Chapter 82 – The Reunion of Father and Son 父子团聚

Hinata stood at a distance. Her Byakugan allowed her to clearly see every detail of the battlefield. Naruto was now under the dual attack of Pain (Tendo). His movements had become sluggish due to physical exhaustion, and his back view looked extremely lonely. Although Naruto dealt with the Pain (Gakidō) not long after, he was still being steadily pushed back by the. Hinata could tell that his fighting spirit had been completely worn out during the long and bitter battle. The slowly approached Naruto, and the situation on the battlefield grew more and more critical. Pain's black rods blocked Naruto's chakra, so he couldn't fight back easily.

Hinata slowly clenched her fists, her fingernails digging into her palms without her even noticing. She recalled her childhood self, the weak and ineffective girl who always held others back. No matter how hard she trained, she couldn't become a qualified heir in the eyes of her father and the clan. However, there was one person who had never looked down on her because of that. He had dispelled the darkness for her with his own light. That boy named Naruto had always been the eternal sun in her heart.

"I can't just stand by and watch him fall..." Hinata gritted her teeth and whispered to herself, and at the same time, she had already taken a step towards the battlefield. She knew she wasn't strong enough to beat Pain's. But she also knew she couldn't just stand there. Even if it was just to give Naruto a bit of time, she had to act!

"Hinata! Don't go!" Sakura shouted loudly in the distance, her voice filled with anxiety. But Hinata didn't look back and firmly ran towards the battlefield.

The Pain's noticed Hinata's arrival. His cold eyes swept over her, and he said in a deep and icy voice, "Another one who overestimates her own abilities." His words were like sharp ice blades, attempting to pierce through Hinata's belief.

Hinata took a deep breath, got into the Gentle Fist stance, and stared firmly at Pain's. She had no intention of backing down. Her goal was simple: break the black rod stuck in Naruto and help him out.

Hinata charged towards the with lightning speed. Her Byakugan accurately locked onto the position of the black rod. She launched an attack with Gentle Fist, and a powerful surge of chakra burst out from her hands as she struck hard at the black rod. However, the Pain's just raised his hand and easily activated the "Repulsive Force", neutralizing Hinata's attack and at the same time sending her body flying.

Hinata fell heavily to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, but she still didn't back down. She stood up again, her eyes showing no trace of fear, and charged towards Pain once more. She knew she couldn't beat Pain. But even with the smallest chance, she thought she could change the battle's outcome.

The Pain's looked at this persistent girl with disdain. He sneered, threw Hinata into the air, and then slammed her down in front of him. He quickly swung the black rod in his hand, stabbing straight towards Hinata's chest. The black rod pierced through her shoulder, and blood splattered.

"Naruto... I..." Hinata's voice trembled, but it was still clear. She turned her head towards Naruto with all her remaining strength, and her gentle eyes were filled with tenderness and determination. "I like you. I've liked you since a long, long time ago..."

Seeing this scene, Naruto completely lost his mind. His eyes widened, and the blue in his eyes was gradually replaced by a scarlet red. The chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox gushed out wildly. Red tailed-beast chakra quickly covered his body. One tail after another appeared. A murderous intent burst out, shaking the whole battlefield.

Just as Naruto was about to be completely consumed by the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Lin Yuan gasped for breath and quickly connected to Naruto's consciousness space with his spiritual power. In that darkness, he saw the figure of the Fourth Hokage.

"Now you show up?" Lin Yuan asked, sounding tired and angry. "Reinforce the Nine-Tailed Fox seal soon, or your son will destroy Konoha!"

...

Naruto's consciousness was suppressed in the bottomless darkness. He felt an endless surge of anger and murderous intent churning within him, which was the erosion of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra. He struggled to regain his clarity, only to find himself standing in a strange space. It was pitch black here, with only a huge iron gate standing in front of him. Complex sealing runes were engraved on the gate, and from behind the iron gate came the low and angry roars of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Naruto! Wake up!" A familiar voice sounded in the darkness. Naruto turned his head and was surprised to find Lin Yuan's figure appearing here. A faint light enveloped him. It was the power of his manifested spiritual energy.

"Lin Yuan? How did you get here?" Naruto was taken aback for a moment, his tone filled with a hint of confusion.

Lin Yuan didn't answer. He just calmly looked at the iron gate sealing the Nine-Tailed Fox and then at the gradually spreading scarlet chakra on Naruto. He furrowed his brows and said with a bit of urgency in his tone, "Never mind how I got here. The point is, you're on the verge of losing control now! Do you want to be completely consumed by the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. He looked down at his palm. Scarlet tailed-beast chakra burned and slowly covered his whole body. A brief glimmer of pain appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly overcome by determination.

