People talking. "Interesting."
People thinking. "I think I'll kill you."
Nonhuman talking. "You don't deserve that power."
Nonhuman thinking. "Stopping him is paramount."
Jutsus / unknown names. "Mokuton Hijutsu Jukai Koutan!"
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, Masashi Kishimoto does.
Chapter 38
Terror, Anko couldn't think of anything else but that.
She had been jumping along with Yugao and her ANBU companions from roof to roof until the Mitarashi suddenly felt a dark feeling coming from Naruto; it was something from hell itself.
She could only think of the worst, maybe something horrible had happened to Karin, and for that reason, Naruto was angry as never before. It was such a terrifying feeling that Anko couldn't think of anything else but taking her Cursed Mark off her body to stop having a connection with Naruto.
Yugao noticed the strange behavior of the Snake Mistress. The female ANBU stopped and approached, asking with concern, "What's going on, Anko?"
She was pale, sweaty and trembling in a way that she never thought of seeing in Anko. Indeed, she never thought of seeing a woman like her in such a deplorable state.
The Mitarashi, feeling helpless and with watery eyes, hugged herself as she looked at Yugao. "W-We must flee," she managed to say before everyone felt losing consciousness due to the nasty intent that had eclipsed the environment.
However, before they could go into the world of dreams, the three ANBU managed to shake their heads. Anko, however, couldn't because the feeling was much more intense for her due to the connection she shared with Naruto.
Yugao knelt down and took her mask off while making significant efforts to hold the gagging back. "A-Anko!" she exclaimed, stammering a bit because she couldn't hold all these reflexes back.
She quickly covered her mouth to avoid any unnecessary accident.
Yugao cursed; she had no idea what was happening. The Uzuki didn't want to take risks and decided to follow Anko's advice.
She grabbed one of her arms and put it around her neck to help her up. "Done," she whispered and turned around to order her companions to leave. However, she came upon a horrific scene.
First, she noticed that two red blurs passed by her sides, and she quickly deduced that they were the men who had been her companions since her first day as an ANBU Captain, but now they were nothing but large puddles of blood on the ground.
She concluded that the creature, who was approaching at great speed, was the responsible. She closed her eyes, just as the beast's claws were a few centimeters from her face.
Moments earlier, in the place where the Hokage and company were, Kyofu stood up and looked at the place where he could feel Anko and Yugao's presences.
He looked at the sides and set his eyes on the rest, who seemed much more confused and terrified than he was. "Damn it, just what I needed," the clone thought with frustration.
The Uzumaki couldn't blame them; even he was fearful of that transformation, and he was the only one who knew what was going on.
However, he didn't lose concentration and did the Tiger seal. "Kai," he thought, releasing his gravity seals.
The masked man exclaimed, "Hokage-dono, Jiraiya-dono, Bee-dono, Kakashi-dono, Gai-dono, and Itachi-dono!"
Those who didn't know who this man was, were surprised that he knew. "Get your act together!"
That was all he need to say as they stood up and shook their heads to pull the nervousness away.
Kyofu prepared himself to go to that place, but before he could do it, a black stain, which destroyed the street and the nearby buildings, passed by.
All were thrown away except for Kyofu as he reacted in time thanks to his sensorial skills. However, he had already lost valuable seconds, so without another alternative, he went flying behind the beast as fast as he could. "Go to hell! No one can harm them, not even me!"
There was no concern in his words because he couldn't think about it. He knew that the slightest sign of weakness could lead to a result that not even he wanted to imagine.
The Jinchūriki was using all of his experience; everything he had learned in Root: Keeping a cool head and the target in sight.
He couldn't fail; his duty was to prevent a tragedy.
The Uzumaki kept flying as fast as never before, using all his strength to reach that swift beast. But to no avail; his 'Berserk Mode' was too fast, and he also doubted that Kurama's Chakra could make a difference.
So he just did the only one thing that came to his mind. He raised his right hand and activated his Rinnegan. "Banshō Ten'in," he whispered, channeling as much Chakra as he could; it created an invisible energy field around the original.
But it wasn't enough; it had only managed to stop its advance a little bit, enough to see the beast hitting two ANBU and sending their bodies flying forward, brushing Yugao by a few centimeters.
The irrational being had opened its hands and approached its sharp claws to Yugao's face to tear it apart. However, some black and shiny chains had coiled around its body but especially around its stretched out hand.
At that precise moment, Yugao opened her eyes, seeing the hideous creature opening its eyes in a surreal way.
Due to the sheer fear, the female ANBU took several steps backward until tripping over something that made her fall along with Anko.
Visibly disturbed, the Uzuki asked herself who had stopped that thing.
She looked over its shoulders and saw a masked person, who perfectly matched with the descriptions that Naruto had given her about his role as a 'businessman.'
"A-A-Aren't y-you...?" She shakily asked, unconsciously backing away.
The clone, who was making a considerable effort to stop the original from making a mistake, looked at her. "Yes, calm down, Yugao-chan. Take Anko-chan to a safe place, and don't you dare to return to this location. The boss has lost control."
Yugao shook her head. No, there was no way that that thing could be Naruto; she couldn't believe it.
She was about to express her thoughts, but a loud squeal from the beast made it impossible. It was so loud that she and the clone couldn't help covering their ears, feeling that the unpleasant sound would burst their eardrums.
Kyofu was making a great effort not to lose concentration and end up releasing it; he gritted his teeth and looked at Yugao before yelling, "Get out of here!"
The Uzuki forcibly nodded and jumped away without forgetting about Anko's unconscious body.
