Sakura's ears pressed flat against her skull as she ducked, barely avoiding Tsubaki's powerful kick. The transformed woman moved with unnatural speed, her newly elongated rabbit legs propelling her forward with terrifying force. Where Sakura's own lapine features had developed gradually over years, Tsubaki's transformation was raw and aggressive—ears longer, fur thicker, muscles more pronounced.

  "What's wrong, little girl?" Tsubaki taunted, her voice eerily distorted. "Can't keep up with a real woman?"

  Sakura rolled away, gritting her teeth as splinters of wood from the shattered floor bit into her palms. Across the room, Sasuke wasn't faring much better against Mizuki, who had become something monstrous—a hulking tiger-man with rippling muscles and savage claws.

  Mizuki laughed, the sound rumbling from his chest. "Look at you two, playing at being ninja." He swiped at Sasuke, who barely managed to avoid having his chest torn open. "This is true power. This is what Orochimaru-sama offers to those smart enough to accept it."

  Sasuke spat blood from his split lip. "You call this smart? You've turned yourselves into freaks."

  Tsubaki's new form blurred with speed, appearing behind Sakura and grabbing her by the back of her neck. "Says the boy with the girlfriend who pioneered these changes?" She lifted Sakura off the ground.

  Sakura kicked backward with all her strength, but Tsubaki merely winced, before flinging her away. The older woman's strength was overwhelming.

  "You could have been so much more, Sakura." Tsubaki's breath was hot against her face. "You've had years to embrace what you are, and you've squandered it. I've had this power for minutes, and I've already surpassed you."

  Mizuki charged Sasuke, moving like a predator. "The Uchiha prodigy," he sneered. "So much potential wasted in loyalty to a village that let your clan be slaughtered."

  Sasuke activated his Sharingan, the tomoe spinning as he tracked Mizuki's movements. Yet even with his enhanced perception, he only narrowly avoided the next strike. Mizuki was just too fast, the transformation boosting his physical capabilities beyond what Sasuke could match.

  "Face it," Mizuki growled, cornering Sasuke against a wall. "You're outmatched. Orochimaru-sama's elixir has made us better than you could ever hope to be."

  The two genin were driven back together, standing shoulder to shoulder as their transformed opponents circled them like predators.

  "This is what you're missing," Tsubaki purred, flexing her fingers to reveal sharp claws. "All that time you spent holding back, trying to remain 'human' enough for people to accept you." She bared her teeth in a vicious smile. "I embraced the change completely. Now look at me."

  Sakura's breathing was ragged, but her eyes remained sharp. "I am looking at you. Both of you."

  Something in her tone made Tsubaki pause.

  Sasuke's eyes narrowed, following Sakura's lead. "You're stronger and faster, I'll give you that. But there's something off."

  Mizuki sneered. "Trying to buy time with talk? Pathetic."

  "No," Sasuke said, his voice gaining confidence. "Your movements. They're not natural."

  It was subtle, but now that they'd had time to observe their opponents, both genin could see it. Mizuki's swings were powerful but occasionally overextended. Tsubaki sometimes misjudged her own reach, her new limbs just slightly out of sync with her intentions.

  "You haven't adapted to your new bodies yet," Sakura said, a glimmer of hope rising within her. "Those transformations are too new. You've gained power, but you've lost control."

  Tsubaki's expression flickered with annoyance. "Nonsense. We've never been stronger."

  But the way she unconsciously adjusted her stance told Sakura all she needed to know.

  "Sasuke," Sakura murmured, not taking her eyes off their opponents. "Formation three."

  He gave the barest nod. They'd trained together for so long that the smallest communication was enough.

  Mizuki laughed. "Whatever trick you're planning won't help you."

  "It's not a trick," Sasuke said, his eyes tracking every minute movement of their opponents. "It's trust."

  Sakura lunged forward first, seeming to charge directly at Tsubaki—a frontal assault that appeared suicidal given the woman's superior strength. Tsubaki's lips curled in a smirk as she braced to counter.

  But at the last moment, Sakura dropped into a slide, passing beneath Tsubaki's guard. Sasuke was already moving, using Sakura's shoulders as a springboard to vault over both women, throwing a flurry of shuriken that forced Mizuki to dodge sideways—directly into Sakura's path as she completed her slide.

  Sakura drove her heel into Mizuki's ankle, hitting a pressure point that momentarily locked up his leg. The tiger-man stumbled, his new body responding sluggishly to the unexpected attack.

  Tsubaki whirled to help her partner, but her movement was too exaggerated, her transformed legs carrying her further than she'd intended. Sasuke was waiting, a kunai slicing across her extended arm.

  "Damn you!" she hissed, clutching the wound.

  Sakura and Sasuke regrouped, standing back-to-back.

