The explosion from Naruto's rasengan rattled the control room, debris scattering through the air. The armored leader of the facility staggered back, but his massive form remained standing, radiating an unnatural strength. Naruto was already charging forward, his eyes narrowed, his fists crackling with energy.
"You're tougher than I thought," Naruto said with a grin, dodging a retaliatory blast from the leader's cannon. "But I'm just getting started."
Natasha wasn't far behind, her agility allowing her to slip past the chaos, moving toward the central control panel. Her fingers danced over the keys, and for a brief moment, she glanced back at Naruto. "I'm almost in. Keep him distracted."
"Got it," Naruto yelled, his voice filled with determination.
The armored soldier lunged again, swinging the massive cannon like a club. Naruto ducked and dodged, weaving through the attack with incredible speed. His chakra surged once more as he summoned clones to throw the soldier off balance. The clones dispersed with lightning speed, attacking from all angles, but the soldier's thick armor absorbed most of the damage.
Natasha's voice came through the comms, urgent. "The fail-safe will activate in two minutes. I can't stop it unless I override the system!"
Naruto's face tightened with resolve. "You heard her! We don't have much time!"
With a burst of speed, Naruto charged the armored leader, his hand glowing with a new level of intensity. As he collided with the soldier, the impact sent a shockwave through the room, but the soldier remained unyielding, retaliating with a crushing blow to Naruto's side.
Before the battle could escalate further, the entire facility began to tremble as a deep rumble echoed from within the walls. The lights flickered, and alarms blared louder than ever.
The voice of their mysterious enemy came over the speakers once again, but this time it was more intense, more desperate. "You think you can just walk in here and take everything? You've been playing right into my hands all along!"
Naruto and Natasha exchanged a quick glance. There was something different in the man's voice—a desperation that hadn't been there before.
Suddenly, the control room doors slammed open, revealing another unexpected threat.
The rumbling grew louder, and a metallic hiss echoed through the facility as more walls slid open, revealing not just mercenaries but a strange, glowing substance leaking from pipes that lined the walls. Natasha's instincts flared, and her eyes narrowed. "This place is rigged to blow."
Naruto gritted his teeth, standing his ground. "So, what's the plan? We stop the self-destruct or we take down our friend here?"
Before Natasha could answer, the voice of their mysterious enemy sounded one final time—this time with a sense of finality. "You should have never come. Now, the world will see the consequences of your failure."
The control room's screens flickered, revealing a countdown, ominously ticking down from two minutes.
The countdown ticked ominously on the screen. With every passing second, the stakes grew higher. Natasha's eyes flicked to the console as she worked furiously to bypass the fail-safe systems, sweat beading on her brow. But the glow from the pipes surrounding them was growing brighter—this wasn't just a simple self-destruct mechanism. The facility was about to unleash something far worse.
"Naruto, we don't have much time!" Natasha snapped.
Naruto's mind raced as he scanned the room. He summoned a series of shadow clones to secure the area while he dove toward the control panel. He pressed his palm against it, channeling chakra, hoping to override the system.
The armored leader, still reeling from the earlier attack, rose again. His armor seemed to regenerate, his energy only increasing. "You think you can stop me with that? You're too late."
Naruto's eyes locked with the man's, a fire igniting in his gaze. "No one is ever too late when they have the will to fight."
Naruto focused all his chakra into the control panel. The room shook, the countdown accelerating, but the system refused to break. He slammed his hand down harder, chakra radiating off him in waves.
Natasha's voice crackled through his earpiece. "There's a backdoor. I can reset the countdown, but I need ten seconds—keep him off me!"
Naruto nodded and turned to face the armored soldier once more. "You're not getting in our way."
In a flash, he appeared in front of the soldier, throwing punch after punch, each one landing with a force that shook the very walls. But the soldier wasn't giving up, his cannon firing off deadly blasts as he retaliated. Naruto dodged with ease, but the battle was wearing him thin. Every second counted.
"Ten seconds, Naruto!" Natasha called, her fingers working over the console like a blur.
Naruto closed his eyes for a split second, letting his chakra flow freely. He felt the energy building up inside him—raw, untamed, and powerful. He needed to end this.
"Rasengan!" he shouted, unleashing the massive sphere of energy straight at the soldier.
The explosion rocked the room, sending debris flying in every direction. The soldier staggered back, unable to withstand the full force of the attack. But Naruto wasn't finished. He charged forward again, his fist glowing with chakra, ready to strike the final blow.
At that moment, Natasha's voice broke through the chaos. "It's done!"
Naruto froze. The countdown had stopped.
The facility went quiet. The glowing pipes stopped pulsing. The lights flickered back to normal. The self-destruct was halted, but the danger wasn't over. They were still trapped in the heart of the facility, surrounded by armed enemies and a rogue ally with unknown motives.
But for now, they had bought themselves a chance.