"Rrraaaagh!"
The Three-Tails roared beneath Raizen, its chakra surging like a storm barely held in chains. Even under his Mangekyō's control, the beast trembled—something it had never done before. A primal warning rippled through their shared chakra.
Across the battlefield, the Nine-Tails bared its fangs, red eyes burning with malice. Both monsters opened their jaws in unison, chakra compressing into spheres of annihilation.
Two Tailed Beast Bombs met in midair.
"BOOM!"
The world turned white. The impact ripped open the sky, warping the air itself. Trees vanished, rocks disintegrated, and the shockwave scoured the land bare.
Raizen didn't move. He stood firm atop the Three-Tails' armored shell, cloak snapping in the wind, eyes locked on the crimson titan ahead.
"Nine-Tails," he said quietly, voice cutting through the chaos. "Are you picking a fight with me?"
That blast hadn't needed to fly in his direction. Which meant it had. Deliberately.
The Nine-Tails' slit pupils narrowed. "Human."
It squinted at him, gaze drawn to the strange pattern of his eyes—the swirling Mangekyō in one, the pale Byakugan in the other. Something ancient stirred in its memory.
It remembered her.
The Rabbit Goddess. The mother of chakra. The first monster it ever knew.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
The boy standing before it carried a shadow of that same power. And that made the Nine-Tails' rage ignite.
"Sharingan and Byakugan in one body… Indra himself never went this far. Disgusting."
"And that fool Isobu let himself be controlled by a child? Shameful."
A cruel grin split the beast's muzzle. It slammed its claws into the ground and lunged.
"ROOOAR!"
The crimson claw ripped toward Raizen.
"Guess that's a yes," Raizen muttered, eyes hardening.
His right eye spun, eternal tomoe flaring. Crimson chakra exploded skyward, wrapping the Three-Tails in burning armor. A massive Susanoo ribcage formed around it—man and beast fused into one towering war god.
The hybrid monster charged.
"GO!"
The Three-Tails rammed into the fox's forelimb, the impact shaking mountains.
"BOOOOM!"
The Nine-Tails staggered backward, shock flashing through its fury. It hadn't expected the smaller beast to hit like that. The Susanoo's armor had multiplied its strength and defense several times over.
"What—!"
Enraged, the Nine-Tails howled and leapt, nine tails slicing through the air like whips of red lightning.
Raizen's Mangekyō turned again.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames burst forth, shaping into twin blades in the hands of his chakra avatar.
"Flame Control!"
The Susanoo swung.
A black sword of living fire slashed toward the fox.
The Nine-Tails twisted aside, feeling its fur singe from the sheer heat. Its tail struck out, smashing into the Three-Tails with a thunderous crack.
Raizen gritted his teeth as the impact rattled through his body.
"Damn it—"
The Three-Tails was flung across the battlefield, plowing through stone and dust. But it didn't stay down. With a guttural growl, it launched itself back at the Nine-Tails, slamming its armored skull into the fox's chest and flipping the larger beast onto its back.
The ground split open from the force.
"RRAAAH!"
As the Nine-Tails rolled over, it looked up just in time to see a flaming sword descending.
Amaterasu ignited everything it touched.
"Tch—!"
The fox kicked off the ground, retreating fast. Its forelimbs slammed together, gathering raw chakra into a dense shield. The explosion that followed lit the horizon.
Raizen shielded his eyes, his chakra flaring to counter the heat. He could feel the beast's power rising—wild, unrestrained, growing stronger with every passing breath.
This isn't good.
"It's adapting… like a boss fight with infinite phase upgrades."
He reached inward, measuring his reserves—and swore under his breath.
"Chakra's almost dry. Great. Peak reincarnator luck."
He could stall the Nine-Tails, maybe survive—but defeat it? Not a chance. Only monsters like Hashirama or Madara had ever managed that. He was strong, sure, maybe around late-game Pain level at best—but that wasn't enough against a walking apocalypse.
"If I keep fighting, I die tired. Need another play."
Raizen's mind raced. The Sarutobi alliance was gone. His chakra was almost gone. Only one path left.
Control.
He drew a deep breath.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Two copies appeared beside him, eyes burning the same deep red. Both immediately entered Sage Mode, skin marking with natural energy as they summoned their own Susanoo avatars.
Three towering giants now stood between man and monster.
The Nine-Tails froze for half a heartbeat, eyes narrowing.
Then, for the first time since the Sage of Six Paths, it looked… cautious.