Disclaimer: Don't own the Naruto franchise, nor any of it's characters.

Rating: T

Enjoy ;)

That had to be one of the most disgusting things ever- Hinata wished she could scrub that sight out of her head. As it was, she immediately knew they were in even-bigger trouble; absorbing Kinshiki had given Momoshiki the sum of his chakra, and it'd been formidable as a single entity, even now ready to heal any damage he received. If they'd known this beforehand, they probably would've killed one or the other to prevent this from happening... but now there's no choice. Momoshiki had become super-empowered, his Byakugan activated by his power boost - no bulging veins, for some reason - and the only ones capable of surviving a battle against him had to be supernaturally fast, strong, and insanely durable, all on or near the level of Six Paths.

So when Naruto and Sasuke stepped forward, none of the other Kage tried to follow.

Hinata took in a breath, stepping forward as well- she passed by Boruto, who almost made as if to ask what she's doing. She merely shook her head, smiling - she didn't know that she'd escape the coming fight completely unscratched, but she could handle this, and projected that same confidence to her son. In addition, she directed a glance at Gaara, gesturing a bit to Boruto- he showed his understanding with a nod, knowing he and the other Kage would do everything to protect him. Herself, Naruto, and Sasuke would do everything they could too, but that'd be a weight off her chest, as she knew it would be to her husband - but she could still feel Boruto's gaze on her even without the Tenseigan.

Soon she was walking behind Naruto and Sasuke, just in-between as well.

The latter went 'Hmph', undoing his cloak with his prosthetic left arm. "It's like I'm looking at the old me" he said, almost rueful.

"Seriously" Naruto breathed in mild agreement - his form lit up via his Six Paths Sage Mode as they stopped.

Taking a breath, Hinata held her fingers together. "But it doesn't matter what he throws at us" she said, before in an instant, she was clad in the warm cyan-colored Tenseigan Chakra Mode - mentally, she knew this opponent had to be shown no mercy.

"Hinata, Sasuke" Naruto breathed, clasping his fists together. "Let's kick his butt!"

"Right!"

In an instant, the three of them and Momoshiki moved - the shock-wave disturbed the entire trunk of the God Tree, kicking up a massive mountain of rock behind it, and leaving streaks where the speed ripped through below. Because Naruto and Sasuke had been ahead of her, they'd thrown the first punches, Momoshiki catching them with a single palm each- he'd only just began to grin and push back, but then she came in from above. Naturally their enemy ducked, and she landed on the ground directly behind as expected: she crouched low to the ground, and with a yell rapid-fire hit the backs of his legs via at-least-fifty strikes, disrupting the tendons and chakra points there. Momoshiki could barely react, because as soon as he registered the attack and (tried to) turn toward her - resulting in his legs wobbling from her efforts - Naruto and Sasuke both struck him in the face with their free hands.

The force sent him flying, skidding end-over-end as he tried to stop himself, Hinata anchoring herself so that she wasn't pulled along with him - in that split-second, she saw that the damage was already healing, wasting chakra but it wasn't enough. The more he wastes the better, but clearly it had to be achieved by more forceful methods, and so that's exactly what she's gonna do.

All three of them sped forward as a team; words weren't necessary.

Sasuke struck first with a body blow, but even as Momoshiki recovered quickly, Naruto was there sparring with him- he only managed a few glancing blows before he was knocked away. At the same time, using that distraction to get behind, Hinata struck along the length of his spine with a single powerful blow, the force of which rippled through his body and the air- Momoshiki roared and tried to backhand her with his entire arm, but she bent herself backward, hooking her foot against his leg and making them both fall. He still retained his senses though, and his back-handing arm continued on it's arc... or it would've if Sasuke hadn't kicked him away in mid-fall, the arm then narrowly missing. Even as she quickly stood back up, Sasuke pursued Momoshiki and Naruto followed him - she only saw the tail end, as while Sasuke defended himself well, Momoshiki landed a punch that knocked him away.

Knowing he'd be back, Hinata raced forward- Naruto had used that attack to cling his entire body to Momoshiki's arm, refusing to let go. Before he could think to attack her husband, she was there, grabbing his other arm and twisting it behind his back... before anything else, Momoshiki then had to contend with Sasuke reappearing, futilely struggling. The moment Sasuke collided with him - hanging onto Momoshiki's leg - Naruto got off immediately and Hinata threw Momoshiki away via the arm she held, only adding to the momentum of Sasuke's attack and causing them to spin uncontrollably. Even as they ran forward, Sasuke drew his sword and intended to stab Momoshiki, but the latter managed to kick his arm even as they were rolling-

Without a cursory glance or hitch in his stride, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's sword for himself.

