Yoruha's hands moved like lightning.
Seal after seal flashed between his fingers, and a deep rumble echoed underfoot. Mysterious runes spiraled outward, forming dark chains of chakra that shot toward the great iron gate imprisoning the Nine-Tails.
Hummmm—
The moment his chakra surged into the lock, the metal blazed with intricate, glowing symbols of its own.
Yoruha's eyes narrowed.
"Tch… complicated. As expected of the Fourth Hokage's Eight Trigrams Seal."
He frowned, but didn't stop.
"Fine. It'll just cost me a little more chakra."
Then he poured more power into the seal.
Rumble—
Golden energy surged out of him like a tidal wave, flooding into the formation. Even the Nine-Tails—a creature that had watched gods and monsters rise and fall—stared in disbelief.
"This brat… what kind of monster is he? At his age, how can he possess chakra like that?"
The beast could feel it—
The once-loosened seal tightening again, link by link.
"STOP!"
BOOM!
The Nine-Tails slammed its paw against the gate. The entire world shook—but the seal didn't waver.
Yoruha's technique continued unhindered.
"You damned little pest! Do you mean to keep me caged here forever?!"
Its roars echoed throughout the mindscape, scalding hot with fury.
"Evil human! I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Blow after blow shook the bars. But the truth was simple:
The Nine-Tails had waited too long.
For years, it had felt the seal loosen—ever so slightly—every time Naruto drew on its chakra. A few more years, and it would have been free.
But this boy—this Yoruha—
He was ruining everything.
"RROOOAAAR!"
When its threats were ignored, the beast's rage ignited.
Chakra began gathering at its maw, dark red and swirling—dense enough to warp the air itself.
A sphere of destruction.
"A Tailed Beast Bomb,"Yoruha muttered.
"Go to hell, brat!!"
A miniature sun expanded between the fox's fangs. Even Yoruha's eyes widened. He could feel the sheer malice roiling inside it.
Still, he didn't stop.
He didn't even know whether the attack would reach him in this mental plane—but he couldn't risk pausing the sealing process now.
He forced more chakra into the Eight Trigrams formation.
Outside — the real world
Naruto's body twitched violently.
A crimson aura seeped from his skin, forming the silhouette of a demon—ears, claws, tail.
The Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak.
Its color deepened: from orange, to red, to blackened crimson.
Naruto's consciousness was slipping.
Kakashi's visible eye widened.
"No… his chakra's going berserk!"
He lunged forward, but the moment his hand brushed the cloak, his glove hissed and dissolved. He recoiled in shock.
"This chakra… its corrosion—it's unbelievable."
Sakura and Sasuke froze in horror.
"So that's… the power sealed inside Naruto…?"
The room trembled. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor and walls.
Yoruha sat motionless beside Naruto, his consciousness still deep within the seal world. Kakashi wanted to pull him out—but one mistake could kill him.
He gritted his teeth.
"Sasuke, Sakura! Take Tazuna and his family! Get them away from here—now!"
"But Sensei—!"
"Go! If Naruto loses control, this place will be a crater!"
They hesitated, but the urgency in his voice left no room for argument.
Within moments, they were gone.
Back inside Naruto's mind…
Yoruha's expression didn't change—but he felt the air twist. Heat. Pressure. Killing intent thick enough to choke on.
The Tailed Beast Bomb pulsed, each thrum making the seal tremble.
Its power dwarfed anything he'd ever faced.
Still, Yoruha pushed chakra into the gate. The black runes beneath him spread wider, living chains crawling toward the locks.
The cost was enormous. Even he couldn't sustain this forever.
But he didn't stop.
The Nine-Tails roared:
"THEN DIE, HUMAN!"
BOOOOM!
The Tailed Beast Bomb fired.
For one instant, the world turned white.
The blast smashed into the iron gate head-on—
—and detonated.
The shockwave tore through the void. Yoruha barely raised an arm before it hit.
KRA-KOOOM!
He was flung across the chamber like a rag doll, slamming into the far wall. The burning chakra tore into him—skin, flesh, soul.
"Gh—ah!"
Blood burst from his lips.
Reality
His real body convulsed, spraying crimson across the room—only for the chakra cloak to hiss and evaporate every drop.
Kakashi froze.
"Yoruha!"
He moved—but before he could reach him, Yoruha's eyes snapped open.
His voice was hoarse, but steady.
"I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei. Don't panic."
Kakashi halted mid-step, relief and disbelief warring in his gaze.
"Fine? You just spat blood all over the room!"
Yoruha pushed himself upright—pale, but controlled.
"I needed to test something. To see if the Nine-Tails could actually harm me inside the seal."
He wiped the blood from his chin.
"It can. But I won't make that mistake again."
Kakashi clenched his fists.
"Enough. This is too dangerous. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it?"
He wanted to drag the boy out by force—but one look at Yoruha's eyes stopped him.
Cold steel. Calculation. Resolve.
"Kakashi-sensei,"Yoruha said quietly, "please… leave. Now.
If you stay, I'll have to hold back."
For the first time, he spoke to Kakashi as an equal.
Kakashi stared at him, then slowly nodded.
"Don't you dare die on me, kid."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
With a flicker of lightning, Kakashi vanished.
Alone once more…
Yoruha pressed a hand to the ground.
Golden chakra surged forth, reigniting the runes beneath his feet.
"All right then," he muttered.
"Round two, fox."
Inside the cage, the Nine-Tails snarled—crimson fur bristling, tails lashing like whips.
"You think you can cage me forever?"
"Not forever,"Yoruha replied calmly.
"Just long enough."
The two locked eyes through the bars.
Man and monster.
Sun and shadow.
The air itself held its breath as their wills collided.
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