Obito—formerly Yamato Arata before his transmigration—stood tall and unyielding, his voice thunderous as he demanded, "Where's the tailed beast? Release it!"
His declaration echoed through the tension-filled air. Chief Shibuki stood silent, fists clenched at his sides.
Though Takigakure was a small and relatively weak village, it possessed one of the nine tailed beasts—Chōmei, the Seven-Tails. This forbidden power had long drawn the covetous eyes of shinobi from every great nation. Over the years, the Five Great Ninja Villages had tried various means—coercion, negotiation, even espionage—to seize the beast. Some had nearly succeeded.
To guard against such threats, Takigakure had sealed the Seven-Tails inside a specially crafted jar using powerful fuinjutsu. The tailed beast would only be released in dire emergencies. Once the threat was dealt with, it would be sealed again.
This sealing jar had originally been a gift from the Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure, presented when diplomatic ties were established between the Land of Taki and the Land of Whirlpools. As a gesture of goodwill, the Uzumaki would send members each year to strengthen the seal.
But after Uzushiogakure fell, the surviving Uzumaki fled into obscurity, hiding to preserve their bloodline. With no one left to reinforce the seal, the technique began to weaken—especially each time the Seven-Tails was released and resealed. The seal's stability deteriorated with every use.
Several years ago, the Seven-Tails had been resealed one final time. Now, the jar's sealing technique was on the brink of total failure.
If it were released again, the jar would no longer be able to contain it.
Because of this, Takigakure dared not rely on the beast lightly anymore. It had become more of a symbolic deterrent than a real weapon.
Even now, with the village facing a powerful and mysterious enemy, Shibuki hesitated.
"Village Chief, release the tailed beast!!" shouted one of the village's jonin.
"If he wants to witness its power, let him drown in despair!"
"We don't care about peace anymore—we just want to crush the enemy standing before us!"
The cries of the Taki shinobi rose into a chorus of fury.
Shibuki knew the village was teetering on the edge of destruction. Strategic deterrence meant nothing if the village itself ceased to exist.
His resolve hardened.
With a heavy breath, he pulled out a sealed scroll and unfurled it across the ground.
Bang!
A heavy thunk echoed as an ancient, ornate jar appeared at the center of the scroll.
The Taki shinobi backed away instinctively.
Shibuki formed a long series of hand signs, his thoughts focused: Release.
Buzz! The intricate sealing symbols on the jar flickered to life and then began to fade.
With a burst of chakra, Shibuki leapt back as—
BOOM! A violent red beam of light erupted from the altar, piercing the night sky. A black vortex opened in the heavens. Crack! Boom! Crimson lightning crackled in the clouds. The sky warped with swirling pressure.
Obito watched the transformation unfold, murmuring, "The power of the Seven-Tails... it's only slightly weaker than the Eight-Tails. As I thought—only the Nine-Tails represents a true leap in power."
Crack... crack...
The altar housing the jar began to fracture. As the red light surged outward, the entire structure crumbled into dust.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Chakra gathered in the sky like a typhoon, shaping itself into a monstrous form—the true body of Chōmei.
It resembled a giant beetle with six wings and a massive tail—grotesque, alien, and menacing.
Perched atop a mountain, the Moon and the Setting Sun watched in awe. One of them muttered, "God, it's ugly…"
Obito laughed. "Not the strongest of the bunch, but hands down the ugliest."
Down below, Shibuki pulled a yellowed talisman from his sleeve and pressed it to his forehead. This was a village heirloom—capable of telepathic communication with the Seven-Tails.
"Nanao… For centuries, you've protected Takigakure. We sealed you to protect you. But now… help us through this crisis, and your freedom will be yours."
The words resonated in the air like a prayer.
As if understanding, Chōmei's compound eyes locked on Obito, who stood atop the giant tree in the forest.
Fwoooosh! Chakra surged into Chōmei's mouth, glowing with malice.
"It's forming a Tailed Beast Bomb—everyone fall back!!" Shibuki shouted.
The Taki shinobi panicked and scattered, running faster than they had even when facing Obito's Wood Release earlier.
