Whoever designed Halo 2's checkpoint locations for Legendary needs to be punched in the goddamn face so fucking hard their head fucking explodes. Just spent 20 minutes dying over and over and then finally clearing the building and activating the bridge, surviving the two Ghosts and getting aboard the Scorpion, making it across the bridge and scrapping the Wraiths and Ghosts, only to get killed by the Banshees from behind just before you can reach the tunnel? TOO BAD! Now you're all the way back to the hilltop overlooking the (bridge is back up, Grunts in turrets again, patrolling Ghosts are back) facility!

And then… And then, there's the 10th circle of Hell, otherwise known as "Off the Rock, Through the Bush, Nothing But Jackal"…

SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

-CHAPTER START-

Realm KL-4

Everyone on both sides stared at the titanic being that Senketsu and Ryūko had become, assuming the former's new true form. The gigantic black-and-red-furred kitsune-form being – easily over 100 meters in size – let out a low growl as he glared at his targets, the air shimmering around him and water rippling out below him from his mere presence. Six long and thin tails, black with red tips, waved lazily in the night air, and a set of fangs – each taller than a human being – was partially bared.

Senketsu felt incredible. This tremendous amount of sheer, raw, primal power would likely have been overwhelming for him alone, but with Ryūko's mind and will and essence working alongside his own, it was in total control. It was a little odd having legs, digits at the end of his arms, and a half-dozen tails, but seeing as Kurama had been the one whose form Senketsu's new 'self' was mostly based on, it came with an instinctual knowledge on how to use his various new parts. He could clearly 'feel' Ryūko's life-essence and presence merged with his, her mind operating in concert with his own; she too felt nearly overwhelmed by the raw power and presence she now helped control, but being 'with' him like this helped her keep calm and focused.

The Primordial Life Fiber fired a wave of missiles at the new Tailed Beast. Senketsu swung two of his six tails, and a wave of power and wind lashed out, blowing the missiles wildly off-course and detonating them harmlessly. Next, he turned his gaze on the Life-Fiber harpoon 'cable' connecting the PLF to the Naked Sun; with how huge his body now was, it was proportionately nearby, within his reach. With movement faster than most of the onlookers suspected from something of his size, he turned and swung one of his claws at it, tearing straight through it in one blow. As the two severed ends of the cable dropped free into the ocean, the PLF rumbled as if in irritation, angered by its 'meal' of the ship's humans being denied to it. Everyone 'felt' as the massive dark entity's twisted energy signature increased in power, its reddish glow brightening slightly as it made ready to fight harder.

"You…" Ragyō seethed. "You think this will be enough?-! You may be stronger than ever, but even you cannot hope to match the Primordial Life Fiber, the apex being of this world!"

She suddenly became aware of Naruto flying toward her from the side, his golden aura brightening and growing. Then, he 'erupted' in a massive cloud of smoke.

"Don't underestimate the power…" "…OF THE TAILED BEASTS!"

From out of the smoke, Ragyō was hit by a giant orange fist much bigger than her entire body. As the hit sent her rocketing away, a massive figure leapt high out of the smoke. At the same time, Subaru was enveloped in a flash of blue and a cloud of smoke, and a second later a third giant dove out of it. The two entities landed on either side of the already-present titan, and the heroes stared in wonder at what was now arrayed against Ragyō and the Primordial Life Fiber:

Senketsu, the new 6-Tailed Fox; Fenris, the dead Realm's 7-Tailed Wolf; and the mightiest of them all, the 9-Tailed Fox Kurama… All of them stood side by side atop the waves, their combined presence and might in one place enough to be 'sensed' throughout the whole solar system.

"T… Three Tailed Beasts…" Sakura gasped. "This much power…"

"Magnificent…" Satsuki breathed out.

"Oh," Vita remarked as she stood atop a defeated Cover, "this is going to be good…"

"YOU TWO ARE JUMPING IN AS WELL?" Senketsu asked his stronger fellows. "MIGHT THIS QUALIFY AS OVERKILL?"

"IN OUR EXPERIENCE," Fenris replied, "WHAT MANY CALL 'OVERKILL' IS GENERALLY NECESSARY. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY."

"BESIDES, KID," Kurama grinned, "IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE GOTTEN TO ACTUALLY FIGHT." His expression turned serious. "PLUS, WE CAN'T BE SURE THAT WHAT THAT GIANT THING IS DISPLAYING NOW IS ITS FULL POWER. LIKE FENRIS SAID, WE MIGHT NEED TO GO ALL-OUT OR CLOSE TO IT. WE'LL NEED SOME BIG POWER TO ACTUALLY CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE PRIMORDIAL LIFE FIBER; THE DAMN THING'S BIGGER THAN WE ARE, THOUGH NOT AS BIG AS THE 10-TAILS' FIRST FORM, THANKFULLY."

'Plus it doesn't have a gigantic mouth full of multiple rows of teeth like the 10-Tails did, either' Naruto's telepathic voice added. 'Thank goodness…'

'Don't jinx it' Ryūko replied. 'It might very well have that and just hasn't showed it yet.'

'Well,' Subaru chimed in, 'we've got three sets of jaws here. And, if we need any more heavy power, Tia and Sasuke-kun both have access to their Fourth-Form Susanō, and Satsuki-san… um… She and the Wolkenritter can keep Ragyō busy, I guess…'

"IT'S GETTING READY TO MOVE…" Fenris warned, the massive blue-&-silver-furred 7-tailed wolf glaring with fangs bared at the Primordial Life Fiber.

"WE'LL HAVE TO HIT IT HARD AND FAST" Senketsu said. "SPECIFICALLY, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DEAL DAMAGE QUICKER THAN IT CAN REGENERATE. THAT WON'T BE EASY."

(MUSIC: Naruto Shippūden Not-Officially-Released Track: "My Name" (animé version))

"HA! WHEN IS IT EVER?" Kurama replied. "COME ON, BOYS AND HOSTS! LET'S SHOW THIS OVERGROWN GOURD AND THE PSYCHO WHO WORSHIPS IT JUST WHAT THE SIX OF US CAN DO!"