-and just as he would've slashed Momoshiki, in addition to her double-fisted blow, both attacks impacted one of Kinshiki's weapon creations; no surprise there. That one and many more appeared almost in the blink of an eye, all falling like knives - Hinata saw exactly where each would fall in her vision, and just as nimbly as Naruto navigated the falling weapons. Her husband pulled ahead of her and fought off Momoshiki with Sasuke's sword - Sasuke himself approaching behind her - while Hinata jumped a little and, in mid-air, grasped a broadsword with both hands before nimbly landing. Even as Naruto blocked one sword, she slammed the full weight of her borrowed weapon against Momoshiki's other one- the impact jarred her arm (like she'd hit a wall), but as soon as the stroke was concluded, she let go with both hands and continued moving past him purely by gravitational forces. Even as the weapon fell and Momoshiki's arm moved forward due to sudden lack of resistance, she grabbed his wrist with both hands and twisted-

-it worked, as the outright crunch and Momoshiki's pained roar attested to. With her own strength and her momentum pulling him in the opposite direction, it'd also unnaturally bent his elbow, yet it hadn't seemed to break. But on the flip side, he still had enough sense to quickly/instinctively move his arm forward, and his forearm collided with her face. It felt like a train had hit her, and she was sent spinning for a time; during that span she registered what happened afterward, but only the gist because of recovery.

Naruto, despite worried over her being hit, took advantage of this and kicked at Momoshiki's other arm hard, forcing him to drop the other weapon. Momoshiki still prepared to hit him with his other fist - chakra forcibly repairing the damage, taking quite a lot - but then Sasuke was there, kicking his arm aside and forcing him backward. And then in a whirl of speed, Sasuke spun around and - his boot trailing fire - developed a powerful kick to Momoshiki's jaw, sending him skyward. Naruto immediately flew up, tossing the sword at Sasuke, who paused only long enough to grab it before he too jumped up high - from a short distance away, Hinata saw all this and what they intended to do, and flew up herself.

Momoshiki was still reeling from the blow- before he could recover, Naruto slugged him across the face, and he impacted the small mountain of stone. Yet before he'd even gone far, Sasuke landed an equal kick upon his jaw from the opposite direction, momentum sending him smack dab into a corner of the fallen God Tree- the impact just tore that section right off. Hinata was there and, yelling, slammed her palm straight into Momoshiki's gut (read: his chakra network), which send him spiraling downward. Naruto was exactly along the path she'd aimed, kicking Momoshiki back up just as he recovered from her blow (wasting tremendous amounts of chakra to prevent his network from shutting down period, plus the damage it'd inflicted), then Sasuke body-slammed him back toward the small mountain of stone. Hinata was ready for that too; as soon as he got close, she'd slammed into his gut from the opposite direction, spinning in a pseudo-Tunneling Fang fashion to increase her power and sending Momoshiki into the rock.

Together now, they descended through the new space, each of them preparing to strike him simultaneously-

It didn't work out.

-soon as they got close, energy chains spontaneously slammed into her and Sasuke's stomachs, pulling them in the opposite direction for a short time before going at a right-angle. The impact hit them both hard, to the level that she almost got nauseous even, but moreover the force threw them both through the mountain... and in her spinning vision, she only just barely registered Momoshiki dodging Naruto's attack, who he hadn't chained. After that, the mountain gave way and suddenly they were rolling across wood; the trunk of the dead God Tree, but they were soon separated and rolling in two different-yet-similar directions. By that point, Hinata had just managed to regain control of her stomach and her momentum, slicing through the chains with ease... yet that same instant, she saw the small mountain of stone; Momoshiki had turned it into lava to keep Naruto busy, only just able to make out his chakra within it.

Her teeth gritted.

When she sprang up, Sasuke did as well from the opposite side - together they ran toward Momoshiki, who was ready for them. In an instant, her vision registered the trunk around them distorting, twisting, growing... working just as quickly, Hinata took up her stance as she ran, chakra cloak growing razor-sharp to easily slice through. The wood growths soon turned into spikes, each seeking to impale her or force her off-course into ones that would, but she didn't stop, spinning and slicing through each one in her way! Sasuke did the same off to her right, his Sharingan able to see the growths and where they'd come from just as easily as her Byakugan, slicing through spikes with his sword or dodging the rest.