Once Naruto felt that both were far enough, two other chains came out his chest and coiled around the thing's mouth in an attempt to stop those unbearable squeals.
Just then, a yellow flash and several puffs of smoke appeared at his side, revealing Konoha's Elite and Bee. Everyone was looking in disgust at the beast that gave off a black viscous substance that melted the ground when making the slightest contact.
"What is that?" Kakashi asked with his Sharingan uncovered, searching for some clue that could tell him what it was.
Kyofu, somewhat exhausted due to the Chakra consumption, replied. "That? That's a monster."
"We must get it out of the village," Itachi took the floor.
"Yes, that would be the best decision," Minato added, now getting in front of the beast and seeing something unpleasant.
The creature was crying and trying to point its hands in the direction where it could feel Anko's presence.
The Yondaime thought of how to get it out of the village, touching it directly wasn't an option due to that substance. So he thought about using a Shadow Clone.
With that in mind, the Hokage crossed his fingers and was about to pronounce the Jutsu until the beast moved in a way that made Kyofu lose control over one of the chains that held one of its arms.
The creature instantly directed its hand at Minato in an attempt to catch him, but without much success as he disappeared in a flash of yellow and appeared on the roof of a building.
But the hand didn't stop there, and it lengthened several centimeters until reaching the remains of one of the ANBU's corpses.
The Wood Clone didn't want to see what it wanted to achieve with that action, so he quickly relocated one of his chains around its free arm.
However, it was in vain because its arm returned to its original place along with the corpse.
With astonishment and great repulsion, the clone observed it sticking the remains of that body in its stomach, inflicting itself a wound that released much more of that black substance, which issued such a putrid smell that all of those present covered their noses when feeling nausea.
Minato, who had the best view, saw its already brilliant stomach shining more intensely while what looked like organs began to move from one place to another, almost as if they were exchanging places. "What is that?" he asked himself.
Its features had grown a few centimeters, and those behind 'it' could see that some spikes—not very long—were coming out from its back and elbows, which stretched the chains long enough to give it more space.
The clone growled and increased the pressure of his chains, but these spikes were too strong and didn't yield to his strength. "Damn it... Don't just stand there watching; do something!"
Those present left their states of stupefaction and nodded; they had lost concentration after feeling 'his' killing intent, but Kyōfu's words were enough to let them know that they couldn't lose any more time.
That thing was an unknown enemy, and they couldn't take the risk that it did something that could put the village in danger.
The first one to try something was Itachi, who threw several Shuriken and Kunai toward the beast.
They were accurate shots, each at vital points, an attack that could have killed or seriously injure anyone. However, when they made contact, they melted so fast that they didn't pose any danger.
Gai sweated; he wasn't sure what could happen if he gave it a blow. Perhaps opening the gates to the seventh level would give him the necessary durability, but the pain at that level was so great that he wasn't used to it yet, and he couldn't hold it for long.
Bee trusted in his Chakra cloak, so he wasn't that worried.
Kakashi knew hundreds of Jutsus, so he wasn't worried about his physical integrity. The question, however, was if they would be enough.
Minato decided not to wait any longer and concentrated a lot of Chakra in the palm of his hand to create a gigantic Rasengan, in an attempt to test out how tough that thing was.
Before he could move, the Yondaime saw that it lengthened its head until the point where the chains could no longer cover its mouth.
The beast squealed so loudly that it expelled shockwaves, waves that cracked the ground and weakened the foundations of the nearby buildings, as well as it forced those present to cover their ears.
Its body had also lengthened, so much that the chains were an ornament right now; they couldn't exert any more pressure due to the spikes that had come out from its entire body.
The beast got rid of those spikes, which gave 'it' enough space to escape from its bonds.
Kyofu had no choice but to put his chains back inside; he didn't try it again because, as Kurama had said it, that transformation adapted to the circumstances.
Growling, the masked man stepped back like others while the beast stood on all fours.
"Ego sum esurientem… Ego sum valde esurientem (I'm very hungry)!" the monster exclaimed in that incomprehensible language while standing up and shouting the same words over and over again, sending those waves that this time knocked down the nearby buildings.
The beast stopped and stared at the sky before lowering its head and look at the terrified fighters with a smile that made them step back.
The creature was about to jump towards them, but a three pointed Kunai flew above him, and the Yondaime instantly appeared with a gigantic Rasengan, crashing it against its body. "Odama Rasengan!" The explosion was instantaneous, and everyone jumped at a safe distance.
Minato walked towards the Shinobi and asked, "Sensei, what's going on? There's no time to get nervous. Kyofu-dono is right; we must ginger up and eliminate whatever that thing is."
Jiraiya was about to nod, but Kyofu stepped forward.
"That thing... is your son," the masked man interrupted, causing all those present to turn towards him in shock.
"N-N-Naruto?" Minato asked, now getting nervous.
Kyofu turned his head. "That's right, the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki. I can feel the demonic aura of his Bijū mixed with the Chakra that I assume is of your son and an unknown one."
The Yondaime shook his head, but before he could say something about it, Kakashi took the floor. "How do you know that information? What's more, how do you know Naruto?"
"Does it matter?" Kyofu asked; the Hatake just stared at him.
The masked man sighed. "We've known each other for some years; that brat is the person who gave me the information about your contingency plans."
Kakashi clenched his fists due to the anger. Although the Hatake didn't hate the Uzumaki—since he could understand why he behaved in such a way—, he couldn't tolerate something like that; the village was above everything.
Therefore, he looked at his Sensei, wanting to know what he would say. The expression of nervousness was gone, and now he was watching Kyofu with seriousness. "I want to talk with you once this is over."
