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The two unleashed their 'hacks', each more ferociously than the other, yet the damage dealt kept getting lower.
Most of the sand sent flying by the Rasengan simply returned to Shukaku's body.
It was the same on Sasuke's side.
Sand extended from Shukaku's body in the shape of hands, reaching for the two. With no other sand around, it could only rely on its own.
The two retreated rapidly, then dropped flat onto the sea surface as a huge arm swept overhead.
The strong wind it kicked up sent the two tumbling several times.
Naruto got up. "This isn't getting us anywhere."
"Hn." Sasuke also felt they couldn't fight like this. The opponent's defense was too high; not only did hits inflict minimal damage, but the displaced sand could reform as long as it didn't land in the water.
After being forced flat and sent tumbling once more by the strong wind from Shukaku's arm, Naruto got up. "First, let's find out where Gaara is. He must be the key."
"Hn."
This was why Naruto liked fighting alongside Sasuke: Sasuke focused on the result and rarely asked for reasons. If it had been Kakashi, he would have kept asking 'why,' which was so annoying!
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
"Incoming!" Naruto and Sasuke kicked against each other, dodging the chakra-infused wind projectile.
Getting hit by that attack would be unbearable, even with the resilience of these two 'hacks'.
"It's not over! Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!" Shukaku slapped its belly and fired two more Drilling Air Bullets at the pair who had just kicked off each other.
Naruto yanked on the wire in his hand; across from him, Sasuke mirrored the action.
The steel wires in their hands retracted rapidly, pulling the two back together again.
Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and, with a powerful swing, threw Sasuke into the air.
"Little insects!" Shukaku watched Sasuke fly overhead and swung its arm. It couldn't easily hit them on the sea surface; leaving aside whether the hit landed, just slapping its sand arm into the sea would make it too heavy and hard to control due to the water.
Naruto pulled the steel wire in his hand, yanking Sasuke back down.
The sequence of moves flowed like water, but it was all just basic maneuvering.
Sasuke landed on the water, performed a sword flourish². "Didn't see him."
Naruto felt that sword flourish looked familiar no matter how he looked at it. Did you casually copy a move while getting knocked away back then?
"He's not there!?" Naruto was shocked. If Gaara wasn't visible, how could they wake him up? They couldn't exactly skin Shukaku alive to find Gaara, could they?
"Incoming!"
Sasuke's voice interrupted Naruto's thoughts.
"F—" A curse almost escaped Naruto's lips.
Shukaku, so you know this move too? Didn't see you use it in the original story.
"What is this!" Sasuke exclaimed in shock. The oppressive chakra pressure, and that sphere... it was different from the wind balls it spat out earlier. Observed with the Sharingan, that sphere was pure chakra!
The Tailed Beast Bomb gradually took shape. The immense pressure pushed the air outwards, buffeting the two, making them sway on the sea surface.
"Getting hit by this means certain death." Naruto felt they might have pushed things too far this time.
"Sasuke! Come here!" Naruto created a shadow clone, sending it after the retreating Shukaku, while simultaneously opening a portal.
The portal didn't form quickly, but neither did the Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Die! Tailed Beast Bomb!" Shukaku's shrill voice was filled with rage. Just now, it had been played around with like a dog on a leash by these two brats using a steel wire – an utter humiliation!
Most importantly, one of them was the Jinchuriki of that stinking fox! That stinking fox must have seen it too!
Therefore, Shukaku prepared to kill the stinking fox's Jinchuriki. If the Jinchuriki died, the fox would die along with him, which would count as Shukaku killing it once. Then you won't have the right to laugh at me anymore, right?
Although Shukaku wouldn't feel good being hit by a close-range Tailed Beast Bomb either, it considered killing the fox once worth the price.
The Tailed Beast Bomb passed through the two. During teleportation, they were intangible, similar to Obito's Kamui.
On the Great Naruto Bridge in the Land of Waves, Naruto and Sasuke's figures appeared, both staring in shock at the towering waves kicked up by the distant explosion.
Although he had seen it in the anime, watching it in the anime and seeing it with his own eyes were different things.
Naruto could now proudly puff out his chest and say, "I was there! That blond kid who almost got blown up back then? That was me!"
"This..." Sasuke was too shocked to speak. Just what kind of monster was this?
"So strong!" Naruto exclaimed. The destructive power certainly lived up to the Tailed Beasts' reputation as living nuclear weapons.
"The one inside you?" Sasuke remembered Naruto mentioning a monster sealed within him – one that was also powerful, enough to repel Orochimaru, who had even made Kakashi tremble.
Naruto was speechless. Bro, can you speak in complete sentences?
"It can take on eight of them."
My name is Kurama, nickname: One-vs-Eight.
The Nine-Tails truly lived up to its name as the strongest Tailed Beast; it really could take on eight others. In the anime, half of the Nine-Tails fought six, so the other half taking on the remaining two should be no problem, right?
"Well said, brat," the great fox praised internally.
Naruto didn't feel like responding. In your current state, if you went out for a stroll, the other eight would probably die laughing before you even had to lift a paw.
"Let's go." The explosions over there had died down. Naruto opened a portal.
Shukaku emerged, holding up a tattered Shield of Sand damaged by the blast. It had also sustained some injuries; even for a Tailed Beast claiming the strongest defense, a point-blank Tailed Beast Bomb explosion couldn't leave it unscathed.
However...
Sensing the surroundings, the auras of those two brats were indeed gone.
"Hahaha, they vanished! This Great Me..."
Shukaku's laughter stopped abruptly.
Earlier, Naruto had sent a shadow clone behind Shukaku. The clone died in the explosion, but it had established line of sight.
Naruto teleported directly behind Shukaku, slamming a Rasengan onto its rear, while Sasuke pierced it with a Chidori.
"Little insects!!"
Shukaku swung its tail, forcing the two back, then turned and fired another Drilling Air Bullet at them.
The two resumed their high-difficulty two-person acrobatics act.
"Sasuke, I have a plan!"
After replenishing Sasuke's 'mana' once more, Naruto felt this wasn't sustainable. If they dragged this out, there was no telling how long the fight would last.
With his stamina, plus the Nine-Tails power bank, he could fight Shukaku all day long.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto created several shadow clones and began preparations.
One clone took out oil and started chugging it down with its eyes closed. Another took out the borrowed steel wire and threaded resin onto it.
(Resin: The game description says it's extracted from pine trees.)
The original Naruto and Sasuke continued to distract Shukaku.
Once preparations were complete, the clone tossed the steel wire to Sasuke.
Sasuke manipulated the wire to wrap around Shukaku's tail, while Naruto threw a clone to explode in front of Shukaku's eyes, drawing its attention.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
"..." The clone couldn't speak (presumably due to chugging oil).
"Wind Release: Blow Wind!" This technique just involved spitting wind-natured chakra from the mouth. Naruto didn't know what to call it, so he just made something up.
A low-budget version of Goemon⁵, traveling along the steel wire towards Shukaku's tail, igniting the resin threaded onto the wire.
"Awooo..." Shukaku roared amidst the flames, thrashing its tail.
Luckily, Sasuke had already released the steel wire from his mouth; otherwise, chipping a couple of teeth would have been getting off lightly.
Amidst the firelight, Shukaku plunged its tail into the sea, but the oil and resin remained stuck, still burning.
Although it wouldn't last more than a few seconds, Naruto's goal was achieved. The tail, soaked by seawater, was basically useless now.
On the sea surface, Shukaku roared, while Naruto and Sasuke laughed.