  "They're strong individually," Sasuke said quietly, "but they don't move as a unit."

  Sakura nodded. "They're used to working together as humans. Their new forms have thrown off their timing."

  Mizuki snarled, his tiger-like features contorting with rage. "Stop talking like we can't hear you!"

  "Why?" Sakura asked, her confidence growing. "You can hear us, but you can't counter us. Your bodies are fighting against you."

  For the first time, uncertainty flickered across Tsubaki's face. She and Mizuki exchanged glances—a moment of coordination that came too late.

  "You've had each other's backs for years," Sasuke continued, his Sharingan tracking their every reaction. "But now you're both differently shaped. Your instincts are off. Your teamwork is breaking down."

  "Shut up!" Mizuki roared, charging forward impulsively. His new claws extended, aiming straight for Sasuke's throat.

  But this time, Sasuke was ready. He ducked, and Sakura was already in position, spinning over his lowered back to drive her foot into Mizuki's jaw. The tiger-man's head snapped back, and he staggered.

  Tsubaki moved to intercept Sakura, but her leap carried her too high—the raw power in her rabbit legs launching her further than intended. Sasuke exploited the opening, his hands flashing through seals. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

  Multiple small fireballs erupted from his mouth, forcing Tsubaki to twist awkwardly in mid-air. She landed poorly, her balance compromised.

  "You see it now, don't you?" Sakura called out, her voice clear and confident. "You've sacrificed years of muscle memory and training for raw power. But power without control is just recklessness."

  Mizuki's eyes widened with realization, then narrowed with fury. "It doesn't matter! We're still stronger!"

  "Strength isn't everything," Sasuke replied coolly. "Just ask Naruto."

  The genin moved as one, a flow of coordinated attacks that contrasted sharply with their opponents' increasingly disjointed defense. Where Mizuki and Tsubaki had individual might, Sasuke and Sakura had something more valuable—seamless teamwork built through countless training sessions and real-life battles.

  Tsubaki tried to catch Sakura with a powerful roundhouse kick, but the younger kunoichi had spent years adjusting to her own gradually changing body. She recognized the slight hesitation, the fractional uncertainty in Tsubaki's movements. Sakura ducked under the kick and struck upward, hitting nerve clusters in Tsubaki's thigh that she knew from personal experience were vulnerable transition points between human and lapine anatomy.

  Tsubaki's leg buckled, her eyes widening in shock. "How did you—"

  "I know my body," Sakura replied, following up with a combination strike. "Every change, every adaptation. I've lived with them for years. You said it yourself. You have had it for mere minutes."

  Meanwhile, Sasuke engaged Mizuki, his Sharingan allowing him to predict the tiger-man's awkward movements. Where once Mizuki's attacks had seemed blindingly fast, now Sasuke could see the momentary hesitations, the slight adjustments as Mizuki compensated for his new center of gravity.

  "All that power," Sasuke taunted, weaving between Mizuki's increasingly frustrated swings, "and you can't even hit a genin."

  "Stand still, you little—" Mizuki's roar was cut short as Sasuke suddenly reversed direction, driving an elbow into his solar plexus.

  "You've forgotten what makes Konoha strong," Sasuke said, pressing his advantage. "It's not individual power."

  He locked eyes with Sakura across the room, and without a word, they executed a perfect switch—Sasuke disengaging from Mizuki with a back handspring that carried him toward Tsubaki, while Sakura launched herself at Mizuki.

  The sudden change confused their opponents. Mizuki, prepared for Sasuke's tactics, was caught off-guard by Sakura's different fighting style. Tsubaki, expecting Sakura's familiar movements, couldn't adjust quickly enough to Sasuke's approach.

  "It's teamwork," Sakura finished Sasuke's thought, driving her knee into Mizuki's side where his ribs were exposed.

  The transformed teachers tried to regroup, instinctively moving to protect each other as they had done countless times before. But their new bodies betrayed them again—Tsubaki's leap carrying her too far, while Mizuki's lunge wasn't far enough. They collided awkwardly, stumbling into each other.

  "Look at yourselves," Sasuke called out, his voice cutting through their frustrated growls. "You've known each other for years, worked together for years. And now you can't even coordinate a basic defensive maneuver."

  "All that power," Sakura added, "and you've forgotten how to use it together."

  Mizuki's tiger-like face contorted with fury. "We don't need perfect coordination when we can simply overpower you!"

  He charged forward again, but his movements were becoming more reckless, less controlled. Sakura sidestepped his lunge, and Sasuke was already in position, his hands flashing through familiar seals.