Kyofu looked forward. "If we get out alive." It was the last thing he said before seeing the dome of energy that surrounded the 'Berserk' disappearing, revealing a morbid scene.
There, in the middle of a large crater, the beast was unhurt and devouring the corpse of the last ANBU.
The clone almost puked. "The boss will have a stomach ache tomorrow."
"If we reach that day," Kurama added, carefully watching.
Naruto Soundtrack - Flying Light Extended
"We will," he answered before doing hand seals. "Katon: Gōkakyū Katon no Jutsu!"
He spat the big fireball and did more hand seals before shouting, "Futon Daitoppa!" The wind gust increased the heat and area of the fireball, which struck the distracted animal.
Those present shook their heads; they couldn't be wasting time. Therefore, Kakashi, Itachi, and Jiraiya took steps forward and did hand seals; each one released Fire Element attacks, taking advantage that Kyofu was still releasing his wind technique.
"This heat ignites my heart, baby! Yeah!" Bee exclaimed while making a horned hand and surrounding himself with his Chakra cloak before continuing, "Send the beast to fly so that I can finish it up." He didn't say that to anyone in particular; he just hoped that anyone could understand his words.
Everyone did it, especially Minato, who became worried because he thought that the Bijudama could kill his son. Regardless, they had to take the risk; it was the most powerful technique they had at hand, and they couldn't hesitate in front of such a fearsome opponent.
Gai observed with clenched fists. He didn't want to stay with crossed arms; there was one thing he could do in this situation.
He bent his knees and crossed his arms in front of his head. "Hachimon Tonkō, Dai Roku Keimon: Kai (The Sixth Gate, the Gate of View: Open)!"
At that moment, there was two Chakra explosions, one of them was Gai's, and the other one was Bee's; the latter had released the Hachibi in all of its splendor, which made those present open their eyes in shock.
Gai didn't wait any longer and headed to the infernal zone at a demonic speed; he wasn't worried about it because he trusted in the durability that the Sixth Gate granted him.
Minato looked up and saw the Hachibi raising his snout and creating a gigantic ball of Chakra.
The Taijutsu Master reached the burning point, seeing that 'Naruto' was grimacing while resisting the suffocating heat.
Gai put his right hand into his ninja bag and pulled out his Sōshūga. "I will miss you." His weapon instantly melted when he struck a blow to its chin, which sent it up to the air. The Fire Element users stopped their attacks and looked up, seeing a green stain following a black one.
The Taijutsu Master tried to stay below that erratic transformation while taking the same stance as Lee had taken in the finals. Kakashi looked with concern since that technique required to touch the opponent.
That wasn't Gai's intention; he wanted to ascend the beast as he much as could with the shockwaves of his technique so that the village wouldn't suffer any damage with Bee's attack.
Consequently, he moved his fists so fast that these expelled hundreds of flares and strong shockwaves that elevated the animal tens of meters per impact. The creature cried because 'he' was receiving damage, although the frustration was the main reason for his sorrow as they didn't allow him to 'eat' in peace.
"Asa Kujaku!" Gai exclaimed, now covering the sky with those intense waves that made 'Naruto' disappear between them; the Shinobis could only hear those squeals that sent shockwaves again.
After intense seconds, the Taijutsu Master noticed that 'its' shockwaves were quickly overshadowing the ones he created with his fists. Therefore, he growled and yelled, "Hachimon Tonkō, Dai Nana Kyōmon: Kai (The Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder: Open)!"
Gai's muscles were taken to their limit, and he emitted sweat from every inch of his body that immediately evaporated and created a blue aura.
The significant increase in strength completely obliterated those waves generated by these squeals, which made the animal continue rising without interruption.
Feeling that his muscles were tearing and his fists cracking, Gait stopped the attack and shifted the position of his hands, joining them and pointing them toward where Naruto was.
"Sorry, Naruto-kun! I'm doing this to get you back to normal! The Blue Beast of Konoha will show you his sharp teeth and his roaring youth! ... Hirudora! Haaah!" he exclaimed and summoned a tiger that roared mightily, dissipating the fire and hitting the uncontrolled Jinchūriki with devastating force.
Those on the ground opened their eyes in shock when seeing the massive Jutsu; it was gigantic.
Naruto's clone clenched his fists with excitement. "These guys are amazing. Boss, you better survive; we must fight Gai-sensei, or Lee when he gets well. Hell, Konoha does have some weirdos." He didn't say the latter sneeringly, quite the opposite.
The powerful wind gust arrived at those who were down, and they had to take cover, except for Bee, who continued increasing the size of his Bijudama.
Gai gritted his teeth and continued releasing his technique, with the sole purpose of raising 'it' more meters and make sure that 'Naruto' suffered as much damage as possible.
One would think they were quite dramatic with the techniques they were using, but the Shinobi knew that they couldn't take any risks. Whatever Naruto had turned into, he no longer felt like something of this world.
It was something different, something unknown, something that they had never felt before, and they knew that if he continued free for more time, then nothing and no one would be safe. Therefore, they had to stop him before the beast could continue developing, which everyone concluded when they saw 'it' changing of shape after eating those corpses.
Gai then felt that every muscle in his body had torn, and since Naruto already was at an optimal distance, he deactivated his gates and plummeted to the ground.
Before anyone could worry about him, Minato had already thrown a Kunai and brought him to safety.
Without waiting for any signal, Bee released the ball where the incredible dome of pure air was.