The Primordial Life Fiber fired a massive wave of missiles at the three Tailed Beasts, but the trio leapt forward in different directions, scattering as they jumped clear of the missiles that now harmlessly impacted the water where they'd been a moment ago. As he sailed through the air, Kurama formed and fired a 'cannon-ball' of compressed air at the PLF, impacting with significant concussive and explosive force, blowing one of its large rear 'fins' completely off. Then, as he came down on it from above, Senketsu curled in and spun forward rapidly, becoming a black and red rotating blur that was rapidly shrouded in chakra-based flames, as he & Ryūko called out:

"KATON: KAENGURUMA!-!" {火遁・火炎車}

Basically using a stronger, fire-wreathed version of the 3-Tailed Turtle's attack, the rapidly-rotating fiery fox slammed down onto the Primordial Life Fiber's 'back' right beside the still-healing mark left by the Scarab cannon shot, grinding and burning into it. After a couple seconds he rebounded/'bounced' up and away, the transferred force from that doing further damage and revealing the sizable wound left behind. There was a cry of raw fury as Ragyō charged at the 6-Tails, consumed with rage at the harming of the Primordial Life Fiber, but she was intercepted and engaged by Teana, Sasuke, and Satsuki, the two Uchihas and the 'rogue' Kiryūin pushing her back despite her power and rage.

Fenris moved in from the PLF's left, lashing out with an electrified claw swipe that cut a few gashes along its side, the powerful Lightning-type chakra paralyzing the injured Life Fibers and slowing their self-repair. The 7-Tailed Wolf then leapt back, releasing a 'wave' of hundreds of Lightning Hounds, crashing into the entity's wounded side like electrical missiles. The Primordial Life Fiber loosed another missile barrage of its own, but Senketsu & Fenris leapt to the sides to dodge, and Kurama curled his tails forward to form a shield, blocking the blasts from causing any harm to him.

Sasuke fell back and circled around as Teana and Satsuki engaged Ragyō up close once more. With how much power the evil woman was putting out, and how hard, fast, and vicious her attacks were, only Teana & Sasuke's Sharingan and Satsuki's familiarity with her mother's style allowed the trio to keep up for the moment. Still, they were giving as good as they got; Ragyō constantly had at least one wound in the process of regenerating at every moment of the battle. She jumped back from a decapitating strike from Teana, only for a rising swing from Satsuki to split her open vertically. Even as the bleeding slit in her torso started closing itself, she lashed out with a kick that nearly broke one of Teana's ribs, only for the redhead to counter that with an uppercut to the jaw. Sasuke then made his attack from the rear side, cutting a gash across Ragyō's mid-back.

As it was struck by a concentrated shotgun-blast of fireballs from the 6-Tailed Fox, the Primordial Life Fiber fired another wave of missiles, but this time they were aimed at the Naked Sun. However, it had forgotten the presence of the heavy hitters protecting the ship, the strongest of which stepped up, injecting two mana cartridges into her sword-form Device which then glowed with charged Fire-type power.

"Karyū Issen!"

Signum swung her blade, and a wave of Fire magic shot out, impacting and setting off nearly all of the incoming missiles well away from the carrier. The few remaining were easily shot down by the others.

Fenris and Senketsu blasted the PLF with bolts of lightning and fire, blowing more holes in its hide. A fiery claw and a thunder-charged bite followed, tearing more deep gashes in the massive red-orange entity. Then, the PLF's surface abruptly seized, and multiple large spikes formed and shot out, trying to impale the two. Senketsu leapt back, landing a considerable distance away, while Fenris sidestepped and struck with an electrified triple tail-whip that stunned the monster. Then, Kurama leapt in, landing right in front of the Primordial Life Fiber and reaching out. He wrapped his arms around the bulbous front, digging his claws into it, and then braced himself, his feet glowing from how much water-walking chakra he was focusing into them to keep from slipping under the ocean surface. The nine-tailed fox spirit growled as he strained his chakra-enhanced muscles, and that turned into a roar as he actually lifted the giant thing into the air, flipping it over his shoulder judo-style and then slamming it down onto its 'back', making a tremendous splash. He followed this with a strike of two tail-tips charged with slicing Wind chakra, cutting a long and deep gouge into the stunned entity's side.

"IT'S TIME TO FINISH IT!" He shouted. "SENKETSU, RYŪKO, THIS ONE'S ALL YOU!"

Already shocked and angry from seeing the Primordial Life Fiber tossed around and brutalized like this, Ragyō turned her attention out to where the giant being that Senketsu had become was standing atop the ocean several hundred meters away… and she felt a flash of panic and horror as she saw how the massive fox had his head held up and jaws wide open, his six tails curled forward with the tips pointing to a spot above his head, and there countless large particles of black and white energy were rapidly converging into an increasingly huge dark-hued ball of power. The sphere abruptly compressed, becoming bright with energy, and then Ryūko & Senketsu's voices called out:

"BIJŪDAMA!-!-!"

The very large, brightly-glowing energy ball was fired forward with significant speed, straight at the downed Primordial Life Fiber. Kurama leapt clear with less than a full second to spare. Upon impact, there was a sparkle-flash of light, and a half-second later that erupted into an enormous explosion, completely engulfing the PLF. The light from the spherical blast was visible for hundreds of miles around, and the shockwaves stirred the sea into a tempest that tossed the Naked Sun about to an almost worrying degree even at its distance from the epicenter. Honnōji Academy, not too far away, shook as the ground and sea beneath and around it was affected.

When the smoke cleared, Ragyō trembled in horror. The Primordial Life Fiber had been blown to pieces, many of them scattered all over and beginning to sink, its largest portion – with its core now exposed, blown open, and having lost its light – having been blown clear over close to the shore, spread out amongst the partially-submerged ruins of an old building. From looking at the wreckage, it was clear this was not all or even most of the entity; a significant portion of the PLF was just gone, vaporized by the hit it had taken.

"This… This can't be happening…" Ragyō murmured. "This is impossible!"

"Having trouble comprehending what's right in front of you, Ragyō?" Ryūko's voice called out from Senketsu's position. "Well, we are pretty incomprehensible!"

After a few seconds, the evil woman snarled. "This isn't over…" she growled out. Then, she turned and flew away, off toward the academy as fast as she could go.

