"Alright!!!"
"Uchiha brat!!!" The Nine-Tails swung a massive paw, but in the next instant, a genjutsu snared the beast.
"How is this possible! This is..."
"Tsukuyomi!" Kanon's Mangekyō Sharingan flared once more.
"Let's go!"
One wielding a Rasengan and the other a Chidori, Naruto and Kanon charged toward the Nine-Tails in unison.
"Take this!"
Naruto leaped high, slamming his Rasengan down toward the Nine-Tails, while dozens of Kanon's Shadow Clones flanked the beast, striking from behind with a barrage of Chidori.
At that moment, Naruto shouted, "Kanon!"
"On it!" Kanon responded.
Their coordination was just as it had been in their childhood. Kanon's original body had already slipped beneath the Nine-Tails' feet. With her pink Sage markings glowing, she physically hoisted the massive fox and hurled it away.
Tumbling through the air, the Nine-Tails looked up to see Naruto's resolute face. The Rasengan in his hand grew exponentially.
Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Mean-Group Rasengan!
"Impossible!"
The Nine-Tails forced its body upright, shredding countless Shadow Clones with a single swipe, completely ignoring Kanon.
By then, Kanon had already leaped into the air. Flanking Naruto on his right, the two held their spheres aloft, one blue, one pink, and the two jutsu began to merge.
"Sage Art: Wind Release: Taiji Rasengan!!!"
"What?!" The Nine-Tails gritted its teeth. Seeing the unwavering determination in Naruto and Kanon's eyes, it felt a rare sense of helplessness. The Taiji Rasengan in their hands was now larger than the Nine-Tails' own body.
"Aaaaaagh!" The sphere slammed into the Nine-Tails, sending it spiraling backward.
As the energy began to devour the space around it, the Nine-Tails felt its strength being siphoned.
"It's not over yet!" Kanon roared. Naruto charged from the left with a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, while Kanon charged from the right with her Rasengan Fire Dance.
"One more hit!!!"
BOOM!
"What is this power?" The Nine-Tails felt the sheer terror of the strike as two devastating forces detonated simultaneously at its sides. Behind it, a legion of Kanon and Naruto's Shadow Clones were engaged in a frantic tug-of-war with its chakra.
"Get lost!" Naruto bellowed as his original body charged forward alongside Kanon.
This time, Kanon assisted Naruto in forming a Rasenshuriken. As Naruto hurled the jutsu, a star-ring from the Rasengan Fire Dance exploded within it, the combined force blasting the Nine-Tails into the air.
"Nice one!" Kanon gave Naruto a thumbs-up, exactly as she used to when they were kids.
Having successfully absorbed the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto was now enshrouded in a brilliant golden glow.
"This... this is the Nine-Tails'..." Naruto stared at his hands.
"Looks like you got some new clothes." Kanon's Shadow Clones dispelled instantly. She walked up to Naruto and patted his shoulder.
Suddenly, Naruto pulled Kanon into a hug.
"What's this? All of a sudden?" Kanon's face flushed slightly.
"Thank you... I know you don't have the memories of what comes after this, but thank you for always helping me like this!"
Kanon froze for a moment, then gave a helpless shrug. "Well, what are best friends for? You're squeezing me too hard, let go!" She forcibly pushed Naruto away.
Naruto looked at this version of Kanon, the girl with the twin tails, with a complex expression. He knew that the Kanon who had destroyed Konoha and attacked the Five Kage Summit was no longer this spirited, twin-tailed girl who walked the line between light and shadow.
In the distance, the Nine-Tails let out a furious roar. "Naruto! Kanon! You... you've officially pushed me too far!"
A massive Tailed Beast Bomb began to coalesce in the Nine-Tails' jaws. Kanon smiled and rapidly wove a set of hand seals.
"Sage Art: Gate of the Great God: Seal Head!"
Massive red gates tumbled from the sky, pinning the Nine-Tails' head to the ground. Naruto pulled at the seal, and more gates crashed down, pinning the beast's body.
"This is the Sage of Six Paths'... impossible! Maybe for Naruto, but how can you have this!" the Nine-Tails screamed at Kanon.
"How should I know!" Kanon retorted.
"I'll remember this! Naruto! Kanon!" The Nine-Tails glared at them, its eyes bloodshot with rage.
"Sorry, Nine-Tails. We won't hurt you; after all, I'm just chakra myself," Kanon said, sticking her tongue out. "Well, it's time for me to fade away. I only put my chakra in here because I was worried about you, Naruto, and now it's nearly spent." She gave him a beautiful smile.
