The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is a heightened transformation unique to those with Kurama's chakra sealed into them. Naruto Uzumaki, as Kurama's jinchūriki, can enter the form using the beast's Yang chakra. Minato Namikaze, having sealed the fox's Yin chakra into his body immediately before his death, could access the form upon his reincarnation.
Appearance
While this mode is active, the user gains a chakra shroud with six magatama markings around their neck, two distinctive pieces of hair-like horns resembling the Sage of the Six Paths' silhouette, and swirl designs that resemble the Uzumaki clan's symbol. The patterns on the shroud usually extend partway down the user's arms and legs, though in some instances they can extend further along the body.[2] Minato's shroud had six additional magatama markings around the collar of his mantle as well as patterns extending from his sleeves to the palms of his hands, the latter of which can also appear on Naruto's shroud at times.[3]
The user's eyes become orange when in this mode and whereas the demon fox cloak is red and releases chakra as acidic bubbles, this form's shroud is yellow and releases chakra as flickering flames.[4][5] While in this form, Naruto's chakra signature and smell are different, as noted by Neji Hyūga and Kiba Inuzuka respectively.[6] When Minato first entered this mode, the bangs at the sides of his face spiked upwards,[7] though in later depictions, he instead retains his original hairstyle.[8] In the anime, a slight dark aura is seen covering Minato's chakra cloak.[9]
Two years later, with both halves of Kurama now sealed as a whole inside him, Naruto's appearance in this form changed again. His chakra mode now has a more simplistic design with thicker lines, two of which wrap around his collar above the six magatama. His center also has a single dot with a partial circle around it opening at the top and six lines stretching out from it; two of which spread down his legs and the other two wrapping around his waist that connect behind him next to a circle on the centre of his back.
Attributes
As with all jinchūriki transformations, the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode gives the user increased strength, speed, and defences. The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode's increases are noticeably superior: Naruto becomes strong enough to push a fully formed Tailed Beast Ball through a multiple layered barrier with just one arm,[10] neutralise White Zetsu with a single kick despite their durability,[11] and, in collaboration with Killer B in his full Eight-Tails form, knock down the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path with an uppercut.[12] Naruto's speed is so great in this form that B had trouble determining if he had used the Body Flicker Technique when attacking Kisame Hoshigaki.[13] He could even surpass the speed of the fully charged Fourth Raikage,[14] as well as blitz the extremely fast Third Raikage before the latter could react.[15] Naruto's durability is also very high in this form, as he could withstand extreme heat and steam-powered physical attacks with only minor injuries.[16][17] He could also endure several physical attacks from Version 2 jinchūriki without taking much damage,[18] and even the Ten-Tails' Tenpenchii with only minor physical wounds and the loss of his shroud.[19]
While in this form, the user can also create chakra arms and use them to improve their dexterity and manoeuvreability, granting increased means of interacting with their environment and opponents. Naruto used the arms as substitutes for shadow clones in his creation of many Rasengan-variants. He can use his own hand in conjunction with a chakra arm to accomplish the shape transformation of the Rasengan,[20] and multiple chakra arms to accomplish the shape and nature transformation of the Rasenshuriken, which he can throw while in this mode.[21] Once the Rasengan-variants are formed, Naruto can then use the chakra arms to deliver them across long distances or, in the case of Rasenshuriken, guide them to their target.[22] Initially, Naruto tried to create a technique related to the Tailed Beast Ball: the Tailed Beast Rasengan.[23] However, he later developed a more effective version of this technique: the Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball, a miniature Tailed Beast Ball that he is able to control with the help of a shadow clone.[24]
Like his predecessor, Mito Uzumaki, Naruto gains Kurama's ability to sense negative emotions, something that not even the best sensor type ninja can do.[25] In addition, he is capable of sensing Kurama's chakra signature even while inside a chakra isolation chamber,[26] as well as sensing other chakra signatures across great distances.[7] This form's chakra gives off an immense life force such that Wood Release techniques react to the chakra's life-giving properties and mature into full-grown trees within a matter of seconds, either by contact or close proximity.[5][27]
The risks involved in the usage of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Using Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was initially a risk as Naruto had to temporarily "shelve" his own chakra in order to access the chakra he removed from Kurama, during which time it could drain Naruto's own chakra. If Kurama managed to take all of Naruto's chakra, Naruto would die. Shadow clones provided an additional risk, as Kurama would absorb every portion of Naruto's chakra even faster for each clone he made. Moreover, Naruto also had to be careful about the amount of time he spent in this mode as there was a limit to how much chakra he managed to pull away from Kurama.[28] Despite these risks, once involving himself in the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto deployed several shadow clones while he was in this mode and even managed to remain in the form for an entire night. Gyūki attributed this to the fact that Kurama had purposely stopped taking Naruto's chakra.[29] After Naruto forms a friendship with Kurama, these handicaps no longer apply.
