Naruto shined like the sun, golden power bursting from his body, enveloping and covering him, leaving him with golden clothes and hair, his skin only a slightly more pale shade. Black seal-script etched itself on his form, that cloud of Chakra growing slightly larger and more defined. It was a storm of Chakra, swirling around Naruto protectively.

But then the Kyuubi reigned it in, pulling the cloud into Naruto. Golden fires wafted from his body, the only indication of just how much more energy he now had available to him.

"Woah... Now that was a rush." Naruto gave a small laugh. "Kurama? You're... That's good."

Kurama... so he finally got that name, huh? Good.

He turned to me, grinning. "Thanks, Drich."

I nodded.

He paused, looking me up and down. "You seem... different. A little more... more."

"I am."

"Impossible." That voice... How it irritates me. I turn, facing him.

The combat had lulled, both sides pulling together for a brief moment.

It was Nagato who spoke.

"Impossible!" He grits his teeth, glaring at me. "We fed that half of the Kyuubi to the Juubi, how did you-"

"Your first mistake was assuming that the Juubi would be successful in devouring any of the Bijuu you attempted to feed to it." I interrupted. "Your second was assuming that it would be able to preoccupy me for long enough to keep your plans going. And speaking of..."

I straightened up, twisting my arm and opening my hand wide in an old gesture. The other arm went in front of my waist, the Proof of Courage over my chest, and I bowed, low and deep. "I must truly thank you, Nagato Uzumaki."

He didn't react physically, but, in his Heart, I could sense that he was unsettled.

I looked up. "Had you not revived the Juubi in so weak a form, I might have had a lot more trouble putting the beast down for good." I straightened up, dropping into a looser stance. "Had you not so arrogantly assume the Juubi's superiority, then we might be in a lot of trouble. As it is, how does it feel to have your plans ruined completely right on the eve of it all?" I asked, mildly curious.

His hands clench. I see a mixture of emotions that would bring a smile to my face if I had a mouth.

Then, he slams his hand into the ground, Chakra flaring. Everybody tenses, and I can see the walls of space-time twisting... but nothing happens.

The Chakra just puffs away, uselessly, a small bit of smoke revealing nothing at all.

"Weren't you listening to me, Nagato?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip. "As I just said; The Juubi is dead. The soul is burned, the body obliterated. Not even a scrap of it left." I'm enjoying this a little more than I probably should, but I'm finding it really hard to care, right now.

In fact, I really want to hurt him a bit more. And I know just how to~

I leaned forward, affecting eagerness, but the movement is not... quite natural. Were I had a voice, I'd have spoken in deep, slow tone. Alas, this works just as well.

"Isn't that right, oh God of Death?"

Hiruzen stops breathing. The Shinigami was, very suddenly, behind me, his aura pressing down on the world. Everybody -everybody- freezes, suddenly chilled to the bone in the face of Death himself, every instinct screaming 'RUN RUN RUN'.

Kurama's Chakra curls tightly, protectively, around Naruto, even in spite of the fact that he knows the Shinigami is not here for either of them.

"Drich speaks the truth." The Shinigami states. And the words have an almost physical impact, making Nagato recoil. The Shinigami speaks with the authority of Death, and the words brand themselves onto the souls of all who hear it. "That which you refer to as the Juubi has been completely burned away. No trace of its Soul remains. Your goal is impossible."

Nagato makes a choked noise. Konan it seems, tries to do the same, but no sound leaves her at all.

Oh~ Yes, yes! That! That is the reaction I want to see~

"You-" He chokes on his words. Rage and fear all the same... "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"Thwarted your plans?" I asked, uncaring. "Yeah. I thwarted your plans. Thwarted Obito's plans, too. You as well, Madara. An entire, century long plan, just blowing away like smoke in the wind... Delightful."

Madara's face takes on an shade that could not possibly be healthy. With an almost animalistic snarl, he moves so fast he blurs, rushing straight at me with intent to kill.

Then he runs into Naruto, golden Chakra surging around him, and quite simply stops. There is an eager anticipation in Kurama's Heart. He's watching Madara's breakdown with glee.

"Not that we ever got an explanation as to what your damned plan was." I noted.

"My plan was peace!" Madara shouts.

"You've got a funny way of showing it." I said. "What with all the murder, and reviving of dead people and forcing them to fight their former comrades, plus the entire army of people who had their entire existences reduced down to nothing more than some mere pawn in a grand game."

"What are you talking about?" Madara's face gains a bit of confusion.

"Oh? So you really don't know about the true nature of those Zetsu... My, my." I put a hand in front of my helm, as if to cover my mouth. "Well, that's not so surprising. You were always a puppet, dangling on strings you were never even aware of. Those strings have been cut, but you've been playing the act so long you don't even realize you're still just following them."

I turned to Obito, then Nagato. "You even acquired your own puppets. How about that? That Chakra on Obito's Heart, in Nagato's eyes... Old it may be, its source stains it forever. You played quite the long game."

Nagato blinked, brow briefly furrowing. Obito's one visible eye simply narrows.

"Alas... That game is over. Nagato's gambit failed, your plan came to end, and now?" I shook my head, softly and slowly. "Now all that remains is to put the pieces away."