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The Gedo Statue rumbled as it charged forward, its massive frame making it seem clumsy and sluggish compared to the nimble movements of the two Nine-Tails.
Naruto rushed in to meet it head-on, delivering a full-force punch, free of any friendship-powered mercy, right into the Gedo Statue's jaw. From Naruto's perspective, the Gedo Statue stood even taller than Kurama.
The heavy blow made the Gedo Statue's head snap sideways, but it quickly retaliated. A massive fist swung down, slamming into the Nine-Tails' abdomen, sending Naruto staggering backwards.
Seeing an opening, Kushina took control of the other Nine-Tails and leapt high into the air. She brought her fist down like a meteor, smashing into the Gedo Statue's skull.
The earth beneath it cracked and shattered from the sheer force, but the Gedo Statue regained its footing and countered with an elbow strike, sending Kushina's Nine-Tails flying.
Naruto quickly recovered, a Tailed Beast Bomb forming in his Nine-Tails' mouth. Seeing Kushina temporarily forced back, he immediately fired.
With no time to dodge, the Gedo Statue opened its mouth, forming a Tailed Beast Bomb of its own.
Obito could have commanded it to evade, but… what was the point of revealing his trump card if he didn't dominate the battlefield? His ego demanded a head-on clash.
The two Tailed Beast Bombs collided in midair, their impact redirecting them straight into the sky, where they exploded like a miniature sun, casting an intense white flash across the battlefield.
The explosion was blinding from every angle. For those watching from the ground, the only logical reaction was:
"Damn, that's bright."
"Not enough. Again!" Obito growled. He refused to accept equal footing in this battle.
The Gedo Statue's mouth opened once more, forming a Tailed Beast Bomb even larger than the previous one even bigger than the combined power of the two Nine-Tails.
It was clear now: absorbing Tailed Beasts wasn't just a simple addition the Gedo Statue amplified their power exponentially.
Naruto looked at the approaching massive sphere of destruction and grinned.
"Obito, your Kamui dimension is getting another visitor!"
With a flicker of space-time distortions, the massive Tailed Beast Bomb disappeared, swallowed by Kamui and redirected into Obito's personal dimension.
Obito's expression darkened.
He had completely forgotten that Naruto could do that.
This damn brat was using his Kamui space better than he was!
Deciding that long-range tactics were useless, Obito commanded the Gedo Statue to charge in, engaging the two Nine-Tails in brutal close combat.
A colossal clash erupted, shaking the battlefield as giants tore into each other.
Kurama's massive claws raked across the Gedo Statue's armor, while the Gedo Statue's fists pummeled the Nine-Tails' bodies. The impact of their strikes flattened everything in their surroundings.
At this rate… the first one to fall wouldn't be the Tailed Beasts it would be Obito himself.
He was burning through chakra fast, and to make things worse, Kakashi and Sasuke had disappeared from sight.
No doubt Minato had given them a mission.
Why did his back suddenly feel cold?
He couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
Obito's Rinnegan flared, and the Gedo Statue suddenly surged with power. It tore itself free, knocking both Nine-Tails back, and from its mouth, two glowing purple chains shot forward.
They wrapped around the Nine-Tails' throats, pulling them toward its maw.
"Crap!" Naruto fought against the chains, trying to break free, but they were impossibly strong. Even partial Tailed Beast transformation couldn't force him loose.
He could feel it—something inside him was being ripped away.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Golden chains shot out from Kushina, coiling tightly around the purple ones. The tug-of-war began.
For now, they weren't losing ground but they weren't winning either.
Seeing their struggle, Shisui and Itachi arrived.
Two colossal Susanoo warriors rose from the battlefield one emerald green, one crimson red.
The green Susanoo (Shisui) grasped the chains, holding them back with sheer force, preventing the Gedo Statue from pulling the Nine-Tails further.
The red Susanoo (Itachi) raised its shield, blocking a massive punch from the Gedo Statue.
"Amaterasu!"
Itachi's eyes bled, and black flames erupted along the purple chains, melting them away.
The Nine-Tails were freed.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
Even that worked?!
"Wait… those chains aren't just physical objects they're seals or pure chakra! But… Amaterasu still burned through them?!"
This wasn't over.
Itachi shifted his gaze, locking eyes with the Gedo Statue's nine Rinnegan eyes.
The next second black flames engulfed its entire face.
Shisui's Susanoo wasn't idle either.
A spiralling ethereal blade appeared in its hands the Kusanagi of the Uchiha.
With one mighty stab, the blade pierced deep into the Gedo Statue's chest, forcing a howl of pain from the monstrous entity.
The Gedo Statue raised its hands to swat away the flames but that only made it worse.
The moment its hands touched its burning face, the flames spread.
Obito, seeing things going south, had the Gedo Statue grab the Kusanagi blade, channelling the Amaterasu flames onto it.
Now, the Uchiha's own flames were being turned against them.
Shisui narrowed his eyes there was no choice.
He dispelled the ethereal sword, causing the flames to drop harmlessly onto the ground.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Sasuke had managed to flank Obito from behind, preparing for a sneak attack.
But just as they were about to strike, Obito leapt onto the Gedo Statue's shoulder, forcing them to hold back.
"Preta Path!"
A wave of chakra absorption swept across the battlefield.
The Amaterasu flames vanished.
Itachi clicked his tongue. "Tch."
That was the only flaw of Amaterasu it couldn't be controlled once unleashed.
The Gedo Statue, though now smoking and charred, remained standing.
Its nine eyes still glowed.
Obito exhaled slowly, regaining composure.
"Both of you have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, right?" His voice was sharp. "Then you must've suffered an unbearable loss. Why fight against me?"
Neither Shisui nor Itachi answered.
Their pain didn't drive them to destroy the world.
For Shisui, he had long struggled between loyalty to his clan and the village, watching both suffer.
For Itachi, his Mangekyō's awakening was… ridiculous. Is Sasuke being kidnapped by Biruuko? That wasn't pain, that was pure rage.
The very idea of destroying the world over personal suffering was beyond their comprehension.
"Obito, stop wasting time!"
Black Zetsu grew impatient.
This was the closest they had ever been to success.
Obito knew the battlefield was slipping out of his control. If he delayed further, the Five Kage and reinforcements would soon arrive.
"Zetsu, didn't you say the Ten-Tails doesn't need to be completed to revive?"
Black Zetsu hesitated. "That's true, but—"
"Then that's enough."
Obito raised his hand.
"Awaken, Ten-Tails!"
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