Bab 130: Chapter 130: Too Strong, Must Be Sealed!
"The real show is about to begin!"
The hawk circling above the confrontation between the Suna-nin and Iwa-nin had a gleam of amusement in its eyes.
Of course, this hawk was none other than Shūichi in disguise.
In reality, there were other birds in the area, so he didn't stand out.
Down below on the battlefield, neither the main forces of Sunagakure nor Iwagakure had moved. Only two figures stepped forward from the crowd.
The Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Roshi of Iwagakure!
And the One-Tail Jinchūriki, Bunpuku of Sunagakure!
This was Shūichi Hoshita's first time seeing the One-Tail's Jinchūriki, who turned out to be an old monk much older than Roshi.
Shūichi didn't know much about this Bunpuku monk, but he had a deep impression of his disciple, Hōichi, a monk renowned for his ability to control both the One-Tail and Seven-Tail Jinchūriki. Hōichi's expertise in sealing techniques was quite advanced.
As for the monk's teachings, it seemed highly likely that Bunpuku had passed them on.
"He possesses powerful sealing techniques and a considerable amount of chakra, which means Bunpuku can suppress the One-Tail."
"Now, I wonder if he has control over the Tailed Beast like Roshi… I guess I'll find out soon."
Shūichi watched with anticipation.
Down below, Bunpuku and Roshi came to a halt.
Roshi looked at the old monk and said, "Old monk, you should go back home and pray. This isn't a place for someone like you."
With his palms pressed together and a serene expression, Bunpuku calmly replied, "You weren't responsible for last night's attack, were you?"
"Please, depart from here. Neither village will gain anything from this war, and continuing it will only result in losses for both sides."
Roshi snorted. "Since you know it wasn't me, you have even less reason to be here."
"Old monk, I bet you still haven't mastered the power of the Tailed Beast, have you?"
"When the battle begins, you'll end up attacking everyone indiscriminately, and that's going to be a real disaster!"
Bunpuku sighed deeply, his gaze lowering in contemplation.
In the next moment, crimson chakra began to swirl around his body. Then, the massive form of the One-Tail Shukaku started to emerge, expanding rapidly as Bunpuku's body disappeared within.
"Finally free!"
A piercing shriek rang out as Shukaku bellowed with excitement, "At last, I'm out! I'm going to kill every single one of you!"
Roshi's expression darkened. "He actually released the One-Tail completely!"
Inside him, the Four-Tails spoke up. "In this state, you can't beat him. Why don't you let me handle this?"
Roshi grunted. "Don't underestimate me!"
The Four-Tails chuckled. "Last time, you got beaten pretty badly by a kid."
Roshi was furious. "That was because I was careless!"
…
On the other side, Shukaku didn't immediately focus on Roshi. Instead, he turned his gaze back toward the Suna-nin.
This sent a wave of fear through the ranks of Sunagakure's shinobi, and even Rasa's face turned grim. "Is Bunpuku unable to suppress it anymore?"
However, Shukaku then turned his head back and sneered. "Out of respect for the old monk, I'll let you off this time!"
"Four-Tails…"
Shukaku looked at Roshi and immediately launched into taunting mode. "You pathetic monkey, such a sad sight!"
"To think your power is being controlled by those wretched shinobi!"
"Hah! Let me help you out by getting rid of that guy so you can finally be free!"
Before he finished speaking, Shukaku raised his front paw and swiped it down toward Roshi.
Roshi clasped his hands together and instantly entered Lava Release Chakra Mode, his body covered in a molten lava armor. He unleashed a volley of massive lava balls from his mouth.
However, a sudden surge of sand shot up, intercepting the attack.
Boom!
Shukaku's massive paw struck a sand dune as Roshi narrowly evaded it with lightning-fast reflexes. In mid-air, he cast the Scorching Stream Rock Technique, hurling molten lava toward Shukaku.
But Shukaku was ready. Pressing his left paw against his belly, he unleashed a massive wind bullet from his mouth.
The lava balls couldn't withstand the powerful wind blast and were scattered instantly. The resulting combination of flames and wind created a terrifying firestorm, kicking up sand, igniting it, and sweeping across the battlefield, enveloping Roshi and the Iwa-nin behind him.
Though Roshi's lava armor protected him from the burning sand, the force of the windstorm caused him to lose control of his movements.
Meanwhile, the Iwa-nin quickly worked together to perform Earth Style, raising towering walls from the ground to block the incoming firestorm and sand.
On the other side, the Suna-nin were greatly encouraged.
"This is the power of a Tailed Beast! Truly terrifying!"
"Iwa's Four-Tails Jinchūriki doesn't stand a chance against him!"
"With this, we'll definitely drive the Iwa-nin out!"
...
The sandstorm passed, and Roshi slammed hard into the desert ground.
Immediately, the surrounding sand surged up, constantly covering him, even though the intense heat from his body kept melting it.
