Chapter 144: The Crane Sage
After hearing a loud beast roar, the three of them looked at each other, a bad premonition simultaneously rising in their hearts.
Before long, all three felt familiar Chakra fluctuations.
There was no mistake; the Nine-Tailed was out.
And then... "Help! Little Brother! Sha-ka-la!"
In the distance, a fat Tanuki was running on all fours. Despite its rounded physique, the strength in its limbs was incredibly powerful, leaving afterimages as it sprinted across the ground.
It was indeed the One tail, Shukaku. Behind Shukaku, the Nine-Tailed was in hot pursuit, occasionally firing a Tailed Beast Ball from its mouth.
"Little Brother! Save me! Save me!"
"Sigh~"
Hearing Shukaku's cries for help, Nagato was filled with helplessness. After a sigh, he intended to go help, but who would have thought... "Stop, your opponent is me!"
The 'Yo-yo' Four-Tails finally escaped its fate of being a yo-yo while Nagato was sighing. However, it didn't run away; instead, it stood before Nagato once again, its Chakra surging throughout its body.
Immediately, a region of lava manifested, blocking Nagato's path.
"Do you think you can stop me?"
"I can't!"
"But for the sake of seeing Shukaku get beaten, what's a little beating for me!"
Nagato [...]
...After seeing his Little Brother get tied up and realizing no one could help him for a while, Shukaku also got desperate.
He then performed a jump and a backflip, facing the Nine-Tailed directly.
"Nine-Tailed! You think This Great Master is afraid of you! This Great Master just didn't want you to be discouraged!"
"Roar!"
[Translation: Die!]
An oversized Tailed Beast Ball condensed directly in the Nine-Tailed's mouth.
"Hmph, you think This Great Master doesn't know how to do that!"
After saying that, an oversized Tailed Beast Ball also condensed in Shukaku's mouth. However... whether it was the speed or the size of the condensation, there seemed to be a significant gap compared to the Nine-Tailed.
"Boom!"
The collision of the two Tailed Beast Balls echoed through the desert, blasting a deep crater five kilometers wide into the sand.
"Ouch~ It hurts This Great Master to death~"
Because the speed of condensing the Tailed Beast Ball wasn't as fast as the Nine-Tailed's, the final explosion occurred closer to Shukaku's side.
Unsurprisingly, the explosion of the two Tailed Beast Balls successfully sent the nearby Shukaku flying.
At this moment, Shukaku was lying in the desert, groaning.
Fortunately, being in the desert provided Shukaku with a certain bonus for recovering both his Chakra and his injuries. Before long...
Shukaku, who had just been groaning on the sand, stood up once again, full of life.
He then looked arrogantly toward the other side of the deep crater.
"Nine-Tailed! Your power isn't all that much!"
"Nine-Tailed? So what if you're the Nine-Tailed! In the desert, This Great Master can have nine tails too!"
After saying this, Shukaku used sand to condense Eight-Tails. Including his own, several tails fluttered behind him, reaching a peak level of mockery.
Ten minutes later... "Stop, stop, stop! Don't hit the face!"
Shukaku was using his only remaining tail to protect his big round face, but his face was simply too large; one tail was completely insufficient to block everything.
Faced with this situation, Shukaku had no choice but to look at the Nine-Tailed, who was currently pinned on top of him, staring down with a ferocious expression.
At this time, the Nine-Tailed's two front limbs were firmly pinning down his own. As for his hind limbs... damn Nine-Tailed, so what if you have more tails!
The remaining tails were whipping Shukaku ruthlessly.
Each whip caused a scream from Shukaku.
"Use some strength! Haven't you eaten!"
Nine-Tailed [???]
[Let's see how long you can keep acting tough!]
Until... "Don't hit the face!"
"Then do you submit?"
Shukaku: "We are brothers!"
"I'm asking if you submit!"
"Did you forget it was This Great Master who rescued you?"
"As a beast... you must know how to be grateful!"
Nine-Tailed [...]
Slap!
Several more tail whips lashed ruthlessly against Shukaku's body.
"I'm asking you, do you submit!"
... "Well? Speak!"
Looking at Shukaku lying below like he had gone stupid, staring blankly with soulless eyes and not saying a word.
A hint of confusion appeared on the Nine-Tailed's ferocious face.
Could I have beaten him stupid?
That shouldn't be right! Wasn't he shouting quite arrogantly before!
Just as the Nine-Tailed was about to continue whipping... Shukaku's tail, which had been protecting his face, was now placed in front of his mouth.
"Shh! Did you hear that sound?"
Nine-Tailed [???]