Forms
Tailed Beast Mode
Naruto's shroud in Tailed Beast Mode.
All jinchūriki can enter Tailed Beast Mode, which grants them all the strength and abilities of their corresponding tailed beast. When Naruto does so, he enters a form very visually similar to the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which he defines as his "Kurama Mode" (九喇嘛モード, Kurama Mōdo).[30][31][32] His shroud parts down the middle and opens up into a full-length haori, revealing a black undergarment with three magatama on each side of his high collar. The shroud's numerous swirl patterns become complete, black circles, and the whisker-like markings on his face become thicker.
Naruto using partial transformation in his Tailed Beast Mode.
Naruto's speed and strength are once more increased in this form, to the point where he was able to deflect five Tailed Beast Balls by simply moving past them.[33] He was strong enough in this mode to take on five tailed beasts at the same time and later fight against the Wood Release: Wood Dragon technique. He was also fast enough to move across the battlefield in the blink of an eye just in time to rescue both Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake.[34] Additionally, he can transfer Kurama's chakra to others, granting them Version 1-like chakra shrouds that greatly increase the power of their techniques: Hinata Hyūga, for example, was able to deflect one of the Ten-Tails' tails to the opposite side of the battlefield with a single Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.[35] Kakashi estimated the transfer to be even greater than when Kurama performed it with him, which increased his Kamui three-fold.[36] Naruto can remotely control each individual shroud, such as expanding their size or forming tails for his allies to deflect incoming projectiles.[3] Despite Kurama's contributions, the chakra produced more closely resembles Naruto's than the fox's as noted by C.[37]
Naruto and Minato in Tailed Beast Mode, with the former using Sage Mode as well.
Like other jinchūriki, Naruto and Minato are able to form full-scale replicas of their tailed beast. However, instead of the flesh-and-blood constructs the other jinchūriki become, their Tailed Beast Mode is more chakra-based. Their shroud's chakra enlarges into a translucent recreation of Kurama's overall form (Naruto's being golden and Minato's being a much darker colour), which has markings similar to those present on their bodies. Both jinchūriki's eyes become slitted when entering this form,[38][39] and Kurama is able to control and speak through the construct without taking over its jinchūriki's body.[40] As opposed to the normal nature of the chakra, it no longer burns those who touch it, which enables others to enter the construct's body when allowed by the jinchūriki. It now heals and reinvigorates those who enter it, as demonstrated with Guy and Kakashi during their fights against the Ten-Tails and Obito respectively.[41] It is also translucent, as Naruto and his father can be seen inside the replica's head for the duration of the transformation, the markings on their backs trailing off into a pattern resembling a skeletal structure.[33][42]
Appearance aside, both jinchūriki gain the usual advantages of Tailed Beast Mode, such as the ability to create powerful shockwaves and Tailed Beast Balls. A single tail in this form can completely overpower Madara Uchiha's senjutsu-enhanced complete Susanoo, smash it to the ground and pin it without any trouble.[43] As shown with Naruto, he can even use the tails of this form as chakra arms to interact with other large targets. Naruto can still perform some of his regular techniques in Tailed Beast Mode, such as the Shadow Clone Technique,[44] as well as the Rasengan on a much larger scale in conjunction with Minato.[45] They are also able to perform partial transformations, forming only Kurama's head, arms or tails as needed.[46]
Naruto cannot maintain Tailed Beast Mode indefinitely because he and Kurama have not yet formed a perfect bond. They are improving: at first they could only last for five minutes,[33] but by the time of the Ten-Tails' revival, they extended the time to eight minutes.[47] He later maintains his Tailed Beast Mode for an unspecified time limit during his subsequent transformations.
Tailed Beast Sage Mode
Naruto's combination of Tailed Beast Mode and Sage Mode.
The Tailed Beast Mode can also be combined with Sage Mode to greatly enhance one's abilities, giving him a further increase in speed, strength, durability, ninjutsu and taijutsu.[48] The markings of the Sage also reflect on Kurama's tailed beast cloak as well.[49]
Six Paths Sage Mode
Main article: Six Paths Sage Mode
Naruto's new cloak after obtaining Hagoromo's power.