"But... I can't control it..." Naruto said in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

Lin Yuan sighed and pointed at the iron gate. "Then let the person who should really deal with this matter come out."

As soon as the words were spoken, a golden light bloomed in the darkness. Then, a tall figure slowly emerged. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. It was... the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

"Naruto," Minato said with a smile, his voice gentle yet firm. "I've been waiting for this moment."

Naruto stood there stunned, unable to say a word for a long while. Lin Yuan interrupted the tender moment. "Sorry, Naruto. He's your dad. But save family talk for later! Konoha's in ruins. Seal the Nine-Tailed Fox now!"

Minato showed a hint of a helpless smile but quickly nodded. He walked up to the iron gate, quickly formed hand seals with his hands. Golden chakra light flowed on the iron gate, gradually suppressing the roars of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Naruto felt the violent power within him gradually receding, and his consciousness gradually regained its clarity.

Meanwhile, on the real battlefield, Lin Yuan's body was enveloped by the green chakra of the Eight Gates of Pain. He opened the sixth gate, the Gate of View. He rushed towards the position of Pain's at an extremely fast speed.

"Hinata!" Lin Yuan's heart tightened when he saw the unconscious Hinata lying in the ruins. He quickly approached the, his chakra bursting out, almost turning into a green stream of light. The Pain's noticed Lin Yuan's approach and immediately launched a "Repulsive Force" attack at him. But Lin Yuan was ready. He swiftly dodged the attack, grabbed Hinata at once, and retreated.

After sending Hinata to Sakura's side, Lin Yuan heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Looking at the cold gaze of the, he couldn't help but complain, "Are you kidding me... I can only maintain the sixth gate for at most two minutes now! Naruto, if you don't wake up soon, I'm going to become this guy's next target!"

The Pain's stared coldly at Lin Yuan and didn't seem to launch an attack immediately. He said, "Knowing that there is a huge gap in strength, are you still going to throw your life away?"

Lin Yuan grinned. "Throw my life away? No way. I'm not that noble. I just think I can stall you for two minutes."

The Pain's frowned slightly and raised his hand to launch another attack. Just then, Naruto gradually calmed down, and the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox within him was completely suppressed. He slowly stood up, and the Sage chakra began to surge within him again. Calmness and determination filled his eyes.

"Lin Yuan…" Naruto muttered, clenching his fists. "Let me handle the next battle."

========================

雏田站在远处,白眼清晰地看见了战场的每一个细节,鸣人此刻正面对佩恩天道与饿鬼道的双重夹击,他的动作因为体力不支而变得迟缓,背影看起来无比孤独.尽管鸣人不久后解决了饿鬼道但依然被天道打得节节败退,雏田看得出,他的斗志已经在漫长的苦战中被消磨殆尽.天道缓步向鸣人逼近,战局愈发危急,鸣人因佩恩的黑棒,查克拉阻滞,难以反击.

雏田的拳头缓缓攥紧,指甲刺进掌心,她却毫无察觉.她回忆起童年时的自己,那个软弱无力,总是拖后腿的她,无论训练多么努力,也无法成为父亲和家族心中合格的继承人.然而,有一个人从未因此看轻她,他用自己的光芒为她驱散了阴霾,那个叫鸣人的男孩一直是她心中永远的太阳.

"我不能眼睁睁看着他倒下..." 雏田咬紧牙关,低声对自己说道,脚步却已经向战场迈出.她知道自己的力量不足以击败佩恩天道,但她也清楚,自己无法继续袖手旁观.哪怕只是给鸣人争取一点点时间,她也必须去做!

"雏田!你不要去啊!" 远处的小樱大声喊道,声音中带着焦急.但雏田却没有回头,脚步坚定地向战场跑去.

佩恩天道注意到雏田的出现,冷漠的眼神扫向她,低沉而冰冷地开口:"又一个自不量力的家伙." 他的话语如同尖锐的冰刃,试图刺穿雏田的信念.

雏田深吸一口气,双手摆出柔拳的姿势,目光坚定地注视着佩恩天道,没有一丝退缩.她的目标明确,破坏天道插入鸣人体内的黑棒,为鸣人脱困.

雏田以迅雷不及掩耳之势向天道冲去,白眼精准锁定黑棒的位置.她以柔拳出招,双手爆发出强劲的查克拉,朝着黑棒狠狠打去.然而,佩恩天道只是抬起手,轻松地发动了 "斥力",将雏田的攻击化解,同时将她的身体震飞出去.

雏田重重摔在地上,嘴角渗出鲜血,却依旧没有退缩.她再次站起,眼中没有一丝惧意,再次向佩恩冲去.她明白,自己不是佩恩的对手,但只要有一丝机会,也有可能改变战局.