The sky shined and forced those present to cover their eyes; the incredible explosion didn't cause severe damage to the village thanks to Gai, although some of the weakened buildings collapsed due to the powerful blast.
After a few seconds, the intense brightness decreased, which allowed those present to take a look in that direction. Surprised, they saw the dome of pure energy which would have easily destroyed the village.
As the technique continued, everyone approached Gai, who was exhausted after forcing his body in such a way. But that only brought smiles on their faces, including Naruto, who felt increasingly respect towards the flamboyant Taijutsu Master.
"Gai, you've surprised me," the Hokage stated, genuinely astonished at such a display of power.
Jiraiya indicated, "And with Bee-san's technique, it's likely that Naruto will return to normal. And once that happens, Minato, you better block his Chakra."
Kakashi expectantly looked at his master and his answer surprised him. "Yes, I'll do it. I just hope that he's unconscious; otherwise, it would be impossible to do it. That's why I allowed him to get out of the village at that time." He meant to the moment when Naruto had used his Bijudama against the spectators.
"I see," Kakashi added as he covered his Sharingan not to waste energy unnecessarily.
Minato turned and sighed. "I'm sorry, Kakashi. I know you don't approve of my choices, but I couldn't do anything else at that moment. Naruto isn't someone who would allow someone to capture him while he's conscious; he'd immolate himself before that. I had to let him go; I needed to come up with something to capture him later. But don't misunderstand me, that doesn't mean I want to hurt my son," he finished, making much emphasis on his last words.
Kakashi nodded, more than pleased with his explanation; he could understand that his Sensei wouldn't hurt him because the Hatake knew he felt guilty about everything that was happening, and although it was hard, Kakashi was confident that his Sensei would come up with something to stop Naruto from being a danger.
Then he looked at Gai, who was grunting and breathing hard; he congratulated him on his great idea to put Naruto away from the village.
The Taijutsu Master painfully raised one of his thumbs and gave him one of his bright smiles. However, the good atmosphere disappeared when that disgusting killing intent reappeared, but with much more intensity than before.
They almost fainted but avoided it after shaking their heads. They looked up and saw that the dome of energy blew up, but from the inside, dissipating it in an instant.
There they saw the beast, surrounded by an intense aura of black color while his yellow eyes changed to red color and gave off an aura of the same color.
Surprised and scared, they looked in disbelief, and Itachi spoke, "Impossible. He's still unharmed after receiving such attacks, and now he seems angry."
Everyone then heard Minato sighing and sitting cross-legged on the ground. "I have no choice. I'll enter in Sage Mode, and I'll finish this before he can be more dangerous," he closed his eyes and clasped his hands.
"Give the boy time. Everyone, get ready," Jiraiya spoke, standing in front of his student just like everyone else.
Kyofu turned his head toward the Sannin and spoke, "Sage Mode, huh? You are placing all your hopes on that. Do you think it'll be enough?" Naruto had no idea what the 'Sage Mode' was, but he didn't think that it'd be sufficient to defeat the original after he had withstood those powerful attacks.
Jiraiya smiled and replied, "You'll see. Once Minato enters in Sage Mode, no one can cope. Believe me, no one."
The Sannin became serious and looked up, seeing the beast raising its head and screaming much louder than before, and if it hadn't been for the distance between them, its screams would have damaged their eardrums.
The Berserk, still suspended in the air, lowered its head and slowly opened its mouth as a green vapor came out of it.
The same steam took the shape of a small ball, which considerably compressed itself and increased in size slowly.
"That thing wants to attack us," Jiraiya sensed before continuing, "Minato, what do we do? If you move, you'll need to start again."
"Leave it to me," Itachi interrupted, stepping forward.
Kakashi instantly knew what he had in mind, "Wait, Itachi. If you do that, your disease will progress. There must be another way."
Kyofu had no idea what they were talking about, so he decided to stay on the line.
Jiraiya gave an idea. "What about Kyofu-dono? You should be capable of absorbing that too. After all, it's Chakra."
Those who had just arrived didn't have the opportunity to see that ability; they turned to him while asking themselves how he was able to absorb Chakra.
Kyofu nodded. "Okay, leave it to me." He activated his Rinnegan and raised his hands.
However, Minato's serious voice warned, "Don't do that, or you'll die." There was no threat towards the 'businessman'; rather it was a warning that something bad might happen.
Kyofu could detect his intentions, so he turned and looked into his closed eyes. "What do you mean?"
The Yondaime didn't open them. "My son is absorbing a lot of Natural Energy; it's so much that I find it incredible. Maybe that's the reason why he lost control; his body isn't able to control that power, even less if he didn't train to control it. If you absorb it, you'll end up turning into stone."
He wouldn't have shared that information in another scenario, but this situation warranted it; Kyofu could still be useful, and Minato didn't want him to die for something like that.
Naruto lowered his hand and mentally asked, "Kurama, how accurate is that information?"
"I'm not an expert in Sage Mode, so I'm not sure if something like that could happen. But he's right about something; not everyone can use that energy."
"I see, there're still many things that we need to learn."
Without another choice, everyone looked at Itachi, who nodded. "It can't be helped." He instantly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Everyone, stay close to Hokage-sama," Itachi requested and approached the Yondaime just like the others.
Bee finished his transformation, and once everyone was close, the Uchiha nodded, and his eyes bled, which gave way to an intense red aura that rose several meters while it took the shape of a strange humanoid figure.
First, some bones appeared, then something that resembled the filaments of the body, and finally a strange armor with a pointy nose. It had no feet, but it had hands, which were empty.
