Naruto spun, Ten slicing through the lion, lunging from the shadows behind him.
The beast dissolved into smoke with a hiss, leaving behind only the echo of its snarl.
He exhaled sharply, sweat trickling down his brow."Is there no end to this damn zoo?"
For a moment, he stilled—calculating, breathing, thinking.Then he muttered, "Alright… time to turn the tide."
'Yin Kage-ryū: Shibari.'
The shadows beneath him writhed like snakes, coiling and slithering in all directions.Inky tendrils surged outward, latching onto every summoned beast — binding them mid-roar, mid-leap.It was like time itself paused, the battlefield falling eerily quiet.
Karin let out a deep breath and plopped onto a nearby rock, brushing blood off her cheek."Finally… a freakin' break."
Haku wiped her brow and sat beside her, her eyes still alert but grateful."I think that might've done the trick."
Naruto stayed focused, eyes locked on the restrained illusions."Let's hope so…"
But fate, as always, had other plans.
The air rippled.The shadows trembled.
And then — new beasts started to take shape.Bigger. Meaner. More twisted.
"Shit," Naruto growled. "This also didn't work?"
With a grimace, he clenched his fist — the shadow bindings tightening like vipers around the beasts.One by one, they thrashed… and then went still. Dissolving into nothingness.
But the victory was fleeting.
As new monstrosities clawed their way into reality, Karin stood and cracked her knuckles."Break time's over, huh?"
Haku pulled a fresh batch of senbon from her pouch, a cool steel glint in her eyes."Let's finish what we started."
And just like that — the trio stepped back into the fray, bloodied but unbroken, unwilling to back down.
Inside the mental world.
Kurenai stood in the haze of illusion, her chakra flickering low. She had tried every kind word, every plea, every ounce of teacherly affection she could muster — but Yakumo wouldn't budge.
Her patience thinned, not with anger, but with heartbreak.
"As expected of my student… you're just as stubborn as I was," Kurenai muttered, a sad smile on her lips. "Then there's only one way to end this."
"Magen: Jubaku Satsu."
A massive tree erupted behind Yakumo, its roots and branches winding around her like serpents. She froze in place — paralyzed.
Kurenai emerged from the bark itself, like a ghost slipping from nature, kunai in hand, blade resting just at Yakumo's throat.
"Let's end this," she whispered. "You're not alone anymore. I swear on everything I am—I won't leave you again."
Yakumo's lips curled into a bitter smile.
"Promises," she spat. "So fragile when they come from you… Kurenai-sensei."
In an instant, the illusion shattered.
Now it was Kurenai who stood bound by the very same tree, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Yakumo smirked, her eyes glowing with that dark, malevolent light.
"This is just the beginning," she said. "You've only seen a fraction of my power."
But the tide turned once more.
Suddenly, the tree binding Kurenai crumbled to ash, and she dropped to her knees—free.
"What...?" Yakumo blinked, the confidence draining from her face.
She turned around—
And froze.
Another Yakumo stood behind her.No malice. No madness.Just soft eyes and a calm, steady presence.
"Who are you?" the Dark Yakumo demanded.
The new one smiled gently."I'm… you."
Dark Yakumo staggered back."That's impossible. I'm the one in control. I own this mind."
The real Yakumo walked past her, toward Kurenai, and knelt beside her."Forgive me, sensei," she said softly. "I created this monster… I'll be the one to end it."
The mental world trembled. Cracked. Shattered.
Back in reality—
Kurenai jolted upright, gasping for breath.
Two Yakumos now stood — side by side.One calm and composed.The other — the dark one — still radiating twisted chakra.
But now… the real battle was between them.
Outside, the chaos halted.
The beasts — all grotesque figments of imagination — suddenly froze mid-motion, their forms twitching before vanishing like smoke in the wind.
Naruto, Karin, and Haku stood stunned, their weapons still raised. Before them, two Yakumos stood side by side — one calm and familiar, the other twisted and dark.
Even Kurenai was at a loss.
They blinked, rubbed their eyes, even formed hand signs to cancel any illusion — but no genjutsu had been cast on them.This… was real.
Naruto tilted his head, squinting. "Uh, sensei? Why are there two Yakumos?"
Kurenai's lips parted, but she only shook her head, her expression a mix of awe and confusion.
Then, the real Yakumo turned to face them, her voice steady and clear."Hey Naruto… is that investment still valid?"
Naruto didn't miss a beat. His signature grin returned, cocky and warm."Oh, definitely. Like I said—I never go back on my word."