"I'm asking if you submit!"
"Nine-Tailed!"
"Huh?"
"My cheat is here!"
"Huh?"
"You have a cheat too?"
"Isn't that a coincidence!"
Just after Shukaku finished his last sentence... a piercing beam of golden light came from the horizon, leaving a trail in the sky, and plunged straight into Shukaku's body, while also making sure to knock the Nine-Tailed off of him.
As the golden light fell into Shukaku's body, the previously sand-bound Shukaku actually began to float slowly, his entire body enveloped in a layer of golden light.
"Oh ho ho ho... This Great Master's cheat is here!"
"Vast! It's so vast! Oh ho ho ho... This Great Master wants to fight eight of you!"
After a period of wanton venting, Shukaku finally landed on the ground and looked at the Nine-Tailed, who was staring at him from a distance with a solemn expression.
Shukaku suddenly stood up, stepped forward with both feet, and assumed a starting martial arts stance with both hands.
[Come at me!]
Nine-Tailed [Arrogant!]
...Rewinding time back to the Hidden Sand Village.
Inside the secret chamber where Saito was in seclusion, Ebizo stood respectfully in the corner, cold sweat occasionally dripping from his face.
[Damn, is this something I should be hearing!]
In the secret chamber, two people were sitting suspended in the air. One was handsome with blonde hair—none other than their own Kazekage-sama.
The other person's body was slightly illusory, and his eyes held the same Rinnegan as Nagato. If he wasn't mistaken, this person was the legendary Six Paths Sage.
Although he was internally shocked by the fact that the Six Paths Sage was still alive, since his own Kazekage-sama was also a being capable of living for a thousand years, the fact that the legendary Six Paths Sage was still alive was something Ebizo could accept.
So, it wasn't that big of a deal.
But... could you please not discuss the history and secrets of the Ninja World in front of me?
The Uchiha, Hyuga, Senju, Uzumaki, and Taketori were actually descendants of the Sage!
The Six Paths Sage had a younger brother!
His mother is still inside the moon!
There are people on the moon!
The nine Tailed Beasts were just split off!
The Ōtsutsuki Clan exists in the universe!
And this clan is actually searching for the Ninja World.
The one the Kazekage-sama devoured before was an Ōtsutsuki!
Oh~ so they aren't that strong then!
What! That person wasn't even at full strength! The average Ōtsutsuki has this level of power!
It's over! The Ninja World is doomed!
Wait? Kazekage-sama, what are you saying? You're asking the Six Paths Sage if he needs a step-dad!
It's over, the Hidden Sand Village is doomed!
Just like that, under the impact of one shocking piece of news after another, Ebizo completely slumped down, losing all strength. It wasn't until long after the Six Paths Sage had left that he slowly regained his senses.
"Yo~ Elder Ebizo is awake."
"Hehe, I really wish I had just stayed asleep!"
"Hehe, that won't do. If you stay closed, who will do the work for me?"
Ebizo [...]
"Kazekage-sama... just now..."
"It's all true!"
"Then..."
"No rush. When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. We'll talk after this war is finished."
"Then, Kazekage-sama, are you going to take the field personally? That's great. I believe that with Kazekage-sama's strength, very soon..."
"No!"
"If everything needs to rely on me... when the Ōtsutsuki Clan arrives, will the Ninja World rely on me alone?"
"But... these thousand years..."
"No! The Ōtsutsuki Clan has already sensed my existence. It won't be long before they descend!"
Ebizo [!!!]
It's over! The Ninja World is doomed!
"Look at how panicked you are."
Seeing Ebizo's 'the world is doomed' expression, Saito said irritably.
"I'm still here, what's there to panic about."
"But..."
"You'll naturally know when the time comes. First, let me give Shukaku a cheat."
Ebizo [???]
"Emmm..."
"How much energy should I transmit over?"
"Damn, after evolving, my body is full of natural energy. I wonder if Shukaku can handle the transmission."
"Forget it, let's start with a Ten-Shukaku unit just to show some intent. Anyway, I'm controlling it from a distance, so it shouldn't be a big problem."
...On the desert battlefield.
Watching Shukaku's provocative movements, the Nine-Tailed didn't care what Shukaku's current state was; he just wanted to let Shukaku know who the boss was.
"Roar!"
A Tailed Beast Ball condensed directly from the Nine-Tailed's mouth and was then fired toward Shukaku.
"Pah!"
In the Nine-Tailed's estimation, faced with his attack, Shukaku would either choose to run or use a Tailed Beast Ball to clash head-on, then rely on the desert's favorable terrain to recover and stall.
