Partial Tailed Beast Transformation Yugito Nii vs. Hozuki Mangetsu

At that moment, Yugito Nii had no idea that Gato had already left with several trusted followers.

After a long while, Yugito finally turned around and noticed that Gato was nowhere to be seen.

"That bastard!" Yugito was instantly furious at Gato's reckless behavior.

"Guy, Gato went off on his own. We need to catch up with him!" Yugito called to Might Guy, who was still going in circles in the mist.

She immediately grabbed one of Gato's men and used genjutsu to get him talking. Then she and Guy hurried after Gato in the direction he had fled.

Gato was only an ordinary man, after all. Before long, he was exhausted, and just as he was about to ask his men to support him, he suddenly realized that only three or four of them were still beside him.

Gato immediately sensed that something was wrong. He had left with more than a dozen men, so how had so many disappeared in such a short time?

Gato pointed at one of his men and asked, "Do you know where the others went?"

The man was just as bewildered. Everyone had been running for their lives, and only the gods knew where the others had gone.

Gato angrily demanded to know why his men hadn't paid attention to what was happening, leaving only three or four of the dozen-odd men. But while Gato was still berating them, one of his underlings said in terror:

"Boss, the rest of them are gone too!"

As soon as Gato heard that, he knew something was wrong. Years of experience told him he was being targeted. Suddenly, Gato's sixth sense screamed a warning, and he stepped sideways, ducking behind his last remaining underling.

A blob of liquid shot through his underling's head like a bullet, and the blood that splattered out startled Gato.

Hozuki Mangetsu was also briefly taken aback, not expecting Gato to dodge it, but he paid it no mind.

"Water Release: Water Gun Technique!"

This time, Hozuki Mangetsu didn't hold back. More than a dozen Water Guns shot toward Gato at once. Just as Gato thought he was about to be riddled with holes—

"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"

Might Guy moved with lightning speed, kicking away every Water Gun that came flying at them.

Sure enough, Might Guy was dependable at a critical moment. Seeing that Gato had received reinforcements, Hozuki Mangetsu knew he could no longer avoid the two of them.

"In that case, let's enjoy ourselves." With that, Hozuki Mangetsu drew the twin blades Hiramekarei. He had not even deigned to draw a blade when fighting Shu, but this time, his interest had been piqued.

"Come out." Hozuki Mangetsu suddenly struck, attacking in one direction with Hiramekarei.

As it turned out, Yugito had not attacked immediately. Instead, she had found a place to hide, intending to launch a sneak attack.

But Hozuki Mangetsu wasn't about to let them have their way. He made the first move and forced Yugito out.

But now that Mangetsu wielded Hiramekarei, his fighting strength was close to that of a Jonin. Yugito couldn't hold him off at all and could only defend herself while looking for a way out of the predicament.

With Hozuki Mangetsu in close, Yugito could only dodge frantically. Hiramekarei, one of Kirigakure's seven Ninja Blades, truly lived up to its reputation.

When a slash sent Yugito flying, she could only use its force to put some distance between herself and Hozuki Mangetsu. Then she began using Ninjutsu.

"Ninjutsu: Rat Tail Ball!"

Yugito spat multiple masses of Chakra from her mouth, then used her ten fingers to manipulate Chakra Threads, controlling their direction and attacking Hozuki Mangetsu with explosive flames.

After the flames drove Hozuki Mangetsu into a corner, he quickly dodged to one side. The Rat Tail Balls behind him struck the wall, exploding as they chased him.

The explosions left Hozuki Mangetsu somewhat disheveled. He saw that Yugito was still using Ninjutsu and showed no sign of stopping.

"Water Gun: Double Barrel!"

Hozuki Mangetsu used the Hozuki Clan's signature Ninjutsu, an evolved version of the Water Gun Technique. Using the index fingers of both hands like a pair of pistols, he fired highly compressed water bullets, doubling their power.

In the original story, Hozuki Suigetsu had used this move to shatter Tobi's mask.

"Pong!!!"

Water Guns shot continuously from both his hands, but against Yugito's endless stream of Rat Tail Balls, they were like raindrops falling on cotton, producing no reaction at all.

The Two-Tails' Jinchūriki? Hozuki Mangetsu pondered.

Though he was exceptionally gifted, his Chakra reserves could only be described as greater than those of an ordinary Chunin. But when fighting a Jinchūriki like this, you would find that no matter how you fought, you could never match your opponent.

Yugito had been firing Rat Tail Balls for a full five minutes. She had spent more than twenty Ka of Chakra in the process, yet there was still no sign of her stopping.

Might Guy was also stunned by Yugito's ferocity. Someone had actually used Ninjutsu nonstop for five minutes. He didn't even dare go forward to help, for fear that Yugito would accidentally hit him.

Yugito spat out several more Fireball Jades. Though this technique was not as powerful as a Tailed Beast Bomb in full Tailed Beast form, it was still not something an ordinary person could withstand.

Hozuki Mangetsu hurriedly jumped upward, hoping to dodge the attack. After all, its power was enough to threaten him.

As Hozuki Mangetsu leaped into the air, Might Guy spotted a weakness: Mangetsu had no way to change his trajectory while airborne.

Might Guy pursued him at high speed and arrived above him. Hozuki Mangetsu had never expected the ninja protecting Gato nearby to suddenly attack, and he was caught off guard.

"Konoha Bad Rock Rise!" Might Guy struck Hozuki Mangetsu hard with his elbow, smashing him downward.

Hozuki Mangetsu was about to collide with the Fireball Jades, and Might Guy instinctively thought he had succeeded.

Hozuki Mangetsu chuckled softly. It wasn't that easy.

The Fireball Jades crashed into him with a tremendous boom, nearly throwing Might Guy backward. They left a huge crater, but Hozuki Mangetsu was nowhere to be seen.

When the smoke cleared, Hozuki Mangetsu stood before them completely unharmed. Before they had time to think, he attacked Might Guy again.

But the weapon in Hozuki Mangetsu's hand was no longer Hiramekarei. He had switched to a greatsword with a gap in its blade.

Might Guy tried to block the blow, but Yugito quickly appeared beside him and pulled him out of its path.

"That Ninja Blade in his hand is no ordinary blade," Yugito explained to Might Guy.

Indeed, after seeing that Hiramekarei couldn't hurt Might Guy, Hozuki Mangetsu had switched weapons.

A Ninja Blade like Kubikiribōchō, which could drink human blood to strengthen itself, was especially effective against a ninja who relied on Taijutsu.

But Yugito kept harassing him from the side, preventing Kubikiribōchō from drinking Might Guy's blood.

Looks like I'll have to deal with this annoying one first, Hozuki Mangetsu thought.

He switched to another greatsword and slashed at Yugito. Having learned from experience, Yugito gave him no chance to get close, using Ninjutsu to wear him down instead.

But every Ninjutsu attack vanished after striking the weapon.

Yugito had no time to dodge and was cut on the arm. The fishlike greatsword bit down hard on her and refused to let go, leaving her unable to break free.

"Fireball Jade!"

Hozuki Mangetsu had anticipated this. He used the Hydrification Technique again, turning his entire body to liquid so he could evade all physical attacks.

Yugito was about to use Ninjutsu again, but suddenly felt the Chakra in her body rapidly draining away. As a Jinchūriki, she had never expected the day would come when she didn't have enough Chakra.

"No, that sword is absorbing my Chakra!" Yugito instantly understood what was happening.