The rain had finally stopped over Amegakure, but the air reeked of smoke and scorched stone. After days of battle, the alliance forces of Konoha, Suna, and Kumo had managed to suppress and destroy the last of the White Zetsu clones. The cost, however, was staggering. Hundreds of shinobi had fallen, their sacrifices staining the broken land.
Naruto had taken something from that battlefield—something that most had overlooked. A dozen intact White Zetsu corpses, sealed away in scrolls, to be handed over for research. With their strange composition and Hashirama cells woven through their bodies, these corpses might provide answers that even the oldest clans could not unearth. Answers that only someone like Orochimaru could uncover.
But for now, the alliance army withdrew. Jiraiya's expression was grim as he gathered with Kakashi, Gai, and the younger shinobi.
"This operation… failed," he admitted. His voice was quiet but heavy. "Nagato escaped with Konan, and Akatsuki's core still stands."
He had wanted to end it here, decisively, once and for all. Instead, they had been forced to retreat, wounded, with nothing but intelligence to show for it.
Naruto, however, broke the silence. "There's still no trace of Danzo, huh?"
Kakashi glanced at him, then sighed. "He must have slipped away the moment he caught wind of the mission. Old fox wouldn't risk his own hide when Akatsuki's involved."
Jiraiya's mouth tightened, but he nodded in agreement. "We'll deal with him another time. For now… we regroup."
Four Days Later – Konoha
The news spread like wildfire. Word of three great villages launching a joint operation against Akatsuki and the Land of Rain sent smaller nations into a panic. Border settlements feared they might be next, caught in the ambitions of the great powers.
Back in Konoha, the surviving strike force assembled before the Hokage. Tsunade listened in silence as Jiraiya laid out the details—the six Paths, Nagato's hidden body, Konan's intervention. Kakashi filled in the tactical gaps, Gai described the intensity of the combat, and Naruto spoke last, his report surprisingly calm despite the danger he had faced.
Tsunade did not scold them. She only sighed, fingers drumming against her desk. "At least we know more than before. Akatsuki's secrets are no longer hidden in shadow. That will have to be enough."
When the others were dismissed, she kept Jiraiya behind for a private discussion.
Naruto, however, had already made up his mind.
Amegakure – Hidden Refuge
Nagato chewed quietly at the bread Konan had brought, though each bite looked labored. His body was gaunt, brittle, little more than bone wrapped in parchment skin.
"How is it outside?" he asked, voice dry.
Konan answered softly, careful not to burden him. "The Land of Rain has suffered greatly. But Konoha and their allies won't launch another invasion soon. For now… we have time."
Nagato closed his eyes, thinking. Then, suddenly, he opened them, the Rinnegan gleaming faintly.
"Konan. Contact Zetsu. I'll accept the prosthetic grafts."
Konan's lips parted in surprise, then relief. She had begged him countless times before, urging him to restore some mobility. Now, at last, he had agreed.
When she left, Nagato's gaze drifted into the shadows. His voice was low, almost a whisper.
"Uzumaki Naruto… you are different. I look forward to the day we meet again. You had better be stronger than. Otherwise… fate will not favor you."
Konoha – Night
A shadow clone dozed on the futon inside Naruto's apartment, playing the part of a weary shinobi home from war. The real Naruto was elsewhere.
In a flash of golden light, he reappeared deep within a hidden laboratory—the place where serpents whispered and forbidden knowledge bloomed. Orochimaru's base.
His footsteps echoed in the dark corridor.
"You came earlier than I expected, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru's silken voice called from within the research chamber. He didn't even look up, pale hands busy over surgical notes.
Naruto unsealed the scroll, releasing the corpses of White Zetsu onto the floor. Their pale bodies thudded dully against the stone.
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed. "Magnificent samples. These will keep me entertained for years. So, tell me… what do you want this time?"
Naruto's reply was simple. "We're breaking Minato's seal. I need the other half of the Nine-Tails."
For a heartbeat, even Orochimaru's grin faltered. Then it widened into something serpentine. "The Mask Temple… Uzushio. Heh… how nostalgic. Very well, Naruto-kun. Let's awaken a god."