-Break-

The carrier Naked Sun, damaged but still functional, pulled up to the main dock of Honnōji Academy. After the Tailed Beast trio had reverted to human form, the combatants group had rested up a little, and were now prepared to storm the castle backed by hundreds of people – the former victims of the Covers, now resuscitated and donned in new Life-Fiber-based combat uniforms forged by Iori. Mako, Sakura, Satsuki's Elite Four, and the Wolkenritter would be toward the front, while the 'main' sextet – Naruto, Ryūko, Subaru, Teana, Sasuke, and Satsuki – led the charge. Even Aikurō and Tsumugu were joining in, piloting their 'DTR' mini-mechs.

Soon, the massive armored gates leading into the academy's huge central courtyard were busted down, and the heroes' army poured in. One corner of the courtyard was dominated by a large structure – the comm. tower. An even larger spire stood up from the far edge of the courtyard, overlooking the entire academy.

"So there's the tower" Teana remarked. "Now we've just got to-"

"The show's not over yet~!-!"

"…beat the Final Boss and her enforcer" the redhead finished.

A large hologram appeared from atop the command spire, overlooking the heroes, of a young girl in a frilly, poofy pink dress and her long blonde hair in two humongous curly pigtails with a big heart-shaped pink bow in her hair. She had a pair of artificial arms, black with blue lines running along them. Her left eye was covered by a purple eyepatch in the shape of the katakana 'Nu', and her remaining blue eye was slightly bloodshot with the iris shrunken in, giving her an unstable look that was only exacerbated by the mouth full of fang-like teeth beneath.

"Harime Nui" Ryūko remarked. "Damn, she has snapped."

"Those Kamui and those Goku Uniforms… With all that, you were just the opening act! The headline act is the ultimately chic and elegant fashion show put on by the ultimate Grant Couturier and her ultimate model! WELCOME TO THE RUNWAY OF DEATH!-!"

As the hologram faded, the main spire split into two halves, opening up to allow something to slowly float up and out. That something was Ragyō, but now she was clad in an elaborate red-lined white hooded robe that released a rainbow light from within the wide-open sleeves and the hood around her head. Nui knelt at her side, while the 'combat secretary' Rei Hououmaru – a petite dark-skinned woman in a white suit – calmly stood nearby.

"This world belongs to Life Fibers" she announced. "You cannot stop the Star-seed Cocoon Sphere plan!"

"We will!" Satsuki replied. "Kiryūin blood flows in our veins, and for that very reason, we will alter that fate!"

"We've already killed the Primordial Life Fiber" Ryūko added. "Quit being a sore loser!"

"Careful, girls" Sasuke warned them. "Her power level's jumped significantly. This won't be as easy as the first fight against her."

"The boy speaks wisdom" Ragyō said with a wicked grin. "Behold! The ultimate Kamui! Shinra Kōketsu!-!"

"Time for the finishing touches…" Nui remarked, looking to the side at Hououmaru.

"Right…" the woman replied, sounding a slight bit nervous.

Numerous bright red threads – Life Fibers – shot out from Ragyō's 'outfit' and ensnared her, lifting her up and pulling her close. The red and white cloth of the Shinra Kōketsu seemed to open up, enveloping Hououmaru and pulling her inside; soon, she was completely consumed, hidden from sight.

"Now…" Ragyō hissed as her already-high power level climbed even further. "You shall know true fear! Absolute Domination!-!"

A pair of large, multicolored eyes sprang out above & behind Ragyō like the eyespots of a butterfly's wings, with several more, 'smaller' ones appearing beneath to complete the image. A brilliant light shone forth from a point just in front of her chest.

"What was that supposed to do?" Teana asked.

Ragyō chuckled. "Look around."

She did, and gasped as she saw that with the exception of herself, Sasuke, Naruto, Subaru, the Wolkenritter, and Ryūko, everyone was frozen in place. Even Satsuki could barely move, Junketsu feeling like it was anchored to its current position.

"Shinra Kōketsu rules over all Life Fibers," Ragyō explained, "paralyzing anything made from them. With your army paralyzed, and Nui at my side, you cannot defeat me with the boost in power this has given me."

"We'll see about that, bitch" Naruto replied.

"You're not gonna kill them all?" Nui asked her 'mother'.

Ragyō shook her head. "A few of the problematic ones, yes. But the rest will make excellent sustenance for the Primordial Life Fiber."

As if on cue, far below at the base of the academy island, the battered remains of the PLF suddenly regained their glow. The entity transitioned into a liquid-like state, and flowed up the spiral path surrounding the academy with significant speed. Reaching the courtyard level near the top, the red flood flowed up and around the energy barrier surrounding the comm. tower, taking a semi-solid form (and a somewhat phallic shape) around it.

"Soon," she continued, "it shall consume you all and return to its full glory!"

"Not if we burn it to ashes first" Signum replied as she, Vita, and Sakura moved up amongst the main sextet.

'You really think we can pull this off?' Teana telepathically asked the Wolkenritter leader.

'To be honest, I'm not sure' Signum replied. 'In her current state, she is considerably powerful even by our standards.'

'Yeah,' Naruto added, 'she's at least as strong as Pain was, if not more.'

'Plus, she's paralyzed nearly all of our allies' Subaru said. 'Without all their help, this is gonna be even harder.'

"Trying to think of a way to stand against me?" Ragyō gloated. "Foolish children! With the amount of power I now bear, nothing you have short of your 'Tailed Beasts' could stand against me, and now that I know the threat they pose, we won't be giving you the time you need to transform into them! And so long as Shinra Kōketsu's Absolute Domination field is in effect, fueled by Hououmaru's presence within it and me, none of your soldiers clad in Life Fibers can move against me!"

"Well then, it's a good thing I've come along."

Startled by the sudden new male voice behind her, Ragyō then gasped as a spectral green hand punched into the back of her 'almighty' Kamui. After a couple seconds, the skeletal appendage pulled out a now-nude Rei Hououmaru, and its owner then wrapped her in multiple bright green Bind spells to keep her out of the fight (and cover her modesty; he was a gentleman, after all). The 'Absolute Domination' field cut out, and Satsuki found herself free to move, along with all the other Life-Fiber-uniform clad members of the heroes' army.

"Who… Who dares?-!" Ragyō snarled.

The perpetrator stepped out from behind her, his mismatched eyes looking up at her.

