Roshi's entire body was drenched in blood, his Tailed Beast Cloak torn apart by the devastating Lightning Release attack. His flesh quivered under the corrosive burn of the Four-Tails' chakra. The pain was unbearable — a searing agony that threatened to make him lose consciousness.
He gasped for air, blood spilling from his mouth as the glow faded from his eyes.
"Pa... pa..."
Thick drops of blood splattered onto the muddy ground beneath him. He could feel it — the warmth slipping from his body.
Am I... going to die?
Pain. Burning, relentless pain. His body screamed, and yet, deep within his fading consciousness, another sound began to echo — the sound of flowing water.
Roshi felt himself moving forward, step by step, as though pulled by invisible strings. He was no longer in control. The sound grew clearer until he stood before a massive, still pool. Its surface shimmered like a mirror, eerily calm under the faint light.
As he stepped closer, ripples spread outward, distorting his reflection. Then, from the depths of the turquoise water, something began to rise. A massive ape — its fur crimson like molten lava, its four tails swaying with restrained power — stared up at him. Thick iron chains bound its limbs, clinking with a deep metallic resonance.
Their eyes met — man and beast — and for a moment, time froze.
"Hey, kid."
The voice thundered in his mind, filled with primal ferocity.
"Do you need my power?"
"Why are you so weak? It's because your hatred isn't deep enough."
"I can give you strength. Enough to crush anyone in your path."
"Come on... make a deal with me."
"Make a deal with me."
Roshi's eyes flickered. Doubt warred with desire. His will wavered, and before he realized it, his feet were already moving — one step, then another. First the ankles, then the knees, then the waist — until the water rose up to his neck and finally swallowed him whole.
It wasn't cold. In fact, it was warm, almost soothing. The water was so clear it felt unreal, and there was no pain, no suffocation.
"Finally... finally! I've been waiting for this!"
A manic laugh erupted in the depths, shaking the stillness.
---
Sakumo's instincts screamed danger. He immediately leapt back to Hayashi's side, his hand gripping the hilt of his blade tightly. The previous secret technique had drained too much chakra — another large-scale attack was impossible for the moment.
Across the battlefield, Roshi stood motionless in the pouring rain. His previously dull eyes now glowed crimson, the pupils burning like embers. The red chakra that had disappeared moments ago returned, bubbling and writhing like molten magma.
Under the Four-Tails' influence, his wounds began to heal rapidly — torn flesh closing, blood evaporating in wisps of steam.
Sakumo clicked his tongue in irritation. "So all that effort was for nothing." He had fought hard against the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, only to realize the futility of it. The regenerative power of the Tailed Beast's chakra was monstrous — an almost impenetrable defense.
Even with Hayashi's assistance, Sakumo found it difficult to land a decisive blow. Every attack seemed meaningless when the enemy could simply recover within seconds.
He thought grimly to himself, Maybe what I need... is a jutsu that pierces through everything.
But before the thought could linger, Roshi let out a thunderous roar. The air trembled. The heat intensified, warping the rain into steam.
His body was now engulfed in a torrent of chakra — fiery red, like liquid flame. From his back, four tails emerged, swaying and cracking the earth beneath him. His form became more beast-like by the second.
"Ahahaha! I'm finally free!"
The Four-Tails' voice echoed through Roshi's throat, wild and mocking. "I can taste bananas again! I can climb Mount Huaguo and gather treasures! Hahaha!"
The beast's laughter was deranged, filled with years of suppressed joy and malice.
Hayashi's Sharingan spun rapidly, his eyes narrowing. "He's lost control. The Four-Tails has taken over."
"That makes this even worse," Sakumo muttered, gripping his blade. "A Jinchūriki gone berserk is a disaster."
The transformed Roshi turned his fiery gaze toward them.
"Oh? Two little snacks. How lucky I am!"
He raised his hands, and a wave of molten rock burst from beneath him.
"Lava Release: Eruption!"
Scorching lava cascaded downward, swallowing the battlefield in a storm of destruction. The ground cracked and melted within seconds, smoke and fire filling the air.
Without hesitation, Hayashi used Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from sight in a blur and reappearing several hundred meters away. From that distance, he could see the inferno consuming everything. The ground shimmered under the unbearable heat, and the rain that fell evaporated before touching the surface.
Then, a deep growl echoed from within the flames.
"Roar!"
Roshi — or rather, the Four-Tails — raised his head, his jaw unhinging as molten chakra began to gather at his mouth.
Hayashi's eyes widened. "He's forming another attack."
Within seconds, the glowing lava condensed into a massive fireball nearly five meters across. The energy radiating from it distorted the air like a mirage.
And then —
The Four-Tails launched it. The flaming sphere tore through the air like a meteor, its heat so intense it left a burning trail behind.
Hayashi clenched his fists, eyes flashing scarlet as the fireball raced toward him and Sakumo. The next instant, the entire forest erupted in light.
---