Yet just as they got halfway, the ground itself coiled around their feet; encased them in it actually, forcing them to a stop.

Hinata tried to break free, but before she could make any headway, the wood of the God Tree took on shapes even faster than the spikes; something with dragon's heads. Having only enough time to react, she just managed to block before the creations roared and struck her high into the sky- in her vision, she saw the same happen with Sasuke despite a Lightning-style defense, and numerous rocks soon rose toward him. Hinata was about to angle herself downward, but before she could her entire body went rigid; the temperature dropped incredibly fast, and the air had suddenly turned biting cold, even despite her chakra cloak! In her vision, she literally saw the air itself freezing solid - in desperation she put her chakra into Almighty Push, a complete sphere around her instead of the usual application; it just barely saved her.

If seen from the outside, she was in the middle of a giant, absolute-zero block of ice; only her jutsu kept her from being crushed. Meanwhile her chakra cloak blazed, trying to keep the cold from killing her... it didn't entirely succeed, and Hinata cried out as her skin started forming frostbite, particularly on her legs and torso!

Only later would she remember this was because he wanted her eyes intact; the effect was lesser up there.

Something cracked loudly; the ice was still trying to crush her - even despite the pain, Hinata forced her going-numb limbs to force Almighty Push outward. It resisted, something so densely formed it was like trying to push a mountain with her bare hands... but eventually something gave, and the entire thing collapsed outward in pieces. She gave a great gasp as her chakra cloak, suddenly no longer fighting the cold, felt much hotter than anything she'd ever experienced- the feeling on her frostbite was almost unbearable. Her vision was still unaffected, being able to see Sasuke some distance away - he looked like he'd had trouble, seeming burned - but her limbs were barely to move at all, and flying was purely instinctive at this point.

Momoshiki was probably grinning, even laughing... but then that all changed, as from the depths of the lava Kurama himself emerged. His entire Tailed Beast Mode was steaming, hissing from contact of the cooler air yet his teeth were bared, flying toward them... without preamble both she and Sasuke were easily brought in until they resided within his head.

Naruto was there, a hand on both of their shoulders, shaking even.

"Naruto" Hinata breathed- despite her shaking limbs, she's just glad he's okay - that warmth overtook even Kurama's chakra healing her. He was clearly glad too, but his teeth were gritted at Momoshiki hurting them, angry... she only just registered he had his own burn marks, barely visible now and soon vanishing, much like Sasuke's began to.

Speaking for them all, Kurama roared his challenge as he turned in mid-air, ready to fight Momoshiki himself.

The latter didn't waste time: dozens of the same Wood-style dragon heads sprouted from the God Tree below him, all growling as they gripped various parts of his body. They were too fast for him to grip in mid-flight, but as soon as they pulled him down to the ground, teeth gritted, Kurama took up most of them and pulled- their frames were unable to withstand his strength, and many snapped with cracks that could be heard a mile away. Yetas he struggled, fire erupted nearby and a phoenix appeared, cawing as it launched itself at Kurama's head; he was ready, reaching out and grabbing it by the base of it's wings. Even as they fought, more wood dragons sprouted from the two still attached to his body and the God Tree, biting and snapping at his torso as they sought to cause him pain.

They were mistaken - as soon as this registered, Kurama yelled and smashed the phoenix's body upon the remaining wood dragons. Many caught fire in an instant, particularly after the second hit, and then he ripped the phoenix's wings straight off-

-but no sooner had he done so then a giant ice snake formed, curling at rapid speed around his body and restraining his arms/tails.

Inside, Naruto was about to help Kurama, but he paused when Hinata touched a hand to his shoulder- she smiled, nodding. He soon grinned a little, and with Sasuke starting to rise again, they were ready to stop whatever Momoshiki threw at them.

By this time, the ice snake had wrapped itself around Kurama's head too, holding him in place by sheer weight. Suddenly however, it's entire form began to shiver and Kurama increased his struggling, even as from the inside a cyan glow began to light them up - suddenly, explosively, Kurama shattered the ice snake, sheer heat radiating off his form as he roared again. He was mostly unchanged, but the Six Paths markings' black color had been overtaken by a cyan glow, and his movements were considerably faster than before. Yet Momoshiki wasn't done, for even as this happened another creation was being made, this time out of what seemed to be pure lightning - shortly afterward Sasuke had fully recovered, hand on Naruto's opposite shoulder.

