With the full assistance of Minato and Kushina's Chakra, the scales of victory seemed to be tipping bit by bit toward Naruto.
"Urgh, ahhh—! You brat! Don't get too full of yourself—!!!"
The Nine-Tailed erupted, struggling violently.
Boom—!!
Crack, crack—!
Several chains were snapped, and the Nine-Tailed regained a bit of its mobility.
Minato's expression also shifted slightly; after all, Kushina's Chakra was merely a remnant, and suppressing the beast was already difficult enough. Facing an outburst of this magnitude, it immediately appeared stretched thin.
"Roar—!!!"
Accompanied by a roar that resonated throughout the entire consciousness space and seemed to tear at the Soul, the thickest chains binding the Nine-Tailed's limbs and torso snapped instantly!
Next came the chains wrapped around its tails! The massive fox body shuddered violently, and its terrifying power shattered the remaining chains into pieces!
It had broken free!
Although the golden chains had not completely vanished and a few still hung on its body, the Nine-Tailed had already regained most of its mobility!
Its massive body sprang up from the ground, its blood-dark red Chakra wrapping around its entire body like tangible flames. Those scarlet giant eyes locked tightly onto Naruto, who was close at hand and still trying to maintain the connection to absorb Chakra; inside them, only the purest killing intent remained!
"Die—!!!"
The giant claw slammed down fiercely toward Naruto; if this blow landed, it would be enough to completely crush Naruto's Mental Energy.
Just as that destructive giant claw was about to descend—
A figure appeared between Naruto and the giant claw with a speed that transcended the perception of time.
It was Hinata; she raised her right hand and threw a punch upward.
There was no sound.
The moment the fist made contact with the giant claw—
Time seemed to have been pressed on a pause button.
Immediately after, with the point of contact as the center, circles of visible, strange, transparent ripples spread out. Wherever they passed, the violent Chakra, the vibrations of space, and even sound and light fell into an eerie stagnation.
Then—
The Nine-Tailed felt its claw go numb, and the power spread from its arm to its entire body.
"Ugh... urgh..."
The Nine-Tailed's massive body, which had just broken free and been full of momentum, instantly went limp as if all its bones and strength had been drained away. Its limbs could no longer support it, and it collapsed heavily to the ground, falling even more thoroughly and pathetically than when it had been bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
It tried to struggle, tried to gather its strength again, but every attempt felt like hitting an invisible, intangible, yet absolutely impassable wall. A certain "authority" stemming from the depths of consciousness suppressed it, making it unable to even lift a single claw tip.
It could only lie there, emitting weak and unwilling whimpers mixed with confusion and fear. Those scarlet giant eyes stared fixedly at the Byakugan girl ahead who had retracted her fist and remained expressionless; for the first time, a nearly instinctive tremor that transcended hatred appeared within them.
What on earth was this?
One punch.
Just one punch.
It had directly "knocked down" the Nine-Tailed, which was in a berserk state and had almost broken free from all restraints, completely stripping it of its ability to resist.
The entire Seal space fell into a deathly silence.
The Chakra phantoms of Minato and Kushina froze in place, the shock on their faces lingering for a long time.
They looked at the Nine-Tailed, which was limp like mud, and then at the seemingly fragile girl, their minds going blank.
Naruto was also stunned, his mouth slightly agape, having even forgotten to maintain the absorption channel.
The fear brought by the destructive blow just moments ago had not yet fully faded before it was completely overwhelmed by this scene that far exceeded comprehension.
Hinata lightly shook her wrist, turned around, and looked at Naruto, who had not yet recovered his senses.
"It won't be able to get up for a while; take this opportunity to finish your tug-of-war."
The calm words were like a thunderclap, waking the three stunned people.
Naruto jerked awake. Looking at the Nine-Tailed lying on the ground, temporarily stripped of all threat, fiery flames instantly reignited in his eyes. An opportunity! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
"Ah—!!!" He no longer hesitated, casting aside all shock and distracting thoughts, and poured his entire focus back into the Chakra connected to the Nine-Tailed!
This time, there was no resistance at all, and he pulled out the Nine-Tailed's Chakra without obstruction.
The extracted red Chakra surged into Naruto's body along the channel. At first, it still carried the cold hatred left by the Nine-Tailed, attempting to counterattack, but under the scouring of Naruto's Mental Energy—which had been baptized by the love of his parents and his own firm will, and was currently extremely excited—it was quickly neutralized, transformed, and integrated into his own Chakra system, dyed with a warm golden hue.
The golden light around Naruto grew brighter and more solid.
That Chakra cloak became thicker and more magnificent, and the patterns on it flowed more smoothly and naturally.
His Aura climbed step by step, and both the quantity and quality of the Chakra within his body were undergoing a qualitative leap.
When the last strand of pure Nine-Tailed Chakra was successfully stripped, absorbed, and transformed, Naruto felt a certain barrier within his body completely shattered. A power as vast as the sea, as warm as the sun, yet completely obedient to his own will, filled his limbs and bones!
He had succeeded!
He opened his eyes suddenly, the golden light within them shining as if tangible! The golden Chakra cloak burning around him stabilized.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was not only achieved, but after seizing an Origin Chakra far exceeding the conventional amount, it reached an extremely stable and powerful initial state.
Opposite him, the Nine-Tailed lay limp on the ground. Its originally solid and terrifying dark-red Chakra body had become significantly dimmer and thinner; its presence was listless, its muscles contracted, and its whole body was shriveled, resembling a mummy.
Although its core remained, having been forcibly stripped of such a large amount of Origin Chakra, it had clearly suffered heavy damage and would absolutely not be able to pose any threat for a short time.
Hinata watched quietly as Naruto completed his transformation, then glanced at the listless Nine-Tailed.
Her punch just now had precisely interrupted the Nine-Tailed's outburst, creating the perfect window of opportunity for Naruto to harvest.
Minato and Kushina finally recovered from their extreme shock. They looked at their son, who was shining with golden light and possessed an astonishing Aura, then at the unfathomable Hinata beside him, and finally at the miserable Nine-Tailed.
Complex and indescribable emotions finally turned into a long sigh, mixed with relief, lingering fear, and endless sentiment.
"Is... is it over?" Kushina asked Minato in a low voice, somewhat uncertainly.
Minato took a deep breath and nodded, his gaze falling upon Naruto, filled with unprecedented pride.
"Yes, it looks like... Naruto won. He won... very thoroughly."
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