"Amazing," the clone thought as he watched the imposing figure. "So, this is what one gets when achieving the next level of the Sharingan? I made the right decision of leaving Sasuke alive," he finished with a dark smile.
The idea of seeing Sasuke with those eyes made him feel impatient, and if he couldn't reach that level, he could always try out his skills with Itachi, after murdering his little brother, of course.
Kurama growled, "No, this is nowhere near the full power of the Sharingan. This one is like a child compared to the complete Susanoo. A perfect Susanoo is almost as big as me when I have one hundred percent of my power."
Naruto mentally whistled since he knew how big Kurama was with his total power; that only increased his excitement. There were indeed some interesting people in the Elementals Nations.
He looked up and saw that the original had finished the ball; he had no idea what it would be. It wasn't very big, perhaps it reached the size of an Odama Rasengan, but it was green.
The Wood Clone blinked, and the original had disappeared and reappeared at centimeters from the Susanoo's torso.
Everyone looked down in shock and saw that the beast opened its mouth in a surreal way, expelling something that looked a lot like a Bijudama. It was like the energy cannon that Naruto had shot, but it was green and rather viscous.
Even within the Susanoo everyone felt the intense heat, and if hadn't been for the Susanoo, they would have suffered the same fate as the buildings that the technique affected. It wasn't an explosive Jutsu, but it had been far more devastating than Naruto's Bijudama; it was much thicker and spread much more meters, surpassing the walls of the village.
That obviously meant it was much more powerful, and Itachi was aware of it since his eyes were bleeding like never before due to the amount of Chakra he was using to keep his Susanoo from melting. He was also making a great effort not to yield to the unimaginable pain that the Susanoo caused him.
The most critical matter was the fact that the ground beneath them was melting slowly, and since Itachi's Susanoo had no protection at the bottom, it wouldn't be long until the substance leaked inside and turned them into melt material.
Therefore, almost as if both had thought the same, Kakashi and Kyofu did hand seals and exclaimed as they put their hands on the ground. "Doton: Doryūheki!"
The Earth Walls emerged and lifted the beast a few centimeters because he was so heavy that the walls couldn't go any higher.
But it had been more than enough since the substance didn't threaten to leak inside anymore, so everyone congratulated them.
However, the creature darkly smiled and released a small black ball that floated from its back to its mouth, mixing with the energy cannon.
The effect was instantaneous; there was nothing Itachi could do to stop it. With overwhelming speed, the Uchiha's Susanoo disintegrated, and the people inside could only watch as the substance approached slowly and menacingly.
They cursed and closed their eyes, waiting for their imminent and tragic end. A few seconds later, which had been more than enough for them to suffer the same fate as the Uchiha's technique, they opened their eyes, only to witness an absolute darkness.
There was no sound or the smell that the detestable animal gave off, and surprisingly, they couldn't feel anyone's presence.
Thinking that they had died and gone to 'a better place,' everyone released simultaneous sighs of defeat. That, however, made them realize that other people were there, so they looked to their sides and tried to ask what was going on.
But before they could, they heard a voice that conveyed an immeasurable power. "Thank you..."
Then, the first rays of light illuminated this dark place, and they observed a circular black material returning to the holder of that incredible power.
Naruto unconsciously stepped back, overwhelmed by his father's power. "W-What the hell i-i-is that? This power is..., incredible." He finally smiled as his hands trembled because of the excitement, although there was some fear too.
He didn't know that his father could be so powerful; the Yondaime wasn't even fighting, and the Uzumaki could feel a lot of pressure, a feeling that he had never felt before, not even from the beast.
Surprisingly, Minato's clothes and appearance had changed. His coat didn't have the red flames anymore. Now, at the center, it had a strange inscription with black 'commas' around it; his hair had bristled while two tufts resembled horns; yellow eyes like those of a toad. But the most surprising thing was the two black balls that floated behind his back.
"Gudōdama?!" Kurama exclaimed in disbelief.
"What is that?"
"I'll explain it later, now, just pay attention."
Naruto nodded and looked straight ahead, seeing his father getting closer to the original. "Please, son, stop this," Minato sadly asked; he didn't want to fight his son. The Yondaime didn't care if he was in this state; Minato didn't want to hurt him.
The creature seemed to understand what the man before him had said; therefore, he smiled and laughed so hard that most of them closed one of their eyes and turned their heads slightly.
Minato didn't flinch and continued watching, listening to the creature laughing in such a mocking way that it would have bothered anyone. "Optimum prandium eris (You will be an excellent food)!" it exclaimed and lunged at Minato with its mouth wide open to devour him with a single bite.
Minato didn't move, and therefore, Kakashi moved to help him, but Jiraiya quickly stopped him.
The Sannin didn't say a word; he just let that the pupil of his pupil observed.
At that moment, the sharp teeth of Minato's son were about to make contact with his skin, but the Yondaime didn't move a single muscle.
Believing that 'it' would finally be able to eat, the Berserk started to close its mouth, but much to its dismay; it felt a mighty blow right in its jaw; it had been so powerful that 'he' felt that his head was nearly torn off.
Everyone saw that 'Naruto' went flying up at breakneck speed, disappearing from their sight after a few seconds.
With eyes wide open, everyone looked towards the Hokage, who was watching the direction that his son had taken.
"He didn't move, but that blow was tremendous. What the hell did he do?" the Wood Clone thought surprised.
Jiraiya noticed Kyōfu's astonishment, and therefore, he spoke with a smile. "See? If Minato wants to, no one can cope. If I were you, I would stop messing with him."
He thought that his words would be enough to make Kyofu reconsider his ideas of affecting Konoha.
