Even before the coffin opens, Kurama roars furiously in the mental space.
'This aura, this chakra—it's Madara!'
'Huh? Which Madara?'
'That bastard who once enslaved me!'
'Is he that strong?'
'It's not about strength, it's… forget it! Let's do this. Naruto, remember what the old man said?'
'Which old grandpa? He said a lot—which part do you mean?'
'The part about mutual understanding.'
'Oh! You mean how he said if a Jinchuriki and their Bijuu understand each other, combining their chakra, they can gain incredible power?'
'Exactly! Stop talking, raise your fist!'
Kurama extends its fist toward Naruto, signaling for him to meet it.
Clearly, Kurama has made up his mind. Initially hesitant, even with old man Rikoku bridging the gap, he and Naruto hadn't broken through the final barrier.
But now's different. In this dire situation, there's no time for overthinking.
Get on the boat first, pay later.
Kurama also trusts its instincts—Naruto is indeed the most unique ninja!
'What's this? I don't have time to mess around right now.'
'Idiot, this is different!'
'Fine, let's try it.'
Naruto and Kurama's fists lightly touch.
In the mental realm, their conscious forms connect, instantly conveying their genuine intentions and feelings.
Kurama knows Naruto sincerely accepts the Bijuu; Naruto knows Kurama genuinely wants to lend its power.
In this moment, they achieve synchronized consciousness and spiritual resonance.
'So that's how it is! Kurama, from now on, you're not a demon fox—you're my partner, a Konoha ninja!'
'Hmph! Don't get cocky, brat.'
'Lend me your power, Kurama!'
Naruto shouts, actively releasing the Eight Trigrams Seal.
In an instant, the entire mental space boils!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, Kabuto brimming with excitement, stands beside the coffin, personally lifting its lid, preparing to activate Uchiha Madara Edo Tensei.
This man is different from other ninja—unless absolutely necessary, Kabuto wouldn't dare awaken his consciousness.
Otherwise, Madara would've kicked the coffin open and walked out himself.
If Naruto weren't such a hassle, Kabuto wouldn't even consider using this trump card.
But once deployed, he's certain Madara Edo can sweep all obstacles.
This is his true confidence in facing all of Konoha alone!
"Hahaha!"
"Foolish Konoha ninja, remember this guy?"
"I didn't plan to revive him originally—the risk is too great! But without making you truly feel despair, you won't surrender easily, will you?"
"Naruto, I'll give you one last chance. Come with me, and I'll spare all of Konoha. How about it?"
Kabuto boasts proudly, feeling everything is in his grasp.
But at that moment, a colossal wave of golden chakra surges skyward, fierce winds roaring outward. The surroundings glow with a golden sheen, as if the entire world is cloaked in golden power.
In the center of the light, a figure clad in a shimmering golden chakra cloak emerges clearly.
Evidently, after connecting hearts with Kurama, Naruto has surpassed Golden Mode, directly entering Kurama Mode!
"This?!"
Kabuto's heart trembles, his scalp numb, utterly baffled by where Naruto got such terrifying chakra.
And how did he suddenly become so strong?
The aura alone sends a deadly crisis through Kabuto, making his skin crawl.
But the next second, before Kabuto can react, Naruto vanishes in an instant!
'So fast—!'
'This is bad!'
Fear explodes in Kabuto's heart. Though he can't see, he senses Naruto's terrifying speed!
It's an unmatched body flicker technique powered by Kurama's chakra!
Surpassing even the Fourth Raikage's speed, it's a terrifying velocity beyond Kage limits!
So fast, it shatters a ninja's reflex nerves.
Kabuto wants to activate Madara Edo immediately, but it's too late.
Too fast!
Naruto appears before him, leaving no chance to dodge, block, or even use his liquified body technique!
*BOOM!*
Naruto's fist slams into Kabuto's chest, an unmatched, devastating force exploding, obliterating Kabuto's entire torso!
The immense power punches through, roaring dozens of meters behind Kabuto, carving a massive chasm.
It even strikes the paralyzed Manda II, shattering most of its scales and flesh, nearly killing it outright.
"Cough—!"
Dragon Kabuto spews blood but doesn't hesitate.
He immediately activates Inorganic Reincarnation, manipulating the surrounding earth, launching countless stone spikes at Naruto.
Simultaneously, his real body splits, transforming into hundreds of gray snakes, scattering in all directions.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
A series of shattering sounds rings out as the stone spikes break passively—they can't even pierce the chakra cloak, let alone harm Naruto.
Seeing Dragon Kabuto scatter and flee, Naruto grows slightly anxious.
Raising his right hand, chakra forms a giant fist, smashing the ground with one strike.
*BOOM!*
The massive impact is like a wide-area gravitational field collapsing, akin to a giant meteor crashing into the earth.
The ground for hundreds of meters sinks and cracks, forming a colossal crater.
All the stone spikes from Inorganic Reincarnation are utterly destroyed.
The hundreds of scattering gray snakes are pulverized by this immense force, exploding into chunks of minced flesh.
Of course, Kabuto's real gray snake body is far more resilient.
Though gravely injured, it's not dead yet.
The real gray snake rapidly multiplies and expands, spewing out a pale-faced Kabuto.
His chest remains obliterated, and though it's healing quickly, the injury is clearly severe, forcing him to cancel Sage Mode.
Against Naruto, against a true Super Kage-level power, Kabuto's flashy abilities have no chance to shine!
Even without Flying Thunder God, Naruto is a god-speed ninja standing at the pinnacle.
And god-speed ninja are the natural nemesis of all ninjutsu-type ninja.
The next second, before the gravely injured Kabuto can catch his breath or cast ninjutsu, the golden figure in the distance vanishes again, teleporting before him.
A golden chakra fist, larger than a summoning beast, slams into Kabuto with devastating force!
Kabuto's mind collapses, a premonition of death surging. He hurriedly surrenders:
"Wait!"
"I give up!"