The air trembled.Sand hissed like a living serpent as the forest around the arena quaked beneath the monstrous chakra that burst from Gaara's body. Trees bent and cracked, animals scattered in terror, and the air itself thickened with killing intent.
From his perch high above, Tharion stood on the branch of a tall cedar, his eyes narrowing as the System's alert pulsed across his vision.
[ System Notice: Shukaku's awakening sequence initiated.]
[ Observation Mode: ACTIVE]
[Intervention Authorization: DENIED]
[Condition: Intervention permitted ONLY if Naruto Uzumaki or Gaara of the Sand enters critical state.]
Tharion's jaw clenched slightly. So I can only watch…
Below, the battlefield erupted. Gaara's laughter was unhinged, echoing through the night as his right arm morphed into a monstrous claw of sand. His human face twisted into something half-beast, half-child."Play with me, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, shadow clones scattering as the enormous limb swung through them, shattering entire clusters into smoke. "I'm not here to play, you idiot!" he shouted, chakra bursting from his body as his eyes flared with determination.
Tharion's clones—each hidden in the treeline—watched every movement with surgical precision. They were spread across the entire forest clearing, maintaining a protective perimeter. Each clone's hands remained half-formed in seals, waiting only for the order.
But the order never came.Not yet.
Tharion folded his arms, his crimson cloak stirring in the wind. His chakra signature was masked, barely noticeable even to the most skilled sensors.He could feel Naruto's chakra fluctuating—wild and untamed—but still full of heart. The boy was fighting with more will than most seasoned shinobi he'd seen in other worlds.
[System Analysis: Uzumaki Naruto—Nine-Tails Chakra Activation at 8%]
[Target Gaara—Partial Shukaku Manifestation: 47%]
[Recommendation: Continue observation. Probability of survival—61%.]
Naruto's clones leapt, forming a makeshift ladder to propel him upward. His fist glowed with raw chakra as he brought it down on Gaara's monstrous shoulder, blasting chunks of sand away."Wake up already, Gaara! You're not the only one who's alone!"
Tharion exhaled softly, eyes dimly glowing. "He's talking to a wounded child trapped in a monster's body… He's more like his father than he realizes."
The ground trembled as Gaara roared, his form expanding further, a grotesque mockery of the One-Tail's body emerging beneath the moonlight. The sand swirled into a massive tanuki-like beast—its body vast enough to crush the trees around it.
[Shukaku Manifestation: 83% — Critical Threshold Approaching]
Tharion raised a hand, and the clones immediately shifted—five groups forming seals silently. He was ready to intervene the moment the System allowed. His mind raced through scenarios—how much chakra suppression he'd need, how to protect Naruto's exhausted clones, and how to deal with a rampaging Tailed Beast without causing a diplomatic incident with the Sand.
But before he could act, Naruto's voice echoed again—loud, defiant, full of unyielding spirit.
"I won't let you hurt my friends!"
The red chakra exploded from him like a wildfire. The clone of the Nine-Tails roared behind him—majestic and terrifying. Tharion's eyes widened slightly. Even the clones nearby shuddered from the sheer density of the power.
[System Update: Intervention Authorization Pending...]
[Condition Status—Safe. Continue monitoring.]
Tharion muttered under his breath, "...He's pushing beyond what a genin should even be capable of."
The shockwaves from Naruto's next strike shook the entire area, blowing away sand, trees, and debris. Gaara screamed, half in pain, half in despair, as Naruto's chakra form slammed into him, shattering the remaining Shukaku armor.
Tharion felt it—the emotional resonance between the two boys. Pain, loneliness, and the raw, burning desire to be understood.
[Emotional Synchronization Detected.]
[Jinchūriki State Stabilization Achieved.]
[Shukaku Suppression Complete.]
As the massive sand beast began to crumble, Tharion finally exhaled. His clones relaxed, fading one by one into smoke, their task unneeded.He stepped forward on the branch, the moonlight catching his silver hair and the faint mark of his Namikaze lineage glowing on his shoulder.
He watched Naruto collapse beside Gaara's defeated form, the two children breathing heavily in the crater below.
"...They did it," Tharion murmured, a faint smile touching his lips. "The next generation might just be able to save this world after all."
[System Notice: Mission Complete.]
[Observation Objective — Fulfilled.]
[Next Directive: Pending...]
As the wind whispered through the trees and the dust settled, Tharion turned his gaze toward the distant village walls where the fires of battle were still dying out.
"Minato… Hiruzen… the storm is quieting," he whispered. "But this peace won't last. Something darker stirs beyond the Sand."
And with that, he vanished in a flicker of light—leaving only the swaying leaves as the night drew its breath once more.
The night had grown still.Gaara lay unconscious, the remnants of Shukaku's sand form collapsing into the earth like melting glass. Naruto—worn, bloodied, but victorious—stood over him, chest heaving, the faint glow of the Nine-Tails' chakra finally receding.
Tharion, still on the treetop, exhaled softly as he observed.
[System Notice: Observation Complete.][Status: Both Jinchūriki Stable.][Threat Level: Neutralized.]
He nodded once. Good. It's over.
