Chapter 284: Perform A Shukaku Tear-up
In the scorching air of the Sea of Death, the suffocating terrifying aura of blood, sand dust, and the Tails permeated.
The massive body of the One-Tails Shukaku stiffened in place, its pair of yellow giant eyes deadlocked on the distant Ten-Tails and Dark Nine-Tails, the shock in its heart sweeping over like a storm.
‘That detestable stinky Nine-Tails fox! Just seeing it makes this great one nauseous!’ Shukaku cursed wildly in its heart, but even more fear came from that Ten-Tails it had never seen before, yet instinctively felt a shiver from.
Although Shukaku had never seen the Ten-Tails’ true body with its own eyes, all nine Tails were separated from the Ten-Tails’ body, that oppressive feeling from the same root and origin like a brand deep in the soul, making its massive body tremble slightly uncontrollably.
‘Wait…’ Shukaku suddenly noticed that the dark red Nine-Tails frantically devouring Chakra while sprawled on the Ten-Tails’ body, whether in Chakra color or the aura it emitted, was completely different from the golden, arrogantly smug Nine-Tails it knew!
It was a sense of strangeness carrying void and brutality.
‘This guy… isn’t the Nine-Tails?’
Just as Shukaku was stunned by this astonishing discovery, Rasa’s furious roar and surging golden sand flood from below drew its attention.
“Magnetic Release: Gold Dust Tsunami!”
Dazzling sand gold surged skyward like ocean waves, slamming toward Menma suspended in midair.
Only then did Shukaku fully focus its gaze on this puny human before it.
At this look, it was shocked once more in its heart.
This human’s body…
Indeed carried a trace of Nine-Tails Chakra aura, but it was completely different from the one it knew, even darker, even more profound.
‘What’s going on? What the hell is this kid?!’
Driven by successive questions and an inexplicable irritability, Shukaku temporarily suppressed its fear of the distant Ten-Tails, turning its rage toward Menma in the air, letting out a muffled roar: “Hey! You there, kid! Get out of the way, this great one wants to see what the hell is going on!”
Before the words finished, Shukaku’s massive abdomen suddenly bulged, its giant mouth opened wide, and a cannon of highly compressed air containing vast Chakra instantly formed!
“Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!”
The enormous wind ball, carrying a tearing screech, blasted fiercely toward Menma!
This strike was enough to easily destroy a small hill.
Facing this Tails-level Ninjutsu attack, Menma’s figure suspended in place remained utterly still, merely calmly raising the unassuming Chakra Black Rod in his hand, lightly flicking at the oncoming Drilling Air Bullet.
That massive wind ball capable of splitting mountains and cracking earth, the instant it touched the black rod, was forcibly deflected like hitting a cue stick, whistling unwillingly past Menma’s side at an angle, ultimately exploding violently on a distant sand dune!
Boom——！！！
Sand dust rose like a mushroom cloud, the massive shockwave clearly felt even from afar.
“What?!” Shukaku’s cross pupils contracted sharply, this time, it saw clearly!
“That… that’s a Chakra Black Rod?! Impossible?!”
Shukaku knew all too well the origin of this power!
That was a power used by the Sage of Six Paths old man, belonging to the realm of Yin-Yang Release!
For a millennium, aside from that long-departed old man, it had never seen anyone else able to condense and use these black rods that could disrupt, even seal Chakra!
Menma looked at the stunned and suspicious Shukaku ahead, somewhat surprised in his heart.
He hadn’t expected Rasa’s operation this time to be so decisive, even bringing Gaara to the battlefield; by calculation, Gaara should be about seven years old by now.
Looking at Shukaku’s massive body, Menma’s mind stirred: ‘Perfect timing, beat this noisy Tanuki back and see what that kid Gaara looks like now.’
Shukaku at this moment completely shed its underestimation, also sensing a massive threat.
The opponent could use the Sage of Six Paths’ power, absolutely no ordinary ninja!
Shukaku opened its giant mouth, vast Chakra began madly gathering and compressing within, a purple-black energy ball emitting a destructive aura rapidly forming.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
“Bad! Everyone scatter!” Rasa on the ground saw this, his expression drastically changing, shouting a loud warning while once more urging Magnetic Release, golden sand waves like countless giant pythons wrapping toward Menma in the air again, trying to interfere with him and create an opening for Shukaku.
Veins bulged around the Byakugan in Menma’s left eye, coldly glancing at the sand gold waves surging from below.
“Almighty Push.”
An invisible vast repulsion erupted fiercely centered on him!
The surging golden sand waves, the instant they touched the repulsion field, slammed into an unseen iron wall, booming back in a reverse torrent, exploding into a sky full of golden powder!
And at that same moment, Shukaku’s Tailed Beast Bomb finished condensing!
“Take this! Kid!” Shukaku roared in fury, violently spewing out that Tailed Beast Bomb!
Whoosh—
The Tailed Beast Bomb tore through the sky!
However, just as the Tailed Beast Bomb was about to hit its target, Menma’s figure vanished into thin air!
