naruto felt the energy spike violently.
— "It's calling for reinforcements," he growled. "These things… they're like extensions of itself!"
Natasha fired, aiming at one of the guardians' heads. Direct hit. But the impact vanished — like rain swallowed by sand.
— "Their bodies absorb kinetic energy!"
— "Then we'll tear them apart from the inside."
Naruto leapt into the air.
His hands locked into a complex mudra.
— Mokuton: Senbon no Mori! (Forest of a Thousand Needles!)
The ground rose beneath his feet. A spiral storm of sharpened wooden needles erupted upward, swirling like a vertical tornado.
The guardians dodged — but one was pierced clean through. Its body burst into black sand, releasing a foul stench.
Another charged Natasha. She rolled aside, flung a reinforced cable, used a pillar to swing her leg into its neck — but it didn't budge.
She cursed. — "Naruto!"
He turned.
And saw her on the ground, the main golem approaching — black chakra blade raised high.
Something snapped inside him.
Time slowed.
He saw his reflection in the golem's dark blade. Saw the fear in Natasha's eyes. And from the depths of his memory, he heard—
"I'm your mother, Naruto. The Uzumaki blood protects what it loves… no matter the cost."
His throat tightened.
His heart beat once.
Then—
The ground exploded.
Chains. Crimson. Luminous. Ethereal, yet harder than steel.
They shot from his back like serpents of light, darting with purpose.
One coiled around the blade, halting it mid-air. Another pierced the golem's torso, then a leg. A fifth snared its throat.
And finally…
a sixth wrapped around Natasha.
She blinked.
— "What… is this?"
Naruto was growling, teeth clenched.
— "They're my mother's chains. The power I've always had… but could only call forth when I thought of someone I couldn't bear to lose."
He let out a raw cry.
The chains tightened.
And with a colossal crack, the main golem collapsed, limbs splintering like brittle wood.
The remaining guardians froze.
Then disintegrated — as if their existence was tethered to his.
Silence.
Then the sand settled, heavy.
And at the center of the chamber…
Naruto stood with arms extended, the chakra chains still shimmering around him like a crimson crown.
Natasha — in tears.
And the ground beneath them… lush, alive.
The light of battle had faded.
But the ground, still warm, radiated a strange heat — as if Naruto's chakra had returned ancient life to the cavern.
Natasha placed her palm on the earth.
— "It's alive. You… did this?"
Naruto nodded, exhausted.
— "My Mokuton creates life… even where there was only dust."
She moved closer, kneeling in front of him. Her eyes, usually so sharp, were now glistening.
— "You saved me."
He reached out, brushing her cheek.
— "You woke me up."
She leaned in.
The kiss was soft.
Then deep.
Then… nothing else was held back.
Natasha undressed slowly.
Every movement, every slip of fabric was surrender — not to him, but to herself.
Naruto watched her, standing there, bathed in the soft green afterglow of his chakra.
He rose too. Slowly.
The fatigue from battle gave way to a different tension. A necessity.
They embraced.
Body against body.
Skin against skin.
He laid her down on a smooth stone, now carpeted with newborn grass.
His hands slid along her skin. His breath on her neck.
She pulled him closer.
And he entered her.
The rhythm began slow.
Their hips moved in sync, guided by instinct. Fingers tangled, scratched.
She gasped.
— "Harder."
He obeyed.
The sound of their bodies echoed through the cave — raw, wet, deep.
His hands gripped her thighs.
She arched, breasts rising toward him.
He kissed every inch of her.
Her moans grew sharper.
And as he quickened… she screamed.
Not in pain. In release.
They shifted.
She on top, dominant — moving like a warrior goddess.
Her nails left red trails across his chest. He welcomed the pain.
She leaned in.
Bit his shoulder.
He groaned.
— "More…"
She moved faster, her hair cascading, her thighs pressing him into pure pleasure.
And in a final shared cry…
They came together.
Breathless.
Spent.
Fused.
They lay still for a while, still connected.
Then she kissed his forehead.
— "I'm not perfect, Naruto."
He smiled.
— "You're… alive."
And for him, that was enough.