"Naruto, Sasuke, & Sakura's sensei," he introduced himself, "the Man of 1,000 Jutsu…"

"Hatake-san!" Subaru called out.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted with a grin.

"Yo!" he gave a cheerful wave to the group.

Nui tried to take a swing at Kakashi, but with a blur of motion he flash-stepped down over to the main group.

"When I used Kamui (神威) to send away the blast that Scarab fired at me," he said, "I sensed as it was promptly ejected back out by Teana in this Realm. So, I came to investigate."

"Glad you did" Sakura replied. "We could use all the help we can get here, sensei."

"So I see…" his expression turned serious as he looked up at Ragyō.

"More and more of them…" the evil woman hissed quietly in anger. "They just keep coming out of the woodwork like cockroaches…"

"We'll squash them all, Ragyō-sama" Nui replied with a wicked grin, shapeshifting her Life-Fiber arms into blades.

"So…" Teana said. "We've got three high-priority targets: Kiryūin Ragyō, Harime Nui, and the comm. tower which is protected by a barrier and what's left of the Primordial Life Fiber."

"Hey, can I deal the finishing blow to the tower?" Subaru asked. "There's a phrase I saw in a movie a little while ago that I've been waiting for a chance to use in real life!"

"Let's focus on the threats that can actually hit back first, dear."

"Even with your army freed," Ragyō said, "with the power granted by this divine garment, I cannot be beaten by mere humans! Now, on this epic stage, let us commence the final act before the curtain is dropped on humanity! Of course… I believe the cast could use a little expansion…"

She snapped her fingers, and hundreds of shapes began to bulge out from the Primordial Life Fiber. They pulled free, taking form as hundreds of vaguely humanoid constructs of 2 to 4 meters in size, many of them 'armed' with blades, clubs/maces, or whips that extended from their upper limbs. They squared off with the heroes' army, with some of the bigger ones turning their attention to the main hero group. In response, everyone readied their weapons, with Kakashi pulling out a scroll and summoning a weapon he'd kept from the Fourth Shinobi Great War: Kubikiri Bōchō, the massive greatsword once wielded by Momochi Zabuza.

"Alright, then" Sasuke said. "It's time to cut these red threads of fate."

The army of 1- and 2-Star students let out a collective war cry as they charged at the matching army of Life-Fiber constructs, led into the battle by Mako, Zafira, and the Elite Four. Ryūko was about to join them, but she had to suddenly turn and block a strike from Nui's arm blades, the unhinged blonde cackling with eye wide and fangs bared as she unleashed a furious flurry of blows.

As fighting broke out all over the courtyard, Satsuki, Signum, Teana, and the quartet of Team 7 flew up to engage Ragyō, while Subaru and Vita moved to take on the 'king-size' constructs charging toward them. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Satsuki channeled Lightning-type chakra through their blades, while Signum wreathed her Laevantein in flames and Teana channeled a little extra power into her Mirage Longswords. The six smaller floating portions behind Ragyō and beneath Shinra Kōketsu's eyes shape-shifted into spearing blades and lashed out, striking with such strength that even Kakashi was forced back a little when he blocked. Satsuki and Teana struck with ferocious speed, a barrage of four blades, but the six appendages still managed to just barely move fast enough to block or parry their blows.

Ragyō then floated backward a few feet to dodge a heel drop from Sakura, letting the blow hit the tower top she'd been hovering over, and her eyes widened as the tower beneath her fractured and warped nearly all the way down; she knew now that, even with the Shinra Kōketsu, taking a blow from the pink-haired girl would cause quite some damage to her. Acknowledging that threat, she made to get rid of it, lashing out with two spear-blades at Sakura; however, Signum blocked the hits and countered with a burning slash of her sword, batting the attacking appendages away and leaving smoldering cuts along them.

Naruto and two Shadow Clones moved in next, each of the three wielding a Rasengan. They slammed the spiraling spheres of chakra into three of the extra appendages, damaging them and knocking them back. With the two 'wounded' by Signum, this left only one in any position to do anything at the moment. That lone appendage was maneuvered around by Teana, who landed a deep slash of her superheated blade across Ragyō's chest. As she tried to regenerate from that, Kakashi formed a Shadow Clone, and the three of Team 7 joined their sensei and his duplicate in hovering over Ragyō, forming a circle around & over her as they formed hand-seals and readied elemental chakra:

Sasuke: "Katon!"

Naruto: "Fūton!"

Kakashi's clone: "Suiton!"

Sakura: "Doton!"

Kakashi: "Raiton!"

All: "Godai Rendan!-!" {五大連弾} {Five-Elements Combo}

Chakra-based 'blasts' of Fire, Wind, Water, Stone, and Lightning converged on Ragyō from all sides at once, an explosion engulfing her as they reacted with each other. After a few seconds, however, her Shinra Kōketsu appendages lashed out from within the smoke, smacking everyone away and dispelling Kakashi's and Naruto's Shadow Clones. The whole group descended down to avoid further retaliation, as the smoke cleared to show Ragyō almost done regenerating. Looking around, the heroes could see that the battle wasn't going as well as they'd hoped; the Life-Fiber constructs were tougher than expected, and though the big-name hero units weren't doing too badly, the bulk of the good-guy army was on the defensive, with multiple wounded. Ryūko, Subaru, and Vita returned to the group, the former having failed to overcome Nui's defenses in the face of her furious assault; the unstable blonde in question hung back, watching and waiting. Zafira and Mako came in as well.

"We're not doing so well…" the wolf-man murmured.

"We need a game-changer," Satsuki said, "perhaps something to boost our powers…"

"…I think I've got just the thing" Naruto replied. "Stage Two…"

Naruto was enveloped in a flame-like golden aura that contoured to his body, entering the form he'd used earlier, and then it progressed further – the chakra shroud parted down the middle and extended into a form of longcoat or haori, revealing a black undergarment with a golden circle on the stomach inside another circle that had a thin gold line running straight up the center of his chest; three magatama on each side of the now-open high collar; and the various swirl patterns becoming complete black circles. Upon seeing this, Subaru and Ryūko looked to each other and nodded, and then assumed their own Stage-2 Chakra Shrouds in blue and red, respectively.

"What?" Kakashi's eyes widened as he looked at Ryūko. "Another Tailed Beast?"

"We'll explain later, sensei" Naruto replied.

