Golden light tore through the dim sky, carrying newborn strength and resolute hope, as it crashed violently into the Ten-Tails at the heart of the battlefield!
Golden chakra flames enveloped Naruto, the majestic power of his Nine-Tails Mode kicking up fierce winds across the desert battlefield.
The blinding radiance briefly even eclipsed the Ten-Tails' malevolence, reigniting the sparks of hope in the eyes of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
However, a sense of dissonance flashed through Naruto's mind; his reconciliation with the Nine-Tails, Kurama, had gone smoother than he could have ever imagined.
That behemoth, once filled with hatred, still maintained its arrogance within the seal's space, yet it had unexpectedly retracted its claws when he spoke of his convictions.
Even with his mother Kushina's assistance, this nearly effortless acceptance still felt somewhat surreal to him.
Suspended high in the air on his stone throne, Takuno straightened slightly, his gaze beneath the Fox Mask piercing through the dazzling flames to land precisely on Naruto's heart.
There, a faint golden ripple was shimmering, visible only to his Rinnegan.
"Oh?" a faint, barely audible sound of surprise echoed behind the mask.
He recalled the little Naruto of that time, who would call him 'Uncle Takuno' because of his relationship with Minato.
That pure enthusiasm had moved him back then, and he had quietly tapped his finger into Naruto's chest, using the power of the Sharingan to leave behind a Harmony Mark.
The original intent of this gift was to soften the Nine-Tails' extreme hostility toward humans, like opening a tiny crack in a closed heart.
But he knew well that to truly push that door open and pacify a Tailed Beast's millennium of accumulated resentment...
What was needed was never external force, but a burning will capable of shaking the soul and a capacity to embrace all things.
"To reach this level with only the guidance of a single mark..." Takuno's lazy posture remained unchanged, the purple glow of his Six-Tomoe Rinnegan swirling in his eyes.
He seemed to see the youth, with a mortal body, forcibly nurturing a seedling called 'Understanding' in a desert filled with hatred.
This was definitely not a miracle that the 'Harmony Mark' could achieve on its own.
Finally, a barely audible sigh dissipated into the wind and sand of the battlefield.
"It is you after all, Naruto Namikaze."
Even though the trajectory of fate had long since shifted, that dazzling trait from the original story—overturning common sense with 'unpredictability'—
Still remained etched deep in this boy's soul like a brand of destiny. His ability to create a bridge connecting hatred and understanding was itself the greatest 'unpredictability' in the Shinobi World.
Takuno tapped his finger lightly on the armrest of the stone throne, resuming his posture as an indifferent onlooker.
But a nearly imperceptible ripple deep in his left eye betrayed the interest he felt toward this 'accident.'
...
Naruto's full-power Tailed Beast Ball, condensed from his perfect Nine-Tails Mode, slammed violently into the Ten-Tails' massive body.
The violent explosion tore away a small half of the Ten-Tails' body, dark purple blood spraying like a waterfall, and its recovery speed was visibly slowed down.
This trauma far exceeded the total damage the Allied Forces had caused previously; it truly was difficult to recover from instantly.
"We did it!"
"Amazing! As expected of Naruto!"
"There's a chance! Suppress it now!"
Within the Allied Forces' camp, the Shinobi witnessing this scene felt long-lost rays of hope burst forth in their eyes.
Shikaku Nara immediately made a judgment: "Concentrate all Sealing Squad! Coordinate with Naruto to suppress the Ten-Tails! This is the best chance to seal it!"
Ōnoki's hands condensed the light of Dust Release, Raikage Ay's body erupted with lightning, and Gaara's gold sand surged—everyone saw a brief window for victory.
However, Naruto, standing at the center of the battlefield, raised a hand to stop everyone's accelerated movements.
His face, shrouded in golden chakra, bore a firm smile as he shouted.
"Wait! That last shot... although the effect was good, the consumption was too high. I can't use it continuously!"
"Besides, that guy's recovery is beyond imagination. It's hard to truly suppress it with raw output alone!"
A bucket of cold water was poured over the sparks of hope, and everyone's hearts tightened.
Was the opportunity fleeting?
"But!" Naruto's tone shifted as his sharp gaze swept across the battlefield, finally settling on his father, Minato, beside him.
"I have a way! I can buy everyone time to find Nagato's main body and cut off the control!"
