"Is that… Kurama's Chakra?!"
The crimson, lava-like Tailed Beast Chakra swept out like a small storm, the resulting air currents making Uchiha Itachi's robes flap wildly. She had to lower her body slightly to steady her somewhat swaying posture.
"Did I overdo it?!" Itachi's expression suddenly turned grim. "No! Satsuki!"
She immediately realized the worst-case scenario—if Kurama truly went berserk, the jinchuriki, having lost her mind, would transform into a pure weapon of destruction, attacking indiscriminately!
And at this moment, the unconscious Satsuki lay less than a few meters away from Naruto! With the power of a Tailed Beast, even an unconscious movement would be enough to easily claim Satsuki's life!
That Kurama fellow… he says the harshest things, but his actions are quite honest… so unforthcoming.
Naruto's consciousness was incredibly clear at this moment. He could feel the large fox in his mind's sealing space awkwardly turning its head. "This old man hasn't fully recognized you yet! This is all the Chakra there is for now! Take it or leave it!"
This power was indeed willingly, even proactively, lent by Kurama, and did not carry the maddening resentment that erodes the mind.
Although Naruto wasn't sure if his body could fully withstand the burden of more tailed states, still… the power of four tails was already enough for now!
With a thought, the crimson Chakra cloak enveloping his body immediately changed. A giant red claw, entirely composed of solidified Chakra, extended from his side. This claw carefully avoided all sharp parts and slowly enveloped the unconscious Satsuki, completely covering her.
Under the gentle infusion of Kurama's Chakra, Satsuki's small face, which had turned ashen from extreme fear, pain, and Chakra exhaustion, visibly regained a healthy blush, and her previously weak breathing became much more stable and deep.
After ensuring Satsuki was temporarily safe, the Chakra claw maintained its protective posture, isolating her from any potential conflicts with the outside world.
At this point, Naruto's Tailed Beast Transformation was also complete.
Enveloped in crimson Chakra that resembled burning blood, the golden-haired boy's original form had completely vanished.
What appeared before Uchiha Itachi was a small Tailed Beast, not as massive as its full form, but already possessing the ferocious silhouette of the Nine-Tailed Fox! Four wildly flailing tails, entirely composed of Chakra, swayed behind him.
However, what made Uchiha Itachi most surprised and uncertain was—this small Kurama, radiating immense destructive power, had no chaos or madness in its beast eyes, which were entirely formed of Chakra. Instead, they gleamed with a cold and clear light.
Immediately following, a voice, clearly echoing with bestial ferocity yet remarkably clear and calm, rang out.
"Don't you dare come any closer!"
"Buzz—!"
The small Kurama suddenly opened its mouth, and the scarlet Chakra diffused in the surrounding air rushed wildly into its mouth, compressing and condensing as if drawn by a black hole!
A crimson energy sphere formed at an astonishing speed.
The next moment— "Boom!!!"
An incredibly thick, crimson torrent of energy, composed of Tailed Beast Chakra, erupted fiercely from Naruto's mouth!
The earth was easily torn, melted, and vaporized like fragile paper, violently surging towards Uchiha Itachi in a destructive onslaught!
— — — — — —
"What, what is that thing?!"
"Is it an enemy attack?! Where did the attack come from?!"
At the same time, within Konoha Village, even areas far from the epicenter of the explosion were shaken by the sudden terrifying roar and the soaring crimson light in the distance!
Ordinary villagers rushed out of their homes in terror, looking into the distance, their faces filled with fear and bewilderment.
Ninjas who were on patrol or had just finished missions were on high alert, leaping to high vantage points, incredulously observing the destructive energy fluctuations.
Some ninjas, particularly sensitive to Chakra, could clearly feel the terrifying oppressive force, full of brutality and destruction, emanating from afar, even at such a distance, causing them to involuntarily shiver with fear.
However, in the shadows of a corner of a dark alley, two cloaked figures stood silently, out of place with the surrounding panic.
One of them merely tilted his head slightly, the holes of his fox mask gazing indifferently towards the direction of the astonishing explosion and the crimson light column in the distance.
And the figure beside him, while showing worry and tension in his posture, expressed more concern for his companion than pure fear of that power.
It was Menma and Shisui.
Menma did not merely focus on the distant explosion like others. At this moment, beside him, his Stand—Gold Experience, invisible to ordinary people—was kneeling on one knee, its palm gently pressed against the ground.
The Stand's perception, like countless tiny rootlets, infinitely extended and explored through the soil and rocks, deep into the underground of Konoha.
Originally, Menma had intended to go directly to the Hokage's office to "inquire" about the exact location of the Root organization's stronghold. But just now, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, realizing he might have a more direct method.
Indeed!
Through Gold Experience's ability to perceive all life fluctuations, he clearly detected—in a very deep, specific area beneath Konoha Village, a large number of abnormally concentrated, strong life fluctuations!
Such fluctuations could never be formed by insects or moles naturally living underground!
Completely ignoring the panicked, running, and shouting crowds in the surrounding streets, Menma and Shisui quickly arrived at a secluded, unusually deserted open space in a remote corner.
This place was far from the main road, surrounded only by messy bushes.
Menma quickly formed hand seals in front of him.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River."
The next moment, the ground in front instantly lost its inherent form, emitting a dull roar!
The ground violently writhed and softened like a living thing, the hard soil and rocks dissolving at a visible speed, turning into a surging, turbid mudslide that rolled apart to both sides.
In just a few breaths, a massive pit, over five meters in diameter and more than ten meters deep, appeared before the two of them.
And at the very bottom of the pit, instead of damp earth, a clearly man-made, deep, cold, massive metal platform and a downward passage entrance were revealed.
"This is…"
Shisui gazed at the entrance below, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He, as a former Anbu, had always heard of this place but had never been allowed to truly enter it.
The deepest shadow of Konoha.
"Found it, Konoha's long-decayed 'Root'." Menma spoke. "An organization whose original purpose was to protect Konoha from the shadows, but has now long since degenerated into a private army and cancerous growth for someone to satisfy their personal desires and eliminate dissenters."
Before his words finished, Menma's hand seals changed again, carrying the spatial fluctuations unique to summoning contracts.
Bang!
With a soft sound, his figure had already leaped into the pit, landing precisely on the metal platform below.
And just as he leaped down—
Buzz!
Nine huge characters appeared—Blue, White, Vermilion, Black, Void, South, North, Three, Jade.
Following this, the Nine-Faced Beast, obeying its master's will, silently swooped down one by one, trailing Menma's figure, and disappeared into the entrance leading to the Root organization's base.
Shisui stood at the edge of the pit, taking one last look back at the distant commotion still faintly audible from the center of the village.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, his figure also leaped down, entering that place representing Konoha's darkest depths.