"Cough… cough…"
Orochimaru coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Seizing the moment the giant ape had "powered down," he barely escaped using his Orochimaru-style Substitution Technique. What was still clutched in the ape's hand was just a discarded layer of skin.
When it came to escaping and surviving, Orochimaru ranked second—and no one dared claim first.
Still, even with his Soft Physique Modification, the grip strength of the giant ape had left him seriously injured. Not even his substitution technique could fully heal the damage.
"The Four-Tails... Son Gokū? Why is it inside Naruto? What happened to the Nine-Tails?"
Staring at the mountain-sized ape that seemed to stretch beyond sight, Orochimaru wasn't afraid—on the contrary, he was thrilled. He stuck out his long tongue and licked the blood from his lips.
"So this is the power of a Tailed Beast… What incredible strength—and quite the aesthetic, too."
In a way, this was indeed Son Gokū.
"But why does it only have one tail?"
Without having seen the true form of the Four-Tails, most ninja would mistake Naruto's Great Ape form for it.
For shinobi at their level, it didn't matter if it was the Four-Tails or some unknown ape—either one was a force they couldn't possibly contend with.
Before Orochimaru could catch his breath, a cold voice came from behind him.
"O! Ro! Chi! Ma! Ru!"
What entered his vision were Mangekyō Sharingan—marked with an unusual, glowing pattern.
"Entity: Analysis."
"Neither man nor snake. A fractured soul. Weakness: Genjutsu."
---
Inside the sealed space, within the Great Ape.
From behind Naruto, countless jet-black chains shot forth and wrapped around the massive ape inside the seal, pinning it tightly.
Despite its unmatched strength, the giant ape was completely subdued by these black chains—thinner than its fingernail—and became instantly docile once bound.
Its crimson eyes gradually returned to normal.
Naruto, thinking the situation resolved and preparing to cut off the tail to help Gokū revert to normal, suddenly felt something odd—streams of pure energy were flowing into his body through the chains.
Alongside that energy came a flood of memories.
Master Roshi, Bulma, Krillin—all of Gokū's friends and mentors appeared in Naruto's mind. He saw Gokū's adventures seeking the Dragon Balls, his participation in the World Martial Arts Tournament, and even memories from the red planet under ten times Earth's gravity where Gokū was born…
Everything Gokū had lived through played like a movie before Naruto's eyes.
Wait… I've seen something like this before…
Tug-of-war?!
Great Ape?!
Wasn't this just like the first time he trained to master the Nine-Tails' power—when he wrestled with Kurama in a mental tug-of-war?
Only now, the opponent wasn't Kurama…
It was Gokū in Great Ape form.
A bold idea suddenly popped into Naruto's head:
If this is really tug-of-war… and if I win…
Would that mean I could use the Saiyan Great Ape transformation from now on?
If he could really use that, then—
Sage of Six Paths? Ten-Tails? Kaguya? Isshiki? He'd crush them all!
He'd blow the entire Ōtsutsuki planet sky-high!
Could he even go toe-to-toe with Kakarot someday?
If so… wouldn't that mean…
Super Saiyan Mode?!
Super Saiyan 2? Super Saiyan 3? Super Saiyan Blue?!
He'd be one-shotting everyone.
---
But sadly, Naruto's beautiful fantasy didn't last long.
As he kept absorbing the ape's ki, he heard a crack—a fissure appeared on the sky of the sealed space, right where the full moon had manifested.
The crack sliced upward, like something had slashed it from below.
And with it, the ape's ki—once steady—suddenly flooded out like a broken dam.
More cracks appeared rapidly, and by the time Naruto tried to stop it, the sky had already shattered into countless fragments, vanishing from the seal.
The giant ape, who had nearly filled the entire space, began to deflate like a leaking balloon. A pffft sound accompanied each contraction.
Its thick fur receded bizarrely into its body, and its fangs and claws faded. The massive form shrank and shrank until it became a tiny, curled-up child-sized Gokū—completely naked and fast asleep.
"Ting…"
As the ape vanished, the black Adamantine Sealing Chains lost their target and returned to Naruto's body with a whoosh.
Naruto stared at the scene and muttered:
"Seriously? You deflated already?"
That pure ki absorption had felt incredible. In that brief moment, his ki had clearly jumped a bit.
Sure, he could've gained that much through training eventually—but this method was way more satisfying.
Guess that's why they say other people's stuff is always sweeter.
---
"What a shame."
Naruto looked up at the ceiling, now returned to pitch-black, then down at the peacefully sleeping, naked little Gokū.
He sighed.
Was he lamenting the interrupted ki absorption, the fact he couldn't fully enter the Saiyan Great Ape Mode, or the disappearance of that mysterious sky?
That sky had to be connected to the Dragon Ball world.
In the DB universe, Saiyans needed the moon to reflect sunlight, producing 17 million zeno units of special radiation, which triggered the transformation.
That specific electromagnetic wave only existed in the Dragon Ball world.
In contrast, the moon in Naruto's world was a man-made celestial body—created by the Sage of Six Paths via Chibaku Tensei.
Totally different from the natural DBZ moon.
If only that strange moon had stayed up there longer—maybe he could've found a way to cross into another universe...
---
"As expected of you, Naruto."
Kurama, who had just moments ago curled into a trembling ball, finally returned to his usual form. Shaking off the fear, he said with lingering dread:
"You actually dealt with that terrifying monster. That thing… was this little brat's transformation? That was insane."
Kurama carefully scooped up the still-sleeping Gokū with his tail and gently placed him on a soft cushion.
Worried the boy might wake up and go ape again, he pushed the cushion to one corner of the seal—and moved his own bed to the opposite corner.
---
"Kurama…"
Watching the Nine-Tails pat his chest in fear, acting like a traumatized little kid, Naruto didn't even know what to say.
He could only cover his face with his hand in silence.
How far had the mighty Nine-Tails—once the arrogant king of the Tailed Beasts—fallen?
Now he was practically a comic relief mascot.
You're supposed to be my cheat code! Show some dignity!
---
"What is it, you little punk?" Kurama asked, lounging comfortably on his fluffy bed, sipping soda through a straw and shoveling a massive spoonful of fried rice into his mouth.
"Mmm... delicious." He chewed loudly, clearly satisfied.
---
"…Forget it. Nothing."
This so-called "cheat" is unreliable. All he does is drag me down.
Guess I'll just rely on myself from now on.
---
"…I feel like you're thinking something insulting."
"You're overthinking it."
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