  "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

  The flames erupted from his mouth, not aimed directly at Mizuki but at the floor before him. The tiger-man tried to leap over the flames, but misjudged the strength in his powerful new legs, launching himself too high. Sakura was waiting, timing her jump perfectly to meet him at the apex of his ascent, where his momentum was neutralized.

  "You see, Mizuki-sensei," she said, driving her fist into his unprotected abdomen, "we've been training together since we were children."

  The blow sent Mizuki crashing back down into the flames. He howled, rolling to extinguish them, but the damage was done.

  Tsubaki rushed to help him, but her movements were becoming increasingly erratic, her confidence shaken. "This isn't possible. We're stronger. We're better!"

  "You're stronger individually," Sasuke agreed, his Sharingan gleaming as he and Sakura closed in. "But we're stronger together."

  Their movements flowed like water, each anticipating the other's actions without needing words. Where Sasuke struck high, Sakura struck low. When Sakura feinted left, Sasuke was already positioned to exploit the opening on the right.

  "Every training session," Sakura said, blocking one of Tsubaki's increasingly desperate attacks.

  "Every mission," Sasuke continued, countering Mizuki's clumsy swipe.

  "Every victory and defeat," they said in unison, their voices melding as seamlessly as their fighting styles.

  Mizuki and Tsubaki found themselves being driven back, their superior physical abilities counting for less and less as the battle progressed. Their transformations, which had seemed like such an advantage at the start, were now handicaps—unfamiliar tools they hadn't learned to wield properly.

  "This can't be happening," Tsubaki gasped, clutching a fresh wound on her side. "The elixir was supposed to make us unstoppable!"

  "Nothing makes you unstoppable," Sakura replied, her breathing controlled despite the exertion. "Especially not power you haven't earned."

  Mizuki snarled, gathering himself for another attack. "We'll show you earned! We've suffered for years while brats like you got special treatment!"

  He lunged at Sasuke, claws extended. But his rage made him predictable, his movement telegraphed. Sasuke stepped inside his guard, delivering a precise strike to Mizuki's throat that left him gasping.

  "You think we haven't suffered?" Sasuke asked, his voice cold as steel. "You think we were given anything?"

  Simultaneously, Sakura engaged Tsubaki, her smaller form darting around the older woman's increasingly wild attacks. "Every advantage we have," she said, landing a solid hit on Tsubaki's kidney, "we fought for."

  "Every technique," Sasuke added, driving his knee into Mizuki's solar plexus.

  "Every skill," Sakura continued, blocking Tsubaki's punch and countering with a devastating elbow strike.

  "We earned through sweat and blood," they finished together, their synchronized attack driving both opponents back against the wall.

  Mizuki and Tsubaki stood side by side, breathing heavily, their transformed bodies showing signs of strain. The initial confidence in their enhanced forms had evaporated, replaced by uncertainty and growing fear.

  "You took a shortcut," Sasuke said, his Sharingan fixed on them both. "And that's why you'll lose."

  Sakura nodded, her stance mirroring Sasuke's perfectly. "True strength comes from more than just physical power."

  Their opponents exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them—but even this was marred by uncertainty, their new facial structures making familiar expressions strange and unfamiliar to each other.

  "Together," Sakura whispered to Sasuke, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

  They moved as one, their attack a perfect fusion of their individual styles. Where once they had been defensive, reacting to their opponents' superior speed and strength, now they were on the offensive, dictating the pace of the battle.

  Mizuki and Tsubaki tried to counter, but their coordination continued to deteriorate. Their transformations, meant to be their greatest advantage, had become their greatest weakness—bodies too new, too unfamiliar, too unpredictable.

  "This isn't over," Mizuki growled, but the uncertainty in his voice belied his words.

  Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You're right. It's just beginning."

  Shikaku Nara grimaced as another wave of transformed Sound ninja pressed against their defensive line. The mutation elixirs had turned ordinary shinobi into monstrosities—some with scales, others with fur, all with enhanced physical abilities that made them formidable opponents. The line of jōnin and chūnin before him wavered but held.

  "Hold formation!" he barked, his voice cutting through the chaos of battle. "Don't break ranks!"

  The Shadow Possession jutsu stretched from his feet, branching like dark tendrils to capture three advancing enemies. The effort strained his reserves, but he couldn't afford to show weakness. Not now. Not when Konoha's survival hung in the balance.

  He sensed rather than saw Inoichi establish a mental link between the squad leaders. Good. Communication was critical in this shifting battlefield.

  "Northeast quadrant secure," came Hiashi Hyūga's voice through the link. "The Hyūga compound stands."

  "Southern gate holding," Chōza's thoughts arrived next. "But these transformed shinobi keep coming. They're stronger than they should be."

  Shikaku's mind raced, analyzing the battlefield like a complex shogi board. Something wasn't adding up. Orochimaru's forces had numerical advantage, but their tactics were increasingly erratic. The transformed ninja fought with ferocity but lacked discipline, as if struggling with their new forms.

