Not only was Saya speechless, even Kurama inside Naruto was completely disgusted by the name Naruto had come up with and groaned loudly in his head.
"Hey (#`O′)! What the hell?! How can your naming skills be even worse than your dad's?!"
Naruto just snorted, unbothered.
"That name represents the sincere friendship between us Jinchūriki."
"Kurama, when you reach my age, you'll understand the romance of this~"
The cryptic words left Kurama momentarily stunned. They even sounded... logical?
Indeed, when I reach Naruto's age…
"Wait, what the hell am I saying?! I'm already over a thousand years old! Are you even listening to yourself?!"
Kurama promptly smacked Naruto on the head with one of his tails.
"e＝e＝e＝(#＞д＜)?! Okay, okay~ you damn fox, stop hitting me and go smack Saya's Susanoo instead!"
"What's the point of bullying a twelve-year-old like me?!"
The boy and the beast bickered in their shared consciousness for a while before finally focusing their attention on the battlefield.
A grin curled on both their lips. Connected through chakra, they could feel each other's emotions with clarity.
Fully transformed into a tailed beast, Naruto surged forward, limbs pounding against the ground as he charged toward Saya. His claws, gleaming like blades, swiped directly at the wings of her Susanoo, aiming to tear them clean off.
Saya responded instantly. The wings of her Susanoo spread wide, and the massive hands at the tips of the wings clashed with the Nine-Tails' claws in a brutal contest of strength.
But to Saya's shock—she couldn't overpower him.
Naruto and Kurama both smirked.
At the same time, they silently thanked Gaara.
Even Kurama—who usually looked down on Shukaku—gave a mental thumbs-up.
Nice job, raccoon. I'll go easy on you next time. Maybe.
Saya quickly realized why her Susanoo was losing out in brute force. The thick layer of sand covering Naruto's tailed beast form wasn't just for show.
In response, she made Susanoo raise both fists and slam them into the Nine-Tails' chest with all its might.
The twin punches rocked the tailed beast, knocking it backward.
Naruto panicked.
"Idiot! The tail! I still have a tail!"
Thankfully, Kurama reminded him just in time.
Naruto twisted his body midair, using his tails to catch himself in a fluid spin and land gracefully. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry, it's my first time being a fox. Still getting used to it. Forgot I even had a tail."
Kurama sighed internally.
Due to the combined chakra of several other Jinchūriki being gathered inside Naruto—and the fact that Naruto had nearly collapsed earlier—Kurama had stepped in to stabilize their form.
That meant both Naruto and Kurama were jointly controlling the Nine-Tails' body.
Normally, either the Jinchūriki or the tailed beast would take dominance in such a transformation. But Naruto and Kurama were still like a newly married couple—bonded but unfamiliar, stumbling awkwardly through their first dance.
Two untrained Pacific Rim pilots trying to drift together and coordinate a battle rhythm... the result was stiff and clumsy—left hand punching right.
Saya immediately picked up on it.
Susanoo raised its arms again. This time, four crimson blades extended—scarlet light shimmering along their edges.
Naruto's heartbeat quickened.
"Naruto," she said calmly, "strength alone isn't enough."
"You have to learn to control it."
Her Susanoo thundered forward, feet shattering the forest floor. Trees cracked and splintered beneath its steps, and a cloud of dust billowed around her.
The ground shook so violently that Sasuke had to grab Sakura and leap out of the way.
"Damn it... can five Jinchūriki together really match the complete form of Susanoo?"
Then a memory surfaced in Sasuke's mind—an illusion Hikaru had once shown him years ago.
In it, a divine figure sat high above the world, casting judgment. A god.
"Hmph... there's no way Susanoo will lose."
It wasn't that Sasuke thought Hikaru (Saya) couldn't lose to Naruto—but rather that he wouldn't lose to Naruto. Not ever.
Kurama, noticing Susanoo charging toward them again, didn't wait.
"There's Shukaku's spear on my tail! Use the tail to block!"
Naruto grinned. Together with Kurama, he surged forward again.
The Nine-Tails' claws tore up the earth. Its nine tails spun like deadly ribbons behind it. Then—at the perfect moment—it twisted and whipped all nine tails together at Susanoo's torso.
Saya brought all four blades to the front of Susanoo, crossing them into a protective X.
The impact struck hard. Susanoo was pushed back several steps.
Then the tails began to flail wildly, each one acting independently, their sharp ends slashing deep gouges into Susanoo's armor.
Saya immediately responded.
Susanoo flared its wings, kicked backward with one massive leg, and used the recoil to flap the damaged wings, launching itself away.
She landed, eyeing the Nine-Tails' writhing tails.
"There's some kind of sealing technique on the tails... they're disrupting the chakra structure on contact."
Just then, Gaara—who had been unconscious—suddenly stood up.
His pupils were glowing sandy yellow. He put his hands on his hips and burst into manic laughter.
"Jie Jie Jie!"
Naruto jumped to the side with a yelp.
"Holy shit! What the hell was that?! You scared me half to death!"
Kurama scowled. "Tch. That damn tanuki."
Shukaku was now controlling Gaara's body, and looked smugly in Saya's direction from across the battlefield.
"Little girl, those tails are my sharpest Shukaku Spears!"
"And the sand covering them is my Shukaku Shield!"
"Both can destroy chakra on contact."
"My advice? Hand over that scroll and walk away while you still can!"
"Hohohoho"
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Send Power Stones
Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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