Behind the Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak that Naruto used to block the White Zetsu's attack, a single fox tail appeared.
Naruto continued to gather chakra for his Rasengan, while the Nine-Tails grew increasingly excited, pouring out its Chakra with all its might.
The second tail...
The Nine-Tails was practically grinning from ear to ear, thinking to itself:
'Yes, yes, that's it! Just like this!'
The third tail...
The Chakra surrounding Naruto grew denser and more intense. Once the fourth tail appeared, the Nine-Tails was confident that Naruto would lose control completely!
And then...
'It's almost there!' Nine-Tails felt every cell in its body cheering. For the first time in over a decade, it felt so close to freedom!
The fourth tail!
The White Zetsu, now trapped in the grip of the Nine-Tails' Chakra-formed claws, struggled desperately to break free. But the force it was fighting against wasn't Naruto... it was the Nine-Tails itself!
In the face of the Nine-Tails, the White Zetsu, known for its physical prowess, was like a lamb to the slaughter. No matter how hard it struggled, it was futile.
By now, Naruto's body was completely enveloped in the dense Nine-Tails Chakra, and the Rasengan in his hand had turned into a crimson Rasengan.
And it was still growing!
Nine-Tails was on the verge of ecstasy. It seemed today was the day it would finally break free!
Nine-Tails forced a grin, though it was practically bursting with joy inside. It continued to pump its Chakra into Naruto.
The more Chakra is sent, the more Naruto would be corrupted by its influence.
But sending Chakra through the seal was still a hassle.
Especially now that the fifth tail was almost there! The speed of Chakra transfer had dropped from 5G to 4G, slowing down significantly.
But the Nine-Tails was convinced that its efforts would soon pay off!
The fifth tail... appears!
Now, Naruto's breathing was accompanied by growls, and the crimson Rasengan in his hand had grown to half the size of his body.
The entire western forest of Konoha fell silent.
Kakashi had no doubt that if this Rasengan were unleashed, the western forest of Konoha might as well be renamed the western crater of Konoha.
He quickly entered the seal, stepping into the familiar yet eerie sewer.
The sound of dripping water echoed around him.
Seeing the Nine-Tails on the other side of the seal frantically pumping its Chakra into Naruto, Kakashi was horrified.
"Nine-Tails, what have you done?!
"Without Naruto, how will we stand against the Ninja World War?!"
Kakashi stomped his foot, glaring at the Nine-Tails.
Nine-Tails chuckled.
"Ahahaha... it's easy, just let him transform into a Tailed Beast!"
With that, its Chakra finally broke free, pouring out uncontrollably! Six-tailed Chakra Cloak!
In an instant, the western forest of Konoha fell silent once more.
Naruto, now clad in a swirling crimson chakra cloak, stood tall, his presence dominating the battlefield.
Nine-Tails, firmly in control, let out a triumphant roar:
""In my youth, I knew not the hardships of the Ninja World,"
"Yet I roamed freely, unbound by its chains."
"With a single step, I entered Konoha,"
"And in three moves, even the Uchiha fell."
"Summoned as a beast, I donned my majestic armor,"
"Yet three strikes could not escape the wooden giant's grasp."
"But now, at last, the day of my escape has come!"
"I will bring chaos to the ninja world, to the village, and to the heavens themselves!"
Kakashi was stunned. He knew it was already too late to stop the Nine-Tails.
Before he could respond, the seal weakened further as Naruto entered the six-tailed state.
The Nine-Tails' Chakra was finally no longer as severely restricted as before.
With a burst of Chakra, the Nine-Tails released a shockwave, blasting Kakashi's consciousness out of the seal!
"This is bad! If this continues... Naruto is in grave danger!"
Kakashi felt a deep sense of dread. Even if they could stop the Nine-Tails, Naruto would likely suffer significant injuries.
And... how were they supposed to deal with the Nine-Tails?
