Chapter 265: Uzumaki
Naruto looked at Shukaku ahead, deflated like a punctured ball, both unwilling yet somewhat fearful, his mind made up. Good! Take advantage of this—with one vigorous effort, use physical means to "persuade" this big guy back into Gaara's body!
Golden light flashed around him as he prepared to Body Flicker close again. However, at that very instant—
A sudden, intense heart palpitation violently seized his heart without warning! Making his breath catch, even his chakra flow becoming disordered, his feet stumbling, nearly falling from the treetop.
"Ugh...!"
Naruto pressed one hand to his chest, fine cold sweat seeping from his forehead. What was... this feeling?
Clearly a powerful enemy was ahead, and he hadn't sensed any new threats nearby—why would his body suddenly issue such a strong warning?
He couldn't understand this sudden abnormality, but his instincts screamed frantically—this was absolutely nothing good!
He forcibly suppressed his inner unease and steadied himself. Just as he focused his guard, the corner of his eye caught something unnatural in the sky—things flickering with strange golden light were silently scattering down.
BOOM—!
The sound of tearing air suddenly rang out! Naruto's feet explosively pushed off, his form transforming into a golden afterimage rushing forward!
Almost the instant he left his original position, that area where he'd been standing, along with a large expanse of forest behind, was completely covered by an incredibly heavy, metal-gleaming golden "sand sea." The tremendous impact made the ground violently tremble, smoke and dust mixed with golden fragments surging skyward.
Naruto landed lightly at a safe distance, sharply turning to look back.
"This is... gold dust?!"
He immediately recognized this signature jutsu—wasn't this the ninjutsu of Gaara's not-quite-right-in-the-head father, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa?! What was happening?! Could this guy not be dead... or...
No, that's not right. If Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan was executing as scheduled, he absolutely wouldn't have spared Rasa, this important chess piece and obstacle. Then the only possibility was...
Naruto's speculation received cruel confirmation seconds later.
In the distance, a figure appeared standing on a floating gold dust platform, drifting over to hover in midair. It was precisely the Fourth Kazekage—Rasa!
However, his eyes were currently vacant and lifeless, without the slightest vitality, as if an exquisitely carved puppet. This revealed his true current state.
Impure World Reincarnation!
Why would an Impure World Reincarnated Rasa appear here? Why was his target himself? A string of questions flashed rapidly through Naruto's mind, but the current critical situation left no room for careful thought.
Because in the distance, Shukaku that had been cowering forward, seeing Naruto intercepted by this suddenly appearing powerful enemy, was actually dragging its tattered massive body, clumsily yet quickly beginning to flee!
This was bad! He had to quickly resolve the battle!
Naruto instantly made his decision. The Impure World Reincarnated Rasa's strength absolutely couldn't surpass his current self. Moreover, toward this father who'd repeatedly attempted to kill his own son, Naruto held not the slightest favorable impression, with nothing to say.
Seeing the second wave of even more surging gold dust giant waves crushing toward him like walls, brilliant golden light exploded around Naruto! Two incomparably condensed golden chakra giant claws instantly formed before him, then tightly clasped together like a massive war hammer, viciously smashing down toward the gold dust sea below!
BANG—!!!
A dull thunder-like boom! The gold dust sea was actually forcibly blasted open with a massive hole! Gold dust scattered everywhere like a rainstorm, losing its original form and control.
Right now! While he was temporarily suppressed, finish him in one breath and send him back to the Pure Land where he should rest!
The golden chakra giant claws didn't pause, grabbing the vacant-eyed Rasa floating in midair!
Naruto's true body simultaneously surged forward, hands rapidly forming seals, preparing to deploy sealing jutsu to completely end this spirit that shouldn't exist in the present world.
"Naruto! Watch out behind—!!"
Just as the sealing jutsu was about to complete, Kurama's panicked, nearly uncontrolled roar suddenly rang out from within!
This was perhaps the first time Naruto felt such intense emotional fluctuation from the Nine-Tails, that voice filled with unprecedented urgency.
The Nine-Tails' mental power locked firmly on somewhere behind—that chakra it least wanted to sense right now was rapidly approaching!
No time to think, relying on his complete trust in Kurama, Naruto forcibly interrupted the nearly completed sealing formula! His form immediately shot upward at high speed!
WHOOSH—!
Several tearing air sounds swept past almost grazing his feet! Naruto twisted in midair, looking down in shock and uncertainty, seeing clearly what had nearly hit him—
They were several chains emanating soft golden light and radiating sealing aura.
It seemed this was the source of that ominous premonition...
Naruto hovered in midair, his heart as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand. He finally understood—that inexplicable heart palpitation hadn't been baseless.
The ambush having failed, behind the Impure World Rasa, two more figures slowly emerged from the forest shadows, silently standing not far from Naruto.
The same vacant, lifeless eyes—but when Naruto's gaze touched those two faces, his pupils suddenly contracted, his breathing nearly stopping. He completely understood why Kurama had panicked so.
They were two women.
On the left, one wore spotlessly pure white kimono, hair elegantly styled in a bun, a clear purple diamond mark adorning her forehead.
On the right, one had long hair, wearing only ordinary home clothes, yet unable to conceal her gentle yet resilient bearing.
Their sole commonality—they both possessed vibrant red hair like flames, symbolizing Uzumaki Clan bloodline!
Within the seal space, the Nine-Tails had completely bristled, baring fangs and claws, releasing threatening growls from its throat, staring fixedly at those two with whom it had in some sense "spent time together" for long periods.
Naruto recognized them.
The first was the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's wife, the previous jinchuriki who'd once contained the Nine-Tails—Mito Uzumaki.
And the second... was the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's wife, the hero who'd once protected the village as Nine-Tails jinchuriki... and also the one who'd given him life, whom he'd never had a chance to call Mother—Kushina Uzumaki!
"..."
The Nine-Tails could clearly feel that outside, Naruto first fell into a blank daze, but immediately after, an indescribable, scorching emotion mixing sorrow and rage burned frantically in his heart.
Naruto had thought more than once that when he possessed sufficiently powerful strength, perhaps he could find a method in this miracle-filled ninja world to bring his parents back to the living world... but absolutely not in this desecrated, controlled spirit form before him!
BOOM—!
Behind, the gold dust Rasa controlled condensed again, ready to strike.
Ahead, Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki's bodies began being forcibly wrapped and eroded by an ominous, blood-thick red chakra. That chakra was filled with violence and pain, completely incompatible with their originally peaceful bearing.
"ROAR—!!!"
Accompanied by two inhuman sounds filled with pain and mania, the two Uzumaki Clan women under the blood-red chakra's complete engulfment underwent horrifying transformations.
Their bodies swelled and twisted, ultimately transforming into two beasts with multiple tails swaying behind them, entirely crimson, leaving only pure destructive desire—Tailed Beast transformation monsters!
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