Directly from overhead, a lightning hellhound roared down and bit upon Kurama's neck, even as even more wood dragons fought to bite him from the front and another fiery phoenix started to form from behind. Growling, more irritated than anything, Kurama grabbed the hellhound by it's neck and pried it off his own - immediately afterward, Kurama became encased in Sasuke's Susanoo from his legs up, increasing his chakra levels even higher, and the heat of her cyan boost passed straight through it. The hellhound thrashed and struggled as the armor formed, and yet it couldn't stop the point-black Tailed Beast Bomb Rasenshuriken from obliterating it, too far away from and too fast for Momoshiki to absorb. The wood dragons still tried to restrain Kurama, but her cyan upgrade kept radiating heat to a degree surpassed only by Amaterasu, and most only lasted seconds before they burst into flames- those faced with the Susanoo armor just dissolved instantly.

At near the same time, the phoenix's claws harmlessly skated off the Susanoo's back armor - without a look in it's direction, Kurama's nine tails all grabbed the creature before it could react, pulling hard. And still Momoshiki kept working; yet another creation was being formed as the second phoenix was ripped apart, using the Lava-style but they were ready for that. His latest creation was soon revealed as a giant golem, which rumbled as it slowly - too slowly - tried to hit them with it's fist. Snorting, Kurama held up a claw and formed the Susanoo's katana... he instantly gripped it in a ready stance, but only when his foe was near did he grip it in both hands, ducking underneath the golem's arm.

The sword glowed; it became infused with concentrated golden chakra, shaped around the sword to form a variant three-quarters larger than it's normal size. Faster than the naked eye could follow - faster than Momoshiki could physically react - Kurama swung the sword with all his might, slicing through the golem's midsection.

The impact was devastating; it created a shock-wave that not only pulverized the creature, but tore through the land in the swing's path, carving destruction for at least hundreds of feet if not more. Even sections of the God Tree were torn right off, the Lava-style innards of the golem being disintegrated from the inside-out, just narrowly missing Momoshiki himself. Just like that, supporting each other, Hinata 'fell' along with Naruto and Sasuke, Kurama's form as well as their enhancements fading away. The three of them knew Momoshiki was still alive, but after pouring so much chakra into such elemental creatures, he was no longer a threat to them all like this- frankly it's amazing he was still conscious, let alone alive.

Must be those chakra fruits; probably enhanced endurance too.

They landed down some distance away from the downed God Tree; the other Kage were already there. Hinata looked around, and Boruto was nearby as well, still looking as if his mind's on what he'd seen... heh, she knew his questions were gonna need to be answered even more, when this is over.

But before anyone could say a word, let alone start to try and capture Momoshiki, multiple explosion-like sounds rippled through the air- they all quickly turned.

A sheer mass of jutsu - all styles, all ninjutsu type - had been launched from a point away, aimed at the figure of Momoshiki! They seemed to explode, but not a second later they were clearly absorbed, including Shikamaru's shadow jutsu - it quickly became clear exactly who was responsible, for only the Kote could've done such a thing.

Darui said exactly what they were all thinking: "Those idiots, interfering again" he groused, in that distinctive bored way.

"You're fools, but you have my thanks" Momoshiki projected, back to his old self just before he blasted them all. They barely had any time to react; by the time she infused her chakra, she felt the warmth of Kurama's chakra coat her, which helped blunt the blast (as did Gaara's sand). Even still, while she knew they'd be all be fine, she was far more worried about Boruto! Throughout all the explosions and hard knocks though, she saw him; running along before Sasuke grabbed him and coated them both in his Susanno, which helped her state-of-mind. Over all this, Momoshiki's deranged laughter again rang, which sickened her even as the smoke slowly settled-

-but before they could react much beyond that, suddenly she found herself unable to move; Shikamaru's Shadow Field Jutsu, absorbed from the Kote. Just like her, Naruto and the other four Kage were similarly bound by it - truly not good, as Momoshiki had both the chakra and the power to hold them all, even if not at full capacity!

"What a nice ability ability" Momoshiki spoke from his perch on the God Tree's trunk- even as she struggled, he seemed to make something.

Hinata nearly cried out as did Naruto; quickly as anything, he'd impaled several chakra receivers into various parts of their bodies- nonlethal, but still stung like hell.

"I'll be careful with you two; I must have the demon fox, and those lovely eyes" Momoshiki continued, lowering his right hand and raising the left, forming a Lightning-style Jutsu. "But the others are nuisances."

...

Naruto cursed mentally; they had to do something and quickly! But with these chakra receivers and Shikamaru's jutsu keeping them bound, neither he nor Hinata, or the other Kage could escape in time to overcome it... Sasuke, you better attack in the nick of time like usual...

