"Kazuyama, are you okay?"
"Let me help you heal your body."
Shukaku's attack had directly injured Kazuyama's internal organs, which was why he coughed up blood.
Hearing Chōmei's concerned voice and feeling chakra begin to surge, Kazuyama couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry, Chōmei, I'm fine."
"It's just really frustrating."
The injuries weren't a big deal—being a Jinchūriki meant he wouldn't die as long as Chōmei was with him. But he hadn't expected this mission to go so disastrously. First, the sneak attack failed, forcing a retreat, and now this second attempt had also ended in failure.
For someone who prided himself on being the best at stealth, Kazuyama was beyond annoyed.
"Where did this damn little fly come from, daring to ambush me?"
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
Noticing Shukaku's slightly bloated belly and the whistling wind, Kazuyama's brow twitched.
He was about to use the Flying Thunder God Technique when he realized that his marked kunai had been blown away by the sudden gust caused by Shukaku's appearance. He had no idea where it had landed.
"Damn it! I must've had bad luck from the start—everything's going wrong!!!"
Shukaku's fully charged Drilling Air Bullet condensed at an alarming speed and was about to be launched in the blink of an eye.
With no time to hesitate, Kazuyama stopped holding back.
"Crystal Release: Ascending Dragon!"
"I'm flying!!!"
With Chōmei's chakra backing him up, Kazuyama clapped his hands together, and the technique immediately took form.
A massive crystal dragon materialized, lifting him into the air.
Amidst the swirling sand, the dragon crafted from Crystal Release looked so lifelike that even Shukaku was momentarily surprised.
But the Drilling Air Bullet had already been fired. The massive sphere of compressed chakra and Wind Release shot toward the sky with terrifying force.
"Shit! It's too fast!"
Riding the crystal dragon, Kazuyama's expression darkened as he felt the sheer force behind the incoming attack.
"Crystal Release: Protective Coffin Slab!"
Chōmei nearly tripped upon hearing the name and couldn't help but complain.
"What the hell kind of dumb name is that?!"
Kazuyama had no time to argue. Crystals rapidly enveloped him, forming a large, solid coffin atop the dragon's head.
This was a technique he'd developed based on an ice coffin—purely defensive, nothing else.
Inside, he continued pouring chakra into the structure, reinforcing the crystal's durability.
The Drilling Air Bullet struck with full force, and the crystal dragon was the first to take the hit.
Under Shukaku's power, the dragon shattered into countless shards.
Next was Kazuyama—coffin and all, he was sent flying by the devastating blast.
"Kazuyama!"
"Get out of the way, Chiyo!"
Orochimaru's eyes instantly turned blood-red as he tried to rush to the rescue, but Chiyo controlled nine puppets to block him completely, refusing to let him pass.
Yes, nine puppets—one of which had already been destroyed by Orochimaru.
"I won't let you through, Orochimaru."
"That brat is dead!"
"Three Jewels Suction Crushing!"
She watched as Orochimaru grew increasingly frenzied and let out a satisfied laugh before activating her jutsu.
Three puppets combined their techniques, creating a powerful suction force that made Orochimaru stumble. Fortunately, he used Hidden Shadow Snake Hands to steady himself, preventing himself from being pulled in.
"Damn it! Manda! Go save him!"
With no other options, Orochimaru had to send Manda to the rescue.
Manda glanced at Shukaku in the distance and swallowed nervously. Just as he hesitated...
Yulin, hovering in the sky, shook its massive body and lunged toward Kazuyama.
"Tch, it's just a One-Tail."
"You think I'm scared of you?!"
"Roar!"
Seeing that Yulin had already moved, Manda let out a furious roar and surged forward at full speed, charging straight at Shukaku.
"Hmph! Oversized mud eel, I remember you. Wasn't the lesson I gave you last time enough?"
"I'll bury you in sand!"
Shukaku sneered at Manda before slamming his hands onto the ground, instantly covering the terrain in sand.
The moment the Tailed Beast unleashed its power, both Sunagakure and Konoha shinobi instinctively retreated at high speed.
Only a handful of Konoha's elite ninja attempted to stop Shukaku. Among them were Fugaku Uchiha, Shirakumo, and a few others.
They stood at a distance, watching as Manda was repeatedly engulfed in waves of golden sand, their expressions grim.
"Orochimaru's Manda is strong, but compared to a Tailed Beast, the gap is still pretty big."
"We should go too. We can't let Shukaku advance any further."
Despite his injuries, Shirakumo tightened his grip on his sword, his fighting spirit burning strong.
Before long, Konoha's Jōnin began charging toward the Tailed Beast.
Meanwhile, Yulin soared through the air and caught Kazuyama.
"Kazuyama, are you alright?"
Yulin watched as the crystalline structure encasing Kazuyama's body cracked apart piece by piece, her concern evident.
She breathed a sigh of relief once the last of the crystal shattered and Kazuyama leaped free, landing once more on her head.
Though he was back on his feet, he looked exhausted.
"I'm fine. Good thing I protected myself with Crystal Release—if I had taken that hit head-on, I would've been smashed to pieces."
Kazuyama still felt a lingering fear. He wasn't ignorant of the stakes.
Shukaku might only have one tail, but in terms of power, he ranked in the top three.
Magnet Release, Wind Release, and Fūinjutsu—this beast was anything but weak.
"Huh? Is that Manda? Is this guy out of his mind?"
"He's actually attacking Shukaku head-on?"
Both Yulin and Kazuyama stared at Manda as he charged toward Shukaku, their expressions filled with disbelief.
But before they could react, a sudden surge of golden sand interrupted their thoughts.
"Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
"Kazuyama, your opponent is me!"
Rasa swung his hands, unleashing a barrage of golden sand spikes from all directions toward Kazuyama.
Kazuyama sighed, looking at Rasa, who was burning with rage.
"Are you a damn ghost? Why the hell won't you leave me alone?!"
"Fine! Once I deal with you, I'll go settle the score with Shukaku!"
"Yulin! Let's go!"
Kazuyama was seriously fed up. Rasa had been getting in his way over and over again.
Did he really think Kazuyama would just take it without fighting back?
At his command, Yulin's entire body began to tremble as natural energy gathered around her, forming a protective energy shield.
Without hesitation, her massive frame barreled straight toward Rasa, completely ignoring the golden sand spikes striking against her armored hide.
"Kazuyama, your defense technique is pretty damn good."
"Heh, I'm not a fighter, so most of my abilities are focused on defense. I can cover you, but you're on your own for attacking."
Kazuyama nodded, then reached into his cloak and pulled out a sword hilt.
As he channeled chakra into it—
"Whoosh!"
A brilliant golden-orange glow erupted.
The personal weapon of the Second Hokage, the strongest sword in the ninja world—
The Sword of the Thunder God!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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