Before his voice even faded, under the gaze of all the Allied Shinobi, the Five Kage, and even the lazy Collector Takuno on his stone throne—
Naruto unhesitatingly reached out and covered the palm of his father, Minato, who had also raised his hand.
Hum!
A dazzling golden light instantly erupted from the point where the father and son's palms met!
This golden glow wasn't simple light, but Nine-Tails chakra infused with surging vitality!
Like flowing golden liquid, it rapidly spread up Minato's arm at a visible speed.
In the next second, a shocking sight appeared:
Over Minato's iconic Hokage cloak, a solid layer of red Tailed Beast chakra was suddenly draped!
Though it lacked the golden characteristics of Naruto's mode, its surging sense of power clearly and unmistakably signaled that this was the Nine-Tails' strength!
"This... this is?!" Raikage Ay's pupils shrank, unable to comprehend the scene before him.
How could the power of a Tailed Beast, especially the strongest one like the Nine-Tails, be directly transferred, even forming a physical cloak over someone else?
"Impossible..." Ōnoki hovered in the air.
"A Shinobi who isn't a Jinchuriki... can actually carry the Nine-Tails' Chakra so easily? And even form a Tailed Beast Cloak?!"
Kakashi's Sharingan spun rapidly, attempting to analyze this transfer of chakra that defied logic.
"It's Naruto's supreme control over the Nine-Tails chakra! He's actively 'sharing' the power!"
Gaara watched in silence, his heart shaken.
He knew well the pain and difficulty of sealing a Tailed Beast, yet what Naruto was demonstrating now was another possibility beyond Sealing Jutsu—a 'sharing' based on understanding and trust.
"You've got to be kidding..."
"That red chakra... even the Fourth Hokage-sama..."
Countless Allied Shinobi gaped, forgetting their fear and fatigue, left only with unbelievable shock.
The Nine-Tails' power was no longer a symbol of destruction; it had now transformed into a warm and powerful light of protection, covering one of their own leaders.
Naruto looked around, feeling the equally surging red chakra on his father, and a confident smile appeared on his face.
"Everyone! Do you see? This is my method! Kurama's power isn't meant for me to fight alone!"
He took a deep breath, golden chakra burning like a sun within him, as his voice rang out across the battlefield via the alliance channel:
"Now, it's my turn to share this power with everyone!"
Naruto didn't mind the trouble and began to run tirelessly, bumping fists with every Shinobi he knew or didn't know.
The crimson radiance was like a prairie fire, instantly sweeping across the entire broken desert battlefield.
As Naruto's declaration fell, that warm and majestic golden chakra torrent transformed into tens of thousands of threads.
They surged precisely through the fist-bumps toward every surviving Allied Shinobi.
In the next moment, a miracle occurred.
Every warrior, from the most ordinary Genin to top-tier experts at the Five Kage level—
Was draped in a flowing, translucent red Tailed Beast Cloak of flame-like chakra!
"Whoa... what... what is this power?!"
"It's so warm... I can't even feel the pain from my wounds anymore!"
"Chakra... my chakra is exploding! Strength is welling up too!"
"Defense! This cloak is protecting me!"
Exclamations and unbelievable whispers rose one after another across the battlefield.
The Allied Shinobi, who had fallen into cold despair and were on the brink of morale collapse due to The Collector's Kamui and the Ten-Tails' terror—
Were now stunned by this sudden, powerful force enveloping their entire bodies.
They could clearly feel the chakra within them gushing out like spring water, their depleted Tenketsu instantly filled.
Their bodies felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted, becoming light and full of explosive power.
That seemingly thin red cloak brought an unprecedented sense of resilient defense, lifting them out of their ant-like vulnerability.
The core of the shock didn't come merely from the power itself, but from the 'sharer' of this power, Naruto.
Countless gazes converged on that blonde youth, filled with extreme astonishment and deep emotion.
In this Shinobi World, power was everything, and the strong usually viewed chakra as their most precious private property.
An ultimate power like the Nine-Tails, capable of overturning a war, was seen as an even more exclusive possession.
No one had ever thought, and no one had ever managed...
To actively and equally share such precious, powerful, and dangerous Tailed Beast chakra with every comrade on the battlefield!
"He actually... the Nine-Tails' power..."
Fourth Kazekage Gaara's hand controlling the gold sand paused slightly, the shock in his eyes impossible to hide.