Naruto then held out a hand toward Sasuke, and the Uchiha smirked as he bumped fists with him. A wavering aura of golden chakra formed around Sasuke's body, complete with a tail extending up from the lower back. Ryūko grasped Satsuki and Mako's hands, and the two girls gasped as crimson chakra enveloped them, protecting and supercharging them. Subaru chose to embrace Teana from behind, and the redhead let out a soft breath from the combination of her girlfriend's warmth and the equally comforting warmth of the blue Tailed Beast chakra cloak that formed around her from the touch.

The trio then split up, moving with incredible speed, as they moved through the crowd, dodging too-slow swings of the Life-Fiber constructs' weapons and making physical contact with all the good-guy army's units. From Ragyō's perch atop the tower, she scowled as she looked down at the courtyard below, as what looked like hundreds of gold, red, and blue flames flickered to life to light up the night, each and every person being given a chakra cloak.

At Ryūko's hand signal, everyone attacked; the empowered army roared out as they engaged the Life-Fiber constructs with renewed vigor and boosted strength & durability, while Satsuki, Kakashi (clad in a gold chakra-cloak), Signum (in a blue cloak), and Naruto flew up to engage Ragyō, Ryūko's fight with Nui began its second round, and the rest picked targets amongst the enemy horde.

Kakashi swung his massive blade, releasing a slicing wave of gold-tinted lightning that almost completely cut through the spear-blade appendage Ragyō used to block it. A blast of bright-blue flames from Signum followed, burning another appendage and slowing its regeneration, followed by a big golden fist of chakra extending from Naruto's arm and socking Ragyō in the face. Finally, Satsuki moved in, and with twin flashes of blue lightning her dual blades cut through one of the appendages simultaneously, completely severing the Life Fibers so that it couldn't regenerate. Now down to five extra limbs, Ragyō grunted as she released a directed shockwave of power that knocked them back through the air, but they quickly regained control and dove right back in.

"Katon: Gōka Messhitsu!"

Sasuke breathed out a tightly focused intense burst of flame, vaporizing a handful of constructs and more importantly enveloping the bottom section of the Primordial Life Fiber still wrapped around the transmitter tower. Wounded and badly burned, the living Life-Fiber entity recoiled, exposing part of the barrier that protected the tower beneath. Higher up, Gamagoori – covered in a red chakra cloak – leapt off of the raised platform he'd been luring the constructs to their deaths at and focused his Goku Uniform's power. The armor opened on the front, revealing a stylized face that then fired a face-shaped energy blast at the middle area of the covered tower; the blast, supercharged by the 6-Tails' chakra, blew a sizable hole in the Primordial Life Fiber. Finally, Signum turned and noticed the opening, and as Naruto and Satsuki kept Ragyō busy, she switched her Device to bow form and fired a Sturmfalke, the supersonic fire arrow blasting the top of the Primordial Life Fiber. All this damage forced the PLF to retreat downward and away, revealing the tower's barrier.

"Gigant Crusher!"

Vita's cry heralded the forming of a gigantic red & gold hammer as Graf Eisen assumed its largest form. She swung as hard as she could, and the massive hammer impacted the purple-hued barrier, which cracked and then shattered, exposing the tower. Finally, Subaru – hovering over the battlefield – dove down toward the tower, her right fist pulled back as a full-power, 7-Tails-enhanced Vibration Shatter was prepared.

"You're so proud of this tower, Ragyō?-! Well, guess what: I'm gonna wreck it!-!"

The strike blew a sizable hole in the top of the tower, and the transferred vibration energy triggered a resonance cascade, the entire tower being violently shaken apart with such force that it failed catastrophically, explosions chaining down it as it was thoroughly destroyed.

Nui Harime snarled as she was pushed back. With the vast increase in strength, speed, and durability that Ryūko's Stage-2 Chakra Shroud granted her, the other girl was using her Scissor Blades to match Nui blow for blow nigh-effortlessly, as well as striking with such force that Nui's guard was nearly broken, her Life-Fiber arms bearing damage that they were taking faster than they could regenerate. With a final cry of fury, she charged at Ryūko, arm-blades formed and ready to chop her head off. Ryūko answered with a silent glare as she charged as well, the two combatants closing at great speed.

As they passed, there was a flash of movement and the sound of a strike. Both fighters were leaned forward, blades held out after their strikes. For a few seconds, neither moved. Then, a pair of shallow cuts formed on Ryūko's stomach area, quickly being regenerated shut. A second later, Nui – her lone eye wide with shocked horror – coughed out a burst of blood. When Ryūko slashed her Scissor Blades across and through Nui's chest from both sides at a slight X-angle, the parts that only one blade had cut at a time had automatically regenerated within a second… But her heart had been cut through by both blades simultaneously, completely severing the Life Fibers woven into it and nullifying all regeneration. Nui collapsed forward, landing on her front and face, and blackness claimed her.

"That…" Ryūko said lowly "was for my father…"

Looking down at the courtyard, Ragyō stared in mute disbelieving horror. The Primordial Life Fiber had been driven back, the transmitter tower had been destroyed, and Nui… Her little girl Nui was dead. Shock gradually gave way to a deep, pitch-black rage and fury, her teeth clenching so hard that they would have cracked had they not been interwoven with Life Fibers as a positively demonic look of rage formed on her face.

Down below, nearly the entirety of the Life-Fiber constructs had been wiped out, with a handful of volunteers mopping the remainder up. The 'main' hero group gathered near the center, looking up at their last remaining foe.

"And now, she's angrier than ever…" Sakura sighed.

"And probably stronger than ever as a result" Satsuki added. "Plus, everything we hit her with, she regenerates. We need something that can deal a decisive blow, something that can put her down for the count. But she won't let any of our Tailed Beasts take form…"

"…I've got another idea" Naruto announced. "I know how we can finish her." He grinned. "I'm gonna hit her with one of my greatest and most powerful techniques – one that even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya trembled before!"

With a muted flash, he dispelled his chakra cloak, returning to his normal state. He held out his fists to Subaru and Ryūko, and the girls stepped up and bumped fists with him, their own chakra shrouds dispelling as well. After several seconds, they broke apart.

"You really think this'll work?" Ryūko asked.

"I'm sure of it" Naruto replied.