"If this keeps up, Shukaku will seal you!" The Four-Tails couldn't help but warn him.
Roshi's body was instantly enveloped in Tailed Beast chakra. Tails quickly materialized behind him as he entered his half-beast transformation state.
Boom!
The sand exploded as Roshi, now in his Four-Tails form, shot into the sky, his speed drastically increasing. He dodged the waves of sand lunging at him and charged directly at Shukaku.
Shukaku pressed his paw against his belly and spewed out a barrage of powerful wind bullets.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each wind bullet blasted massive craters into the desert, whipping up terrifying sandstorms that swept toward the Iwa-nin.
Seeing this, Rasa immediately issued an order: "The sealing squad and Jinchūriki guard stay behind; everyone else, attack with me!"
Taking advantage of the sandstorm enveloping the Iwa-nin, Rasa commanded his forces to split into two, flanking the Iwa-nin from both sides of the Tailed Beast battle.
Meanwhile, Roshi, with his enhanced speed and agility, managed to evade each wave of attacks and quickly closed the distance to Shukaku.
Suddenly, Shukaku opened his mouth, but this time, instead of wind bullets, he unleashed a barrage of high-speed sand pellets, shooting toward Roshi like bullets.
Wind Release: Sand Buckshot!
Such a dense attack—it would be impossible for Roshi to dodge them all, and even Shūichi, observing from the sky, doubted anyone could evade such a storm of projectiles.
Take the hit or go underground?
Shūichi pondered.
Below, Roshi made his choice. He burrowed into the sand, moving swiftly beneath the surface.
"Die!" Shukaku shrieked, sending waves of sand crashing forward, pressing down with immense force to crush everything beneath it.
Suddenly, stone pillars burst through the sand, spreading toward Shukaku. As they exploded, they blasted the sand waves apart.
Seeing this, Shūichi realized that Roshi had indeed grown stronger since their last battle. Back then, his arrogance had been his downfall.
But now, Roshi had clearly improved.
Roshi tunneled through the sand, emerging beneath Shukaku. In an instant, the sand collapsed, revealing a lake of molten lava.
However, Shukaku had already noticed and leapt into the air, turning mid-flight to fire another massive wind bullet from his mouth.
At the same time, Roshi, in his Four-Tails state, gathered a dark purple Tailed Beast Bomb and launched it.
The Tailed Beast Bomb, the ultimate move of the Tailed Beasts, was immensely powerful. It tore through Shukaku's three wind bullets and continued its relentless path toward him.
Shukaku quickly raised his left paw, transforming it into a shield of sand.
Boom!
The deafening explosion and blinding flash momentarily caused Shūichi to lose sight of the battlefield.
When his vision cleared, he saw Shukaku back on the ground.
Shukaku's left paw was gone, but there were no other injuries, indicating that he had successfully blocked the Tailed Beast Bomb.
"That defense is incredible!"
"And…"
Shūichi noticed that Shukaku's paw was rapidly regenerating.
A sand body!
Shūichi frowned inwardly. "It seems obtaining Shukaku's chakra by getting a piece of his flesh won't be possible. His body turns to sand the moment it's separated from him."
Troublesome!
Below, Shukaku let out a roar of frustration, then turned toward the Suna-nin and Iwa-nin on the battlefield, grinning wickedly. "I'll kill those guys first!"
With that, Shukaku began to charge toward the Suna-Iwa battlefield.
"Damn it!" Roshi cursed, immediately using all his speed to pursue Shukaku.
However, waves of sand kept surging toward him, obstructing his path.
"You idiot, you've fallen for that stinking tanuki's trap!" the Four-Tails warned. Roshi's eyes narrowed as he realized the sand around him was swirling, forming a terrifying sand vortex. The terrain was rising around him, trapping him.
Can Tailed Beasts be this cunning?
The Four-Tails is supposed to be so dumb!
As Roshi tried to break free, the Four-Tails heard his thoughts and roared in anger, "You arrogant fool! You humans are the stupid ones!"
"This time, you're done for!"
"That damn tanuki is definitely going to seal you!"
...
The Four-Tails was quite eager to watch Roshi meet his doom. After all, if Roshi died, the Four-Tails would reincarnate and regain his freedom.
However, the thought of losing to that foul-mouthed tanuki was just too humiliating!
"You idiot, use that technique to break out of this cage!" the Four-Tails urged.
Roshi, trapped by the sand, struggled but couldn't break free. Instead, he sank deeper and deeper as the sand outside thickened. Finally, he took the Four-Tails' advice and began gathering chakra for a Tailed Beast Bomb.
But just then, a wave of sand coiled around his neck, locking him in place.
Although his Lava Release melted the sand almost instantly, more sand continuously poured in, layer upon layer, pressing down until Roshi in his half-Tailed Beast form was completely buried.
"As expected of a stupid monkey!" Shukaku laughed. "You're done for!"