The masked man chuckled and answered, "Jiraiya-dono, you should know that the last thing a person in my position fears is the physical strength of others. Money and influence are stronger than any blow. The one and only thing I'm afraid of is of someone with a greater influence than I. So, Jiraiya-dono, I must reject your advice."
Jiraiya sighed; well, at least he had tried it. And since he had failed, the Sannin had no choice but to continue observing.
Minato took a step back, ready to intercept his child when he descended. He didn't wait long since the beast had recovered and headed back toward the Yondaime to attack him.
'It' plummeted, pointing his claws forward to tear the 'damn bastard' apart. Almost no one had seen 'it' moving except for Minato, who didn't move a muscle again, and when he saw him at millimeters from him, the Yondaime performed the same action as moments before.
This time, it wasn't just a single blow, it had been dozens of them, which hit with extraordinary force and released sounds that revealed the power behind every hit. Also, they released a kind of stream of air that left deep marks all over his body, which sent him flying horizontally.
"He did it again. What kind of Taijutsu is that?" the clone questioned. He couldn't see him moving, and it wasn't because he was too fast for him; his father didn't move at all.
It was as if he were using the air to hit him, but the Jinchūriki wasn't sure. Not even Kurama knew it; the Bijū had never seen anything like it, even when Kushina was his Jinchūriki and would go on missions with Minato; it was something he had learned after the death of his former container.
Meanwhile, the original had hit the wall of Konoha and had stopped there; he was sore, like never before. He couldn't think of anything else but the pain in every fiber of his being.
He was coughing a black substance that melted the ground when making contact; maybe it was his blood. Besides, his skin was peeling off; this indicated only one thing, and the beast knew it very well; he was returning to his former self.
That angered him; it made his blood boil in anger. He couldn't tolerate that a 'stupid human' was making fun of him in such way. He hated that; he wanted to wipe them off of the face of the earth, and he was willing to do anything to achieve it.
Minato was quietly waiting for his son; he was confident that his latest attack had left him severely injured.
The Yondaime noticed that he was taking too long, so he decided to go in that direction but stopped when his sensorial senses shot up into the clouds.
"I-Impossible... This amount of Natural Energy; w-what is he trying to do?" For the first time, Minato had felt pure terror. He had stopped feeling nervous when he learned that it was his son, but this time, oh, this time, it was the opposite.
He sprinted toward that place, and upon arrival, he saw that his son was turning into a balloon that wouldn't stop growing. "This is ... he's trying to blow himself up," Minato concluded terrified, not because he could destroy the village or who knows what else, but for what could happen to his son if he fulfilled his plan.
He had to do something, but Minato didn't know what. The blond man wasn't sure if closing the seal in his stomach would work since he could barely feel the Kyūbi's Chakra. Besides, there was the corrosive substance that was part of his skin.
As he tried to think of something to make him stop absorbing Natural Energy, Kyofu and company appeared behind him, watching with surprise the globe that almost reached the size of a one-story house, but it continued increasing in size.
"Sensei, what will you do?" Kakashi inquired, seeing a quite nervous Yondaime Hokage.
"I-I'll block his Chakra; t-that's right!" he exclaimed, taking a few steps forward as he brought his trembling hands toward 'it.'
Jiraiya quickly stopped him. "Are you crazy? If you touch him, you don't know what could happen."
Minato quickly pulled his hand away. "Let me go! So what do you want me to do?! I don't know anything else!" he exclaimed, yielding to nervousness.
"Well, take him out of the village! Stop wasting time!" his teacher replied in the same way.
"Outside?! The Land of Fire isn't safe! It doesn't matter where I take him; the consequences will be catastrophic! I must work this out right here!"
The last information fell like a bucket of cold water to everyone. "T-The L-Land of Fi-Fire? Do you mean that the Land of Fire will be destroyed if he explodes?" Kakashi spoke with considerable nervousness and disbelief.
Minato turned around before looking back at his son. "That's what I believe. He's absorbing so much Natural Energy that I can't calculate it. Hopefully, it will only be the Land of Fire; that's the minimum scale I can give if he explodes," he paused and looked back at his Sensei. "That's why I must stop him right here."
"The Land of Fire, huh?" Naruto thought, clenching his fists while thinking of those women who managed to give some humanity and sanity.
Kurama sighed and added, "This is the end, isn't it? Well, at least you tried. I just hope I don't get sealed into a screaming idiot of a Jinchūriki once I revive."
The clone smiled, "You can always cover your ears," he joked one last time before carrying out his plan.
He had no other choice; it wasn't something that the original was doing with his five senses. So he could at least save those few people who were important to him.
The masked man looked at the Hokage and spoke, "Hokage-dono, I have an idea."
Everyone turned and looked at him, watching him floating. "This will be my last display of kindness. Hokage-dono, give me one of your Kunai."
Almost no one understood his intentions, but after analyzing his words for a moment, everyone concluded the same thing, and Minato inquired, "Wait, are you planning to-?"
"It doesn't matter. As I said, everything I do is just business."
Minato sighed; it seemed that this man would be a stubborn one until the end. However, he was grateful for his noble decision.
He threw one of his Kunai, and the masked man quickly grabbed it before flying as high as he could, so high that this possible explosion wouldn't be able to harm anyone.
He didn't care about anyone except for his girls, and others like Neji and the Sandaime; they didn't have to pay the consequences of his stupidity.
When he was high enough, he waited for his father to make his move. "Damn, who would have thought that this would end like this?" he reflected one last time before looking down.