"No matter if it does or not," Subaru said, "it'll sure be a spectacle, that's for sure…"

Ryūko nodded, and she felt as Naruto gave her a pat on the back of her left shoulder. He then took to the air, flying up to Ragyō's level and then firing a wave of Ki/chakra blasts at her. She crossed her arms in front, withstanding them, but as the smoke cleared she saw Naruto flying straight at her with considerable speed.

"Get ready!" he shouted as he closed in. "For one of my mightiest and most infamous techniques, a technique that made even a dark goddess stop in her tracks!"

Ragyō, feeling a flash of panic, fired a few energy blasts and shockwaves at him, but Naruto rolled and dove around them. He got in close, practically right in her face, grinning as he savored the look of shock on her, and then slowly, purposefully, crossed his fingers before him:

"REVERSE HAREM JUTSU!-!"

There was a sizable burst of smoke, and then Ragyō was face to face with… an array of about a dozen young men smiling at her, all of them nude and uncommonly handsome.

"…What?" Satsuki squeaked out with 'blank white eyes' and a bright red blush.

"Ooooooh~" Mako stared up, a light nosebleed forming.

"Oy…" Kakashi palmed his face.

"Again?-!" Sakura screeched, a nosebleed forming.

Utterly flummoxed and stunned by the rather 'interesting' show before her, Ragyō was frozen with a thoroughly shocked (and slightly interested) expression on her face. Then, with no warning, the 'reverse harem' vanished in another burst of smoke, and Naruto came soaring out and struck her with his fist wreathed in not chakra, but Wind-type magic:

"Vetus-style: Gale Bind!"

Multiple Binds of Wind-type magic sprang up around Ragyō, anchoring her in place. It took her a few seconds to 'reboot', during which Naruto flash-stepped down and away, vanishing from her sight.

"It… It worked again…" Sakura said in a thoroughly disbelieving, almost-trembling voice. "All of Naruto's fancy and powerful techniques, all his tricks… and that jutsu is the one with the best success ratio in combat…"

Nearby, Subaru was swinging Ryūko around, building momentum, and then with a shout she hurled the other girl up toward Ragyō with significant velocity. As she rapidly closed in, Ryūko drew her Scissor Blades, readying to strike. However, just before she reached her target, Ragyō finally broke free of the Binds, and then she just barely managed to move to the side, Ryūko's body shooting past her, missing by less than a meter. For everyone watching, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion: Ragyō slowly regaining her confident smirk, Ryūko moving out of range, having missed her target…

*WHOOSH*

(MUSIC: Naruto Shippūden – unreleased track – generally found on YouTube under "Minato vs. Tobi")

In a gold-hued flash and blur of motion, a hand appeared touching a spot on the back of Ryūko's left shoulder. The hand and arm instantly moved down Ryūko's left arm and was gripped by her own hand. Ragyō's eyes began to widen as she suddenly noticed a strange, keening whirring sound appear behind her, accompanied by a shining bluish-white light. Using Senketsu to stabilize herself, and harnessing her momentum, Ryūko swung herself and Naruto around 180 degrees, and the force from that spin was added to Naruto's Fūton: Rasenshuriken from his other hand as he let it fly.

There was no way Ragyō could have dodged in time. The Rasenshuriken slammed into her back, grinding and shredding into her Shinra Kōketsu as it propelled her forward several meters. With a thunderous boom it 'detonated', and Ragyō was now at the epicenter of a massive swirling sphere of energy.

"What just happened?" Sakura gasped, staring in shock.

Sasuke, his Sharingan active, widened his eyes as he saw the airborne duo. "On Matoi-san's left shoulder! There's a seal!"

"I see it too…" Kakashi murmured, shock evident in his tone. "It can't be… That's…"

"What's that technique he hit her with?" Mako asked.

"Fūton: Rasenshuriken" Subaru replied. "It's an extremely powerful Wind-type technique that Naruto-kun created. The target is trapped in a vortex of billions of microscopic blades of Wind chakra, piercing and slicing them on a cellular level. Tia can do it too, and so can a boy named Negi who didn't come with us for this mission."

"That sort of damage…" Satsuki murmured. "There's no way she'll be able to regenerate from that."

"But… How did Naruto-kun get himself up there so fast?" Subaru wondered. "I didn't even see him move…"

"It's a very rare technique" Kakashi said, still a little shocked. "Rather than moving in a burst of super speed, the user actually teleports. The caster can 'jump' to anything – or anyone – bearing a special seal of their own making… and they can place that seal on anything or anyone just by touching their palm to it."

"The pat on the back of Ryūko-san's shoulder…" Teana murmured in realization.

"The mark never goes away, even after the user's death" Kakashi continued. "With training to enhance the user's reaction time, they can use this technique to take out entire armies with enough strategically-placed seals. It is called…"

"The 'flash' of the Yellow Flash," Naruto spoke aloud as he and Ryūko made for a landing on a raised platform ahead, "the technique that made my father famous… That is…" A double landing in a dramatic pose, lit from behind by the sphere of swirling chakra. "Hiraishin!-!"

BIG RED LETTERS ON SCREEN, KILL-LA-KILL STYLE: 飛雷神!

The sphere of destruction created by the Rasenshuriken dispelled with an explosive burst of light and concussive force, leaving a ravaged figure to plummet down from where it had been.

(MUSIC END)

Ragyō Kiryūin hit the spire platform with a thud. The countless tiny energy blades of the Rasenshuriken had nearly-completely shredded Shinra Kōketsu, leaving the once-majestic entity as a dulled, tattered remnant of its former glory, and the nature of the damage meant it couldn't regenerate. Ragyō's body hadn't fared much better, with multiple sizable holes and gouges carved out and a fair bit of internal damage. She coughed weakly, blood spattering out.

"N… Not… through… yet…" she gasped out, gritting her teeth as she slowly raised a trembling, torn-up hand, and snapped her fingers.

The damaged Primordial Life Fiber, having been 'huddled' in a corner of the courtyard regenerating what wounds it could, suddenly sprang to life, taking a semi-solid form. It coiled up around the spire until it reached the top, rearing up and then diving down onto – and into – Ragyō's badly damaged body. Everyone watched in shock as the PLF merged with Ragyō, disappearing and becoming energy and power as it flowed into her, producing an evil red light around her.

