Hundreds of Narutos shouted in unison as they rushed toward Hidan, leaping into the air and pouncing all at once.
But the Sharingan beneath Hidan's mask spun sharply, its ocular force cutting through the confusion.
With a single glance, he saw the real Naruto hiding among the clones.
Swish!
Hidan moved.
With speed comparable to Rock Lee opening the Eight Gates, he weaved through the mass of clones.
At that insane velocity, every Naruto looked frozen in time—sluggish and unmoving in his eyes.
Boom!
Naruto barely had time to widen his eyes in shock before Hidan stepped right into his guard, pressed a palm to his stomach, and slammed him to the ground.
"D-Damn it!"
The impact left Naruto unable to get up. Even empowered by the Nine-Tails' chakra, he couldn't believe how easily he'd been defeated.
The masked person's speed was on the level of Eight Gates Lee—that alone was enough to shake him.
"Got you."
A familiar voice slipped out from under Hidan's mask. He was even grinning, but Naruto couldn't immediately place it.
When Hidan's hand pressed into Naruto's abdomen, he felt it—
an evil, violent chakra stirring inside Naruto.
Weakened… but undeniably monstrous.
"Naruto." Hidan sighed.
Naruto reflexively looked into the mask—and froze.
"It's you!"
The moment Naruto saw the Sharingan, he knew who it was.
After all, there were only three people in the village who possessed that eye.
Once a Sharingan was exposed, it was easy for him to guess the identity.
But before Naruto could question anything, his vision twisted.
His consciousness spun wildly, as if the world had been yanked out from under him.
Hidan's pupil force dragged him somewhere else entirely.
Outside, all of Naruto's clones lost coordination.
Their mid-air assaults collapsed as they misstepped and fell in a heap around Hidan, unmoving.
The arena fell into complete silence.
A circle of vanished clones surrounded the real Naruto and Hidan—but no one knew what had just happened.
Hidan's body stood motionless, his consciousness invading Naruto's sealed space.
If someone attacked him, he would awaken instantly…
but for now, he had other priorities.
High above in the stands, the Third Hokage frowned.
"What is Hidan thinking…?"
As someone who lived through the Nine-Tails' attack, Hiruzen knew all too well how the Sharingan could control a tailed beast.
Even though Hidan acted good-natured, the wounds inflicted by the Nine-Tails on Konoha were unforgettable.
Too many lives were lost.
Even Minato sacrificed himself.
Hiruzen couldn't help but fear what a Sharingan user might do to Naruto here.
Next to him, Fourth Kazekage—"Rasa"—watched with clear interest.
He recognized exactly who was beneath that mask.
And he remembered very well how terrifying Hidan's power was.
Now, seeing him take special interest in the Nine-Tails, Rasa felt he might've discovered the true motive behind this mysterious powerhouse's appearance.
Naruto blinked as the world slowly reassembled around him.
"Where… is this place?"
A thin layer of water covered the floor, reflecting a dim, endless void.
Before him stood a massive red torii-like gate sealed tightly with complex sealing tags.
"Naruto."
Hidan's voice echoed behind him.
Naruto turned quickly.
"Bro—Brother Hidan?! Why are you here?! Weren't we… fighting?"
Hidan walked toward him calmly.
"I brought you here. Doesn't this place feel familiar?"
"Familiar…?"
The longer Naruto stood there, the more it clawed at his memory.
He had seen this. Many times. In dreams.
Behind the gate…
in the darkness…
a monstrous red fox with nine massive tails.
His body trembled.
"Remember now?" Hidan asked softly.
Naruto's heart thumped violently.
A fear without words climbed his spine—
The innate terror of knowing a beast slept inside his body.
"Don't be afraid," Hidan said gently.
"Because from now on… it'll be your strongest partner."
"Combat partner…?"
Naruto couldn't understand.
The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was a symbol of disaster and hatred—how could that become a partner?
Hidan only smiled.
"I'll help you. After that, it will obey you. You'll be able to use its power freely."
"Oh…"
Naruto answered instinctively, still confused.
Hidan didn't bother explaining.
He had already decided what to do.
His projection stepped forward, passing through the sealed gate like mist.
"Nine-Tails…"
Hidan's voice echoed as his spirit knelt before the great fox's gigantic head.
Chains held the monstrous creature in place, its crimson fur glowing faintly in the abyss.
It opened its colossal eyes slowly, the vertical pupils sharpening as they focused on Hidan.
Even through the mask, the Nine-Tails recognized those eyes.
Those cursed, hateful eyes.
Its rage exploded.
The fox roared, thrashing violently despite the unbreakable chains, trying desperately to tear the masked boy apart.
The seal held firm.
Hidan smirked.
For a moment, greed flashed in his eyes—something far darker than simple ambition.
But he pushed the desire down.
Not yet.
His Sharingan twisted...transforming into the pattern of an Eternal Mangekyō.
His hands flew through seals.
Chakra gathered in his pupils, building and building—
"Kotoamatsukami."
The divine genjutsu flowered in the Nine-Tails' vision.
A strange light spread across its eyes, growing larger and larger until it consumed the demon's pupils entirely.
The fox's rage faded.
Its breath slowed.
The madness disappeared.
It became calm.
Completely calm.
Hidan's mental projection flickered, his energy drained.
For the first time since his reincarnation, genuine exhaustion washed over him.
But even as his form grew faint, a satisfied smile curved beneath the mask.
It worked.
His experiment...
Pseudo-Eternal Kotoamatsukami.
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