  A flash of movement caught his eye as Tsume Inuzuka landed beside him, blood splattered across her feral features. Kuromaru stood at her side, his fur matted with gore.

  "Nara," she growled, her voice husky from shouting commands. "Most of these transformed freaks have heightened senses—smell, hearing, all of it. But they don't know how to handle the input."

  Shikaku narrowed his eyes. "I noticed. They're disoriented in close quarters."

  "Not just disoriented," Tsume insisted, her fangs bared in a predatory grin. "They don't know how to shut it off like my clan does. Every sound is amplified. Every scent overwhelms them. It's why they're getting more erratic as the battle goes on—sensory overload."

  Shikaku cursed under his breath. He should have realized sooner. He'd been too focused on the enhanced strength and speed of the transformed enemies, not their weaknesses.

  "Can your clan exploit this?" he asked, already calculating the possibilities.

  Tsume snorted. "We already are. But there aren't enough of us to make a difference across the whole battlefield."

  Shikaku released his jutsu as Asuma and Raido took down the immobilized enemies. His mind worked furiously, piecing together a strategy. The Inuzuka fought using their enhanced senses as weapons, but what if...

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "You don't become acclimated to that level of sensory input overnight," he muttered. "If we bombard them with stimuli..."

  Tsume's eyes widened. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

  Shikaku nodded, then tapped his temple, calling on Inoichi's link.

  "All squad leaders," he broadcast through the mental connection. "New strategy. The transformed enemies are experiencing sensory overload. We're going to exploit that. Prepare for Operation Overwhelming Force on my mark."

  He rapidly issued orders, his mind mapping out the sequence of attacks that would maximize confusion among the enemy ranks. The plan crystallized, each piece falling into place like a complex mechanism clicking together.

  "Yamanaka clan," he commanded, "mental disruption techniques focused on sensory hallucinations."

  "Understood," came Inoichi's swift reply.

  "Akimichi clan, prepare smokescreen deployment with your expansion techniques. Coordinate with the Aburame for maximum coverage."

  Chōza and Shibi Aburame acknowledged in sequence.

  "Hyūga clan, your techniques disrupt chakra pathways. Target the transformed enemies' heads and sensory organs specifically."

  "As you command," Hiashi responded.

  "Inuzuka clan, you'll lead the charge once the sensory assault begins. Your experience with enhanced senses makes you ideal to navigate the chaos."

  Tsume bared her teeth in a savage grin. "We'll tear them apart."

  Shikaku nodded, then turned to Asuma. "Get word to your father if possible. We need to know what's happening at the arena."

  Asuma's expression darkened. "The barrier's still up. No word yet."

  Shikaku grunted in acknowledgment. The Hokage was on his own against Orochimaru, but he had to trust the Professor to handle himself. Right now, the village needed his leadership.

  He surveyed the battlefield one last time, marking positions and patterns. The transformed Sound ninja were pressing hardest near the hospital and the academy—strategic targets that would cripple Konoha if captured. Their movements were becoming more frenzied, less coordinated, confirming Tsume's assessment.

  "Begin the assault in thirty seconds," he ordered through the link. "On my mark."

  Thirty seconds. He used the time to gather his chakra, preparing his own clan's techniques. The shadow at his feet darkened, lengthened, branching into a complex network across the ground before him.

  Twenty seconds. Across the battlefield, he could see the Yamanaka clan members positioning themselves, hands already forming seals. The Akimichi were expanding, cheeks bulging as they prepared their techniques.

  Ten seconds. The Aburame's insects formed dark clouds above the battlefield, waiting for the signal. The Hyūga moved into position, Byakugan activated, veins bulging around their eyes.

  Five. Four. Three. Two.

  "Now!"

  The coordinated assault began with a deafening cacophony of sound. Flash bombs detonated in sequence, creating a strobe effect that would disorient even normal vision. The Yamanaka's techniques struck simultaneously, targeting the minds of the transformed enemies with illusions that amplified their already overwhelmed senses.

  Choking clouds of smoke billowed across the battlefield, infused with the Aburame's chakra-draining insects. The bugs buzzed at a frequency that Shikaku knew would be excruciating to enhanced hearing.

  The transformed Sound ninja reacted immediately. Many clutched at their heads, howling in pain as their enhanced senses betrayed them. Others lashed out wildly, striking at allies and enemies alike in their confusion.

  "Second wave!" Shikaku commanded.

  The Hyūga clan surged forward, their gentle fist strikes precisely targeting the sensory centers in the enemies' heads. Not enough to kill—Shikaku wanted prisoners for interrogation—but enough to temporarily disable their enhanced abilities.

