"Seven… seven tails."
Kakashi's voice trembled as he stared at Naruto, now cloaked in crimson, corrosive chakra. The bestial transformation had progressed further than any of them had ever witnessed before. His silhouette was no longer human—horns protruded from his head, a skeletal structure had begun forming around him, reinforcing his beast-like body with an eerie bone armor.
The chakra was thick and heavy, warping the air around him.
Roar!!
With a deafening roar, Naruto—no, the Seven-Tails incarnation of him—rushed forward. His monstrous claws pounded against the ground as he charged directly at the towering Susanoo: Perfect Form.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Naruto launched a ferocious series of attacks. His razor-sharp claws slashed at Susanoo's armored legs with incredible speed, landing dozens of strikes in just a few seconds.
Simultaneously, he began spamming Tailed Beast Bombs one after another, hurling them toward the giant avatar like a raging storm.
However, the massive armored warrior didn't even flinch.
The Susanoo—over 230 meters tall, wielding a gargantuan sword and clad in chakra plating—stood unshaken. The bombardment of bombs caused sparks and minor tremors, but no meaningful damage. It was as if an ant were throwing stones at a mountain.
Crack—!
Suddenly, Naruto lunged upward, climbing the colossal body of the Susanoo like a wild beast scaling a cliff. His claws dug into the armor for leverage.
Leo, standing high inside the crystal on Susanoo's forehead, narrowed his eyes as he watched Naruto claw his way up. Then, his expression shifted slightly.
"Got you," Leo said coldly.
In the next instant, Susanoo's enormous hand reached out like a divine judgment and clamped down on Naruto, seizing him mid-air.
"Roar...!!" Naruto snarled viciously, struggling within Susanoo's grasp. The seventh tail lashed in frustration and fury.
Leo smirked, his crimson Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spinning menacingly.
"You dance well," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I've run out of patience."
Then, his voice grew darker.
"Nine Tails."
"I'll just put a collar on you like this!"
He raised his fingers into a seal, preparing to activate a powerful genjutsu. He would use the full force of his Eternal Mangekyō to stimulate the dormant power inside Naruto—forcefully dragging out Kurama, the Nine-Tails.
But before Leo could complete the seal—
"Super Big Ball Rasengan!!"
A booming voice rang out. A sudden figure shot into the air from below.
Boom!!
A massive Rasengan slammed into Susanoo's wrist—the very hand gripping Naruto. The attack didn't break the giant's hand, but it caused just enough force to loosen the grip.
Crack! Naruto slipped free and fell back to the ground, snarling.
Leo's eyes narrowed.
"Hmm?"
The source of the Rasengan—Jiraiya—landed gracefully on the battlefield.
But something was different.
His appearance had changed—his face was lined, his eyes golden, and he had toad-like marks on his face. Standing on his shoulders were two small elderly toads.
"Sage Mode?" Leo said, slightly surprised, though not impressed.
"You're interfering too much," he added, his tone colder than before.
Then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three enormous figures appeared out of thin air and struck the legs of Susanoo with massive weapons.
Susanoo stumbled slightly, taking half a step backward.
Leo glanced down.
Three gigantic toads now stood at Susanoo's feet: Gamabunta, Gamahiro, and Gamaken—the legendary toad brothers of Mount Myōboku.
The battlefield trembled beneath their weight.
Leo's eyes remained emotionless.
"You're in the way."
And with a swift kick from Susanoo—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All three toads were launched into the air and crashed into the ground in a heap.
"Ugh!"
"Damn it!"
Gamabunta, lying dazed on his back, groaned. "We hit it with all we had, and it barely moved a step…"
"But its kick…"
The towering Susanoo stood four or five times taller than the massive toads.
Its power was simply not on the same scale.
"Sage Art: Frog Croak!"
Suddenly, the two elder toads on Jiraiya's shoulders began their assault. A strange, mystical sound echoed across the battlefield. It wasn't physical—it was spiritual, vibrating within the minds of all who heard it.
It was senjutsu.
Illusory sound waves began to crash toward Leo at the top of Susanoo.
But—
Leo, with his Eternal Mangekyō and spiritual mastery, stood unaffected.
"Silence."
His voice was like thunder.
He raised Susanoo's massive sword, aiming to strike down Jiraiya.
But before he could—
BOOM!!!
A massive Tailed Beast Bomb, far more powerful than the earlier ones, blasted in from the side.
Leo immediately turned and brought down his blade.
Clang!
The blade sliced the bomb in two, causing an eruption of fiery chakra.
KABOOM!!!
A mushroom cloud bloomed over the battlefield.
Leo waved Susanoo's hand, dispersing the smoke.
Then his eyes widened.
There, standing with fur bristling and power surging—Naruto had grown his Eighth Tail.
"Kurama…" Leo sneered, "You think you can escape? You're mine."
He cracked his knuckles.
"I'll put that collar on now."
Despite the growing opposition, Leo's tone remained calm—almost amused.
But then, he paused and scowled.
"These flies are getting annoying…"
With a seal of his hands, five Shadow Clones appeared beside him in the crystal chamber.
"Get rid of them," Leo said to his clones.
"I'll take care of the Nine-Tails."
The five clones nodded.
Then—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The five Shadow Clone Leos jumped from the top of the giant Susanoo and descended onto the battlefield.
Each took position:
Three went straight for the toads—Gamabunta, Gamahiro, and Gamaken.
One headed toward Jiraiya in Sage Mode.
The last clone calmly walked toward the Konoha defenders—Tsunade, Kakashi, and the others.
"Don't get in the way!" all five clones said in cold unison.
"Bastard…" Tsunade gritted her teeth, glaring at the clone approaching.
Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the rest knew—they were being held back deliberately.
Meanwhile—
Leo refocused on Naruto.
Inside the sealed space of Kurama, the Nine-Tails roared.
"Damn it, Kurama!!" Naruto shouted.
Outside, the Eight-Tailed beast snarled violently at Susanoo, its fangs bared.
The last Tailed Beast Bomb had been swatted aside with ease.
Kurama, inside the seal, now understood.
This was no ordinary Sharingan. This was a predator.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Another barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs rained down, one after the other.
It was like a desperate last stand—Naruto throwing everything he had.
Yet—
The towering Susanoo marched forward, step by step.
With each bomb, it casually batted them away, as if shooing insects.
It was hopeless.
"Naruto…"
Tsunade whispered his name.
"Don't go any further…" Kakashi muttered, watching Naruto's form distort and grow ever closer to full transformation.
If he grew a ninth tail—he would be gone.
No one could bring him back from that.
But before they could rush in—
Whoosh!
The five Shadow Clone Leos activated their Level 3 Susanoo, chakra avatars towering dozens of meters tall.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five glowing warriors stood between them and Naruto.
"I said… don't get in the way!" they bellowed.
The Konoha shinobi stared helplessly at the titanic Susanoo forms.
"Damn you…" Jiraiya growled, bracing himself for the coming storm.
And atop the battlefield, Leo stood unmoving, watching the Eight-Tails Naruto below.
"It's time."
---