Facing Tsunade as she opened with the Wooden Golem, Naruto finally understood.
No matter what, only by demonstrating his own strength—only by proving himself—could he earn Granny Tsunade's recognition, and the recognition of everyone here.
"Cough—Kurama!"
A surge of golden chakra erupted from Naruto's abdomen, instantly enveloping him from head to toe.
The chakra condensed into a small Nine-Tails form, only three to four meters tall.
In that instant, everyone watching was stunned.
Gaara frowned.
"…What are you saying? Where's your full Tailed Beast transformation?"
Naruto lifted his head and stared at the forty- to fifty-meter-tall Wooden Golem towering not far ahead, Tsunade standing firmly at its feet. His mind blanked for a moment.
"Kurama! Why is our Tailed Beast form so small?!"
"What's going on?! Don't mess with me at a time like this!"
Inside Naruto's mindscape, the Nine-Tails clasped its massive hands together. A faint bead of sweat slid down its forehead.
"Hey, don't pin this on me," Kurama snapped.
"This happened because you still can't fully control my chakra."
"…Uh."
Naruto fell silent.
"…Forget it. If this is as big as it gets right now, then so be it."
"Smaller means more flexible!"
Naruto adjusted instantly. His chakra form twisted into a nimble, mountain-fox-like silhouette, leaping left and right as he dashed toward the Wooden Golem beneath Tsunade's command.
The orange-gold fox blurred into streaks of light, darting back and forth so fast that several of Tsunade's attacks struck only empty ground.
Only then did the spectators understand Naruto's strategy.
"So he's reducing his size to increase agility?" Gaara muttered.
This approach was similar to partial Tailed Beast transformation.
Rather than fully transforming, Yugito Nii preferred to manifest only the Two-Tails' features—maintaining her human form while summoning its claws and flames. It maximized speed while the extra tails helped maintain balance during high-speed movement.
At that moment, Uchiha Hikaru shifted his gaze toward Yugito and the other Jinchūriki.
"Everyone," Hikaru said calmly,
"Naruto and Killer Bee are trying to prove they're strong enough to protect themselves—and qualified to stand on this battlefield."
"You shouldn't fall behind either."
"Show me something," he continued, his tone sharpening.
"Let me see how you plan to resist the genjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hikaru's eyes turned blood-red.
His gaze locked directly onto Yugito Nii.
She froze for a split second—
And then Yugito felt the world before her eyes shatter completely.
"…This is…?"
She found herself in an unfamiliar room. Her limbs were tightly bound by cold iron chains, spread wide against a frame. Strange instruments surrounded her, filling her with an inexplicable sense of humiliation and dread.
"Uchiha Hikaru!"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Yugito immediately understood—this was his genjutsu.
Hikaru's figure appeared before her, a faint smile on his face.
"Oh? You're not a child anymore," he said lightly.
"Don't tell me you don't know what genjutsu is meant to do."
"Genjutsu uses chakra to drag the target into a fabricated reality—attacking and tormenting the mind."
"I'm just testing your willpower."
Yugito snorted and turned her head away.
"Then you're underestimating us," she said coldly.
"We already prepared countermeasures for the Mangekyō."
"I'll break out of your filthy illusion in no time."
A playful curve appeared at the corner of Hikaru's lips.
"Oh~"
"Are you sure?"
"This illusion space is created by the Mangekyō itself. Time, space—even sensation—are all under my control."
"For example," he added softly,
"that single second you're waiting for… hasn't arrived yet~"
"Let's hope your fellow Jinchūriki save you soon."
With that, Hikaru picked up a strip of black cloth and calmly covered Yugito's eyes.
"…You bastard…!"
...
Several hours passed within the illusion.
In reality, only an instant had gone by.
When the others noticed that Yugito had suddenly gone rigid, Gaara immediately formed hand seals. Using the chakra that had been pre-embedded in each of their bodies, he forcibly disrupted the flow of chakra inside Yugito.
The genjutsu shattered instantly.
When the sealing measures were placed on them earlier, all nine Jinchūriki had already planned countermeasures against the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Each of them carried a small amount of the others' Tailed Beast chakra. As long as even one person remained free, they could break the illusion binding the rest.
Under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, Yugito—just freed from the illusion—collapsed to her knees. Her legs trembled violently as sweat poured down her body.
She gritted her teeth and glared at Hikaru.
"Uchiha Hikaru… you bastard…!"
Fū rushed to her side and helped her up, her face full of concern.
"Sister Yugito! What did he do to you in that genjutsu?!"
"How dare he…!"
Hikaru waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax," he said lazily.
"I know cats are sensitive. I just tickled the soles of your feet for a few hours."
"You were smiling pretty happily in there. Why the sudden change of expression?"
Black lines instantly appeared on everyone's faces.
What kind of monster is this…?
Tickling someone's feet for hours—no sane person would think of that.
Yugito's face flushed with fury. She cursed him silently, her nails digging into her palms.
What really happened inside that illusion…
That secret belonged to only the two of them.
With a sharp breath, Yugito released her chakra completely.
She entered Two-Tails Chakra Mode.
Dark blue flames erupted around her body. Cat ears rose atop her head, two blazing tails lashed behind her, and razor-sharp claws extended from her fingers. She slammed her claws together, sending arcs of searing blue fire straight at Hikaru.
At the same time, the other Jinchūriki surged forward as well—carefully avoiding direct eye contact with him.
They had already learned.
The Mangekyō's genjutsu could independently manipulate time. In the span of a heartbeat, Yugito had endured hours of torment.
Thankfully, they were Jinchūriki.
Before becoming perfect Jinchūriki, they had already endured repeated baptisms of Tailed Beast chakra. Ordinary ninja would have collapsed instantly under such mental strain—just like Sasuke after being struck by Itachi's Tsukuyomi, left babbling and unconscious.
No one wanted to be the next one pulled into Uchiha Hikaru's illusion.
After all…
The next one might be far worse than tickling the soles of their feet.