Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai pushed away the rubble, revealing the unharmed Sasuke and Shikamaru behind them. Although the two were a bit disheveled from the impact, they were in much better shape compared to the three Jonin.
Kakashi closed his Sharingan, his body covered in dust, and his Jonin vest torn in several places. Asuma was in a similar state, with dust all over his beard, and Kurenai’s outer clothes were tattered, though she still had her ninja undergarments on, preventing any exposure.
She looked at the distance in disbelief: "The power to easily change the terrain..."
Following her gaze, they saw that the desert area had completely disappeared, leaving countless cracks on the ground and a giant crater in the center, surrounded by flat land.
The forest had turned into a desert and sea, and now the entire forest was gone, replaced by barren land.
With their Jonin-level skills, they could see Naruto kneeling in the distance. As for Gaara... he was either hidden in the crater or had been blasted to pieces and disappeared.
The three of them believed the latter was more likely.
Sasuke struggled to open his eyes, his Sharingan dimming, but he forced himself to look at Naruto kneeling in the distance.
He swallowed hard, his Sharingan finally reverting to black pupils: "Kakashi, Naruto is hurt."
"Yeah." Kakashi nodded slightly, pulling down his headband to cover his left eye, "I’ll go check on Naruto. Asuma, Kurenai, take care of these two."
Kurenai was worried: "Is it safe to go now..."
"It’s fine." Asuma lit a cigarette and took a deep puff, "Shukaku has been dealt with. Even if Shukaku is still alive, he can’t fight anymore. Naruto won this battle."
Shock, followed by relief, was how Asuma felt at that moment.
"I’ll go with you!" Sasuke stood up with determination, looking at Kakashi.
Kakashi hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly and disappearing. Sasuke used Lightning Release to follow Kakashi closely.
In the distance, Naruto tried to stand up, but the pain and wounds made it impossible.
Kurama grinned: "Rest for a bit. The chakra just now was beyond what you can handle. Pushing yourself further will make your injuries worse."
Naruto shook his head, looking ahead with determination: "Shukaku... Shukaku’s problem isn’t solved yet."
Gaara’s seal was on the verge of breaking. He had been using Shukaku’s chakra in a medium state, but now that he was injured, Shukaku would definitely break the seal and come out.
Kurama sighed: "I admire your strength, but I have to tell you... it’s too late."
"Damn fox!!!" The endless chakra surged again. In the crater, yellow sand gathered, and Shukaku’s giant body reformed, his aura even more terrifying.
This wasn’t a partial transformation or a medium state; it was the true revival of Shukaku!
Seeing the figure standing in the distance, Asuma forgot to smoke, staring blankly. With the old man sealed, Jiraiya saving people in the village, and Naruto seriously injured, how could they stop Shukaku now?
Asuma dropped his cigarette, his face turning serious: "Kurenai..."
Kurenai looked at Asuma’s profile and instantly understood what he meant. She smiled brightly, like a beautiful flower shining amidst the rubble: "I understand, Asuma. I’ll always be by your side."
Asuma smiled too. He turned to Shikamaru behind him and spoke slowly: "Shikamaru, I have a task for you. Inform Konohagakure about the situation here and have them organize a rescue immediately."
Shikamaru looked at Asuma silently, then nodded lightly after a few seconds: "You still have to play chess with me, so don’t die."
"I’m a Jonin." Asuma laughed heartily, and with that, he and Kurenai disappeared.
Shikamaru clenched his fists, looking at the fully formed Shukaku in the distance. He took a deep breath, feeling useless for the first time.
He turned to the unconscious Temari beside him. She was lucky, covered in dust and sand but uninjured. Shikamaru spoke softly to her: "I need to reach the village quickly, so I can’t carry any burdens. Whether you survive depends on your luck."
With that, Shikamaru stood up and walked towards the village, away from Shukaku. He needed to find someone who could stop Shukaku and inform all the ninjas about the situation.
"Asuma, you better hold on and not die..."
Shukaku’s huge body stood up in the crater, his comical face filled with anger: "Damn fox! How dare you hit me with a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Everyone heard Shukaku’s voice. Naruto tried to stand but collapsed again, looking at Shukaku with gritted teeth: "Does this mean everything I did was pointless?"
He had fought with all his might to defeat Gaara, only to face an even more terrifying opponent. Naruto couldn’t accept it.
Kurama shrugged helplessly:
"Shukaku was already about to break the seal. We should have controlled Gaara and used my chakra to stop Shukaku from coming out. But your blast knocked Gaara out, giving Shukaku the chance to escape."
Kurama’s original plan was to stop Shukaku from breaking the seal and let Naruto use his chakra to suppress Shukaku. Then Kurama could take some chakra from Shukaku. But Naruto’s huge Tailed Beast Bomb knocked Gaara out, allowing Shukaku to escape.
This was outside Kurama’s plan. But it didn’t matter much. Kurama knew Jiraiya was in Konohagakure. They just needed to stop Shukaku from entering the village. Once someone saw Shukaku, they would inform Jiraiya, and Shukaku would be sealed.
The problem was they couldn’t stop Shukaku now.
"Naruto... run, run fast." Kurama looked at Naruto from behind the bars, "I’ll give you some chakra. Getting hurt is better than getting beaten by Shukaku, and that guy will really try to kill you."
Since Naruto is Kurama’s Jinchuriki, Shukaku wouldn’t miss such a good chance. What? Made a deal with Kurama? He doesn’t care. He just wants revenge and doesn’t care about anything else once the fight starts.
"No!" Naruto refused without thinking, gritting his teeth and getting up from the ground. "I won’t run away anymore. No matter who the enemy is, I don’t want to stand behind anyone as a bystander. This is the vow I made with my own blood!"
So stubborn... Kurama sighed, his eyes falling on Shukaku, who was slowly approaching.
This "slowly" was relative to the Tailed Beasts. For humans, each step of a Tailed Beast required them to run continuously to keep up.
As if sensing Kurama’s gaze, Shukaku’s eyes suddenly fixed on Naruto. The little kid, covered in blood but still standing, was glaringly obvious in the desolate land.
Shukaku laughed. Though it wasn’t obvious, he did laugh. He sped up slightly and reached Naruto in almost five seconds. The huge body stood in front of Naruto, creating a stark contrast between the two.
Shukaku pointed at the tiny figure on the ground, his voice sharp and piercing: "Kid, release your seal and let Kurama out, or I’ll kill you now."
Naruto looked up at Shukaku, whose finger was bigger than his whole body, and his blood-stained face showed defiance: "I refuse!"
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and my favorite thing is to say no to those who think they’re better than everyone else!"
His voice was loud and spirited, but Kurama could only express his feelings with six dots.
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