"Thank you..." Naruto watched the Kanon of his memories, his heart a whirlwind of emotions. Kanon had been so good to him, but what about him? The current Kanon had chosen a path entirely different from his own; she would never stand back-to-back with him like that again.
As Kanon's body slowly dissolved into a flurry of pink flower petals, Naruto deactivated his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and watched the petals drift.
"Kanon... I will definitely become Hokage!"
As the chakra faded, Kanon's voice echoed from the horizon: "Good luck, Naruto. Let me see how cool you look when you become Hokage!"
Finally, a single vivid, thorny red rose fell into Naruto's palm. Tears glistened in his eyes.
…
"It's quieted down," Yamato said softly.
"Yeah," Killer B nodded.
Suddenly, Naruto opened his eyes and let out a laugh.
"Well? Was it a success?" Yamato asked.
"Let's just say a lot happened." Naruto smiled and bumped fists with Killer B.
"Is that so? I see, I see. Understood."
"That look on your face just now—refreshing!" Killer B rapped.
"What about the Nine-Tails? Can you control it now?"
Yamato was about to lose his mind watching the two of them speak in riddles, feeling completely left out.
"Don't worry, old man. The Nine-Tails' chakra is stored safely inside me now. I won't use it unless I have to."
To demonstrate, Naruto drew a small amount, and his body instantly transformed into its golden state. "This is what I look like when I'm using the Nine-Tails' chakra."
"Incredible. It's overflowing with life energy," Yamato noted, seeing his own Wood Release reacting to the presence.
Suddenly, Naruto stiffened. He glared toward Killer B and shouted, "Did you really think you could stay hidden?"
"What? You sense another person's chakra?" Yamato asked, confused.
"You sensed someone else but not me? What a fail," Killer B muttered.
Inside Samehada, Kisame Hoshigaki gritted his teeth. His chakra was identical to Samehada's; there was no way he should have been discovered.
Naruto quickly solved the mystery. "It's not chakra. What I feel is a kind of... squirming malice!" He pointed a finger at Samehada and barked, "Right there!"
Suddenly, Samehada split open, and Kisame's form emerged.
"It seems you can sense hatred and evil emotions. It's not like any typical sensory type. So this is the power of a Jinchuriki who has achieved control over the Nine-Tails."
Killer B gasped. "You're... that Akatsuki shark! Why? I specifically snapped that guy's neck last time. How did you bypass the lock-on attack from me and my brother?"
Kisame smirked, showing no fear. "During the battle in the pond, I dove into the water. The one whose neck you snapped was a clone."
"If it was a clone, it should have vanished when it was killed. Why was there a corpse? That's the question. And if it was a transformation, I should have noticed."
Faced with B's interrogation, Kisame replied indifferently, "That clone was special, a parasitic clone I could manipulate from a distance. Anyway, let's end this conversation here. Moving on, it's just me against two Jinchuriki and a Wood Release user. Honestly, the odds are quite bad."
With that, Kisame pressed a button.
"What? How do you know how to open the door to this room!" Killer B was shocked.
"Stupid question. I came in here as a spy."
Kisame moved to exit, but Naruto was faster. In a flash, he struck Kisame's torso.
"So fast... I didn't expect such speed!" Kisame coughed up a large amount of blood but gritted his teeth and fled outside.
"My foot... I put too much power into it and stepped too deep!" Naruto gritted his teeth. "I guess I'm not as used to fighting at this speed as the Fourth Hokage."
"B-sama, please go after him. I'll stay and help Naruto," Yamato said before running to Naruto's side.
"Leave it to me!" Killer B chased after the intruder.
…
Below the Falls of Truth, Guy was surprised by what he had heard about the area. "What? Your true self appears in the waterfall? Is that really true?"
"Yes. I heard Naruto defeated his true self right here. Guy, why don't you give it a try?" Aoba Yamashiro teased.
"Don't be ridiculous! We don't have time for that. Helping Naruto is the priority. I came here to protect him as his teacher!"
Aoba looked at Guy's expression and smirked. "I bet you're just afraid to see what your true self looks like."
"No way! You think I'm afraid?!" Cold sweat broke out on Guy's face, and he leaped in front of the Falls of Truth in a single bound.
Ultimately, Guy had been goaded by Aoba. He stood silently before the Falls of Truth.