Meanwhile, Minato created a Shadow Clone that approached the ball to teleport 'it' where Kyofu was.
Jiraiya saw the original lowering his head and clenching his fists. He approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's the best decision; maybe your child will return to normal, don't lose hope. And hopefully, Kyofu-dono will not die; he surely has another trick up his sleeve."
Minato turned his head to his teacher and added, "I hope so, Sensei." He didn't want that his son die.
The Hokage looked back at his clone, who was about to reach the position of the huge 'balloon' that continued 'puffing.'
The clone raised one hand and did the hand seal to send it away at the slightest contact.
They thought that everything would end in the next few seconds, but how wrong they were.
The clone couldn't even touch it because a black shield had become visible, and it instantly made the clone disappear, and the ball of Natural Energy laughed aloud.
"Damn it, I didn't want to do it, but I have no other choice," Minato thought, moving his Gudōdama to surround the beast with it.
The reason why he hadn't used them was that those balls destroyed whatever they touched at an atomic level; their level of destruction was even higher than Ōnoki's Dust Release, which destroyed at a molecular level.
And that was his main reason, because if Naruto did burst, then all the particles would end up making contact with the Gudōdama, which would make happen what he feared the most: the death of his son.
But he couldn't put Menma in danger because of his weakness; he had to do something about it, and that was the only alternative.
The black balls considerably increased in size and rapidly began to surround 'it,' or so it was until the black barrier intervened again.
It didn't allow the Gudōdama to close completely, which brought a smile in the Berserk, who said as he glowed. "Et omnes cibi mei sunt (All of you will be my food)!"
Minato cursed and bit his lower lip since he couldn't do anything to prevent the destruction of his village, and quite possibly, the death of his two sons. Even so, he covered those who were near him with his Gudōdama.
When those present noticed the darkness, they understood what it meant, which made them fall to their knees. Even Bee because he had ordered his team to wait for him at the border of the Land of Fire.
Minato and Itachi sobbed because their precious ones could have been affected by the devastating explosion..., which had never produced any impact, even more so if it had the estimated power that the Yondaime had said.
The Hokage trusted in the strength of his Gudōdama, but he had thought that the explosion would shake it at least a little bit.
Curious, he created a small opening and carefully watched. Technically, there had been an explosion, but not the one he had expected.
'That' explosion only affected his son, turning him into hundreds of thousands of black particles that rose several hundred of meters, to the point where they completely covered the village.
They were suspended in the air, and Minato made another opening at the top and saw those particles moving in a strange way.
"What happened? Did he not explode?" Itachi hopefully asked.
Minato completely removed his shield, and everyone saw that the village was still intact, but there was no sign of the beast. "This is giving me a bad feeling," Jiraiya spoke as he watched the darkened landscape.
Kyofu had quickly descended after noticing that there had been no explosion, being very careful not to touch those particles that covered Konoha in its entirety.
Although he noticed something strange when being close, it was as if those things were now 'stalking' him.
That action made him understand what was about to happen, so he went to the Hokage Rock to protect the shelters. Well, to protect the girls who had taken refuge there: Tenten, Ino, Yugao, and Anko.
The terrified refugees felt some relief when seeing the man who had protected them from that huge ball of energy. Some of them instantly asked him to do something because they could clearly see the black materials.
Kyofu didn't answer; he crossed his fingers as he thought, "I'll spend much of my Chakra on this. *Grr* I hope I will have enough Chakra for what will happen next." He uttered the words of his Jutsu and created at least fifty Shadows Clones, which jumped in different directions.
Who would have thought it? Naruto was protecting the villagers, but it was for the simple reason of protecting his identity. The Jinchūriki wanted to protect Hanabi and Neji, but if only he protected them both, that would cause unnecessary questions; it was something that he wanted to avoid.
However, Naruto had another plan that he had initiated in his role as Kyofu, and his next move would be crucial to secure it.
He didn't worry about Tayuya because the clone was unaware of her presence, and even if he did, her barrier already protected her.
The clones headed to the places where the higher concentrations of Chakra were, also to the minor ones, but the former were the priority. Some of his clones stayed with the main one due to the extension of the Hokage Rock.
Tenten and Ino waited for Naruto's move, seeing him and his clones coming closer until touching the wooden bunkers. They closed their eyes, clasped their hands, and the barriers instantly appeared in different areas of the village.
"It seems that we'll continue doing as we please," Kurama spoke while chuckling.
"First, we must stop the boss from continuing to do stupid things," the clone replied.
Meanwhile, one of the clones landed in front of Minato, who had looked at him with suspicion after seeing him using the Shadow Clones Jutsu; the clone saw his reaction but decided to ignore it.
"What's going on?" the Yondaime asked, not wanting to touch that point yet.
"Something dangerous, you better use your barrier again if you don't want to regret it."
"Okay; there's no time to hesitate." Minato was about to create a barrier with one of his Gudōdama; however, he failed because his transformation had ended. "Damn it," he cursed while gritting his teeth.
The clone sighed and sat down on the ground. "I wonder what you would do without me. I hope you don't mind talking business later," Kyofu finished talking and performed the same action as the other clones.
While the barrier appeared, Minato sighed and added, "We'll talk about that."
The others got closer, hearing the Hokage continuing, "So, what's going on?"
"The villagers will die without these barriers. Now, return to your previous state, you'll need it. I sense that this thing will finish developing with what he'll do next."
Minato didn't argue and did what he asked.
"Develop?" Bee asked; there were no rhymes in his words, just seriousness. Even he knew when one needed to be serious.
"He will..., finish eating." At the end of his words, the particles fell where they could feel the presences of human beings.