Soon the last of the Primordial Life Fiber had vanished from sight, merged into its new host. The red light faded, and after a few seconds there was soft, wicked laughter.

"Nice try, Uzumaki, Ryūko…"

A white-&-red-clad figure rose to her feet. Ragyō's wounds had been repaired, as had been the damage to Shinra Kōketsu. What's more, she had undergone another transformation. The chest portion of the Kamui had become more form-fitting, like a corset, the hood had fallen back, and Ragyō's hair was now in the shape of a pair of horns. She grinned evilly, displaying a mouth full of unnaturally sharp fangs, and then she shot upwards at a speed well above that of sound, soaring upwards into space faster than the heroes could fire at her. Quickly reaching the REVOCS prime satellite, Ragyō made contact with it, and the four panels of it – stylized to resemble lips – glowed and shimmered with rainbow light, as did her outfit.

"Shinra Kōketsu: Absolute Domination!-!"

Sensing what was coming, Sasuke immediately formed a Stage-3 Susanō and used its arms to pull Satsuki and Mako – the only Life-Fiber-clad people close enough to grab in time – close and into the spectral construct. From the satellite, the signal raced out at relativistic speed, rapidly engulfing the entire planet. Around the world, every person wearing clothing that had any Life Fibers in it at all – which was to say nearly the entire global population, thanks to the REVOCS Corporation's monopoly – was suddenly ensnared in a crimson cocoon of Life Fibers. Every one of them rose high into the sky, and when they all reached the same altitude they extended outward, linking with each other to form a gigantic red 'net' of Life Fibers that covered the entire planet.

Down below, once the signal's wave had passed, the purple spectral summon vanished.

"W… What happened?" Mako looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"They're gone" Satsuki replied. "Ragyō's plan worked. You and I are the only ones not affected. Everyone else is up there…"

"Quick thinking, Sasuke" Kakashi said.

"Well," the youth replied, "it worked against Mugen Tsukuyomi…"

"Now what do we do?" Ryūko asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto replied. "We go up there and kick her ass again!"

"How?" Teana asked. "She's stronger than ever!"

"DON'T BE SO PESSIMISTIC" Kurama's voice echoed out. "IF WE GO ALL-OUT, WE CAN DO THIS."

"RIGHT" Senketsu replied. "I DON'T PLAN ON JUST LAYING DOWN AND DYING."

"…And I'm not gonna do that either" Ryūko said, gathering her courage. "If we combine strengths, then perhaps…"

Kakashi nodded. "Naruto, Sasuke, Teana, Subaru, Ryūko, Satsuki… I believe it's time you six brought this to a close. But first… Satsuki-san, come here for a moment."

The tall girl complied, walking up to the Copy Ninja. Kakashi made a sequence of complicated hand-seals, and then reached out and laid his hand against her forehead, as his Mangekyō Sharingan flashed. Satsuki gasped as she felt foreign power enter her, being stored, ready and waiting, within her body.

"I've studied the 'transcription seal' that the Uchiha Clan used," he told her, "and made an alteration to it. …You should now have a single-use Susanō at your disposal. …Don't worry; I haven't actually given up my ability to form it, though I am now pretty much out of usable chakra because I did this."

After a couple seconds, Satsuki nodded in thanks, and then moved over to the other five.

"Wish us luck" Subaru told the others, as she, Teana, Satsuki, Ryūko, Sasuke, and Naruto took off, soaring upwards.

Higher and higher they went through the night sky. Soon, as the air thinned and the red Life-Fiber web became more visible, Naruto, Subaru, and Ryūko erupted in chakra as they ascended. At the same time, Sasuke, Teana, and Satsuki activated their own abilities, their chakra surging, growing, and taking form alongside the other three…

"Beautiful…" Ragyō murmured as she looked out at the Life-Fiber cocoon enshrouding the planet below her. "Truly, this is divine perfection… Huh?"

Suddenly, three massive shapes burst free from beneath the 'star-seed cocoon', taking position atop it and glaring up at her. Kurama, the 9-Tailed Fox, was clad in ornate purple-hued armor of solid-form chakra, plates of armor covering his tails, a plated sword of solidified violet chakra grasped in his right hand, and a helmet that revealed his glowing red eyes and fanged mouth, along with a gem of sorts on his forehead that held Sasuke Uchiha and a transparent image of Naruto Uzumaki. On his left, the 7-Tailed Wolf Fenris was clad in similar armor that was a reddish-orange color, a straight sword of bright orange chakra gripped in his left hand and spikes at the end of his armored tails, with the jewel in the center of his helmet carrying Teana and a spectral Subaru. Lastly, Senketsu the new 6-Tailed Fox was clad in samurai-esque green chakra armor, two blades wielded in his forelimbs, and with a helmet with a forehead gem containing Satsuki – who had the pinwheel-like pattern of Kakashi's Mangekyō superimposed over her normal eyes – and a transparent image of Ryūko. Finally, all three had large, armor-plated wings on their backs that seemed to be part of their armor.

(MUSIC: Kill la Kill OST Volume 2 – "Gekiban Tokka-gata Hitotsuboshi Gokuseifuku" {劇伴特化型1 極 服}) (0:30 onward)

"You…" Ragyō snarled. "You people just don't know when to quit! You've lost already! This world is now food for the Life Fibers!"

"Not yet it isn't" Sasuke replied. "I'm betting there's still plenty of time to break the people out before that becomes unavoidable."

"But first," Subaru said, "we have to go through you."

"Which is just fine with us!" Naruto chimed in.

"IT'S TIME TO BRING THIS TO A CONCLUSION" Fenris said.

"…I couldn't agree more" Ragyō replied.

She pointed her palm at them, and a sizable blast of crimson power raced out. However, Senketsu swung one of his blades, batting the blast away to soar out into deep space harmlessly. Ragyō failed to hold back a slight gasp.

"YOU CANNOT MATCH US NOW" Senketsu told her.

"For all the horrible things you have done," Satsuki said, "it is finally time for you to get what you deserve."

"For what you've done to me," Ryūko said, "to my sister, to our father, to my friends… I… We are ending this now!"

(DON'T LOSE YOUR WAAAAY!)