佩恩天道不屑地看着这个执着的女孩,冷笑一声,将雏田抛向半空中并狠狠地摔在面前,手中黑棒飞速挥出,直向雏田的胸口刺去.黑棒刺穿了她的肩膀,鲜血飞溅.

"鸣人...我..." 雏田的声音带着颤抖,却依然清晰,她用尽最后一丝力气转头看向鸣人,柔和的目光中满是温柔与坚定, "我喜欢你,从很久很久以前,就一直喜欢你..."

目睹这一幕的鸣人,彻底失去了理智.他瞪大双眼,眼中的蓝色渐渐被赤红覆盖,九尾查克拉疯狂涌出,他的身体迅速被尾兽化的红色查克拉包裹,一条又一条尾巴浮现,杀意爆发,震动了整个战场.

就在鸣人即将完全被九尾查克拉吞噬时,林远喘着粗气,用精神力迅速连接鸣人的意识空间.在那片黑暗中,他看到第四代火影的身影.

"你现在才出来?" 林远的语气中带着一丝疲惫和愤怒,"再不加固封印九尾,你儿子可要毁了整个木叶了!"

...

鸣人的意识被压抑在深不见底的黑暗中.他感受到一股无尽的愤怒和杀意在体内翻涌,那是九尾查克拉的侵蚀.他挣扎着想要清醒,却发现自己已经站在了一片陌生的空间中.这里漆黑一片,只有一道巨大的铁门矗立在面前,门上铭刻着复杂的封印符文,而铁门后则传来九尾低沉而愤怒的咆哮声.

"鸣人!清醒一点!" 一声熟悉的声音在黑暗中响起.鸣人转过头,惊讶地发现林远的身影出现在了这里.他浑身笼罩着淡淡的光芒,那是精神力具现化的力量.

"林远?你怎么会在这里?" 鸣人愣了一下,语气中带着一丝迷茫.

林远没有回答,只是冷静地看了看九尾封印的铁门,又看了看鸣人身上逐渐弥漫的赤红查克拉.他皱了皱眉,语气中带着几分急迫:"别管我是怎么来的,重点是,你现在快失控了!你想被九尾完全吞噬吗?"

鸣人沉默了片刻,低头看了看自己的手掌,赤红的尾兽查克拉正在燃烧着,逐渐覆盖他的全身.他的眼神闪过痛苦,但很快又被坚定所取代.

"可...我没办法控制它..." 鸣人低声道,语气中透着一丝无力.

林远叹了口气,伸手一指那道铁门:"那就让真正该管这事的人来吧."

话音刚落,一道金色的光芒从黑暗中绽放,随即,一个高大的身影缓缓走出.鸣人瞪大了双眼,那是...第四代火影,波风水门.

"鸣人," 水门微笑着开口,声音温和中透着坚定, "我一直在等这个时候."

鸣人愣在原地,半晌说不出话.而林远则打断了这温情时刻:"抱歉打扰了,鸣人,他是你爸爸.但你们的家务事以后再聊!现在木叶村已经是一片废墟,麻烦你赶紧把九尾封印回去!"

水门露出一丝无奈的笑容,但很快点了点头.他走到铁门前,双手迅速结印,金色的查克拉光芒在铁门上流转,渐渐将九尾的怒吼压制下去.鸣人感觉到体内的狂暴力量在一点点退去,他的意识也渐渐恢复了清明.

与此同时,在现实的战场上,林远的身体被绿色的八门遁甲查克拉包裹,他开启了第六门 "景门",以极快的速度冲向佩恩天道所在的位置.

"雏田!" 林远看到昏迷的雏田被丢在废墟中,心中一紧.他迅速逼近天道,查克拉迸发,几乎化作一道绿色的流光.佩恩天道发现了林远的接近,抬手便是一记 "斥力" 向他袭来,但林远早有准备,他以极高的速度避开了攻击,瞬间抱起雏田,飞速撤回.

将雏田送到小樱身边后,林远松了一口气,瘫坐在地上喘着粗气.看着天道冷漠的目光,他忍不住吐槽道:"开什么玩笑...现在开第六门最多只有两分钟!鸣人你要是还不醒来,我可就要变成这家伙的下一个目标了!"

佩恩天道冷冷地注视着林远,似乎没有立刻发动攻击.他开口道:"明知实力悬殊,还要送死吗?"

林远咧嘴一笑:"送死?不好意思,我可没这么崇高,我只是觉得,拖住你这家伙两分钟,我还能做到."

佩恩天道的眉头微微一皱,抬手再度发动攻击.而就在这时,鸣人逐渐冷静下来,体内的九尾查克拉完全被压制.他缓缓站起身,仙人查克拉重新在他的体内涌动,眼神中恢复了冷静与坚毅.

"林远..." 鸣人低声说道,握紧了拳头, "接下来的战斗,交给我吧."