Asuka steadied himself and looked toward the source of the Ninjutsu.
An elderly man stood quietly atop a nearby sand dune, leaning on a cane. His snow-white beard reached his chest, and he wore worn monk robes.
Asuka's eyes narrowed slightly—he recognized him.
It was the current One-Tail Jinchūriki, Bunpuku.
Though Bunpuku had little screen time, he left a deep impression. Imprisoned by Sunagakure since childhood, burdened with a Tailed Beast and shunned by the villagers, he had still maintained a pure heart.
Not only did he hold no resentment, but he even spent years calming the irritable Shukaku, leaving behind the belief: there is no distinction between humans and Tailed Beasts.
It was this clarity that gradually earned Shukaku's acknowledgment.
Yet Asuka was puzzled—Bunpuku should have been imprisoned. Why was he here?
The answer was simple: because of Asuka.
His terrifying reputation had forced Sunagakure into a corner. With their top fighters tied down at Mount Kikyo, they had no choice but to deploy their ultimate weapon—the One-Tail Jinchūriki—to stall him.
Hidden behind a barrier earlier, Bunpuku had been observing the battlefield. When Pakura was pushed to the brink, the Sand Ninja released him.
Now, he stood at the front.
Sand surged violently around him, forming a massive shape.
In the next instant, the frail monk vanished—replaced by a colossal tanuki formed from swirling sand.
Shukaku had emerged.
Finally breathing free air, Shukaku burst into manic laughter. The desert winds howled louder, stirred by its presence.
Asuka raised his hand and fired several Spirit Guns. Blue beams tore through the dust, blasting holes into Shukaku's body. Compared to the Eight-Tails, Shukaku's sand body was far less durable.
The sudden attack silenced its laughter.
Looking at the holes riddling its body, Shukaku erupted in rage.
Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet
A violent sphere of compressed wind shot from its mouth toward Asuka, scattering sand in every direction.
Dodging with Body Flicker, Asuka closed the distance instantly.
Shikotsumyaku: Sawarabi no Mai
A forest of bone spikes erupted from the desert, impaling Shukaku's massive body.
But unlike a flesh-and-blood beast, Shukaku was made of sand—this was its domain.
The spikes pierced through, but caused no fatal damage.
Roaring in irritation, Shukaku shattered the bone forest and formed hand seals again.
Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud – Great Breakthrough
A devastating gale surged forward, carrying razor-sharp sand. The battlefield itself seemed ready to collapse.
Asuka deliberately suppressed his defenses. The storm lifted him into the air, sand tearing into his body and leaving countless bloody wounds.
Stabilizing himself midair, his eyes flared—
A blazing laser shot out, tearing off one of Shukaku's arms.
The pain drove Shukaku berserk.
A pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball condensed in its mouth and fired straight at him.
With no time to evade, Asuka spun rapidly—
A massive tornado formed, distorting the projectile's path. The Tailed Beast Ball veered off, barely missing him.
But before he could land—
The sand beneath him surged upward again, swallowing him whole.
Layer upon layer of sand compressed, forming a massive pyramid covered in sealing runes.
Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal
Seeing Asuka trapped, Shukaku burst into laughter.
But the laughter didn't last.
A crimson glow began to leak from within the pyramid.
In the next instant—
Blinding red beams tore through it from top to bottom.
The structure shattered.
Asuka burst out from the peak and slammed onto the ground.
With his mastery of Sealing Jutsu, Shukaku's technique meant nothing to him.
Dust rose as he landed—his wounds already fully healed.
Seeing this, Shukaku's fury intensified. It stomped the ground violently, causing the entire desert to churn.
"Damn brat! I'll grind you into dust!"
Its body swelled even larger, its massive palm descending like a falling sky.
Asuka vanished in a blur, leaving afterimages behind. The palm crashed down, sending waves of sand soaring and collapsing entire dunes.
Midair, Asuka twisted his body, bone spikes extending from his arm as he lunged toward Shukaku's eye.
"Pathetic!" Shukaku roared, raising a wall of sand.
The spikes shattered instantly.
But that was exactly what Asuka wanted.
Using the brief obstruction, he unleashed:
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique
A roaring water dragon surged forward, slamming into Shukaku's body. Steam erupted as a large portion of its sand collapsed, struggling to reform.
From the side, Pakura acted.
Despite her injuries, she formed seals.
Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder
This time, her fireballs struck the sand itself—instantly baking it into hardened glass.
Shukaku seized the moment, manipulating the glass into countless razor-sharp shards that rained down on Asuka.
His eyes flashed again—
A sweeping laser obliterated them all.
But in that instant—
Shukaku's massive tail whipped forward.
BOOM!
The strike slammed into Asuka's back, sending him flying.
Before he could recover, another Tailed Beast Ball formed and shot toward him.
Landing hard, Asuka realized he couldn't dodge in time.
He thrust his hands forward—
A thick wall of bone rose before him, while a dense layer of bone armor covered his body.
The Tailed Beast Ball struck.
And the battlefield was consumed in a massive explosion…