The three Susanō-armored Tailed Beasts took flight, going different directions. From Ragyō's right, Fenris fired a half-dozen Yasaka Magatama at her, the spiraling orange projectiles spiraling through space at significant speed. Ragyō fired red blasts of energy to intercept them, but then looked up and noticed Kurama overhead, wielding a giant bow with a chakra arrow ready to launch. He fired, and though Ragyō raised a strong defensive barrier, the chakra arrow penetrated partially through it and then detonated, the force of the blast harming her and blowing her back.

Senketsu attacked next, breathing out a barrage of proportionately-small (yet still quite huge) fireballs. Ragyō released a directed shockwave to blow out the flames… revealing the giant Mangekyō-shaped shuriken that had been hidden inside them. She took evasive maneuvers to avoid them, and one managed to cut a glancing blow that left a sizable gash in her and Shinra Kōketsu's left side. Before she could recover from that, Fenris drew power up from a thunderstorm over the ocean below, the electrical energy passing through an uninhabited portion of the Life-Fiber planet-covering net and up to him. At the 7-Tailed Wolf's mental command, it coalesced into a large dragon made of lightning, and with a twitch of his tails the Raiton: Kirin lanced out, striking Ragyō with the combined power of Tailed Beast chakra and dozens of lightning bolts' worth of electrical energy simultaneously.

While still smoldering and regenerating from the considerable damage, Ragyō formed an extra-large pair of ultra-dense Life Fiber blades and flew at Senketsu. However, Kurama intercepted her, the chakra-armored fox swinging his massive plated sword. She brought her blades up to block the strike, but after a few seconds the ultra-hardened Life Fiber constructs cracked and then shattered, and the continuing slash nearly-completely bifurcated Ragyō while sending her flying. Before she'd stopped, a tail strike from Fenris sent her flying in a different direction, right into a heavy punch from Senketsu that rocketed her up and away from the Earth.

Ragyō regained control of her 'flight', and cried out in fury as she began charging the biggest, brightest energy blast she could muster. In response, the three Tailed Beasts gathered together, holding their heads and tails high, and began forming a triple-strength extra-large Tailed Beast Ball. Ragyō let out a full-blown evil laugh as she managed to fire first, launching a bright red blast of energy down at the trio.

…And just before it could hit, the Triple Bijūdama was fired. The much larger, much brighter blast of compressed energy struggled against the incoming blast for only a second before overcoming and consuming it, soaring up toward Ragyō with great speed. The woman barely had time to register an expression of shock before it struck her head-on. The resulting explosion was easily the size of a large city, matching the blast from a 10-Tails' attack in size and lighting up nearly the entirety of Earth's night side like a second sun. Ragyō Kiryūin didn't even have time to scream before she was completely obliterated.

As the flash faded, it revealed a red hazy energy spread out over the area. Recognizing the 'essence' of the now-destroyed Primordial Life Fiber, Ryūko & Senketsu extended their 'presence' and willed it to come close, coalescing into a glowing sphere of power held between Senketsu's hands/paws/claws. He looked over at the REVOCS satellite.

"What should we do?" Ryūko's transparent specter asked from her perch atop Senketsu's head. "All we need to do is use this energy to send a reverse signal through the satellite – destroy all the Life Fibers. But… Ragyō said these things came to Earth from somewhere else. That means there are most likely a lot more out there in the cosmos. If they ever come here, and all the Life Fibers have been destroyed, there'll be no Kamui or Goku Uniforms for us to fight them with. We'll be defenseless… So, in that case… there's only one thing we can do!"

They flew over to the satellite, and the combined power of the PLF and Senketsu's chakra flowed into it, making it glow with power. At Ryūko's mental command, a massive pulse of rainbow energy surged out, engulfing the planet and the surrounding space. Satsuki gasped as her entire body tingled as it was altered inside and out, while the black sclera of Junketsu's eyespots turned white; below them, Mako was affected the same way.

Mako did not notice the unnaturally tall figure crouched over Nui Harime's cooling body across the courtyard…

The Life-Fiber net enshrouding the planet came apart, people being returned safely down to the surface where they'd been. When the light faded, Ryūko's specter was seen panting for breath.

"There…" she said. "Now we won't have to worry…"

"What… did you do?" Teana asked.

She grinned. "I'm living proof that Life Fibers and humans can coexist symbiotically if the former is 'configured' the right way. I just did that. The only way I could think of to make it so we could stand against the rest of the galaxy's Life Fibers if they ever come here… was to make everyone like me – hybrids. I stripped all of Earth's Life Fibers of their parasitic instinct and malevolence, and turned them all into symbiotes just like the ones woven through my body. Everyone is… like me now… Well, you four from the other Realms aren't because you aren't wearing any Life-Fiber clothing, but…"

"I'm not sure how this will go over with everyone," Satsuki said as she looked at herself, knowing that symbiotic Life Fibers were now a part of her body, "but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now… let's go home."

The three armored Tailed Beasts began their flight back down to Honnōji Academy, leaving the last of the Primordial Life Fiber's energy to dissipate into nothingness.

-SCENE BREAK-

The sun rose on Honnōji Academy. While they had yet to see how the rest of the world was doing with it, the people here at least had come to accept their new states. Right now, Ryūko and Satsuki had joined Mako and her family for breakfast; the former was eating quite a bit to restock after all the energy she expended in last night's battles, and she could 'feel' Senketsu sleeping within her. Not too far away, the DDF quartet was standing together, looking out over the courtyard.

"So," Sasuke said, "what's next?"

"Well," Teana replied, "either today or tomorrow, Reisen-san is finally going to return to her Realm; she feels she's ready to 'settle the score' with that Yagokoro woman. Some of us will be coming along to spectate and make sure things don't get too out of hand. Also, we've received word that activity from Amon's agents has been sighted, so we'll be heading to investigate."

"Before we do that," Naruto said, "let's have breakfast. I'm starving…"

The others spoke or nodded in agreement, as the quartet moved down to join the jovial atmosphere of the people below.

-BOOK 29 END-

And there's the end of another Book. Next up will be an original storyline that will see the culmination of a few plot threads, and due to the multitude of characters and concepts and whatnot involved, and the fact you can only mark a Crossover fic with two source series even if it's composed of a half-dozen, I'll be putting it in the regular "Lyrical Nanoha" section.

Next time – Teana's Travels Book 30: Foes Old & New