The physical pain had begun to numb.
Yet the turmoil in his heart was hard to quell.
He looked at Naruto.
Just a teenager, no more than a child!
His gaze moved past the blond hair, towards another battlefield still unresolved.
The Eight-Tails was still locked in fierce combat with the Nine-Tails. The beast, which had once rampaged through the village causing untold suffering, was now being thoroughly beaten, several of its tails severed, barely managing to shield its only remaining "horn," but even that wouldn't hold for much longer.
A closed his eyes tighter, his features growing even more twisted.
How did things get this way?
He had never underestimated the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki because of his age.
Even within the village, some opposed his "strong-arm" approach.
Deploying both the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, along with a fifty-strong force, half of whom were Jonin.
Such a formation wouldn't even be needed to attack the Five Great Nations.
But it was all useless!
Every tactical plan he'd devised had fallen apart.
Too many unexpected events.
Why did the Nine-Tails appear?
If a tailed beast escapes the Jinchuriki's body, the Jinchuriki dies—a well-known fact since the creation of "Jinchurikis."
Yet this rule defied Naruto Uzumaki.
The Cloud Jinchuriki couldn't cooperate.
The ninja forces didn't even engage, leaving no sign of action.
The only thing A could consider was that "technique that disables the weak."
Yet even Jonin couldn't act under his "aura" of intimidation?
Moreover, Naruto Uzumaki's power far surpassed the "Three Great Ninjas" mark.
From the moment he learned about the battlefield's condition to being transferred here via "Heavenly Sending Technique," it was only a few minutes.
Yet in just those few moments, Tutai and Shee were already dead.
The manner of death
was likely similar to Darui and the others.
In an instant, with no resistance whatsoever.
"How can he be so strong?"
"This has surpassed my understanding of a 'ninja.'"
A reopened his eyes and looked towards Naruto.
The blond youth was still gazing into the distance, in the direction of the Hidden Cloud Village.
Faintly, one could already see the figures of a squad of ninjas leaping.
"I see," A spoke, his voice heavy. "The Hidden Cloud has already paid a more than sufficient price for waging war upon you."
"And it has made me sober enough as well."
"Let it end here. We will provide compensation that will satisfy you."
Naruto raised his hand, and with a swish, the chains recoiled.
The ground beneath suddenly became empty.
The sealed Two-Tails, in the instant it lost its sense of "constraint," eagerly retracted back into Yugito's body.
Naruto, carrying A, landed.
Yugito appeared dazed; this was the most devastating defeat she had experienced since becoming a Jinchuriki.
"Won't you stop the fight between the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails?" A looked up.
The octopus was even more battered, and the fox was excited beyond belief.
It had already repeatedly breached the Eight-Tails' defenses, striking its horn with the blade, and with a few more strikes, it would fall off.
Naruto shook his head: "Their brawling is a way to bond."
"It will end soon."
"Don't worry, the Jinchuriki won't be harmed."
He turned to look another way.
"The battle over there is also over."
In another part of the forest.
Karin pulled the kunai from the throat of a Jonin.
Her condition was quite dire.
One arm was broken, several ribs fractured, chakra was in disarray, her face smeared with blood.
"Thank you, Nine-Tails," she said with difficulty, sitting down.
Facing a Jonin alone was still too challenging for her.
Without the Nine-Tails' help, she would have lost her life here.
"You did well too." Yin Nine-Tails flicked its tail, lightly landing from the tree.
Its body had now shrunk to the size of a horse, drawing some power from the seal.
"Such a strong will. I thought you'd completely give up fighting after being grievously injured."
Karin shook her head: "I'll be counting on you from here on."
"This kind of injury won't heal quickly."
The Yin Nine-Tails pondered for a moment, staring intently at Karin, as if struggling with something internally.
Karin's expression was grave: "What's wrong? I haven't sensed anyone approaching."
With a sigh, the Yin Nine-Tails gently wrapped its tail around Karin, lifting her onto its back. "Because you are kin to that Naruto kid and have pleased me, I'll do it just this once."
Karin smiled, her good hand petting its fur.
So that was its dilemma.
The Nine-Tails certainly had a peculiar sense of pride.
"No need to worry about new enemies. The battle over there is already over," said the Yin Nine-Tails, "The ninja from Cloud Village have surrendered."
"The other me is still fighting the Eight-Tails."
"He seems to be having a lot of fun."
With Karin on its back, it sped swiftly towards the battlefield.
Raikage A looked puzzled.
The battle over there?
Oh.
Was it the fight involving the little girl from the Whirlpool clan? The Cloud ninjas didn't fare well against her either?
While he pondered this, a deep crimson figure landed on the ground.
"Naruto, quickly take her down," an anxious voice urged before even steadying, "She has quite a few tricks up her sleeve!"