However... facts proved that the Nine-Tailed was wrong; that was something the old Shukaku would have done.
Facing the menacing Tailed Beast Ball, Shukaku just stood there with his hands in his pockets and slightly raised a finger.
Then, in front of the Tailed Beast Ball, a tail made of sand quickly formed, and that sand tail simply whipped it.
The Tailed Beast Ball was hit like a volleyball and flew away, exploding in the distance.
"Holy crap!" * N.
Seeing this scene, whether it was the Nine-Tailed or the three beasts and three people in combat, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air, and a question simultaneously arose in their hearts.
[What kind of cheat could make Shukaku so powerful?]
Seeing the shocked expressions of the people and beasts nearby, Shukaku's cold and aloof act finally couldn't be maintained.
He let out a wild laugh.
"Who stands at the peak at the end of the Tailed Beasts?"
"Upon meeting Shukaku, the Dao becomes void!"
"Jie jie jie jie jie..."
"Nine-Tailed! You think I'm still that same Shukaku from before?"
"No! You're wrong!"
"The one standing before you now is Sage Shukaku! Of course, you can also call me the Crane Sage!"
"Roar!!!"
[Translation: Stop acting tough in front of me! I don't believe you can maintain this state for long! Eat my Tailed Beast Barrage!]
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Another series of Tailed Beast Balls shot out from the Nine-Tailed's mouth.
"Good timing! Witness This Great Master's..."
"Sage Art: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Vacuum bullets rushed toward the Tailed Beast Balls in the sky, colliding and causing violent explosions.
After a mutual exchange where neither side gained the upper hand.
Both beasts rushed at each other, engaging in a wrestling match of love.
Nine tails and nine tails (one tail plus eight sand tails) became entangled with each other.
Finally, they separated and entered a free-fighting phase.
However, looking at the results, Shukaku still held a slight advantage, though not by much.
After all, the desert's enhancement for Shukaku was quite significant.
The battle between the two beasts continued, but for the other beasts, it was quite uncomfortable.
Inside the Tailed Beasts' mental space.
[What's the situation? Did Shukaku find the Old Man's mother? How did he suddenly become so powerful!]
[How should I know... maybe he found a step-dad!]
[He's practically a Super Beast!]
Huff... puff... huff... puff...
The heavy breathing of the two beasts echoed in the desert.
Although the battle with Shukaku was very difficult, there was still a hint of a smile on the Nine-Tailed's face.
For no other reason.
Than because the layer of golden light on Shukaku's body had already become very dim. If nothing unexpected happened, this energy was about to disappear.
"Hehe, Shukaku, how much longer can you maintain this state? Have you thought about what kind of beating you'll get from me once your energy runs out?"
"Tch, bumpkin, who said This Great Master's energy is running out!"
"Hmph! You stubborn guy, the golden light outside your body is about to vanish. Do you think I can't see that?"
"Can't I just renew it if it vanishes? You hick!"
"What did you say!"
"Hmph! Watch closely, This Great Master will only teach you once!"
"Heroic, handsome, savior of the Ninja World, heartthrob of Hidden Sand Village... grant me power!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another beam of golden light struck from a distance, merging into Shukaku's body, and the golden light within Shukaku became overflowing once again.
"Oh ho ho... it's this feeling! Sand-churiki, let This Great Master witness your potential! Oh ho ho..."
Nine-Tailed [!!!]
[Is this even playable?]
Eight-Tails [Burubi, I want to see your potential too.]
Burubi [Give me a break!]
Just as Shukaku finished recharging and the Nine-Tailed resumed his combat stance.
"Interesting! I haven't been out for so long, are the Tailed Beasts having this much fun nowadays?"
This voice wasn't loud, but it was transmitted clearly and accurately into the ears of every person and every beast.
This caused all the people and beasts to look toward the direction the voice came from.
When everyone saw, both the Tailed Beasts and the humans showed surprised gazes.
Ah, well, not all of them.
Nagato and Shukaku were not surprised.
"Hey! Who do you think you are, barking here!"
Just as he was about to get his wish and truly, personally, clean up the Nine-Tailed.
A person had interrupted to cause trouble, and seeing that the newcomer wasn't from his own village.
How could the newly replenished Shukaku stand for it? His mouth immediately became like it was smeared with honey as he pointed at the middle-aged man in red armor on the nearby sand dune and opened his mouth to offer greetings.
Hearing what Shukaku said, before the man in the distance could react.
The nearby people and Tailed Beasts all looked at him with the eyes one would use for a brave hero, especially the Nine-Tailed; Shukaku saw admiration and... pity in his eyes!
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