Beside him, Hinata equally struggled, her expression pained as she grasped a chakra receiver; seeing her hurt only made him angrier.

Then he saw them; off to the right side of Momoshiki, Sasuke held Boruto inside his Susanoo ribs - if Momoshiki saw them, he didn't acknowledge them whatsoever. Then Boruto held his hands together and- wait...

"T-The Rasengan!?" he breathed, disbelieving - beside him, Hinata also gasped in apparent wonder.

"Let's go!"

Boruto threw his Rasengan straight at Momoshiki, and it even held together after being thrown! Only then, as if it was a distracting fly, Momoshiki turned to look and raised his right arm, intending to absorb the jutsu... yet after getting two-thirds of the way in it disappeared entirely, much to their sounds. Boruto seemed to gulp while Sasuke was impassive, so having shared a glance with Hinata, they both thought there's something more to this. Momoshiki himself just lowered his hand, turning his attention back to them, about ready to try and kill the other four Kage- before he could, his shoulder exploded with enough force to send him sprawling, not really damaged but his clothes there were torn to bits.

The Shadow Field Jutsu was instantly dissipated, and they could move again- Naruto gripped a chakra receiver, still shaking a bit from having it in his body, but he's prepared to pull it out and heal himself. Even before he tried though, Hinata was faster, as with yelps she'd already pulled hers out- she bled a bunch, but most of it was staunched the moment she applied Yin-Yang style upon herself, healing the wounds faster than her chakra would've. He smiled a little in relief, waiting a bit even as she tentatively made her way over, as her body was just adjusting to it being suddenly unharmed. Removing the receivers one-by-one and healing them still hurt, but he was glad to have her help... what with the chakra he'd expended at the arena and here, he's a little wiped now.

Going into his Six Paths Sage Mode was still doable, but not to any level he could safely fight Momoshiki with anymore- certainly not an extended one. He had the chakra to do it with, but Momoshik's power and speed made it risky, especially alone - if he had no other choice, of course he would anyway, but they still needed to try and find another way if possible.

Meanwhile, while Momoshiki still seemed to be registering what happened, Boruto and Sasuke jumped down in front of them. "When did you learn the Rasengan!?" he asked, a bit flabbergasted. "Do you know how hard it is to perfect?"

Boruto was a bit sheepish but had a little grin- still tending to him (and able to see Momoshiki in her vision), Hinata saw this and soon smiled herself.

"His Rasengan adds a sudden change-in-chakra-nature" Sasuke spoke, seeming almost approving. "Then it disappears."

Naruto slowly let out a breath, still kinda shocked but what can he say right now? "I-I see."

"Boruto, do it again."

Boruto half-turned, worried. "Really? But my Rasengan's..."

"Do as Sasuke says. He's your sensei" he said gently, and his son slowly agreed. He also noted Momoshiki seemed angry now, and that he had even more chakra seeds with him - he didn't need his Six Paths Sage Mode to tell he was getting stronger, and soon he'd probably attack them.

With nothing more than a glance, he caught Hinata and Sasuke's gaze before gesturing to Momoshiki. They soon nodded, Hinata having finished her healing on his body... Boruto seemed unsure, but Naruto gently held his hand out, touching it underneath. Because the jutsu was already formed, Boruto having already taken on it's drain for himself; adding more chakra was easy, and wouldn't add any more exhaustion just by transferring. So with a rush for both of them, he added his own chakra to the Rasengan and helped it flow. His son had come to prove himself a shinobi, and now he'd have his chance - but if it didn't kill Momoshiki, he knew he'd need the rest of Kurama's chakra, and the help of everyone involved.

He was already thinking up the basics of such plans, but he trusted them all; no matter who distracted or dealt the finishing blow, he could count them all.

He looked at his son with pride, Hinata doing the same as well - she even added her own hand, pouring in some of her own chakra (not nearly as much as his, but enough to be appreciated). All this as the Rasengan surged, growing in size from palm-size to person-sized, and finally to one-and-a-half house-sized... Boruto had to keep his hand high up at the end, and he stared at it with awed wonder. Then he looked at him, and Naruto just nodded- his son almost had tears for a moment but then they faded, replaced by sheer determination to win. "I don't feel like losing" Boruto said, looking at Momoshiki - the latter said something, and then he made a Rasengan lookalike of equal size, clearly prepared to meet it head-on.

...