But before he could even turn to leave—the air snapped.
The ground beneath the unconscious Gaara trembled, and Naruto—swaying weakly—suddenly doubled over with a guttural growl. His eyes shot open, now slitted red, and a pulse of malevolent chakra exploded outward like a detonation.
[⚠ Alert! Kyūbi Chakra Spike Detected!][Current Output: 62% — Manifestation Threshold Exceeded][Emergency Directive: INTERVENTION AUTHORIZED]
"...No," Tharion muttered, his expression hardening. "Not again."
In an instant, he vanished from the treetop. The next moment, he was on the ground—just as the blast wave of crimson energy rippled outward, tearing apart trees and shattering stones.
Naruto's body convulsed, his fingers clawing into the earth as molten red chakra enveloped him, forming a monstrous one-tailed cloak. The energy around him howled, the forest turning crimson under its light.
"RrraaaAAHHHHH!"
The Nine-Tails' roar erupted from the boy's throat—bestial, wrathful, alive.
Tharion's cloak flared with chakra as he formed seals mid-air, slamming his palm to the ground."Earth Style: Adamant Rampart!"
The ground rose, forming thick walls of stone to contain the explosion—only for them to crumble instantly under the sheer pressure of the demonic chakra.
The red chakra lashed out like living tendrils, slamming into him. Tharion twisted, dodging one—only for another to pierce through his shoulder guard, searing it clean off.
[Damage Detected: 12% Armor Integrity Loss]
"Tch... feisty as ever," he muttered, golden eyes glowing. "But you've forgotten who you're snarling at."
Naruto—no, the Nine-Tails—snarled, fangs bared, chakra forming an unstable sphere in front of its maw.
"Tailed Beast Bomb—? Already?!" Tharion's hand flashed through seals faster than the eye could track. "Wind Style: Grand Vacuum Sever!"
A blade of pure wind slammed into the forming chakra orb, detonating it prematurely. The resulting explosion rocked the forest, hurling both combatants apart.
Tharion landed, sliding backward through the dirt, his hands still raised. "You've improved your control since the last time, beast."
A low growl echoed from the creature's throat.Naruto's voice was buried deep beneath the rumbling growl of the Nine-Tails' chakra. "...You… again…"
That voice—bestial, resonant—sent a chill through the air. The chakra around the boy's body began to shift erratically, reacting to something old, something remembered.
Tharion straightened slowly, eyes glowing brighter. "Yes," he said quietly, voice cutting through the storm. "I was the one who stopped you twelve years ago."
The crimson aura flickered. The tail lashed once—then paused mid-swing.
[System Analysis: Kyūbi Recognition Detected][Behavioral Shift — Hostile → Hesitant]
"You recognize my chakra, don't you?" Tharion said, stepping closer. "You felt it the night you were sealed. The same power that held you down, that locked you away."
The beast let out a deep, thunderous growl. The chakra tail wavered.For a moment, the red faded—revealing Naruto's eyes flickering beneath.
"...you… sealed me…" came the beast's echo through Naruto's lips, distorted yet aware.
"I sealed your rampage," Tharion corrected, voice calm but iron-hard. "Not you. You were used. Manipulated. And I'll do it again if you threaten this world."
The fox's roar tore through the clearing, its claw of chakra slamming toward him. Tharion didn't flinch—his right hand burst with radiant energy, swirling with pure chakra.
"Heavenly Convergence Rasengan!"
The Rasengan met the claw head-on, and for a brief moment—the world exploded into light. The shockwave flattened the surrounding trees, sending sand and dirt spiraling into the air.
When the light faded, Tharion stood over Naruto, his palm pressed gently to the boy's forehead.
The crimson cloak sizzled, rippling like fire—and then slowly, it began to dissolve.
[Nine-Tails Chakra Level: Falling — 40% → 10% → 1%][Host Condition: Stable.]
Naruto collapsed, breathing faintly, his body reverting to normal. The last remnants of the fox's chakra dispersed into the air like crimson mist.
Tharion withdrew his hand, exhaling as the System chimed softly.
[Mission Update: Intervention Successful.]
Tharion blinked as new knowledge flooded his mind—the advanced version of the Shadow Clone Technique, refined, seamless, energy-efficient.
But his gaze lingered on Naruto. The boy was unconscious, yet peaceful now. The monstrous chakra had quieted entirely.
He looked up toward the fading moonlight. "Still as stubborn as your father," he murmured. "But maybe... just as full of hope."
As the forest wind carried away the scent of burnt chakra, Tharion's eyes hardened again.Because even as peace returned to the clearing, he could feel something—a darker presence watching from afar.
[System Alert: Unknown Observation Detected — Source: Hidden Sand Perimeter.][Possible Entity: Kabuto Yakushi.]
Tharion's expression cooled. "So the serpent still has his spies…"
He turned, forming a single hand seal. Dozens of his newly perfected True Shadow Clones emerged silently, spreading through the forest like living shadows.
"The invasion might be over…" he muttered, "but the war behind it has only begun."
And with that, he vanished once more—leaving the clearing still, the moonlight falling over Naruto and Gaara—two children of monsters, sleeping under the same sky.