Shinigami in the Ninja World

The battlefield was split into different zones.

Even though the seven mini-tailed beasts were not as strong as the originals, they were undoubtedly overwhelming for ordinary ninja. It required the joint effort of multiple Jonin to stand against them.

As for Naruto, only the previous Hokage, along with Minato Namikaze, Menma Uzumaki, and Madara Uchiha, were capable of facing him. These seven people surrounded Naruto from all sides.

Naruto drew his second blade.

"Dual-wielding?" Tobirama Senju raised his hand, forming a hand seal. "A taijutsu specialist, huh."

Yin-style chakra gathered in his palm, then suddenly burst forth.

"Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."

The night seemed to fall from the sky, enveloping the entire area in total darkness. This jutsu was designed to counter taijutsu and close-combat fighters, creating not just darkness but a pitch-black environment. Though it was called "genjutsu," it physically manifested in the surroundings.

"Be careful, he's no ordinary ninja," Madara Uchiha warned. "He's from the Uzumaki clan."

In the darkness, Tobirama moved silently. Despite their differences, his relationship with Madara Uchiha in this world was as strained as ever.

Tobirama advanced, flipping his wrist and silently throwing a kunai. As the caster of the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, he could see everything clearly within the area, his vision even sharper than in normal light.

The kunai flew toward Naruto without a reaction from him. Had he not noticed? Or was he simply indifferent? In any case, the simple kunai throw wasn't the killing blow.

Suddenly, a flash of white light—

The space rippled slightly.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

In an instant, Tobirama closed the distance of several meters, gripping the handle of the kunai, channeling power into it as he aimed for Naruto's throat.

A decisive strike!

This was Tobirama's preferred style—swift, lethal moves.

But his attack met no resistance. He felt his hand land softly on Naruto's chest, with barely any sensation.

In front of him, Naruto offered a calm, gentle smile.

The technique, which even his older brother Hashirama found troublesome, had no effect.

Tobirama looked down at his hand. Where was the kunai? Was he caught in an illusion? No, his extensive experience with the Uchiha clan told him he wasn't under a genjutsu. His chakra flowed smoothly, without any disruption.

So how had the kunai—an object he'd held just moments ago—disappeared?

He didn't have time to dwell on it. He raised his other hand, forming another seal.

"Water Release: Heavenly Weeping."

Sharp, nearly invisible water needles shot out from his mouth at high speed, blending into the environment as they pierced toward Naruto.

This time, Tobirama saw it clearly.

Some invisible force in front of Naruto was wiping away his jutsu, breaking it down bit by bit.

What kind of technique was this? Dust Release?

But then something even more unsettling happened. Naruto met Tobirama's gaze, and the smile in his blue eyes deepened.

Naruto could see through the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. The technique had no effect on him at all.

Realizing the danger, Tobirama attempted to retreat, but midway through his movement, Naruto caught him. A golden chain shot out, wrapping around Tobirama's waist and yanking him back down to the ground with a thunderous crash. ɽ

The white-haired man's eyes widened in shock.

His right hand was still forming a seal, and his chakra was successfully activated, but…

The technique failed.

When his hand had connected with Naruto earlier, Tobirama had placed the Flying Thunder God mark on him. Yet, now the jutsu wasn't working.

Naruto, uninterested in his confusion, waved his hand, as if blowing the night away with the wind.

For the others, it seemed like only a second had passed. Tobirama had unleashed his jutsu, Madara Uchiha had warned them, but before they could react, Tobirama's signature technique had been broken, and he lay in a freshly made crater, looking utterly defeated.

His leg bones were visibly broken. Although he had managed to protect his arms, there was no question that he was no longer able to fight.

The remaining Hokage and Madara Uchiha stared at Naruto, their expressions heavy with concern.

He looked the same age as Menma Uzumaki, but his strength…

He had incapacitated the Second Hokage in a mere instant.

Naruto's face remained calm as he glanced at them.

