The sand and black smoke stirred up by the violent explosion slowly receded like a tide, revealing the devastated battlefield below.
The once flat ground had been blasted into a giant pit dozens of meters wide. Its walls were charred black, still emitting faint wisps of smoke. Broken rock had been pulverized into dust, rising into the air with every gust of wind.
At the center of the crater, where destruction still lingered, a blood-soaked figure stood tall.
It was Asuka.
His clothes were torn into strips, and his exposed skin was covered in wounds of varying depths. Dark red blood trailed down his body, pooling at his feet.
He looked utterly miserable.
But that was only on the surface.
Beneath that battered appearance, Asuka's aura remained steady and controlled—without the slightest sign of real injury.
At the moment of impact, he had secretly activated the Black King ability, absorbing and converting most of the destructive Chakra from the Tailed Beast Ball.
This "injured" state was nothing more than a disguise.
"ROAR—!"
A furious roar burst from Shukaku's mouth. Its massive body trembled, its eyes filled with disbelief.
The Tailed Beast Ball was its ultimate attack—powerful enough to wipe out a mountain.
Yet this human… had taken it head-on and was still standing.
In all its long existence, only monsters like Madara and Hashirama had ever done something like this.
For the first time, fear crept into Shukaku's heart.
Its tail lashed violently against the sand as it stared at Asuka, its arrogance visibly shaken.
This opponent… was dangerous.
It even felt the urge to retreat.
But Asuka didn't give it the chance.
This time, he stopped holding back.
A blazing red light erupted from his eyes.
Laser beams surged forward like a storm.
The air warped under the intense heat, releasing sharp sizzling sounds. Even the surrounding sand was instantly vaporized into white mist.
Shukaku's pupils shrank.
Without hesitation, it summoned massive sand walls in front of itself—layer upon layer, thick and towering.
In its mind, this defense should at least weaken the attack.
But reality shattered that illusion.
The lasers pierced straight through the sand walls as if they didn't exist.
They disintegrated instantly—reduced to nothing.
"Aaaagh!!"
The beams struck Shukaku directly.
Pain exploded through its body as red light tore into it, leaving charred, smoking wounds.
Its Chakra destabilized.
Its massive form collapsed—
Turning back into flowing sand before being forcibly sealed back into Bunpuku's body.
The old monk's body trembled under the backlash. Unable to withstand the strain, he collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Seeing Shukaku defeated, the surrounding Sunagakure ninja broke into panic and fled in all directions.
A few tried to rescue Bunpuku—
But before they could get close, bone bullets pierced through them.
Clean. Instant.
No one dared approach again.
Asuka walked forward calmly, ignoring the fleeing enemies.
He lifted Bunpuku onto his shoulder as if carrying a prize and turned back toward the Kirigakure camp.
Along the way, every Mist ninja lowered their heads in respect.
No one dared disturb him.
They simply made way.
---
Back at camp, Asuka constructed a prison using Earth Release.
Sealing runes covered the walls, suppressing Shukaku's unstable Chakra within Bunpuku.
Yet the old monk showed no fear.
Sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, hands clasped—he looked more like he was meditating in a temple than imprisoned in a cell.
Calm. Peaceful.
Unshaken.
After handling everything, Asuka entered the cell alone.
He didn't attack immediately.
Instead, he sat down across from Bunpuku.
"You don't seem worried," Asuka said.
Bunpuku slowly opened his eyes.
"Life and death follow their own path," he replied gently. "And if you wished to kill me, you would have done so already."
There was no hostility between them.
Their conversation felt more like two old men exchanging thoughts.
They spoke about Tailed Beasts, Jinchūriki, Sunagakure… and Shukaku.
Bunpuku's knowledge ran deep.
Asuka gained more from this conversation than from many battles.
Finally—
He stood.
Walking forward, he placed his hand on Bunpuku's abdomen.
The old monk didn't resist.
He simply closed his eyes again.
A powerful force surged from Asuka's palm.
The extraction began.
The moment Shukaku's Chakra entered his body—
Everything changed.
Inside the mutant gene bank, something stirred.
A dormant gene sequence reacted instantly.
Like a spark igniting dry fuel.
It began absorbing both Tailed Beast Chakra and Dragon Vein energy at an accelerating rate—
Until it fully awakened.
Information flooded Asuka's mind.
A new ability.
Gambit.
The power to convert potential energy into explosive kinetic force.
Objects could be "charged" and detonated at will.
The bigger the object, the greater the power.
At the same time—
His mind gained a natural resistance to psychic intrusion.
Even top-tier telepaths would struggle to affect him.
His physical abilities also improved further.
Asuka slowly exhaled.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
This power alone wasn't a massive boost.
But it proved something far more important—
His theory was correct.
Different energies could unlock different mutant abilities.
And that meant…
His potential had no ceiling.
Capturing Bunpuku this time—
Had been absolutely worth it.
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