The giant lava ball cast an eerie red glow, illuminating Kushina's hesitant face.
Seeing this, Nine Tails smirked playfully.
"What's wrong, kid? Still afraid?"
"You've always wanted to be Hokage, haven't you? Just break the seal, and I'll give you my power. With it, you'll become the strongest in Konoha—Hokage will be yours without question."
Its words dripped with temptation.
Tailed beasts were highly intelligent. They could sense a person's deepest desires, using them as bait to break free from their seals. This was why so many Jinchūriki lost control.
Someone as stable as Kushina was rare, likely due to the unique constitution of the Uzumaki clan.
She glanced at Simu beside her. The warmth of his hand, tightly holding hers, steadied her resolve.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Kushina nodded slightly.
Nine Tails narrowed its eyes, sensing something dangerous.
Kushina placed her hand on her stomach. Instantly, countless black sealing patterns emerged. She twisted her fingers into the formation and turned it hard.
As the seal loosened, pain flashed across her face.
Nine Tails' eyes lit up with excitement. It had only tried to manipulate her with words, never expecting her to actually open the seal.
The diamond chains that had bound and suppressed its chakra began to loosen. The massive wooden stakes piercing its body slowly withdrew from the burning magma.
A deep sigh of relief escaped from Nine Tails.
It didn't understand why Kushina, usually so resolute, would make such a reckless move.
But it didn't matter. Freedom was within reach.
A violent surge of power swept through Kushina's spiritual sea.
The chains binding Nine Tails rattled loudly as it pressed its claws against the scorching lava beneath. With an explosive burst of strength, the massive stakes piercing its body were forcefully ejected.
The diamond chains snapped under the sheer force of its release.
Although Kushina had intentionally loosened the seal, the sheer power of Nine Tails was undeniable.
In the real world, the partial release of Nine Tails' seal sent a terrifying presence rippling through the entire Forest of Death.
The pressure was even more intense than when the three tailed beasts had appeared earlier.
A crimson chakra cloak engulfed Kushina, bubbling wildly as if it were boiling.
Her red hair lifted in the air, swaying like fox ears in the wind.
"Hokage-sama…"
The Anbu ninjas tensed, their hands gripping their weapons.
Third Hokage calmly raised his aged palm, signaling them to stand down.
"Do not be nervous. This not the time to intervene"
While the outside remained calm, Kushina's spiritual sea was in complete turmoil.
Nine Tails had broken free from its restraints, standing tall on the water's surface.
Behind it, a massive red lava sun loomed, radiating an eerie glow.
"You will pay for your foolishness!"
Its thunderous roar sent a monstrous wave surging toward Simu and Kushina like a giant hand ready to crush them.
Simu narrowed his eyes and gently released Kushina's hand.
"Just focus on protecting yourself."
He stepped forward, undeterred by the oncoming wave.
An overwhelming aura of dominance filled the space.
This was Conqueror's Haki.
Simu's overwhelming aura clashed violently with Nine Tails' presence, shaking Kushina's spiritual space.
The massive wave crumbled instantly, dissolving into countless droplets that rained down like a storm.
Outside, the surrounding ninjas felt an inexplicable pressure weighing down on them.
Fortunately, they were all Jōnin, strong enough to withstand Simu's Haki. Had they been ordinary shinobi, they would have collapsed unconscious by now.
Nine Tails narrowed its eyes.
"So, you're the brat with enough confidence to break my seal?"
It could tell that Simu was no ordinary opponent.
But no matter how talented he was, all who stood before Nine Tails ended up as corpses.
Simu stepped forward.
Deep blue dragon scales spread across his body, gleaming under the eerie red light.
Two massive, razor-sharp horns grew from his forehead.
His frame expanded, his height rising to a monstrous seven or eight meters.
"You said you'd give Chakra to Kushina once the seal was broken," Simu said, tilting his head. His voice was deep, almost unrecognizable in his transformed state.
Nine Tails narrowed its eyes.