  Behind them came the Inuzuka, moving through the chaos like sharks through bloodied water. They navigated the sensory maelstrom with practiced ease, their attacks devastating in their precision.

  Shikaku's shadow stitched across the ground, capturing disoriented enemies for the Yamanaka to incapacitate. It was working. The transformed Sound ninja were breaking formation, their newfound strengths turned against them.

  "They're retreating in the eastern sector," Inoichi reported through the link. "The market district is secure."

  "Hospital perimeter holding," came another report. "Enemy forces in disarray."

  Shikaku allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. The tide was turning. Across the battlefield, Konoha's forces were advancing, pushing back the invaders with coordinated precision.

  "Don't let up," he ordered. "Keep the pressure on their sensory inputs. Drive them back to the walls."

  The transformed Sound ninja were dangerous individually, but they lacked the training to use their new abilities effectively. Against Konoha's coordinated assault, they were beginning to falter.

  Shikaku directed his attention to a particularly troublesome group that had entrenched themselves near the academy. They were adapting more quickly than the others, using earth-style jutsu to shield themselves from the sensory assault.

  "Asuma," he called, "take your team and—"

  The ground shook violently, interrupting his order. A massive crash from behind made him spin, kunai already in hand.

  The debris cloud cleared to reveal Jiraiya standing in a small crater, orange pigmentation around his eyes marking his Sage Mode. At his feet lay a corpse, broken and mangled almost beyond recognition.

  "Sorry I'm late," Jiraiya said, his voice lacking its usual jovial tone. "Had to deal with this guy first."

  Shikaku's eyes narrowed as he recognized the dead man. "Shinnō? The doctor from the Land of Sky?"

  "Former Sky ninja," Jiraiya corrected, his face grim. "And Orochimaru's partner in developing those transformation elixirs. He was coordinating the attack from outside the village."

  Shikaku processed this information quickly. "So this invasion..."

  "Is more extensive than we realized," Jiraiya finished. "The Land of Sky has thrown in with Orochimaru. Most of their forces are already down, but a few scattered groups are still trying to penetrate our eastern defenses."

  "Our strategy is working," Shikaku reported. "The transformed enemies can't handle the sensory overload. We're pushing them back."

  Jiraiya nodded, surveying the battlefield with the enhanced perception of Sage Mode. "Good thinking. I can sense the chaos in their chakra networks."

  He stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as he faced the remaining enemy forces. The transformed Sound ninja faltered, recognizing the threat he posed even in their disoriented state.

  "I'll clean up what's left here," Jiraiya said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You're needed at the command center."

  Shikaku nodded sharply. "Inoichi, take command here. Continue the sensory assault. Chōza, secure the academy district. I'm heading to the command center."

  "I've got this," Jiraiya assured him, already forming hand signs. "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

  The ground before him liquefied, turning into a bubbling morass that caught several transformed enemies. Those who avoided it found themselves facing the legendary Toad Sage as he advanced toward them, chakra pulsing visibly around his form.

  Shikaku didn't wait to see the outcome. Jiraiya in Sage Mode was a force of nature; those enemies wouldn't stand a chance. He leaped to the rooftops, racing toward the command center.

  Chaos engulfed the arena floor as two massive chakra beasts clashed, sending shockwaves across the stadium. The Three-Tails—a giant turtle with coral-like spikes and three massive tails—roared in anguish, its movements erratic and driven by Haku's rage and grief. Shukaku, a colossal tanuki made of sand, cackled manically as it swung its claws, seemingly delighted by the destruction.

  In the middle of this nightmare stood Naruto Uzumaki, his orange jumpsuit filthy with dirt and blood, blue eyes wide as he took in the sheer scale of what he was facing.

  "Damn it!" Naruto cursed, diving behind a chunk of concrete as a wave of water smashed against the arena wall. "They're going to kill everyone if I don't do something!"

  Both tailed beasts were now fully manifested. Haku had lost control after seeing Zabuza killed, and the rage had allowed the Three-Tails to take over completely. Meanwhile, Gaara had given himself fully to Shukaku, the sand demon's voice echoing through the arena with manic laughter.

  "I'M FREE! FREE TO KILL!" Shukaku howled, its voice grating like sand in machinery.

  The Three-Tails didn't speak, but its roars shook the foundations of the arena, water chakra swirling around it in devastating currents.

  Naruto created a shadow clone and ducked behind the remains of a wall, both versions of himself panting heavily.

  "Think, damn it," he muttered. "What would Pervy Sage do? What would the old man Hokage do?"

  His clone shook his head. "We can't just summon Gamabunta—there's no room, and these two would crush him between them."