The Ruins of Uzushio – 3:30 a.m.
The village of whirlpools lay silent beneath the night sky, its shattered walls and moss-choked ruins whispering of a clan long extinguished.
Orochimaru guided Naruto to the depths, to the shrine that held the Shinigami's mask.
"This is the only key to break the Shiki Fūjin," Orochimaru explained, hands weaving seals. His tongue flicked across his lips. "Watch closely, Naruto-kun."
The air chilled as the mask was donned. Behind Orochimaru, a monstrous shadow rose—the Shinigami itself, ghastly and vast, clutching its blade.
With deliberate slowness, Orochimaru drew a knife across his own belly. Black smoke gushed forth as sealed souls poured free—the First Hokage, the Second, fragments of his own power. His ruined arms knit themselves whole, fingers flexing as if reborn.
Then, with the Shinigami fading, Orochimaru stepped back. "It's ready. Call him."
Naruto slammed his palm against the ground. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!"
The coffin rose. Its lid creaked open, revealing a man with sun-blond hair and calm, familiar eyes. The Fourth Hokage.
Minato Namikaze.
Naruto inhaled slowly. He had no time to waste on sentiment. "Orochimaru, step back. I'm releasing the Yin half."
The Ritual
Four shadow clones leapt into position, forming the Four Purple Flame Formation, a square barrier sealing the battlefield.
Naruto pressed his palm to Minato's stomach. Chakra surged, tearing open the seal. Red chakra gushed out, hateful and violent, coalescing into a towering fox of flame.
The Yin Nine-Tails roared, its voice a quake that rattled the stones.
"Humans… unforgivable vermin!" Its burning eyes locked onto Naruto. "You! The thief who dares claim my other half!"
It opened its maw, chakra swirling into a massive sphere.
A Bijūdama.
Naruto didn't flinch. His fingers flashed through seals. "Hiraishin: Guiding Thunder!"
Space warped. The monstrous sphere of annihilation vanished, reappearing far beyond the ruins. The explosion lit the night sky, shaking the ocean itself.
The Yin Nine-Tails snarled. "That jutsu… Minato's cursed trickery. You dare mock me with it?!"
But then another chakra stirred. The ground cracked as another fox emerged—massive, blazing, equally furious.
The Yang Nine-Tails, bound to Naruto.
Two titans faced each other, mirror images of hatred and pride.
Naruto's voice rang across the barrier. "This ends here. You've been split too long. Yin and Yang will become whole again—under me."
The foxes collided. Claws and fangs tore into each other, roars shaking the barrier. Yin chakra clashed against Yang, their struggle a storm of fire and malice.
The Yin Nine-Tails resisted with everything it had, screaming its refusal, but the Yang half pressed harder. And this time, Naruto tilted the scales. He had already seeded Yang Kurama with Yin nature chakra from before.
The balance broke.
"No! Not like this! I won't disappear!" The Yin Nine-Tails' roars turned ragged, desperate. But the pull was inexorable, its chakra unraveling, drawn into its other self.
The two halves spiraled together, merging, reforging the beast that had once shaken nations.
Kurama. Whole again.
Aftermath
The fox towered within the barrier, its form stabilizing, fur bristling with restored might. Both halves of its consciousness fused, its presence heavier, sharper, undeniable.
Kurama lowered its head, crimson eyes fixing on Naruto. "So… you actually did it. You bound me. All of me."
Its voice no longer split between halves, but resonant, whole.
Naruto stood firm, sweat sliding down his temple, but his grin was sharp. "That's right. You're mine now. No more chains, no more halves. Just power."
Kurama growled low, but it did not strike. Something had changed. Its anger had not vanished, but there was respect now, however reluctant.
From the shadows, Orochimaru's laugh slithered across the chamber. "Fascinating. Truly fascinating. To think I would witness the rebirth of the complete Nine-Tails…"
Naruto didn't turn. His gaze never left the fox.
The night of Uzushio bore witness to a rebirth. Not of a village, not of a clan, but of a beast long divided.
And with it, Naruto stepped closer to a power that even the Sage of Six Paths had once feared.
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