"That depends... if you can defeat me first!"
With a roar, Nine Tails swung its massive fist toward Simu.
This wasn't the weakened half of Nine Tails that Minato had sealed—it was the full beast.
Its strength was at least twice that of the Nine Tails inside Naruto in the original timeline.
Yet, Simu showed no fear.
He clenched his own fist, brimming with the power of his human-beast form, and met Nine Tails' attack head-on.
Despite his towering seven-meter height, Simu was still dwarfed by Nine Tails.
Their fists—one huge, the other small in comparison—collided.
For a moment, the entire spiritual space fell into an eerie silence.
At first, small ripples formed beneath their feet.
Then—BOOM!
A terrifying force erupted.
The impact blasted the water beneath them, creating a massive crater tens of meters wide.
The shockwave spread outward in a violent tsunami, shaking the entire spiritual space.
The sheer force made the air thick with mist.
Nine Tails narrowed its eyes.
"Not bad, kid."
It was rare for Nine Tails to acknowledge a human's strength.
After all, few in the ninja world could take a punch from it head-on.
Simu smirked.
"If that's all you've got, then I'll be taking your Chakra."
"Arrogant brat!"
Nine Tails roared, its fury surging.
A wave of resentment, anger, and hatred exploded from its body, crashing into Simu's soul like a storm.
This is the terrible grievance that Nine Tails has accumulated over the decades of being sealed away.
However, these have no effect on Simu.
In the real world, the entire Death Forest trembled as natural energy was ripped from the surroundings and poured into Simu's body.
Nearby trees withered instantly.
Solid rock crumbled into dust.
Facing a powerful opponent like Nine Tails, Simu had no choice but to absorb nature's energy at full force.
The markings on his face turned completely pitch black.
Then—he drew his mace.
A colossal weapon, crackling with raw power.
Nature's energy whirled violently around it.
"Sage Art: Raime Hakke!"
Haki.
Senjutsu Chakra.
The thunderous might of the Blue Dragon Fruit.
All fused into one devastating strike—and came crashing down on Nine Tails.
Nine Tails' crimson pupils contracted sharply—even it could sense the immense danger of this attack.
Its eyes turned serious.
Instinct screamed that if it didn't go all out, it might really end up sealed again.
With a flick of its tails, nine crimson whips lashed out like swords, colliding head-on with Simu's Raime Hakke.
BOOM!
The entire spiritual space shook violently.
Thick lightning crackled and surged between the scarlet tails.
Nine Tails bared its fangs.
Then, in a flash, it launched a relentless assault.
Its tails struck with blinding speed, each attack powerful enough to shatter mountains.
Each impact sent titanic waves roaring across the sea.
But Simu didn't falter.
With Observation Haki, he predicted Nine Tails' every move—dodging with precision as the battlefield turned into a storm of chaos.
Kushina watched, biting her lip.
To her, this wasn't just a fight—it was a battle of monsters.
After a moment, Kushina finally shook off her fear.
Her hands moved swiftly, forming seals.
Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Nine Tails wasn't free yet—not completely.
And inside Kushina's spiritual space, her power was amplified.
Golden chains burst from the massive lava sphere, streaking through the air like shooting stars.
CRACK!
They slammed into Nine Tails' back, then coiled around it like a constricting python.
The sealing technique's power pressed down hard, locking the beast in place.
Nine Tails gritted its teeth, muscles tensing as it struggled.
Its expression twisted in frustration—it hated being restrained.
At that moment, the brief suppression was enough to shift the tide of the battle.
Simu didn't hesitate. Seizing the opportunity while Nine Tails' offensive stalled, he expanded rapidly, transforming into a massive dragon hundreds of meters long, crashing into Nine Tails.
Nine Tails recoiled, clearly surprised.
"What the hell is this...?"
Even after hundreds of years, Nine Tails had never encountered an ability like Simu's.
And it wasn't just Nine Tails. Even the Sage of Six Paths, who had once separated them from Ten Tails, would have been momentarily stunned by Simu's power.