On another part of the battlefield, Kurama was riding atop the Six-Tails, yelling excitedly, "Sorry about this, bro!"

Kurama swung his fist, smashing it into the Six-Tails. The beast howled in pain, the Sharingan in its eyes flickering.

Kurama drew his blade, slashing down without mercy, severing three of the Six-Tails' tails. He grabbed one of the tails and bit down, consuming it without hesitation. Despite its weakened body, the Six-Tails' chakra was absorbed as Kurama claimed his spoils of war.

He tossed the other tail aside and dragged the remaining one toward Naruto's battlefield. "Naruto! Six-Tails' chakra!"

"It's still under Madara Uchiha's control, so I had to use some brute force."

Madara Uchiha swooped down from the sky, his black staff swinging to destroy the Six-Tails' chakra.

But—

Two chains flew out. One wrapped around the Six-Tails' chakra, the other around Madara Uchiha, who was covered in a shimmering layer of multicolored glass-like energy.

The golden light was formed by natural energy, condensed into Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Against the overwhelming authority of the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, ordinary chakra was powerless.

Only spiritual energy…

Or natural energy, separate from the chakra system of this world, had any effect.

Madara Uchiha struck. His black staff collided with the chains, generating a massive shockwave.

Golden light flashed.

Minato threw a kunai and moved.

Once again, he used the Flying Thunder God technique.

The Third Hokage formed a complex set of seals. Though old in the dream world, he maintained peak combat ability here.

Four shadow clones joined him in launching an attack.

"Five Release Great Combo Technique."

With mastery over all five chakra natures, the Third Hokage hadn't developed a Kekkei Genkai, but his mastery of advanced composite jutsu was formidable, often surpassing those with bloodline limits.

Minato moved swiftly through the water's reflection.

The combined elemental attacks flew out, not at Naruto, but at the Adamantine Sealing Chains binding the Six-Tails' tail.

They understood that Madara Uchiha's goal was to stop Naruto from acquiring the tailed beast's chakra.

Thus, their strategy followed suit.

But ordinary ninjutsu was ineffective.

A gentle breeze blew, and all the attacks—wind bullets, flames, surging water, sliding earth, and roaring lightning—were silently ground into tiny particles and dispersed into the air.

As Minato's kunai neared its target, he moved to strike Madara Uchiha.

But a hand caught his wrist, halting the attack.

He turned his head.

The person next to him had the same blonde hair.

So fast!

Minato prided himself on his speed. When it came to the Flying Thunder God Technique, he was confident that his mastery surpassed even its inventor, Tobirama Senju.

Yet this person had matched, no, surpassed him in speed—without relying on any jutsu, purely through physical movement.

Naruto gently pushed Minato back, not as roughly as he had dealt with Tobirama.

Minato landed softly, surprised by the gentle force. He looked up at the young man from another world.

Naruto drew his blade, grasping Kurama, and plunged it into the Six-Tails' tail.

The blade began to glow, extracting chakra from the Six-Tails, as its massive tail was absorbed into the sword, segment by segment, turning into a condensed form of chakra.

"Is he creating a tailed beast?" Hashirama muttered, his tone grim.

He had refrained from attacking thus far, focusing on monitoring the evacuation of the civilians. His jutsu was too powerful—any misstep could cause massive collateral damage to the village.

But now…

It was time to act.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu."

The forest Hashirama summoned expanded further, engulfing the residential areas. Four massive wood dragons shot out from the north, south, east, and west, all converging on Naruto.

But, as always…

Vortex's power spread out, obliterating the mighty wood dragons.

Naruto concentrated on extracting the chakra from the Kurama Blade.

The final tailed beast…

Would the sword evolve after collecting the chakra from all the tailed beasts?

This was something Naruto and Kurama had already speculated on, and they were close to finding out.

It was likely.

The seal around the Six-Tails was broken, and the beast poked its head out, letting out a joyful hum, wagging its tails and blowing bubbles.

