"Before anything else... promise not to hit my face..." Shukaku's witty remark left everyone feeling a mix of sympathy and amusement. Questions appeared in Naruto's mind.
How many times had Shukaku endured Kurama's hits?
Also, what happened to your arrogance? Where are your dismissive eyes now? Was it all just a facade?
Kurama wasted no time in engaging with Shukaku, forcefully pressing him down and delivering a barrage of punches to his round face, making sure each blow landed with impact
"Didn't you curse at me?! You are very arrogant, right?"
"Don't slap my face!"
Naruto had a dark face. He felt as if Kurama had used a cat's move - Continuous Meow Punches!
"Stop! Damn, fox!"
"It hurts, it hurts!"
"You just wait for me to get up!"
Shukaku was still the same. Even though the sand on its face had started to fall from the beating, he was still proud and refused to give in.
Naruto suddenly perceived Shukaku as a precious treasure, much like a loyal dog. Despite being subjected to a beating every time it encountered Kurama, Shukaku's spirit remained resilient and its aura undaunted. It appeared as though it had no recollection of the days of punishment it endured in the past.
Boom!
Suddenly, Kurama's fist slammed and hit Shukaku. Shukaku's entire body burst into yellow sand.
Just when Naruto was puzzled, the sand suddenly surged and gradually condensed into Shukaku.
"Asshole fox!"
Shukaku touched its chubby face and looked at Kurama unhappily.
"Huh? You, a civet cat, haven't been beaten enough?" Kurama squatted slightly, ready to jump over again.
"I told you already. I'm a Mink!" Shukaku retorted, then he added, "Wait until my Jinchūriki wakes up, You will see! Hmph!"
Then its whole body turned into sand, leaving Gaara lying on the sand.
"Did it...escape?" Naruto was stunned. His thoughts raced, questioning, "Shukaku ran away? Was it so spineless?"
"Also, What does the phrase 'Wait for my Jinchūriki to wake up' mean? Could it be that it believes that Gaara can handle Kurama, or does it think Gaara can take care of me?!"
"It ran away again. This happens every time. That guy is so shameless!" Kurama cursed angrily.
Despite being able to overpower Shukaku and make it yield, Kurama felt uneasy after each battle. Shukaku's stubbornness and reliance on its vast Chakra reserves left it unwilling to accept defeat. It incessantly provoked Kurama, even in the face of defeat. Kurama found itself pinned beneath Shukaku, enduring relentless taunting that seemed to have no end.
Furthermore, despite Shukaku being a One-Tail, even Kurama is unable to completely dismantle Shukaku and prevent its regeneration. Thus, Kurama can only endure the ongoing battles and the persistence of Shukaku's presence.
"I'm going back," Kurama feels bored, seeing Shukaku running away.
"Alright," saying that Naruto withdrew from Tailed Beast and Kurama Mode, at the same time. After all, Shukaku will not appear any time soon, so there was no need for him to waste Chakra.
Naruto landed in front of Gaara, who was still asleep.
"This poor boy… Let's not wake him up."
Naruto picked up Gaara, launched Flying Thunder God Technique, and returned to the training ground.
However, unbeknownst to Naruto, Gaara's consciousness had entered the sealed space at that moment. Initially, Gaara had been in a deep slumber, as it was only in his complete state of sleep that Shukaku could emerge.
But now, Shukaku's consciousness had returned, and Gaara remained asleep, resulting in a unique state where both of them coexisted within the same consciousness without Gaara waking up.
In the past, whenever Gaara fell asleep, his consciousness would enter the sealed space, where Shukaku would deliver lectures that often caused him great discomfort.
Furthermore, due to Gaara's fear of Shukaku occupying his body, he had suffered from insomnia since childhood, unable to experience restful sleep. This chronic lack of sleep is what contributed to his dark, blackened eyes
"Hmph! Can't you be more confident?" Shukaku yelled at Gaara.
Gaara remained silent. He had experienced this kind of yelling many times when he was a child.
"Remember, you are my Jinchūriki, Jinchūriki of Shukaku! You must defeat that stinky fox's Jinchūriki! Hit him hard in the face!" Shukaku touched its chubby face and said harshly.
"What?" Gaara felt confused as he had lost consciousness just now, so he didn't know what happened on the outside.
"I will grant you the use of my power in the future, but only if you defeat that brat!" Shukaku offered.
"The brat you're referring to... Is it Uzumaki Naruto?" Gaara speculated.
Considering that Naruto was the only one who had been engaged in combat with Shukaku, it seemed likely that he was the brat Shukaku mentioned.
However, Gaara couldn't understand why Shukaku appeared to be at a disadvantage or why his Feigning Sleep Technique had no effect. The situation puzzled him.
"Hey, come here," Shukaku said haughtily.
"Ok?" Gaara moved forward, confused.
"Come, bump your fist with me. I'll lend you part of my strength, and then you go beat that brat!" Shukaku stretched out his paw and gestured to Gaara.
Gaara stepped forward in a daze and lightly touched Shukaku's huge paw.
Naruto didn't know what Shukaku was thinking about, but what he was paying attention to, at the moment, was the battle situation on the Third Hokage's side.
"Gaara!" Temari yelled when she saw Naruto appear with Gaara.
Baki and Kankuro surrounded Naruto in an instant. Despite acknowledging that they couldn't defeat Naruto, who had displayed remarkable strength by overpowering the enhanced Gaara and even suppressing him, they understood the crucial role Gaara played as Sunagakure's last hope and their most formidable combat force. They couldn't afford to overlook that fact and had to take action.
"Naruto, are you okay?!" Kakashi and Guy also jumped and came to the ground, wary of Baki.
"I'm fine," Naruto shook his head and threw Gaara towards his opponent, directly.
"He fell asleep. I think it's better not to wake him up at this time," Naruto said.
"A…Asleep?" Temari was stunned.
Didn't Gaara always go berserk when he fell asleep? What happened today?
Baki checked quickly and found that Gaara was indeed unscathed and asleep, so he immediately felt relieved.
"You'd better not run around. especially If you try to escape, remember this: I will track you down, Baki. Mark my words!" Naruto looked at Baki and said sternly.
Baki felt the killing intent emanating from Naruto and subconsciously nodded.
"Kakashi-san, Guy-san, please keep an eye on the ninjas of Sand Shinobi," Naruto then said to two people right beside him.
"Alright," Kakashi nodded.
"But the Third Hokage..." Guy looked worriedly at the three Hokages who were fighting on the high platform.
"Leave that matter to me," After Naruto finished speaking, he immediately came to the side of the Four Violet Flames Barrier on the roof of the high platform.
"Naruto has a way to enter the Four Violet Flame Formation?!" Guy asked, dubiously.
"Trust him, Guy. We'd better watch them than look there," Kakashi said while keeping an eye on Baki and the other three.
Regarding the Third Hokage, Kakashi expressed the belief that it was necessary to let nature take its course. Even if the Third Hokage were to perish in battle, it wouldn't matter, as his teacher and Naruto were still there. Kakashi had faith that they would effectively safeguard Konoha.
*****
"Wood Release: Birth of the Tree World!"
Boom!
Huge trees burst out from the roof of the high platform, winding towards the Third Hokage.
Despite the Third Hokage's swift movements, he found it challenging to evade the wood that covered the entire ground and the rapidly launched ninjutsu. After a few successful dodges, he eventually became ensnared by tightly coiling vines, suspending him in the air.
"Third Hokage-sama!!"
…