Naruto: The Tale of an Otsutsuki

"Tsunade, is it true about Itachi's truth?" Jiraiya asked quietly as he walked alongside Tsunade, leaving the battlefield.

With the arrival of reinforcements, the Five Kage were quickly tended to by medical ninjas. However, because they were still in the center of the battlefield, they were escorted to safer areas by their aides for treatment. Once recovered, they would rejoin the fight.

"Hmm." Tsunade was surprised Jiraiya knew about this but chose to answer truthfully. "It's true."

Hearing her confirmation, Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh. "I never imagined things would turn out like this."

When the Third Hokage was alive, Jiraiya had been responsible for gathering intelligence on the Akatsuki. He had known how dangerous they were. But he had never expected the village to send Itachi to infiltrate them as a spy—nor had he known the real truth behind the Uchiha clan's massacre.

"How did you find out?" Tsunade asked curiously. "This was kept secret by the Hokage and the village council at the time."

"White Zetsu spilled it," Jiraiya replied.

When Naruto had been about to kill White Zetsu, it had suddenly brought up Itachi's past. Since this involved Sasuke, Naruto listened intently to the story.

"Tch. Why would they reveal that now?" Tsunade muttered with concern. "How did Naruto take it?"

Jiraiya smiled slightly. "He was shaken at first but decided to face Sasuke as he always planned. He said he would end this hatred with his own hands. That kid's far stronger than I ever was."

Jiraiya's words were filled with admiration.

Naruto was different from him. When Jiraiya's own comrade, Orochimaru, had left, he had given up. But Naruto persevered. While Jiraiya had searched for the "Child of Prophecy" to bring peace to the ninja world, Naruto chose to tackle the hatred head-on and solve everything himself.

"Really…" Tsunade sighed with relief. She had worried that the truth might cloud Naruto's resolve, but it hadn't.

However, Jiraiya's expression turned serious. "But revealing this truth might be part of their plan to destabilize Naruto."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.

"Now that Naruto knows why Sasuke wants to destroy Konoha, he understands Sasuke's hatred. It also makes it clear that Sasuke won't willingly return to the village. Naruto will have to choose between his friend and his village, and neither choice is acceptable to him."

Tsunade frowned, her expression conflicted. "In any case, we can only trust Naruto to make the right decision."

If she spoke as the Hokage, Tsunade would have prioritized eliminating Sasuke as a threat. But because she trusted Naruto, she chose to give him the chance to decide for himself.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Sakura appeared before them, slightly breathless.

"Sakura, you're here too?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes. The front line has stabilized, so we were sent here," Sakura explained as she approached Tsunade to begin healing her injuries.

Tsunade allowed Sakura to work. While she could heal herself, resting would allow her to recover faster for the battles ahead.

As she treated Tsunade, Sakura glanced at the distant battlefield, where a massive purple warrior loomed. Her eyes widened. "Is that… Sasuke?"

"Yes," Tsunade said solemnly. "He's chosen to fight alongside the Akatsuki."

"I see…" Sakura whispered, her voice heavy with emotion as she continued to use her Mystical Palm Technique.

Jiraiya stood up, determination flashing in his eyes. "Sakura, take care of Tsunade. I'm going to help Naruto."

Jiraiya could see that Sasuke's control over Susanoo was improving rapidly. The longer the fight dragged on, the stronger Sasuke would become. For Naruto's sake—and the world's—Jiraiya had to stop Sasuke's growth.

He clapped his hands together, gathering the natural energy around him to enter Sage Mode.

"Listen up, everyone! I'm the Nine Tails!"

The deep, rumbling voice echoed across the battlefield, shocking the ninja alliance.

"Leave some people to hold off the enemy here. The most important thing right now is to stop the resurrection of the Ten-Tails. It's a force of pure destruction. If it revives, this world will be finished!"

The announcement sent a wave of shock through the coalition.

While Naruto, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, was an essential part of their forces, many still feared the Nine Tails itself. Hearing its words left them uncertain.

All eyes turned to the Five Kage, waiting for guidance.

The Kage looked to Tsunade, the commander-in-chief, for a decision. As someone from Konoha—the village most familiar with the Nine Tails—her word carried weight.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "Trust the Nine Tails! Organize the coalition to attack the barrier between the masked man and the Gedo Mazo! Do everything you can to stop the Ten-Tails from being resurrected!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Shikaku, hearing the order, immediately coordinated through Inoichi's Mind Transmission Jutsu. "All units, prepare to attack! I'll outline the strategy to target the masked man and his barrier…"

"See, Kurama? I told you everyone would believe you," Naruto said cheerfully in his mind.

"Hmph! Believing doesn't matter if we can't stop the Ten-Tails," Kurama grumbled, though his tone carried grudging approval.

Ignoring Kurama's words, Naruto turned to look at Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails. Bee gave him a thumbs-up.

"Let's go, Bee!" Naruto called.

"Yeah! Leave it to me, no problem—no worries! Oh, yeah!" Killer Bee rapped enthusiastically.

Both the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails began charging their Tailed Beast Bombs. Killer Bee's mouth gathered purple-black energy, while Naruto, surrounded by the Nine Tails' chakra, opened his mouth wide. Nine thick tails surrounded him protectively as he concentrated, forming a massive orb of energy.

(End of Chapter)