Rumble rumble rumble——！！！
The Tailed Beast Bomb lost its target, smashing viciously into the distant desert, unleashing a heaven-shaking explosion!
Blinding light instantly swallowed everything, a massive mushroom cloud mixed with sand dust shooting skyward, the destructive shockwave spreading like a tsunami in all directions!
“Urgh!”
“Dodge quick!”
Baki, Yakura, and those already injured Sand Ninjas closer to the explosion center had no time for effective defense, flung away like fallen leaves in a gale, crashing scattered and screaming one after another.
Only Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizo, with their powerful strength and timely reactions, barely held their footing in the shockwave, though covered in dust and utterly disheveled.
Rasa looked at his troops instantly halved in casualties and completely losing combat ability, his heart twisting like a knife, eyes filled with bloodshot veins.
He gritted his teeth hard, making a decision: “Baki! Yakura! Take anyone who can still move and retreat immediately! Hurry!”
A Tails’ battle was no longer something ordinary ninjas like them could participate in!
Baki struggled up from the sand, looking at the wrecked battlefield, gritted his teeth, helped up the badly injured Yakura nearby, and began organizing the surviving personnel to withdraw.
“Elder Chiyo! Elder Ebizo! Cover the rear with me!” Rasa’s voice carried resolve.
Shukaku’s strike missed, its massive single eye scanning the battlefield suspiciously: “That earlier sensation… Space-Time Ninjutsu?! This guy…”
In the instant it was dazed, Menma’s figure burst out from the still-dissipating sand dust, like a black lightning bolt, charging straight at Shukaku’s massive body!
“Damn it! Don’t underestimate this great one!” Shukaku roared, its two claws slamming fiercely onto its round belly!
“Wind Release: Sand Scatter Bullet!”
Its body rapidly inflated like a balloon, its surface instantly splitting into countless hard sand stone pellets, then it opened its giant mouth, unleashing a deafening roar, violent wind pressure blasting the countless sand scatter bullets out like cannonballs!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——！！！
The dense sand bullets formed a death barrage, covering all of Menma’s advance routes, like a hail of bullets, shredding everything!
Menma displayed astonishing agility in midair, his figure weaving like a ghost through the dense sand bullet rain, occasionally flicking away unavoidable ones with the Chakra Black Rod in hand, ringing with crisp “clang clang” sounds.
Seeing Menma about to break through the barrage and close in, not a hint of panic in Shukaku’s small eyes, instead flashing a sly gleam.
“Hahaha! You fell for it! Idiot!” Shukaku let out a triumphant laugh.
The sand scatter bullets Menma dodged or deflected suddenly disintegrated in midair all at once!
Countless fine yellow sands instantly filled all space around Menma, forming a sand marsh infused with Shukaku’s Chakra, greatly restricting his movements!
At the same time, Shukaku’s claws on the ground turned into flowing sand waves, like living things, rapidly surging up along the sand, instantly wrapping Menma’s impeded feet, then swiftly climbing upward!
“Desert Layered Great Sealing!”
The flowing sand swallowed Menma like a tide, rapidly condensing and compacting, ultimately forming a massive pyramid-shaped sand tomb covered in purple curse mark patterns!
The instant the seal completed, powerful sealing power spread out.
“Did it… succeed?!” Rasa saw this, almost disbelieving his eyes, voice trembling with a hint of hope.
Chiyo and Ebizo also stared tightly at the sand pyramid, a spark of hope reigniting in their hearts.
However, this hope lasted only an instant!
Pfft!
Pfft!
Pfft——！！！
Countless pitch-black Chakra Black Rods, like porcupine quills, suddenly pierced fiercely outward from inside the pyramid!
Instantly riddling the sturdy sand tomb with holes!
“Ah! It hurts! You bastard!” Shukaku cried out in pain, those black rods not only physically destroying the seal, but the Yin-Yang Release power attached also directly disrupting and stinging its Chakra linked to the seal!
Immediately after, a faint green glow suddenly appeared on the surface of all black rods piercing the pyramid!
From inside the pyramid came Menma’s calm, unwavering voice:
“Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.”
Boom——！！！
The massive pyramid was thoroughly burst apart from within by an indescribable colossal force!
Countless Chakra Black Rods covered in faint green glow, carrying violent tornadoes, scattered wildly in all directions like celestial maiden scattering flowers!
The green tornado tore through the sand tomb, shooting straight to the clouds!
“Careful!” Rasa’s pupils contracted sharply, madly urging Magnetic Release, golden sand gold condensing into a thick shield before him.
Granny Chiyo manipulated her last few intact Chikamatsu Ten Puppets to block in front.
Ebizo’s two long eyebrows twitched violently, hands quickly forming hand seals, trying to cast defensive Ninjutsu.
However, the Chakra Black Rods infused with Tenseigan eye power had power far surpassing before!
Pfft!
Pfft!
Rasa’s condensed sand gold shield was pierced effortlessly like paper by the incoming black rods, forcing him to retreat repeatedly, barely dodging vitals, but still getting several deep gashes to the bone.