"We've only got one chance" Sasuke said to her, keeping his eyes on their opponent, sword ready for use.

Hinata nodded, again forming the Tenseigan Chakra Mode - the three of them might be able to match Momoshiki like this, but it would take all their effort, and could result in injuries or even death if they weren't extremely lucky. With their chakra levels considerably drained, they no longer had the means to safely capture a full-power Momoshiki, so they no longer had a choice either.

Those idiots had seen to that... they had to get this right, or she'd personally shut down their chakra networks, permanently.

"Let's go!"

"Right!"

Together, she and Sasuke charged toward Momoshiki, going up the path of the torn roots- Momoshiki of course tried to blast them. He did so with several dark, round objects, and with a slight shock she wondered if they were Truth-Seeking Balls... but she couldn't be sure, nor could she stop to find out.

Just as they got close, Hinata formed several hand signs, even as they both entered an impacted cloud of dust-

-Sasuke emerged alone, having jumped high above but holding both swords - with an effort, he threw one straight at Momoshiki. He of course ducked underneath, and the sword buried itself in the wood... but then in an instant, Sasuke switched places with the sword, preparing to swing the other one. This wasn't doable as Momoshiki had still seen this happen, backhanding him away... however, Sasuke wasn't entirely unprepared; as the dust cleared, it was revealed he'd blunted both impacts with Susanno, though the ribs were severely cracked. He shifted a bit inside his impacted hollow, grunting as he tried to sit up more - "Ow" he said flatly.

All the while, the sword he'd switched places with continued to arc through the air, until-

Poof

-Momoshiki reacted, and Hinata bore straight toward him, chakra cloak flaring brightly as he turned. With a grunt, he tried to reach for her with his right arm, to grasp her and hold her down... Hinata had to wait until the absolute last second, but once it came she moved quickly. She poured nearly everything she had into one hand, focusing the cloak there while the rest dimmed in proportion- with a yell, she stabbed his right Rinnegan. His arm jerked from the impact, chakra pouring in through it's pierced Visual Jutsu, but Momoshiki still had enough strength of mind to backhand her, and she grunted as she was struck.

Even then though, almost as if in slow-motion, she saw exactly what her attack had done.

Because of his ingested chakra fruit/seeds, the constant-flowing chakra couldn't be halted for long but it had to have a limit. Upon entry, her chakra forced it's entry as far as it could possibly go and still do what's necessary - that limit came when her chakra reached his shoulder, which spoke of just how strong his own combined chakra was. Even still, her's immediately went to work: the points that connected his arm to the rest of his body, and the points that connected his Rinnegan to the rest of his arm - those closed completely, with a large percentage of her remaining chakra dedicated to keep the two closed as long as possible, as well as keep the flow from coming back. Every single point in-between those two?

Forced open.

Time moved normally again; Hinata went skidding a distance, and her head hurt from the blow but she was okay. Momoshiki wasn't so lucky: his arm's chakra points went into full power, but the buildup of chakra couldn't find room up or down his arm, growing in strength yet seeking an escape... but there was only one. He yelled in anguish as skin, muscles, tendons, most everything in his arm split open, chakra racing out of dozens of wounds, mostly his own but quite a bit of her's included, alongside blood and other things. The effect wasn't unlike those of Shino's Parasitic Giant Insects, and in fact was exactly where she'd gotten the idea- no matter how strong an opponent is on the outside, the inside's often a different matter entirely.

Just then however, Hinata found herself being helped up by Naruto, and they shared a look even as they prepared themselves.

Momoshiki still had some control of his arm, it seemed. "Why you-! What have you done to me!?" he demanded, staring at his ruined right arm, every wound of which was steaming. Just then he yelled again, as suddenly a sword made of lightning energy pierced his shoulder blade, right where the bones connected - Sasuke's Chidori Sharp Spear, shaped upon his original sword and aimed directly from his hollow.

His entire right arm went limp, Rinnegan long since closed; Sasuke hadn't taken any chances with her attempt, as they knew he wouldn't.

Before he could even fully process this event, Boruto was there, enormous Rasengan in tow - Momoshiki's reaction was more akin to fear than anything, and only pure instinct dragged his lookalike jutsu into the way-

"Rasengan!"

-they collided with considerable impact, and the backlash raced up Boruto's arm, severely burning his forearm and destroying a considerable part of the sleeve.

Just then, Hinata and Naruto both covered his hand with theirs, she on his right side and her husband on the left.

He was surprised, to say the least: "Mom!" Boruto said, looking between them. "Dad!"

