Chapter 24 Was That Strike Too Heavy?
The faint voice echoed beside Utakata's ear. His face twisted in shock, but before he could react, searing pain exploded in his abdomen.
Boom!
With a dull crash, Yuto's fist slammed him down from the sky.
The impact hurled Utakata into the ground, smashing through countless trees before carving out a human-shaped crater.
Blood traced from the corner of his lips as he struggled up from the pit, his eyes wary, his hands flashing through seals.
Water Release—Bubble Clone!
In an instant, a humanoid bubble split off, identical to him. When destroyed, it would burst violently, inflicting a secondary blast on the enemy.
Water Release—Phasing Technique!
Without pause, Utakata formed another set of seals. His figure faded, growing fainter until it seemed to vanish.
Conceal himself while the clone drew fire—this was a tactic Utakata excelled at.
A faint whisper of air stirred. A heartbeat later, the bubble clone convulsed as if struck by an invisible blow, exploding in midair before it could act.
The sudden blast tore Utakata from hiding, forcing him into view.
"Where?!"
His face hardened as he sprang backward, trying to escape.
Thud!
A heavy sound struck him. His eyes widened, blood spattering from his mouth as his body curled mid-leap like a shrimp boiled through.
Only then did he realize why the clone had burst—something unseen was striking him directly!
A crushing kick, ghostlike, had landed full in his gut, hurling him into a thick tree trunk.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four sharp sounds split the air.
Branches as thick as fingers shot from the forest, piercing into his wrists and ankles. With blood splattering, Utakata was crucified in a cross-shape against the trunk.
Head drooping, blood dripped from his mouth, his eyes burning with disbelief.
Even without the tailed beast's power, his own strength was at the level of a jōnin. Yet within moments, he had been utterly defeated.
He had not even seen his opponent's face until now.
Tap—tap—
Light footsteps drew near. Utakata raised his head slowly as a young figure emerged from behind the trees.
The youth glanced at him casually, then settled onto a protruding root, sitting lazily.
"No need to look further. It's just me."
Yuto lifted his gaze, his eyes calm as he regarded Utakata pinned to the tree.
"I didn't intend to act against you. But having just betrayed your village, it's clear you wouldn't listen otherwise."
He spread his hands, wearing a faintly helpless smile.
Utakata's bloodied eyes glared at him, blazing with fury. "Who are you? Kirigakure has no such strong man as you!"
"Who I am is irrelevant. What matters is that playtime is over. You're going back."
Yuto shook his head, speaking softly.
At his words, Utakata's fury deepened. He roared back, voice hoarse.
"Go back? You mean return to die? Rather than perish there, I'd rather fall anywhere else!"
Yuto fell silent, his eyes lowering slightly. He often failed to understand the thinking of shinobi in this world.
As a jinchūriki, one not only held immense power within the village but also served as a deterrent to other hidden villages.
If Yuto were the one managing people like this, the treatment would surely be good food, good drink, and daily lessons in love.
Even if it did not make a jinchūriki love the village with all his heart, at the very least it could turn him into someone like Uzumaki Naruto—a stubborn fool whose only dream was to become Hokage.
In this respect, the shinobi of Kumogakure had done reasonably well.
But in other villages, it was the opposite. They wished their jinchūriki would die quickly, yet still wanted the tailed beasts to guard their homes.
Yes, capturing or sealing a tailed beast would inevitably cost lives, but since when did the world offer such blessings? To gain the power of a jinchūriki's protection without sacrifice was impossible.
"With me here, no one will take your life."
Yuto rose from the tree root, speaking to Utakata with firm seriousness.
"You think I'll believe you?!"
Utakata roared, and waves of violent chakra erupted from his body.
In an instant, a red chakra cloak formed around him, a tail of pure chakra lashing behind.
Pinned to the tree moments before, Utakata easily wrenched himself free, tearing away the branches at his hands and feet under the tailed beast's power.
Roar!
A beastlike cry tore from his throat.
Boom!
The earth shook as Utakata lunged straight toward Yuto.
"So it comes down to fists after all."
Yuto sighed lightly, his expression faintly helpless.
Wrapped in chakra, Utakata's speed was overwhelming. In the blink of an eye he appeared before Yuto, fist surging with explosive force.
Yuto casually raised a hand. To Utakata's disbelief, his full-powered strike was stopped with ease.
"Your strength is decent, but still far weaker than someone else's."
With a twist of his wrist, Yuto seized Utakata's arm. Before he could react, Yuto's other fist crashed down on his head.
Boom!
The ground split open into a crater as half of Utakata's body was driven deep underground by the blow.
"Ah… perhaps that was a bit too heavy."
Yuto spoke with slight concern, seeing no movement from him.
Roar! Roar!
Sudden howls of rage erupted from below as the surging chakra burst forth again.
One tail. Two tails. Three tails.
Only when three tails flailed behind him did the torrent of chakra finally pause.
Yuto released his grip, and Utakata's body exploded upward from the earth, three tails whipping wildly as he emerged.
At this moment, Utakata had completely transformed into a miniature tailed beast, no trace of humanity remaining.
(End of this chapter)
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 8 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 64 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/anish_44