After drawing on the Six Paths Sage Chakra and the chakras of the nine tailed beasts, Naruto dons a new chakra cloak referred to as Six Paths Sage Mode (六道仙人モード, Rikudō Sennin Mōdo). In this new mode, like his original Tailed Beast Mode cloak, the chakra forms into a light-coloured coat but with a dark-coloured bodysuit underneath. Unlike his Tailed Beast Sage Mode mantle, there is no orange pigmentation around his eyes, his eyes are yellow as opposed to red or orange, and his skin does not glow like the rest of his body.[50] The "bodysuit" covers his torso, reaches down his arms to the knuckles, and down his legs, stopping just above his sandals. It has a light coloured circle where the original seal was placed as well as magatama around his collar. The coat has Hagoromo's symbol, composed of the Rinnegan above nine magatama, on its back. Furthermore, he is able to manifest the Truth-Seeking Balls.[51]
Naruto's conjoint Tailed Beast Mode with three heads and six arms.
Naruto can still manifest Kurama's Sage-enhanced Tailed Beast Mode chakra replica,[52] whose might rivals Sasuke Uchiha's Perfect Susanoo, being able to deflect its sword slashes with a single tail and clash with it fist to fist.[53] He has also shown the ability to combine three Kurama avatars into a single one with three heads and six arms, much like his ancestor Asura's chakra avatar.[54]
Trivia
- When first observing Naruto's enhanced chakra shroud while in Tailed Beast Mode from behind, Kakashi Hatake momentarily mistook Naruto for Minato.[33]
- Asura had a form similar to this one while he was alive.[55]
- In the Chikara Arc, despite the fact that Naruto had not yet subjugated Kurama's power, motivated by the Tonika Village orphans' plea to save Dokku and Shiseru, Naruto temporarily assumed an incomplete version of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode after breaking free from Kurama's influence. During his brief time in the form, Naruto was able to form an incomplete Tailed Beast Rasengan as well. He was also able to enter an imperfect version of the Tailed Beast Mode, in which his seal spread over his body, forming unique markings. Much like Tailed Beast Mode, Naruto's chakra manifested into a replica of Kurama, although it lacked legs and possessed only six tails. In addition to the shroud's tails, Naruto was capable of forming chakra arms to bind his opponents while in this state.[56]
- While in this mode, Naruto's hair very closely resembles that of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki with two horn-like pieces on the top.[57]
- Unlike Naruto, Minato doesn't have significant changes between the shrouds he dons while in basic Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Tailed Beast Mode. The swirls don't turn into full circles, there is no new "chakra cloak", and the only changes are the slit pupils.
References
- ↑ Naruto chapter 538, page 1
- ↑ Naruto chapter 520, page 1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Naruto chapter 628
- ↑ Naruto chapter 499, pages 12-15
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Naruto chapter 505
- ↑ Naruto chapter 559, page 4
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Naruto chapter 631
- ↑ Naruto chapter 640
- ↑ Naruto: Shippūden episode 374
- ↑ Naruto chapter 536, pages 8-11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 545, page 11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 592, page 7
- ↑ Naruto chapter 505, page 12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 544, page 11-12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 554, page 4
- ↑ Naruto chapter 565, pages 11-12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 565, page 13
- ↑ Naruto chapter 566, page 10-12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 629, page 4
- ↑ Naruto chapter 567, page 13
- ↑ Naruto chapter 551, pages 13-15
- ↑ Naruto chapter 554, page 1
- ↑ Naruto chapter 520, pages 1-5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 595, pages 4-6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 534, pages 13-14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 529, page 1
- ↑ Naruto chapter 545, page 14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 519, pages 10-11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 567, page 18
- ↑ Fourth Databook, page 250
- ↑ Naruto chapter 642, page 5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 660, page 1
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Naruto chapter 571
- ↑ Naruto chapter 608, page 12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 616, pages 10-11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 617, pages 3-4
- ↑ Naruto chapter 616, page 6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 645, page 1
- ↑ Naruto chapter 645, page 6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 610, page 8
- ↑ Naruto chapter 610, page 8
- ↑ Naruto chapter 645, page 7
- ↑ Naruto chapter 658, page 11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 572
- ↑ Naruto chapter 645, page 7
- ↑ Naruto chapter 598
- ↑ Naruto chapter 611, page 6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 645, page 8
- ↑ Naruto chapter 645, page 7
- ↑ Naruto volume 70 cover
- ↑ Naruto chapter 673, pages 14-17
- ↑ Naruto chapter 695, page 5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 695
- ↑ Naruto chapter 696, page 15
- ↑ Naruto chapter 670, page 17
- ↑ Naruto: Shippūden episode 295
- ↑ Naruto chapter 670, page 4