As for using the Mangekyo Sharingan to control a tailed beast... although Kakashi had now fully mastered his Mangekyo Sharingan, he wasn't an Uchiha. He had no knowledge of their secrets.
Nearby, Sakura was so terrified by Naruto's transformation that she had curled up on the ground.
Sasuke, however, was able to withstand the Nine-Tails' Chakra surge due to his newfound strength.
At this moment, both Kakashi and Sasuke felt completely out of their depth.
Not to mention the risk of harming Naruto, just dealing with the Nine-Tails alone was a monumental task.
During the Nine-Tails Attack years ago, it had taken the Fourth Hokage sacrificing himself to seal the Tailed Beast.
Kakashi took a deep breath and quickly formulated a plan.
He immediately said: "Sasuke, go find Jiraiya-sama. I'll hold off the Nine-Tails."
Sasuke: "Can you win against it, Kakashi?"
Kakashi: "Well, if the Nine-Tails breaks free and fights me in its true form, it'll be a bit tricky."
Sasuke: "Will you lose?"
Kakashi: "Nah, I'd win!"
---
Watching Sasuke's retreating figure, Kakashi activated his Susanoo.
Kakashi: "Nine-Tails, before we begin, it seems you've misunderstood something. Let me make this clear."
"You are the challenger here!"
---
However, the Nine-Tails didn't care about any of this. It knew Kakashi wouldn't go all out.
Not unless he wanted his student to die by his own hand.
So the Nine-Tails snorted disdainfully.
Soon, it would be free, and then... who could stop it?
Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, Namikaze Minato... these Ninja were all relics of the past.
Only it, the Nine-Tails remained!
The seal was growing weaker by the second! The crimson Rasengan in Naruto's hand had grown to an enormous size!
Even the seventh tail... was beginning to take shape.
'Almost there... almost there!'
Every cell in the Nine-Tails' body was buzzing with excitement.
Kakashi, seeing that his earlier intimidation had no effect on the Nine-Tails, realized he couldn't do much except watch helplessly.
"Damn it... Naruto, you have to hold on until Jiraiya-sama arrives!"
"Only when he gets here will you have a chance to break free!"
But as time ticked by, the Nine-Tails had already freed most of its body from the seal, on the verge of breaking out completely.
And Sasuke, who had gone to fetch Jiraiya, still hadn't returned.
'Was this really how it would end?'
Kakashi felt a wave of despair.
Just when the seventh tail of the Tailed Beast Chakra Coat was about to form...
Naruto, who had been standing motionless, suddenly opened his eyes. The Nine-Tails' Chakra around his eyes scattered, revealing Naruto's original eye color!
His bright blue eyes began to change.
Soon, horizontal lines formed across his irises.
'That is... the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku!'
Having seen Jiraiya's Sage Mode before, Kakashi recognized it immediately.
'Could it be... there is still hope?'
Hope reignited in Kakashi's heart.
'Of course! Naruto was the most unpredictable guy!'
Nine-Tails also sensed that something was wrong and stopped procrastinating, putting all its effort into breaking free with the remaining half of its body.
But then... Naruto's eyes changed again.
A vertical pupil appeared alongside the horizontal lines!
'What's this?!'
Kakashi was shocked, 'The eyes resembled those of a feline. Had Naruto's will already been corrupted by the Nine-Tails?'
But in the next moment, the crimson Chakra Cloak surrounding Naruto dissipated and reformed into a golden cloak and mantle!
Nine-Tails was stunned, feeling as if its body had been drained. The Chakra it had released earlier no longer belonged to it!
So it quickly observed Naruto's new form.
Naruto, now glowing golden, held a normal Rasengan in his hand, which soon transformed into a Rasenshuriken!
'Who are you? Is this still Naruto?'
Nine-Tails was confused, 'Why did this golden version of this brat feel so familiar? Was this Chakra stolen from me?'
Remembering the Chakra that had disappeared twice earlier, Nine-Tails came to a realization and was filled with rage!
'Damn brat! Give me back my Chakra!'