"You! Why did you come to Kumogakure?! What did we ever do to you?!"
The Fourth Raikage finally asked the question weighing on his mind, desperate to resolve the crisis at its root.
Just moments ago, he was shouting about taking the Nine-Tails.
Now that the tide had turned, he suddenly wanted to talk things out.
But Naruto had no intention of explaining.
After all, in many cases, people die because they talk too much.
Besides, both the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails—he had to take them.
Naruto didn't say a word.
Instead, he manipulated his towering Susanoo directly.
The giant aqua-blue right hand reached out, grabbing both Tailed Beasts at once.
Two massive Tailed Beasts, now clutched in one hand like toys—only their heads still visible.
Killer Bee tried to wrest control of the Eight-Tails, doing everything he could to break free.
The enormous bull-octopus struggled with all its might—face red with effort—but couldn't budge Susanoo's fingers.
"Yo! fool, ya fool, guess we're out of luck now!"
Killer Bee still managed to rap.
"Bee! Focus, damn it! This isn't a joke—we're really gonna die!"
Gyūki roared.
Even the mighty Eight-Tails couldn't shake free.
The Two-Tails didn't even stand a chance.
Matatabi tried to fight back by igniting herself in blue flames.
But that too was futile.
If Tailed Beast Bombs couldn't even scratch this Susanoo, what could a little fire do?
The Fourth Raikage and all the Hidden Cloud shinobi watched in shock—two of their greatest weapons, seized like misbehaving pets.
'What kind of monster… have we provoked?!'
That was the shared thought of most of Kumogakure.
Some pessimists had already started packing their things, ready to flee.
After all, if someone could casually pick up two Tailed Beasts with one hand, how could anyone possibly resist?
And when one of them was the Raikage's own brother…
The Fourth Raikage could no longer stay still.
"Uzumaki Naruto! What do you want?! Just tell me—we can negotiate anything!!"
Naruto remained unmoved.
Negotiation is something done between equals.
When there's absolute power, there's no need to ask permission—only take.
And right now, Naruto wanted the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails.
He could sense Hinata's chakra through Kagura's Mind Eye—she was safe for now.
Staring at the struggling Tailed Beasts in his grasp, Naruto weighed his options.
If he sacrificed them to the system, he could get two Six Paths–level rewards.
But then he'd never be able to gather all nine Tailed Beasts to create the Ten-Tails.
So which was better?
Sacrifice for the gacha?
Or collect and go down the Akatsuki's path?
But that would mean sacrificing Kurama.
Naruto quickly made his decision.
Nine Tailed Beasts = Nine Six Paths draws.
The Ten-Tails? Realistically, it might only be worth one such reward.
'No way I'd be that unlucky, right? With nine tries, I should get something stronger than the Ten-Tails...'
'Besides, there are still other massive energy sources in the ninja world I can collect.
And with this system, surely there's some kind of pity mechanic?'
Decision made, Naruto squeezed his hands.
The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, who had been struggling with all their might, instantly went limp.
But to be safe, Naruto used the power of the Tenseigan to extract their chakra cores, sealing them in his inner dimension.
As for the rest—ninety percent of their chakra—he sacrificed it to the system.
With the system's devouring power (like what happened to Danzo), the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails had now lost nearly all their strength, and could never recover.
But with their cores intact, Naruto could still fuse a budget version of the Ten-Tails later.
—
Inside the seal space, Kurama looked at the two shrunken Tailed Beasts with complex emotions.
'If I hadn't chosen to trust Naruto… that might've been me too.'
The weakened Matatabi and Gyūki stared at Kurama.
Once upon a time, Gyūki had only been slightly smaller than Kurama.
Now, he had to look up at him.
"Kurama... your Jinchūriki is way too overpowered. What the hell is he?
If not for the fact that he looks and acts completely different, I'd think the old man came back from the dead."
Gyūki muttered.
Kurama grinned smugly.
"Of course he's strong—all thanks to me. You two are lucky I put in a good word for you. Otherwise, you'd both be dead."
Seeing the dramatic contrast in outcomes, Kurama felt immeasurably satisfied.
Matatabi, meanwhile, took the praise literally.
She actually believed that Kurama had spared them.
Looking around the seal space—so vast, peaceful, and vibrant—it was like paradise compared to living inside Yūgito Nii.
Gyūki sighed and lay down in resignation.
'We were taken down at full strength... now we're little more than plush toys.
What else can we do?'
—
Outside, Killer Bee and Yūgito, stripped of their Tailed Beasts, had lost all life signs.
They slipped through Susanoo's fingers like lifeless dolls, falling from the sky.
The Fourth Raikage looked up and watched them fall, grief blazing in his eyes.
At the last second, he transformed into a streak of lightning and leapt into the air—
catching them both in his arms before landing.
Laying them gently on the ground, he checked their vitals—
his heart shattered.
Both were dead.
A cherished teammate.
A beloved brother.
And now, the loss of two Tailed Beasts meant Kumogakure would soon lose its place among the Five Great Nations.
'This legacy passed down by our forefathers…
Is it really going to be destroyed by my hands...?'
His fists clenched so hard they cracked.
But when he looked up at the god-like Susanoo…
All that rage turned into helplessness.
And humiliation.
Even now, he still didn't understand—
Why had this calamity come for Kumogakure?!
But it didn't matter anymore.
Naruto clearly had no interest in conversation.
So there was only one thing left to do:
Fight.
"Even if I know I can't win...
I will charge forward without hesitation!
I am the Fourth Raikage—remember that!!"
With a final roar, the Raikage unleashed everything.
Lightning Armor surged to the limit—
His body a bolt of blue light.
He shot toward Susanoo's feet and began scaling the giant, leaping upward step by step.
"If I can't break the giant...
Then I'll destroy the one controlling it!"
His determination fired up other Kumogakure ninja.
Many Jōnin followed suit, heading toward Susanoo's head to strike Naruto directly.
Naruto lowered his gaze, calmly watching their ascent.
A thought rose in his mind.
"...So weak."
"No wonder Uchiha Madara laughed when others came at him.
This is what he meant by 'dancing'."
"But this is such ugly dancing.
Time to end it."