"Does everyone in the Whirlpool clan have such naughty hands?"
Naruto walked over, lifting her down, glancing and assessing the injuries.
"It was a tough battle indeed," Naruto said softly.
"A Jonin leading a team of Chunin, and I dealt with all the Chunin by myself."
"Although I needed the Nine-Tails' help to deal with the Jonin, I finished him off myself in the end."
Her eyes sparkled with expectation.
Naruto lifted his hand, resting it on her, responding to her expectation: "Well done!"
"Karin, you've grown stronger too."
A weave of green and gold light surged in his palm, falling like rain to heal her wounds.
Karin let out a few pleased hums, her smile even brighter.
Yūgito and Raikage A were uncontrollably amazed.
They looked up, gazing towards the other part of the battlefield.
The Nine-Tails' body was immense.
Naruto's gaze returned to the red figure before him. Although it wasn't as massive in size, the nine tails and immense chakra left no room for doubt. It was the Nine-Tails as well.
"Two Nine-Tails?"
"Can Tailed Beasts reproduce?"
Raikage A's mouth twitched. What kind of monster had he provoked? A Jinchuriki with unfathomable powers, and now two Tailed Beasts that could fight independently after being released from their Jinchuriki.
The intelligence he had was vastly different.
He couldn't blame his own intelligence division.
Even Konoha might not have known about this.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would have believed it?
The conflict at the final battlefield had subsided.
With one swift strike, the Nine-Tails severed the last horn of the Eight-Tails.
"This is quite the trophy," the Nine-Tails chuckled, retracting its blade and turned to Naruto. "Naruto, quickly, gather it up."
"The Eight-Tails' horn!"
"My trophy!" the Eight-Tails gritted its teeth, the remaining two tails swaying furiously.
Not only had the Nine-Tails grown stronger, its taunting had worsened!
Three days later, in the Cloud Village's meeting room.
Raikage, missing a leg and an arm, sat in a wheelchair. Those few days had felt like decades to him, the passage of this metaphorical time manifesting on his face.
There were several young faces present as well.
The elite forces of Cloud Village had been nearly obliterated in that battle.
"Lord Uzumaki," Raikage A attempted to stand, grasping the armrests with no success, he could only bow his head from his chair, offering apologies to Naruto. "Cloud Village apologizes for initiating hostilities."
"And we agree to meet all your demands for compensation."
His voice quivered.
Since the founding of Cloud Village, they had never conceded to such compensation, successful or failed in conflicts.
Even ten years ago, when the Third Hokage still reigned, and after the failed abduction of the Hyuga heir, Cloud had never compensated Konoha, they even forced a branch member of Hyuga to die.
"First, tell me the location of the True Waterfall," Naruto's tone was calm.
Raikage A lifted his head, "Before that, may I ask you a question?"
Naruto nodded, "Go ahead."
"If the Hidden Cloud doesn't initiate a war, will you consider..." A asked.
His question was cut short by Naruto, who replied, "I detest meaningless fighting."
"If you don't provoke a conflict, there will be no action against the Hidden Cloud."
"I am merely a traveler, seeking something in the Land of Lightning, nothing more."
"If the Hidden Cloud has something I need..."
"As I did with the Hidden Mist, I'm willing to trade to achieve my goal."
Raikage A nodded heavily.
Naruto turned to the two Jinchuriki seated beside the Raikage: "I have given you opportunities as well."
"After taming the Two-Tails, I only wished to witness a battle between the Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails."
"Yet, you still resolutely attacked me."
"Punishment is inevitable."
He paused briefly, softening his tone: "No need to grieve so, from the perspective of the living, death is the end."
"But to life, death is merely the beginning of another journey."
"I did not destroy their souls."
"You will meet them again in the Pure Land."
Raikage A raised his head.
This sounded like a threat.
It seemed as if he was prepared to send them to the Pure Land at any time.
But Naruto's gaze was sincere and earnest.
Does he truly believe this?
"Why are you interested in the Falls of Truth?" Killer Bee spoke, his tone heavy, devoid of his usual whimsical rhymes, "Your bond with the Nine-Tails is so harmonious, you should already be a perfect Jinchuriki."
His eyes fell on the two foxes sitting on Naruto's shoulder.
"Do I need to explain?" Naruto smiled at him, "If the Eight-Tails wants to know."
"Then after discussing compensation, I will personally talk to it."
Killer Bee fell silent.
Raikage A sighed, "The Falls of Truth is an ancient legend."
"I don't know how you learned about it, Lord Uzumaki."
"In the Hidden Cloud Village, not many know of this tale, and even fewer believe it exists."
"However."
"It does exist, and it's one of the Hidden Cloud's top secrets."
(End of Chapter)