But as soon as he said it, Shukaku realized something was wrong.
This was a sealed space. Who was speaking?
It instinctively crouched up, propping itself on two thick, stubby paws. Its enormous belly nearly obscured them completely, while its long arms dangled toward the ground.
With its lips pressed together and its tiny brown eyes glaring, it looked up.
Then it saw a very familiar smiling face.
A human?
The human who'd just beaten it up?!
That menace had actually appeared in this mental world, ignoring both space and the seal that should have kept him out?
The human was small, even downright tiny, but he radiated an oppressive aura that made Shukaku's fur stand on end!
The next second, Shukaku felt every hair on his body bristle. He stumbled backward.
At the same time, his huge mouth flew open, gaping like the entrance to an abyss as he panted frantically!
"Hah—hah—human! How did you get in here?!"
Taken by surprise, Shukaku's voice cracked again, and his enormous body of sand and stone tried to retreat.
But there was nowhere to go.
An indescribable force suddenly swept him up!
It carried him straight to Jin.
Then... Jin raised his hand slightly. A faint silver glow surrounded him as his right fist came down.
The punch wasn't even fast. Shukaku could see it perfectly clearly!
But!
That fist gave him a familiar feeling.
As if he'd seen it not long ago.
THUD!!!
A dull, heart-shaking boom erupted through the sealed space!
Before Shukaku could even think, his head was knocked backward again.
It was hard to imagine that a face made of sand and stone, formed from pure chakra consciousness, could once again be smashed apart like the sand outside—nearly half of it blown away by a punch!
Clunk.
Clunk-clunk.