"Go for it, Boruto" Naruto breathed-

-"You've got this" Hinata finished.

Boruto soon grinned - just like his father - then all three of them looked forward, determined.

"RRRRAAAHHHHHHHH!" they yelled - the Rasengan surged, tunneling through Momoshiki's lookalike until it finally collided with his body, which they all felt. Underneath their hands, Boruto twisted his own to direct the Rasengan, and judging by the yells it was channeling all it's energy directly through Momoshiki - yells and everything - then with a final push, Boruto launched the Rasengan.

He would've flown backward if they hadn't caught him, but he was okay.

At the exact same time, the Rasengan obliterated the trunk of the God Tree, leaving very little remaining. It didn't stop there, racing across the desolate plain and carving a path of destruction from it's presence alone, until finally it turned upward and punched through the cloud cover...

They could hear the explosion from all the way down here, muted though it was.

To her eyes, there was nothing at all remaining except scattered energies - with distinct relief, Hinata reverted her Tenseigan to normal, leaning backward where she sat. Naruto did much the same thing, while Boruto remained for awhile before slowly standing up- they let him, as he just walked a few steps ahead, staring at the result of this battle. The hole in the cloud cover illuminated things considerably better now, shining down on them, with what was left of the dead God Tree in complete ruins. When they looked at where Sasuke had been prior to the Rasengan clash, he was gone of course, but he soon showed up on their right; not far away or nearby.

"Just observing, as usual" Hinata thought, the adrenaline starting to fade... mmh, she'd definitely be feeling these blows for awhile, but she'd be okay. They're all okay- she smiled, as for a moment, when they'd all placed their hands over Boruto's, she could've sworn she saw the spirit of Himawari's hand helping them all.

For all she knew, maybe it'd been real- Naruto's little smile seemed to be feeling similar, until she saw his gaze was directed at their son.

"He takes after you, ya know" she breathed softly- Naruto gave her a small glance at that, but the smile remained soft, and their hands touched without conscious thought. "Him and Himawari both; I was never that confident at their age."

"Mmh. Think they'll surpass us one day, dear?"

"I think it's a certainty, hehe."

They remained like that for a minute more, and then Sasuke chose to come closer. "Seems you're a wreck" he observed, directed at Naruto alone for now; not exactly surprising... he did glance at her though, expression alone saying he approved of how well she fought; she simply smiled in return, and kept it at that.

Her husband slowly chuckled a little, shifting where he sat. "Yeah... I barely have any energy to stand now" he said, though Hinata knew it's probably a bit of an exaggeration; true, but even still. "Without Kurama's help, I'd probably be unconscious."

Sasuke let out a breath. "Well, can't claim I'm much better" he admitted, glancing toward Boruto, and that was definitely approval in his expression. "And I believe I won this round. The soul of a shinobi remains the same, even for your son."

Mmh- those two and their rivalry, as it never seemed to go away, even when they're friends - still, Naruto's grip became more firm, and his look at Boruto was more faraway.

...

After that, they were soon helped by the others - as Sasuke was already standing, he preferred to just walk on his own; they all knew that without having to hear a word. Naruto had Darui and Chojuro help him up, even as Kurotsuchi helped Hinata, who he noted she seemed to a slight bond with- hmm, maybe he'll ask about that latter.

"I believe you'll want to deal with these two" Gaara spoke then, his sand depositing Katasuke and his assistant.

"Please, make him see reason Kazekage! I was simply trying to demonstrate the power of-"

"You'll get no help from me" Gaara spoke over him, seeming irritated. "None of us will come to your aid; this is an internal matter for the Hokage."

Darui just shrugged, looking bored as always though also amused. "Yeah, that's about it. Even if we want to help, our hands are tied.."

"Is he even any good?" Kurotsuchi asked, smirking and arms crossed. "He probably doesn't even measure up to Boruto, in any category."

Chojuro had his eyes closed, but was smiling. "You got that right, Kurotsuchi."

Naruto was tempted to join in, but had to keep a stern outlook- though he did glance at Hinata and Boruto, the former of which just nodded. "Katasuke" he said, arms crossed. "Your assistant, Kosuke, will get off this time, as clearly he was just following your orders and hasn't done any real damage, but he'll still be under scrutiny for awhile. You however are stripped of your position, both as a scientist and as leader of the Leaf's Science Ninja Weapons Team. In addition, your ninja rank of Jonin is temporarily suspended until proven otherwise."

"Sir, you can't-!"

