Konoha, reported by the Fourth Hokage at the start.

Chapter 400 Nine-Tailed Strike

"Small……"

Naruto's joyful expression froze instantly.

Sakura was completely unharmed except for her face, which was completely embedded in a stone the size of a bowl, making it impossible to discern the shape of her face.

This injury completely extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Naruto's heart.

Sakura is dead!

He died with such horribly mangled injuries!

Boom!

Boom!

In that instant, Naruto, filled with extreme anger, felt his heart pounding like a drum, echoing all around him.

Tsunade and Gamashima immediately noticed something was wrong.

"not good!"

"Screech... Ah!"

boom!

A burst of crimson and black chakra erupted from Naruto in an instant, and Tsunade and Gamashima, who were trying to wake him up, were instantly blasted away by this massive chakra.

"Tsunade!"

Just then, Jiraiya arrived and caught Tsunade and Gamabunta in mid-air, one in each hand.

"Jiraiya, seal Naruto quickly, don't let the Nine-Tails escape."

As soon as they landed, Gamashima immediately told Jiraiya to seal Naruto, since Jiraiya was the most skilled at sealing techniques, especially in sealing the Nine-Tails.

Jiraiya gazed at Naruto, who had grown four tails and was half-transformed into a tailed beast, in the distance. He wanted to make a move, but his body was bound by an invisible force, and he could only say helplessly, "I can't do it."

"Can't do it... What do you mean?" Gamashima stiffened his neck, turned around, and looked at Jiraiya with a puzzled expression.

"It's Li Yao," Tsunade suddenly said.

"Yes." Jiraiya nodded.

He was under Li Yao's control and couldn't attack Naruto. In fact, if Li Yao hadn't taken the initiative to release him, he wouldn't have been able to get very far away from Li Yao.

"That guy really didn't die." Tsunade was somewhat disappointed.

Having witnessed Li Yao's ability to use another dimension, Tsunade knew very well that even if the attack was incredibly powerful, Li Yao could easily enter that dimension to dodge if he wanted to.

But what if?

What if Li Yao didn't dodge?

Unfortunately, Jiraiya's presence here means that the other party is not dead and is still alive and well.

"Li Yao!!!"

Gamashima exclaimed in surprise, realizing that Jiraiya was a reincarnation of Li Yao and was still under his control, which meant that Li Yao had survived the attack just now.

Where is Li Yao?

Has he arrived?

Gamashima nervously looked around, and Tsunade, upon hearing this, also tensed up and subconsciously looked around.

"When I arrived, he was still standing there, doing something."

"Now……"

Even Jiraiya himself isn't sure now, but Li Yao possesses the ability to teleport, so if he wanted to come here, he could arrive instantly.

Even if it's hidden in that special space, they won't be able to find it.

"Huh... Naruto...?" Tsunade suddenly noticed Naruto's unusual behavior.

Jiraiya and Gamashima looked over upon hearing the sound and were immediately surprised.

Naruto, who had already transformed into a tailed beast, did not recklessly attack those within his perception range. Instead, he sat motionless in place, as if he had gone mad.

Why?

"Nine-Tails, as long as you can kill that guy outside, I'll give you my body and my soul."

"Why don't you do something?"

Inside the sealed space within Naruto's body, Naruto's spirit roared furiously. He even tore off the talisman on the sealing gate, completely abandoning the resistance of his body and soul, allowing the Nine-Tails' chakra to invade, but the Nine-Tails remained motionless.

At this moment, Naruto had only one thought.

Kill Li Yao!

As long as Li Yao can be killed!

Even if you completely surrender your body and soul to the Nine-Tails, so what?

As long as he can kill Li Yao, even if it means death, Naruto feels it's worth it.

But now a situation has arisen that Naruto never expected.

Even though he had released the restrictions on his body and soul and allowed the Nine-Tails' chakra to erode him, the Nine-Tails showed no reaction whatsoever, showing absolutely no response to his body and soul.

The Nine-Tails, who used to want to completely possess my body and regain my freedom whenever I had the chance, now seems unwilling to go out. What's going on?

Naruto didn't understand.

No matter how angry he roared, the Nine-Tails remained unmoved.

After Naruto's spirit form roared for a while and regained some of its rationality, Kurama said in a deep voice, "Naruto, calm down."

"Ah... Nine... Nine-Tails?"

Naruto suddenly looked at the Nine-Tails inside the sealing gate with some surprise.

This was the first time he had ever heard the Nine-Tails speak to him so calmly and without hatred.

Previously, Kurama would talk to him as if he were about to be devoured, but now... it spoke to him in a tone as if he were communicating with a fellow human being on equal footing. This was something Naruto had never experienced before.

Faced with the Nine-Tails, Naruto actually calmed down quite a bit.

Seeing that Naruto had calmed down, Kurama continued, "Listen, Naruto, that guy outside is incredibly strong. I can't defeat him with my own power alone."

As soon as Li Yao appeared, Nine-Tailed Fox thought of the abilities he had displayed in the world of Loulan Ruins.

At that time, Naruto was sealed away and had no idea what was happening outside.

Kurama, however, sensed something through its chakra.

While Li Yao's current abilities are terrifying, they are not as terrifying as the all-devouring spatial abilities he displayed in the Loulan Ruins world.

Faced with that terrifying spatial devouring ability, Nine-Tails knew that it would be impossible to defeat Li Yao with its own abilities alone.

Although I hate to admit it, only when a Jinchuriki and a Tailed Beast are combined can the power of the Tailed Beast be maximized, achieving an effect greater than the sum of its parts.

Tailed beasts themselves are unable to unleash some exquisite ninjutsu to maximize the destructive power of their chakra reserves.

Kurama knew very well that against an enemy like Li Yao, his terrifying chakra, apart from condensing a Tailed Beast Ball, could not threaten Li Yao with any other attacks.

If he goes out on his own, the outcome will be the same as when he faced Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju—he will be at the mercy of others.

"Even you can't beat that guy?!"

Naruto's spirit stared blankly at the Nine-Tails inside the sealed gate, his eyes filled with a sense of shattering as if a belief in his heart had suddenly broken.

Naruto didn't understand the meaning behind Kurama's words; he only caught one implication.

The Nine-Tails, a synonym for destruction, was actually no match for Li Yao, a human. Moreover, even when he released his body and soul, the Nine-Tails was too afraid to go out on its own!

This gave Naruto a sense of absurdity, as if his understanding of the world had been shattered.

At the same time, an even deeper sense of despair once again assaulted Naruto's entire being.

How can someone who is afraid of even the Nine-Tails and dares not go out defeat others?

Using your mouth?

Naruto shook his head listlessly, his spiritual body lying limply in front of the sealed space gate. He didn't know what to do now.

Kurama, enraged by Naruto's behavior, snapped, "Have you forgotten your ninja way? Is this all the purity you have in your ninja way? Are you just going to give up like this?"

What is Naruto's ninja way?

Keeping one's word is Naruto's ninja way.

What gives him the confidence to do what he says?

It sounds a bit ridiculous.

The source of Naruto's confidence in keeping his word is the power of the Nine-Tails.

As long as the Nine-Tails' power remains, Naruto will always have the confidence to defeat all enemies, and naturally, he will be able to uphold the ninja way of doing what he says.

(End of this chapter)