"Tch… as expected of the Nine-Tails~"
A voice suddenly rang out from beneath the Nine-Tails' massive claw.
The fox—just about to resume tempting Naruto—froze in place.
"How is this possible?!"
"A mere human?!"
Feeling the immense force pushing back against its palm,the Nine-Tails couldn't stop itself from crying out in shock.
It was the Nine-Tails—the strongest of all the tailed beasts.
With a full-powered swipe,this human was actually holding it back with nothing but his body.
It was terrifying.
No—it was terrifying even by tailed-beast standards.
"Damn it! This can't be happening!"
"DIE!!!"
Seeing its claws being steadily pushed upward by Yashiro,the Nine-Tails roared and poured even more strength into the strike,slamming down with all its might.
It was the strongest tailed beast—how could it possibly lose to a human?
And yet—
No matter how much force it exerted,its claw didn't descend even an inch.
This sight left Naruto, standing outside the iron cage, completely dumbfounded.
"Yashiro-bro… he's so strong…"
He had thought defeating that arrogant Sasuke was already impressive enough.
But now—
Yashiro was actually holding back that gigantic fox.
Naruto had been worried Yashiro might get hurt.
Looking at this now…it seemed he had worried for nothing.
As for Yashiro—
Feeling the Nine-Tails' raw power firsthand,he finally gained a clearer understanding of his current strength.
Since fusing with the Homelander Template,he hadn't truly tested himself in a real fight.
After all,his fusion progress was only at thirty percent.
[SYSTEM STATUS]
Host: Yashiro SarutobiAge: 10
Ninjutsu: NoneTaijutsu: NoneGenjutsu: NoneKekkei Genkai: None
Template: HomelanderFusion Rate: 30%
Unlocked Abilities:• Super Defense• Super Strength• Super Speed
Next Template: Superman (Man of Steel)
This encounter was meant to test the upper limits of his unlocked abilities.
And judging by the results—
Super Strength was already able to rival the Nine-Tails.
It wasn't on the level of the true Superman yet.
But once the Homelander template reached one hundred percent,he would unlock Superman's abilities—
At which point, his strength would surge again.
Until the day he could casually drag multiple planetsand break free from the pull of a black hole.
Now that he had a reference point,it was only natural to test everything.
"Hah!"
With a sharp shout,Yashiro's power erupted in full.
Even with the Nine-Tails straining with all its might,it was no longer his match.
The enormous body was lifted clean off the groundand hurled violently into the wall of the sealing space.
BOOOOM—
"That's impossible!!!"
"How can a human have this kind of power?!"
"What are you?!"
The Nine-Tails struggled back to its feet,looking at Yashiro with raw wariness.
In its understanding—
Even Hashirama Senju had relied on Wood Release to suppress it.
Pure physical strength aloneshould have never been enough.
The being standing before it now…
Wasn't human.
Ignoring the Nine-Tails' demands,Yashiro didn't even bother replying.
He had finally found a proper test subject.
There was no way he wasn't going to make full use of it.
Seeing the playful smile on Yashiro's face,a deep sense of dread surged through the Nine-Tails.
Before it could react—
Yashiro bent his knees slightly.
Then stomped down.
His body shot forward like a cannonball.
BOOOOM!!!
The speed was so overwhelming that even the Nine-Tails couldn't react.
By the time it realized what had happened,a wave of pain exploded through its body.
"GRAAAH—!!!"
The blow forced the Nine-Tails to curl inward.
And it wasn't over.
Yashiro's figure flickered again and again.
Even without activating flight,his super speed made movement nearly indistinguishable from flying.
With that terrifying velocity—
Every punch landed with brutal force.
Bang! Bang! BANG!!!
The sound of flesh and impact echoed endlessly through the sealing space.
The once-mighty Nine-Tails—
Was being beaten so badly it looked like a battered stray dog.
"Damn it—damn it!!!"
"I am the Nine-Tails!!!"
"DIE, YOU BRAT!!!"
Driven past its limit,the Nine-Tails began furiously gathering chakra in its mouth.
A terrifying pressure spread through the entire space.
Its ultimate technique—
Tailed Beast Bomb.
The Nine-Tails locked onto Yashiro,chakra compressing wildly.
Just as it was about to fire—
Yashiro vanished.
In the next instant,he was standing directly in front of it.
The Nine-Tails panicked.
As it tried to unleash the attack—
Yashiro suddenly grinned.
Then slammed both hands together—
Clamping the Nine-Tails' jaws shut.
"Mmmmmmmph—!!!"
"Damn it—mmmph—let go!!!"
For the first time, the Nine-Tails truly panicked.
It thrashed violently.
But now fully accustomed to his own strength,Yashiro didn't give it the slightest chance to escape.
BOOM—
A muffled explosion rang out.
The Nine-Tails went completely still.
The Tailed Beast Bomb—unable to be released—detonated inside its mouth.
The internal blast left the fox utterly stunned.
It stood there, blankly staring into space,questioning its entire existence.
"…Wait."
"Nine-Tails?"
"Strongest tailed beast?"
"That's it?"
Hearing Yashiro mocking it after all that—
The Nine-Tails nearly burst into tears.
In this moment,it missed the Sage of Six Paths more than ever.
Once upon a time, it had lived peacefully in the forest.
Then a monster with Sharingan forced a contract on it.
After that, it was summoned into battle—only to be grabbed by a giant Buddha and sealed for being "too strong."
Finally free again—
It was split in half by a blond menace.
Now it was quietly minding its own business inside some kid—
And yet another kid showed upand started beating it senseless.
Thinking about it—
The Nine-Tails actually started crying.
"Yashiro-bro…" Naruto said hesitantly."…that big fox looks like it's crying."