Granny Chiyo’s puppets were even more fragile, crumbling to fragments the instant they touched the green-glow black rods!
One black rod shot like lightning, Chiyo unable to dodge, her left arm directly impaled, sharp pain making her grunt, face instantly paling.
Immediately, several more black rods shot toward her impaired movement!
“Older Sister!” Ebizo cried out, with almost no hesitation, abandoning his seals, his body erupting with his last strength, using Body Flicker Technique to appear before Granny Chiyo!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Several black rods mercilessly pierced Ebizo’s body!
Blood instantly stained his earthy yellow ninja vest red.
“Ebizo!!!” Granny Chiyo, seeing her brother nailed through by black rods in front of her, let out a heart-wrenching wail.
Ebizo opened his mouth to say something, but only gushes of blood poured out, he looked at his sister, eyes carrying reluctance and relief, ultimately collapsing powerlessly beside Chiyo, those signature long eyebrows also drooping limply.
“No… don’t…” Granny Chiyo hugged her brother’s still-warm body, tears streaming down her aged face.
She had lost her son and daughter-in-law, her only grandson Sasori missing, now this last loved one also died protecting her right before her eyes.
Endless grief and despair instantly drowned this weathered elder.
Menma’s figure slowly descended from the dissipating green tornado, his body emitting a faint green glow.
He glanced at the devastated Chiyo and the dead Ebizo, his expression unchanging.
In his heart, he was somewhat impressed; Shukaku this guy, though bottom-ranked in Chakra among Tails, had remarkable combat wisdom and means, proficient in multiple Ninjutsu and adept at setting traps.
‘Little Nine is fully absorbing the Ten-Tails, best not to borrow its Chakra.’ Menma pondered.
‘Though unable to fully enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode yet, borrowing the Giant Tenseigan’s power to simulate partial might is enough for the current situation.’
His gaze turned to the somewhat wilted Shukaku from the broken seal and damaged Chakra, corner of his mouth rising:
“Now then, it’s my turn.”
Before the words finished, Menma’s figure vanished from the spot!
So fast!
Shukaku’s yellow eyes bulged wide, it couldn’t even capture the opponent’s movement trajectory!
The next instant, Menma appeared before Shukaku’s massive face!
His right fist clenched tight, covered in dense faint green glow, condensed with Tenseigan Chakra power!
“Eat my fist!”
The fist infused with Tenseigan eye power smashed squarely and solidly onto Shukaku’s nose bridge without flourish!
Bang——！！！
A muffled, extreme roar!
Shukaku’s sand-composed massive head burst like a watermelon smashed by a giant hammer, half its head exploding instantly, turning into scattering sand grains!
Shukaku let out an utterly shrill wail!
But it wasn’t over!
Menma’s figure flashed like a ghost around Shukaku’s massive body, green-glow-covered fists raining down!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each fist contained Tenseigan Chakra, Shukaku’s body pummeled full of holes, sand chunks flying, unable to form effective defense.
It flailed its claws futilely, not even grazing Menma’s clothes, only able to howl in pain endlessly.
But it was precisely Shukaku’s astonishing defense that let it endure so many punches from Menma and still try to resist.
Rasa on the ground watched this dumbfounded, body turning ice-cold.
Tearing a Tails apart by hand?!
What terrifying power and speed!
He couldn’t even make out the opponent’s figure!
Rasa glanced again at Chiyo hugging Ebizo’s corpse, having lost will to fight and immersed in immense grief, knowing all was lost.
Though hailed as the strongest Kazekage, he could only suppress Shukaku with gold sand and Tea Kettle Seal, unable to beat it into such a wretched state.
“Go!” Rasa gritted his teeth hard, no longer hesitating, grabbed the dazed Chiyo, hoisted Ebizo’s corpse, glanced at the over a dozen bodies left behind in the desert, used Body Flicker Technique, fleeing headlong toward Baki and the others’ retreat direction.
At this moment, what Kazekage dignity, what ambition to capture the Ten-Tails, all vanished before absolute power gap and heavy losses, leaving only survival instinct.
On the battlefield, Shukaku beaten without power to retaliate, its massive body battered and broken, even a section of tail snapped off, finally beaten into fear.
This human was too freakishly strong!
Not something it could fight!
“No… no more fighting! This great one’s not playing with you anymore!”
Shukaku roared with fear and frustration, its massive body instantly disintegrating into countless flowing sands, receding like a tide back into the comatose Gaara’s body.
Losing Shukaku’s Chakra support, Gaara’s small body fell powerlessly from midair.
Menma flashed forward, lightly catching the falling Gaara.
He looked at this seven-year-old child in his arms with red hair and heavy dark circles, brows furrowed even in coma, then glanced toward the direction Rasa and Chiyo fled, having no intent to pursue.
Suddenly, Menma felt he stepped on something, he shifted his right foot and looked down: it was a small teddy bear.
Menma crouched down to pick up the little bear doll and placed it beside Gaara. Gaara, who had his brows furrowed just moments ago, relaxed his brows after holding the little bear doll and slept even more peacefully.
【Attach a picture, not sure if it will pass review.】