As Simu's enormous form collided with Nine Tails, the water surged, creating huge waves.
Nine Tails lashed out with its nine tails, attempting to shove Simu's massive body away to slow his assault.
But Simu was no fool. He wouldn't fall for such tactics.
The massive dragon claws came down from above, gripping Nine Tails' tail tightly. Simu then opened his mouth, filled with sharp fangs, and bit down hard on Nine Tails' shoulder, using Armament Haki to enhance the impact.
The force of Simu's enormous body sent Nine Tails flying backwards, pushing it hundreds of meters away, leaving a deep gouge in the water. Massive waves rose on both sides.
Furious, Nine Tails unleashed its terrifying power, and the two spun mid-air. With a powerful slam, Nine Tails pressed down on Simu's dragon form, using all its strength to punch Simu deep into the water.
The water exploded upward in a violent column, and Nine Tails' crimson eyes remained fixed on the surface, watching for any movement.
Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from Simu. Arcs of electricity crackled around Nine Tails' body, coiling like thin snakes, sending a wave of numbness through it.
Nine Tails felt a pang of unease.
Before it could react, the water surged, and Simu's massive horns slammed into Nine Tails, sending it flying.
But Simu wasn't done. As Nine Tails flew upside down, Simu opened his mouth, releasing a blast of intense heat. A crimson laser of flames shot straight at Nine Tails.
Though the arcs continued to flicker on its body, Nine Tails, being the strongest tailed beast, used its incredible strength to shake off the electricity and resumed its attack.
Nine Tails slammed its feet into the ground, leaving deep gouges behind, then swung its paw fiercely.
"Boy, don't be so arrogant!"
A surge of Nine Tails' Chakra, full of strange energy, erupted wildly. With sharp claws, it grasped Simu's fiery attack and clamped down hard, stopping the heat.
Simu's fiery breath split along the crevice between its claws, but ultimately bent and fell helplessly into the water. The intense heat instantly evaporated the water's surface, sending vapor across the battlefield.
Nine Tails stood firm on the water, radiating an aura of danger.
"As expected of the strongest tailed beast, able to recover from such a severe injury," Simu, now in his dragon form, said slowly.
Simu wasn't exaggerating; he was genuinely impressed at Nine Tails' terrifying recovery speed.
The massive wound on its shoulder, caused by Simu's bite, had almost completely healed. The small burn on its palm was barely noticeable.
"Little brat, you really pissed me off," Nine Tails growled, showing its sharp, ferocious teeth. "It's been decades since I've been hurt like this."
Simu's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
In an instant, the massive Nine Tails vanished, leaving only the disrupted water in its wake. Despite its enormous size, it moved with terrifying speed.
Simu's Observation Haki flared up, and he finally sensed Nine Tails above him. He looked up, his dragon head searching the sky.
Nine Tails' massive, hill-like body fallen from the sky. It grabbed Simu with its two claws and slammed him forcefully into the water below.
"Simu!" Kushina cried out in panic.
She quickly controlled several diamond chains, sending them piercing through the water, trying to help.
Beneath the surface, Nine Tails gripped Simu, beating him relentlessly. It opened its mouth wide, and both light blue yang Chakra and dark purple yin Chakra fiercely began to converge.
Simu's heart skipped a beat. It was one thing to be beaten, but if he got hit by Nine Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb at close range, it would be devastating.
Suddenly, the dragon-like body Simu had taken on began to melt away under Nine Tails' grip.
Nine Tails stared in disbelief. Its massive, rock-like body had suddenly vanished like a streak of light.
However, the Tailed Beast Bomb it had already formed couldn't be stopped.
Simu reappeared next to Kushina in the blink of an eye, shifting back into his human-beast form. He wrapped his thick arms around her, pulling her tightly into his embrace.
"Be careful."
In an instant, an overwhelming surge of energy erupted from beneath the water.
All the surrounding sea water evaporated immediately, creating a massive hollow several hundred meters wide.
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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