  Naruto watched as the two beasts locked in combat, the Three-Tails firing a massive water bullet that Shukaku absorbed into its sand body, becoming heavier but no less dangerous.

  "Wait..." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Did you see that? The sand gets heavier when it's wet."

  His clone nodded slowly. "And Haku's beast is all about water..."

  A wild idea began forming in Naruto's mind. He'd spent the last few days poring over Uzumaki sealing techniques, and while he was far from mastering them, one basic principle had stuck with him: seals could redirect energy, not just block it.

  "I need to see the real Gaara and Haku," Naruto said suddenly. "They have to be controlling these things from somewhere."

  Naruto squinted through the chaos. There—atop Shukaku's head was a small figure with red hair, seemingly asleep. And within the crystal-like structure at the center of the Three-Tails' forehead, he could just make out Haku's form, suspended in water.

  "I've got it," Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face. "It's crazy, but it might work."

  He created fifty shadow clones, gathering them in a tight circle. "Listen up! I need you to split into two groups. First group—distract Shukaku. Second group—get me close to the Three-Tails' head. I'll need about thirty seconds to set this up."

  "What are you planning, boss?" one clone asked.

  Naruto pulled out a scroll from his pouch—one of the ones he'd been studying with Karin. "I'm going to make them fight each other... differently."

  The clones nodded, determination in their identical blue eyes. "Let's do this!"

  Thirty clones charged toward Shukaku, forming a bright orange wave of movement that immediately caught the sand beast's attention.

  "MORE BLOOD FOR MOTHER!" Shukaku roared, swinging a massive paw through the clones, dispersing ten in an instant.

  The remaining clones peppered Shukaku with explosive tags and kunai—minor annoyances to the tailed beast, but sufficient to hold its attention.

  Meanwhile, Naruto and his remaining clones used the distraction to leap from debris to debris, circling around toward the Three-Tails.

  "I need ink!" Naruto shouted to his clones. One of them produced a small brush and vial—standard ninja equipment that Jiraiya had insisted he carry for sealing work.

  As they approached the turtle-like beast, Naruto rapidly painted symbols on three kunai, his hands shaking with adrenaline but his lines surprisingly precise. The Three-Tails sensed their approach and swung a massive tail toward them.

  "NOW!" Naruto shouted.

  His clones formed a human chain, the last one hurling Naruto directly toward the crystal formation where Haku floated. As he flew through the air, time seemed to slow. Naruto could see Haku's eyes—wide, unfocused, trapped in grief and rage.

  "Sorry about this," Naruto muttered, driving one of the seal-marked kunai into the crystal.

  The seal activated instantly, glowing blue as it spread across the crystalline surface. It wasn't complex—just a basic redirection formula combined with a stabilizing element—but it was enough to momentarily disrupt the Three-Tails' chakra flow.

  The beast howled, its movements slowing as the seal interfered with Haku's control. Naruto didn't waste the opening, immediately pushing off and using a clone to launch himself toward Shukaku.

  "Second phase!" he shouted. His remaining clones understood, forming another chain to give him a path across the arena.

  Shukaku, still distracted by the first wave of clones, didn't notice Naruto's approach until it was too late. Naruto slammed the second seal-marked kunai into the sand just below where Gaara's sleeping form rested.

  "You're not the only one with tricks, you overgrown raccoon!" Naruto shouted.

  Shukaku roared in fury, but the seal was already activating, spreading through the sand like blue fire. Again, not complex—just enough to create a temporary disturbance in the chakra flow.

  Now came the hard part.

  Naruto landed on a broken wall and formed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

  Another hundred clones appeared, surrounding both tailed beasts. Each clone began forming hand signs, channeling as much chakra as they could muster.

  "What are you doing?" one of the original clones asked, landing beside him.

  "Creating a path," Naruto said, his face set in concentration as he unrolled the scroll fully. "Those seals won't hold them for long, but they don't need to."

  The scroll contained a crude but functional drawing of a circular seal array. Naruto had modified it from one of the Uzumaki designs Karin had shown him—a chakra redirection seal, meant to be used defensively to turn an enemy's jutsu back on them.

  But Naruto had other ideas.

  His clones moved in perfect synchronization, thirty of them darting forward to plant paper seals in a wide circle around the two thrashing beasts. The seals weren't identical—some were painted with water symbols, others with earth.

  "Water weakens sand," Naruto explained to his clone. "Sand absorbs water. They're opposites, but they're also perfect for each other."

  The clone's eyes widened in understanding. "You're going to make them absorb each other's chakra!"

  "Not exactly," Naruto grinned. "I'm going to make them stabilize each other."

  With the circle complete, Naruto slammed his hands onto the central scroll. Chakra surged from him, connecting to each of the planted seals. Blue lines of energy shot between them, forming a glowing network around the two tailed beasts.

