"This place is… the Valley of the End?"
After following the Nine-Tails here, Kai raised an eyebrow.
He glanced upward at the colossal statues towering into the clouds on both sides.
One stood with hands pressed together, simple and earnest.
The other crossed his arms, proud and aloof.
Below them, the river flowed steadily—
—before plunging into the valley floor.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunder roared as the water crashed into the rocks, spraying mist everywhere.
"Cough… cough…"
Kurama scanned the surroundings warily.
Only after confirming no one was around did he relax.
Then—
Right in front of Kai, the tailed beast that had just brutalized the Two-Tails suddenly exploded with chakra.
Scarlet energy surged skyward.
Every strand of fur rippled along the flow like grass beneath water.
Its vertical pupils locked onto Kai.
Its presence rose… higher… and higher.
"Brat!"
Kurama's voice rolled across the valley like thunder, tinged with reckless excitement.
"Come! Let this great lord see how much you've improved lately!"
Kai: …
Well.
Looks like beating that blue-striped kitty really inflated your ego, huh?
Already calling yourself 'this great lord' in front of me?
Kai grinned, two small tiger fangs flashing in the morning light.
"Seems smashing that blue-striped cat made you pretty full of yourself, Kurama."
"Fine then—"
"I'll indulge you."
The moment the words left his mouth—
BOOM!
A violent ripple shook the air.
The nearly hundred-meter Nine-Tails flashed backward, instantly widening the distance.
Its jaws opened—
—and it inhaled.
WHOOOOOSH!
Violent crimson chakra surged like a breached dam.
It condensed, spun, compressed—
Frenzied energy swirling inside its mouth.
In an instant—
A black Tailed Beast Bomb over thirty meters wide formed, radiating catastrophic destruction.
Crack… crack…
Even the air itself fractured under the pressure.
"ROAR!"
Kurama had clearly prepared this long ago.
No warning.
No hesitation.
No time for Kai to react.
He snapped his head forward—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The pitch-black sphere tore through the sky, trailing streaks of devastation as it shot straight toward Uchiha Kai.
This strike alone could flatten the entire Valley of the End.
"Heh, brat! I'm not like that cat—you won't get the chance to detonate this early!"
Kurama snorted smugly.
"And besides… this bomb could've sent Matatabi straight back home in one shot."
Sure, he feared Kai's strange tricks.
But this was outside the seal.
Out here, he wasn't restricted.
A Tailed Beast Bomb strong enough to cripple Matatabi?
He could fire dozens more.
If necessary—
He'd just bury Kai under pure firepower.
…In theory.
Because reality hit harder.
Just as the enormous sphere was about to swallow Kai—
A faint spatial ripple sounded.
Pop~
Kai looked at the incoming bomb and shook his head.
"Looks like you forgot something, Kurama."
The next second—
His eyes snapped open.
Within them, the crimson '666' spun wildly, almost merging into a single line.
Yin and Yang faintly intertwined.
Mangekyō Sharingan — Dual Kamui: Spatial Transfer!
Wub—wub—wub—
A massive spatial vortex unfolded before him.
Like a bottomless mirror.
Like a fourth-dimensional eraser.
The colossal Tailed Beast Bomb—
Was dragged in.
Bit by bit.
Piece by piece.
Vanishing into the Kamui dimension.
Ten full seconds passed—
Before it disappeared entirely.
"Whew…"
Kai exhaled, slightly surprised.
"Didn't expect moving something that big would actually tire me out."
Even with dual Kamui, transferring such a massive bomb took effort.
"Hmph. Not bad, brat."
Kurama eyed him with mild surprise.
"Didn't think your space-time ninjutsu reached this level."
"But—"
"What about now?"
He lifted his head again—
Gathering chakra.
BOOM!!!
Three Tailed Beast Bombs formed in succession—
Like three black suns—
And blasted toward Kai.
The air along their path simply ceased to exist.
BOOM—CRACK!
But this time—
Kai didn't transfer them.
He just… vanished.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Explosions erupted instantly, one after another.
Blinding light devoured everything.
Like missiles missing their target, the bombs slammed into the cliff behind him.
Shockwaves burst outward—
Launching tens of tons of rock into the air.
When the dust settled—
A gigantic charred crater scarred the Valley wall.
Black smoke curled upward.
"…Huh? Missed? No—he dodged!"
Kurama's eyes snapped upward.
"Above!"
On the waterfall—
On the shoulder of Hashirama's statue—
Kai stood calmly.
His clothes fluttered in the wind.
He brushed nonexistent dust from his sleeve, looking down with a faint smile.
"Not bad, Kurama. Pretty quick."
"Just… not very bright."
"You treating me like a stationary target or something?"
"GRRRR—HMPH!"
Kurama didn't know what that meant—
But he heard the mockery loud and clear.
Scarlet chakra boiled again around him, swelling explosively.
Then—
He crouched low.
Raised a claw.
And slammed his hind legs into the ground.
BOOM—WHOOSH!!
The earth shattered beneath him.
His massive body shot upward like a crimson lightning bolt, tearing through the air toward Kai.
This—
Was his proudest fighting method.
Simple.
Direct.
Overwhelming.
Crush with brute force.
Even before reaching Kai—
The sheer pressure forced the waterfall to freeze mid-fall—
Then surge upward under the shockwave.
Fast.
Brutal.
Unavoidable.
No room to dodge—
Unless Kai vanished again.
But this time—
He didn't move.
He simply watched Kurama approach.
Then raised his right hand, smiling faintly.
"Three feet before me…"
"Repulsion."
His voice was soft.
Almost weightless.
Sunlight shimmered across him.
And in that instant—
A domain formed.
Three feet around him.
CRACK!!
Kurama's claw descended—
Fast! Fierce! Absolute!
Every escape route sealed.
"Closer… closer… even closer!"
Joy filled Kurama's eyes.
But when he reached within a meter—
Joy turned into confusion.
"…Huh?"
"Why hasn't he reacted yet?"
He couldn't understand.
He was practically touching him.
Why was Kai still calm?
Did he give up?
Impossible.
Kurama knew Kai wasn't someone who couldn't block a simple claw.
Then—
Was it a trap?!
For the first time—
Kurama hesitated.
"…Should I change angles and attack again?"
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