There had never been any possibility that it wouldn't come to this.

Kurama struck out with claws longer than he was tall, and Kushina nimbly threaded her way through them. The burning, blistering Chakra that rolled off of him darted after her, but Adamantine Chains batted it away, shooting forwards at Kurama's hand.

For something of his size, he was frightfully quick, darting backwards in an instant while releasing a crackling bolt of lightning. It didn't make it to Kushina, catching on the chains and arcing between them.

Kushina grit her teeth, and Naruto was struck by just how strange it was to see such a familiar expression on another's face.

She shifted, more chains exploding off of her, larger and thicker ones that moved that much faster. Kurama went around them, doing his best not to get entangled even as he moved closer and closer.

A moment was all it took, Kurama coming in for another swipe, and then another chain burst from Kushina, poised to wrap around it.

Naruto threw a Kunai. His aim, as always, was perfect, the chain recoiling away. Kushina turned, slightly, staring at him with wide eyes.

It was a distraction she couldn't afford.

Kurama's hand wrapped around Kushina, and with a terrifying grin, burned.

A wall of heat slammed into Naruto, Kurama's entire form suddenly engulfed in fire. It was angry red, crackling, a blaze as large as a mountain, an inferno as angry as the Bijuu himself.

There were ancient sects that had vilified Kurama as a demon of flame, greater than even the Nibi. Seeing this, Naruto found himself unable to blame them.

The most intense part of the fire was so hot it burned white. It was like looking at a miniature sun, centered on Kurama's hand.

It was hard to make out his expression through the flames, but Naruto was able to see the grin slowly transform into something else.

The flames cut, though the heat lingered. Kurama opened his hand, and his face twisted in enraged confusion as he saw Kushina.

The nail of his thumb pressed her to Kurama's palm, but aside from that, she was fine. The torrential firestorm he'd unleashed hadn't hurt her.

"What?!" He threw her down, and she hit the ground with a thunderous crash.

And, again, was unharmed.

Kurama stared, eyes darting over every inch of her body, questioning and raging at the same time.

"She's just an imprint, Kurama." Naruto spoke, gently. Kurama's head snapped in his direction. "You can't hurt her like that."

His eyes widened in comprehension, and he snarled. "No!"

Kurama raised a his hand and slammed it into her. The ground shook, and Kushina was unharmed.

"No no no no no no!" He howled, throwing punch after punch that did nothing and nothing. Denied right at cusp of his revenge.

Naruto just watched.

A nail pierced her, and her form wavered. She solidified as he flicked his hand, sending her flying off into the sky.

He reared up, mouth snapping open. Red and blue orbs immediately formed, shooting together to form a purple ball that rapidly grew. It quickly eclipsed even Kurama in size, and didn't stop until it was thousands of times larger, until Kurama's own body had thinned, and become emanciated.

In half a second, that orb compressed down to the size of Naruto. The air itself became heavy, suddenly so very hard to move, hard to even breathe.

Kurama's jaws snapped shut around it, and the ground cratered underneath him. He took a moment to aim at Kushina's now falling form, and released the Bijuudama.

The bolt of condensed Chakra was so bright it outshined even the flames before. Under the light of its glare, darkness was simply not allowed to exist.

But this was only the prelude.

The bolt travelled the distance in an instant. Kurama's aim was impeccable. It hit, and the only thing that would ever, could ever describe the detonation was 'It was like the world was ending'.

Naruto had closed his eyes, thrown both arms in front of them, and turned away. His vision went white anyway. The sound was beyond thunder, beyond any noise that Naruto had ever known. The shockwave was muted by Kurama's presence, and still shattered everything.

He would have died if this had been the real world, and not just the inside of the seal. Intent mattered, and that was the sole reason that Naruto wasn't crippled for the rest of his life just from the act itself.

And to think... Madara had once controlled twice this.

Terrifying.

Naruto removed his arms.

Kurama was panting, quick yet deep breaths sending out blasts of steam with every motion. He looked up, but his eyes were unfocused.

He was thin. The coat of fur was thin, the muscles atrophied, skin hanging loose on jutting bones. Kurama was made of Chakra, and he put so much of his being in that attack.

Naruto moved closer, putting his hand on Kurama's claw. Chakra streamed from him, and Kurama twitched, looking down at him with wide eyes.

Naruto said nothing.

Kurama released a huff, closing his eyes. Clouds of red Chakra pulled their way back to him, and his form quickly regained everything it had lost.

"You deny me even this." He spoke, slowly. "I thought that death would bring to an end to it. It is astounding, to find that, even so, you find a way."

"This is not what I wanted-" Kushina said, stepping forwards.

"Liar." Kurama interrupted. "I know everything when it comes to those feelings hidden inside. You claim love, but all three of us know how you really feel."

"You are not blameless!" Kushina snapped. "You were always eager to act the part!"

"Don't bother. You didn't even try." Kurama said, quietly. "Mito didn't try, even though she knew how I felt. Hashirama, for all his bluster about peace and understanding, didn't try. You were the living incarnation of my hell. A part you were eager to play, as I was your oh so convenient scapegoat."

"After everything you've done, you're just going to dump your actions on us?" She glared at him.

"Why not? Didn't you?"

"You both know that this isn't going to end as you want, don't you?"