  The Three-Tails lunged at Shukaku, but as it passed over one of the seals, its water chakra visibly flowed along the blue lines—not diminishing, but changing. By the time it reached Shukaku, the chakra had transformed, resonating at a frequency that didn't destroy the sand but rather temporarily bonded with it.

  Shukaku, similarly affected, found its sand chakra modified as it flowed through the seal network. When it struck the Three-Tails, instead of abrading the turtle's shell, the sand formed a coating that hardened like concrete.

  "What's happening to us?!" Shukaku shrieked, its movements becoming sluggish.

  The Three-Tails bellowed in confusion as portions of its body began to solidify, water and sand combining into something like cement.

  "It's working!" Naruto's clone exclaimed.

  But Naruto wasn't celebrating yet. The seal array was crude, imperfect—it wouldn't hold for long. He needed to reach both Gaara and Haku directly.

  "Final phase," he gasped, his chakra reserves straining even with his enormous capacity. "Need to wake Gaara up... need to reach Haku..."

  He created two more clones—all he could manage—and they split up, one heading for each tailed beast.

  The first clone reached Gaara, who lay sleeping atop Shukaku's increasingly immobile form. Following Jiraiya's instructions from their training, the clone delivered a powerful chakra-enhanced punch directly to Gaara's stomach.

  "Rise and shine!"

  Gaara's eyes snapped open, confusion and rage warring in his expression as Shukaku's control slipped.

  "NO! I JUST GOT FREE!" the sand beast wailed, its form beginning to crumble.

  Meanwhile, the second clone had reached the partially solidified crystal housing Haku. The seal Naruto had placed earlier had created a small crack—just enough for the clone to wedge his hand through.

  The second clone reached the partially solidified crystal housing Haku. The seal Naruto had placed earlier had created a small crack—just enough for the clone to wedge his hand through.

  "Haku! You've gotta snap out of it!" the clone shouted, but the mist ninja remained unresponsive, suspended in the watery crystal, eyes vacant with grief and rage.

  The real Naruto, maintaining the seal array with his remaining strength, gritted his teeth as his vision began to blur from chakra exhaustion. If he couldn't reach Haku soon, the entire seal network would collapse, and both tailed beasts would be free to rampage again.

  "There's gotta be something," he muttered, racking his brain. Then it hit him—what had driven Haku to lose control in the first place?

  "That's it!"

  Summoning his remaining chakra, Naruto created one more shadow clone—this one with a specific purpose. The new clone formed a hand sign, clouds of chakra smoke enveloping it.

  "Transform!"

  When the smoke cleared, there stood a perfect replica of Zabuza Momochi—bandages wrapped around the lower face, massive sword on his back, cold eyes fixed on the crystal where Haku floated.

  "Haku," the Zabuza-clone called out, its voice a perfect imitation of the swordsman's deep growl. "Is this how I trained you to behave?"

  The Three-Tails paused, its movements becoming less erratic.

  Inside the crystal, Haku's eyes widened slightly.

  Encouraged, the disguised clone leapt onto the solidifying shell of the Three-Tails, approaching the crystal directly.

  "You think I'm dead? You think I'd fall that easily?" the Zabuza-clone demanded, standing before the crack in the crystal. "Look at me, Haku!"

  Within the crystal, Haku's suspended form trembled. The water around him rippled as his consciousness began to reassert itself.

  "Z-Zabuza-sama?" Haku whispered, his voice barely audible through the crystal.

  "I'm not dead, you fool," the clone growled. "But I will be soon if you don't get control of yourself. The village is under attack, and you're wasting your strength on this tantrum? I thought I taught you better."

  The harsh words struck home. Haku's eyes cleared, awareness returning to them for the first time since he'd seen Zabuza fall. The Three-Tails' movements slowed further as Haku began to wrestle for control.

  "That's it, Haku," the Zabuza-clone said, slightly gentler now. "Remember your purpose. Remember who you are."

  Tears filled Haku's eyes. "I thought... I thought I'd lost you."

  "You think some pathetic reanimation could take me down? Don't insult me."

  The crystal began to crack further, water seeping out as Haku's control over the Three-Tails strengthened. The enormous beast shuddered, its form beginning to recede.

  Meanwhile, the first clone was still dealing with Gaara, who had awakened but remained disoriented and combative.

  "Get away from me!" Gaara snarled, sand swirling around him despite Shukaku's weakened state.

  "Listen, you crazy raccoon-boy," Naruto's clone shot back. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't calm down!"

  Gaara's eyes widened at this—no one had ever spoken to him this way. "You... you're not afraid of me?"

  "I'm like you," the clone said, holding his ground. "I've got one of these things inside me too. But I don't let it control me, and neither should you!"