In their eyes, this was true destruction incarnate.
"Tailed Beast Bombs again, huh…" Obito muttered, remembering a not-so-pleasant encounter with one and Yuugao Uzuki.
"It's fine. I'll handle it," said Tobi calmly.
Obito didn't flinch. In fact, he almost looked… excited.
BOOM!
The Tailed Beast Bomb launched from Chōmei's mouth, tearing through the air. Winds howled, the ground trembled.
"Well done," Obito smirked.
In an instant, the Crow Tengu Susanoo manifested around him. A Kamui-infused shuriken materialized in its hand and flew toward the bomb.
The shuriken collided midair with the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb—then swallowed it into a spiraling vortex of space-time.
Just like that, the bomb vanished.
"What… what just happened?!" the Taki shinobi gasped.
He had erased the Tailed Beast Bomb—what they had believed to be the ultimate attack—with a flick of his hand.
"Don't panic!" Shibuki shouted. "Nanao can fly! Even if he can block its attacks, he can't hit it in the sky!"
But his trembling hands betrayed his doubt. Sweat dripped from his fingers.
Boom! Crow Tengu Susanoo leapt into the air. Even without wings, it soared tens of meters upward.
Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan glowed, locking onto each of Chōmei's six wings.
But gravity pulled Susanoo back down again.
"Yes!! We got him!"
"He can't reach it! Hahaha!" the Taki shinobi laughed, taunting Obito.
Fwoooosh! Another Tailed Beast Bomb began forming in Chōmei's mouth.
"That's it—blast him to pieces!!"
Bang! Susanoo hit the ground. Obito's expression turned icy.
"Your wings are annoying, Nanabi. I'll just rip them off."
A pitch-black Magatama sphere formed in Susanoo's right hand. He hurled it skyward.
Susanoo's Sacred Weapon: Kyūtama Magatama!
At the same time, Chōmei unleashed his second Tailed Beast Bomb.
The magatama tore through the bomb. It exploded harmlessly on Susanoo's body. But the magatama kept going—straight for Chōmei.
Eyes wide with panic, the beetle-beast flapped its wings, trying to escape. The magatama closed in.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Desperate, Chōmei fired a barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs, detonating them in midair. But the magatama wasn't deterred.
It split—six dark orbs targeting each of Chōmei's wings.
"Screeeeeech!!"
The orbs ripped through the wings, severing them and hurling the pieces into space-time.
BOOM!
Now flightless, Chōmei plummeted, crashing to the ground in a thunderous quake.
Still burning with rage, the Seven-Tails tried to gather chakra again.
Obito smirked coldly and clapped his hands together.
Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!
BOOM!
A colossal wooden dragon erupted from beneath Chōmei, wrapping around the beast's struggling form.
The Seven-Tails attempted to launch another Tailed Beast Bomb—but the dragon's jaws snapped down on its neck, disrupting the chakra buildup.
"Screeee!!" Chōmei screamed as its chakra was drained.
The wood dragon grew larger and stronger with every second.
Now standing near, Obito formed another seal.
Wood Release: Wooden Golem Technique!
The massive tree beneath him twisted and expanded, forming a towering Wooden Golem, with the Wood Dragon coiled around its shoulders like a snake.
In Obito's palm, the kanji for "Sit" appeared.
He raised his hand and pointed toward the beast.
SLAM! The golem's enormous palm, glowing with sealing power, descended on Chōmei's head.
Chakra dispersed in an instant. The Seven-Tails went limp—unconscious.
Obito's left Mangekyō Sharingan spun into motion.
Whoosh! The beast's enormous body began to dematerialize, sucked into his dimension—his private space-time prison.
He had turned the legendary tailed beast into nothing more than a sealed asset.
Turning to the north, toward Takigakure, he saw nothing but despair. The shinobi who had cheered minutes ago were now pale, hopeless.
Obito whispered, "Time to finish this."
Click! He bit his thumb, drawing blood.
Forming a seal, he slammed his palm to the ground.
Summoning Technique—Eight-Tails!