Thumbs up. Solid. Unshakable. Uzumaki-style.
The group fell in beside her, battle-ready.
This fight was now six versus one.
Dark Yakumo snarled, eyes glowing red with rage. With a snap of her fingers, the very ground cracked beneath them.
Magma surged upward, the earth bleeding fire as rivers of lava threatened to engulf them all.
But before it could spread—
FWOOOOOSH!
A massive wave crashed down, dousing the magma before it reached them.Steam hissed into the air, shrouding the battlefield in thick, cold mist.
Karin coughed. "Geez, you trying to cook us or give us a sauna?"
Haku narrowed her eyes through the fog. "That wasn't mine… who—?"
A ripple of chakra surged. The mist swirled, parted—
Yakumo. The real one. Her hands were still in motion, water jutsu fading from her fingertips.
"Guess I'm not as helpless as I thought," she muttered.
What followed was a relentless exchange.
Every illusion the dark one cast — lions, serpents, phantoms of the past — was torn down by coordinated strikes from the team.
Naruto cleaved through beasts with Ten in a dance of chakra-infused slashes.Karin delivered bone-cracking blows with wild precision.Haku's senbon found every vulnerable point.Kurenai supported with a layered genjutsu that twisted perception against their enemy.And through it all, Yakumo stood strong, matching her darker half jutsu for jutsu — no longer afraid.
Slowly, inch by inch, the tide turned.
The dark Yakumo's chakra flickered. Her breath became ragged. She fell to one knee, gasping, hands trembling.
The mist thinned.
Now she was surrounded — six shinobi stood above her. Silent. Unmoving.
Kneeling, her eyes darted from face to face.
Even in her defeat, there was no anger.
Just… emptiness.
The darker Yakumo—exhausted, broken—didn't flinch as her counterpart stepped forward.
"I knew it," she whispered, voice like the dying embers of a fire. "Even you… Even you chose them over me. My end was decided the moment I lost your trust."
Her eyes, once brimming with fury, now glistened with something far older—regret.
"So go ahead. Finish it," she breathed out. "A traitor who turned her back on her own self... doesn't deserve to exist."
She closed her eyes.
But the blow never came.
Instead—
Warmth.
Two arms wrapped around her. Gentle. Real. Forgiving.
She froze.
"What... what are you doing?" Her voice cracked, barely a whisper.
The other Yakumo held her tighter.
"You're not my enemy," she said. "You're me. The part I hated, the part I feared, the part I tried to bury."
Silence hung heavy for a beat.
"But I get it now. You only lashed out because I abandoned you first."
The dark one trembled, the weight of years of pain, jealousy, and loneliness pressing in all at once. Her lip quivered.
Then—like the first drop of rain breaking a drought—tears fell.
She clutched her other self back, collapsing into the hug.
The swirling black aura around her fizzled like mist under sunlight. Her eyes, once clouded with rage, cleared—returning to their gentle, human hue.
Kurenai smiled through quiet tears. Naruto, Karin, and Haku stood quietly, not with weapons drawn, but with something stronger:
Understanding.
Naruto whispered, "That's the real victory."
The storm was over.
After a few long, heavy minutes wrapped in the warmth of shared pain and forgiveness, the two Yakumos stepped back from the embrace.
Their eyes met—not with hostility or fear—but with something new.
Harmony.
Their expressions matched, like two halves of the same mirror finally aligned.
Naruto, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. His voice was half-sarcastic, half-serious, in that very Naruto way.
"So... are you gonna become one whole badass Yakumo now? Or should we keep booking double rooms?"
The two Yakumos blinked.
Then—pfft—one of them giggled.
The other chuckled.
Then they both burst into laughter.
Real, light, unburdened laughter.
The kind that feels like spring after a long winter.
"I think... I can finally be me now," said Yakumo—the whole Yakumo.
Kurenai stepped forward, hand on her shoulder."That's all I ever wanted. For you to embrace all parts of yourself. Not just the light."
Haku, standing beside Karin, smiled softly. "Looks like the mission was a success."
Karin scoffed, stretching her sore arms. "Tch. I'm just glad we're not fighting phantom zoo animals anymore."
Naruto sheathed Ten, grinning. "Hey, let's head back. I don't know about you all, but I'm starving. Anyone up for some dango and grilled fish?"
Yakumo nodded, her expression peaceful for the first time in years.
"Yeah," she said. "Let's go home."