  The sand surrounding Gaara faltered, uncertainty replacing rage in the redhead's eyes.

  Back at the central seal array, the real Naruto was on his knees, sweat pouring down his face as he struggled to maintain the network. The seal was doing its work—both tailed beasts were receding, their chakra no longer violently clashing but rather neutralizing each other through the network.

  The Zabuza-clone had reached through the crack in the crystal, grasping Haku's hand. "Come back to yourself," he commanded.

  With a final shudder, the crystal shattered. Haku fell forward, the Three-Tails' form dissolving into water that splashed across the arena floor. The Zabuza-clone caught him, supporting his weight as Haku's legs gave out.

  "Zabuza-sama," Haku murmured, looking up at who he thought was his master.

  The clone's expression softened. "Actually..." In a puff of smoke, the transformation dispelled, revealing Naruto's grinning, exhausted face. "Sorry about the trick." Naruto confirmed, helping Haku to stand. "Sorry about the deception, but I needed to snap you out of it."

  Across the arena, Shukaku had almost completely receded. Gaara sat amidst a circle of sand, staring at his hands as if seeing them for the first time.

  "It's... quiet," Gaara said, wonder in his voice. "Mother isn't screaming anymore."

  The seal array finally gave out, the blue lines of chakra fading as Naruto collapsed to his hands and knees, completely spent. His remaining clones vanished in puffs of smoke, their memories flooding back to him in a disorienting rush.

  The arena floor was devastated—craters, water, and sand everywhere. But the immediate threat of the tailed beasts had passed.

  "Did it," Naruto gasped, a weak smile crossing his face before he toppled sideways, consciousness fading.

  Before he hit the ground, wooden beams erupted from the floor, catching him and quickly wrapping around his body.

  Similar wooden tendrils shot toward both Haku and Gaara, ensnaring them before either could react.

  "What's happening?" Haku asked, struggling weakly against the wooden restraints.

  Tenzo dropped from above, landing in a crouch between the three jinchūriki. His hands were held in a complex sign as he maintained the Wood Release jutsu.

  "Precautionary measures," he said, his cat-like ANBU mask hiding his expression.

  Naruto, barely conscious, felt the wooden restraints tighten around him. "Hey," he protested weakly, "I just saved everyone... why're you tying us up?"

  Utakata appeared beside Tenzo, his bubble pipe held at the ready. "You three just unleashed enough chakra to level half the village. Consider yourselves lucky we're not doing worse."

  "But I stopped them!" Naruto argued, struggling to sit up against the wooden bindings. "C'mon, I'm on your side!"

  Tenzo adjusted his mask slightly. "I'm not taking any chances right now. All three of you are jinchūriki who just lost control to varying degrees."

  "I didn't lose control," Naruto muttered.

  "No, you didn't," Utakata conceded, his voice softening slightly. "That was... impressive work with those seals."

  Gaara had stopped struggling against his wooden bonds, a strange calm having settled over him. "This feeling," he murmured. "Is this what it's like? To not hear the voice constantly?"

  Haku remained silent, his eyes fixed on the distant barrier where the Kage battle continued. He could still see Zabuza fighting alongside the Mizukage.

  Naruto's eyelids grew heavy as exhaustion overtook him. "Just... gotta help the old man now," he slurred, fighting to stay conscious.

  "You've done enough," Tenzo said firmly. "The wooden restraints will hold them, even if they try to access their tailed beasts again. Though I don't think they will," he added, noting the drained state of all three teenagers.

  Utakata nodded, tucking his pipe away. "We should join the defense. The summoning technique Orochimaru used—those reanimated Hokages and the Kazekage—that's the priority now."

  "What about us?" Haku asked, his voice faint with exhaustion.

  "ANBU will be here shortly to secure you," Tenzo replied. "They'll take you to a containment area until this is over."

  Naruto wanted to protest again, but his body betrayed him—he simply didn't have the energy. Using those experimental seals had drained him more thoroughly than anything he'd ever attempted before.

  "Fine," he mumbled. "But tell the old man... tell him I've got his back."

  Tenzo's expression was unreadable behind his mask, but he gave a small nod. "I'll pass along the message."

  A squad of ANBU appeared, surrounding the three restrained jinchūriki. Tenzo gave them quick instructions before turning to Utakata.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  Utakata cast a final glance at Haku, something unspoken passing between the two mist ninja, before nodding. "Let's go."

  With that, both shinobi disappeared in blurs of movement, heading toward the barrier where the Kage battle raged.

  As the ANBU secured their restraints, Naruto found himself drifting in and out of consciousness. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him completely was an explosion of golden light from the Hokage's barrier—the battle there intensifying to new heights.

  "Old man..." he whispered, then knew no more.