He knew better than anyone the loneliness and pain of being a Jinchuriki; Naruto's action completely overturned his understanding.
"This kid..."
Raikage Ay's tensed muscles relaxed slightly under the red Tailed Beast Cloak as he looked down at his fist covered in the red chakra.
Feeling the surging power and resilient defense within, his volatile anger was replaced by a rare mix of recognition and wonder at Naruto's boldness.
Minato's son... truly is extraordinary!
Ōnoki hovered in the air, his aged eyes fixed on Naruto, his overwhelming shock finally turning into a complex, difficult-to-describe sigh.
"Actively sharing the power of a Tailed Beast... what a capacity beyond imagination. Minato, you... have raised an incredible son!"
The will and vision displayed by this 'sharing'—
In his view, it was even more astounding than the power gained in an instant.
Kakashi looked at his own arm, likewise covered in red chakra, and then toward his blonde student shining like a sun in the distance.
The exposed Sharingan flickered with an unprecedented sense of relief and pride.
"Naruto... you've truly grown up."
This trust and responsibility showed him the most brilliant blooming of the will of fire in the next generation.
And Minato, the center of everyone's attention, felt the red Tailed Beast Cloak on himself—far stronger and more solid than before and originating from his son.
As he looked at the continuous crimson glow across the battlefield, symbolizing unity and hope, his heart swelled with unspeakable excitement and pride.
His azure eyes remained locked onto his son.
He didn't speak, but that 'proud of you' look of approval and relief was clearly transmitted to Naruto.
This is Naruto!
His willingness to share, which transcended power, and his broad heart stemming from the will of fire, were now clearly branded into the heart of every survivor present.
He wasn't just the son of the Fourth Hokage Minato; he was Naruto, the one who ignited the flames of the Allied Forces' counterattack!
"Everyone!" Minato's clear and powerful voice spread across the battlefield via the alliance channel, instantly silencing all the noise.
"This will and power are not the end! Our goal is to find Nagato and stop the Ten-Tails! While we have this chance, counterattack!"
With Minato's words, the eyes of the Allied Shinobi, draped in red Tailed Beast Cloaks and with morale at an all-time high, reignited with resolution and hope.
An invisible, majestic aura erupted along with that continuous crimson sea.
It pointed directly at the Ten-Tails, which was still raging and roaring beneath the firmament!
However, amidst the cheers of the Allied Forces boiling with Nine-Tails chakra, Sasuke looked down at the leaping crimson chakra cloak on his body.
This power from Naruto was warm and majestic, yet it felt like a cold needle piercing the deepest part of his heart.
He could clearly feel the gap between himself and Naruto widening at an unimaginable speed.
The Nine-Tails Mode and the ability to share power with everyone...
These scenes that defied common sense caused a heavy sense of helplessness to seize him, and a voice screamed shrilly in his mind.
"I can't catch up... I'll never catch up!"
The suffocation brought by this thought almost caused him to break down, and the stagnant chakra within him became restless due to his intense emotions.
His three tomoe spun frantically, and ominous shadows began to creep into the edges of his vision.
Just then, a familiar and gentle touch landed precisely on his forehead.
Cool fingers, carrying a tranquility out of place with the battlefield's clamor, gave a light flick.
It wasn't an ordinary tap; it was more like a clear spring instantly extinguishing a fire that was about to explode.
Sasuke shuddered, and his thoughts, chaotic from the emotional impact, instantly froze.
He looked up, and what met his eyes was Itachi's gaze, as calm as still water.
There was no trace of reproach in those deep Sharingan eyes, only an all-knowing concern and an unquestionable deterrent.
Itachi's fingers didn't withdraw immediately, the residual warmth on his fingertips seeming to carry the power to soothe the soul.
He saw the wavering and resentment in Sasuke's eyes, and that dark vortex that was nearly breaking the boundaries of reason.
As someone who had personally experienced the curse of the Sharingan, Itachi knew better than anyone.
If Sasuke were forced to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan under this mix of extreme frustration and jealousy, what he would gain would definitely not be power, but a crack leading straight to the abyss.
Darkness would consume his reason, twist the precious bond between him and Naruto, and eventually push them toward an irreversible confrontation.
This was the exact opposite of the future Itachi had exhausted his life's blood to protect.
"Sasuke."