Forged Beyond

Shinobi Forces! Gather!

[I AM BAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKK, I quickly wrote this chapter to get back in the flow!]

As the trio sprinted through the ruined woods, boots hitting the ground like war drums, Naruto suddenly shouted over the wind:

"Ahhh, Sakura-chan! By the way—me and Kurama—"

Sakura's brow furrowed mid-stride.
"Kurama?"

Naruto beamed proudly, not missing a beat.
"The Kyūbi! His real name's Kurama! I totally befriended him, though he's got a nasty attitude, believe me! But now we're full pals! I can even transform into him completely!"

Sakura nearly tripped.
"WHAT!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!? That's amazing, Naruto!" She punched the air.
"You finally mastered the Nine-Tails—err, Kurama!"

Naruto grinned like a kid on ramen night.
"Yep! We're like chakra bros now!"

"Tell me everything!" Sakura demanded, eyes gleaming as they dodged shattered trees and flickers of leftover jutsu in the air.

Naruto took a breath, his tone shifting slightly—still energetic, but with the weight of battle behind it.

"Tobi was controlling all the other Jinchūriki—except me and Octopops."

Temari's eyes narrowed.
"The other tailed beasts..."

"Yeah," Naruto said.
"They all fired a synchronized Tailed Beast Bomb. Like—BOOM! It was insane. So I went Kurama-mode, charged up our own Tailed Beast Bomb, and blasted it right back. There was this HUGE explosion—like, bright as the sun."

Sakura listened, focused and wide-eyed.
"What happened after that...?"

"Then it got real weird," Naruto muttered.
"I ended up inside that subconscious tailed beast realm—you know, that weird dream-space thing. All the Jinchūriki were there. And the tailed beasts, too. Except Bee, of course. It was like... like a meeting of the monsters and their humans."

He scrunched up his nose.

"And Kurama—ugh, that fuzzy jerk—kept teasing me about how my first kiss was with Sasuke! In front of everyone! Even the freaking Three-Tails was laughing!"

"Ew, Naruto—seriously?" Sakura gagged playfully.

"It wasn't my fault! He headbutted me with his lips!!" Naruto wailed dramatically.

Even Temari smirked slightly at that.

"Anyway!" Naruto continued, shaking off the trauma.
"Back in the real world, I pulled out all the black rods Tobi was using to control the other beasts. One by one. Ripped them out!"

"You did that alone?" Sakura asked, jaw tight with pride.

"Mmhmm!" he nodded, huffing between steps.
"But then that thing appeared—the huge statue. It just sucked all the tailed beasts back into it like some chakra vacuum cleaner."

His eyes darkened a bit.

"That thing... It's what Tobi's using to revive something way worse."

Temari's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The Ten Tails."

Naruto nodded.
"We're getting close now. That's where the real storm's brewing. Everyone's headed there. Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei... all the units. Even the Uchiha clan. It's all or nothing."

____


Kakashi stood beside Guy, chest rising and falling with slow, controlled breaths. The wind whipped across the battlefield, tugging at torn headbands and bloodied cloaks. Ahead of them stood Naruto, Kurama's chakra swirling around him in golden waves, the black streaks etched onto his form rippling with energy. His eyes never left Tobi, who was still calmly absorbing the remaining tailed beasts into the massive, grotesque statue behind him.