It seemed innocent and playful.

But the bubbles hit the surrounding trees with a sizzling sound, leaving corrosive marks.

At that moment, Kurama paused, lowering its head. It sensed something calling to it from within.

Not from its own consciousness, but from the shared inner space of the tailed beasts.

Kurama thought for a moment.

It punched the Six-Tails a few more times, finally waking it up with pain.

Moments later, both Kurama and Naruto entered that shared space.

It wasn't just the tailed beasts that were summoned.

The wielder of the Kurama Blade, Naruto, also split a part of his consciousness and entered, much like a shadow clone.

They found themselves in a dark, silent void.

It was dead still, oppressive.

An orange earth stretched endlessly into the blackness, with no clear boundary.

A tall bonfire illuminated the ground, casting light on the nine figures standing there.

"What's going on?" Shukaku shook its head. "Why are we suddenly gathered here?"

It glanced at Kurama, then turned away.

This kind of ability…

Even the strongest of them, the Nine-Tails, couldn't possess this power.

"Something terrible seems to have happened," said the Four-Tails, its voice low and rumbling. "I remember…"

"I was following orders from Sasuke Uchiha, when suddenly, trees erupted from the ground and trapped Roshi."

"Then…"

"I ended up here."

The Six-Tails swayed its head, noticing the small blonde figure standing beside Kurama. "Nine-Tails, your Jinchuriki is here too?"

"And earlier, you didn't hold back against me."

"You must know what's going on, right?"

Kurama grinned. "It has to do with Kurama."

The other tailed beasts stared in disbelief.

That weird, almost playful tone—was that really coming from Kurama?

"It's this blade," Naruto explained, raising the golden sword. "Its name is Kurama."

Kurama nodded.

Naruto looked at Kurama for a moment, then continued. "This blade was born from Kurama's power. Do you remember when we borrowed some of your chakra earlier?"

The other seven tailed beasts, aside from the Six-Tails, nodded.

"I thought that if I collected some of your chakra, I could help Kurama evolve and wield the power of the Ten-Tails," Naruto explained. "But it seems like it's not that simple."

He paused, contemplating the idea of "authority."

The tailed beasts varied in strength, but they were all split from the Ten-Tails and held equal authority.

"So, I think for Kurama to use your chakra and evolve, I might need your consent."

Kurama instinctively glanced at Shukaku.

"Do you mean to merge us into the Ten-Tails again?" the Two-Tails asked, lazily stretching. "If that's the case, I refuse."

"Of course not," Naruto shook his head. "I only need your chakra, nothing more."

The Four-Tails asked, its voice gruff, "What's happening outside?"

"It seems like something serious is going on."

Kurama took the lead in explaining. "Madara Uchiha used your chakra to revive the Ten-Tails, becoming its Jinchuriki."

"And now he's cast a jutsu called Infinite Tsukuyomi, turning the entire world into nourishment for the God Tree."

"According to Naruto…"

"This jutsu might awaken the Sage of Six Paths' mother."

The Eight-Tails grumbled. "The old man's mother… He mentioned once that she was incredibly powerful, someone who could only be sealed away."

Kurama nodded.

"So you need our power to fight them?" the Seven-Tails asked, its tone serious.

Kurama nodded again. "I'm aiming for further evolution."

"Madara Uchiha is nothing. If I gain your power, I'll be strong enough to defeat him."

The Eight-Tails and Two-Tails had no objections. It was just chakra, after all. It wouldn't affect their consciousness, and they had a good relationship with Naruto.

The other tailed beasts agreed one after the other.

"I'll lend my power on Naruto's behalf," Shukaku muttered begrudgingly, dragging out the words. "But Kurama, if you want me to help, you'll have to beg."

Kurama bared its teeth.

Shukaku chuckled.

Naruto smiled as the tailed beasts bickered.

The golden blade in his hand radiated a powerful energy.

It was so strong, it was almost burning hot.

~~~

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