After leaving the Land of Fire, Kawaki headed straight for the Land of Iron.
The Five-Tails Kokuō lived deep within a forest in the Land of Iron.
As for the Six-Tails Saiken, it resided in a dark, damp swamp near the Land of Water—fitting for a slug's nature.
Following the principle of proximity, Kawaki naturally decided to deal with Kokuō first before going after Saiken.
He didn't even need transportation. With his massive chakra reserves, he quickly arrived at the Land of Iron.
The Tailed Beasts' distinct chakra signatures couldn't escape his perception.
Once he pinpointed its exact location, Kawaki made his way directly toward it.
As he approached, the sleeping Kokuō suddenly shot open its eyes.
A jolt of danger surged through its mind.
"It's you?"
Kokuō stared at Kawaki, who had appeared out of nowhere not far from him. Clearly, it recognized this man it had once fought.
"You still remember me?"
Kawaki was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this reincarnated Tailed Beast to retain its memories.
"What about that woman?"
Compared to Kawaki, Kokuō bore a much deeper grudge against Tsunade.
It could never forget the searing pain and humiliation she had inflicted upon it.
Do I need backup just to handle you?
A mocking smile curled on Kawaki's lips as he showed no sign of taking Kokuō seriously.
"You're asking for death!"
With a roar of rage, Kokuō pushed off the ground and charged headfirst toward Kawaki.
Its expression radiated fury, clearly intending to gore Kawaki with its massive horn in a single blow.
It knew well—if a ninja came searching for it, there could only be one reason.
Even if this man's power seemed immeasurable, this battle was unavoidable!
"Overestimating yourself."
Kawaki's gaze sharpened instantly, filled with disdain as he watched Kokuō charge toward him.
Just because you're big doesn't make you strong!
In an instant, his body was surrounded by a surge of lightning, and the red cursed seal markings around his eyes surfaced.
Pushing off the tree branch beneath his feet, he launched forward like a missile.
His right fist, blazing with electric light, slammed directly into Kokuō's prized giant horn.
*Bang!*
Kokuō was sent flying, its horn shattered into two pieces on impact. It crashed through countless trees before finally stopping.
"That horn alone would've sufficed—but you annoyed me."
"Die again."
Kawaki casually picked up the broken horn and launched another strike before Kokuō could even rise.
After forming a hand seal, a glowing kanji "Seat" formed on his palm. The next moment, the Flying Thunder God Technique activated, slamming onto Kokuō's head.
[Bringing Down the Hammer]
With a low, forceful murmur, a surge of chakra flooded into Kokuō's body.
Instantly, Kokuō sensed its own chakra being suppressed, followed by a sudden, overwhelming wave of sleepiness crashing over it.
Within just a few breaths, Kokuō couldn't help but close its eyes and collapsed limply to the ground.
Without even appearing to exert effort, Kawaki struck a few more blows, and Kokuō's figure began fading away.
"If we meet again, try showing a bit more courtesy."
A true man doesn't glance back at his victories—he was that confident.
After Kawaki left, Kokuō vanished without a trace.
Only the vast swathes of uprooted trees and deep scars in the earth bore witness to the battle that had occurred here.
After sealing the broken horn of Kokuō inside a Sealing Scroll, Kawaki didn't waste a moment before setting off for the Land of Water.
He had no intention of lingering outside the Land of Fire a second longer than he had to. Otherwise, who knows how much his precious daughter would miss him?
As Kawaki passed through the Land of Fire again, crossing the bridge connecting to the Land of Waves, he boarded a passenger ship bound for the Land of Water.
This was the first time he truly felt the changes in the outside world.
The bridge linking the Land of Fire with the Land of Waves had been completed in the very first year of the Five-Year Plan.
Nowadays, countless people traveled back and forth between the two lands every day, making things far more convenient than before.
The passenger ship Kawaki was riding on was also the latest model—fast, spacious, and reliable.
With regular schedules and set routes, it carried large crowds.
Looking at everything around him, everything felt like proof that his efforts had paid off.
Wasn't this exactly what unity meant?
Listening to conversations around him along the way, Kawaki didn't feel bored at all.
Already, he was imagining when the whole family could go out together and explore the landscapes across the Ninja World.
By the time the ship docked, Kawaki reluctantly stepped off the deck, still somewhat lost in thought.
From the harbor, he set off toward one of the nearby small islands listed on the note, sensing Saiken's chakra drawing closer.
When he arrived at a swampy area, he confirmed that Saiken was indeed hiding beneath it.
"Will you come out by yourself, or must I take action?"
Kawaki didn't believe Saiken hadn't sensed his presence.
Yet even after patiently waiting for several minutes, he didn't see Saiken appear.
All he detected was that the powerful chakra within the swamp had grown slightly more concealed.
Saiken clearly wanted to hide and avoid confrontation.
"If you won't come out, don't blame me for being rude."
"There was room for discussion earlier, but you chose to ignore that chance yourself."
As Kawaki spoke, an immense wave of chakra surged from him, and in the next moment, a sea of trees was ready to rise from the swamp.
"Don't attack! Let's talk!"
Saiken was a fellow tailed beast who had experienced Wood Release before. Feeling that familiar power once again, there was no way he could remain hidden now.
A massive slug with six pale white tails slowly emerged from the swamp.
Slime oozed constantly from its body, coating the ground below.
"Smart move."
"I need a sample of your flesh."
"I'll leave immediately after taking it, without harming your life."
Kawaki looked Saiken up and down, unable to spot anything particularly unique about it.
In the end, he decided to simply take a random piece of flesh back. Any piece would do, as long as it worked for the experiment.
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"No way, I'm afraid it'll hurt."
Instinctively, Saiken stumbled back, its short legs darting surprisingly quickly.
"So you're not scared of dying then?"
Kawaki narrowed his eyes, his slow, calm tone brimming with killing intent.
"Which part do you want?"
Slime dripped faster from Saiken's body as it hesitantly asked Kawaki for clarification.
Compared to pain, it feared death far more.
"How about one of your tails?"
"You've got six already—you won't miss one."
Kawaki found Saiken's reaction amusing. He spoke about the tail like it was a disposable trinket.
"Alright."
Saiken gritted his teeth and severed one of his tails right at the root.
This made Kawaki feel a pang of pain—he hadn't even asked for so much!
This kid really means it!
"Is that enough?"
Tossing the severed tail toward Kawaki, Saiken still worried whether he'd be satisfied.
That feeling of being moments away from death—it was utterly horrifying.
"Enough, enough."
Kawaki quickly nodded and immediately sealed the severed tail into a scroll.
"Then can I go now?"
Saiken's cautious attitude almost made Kawaki feel a bit guilty.
"Go ahead. If you run into trouble in the future, just mention my name. Call me Hatake Kawaki."
Kawaki was meeting Saiken for the first time, so he knew the beast wouldn't recognize him.
"Sir, goodbye."
Silently, he added "Never again," then vanished into the swamp.
"All set!"
Seeing how fast Saiken bolted, Kawaki couldn't help but laugh out loud, somewhat proud of himself.
In all the Ninja World, there might be no other ninja who could scare a Tailed Beast like this.
"Time to go home."
Without lingering further, Kawaki began his return journey to Konoha, carrying with him a sample of the Six-Tails' tissue.
...
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