Shinichi opened his eyes and immediately found Jiraiya's face leaning far too close.
Slap!
He raised a hand and pushed him away. "Don't get so close."
Jiraiya staggered back, but he showed no sign of annoyance. Instead, he leaned in again, anxiety written all over his face. "Shinichi, what happened inside? Did Minato appear? What about Naruto? And the Nine-Tails?"
Shinichi withdrew his hand from Naruto's forehead and stood up. "They've only just met. Let them talk."
Jiraiya froze for a moment before letting out a long breath. A relieved, sentimental smile appeared on his face as he scratched his white hair.
"Good. That guy finally has a chance to apologize to his son properly."
Shinichi did not answer. A moment later, his gaze shifted to Naruto, who was still pinned beneath the Wood Dragon.
"Get ready."
Jiraiya's smile froze. "Ready for what?"
"I've said what I needed to say to the Fourth, and Naruto has met the person he needed to meet." Shinichi looked at him, his eyes cold. "Next comes what we have to face."
Before he could finish, an unprecedented surge of chakra erupted from Naruto's body.
A roar shook the mountain peak, sending rubble tumbling down the cliffs. The Tailed Beast cloak around Naruto expanded violently, and dark red chakra burst out like a volcano, tearing through the vines and forcing the Wood Dragon to strain against it.
Cracks spread across the Wood Dragon's body before it shattered into flying wood chips. The remaining vines snapped one after another as Naruto's body disappeared inside the swelling chakra, and the presence taking shape beneath it was no longer human.
Bones formed first, followed by chakra flesh and fur. The figure grew larger and larger, rising above the mountain peak until a massive fox stood beneath the moonlight with nine giant tails unfurled behind it, stirring the night sky.
The Nine-Tails raised its head toward the moon and roared again.
The shockwave swept across the mountaintop, forcing Jiraiya back several steps. He raised an arm to shield his face, his white hair whipping in the wind.
Nearby, Gerotora stared at the massive fox beneath the moon, his pupils shrinking. "So this is the complete Nine-Tails..."
Shinichi stood in the center of the storm, his black robe snapping in the wind. He looked up at the mountain-like beast with calm eyes, showing no fear at all.
Only anticipation.
The Nine-Tails slowly lowered its head. For a moment, it stared at the moon as if it had forgotten where it was, then a low laugh rumbled from its throat.
"Freedom..." Its laughter shook the mountain. "This is freedom."
It raised one paw and dragged its claws across the mountain stone, leaving five deep gouges behind. Then it rolled its neck with a heavy crack, its nine tails swaying behind it and stirring the night wind.
Then its gaze returned to Shinichi.
"Human."
The Nine-Tails' crimson pupils narrowed. "I don't know what you said to that man to make him let me out, but I know you have another motive."
Its nose twitched slightly, and its gaze grew colder. "I can smell it on you. The chakra of other Tailed Beasts. One-Tail... Four-Tails... Seven-Tails... and more."
The Nine-Tails stepped forward, making the ground shake beneath its paw. "You're collecting Tailed Beast chakra. What are you planning?"
Shinichi did not deny it.
"Nine-Tails," he said calmly, "your power is too great."
The Nine-Tails' pupils narrowed.
Shinichi continued, "So it needs to be sealed."
The moment those words fell, the Nine-Tails' massive body stiffened. For an instant, the mountain peak, the night sky, and Shinichi's figure blurred into another memory.
The Valley of the End.
That black-haired man, covered in blood with one eye closed, had once stood before it and spoken almost the same words in the same calm tone.
The Nine-Tails' expression twisted.
"Arrogant!"
Its nine tails rose behind it as dark red chakra gathered wildly in its mouth, condensing into a massive black sphere.
"Just because you have Wood Release, don't think that gives you the right to seal me!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb grew heavier and denser, warping the air around it.
Jiraiya's expression changed, and his hands immediately moved to form seals. But beside him, Shinichi had already clasped his hands in front of his chest.
After fighting several Tailed Beasts, he was no stranger to this move. The moment the Nine-Tails began gathering chakra, he had already started preparing.
"I'll erase you," the Nine-Tails roared, its voice shaking with fury, "along with those words!"
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique."
The Tailed Beast Bomb shot forward at the same time Shinichi's chakra poured into the mountain beneath his feet.
The ground split open, and a massive Wood Human rose from the stone. It lifted Shinichi and Jiraiya onto its head as it emerged, its huge hand already reaching toward the incoming black sphere.
The Tailed Beast Bomb slammed into its palm, white light flaring violently across the surface.
The golem did not give it time to explode.
It tightened its grip, stepped forward, and drove its left hand into the Nine-Tails' chest to pin the fox in place. At the same time, its right hand forced the unstable Tailed Beast Bomb straight back into the Nine-Tails' body.
The Nine-Tails' pupils shrank.
"What...?"
The rest of its words vanished into the explosion.
The Tailed Beast Bomb detonated directly against its chest. Blinding white light burst across the mountaintop, and the force threw the massive fox backward, sending it crashing down into the valley below.
Its furious howl echoed between the cliffs as dust surged into the night air.
On the mountaintop, the Wood Human slowly straightened. Its right arm was charred black from catching the Tailed Beast Bomb, but fresh wood was already growing over the damaged surface.
Shinichi stood on top of its head, his black robe fluttering in the aftershock. He looked down at the Nine-Tails as it forced itself back to its feet in the valley.
"Do I have the right to seal you now?"
Up to 30 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Viki2