"I can, and I just did" he charged. "With the other Kage as my witnesses, so it is done."

Hinata spoke then, hands on their son's shoulders; her voice was as icy as they'd ever heard, enough that it startled Boruto. "You used my son for your own purposes, and endangered us all with your arrogance" she said. "You're lucky my husband hasn't thrown you in prison."

Naruto smirked a little - any other time, he'd have been unnerved at hearing that from his wife (and he might still be later), but he agreed. "I considered that option, make no mistake" he added carefully. "And if you try to cause trouble again, I probably will. But for now you're gonna work to help rebuild the Chunin Exams arena, as part of your new 'job'."

Just like that, before the man could unconvincingly grovel/beg again, Naruto just moved off - it wasn't long before Hinata followed, Boruto in tow. Sasuke and the other four Kage following as well, Katasuke and his assistant in tow, but Naruto could tell a measure of Gaara's sand silently followed behind - just in case on Gaara's part, and he approved.

"Think you have enough chakra?" he asked of Sasuke-

-who shook his head.

Half-turning, Naruto looked at the other Kage - with barely a nod, they understood; one-by-one, Gaara, Darui, Chojuro, and Kurotsuchi channeled their chakra into Sasuke. Several seconds passed, then Sasuke said 'Enough' and they stopped... just like that, Sasuke opened his Rinnegan and his purple-black portal sprang into being again.

Hinata went first, followed by Boruto; Naruto then looked at Katasuke, jerking his head toward the portal. "Not a word" he said to that man, the moment his mouth even twitched.

/

The next day

Hinata carefully worked, but even as she held up Boruto's jacket, she knew that large gash near the shoulder would take awhile to fix up.

"It's okay mom" her son said, to her small surprise- he hadn't looked from his video game. "Just leave it; it looks cool that way. Ahhh..."

Judging from his behavior, he'd lost on his video game- it was almost funny. "I'll take my jacket, mom" he said, standing up and coming over - part of her wanted to say she'd repair it anyway, but she gave it to him after a moment. Boruto soon smiled a little, holding it in his bandaged right hand - he'd wanted it to heal naturally for the 'cool bandage' look - "It's time for me to get going."

She just smiled, already seeing that he'd changed a little- all that craziness had done some good, but Hinata hoped there wouldn't be any more surprises like that.

"Uh dad? Don't you have to run too?"

"Oh yeah, that's right; I do" he breathed, smiling a little as he quickly stood up-

-Himawari was already standing up too, a big smile on her face. "Don't forget your lunch, dad" she cheered a little, grabbing it - Naruto was sheepish, even saying 'Oops', but accepted it while returning the same smile. "Thank you, Himawari."

Just then she remembered: "Oh no, Boruto forgot his too" she said while trying not to laugh, grabbing it. Himawari giggled at her brother quickly/embarrassingly taking it, and Hinata couldn't help but join in by then.

"See ya, I'm outta!"

"I'm heading out too!"

"Have a good day!" she and Himawari called after them, just before the door closed on it's own. Hinata just smiled, even as Himawari soon turned to her, hands behind her back- she was grinning a little, not unlike Naruto did.

Even now, she loved that sight from her daughter, as well as her son.

"Mom, when's the next story gonna be?" she asked, eager.

Hinata hummed, glancing up for a bit. "Well, probably tonight if all goes well" she said, a little teasing.

Her daughter soon jumped a little, excited. "I'm not even sure I can wait that long!" she said to herself, so full of excitement, and not even sounding impatient at all... and yet somehow her movements, specifically her hair-rubbing motions, resembled Naruto whenever he got impatient.

Well, like she'd said, their kids took after their father in several ways- and that's certainly not a bad thing, she thought.

Only thing left out was the group photo-op, but we're all certain it happened hehe. Yet anyway, that's the end of this semi-retelling - largely the same of course, but adjusted to make the big fight three-on-one.

As a result, Momoshiki was overall stronger... physically/chakra-wise anyway, and with some Tailed Beast-esque chakra healing ability (one of the few ways he could've taken damage from Hinata's Gentle Fist style and not had things end abruptly :P). But with his personality being what it was, smarter usage of such tactics was kinda out of the question... a shame. Yet still, I combined him with his novel version, able to use Ice Style to the point that he can create absolute-zero level blizzards, as much a threat as the Lava Style bits. It's not really realistic, since in real life absolute-zero would do much, much more were it ever achieved, but what can you do?

I wish I could see this version animated, but imagining it alongside the canon movie will have to do XD Still hoped you all enjoyed.