They struck the barriers harshly, and the people inside unconsciously stepped back.
The clones were suffering the most because the blows were strong, and they weren't sure if they would be able to resist much longer due to the Chakra division.
Therefore, the clone near Minato grimaced. "Hokage-dono, I won't resist any longer. I must inform you that I'll let some of the villagers die."
"Is there another alternative?" There was no doubt; he just wanted confirmation.
"There isn't," he bluntly answered.
"Do it." After giving the authorization, he concentrated again.
The clone transferred the information to the clones, and those who were protecting the small groups disappeared.
The particles quickly wrapped those people, making them scream in agony while the fragments consumed their bodies at a dizzying speed.
The screams could be heard throughout the entire village.
Minato didn't flinch because he knew it was the right decision, although there were others within the barrier who clenched their fists as they heard the desperate cries for help.
The fragments attacked the corpses of the Shinobi too, and once they finished 'eating,' they returned to the air to form a black ball.
The changes were instantaneous; the earth shook; big and small rocks floated from every corner of the village; the sky and clouds flashed and turned black; both terrestrial and flying animals fled in terror.
There wasn't a single soul that did not feel fear, and this time not only in Konoha and its surroundings but at every corner of the Elementals Nations. From the cold and silent lands of the Land of Water until the desolate and rocky areas of the Land of Earth.
Lucky were those within the barriers as they decreased the sensations just enough not to make them pass out.
The lightning increased in intensity, and the gloomy whistling of the wind became present.
Those who could see the ball noticed that it was slowly transmuting, taking the form of a black humanoid creature, of at least two meters high.
From the back of this humanoid figure, a crimson cape of at least four meters—that automatically wrapped him—emerged.
He slowly descended, wrapped in that cape that seemed to be alive because of the way it moved.
He landed in front of the barrier where Kyofu and the others were.
Suddenly, and under the watchful gaze of those present, the strange movement of the cape stopped, like all the climate changes, even the bloodlust disappeared.
The Cape backed off and revealed the individual. His body was still black, but now he looked quite brawny. He seemed to wear a white mask around his green eyes, but it was just his skin; the same characteristic was on his chest and stomach.
A belt-shaped skull 'spat out' two gray chains that curled around his waist; bracelets and red knee pads that had several spikes around them.
He was just standing there, looking up and down, then to his fists and especially to his muscles; he was getting used to his new appearance.
He suddenly stopped and looked at them, while a line where his mouth should be spread across his face, revealing a shimmering green interior and bright white teeth.
They saw him moving his lips as if he were trying to pronounce some words. However, nothing came out, perhaps because of his inability to speak, or simply because it was a quality to which he wasn't used yet.
"He's trying to tell us something," Itachi mused.
The others didn't dare to say anything because, although they couldn't feel anything coming from the creature, his mere presence imposed a lot.
That behavior continued for a few more seconds until they saw him stopping and lowering his head.
"Humans..." They heard him speaking with difficulty and without any hint of emotion.
Just then, they saw him raising his head with a grimace of pure rage as he spread his arms and legs open.
All those near him opened their eyes in shock when feeling the sudden bloodlust.
Terrified, they saw his body giving off an intense green glow.
Nothing happened because time itself seemed to have stopped. Everything was frozen; their breaths, the sweat that dropped from their foreheads, the beating of their hearts, even the invisible blizzard that blew with serenity.
The time reset again, and terrified, Jiraiya and company could only shout, "Shit!" while his brightness increased in size and momentum.
"I hate you all!" he exclaimed, releasing a powerful energy wave that expanded several dozens of kilometers, covering Konoha in its entirety.
A great light was seen in the distance, where the walls of a prosperous and powerful nation would be nothing more than a bitter and distant memory.
Notes:
Finalized.
Well, I wrote that Naruto knows nothing about the Sage Mode. It's true; he only knows what the Natural Energy is (he obtained that knowledge thanks to Orochimaru). So he had no way of knowing about its side effects.
Minato has the Six Paths Sage Mode, although it's not complete (because he lacks the Chakra of the Bijūs), nor it has the level that Naruto had during the last war (canon). However, the Yondaime is the strongest person in the fic (for now).
Minato's Sage Mode has nothing to do with the Sage of the Six Paths or Ashura and Indra. I'll explain how he got it later.
The molecular and atomic destruction are implied in the manga. Ōnoki's element was stated that it could destroy on the molecular level, and they said that the Gudōdama were higher than that.
Naruto's last transformation has the exact appearance of "Spawn." You can look it up on Google (Spawn comic) to get an idea of how he looks like. But again, I must warn that they won't be the same.
Although they won't be the same, "Spawn" and "Naruto" will share a few things in common. For those who know this character, they'll notice it.
But hey, now I want to announce some changes.
First, I eliminated the N and Z squads from the fanfic. Genji and Kitsune stayed, so pretend that the other ones never existed.
Why am I doing this? Because I realized that there were too many OC's (besides, I haven't done anything for you to become 'attached' to them) and I don't want to waste time developing them.
Secondly, in the last war of the manga, there was an estimated number of 100,000 Shinobi. I think that amount is absurdly small; therefore, I will increase the number of people, and thus, the number of Shinobi in the fanfic. That may affect the number of casualties after the end of this arc, especially the number of people that Naruto killed. So don't be surprised.
The reason behind this? I like large numbers a lot.
Lastly, I finished the 'revision.' It may not be perfect, but it's better than before (a reminder, this story is a translation. It won't be perfect, but I'll continue doing my best).
Until the next time.