Shukaku turned around and pressed his claws into the ground, activating the curse marks on his body. The patterns spread and fused with the sand, forming layer upon layer of seals.
Up in the sky, Shūichi narrowed his eyes. "I forgot… those markings on Shukaku's body are actually curse seals, representing sealing power."
"Definitely worth studying!"
Since getting Shukaku's chakra wasn't an option for now, Shūichi focused on observing the intricate patterns of the seals.
However, just as Shukaku completed the sealing, something felt off. His eyes narrowed. "Is that dumb monkey finally coming out?"
In the next moment, the towering sand dunes sealing Roshi suddenly exploded, and terrifying molten lava erupted from beneath.
Following that, a massive ape crawled out!
The Four-Tails, Son Goku!
Shūichi couldn't help but think to himself, "The First Hokage was absolutely right—Tailed Beasts are too powerful and should definitely be sealed away."
Even without a Tailed Beast Bomb, Shukaku's wind-based attacks could easily annihilate an entire village.
Two creatures of such power could casually bring disaster to ordinary people.
It's no wonder Tailed Beasts are synonymous with calamity and evil.
At this moment, Shukaku's voice echoed from below, "Stupid monkey, you finally came out."
"You should thank me! Without me, you'd still be buried under that sand!"
"Why don't we team up? We could wipe out the Iwa-nin and then kill your Jinchūriki. That way, you'd be free."
The Four-Tails, Son Goku, growled, "You dumb tanuki! There's no way I'd lose to an idiot like you!"
Shukaku snickered, "Don't forget, this is my home turf!"
Despite his tough words, Son Goku knew Shukaku was right. The desert was indeed Shukaku's ideal battleground, and it was a major disadvantage for him.
"I need to end this quickly!"
With that thought, Son Goku charged toward Shukaku.
A new round of fierce combat began.
As Shūichi observed the two Tailed Beasts battling below, his attention returned to the curse marks on Shukaku's body. Unfortunately, he could only get a partial view of them.
Time passed slowly.
Shukaku clearly had the upper hand, but he couldn't land a decisive blow against Son Goku.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Iwa-nin had already chosen to retreat.
The earlier sandstorm had given Suna-nin the upper hand, and the desert terrain prevented the Iwa-nin from utilizing their specialty of reshaping the battlefield to their advantage.
As the Iwa-nin retreated, Son Goku also withdrew.
"What a pitiful monkey!" Shukaku sneered. "Being controlled by a bunch of ninja!"
Shukaku didn't pursue, lazily slumping down in the sand, his mouth as foul as ever.
Son Goku roared in anger as he retreated, shouting, "Stinking tanuki! You're no better off than me!"
With the Four-Tails present, the Suna-nin didn't give chase. Even after the Iwa-nin had retreated far away, they remained cautious and didn't dare approach Shukaku.
Rasa arrived at the sealing squad, giving them a serious look. "Be ready for my signal!"
The members of the Suna sealing squad all nodded. "Yes, Lord Rasa!"
Rasa, his face grim, watched Shukaku, prepared to act at any moment.
Meanwhile, Shukaku was lazily negotiating with Bunpuku, the monk who hosted his seal. "Hey, old monk, I drove the enemies away for you Suna-nin. Shouldn't you let me stay out a bit longer?"
Bunpuku, calm and gentle, replied, "Whether inside or outside, it's the same for you. What I sense, you can sense as well."
Shukaku grumbled, dissatisfied. "Hey, you're no fun!"
"Besides, with me here, that stupid monkey won't dare come back."
Bunpuku simply smiled in silence, but his actions spoke for themselves.
Shukaku felt a powerful force pulling him back into the seal and roared angrily, "Damn it! This seal came from me, and you're better at using it than I am! How annoying!"
Bunpuku smiled and said, "If you dedicated yourself to training like I do, you'd definitely do better than me!"
With that, Shukaku disappeared.
Once back inside the seal, Shukaku lazily flopped down, snorting. "Even if you train hard, in a few years you'll die, and I'll still be here! You humans better not think too highly of yourselves."
...
Seeing that Shukaku was sealed again, Rasa breathed a long sigh of relief. He then noticed a lone eagle flying away in the sky and muttered to himself, "A Konoha ninja beast, huh?"
Up in the air, Shūichi smirked as he flew away. "Looks like they noticed me."
It would've been strange if they hadn't.
When the Tailed Beasts appeared, all the other birds fled in fear, leaving only his lone eagle circling overhead—it was clearly suspicious.
However, from that distance, they shouldn't have been able to identify his true identity.
Once he was far enough from the battlefield, there was a puff of smoke, and the eagle disappeared.
In a more distant location, Shūichi, seated cross-legged on a weathered rock pillar, received his clone's memories and thought to himself, "On the battlefield, both Suna and Iwa keep a close watch on their Jinchūriki. It's too difficult to make a move."
"But the curse marks on Shukaku were an unexpected bonus. They're definitely worth studying."
(End of Chapter)
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