BOOM!
Kurama's massive claw came crashing down—
About to grind Kai and the statue beneath him into dust.
The Nine-Tails inhaled sharply.
No more hesitation.
He slammed down with full force.
Inside Naruto's inner world, he had seen clearly—
someone capable of manhandling two Kage with one hand couldn't possibly fail to block a simple physical strike!
CRACK!
A sharp, brittle sound rang out.
Kurama blinked, momentarily confused.
"…That sound… why does it feel familiar?"
Then realization hit—
It was his own paw.
The claw carrying mountain-shattering force had slammed into something solid—
No.
Not solid.
Something like an impossibly rigid spring.
It wouldn't budge.
Yet the rebound force was terrifying.
So violent that his entire right foreleg twisted backward unnaturally—
Bone. Snapped.
"ROOOO—AOOOOW!!!"
Kurama tried to roar in fury—
But the instant the pain hit, the sound warped into a miserable howl.
Even though this was a chakra body—
The pain struck straight into his soul.
Sharper than any physical fracture.
More intense.
More brutal.
"Tsk. Look at you, all clumsy."
Kai smiled faintly.
The repulsive force in his hand paused—
Then erupted.
CRACK—WHOOSH!
The thirty-meter-tall Nine-Tails was flung away like a yo-yo.
Faster.
Harder.
In the blink of an eye, the enormous crimson body vanished—
Leaving only a tearing sonic boom across the valley.
BOOOOOM!!!
Kurama slammed straight into Madara's statue.
RUMBLE—CRASH!
The stone shattered like tofu.
The statue's arm—half the shoulder with it—collapsed instantly in a roaring avalanche.
SHATTER!
The massive limb exploded into dust and rubble, cascading downward like a landslide.
SPLASH! SPLASH!
Moments later, chunks of rock hammered the lake below, sending up explosive plumes of water.
"Cough… cough…"
CRACK.
Using all nine tails to hook onto nearby rock, Kurama dragged himself out from the broken remains of Madara's statue.
Stone dust spilled from his long fox snout.
He twisted his head sharply—
Golden slit pupils locking onto the boy standing beneath Hashirama's statue.
"You brat! That move just now…"
He hadn't expected Kai to unleash such terrifying force.
Or rather—
That sudden burst of power had been overwhelming even for him.
Most importantly—
After personally feeling it, Kurama sensed something strangely familiar.
As if…
Some ancient inherited memory whispered that this wasn't power the Sharingan should control.
It felt like something… higher.
"Tsk tsk. Come on, mighty Nine-Tails."
Kai looked completely unaffected.
"Don't tell me that's all you've got?"
He lounged casually against the statue's thumb, chin propped on one hand.
With the other, he even beckoned Kurama forward.
His face openly said:
That's it?
Too much!
Absolutely too much!
"Brat… you're playing with fire."
Kurama forced the words through clenched teeth.
For the first time, a trace of seriousness—
—and frustration—
appeared in his eyes.
This damned kid still had tricks hidden.
"In that case…"
"…I won't hold back anymore!"
With a furious roar, his nine tails ignited like crimson flames, scorching across the statue.
BOOM!
Another charge exploded forth!
Kurama launched forward again—
Nine tails raised high like mountains—
And smashed them down together!
Like nine peaks collapsing from the sky.
WHUMP—WHUMP—WHUMP!
But this time—
The repulsive force from earlier…
Was gone.
"…So that higher-level power really can't last long?"
Kurama thought, secretly relieved.
To avoid getting flung away again, he deliberately used his tails instead of charging headfirst.
SWOOSH—BOOM!
CRACK!
Yet as the tails finished slamming down—
His fox eyes narrowed tighter… and tighter.
Confusion spread across his face.
"…Strange."
"Why… doesn't it feel like I hit anything?"
The tails had smashed down—
But only struck the statue?!
Something was very wrong.
HUM—
Suddenly—
Kurama felt something… on his head.
More precisely—
On the tip of his nose.
He rolled his eyes upward.
And froze.
There—
Sitting casually on his nose—
Was a tiny figure.
The clothes.
The face.
It was unmistakably Uchiha Kai.
"…How?!"
Kurama's mind blanked again.
How did this guy suddenly end up on his nose?!
"…Space-time ninjutsu?!"
"But—!"
"Landing on my nose, brat… you're way too careless!"
Everyone knew space-time techniques were insanely difficult.
They required enormous calculation and complex formulas.
Even prodigies who mastered them needed long practice to use them smoothly.
Meaning—
Even skilled users usually had a cooldown between activations.
So after only a moment's hesitation—
Kurama didn't think twice.
He raised both forepaws—
And slammed them straight down onto his own nose.
Hard.
Fast.
Merciless.
He was certain Kai's space-time ninjutsu had to be on cooldown.
No way it could be used continuously!
These claws fell with full killing intent—
As if determined to smash his own black snout clean off.
For a split second—
Kurama even imagined hearing Kai scream for mercy.
A savage grin spread across his face.
And indeed—
A scream did sound out.
But…
The first one screaming—
Was Kurama himself.
"AOOOW!! IT HURTS—IT HURTS!!!"
"THAT HURTS LIKE HELL!!!"
Both claws slammed straight into his own nose.
No obstruction.
No resistance.
Just like kicking a table leg—
While having an ingrown toenail.
The agony was indescribable.
Tears burst from his eyes instantly.
He staggered upright onto his hind legs,
Both forepaws clutching his nose as tears and snot streamed down.
Yelping.
Backing away.
Utterly miserable.
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