Giant Ape Form

A thunderous crash came from the distance. Yellow sand billowed through the air, and a gigantic tanuki made of sand appeared in the distance.

"Oh no..."

Another crash followed, and a crimson toad appeared nearby.

Jimo hurried toward the battlefield.

Sakura was tightly bound to a tree by Shukaku's sand. The immense pressure left her struggling to breathe, and she had already passed out.

Sasuke lay nearby, unconscious.

Jimo summoned a toad twice the height of a person and had him take the two of them back to the village.

"Oh no... Gamabunta can't beat a monster like a Tailed Beast..."

Although Jimo knew Naruto would eventually knock Gaara back to his senses with a single punch, the situation was dire. He had to step in and end the fight.

"Got it!"

Jimo compressed most of the Ki in his body into a ball of light, which slowly grew larger.

"Not enough... still not enough..."

By then, Naruto and Gamabunta had already engaged Shukaku. Gamabunta used his short sword to cut off one of Shukaku's arms, but as a Tailed Beast whose true body was quicksand, Shukaku was unaffected by physical attacks.

The two giant beasts fought fiercely across the battlefield. Iron Cannonballs and Air Bullets collided in midair, and the resulting torrents of water nearly created a localized downpour.

Seeing that they were evenly matched, Shukaku fired two Air Bullets, both of which struck Gamabunta.

"Oh no... Even I can't withstand these pure Chakra spheres..."

Gamabunta panted.

"Kid... the best thing to do now is wake that guy up..."

"How do I wake him up?!" Naruto asked, looking at the monster across from him.

"Easy. Punch him and knock him awake!"

Before Naruto could react, Gamabunta charged forward. But toad or not, he had neither claws nor fangs, and Shukaku slipped right out of his grip.

"Oh no... Kid... get ready to use the Transformation Technique! I can't hold out much longer..."

Before Gamabunta could explain how to perform the Transformation Technique, a jet of fire shot in from the distance and struck Shukaku right in the face.

"What?"

Naruto and Gamabunta stared in astonishment toward where the fire had come from. A gigantic ape was pounding its chest as it charged toward them.

"Don't just stand there, Naruto!" a rough voice called out.

"How does he know... That's Jimo..." Naruto stared in shock at the giant ape.

"Kid! There's no time! I don't know how that Jimo brat turned into an ape, but the priority is to wake that red-haired kid up!"

Gamabunta snapped Naruto out of his daze.

Jimo wrapped his arms around Shukaku from behind and squeezed tightly. He hadn't expected the body made of quicksand to be so soft; it even sucked his arms inside.

Fortunately, after transforming into a Great Ape, Jimo's body was far tougher than usual. He was able to endure the pressure of Sand Coffin without having his bones crushed by the sand.

"Hold still!"

Jimo punched Shukaku in the face. He didn't dare try to wake Gaara himself. If he accidentally killed him, he didn't know whether that would fully unleash Shukaku.

Jimo spewed a stream of fire from his mouth. The intense heat vitrified Shukaku's claws, temporarily preventing him from regenerating them.

"So this is... a Konoha ninja? How terrifying..."

Kankuro lay on the ground, watching the giant ape battling Shukaku in the distance.

Temari, who had come out as well, stared in astonishment at Shukaku, held at bay...

"Does Konoha Village have a monster like that...?"

With Jimo and Gamabunta keeping Shukaku occupied, Naruto managed to leap onto Shukaku's head and swing a punch.

But Shukaku could manipulate sand at will. He quickly used it to pin Naruto in front of Gaara.

With Gaara within reach, Naruto hurled himself at him. The immense pain brought Gaara back to his senses.

Shukaku's form gradually faded away.

The two of them stood atop the giant tree, warily watching each other.

A leaf fell... and they charged at each other at the same time.

Fists flew... blows landed...

A figure came crashing heavily to the ground...

"Gaara... lost..." Temari stared in disbelief at Gaara, who had been knocked down.

Naruto, meanwhile, was caught safely by the Flying Nimbus Jimo had summoned.

"I'd love to see what happens next... but I'm at my limit too..." Gamabunta said wearily, giving Jimo, who was still in his Great Ape Form, a meaningful look.

"Kid... come visit Mount Myoboku sometime. I'd really like to fight you in that form..."

With a poof, Gamabunta dispelled the Summoning Jutsu and vanished into the woods in a wisp of smoke.

Jimo's consciousness began to blur... His body, as huge as Shukaku, gradually shrank, and the fur on his body slowly disappeared.

Before long, he had returned to normal.

"I don't even have the strength to blow my nose now..."

Jimo made a self-deprecating remark, then lost consciousness.

When he came to again, Jimo slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a spacious, brightly lit medical room.

White walls, pale blue curtains, and neatly arranged medical equipment—all of it seemed both strange and familiar.

Just then, a familiar figure came into view. She was curled up quietly beside his bed, as if she had been watching over him the whole time.

That unmistakable pomegranate-shaped hair... Jimo reached out without thinking and gently stroked her cheek.

As though she felt his touch, the figure stirred slightly, then slowly lifted her head.

It was Anko! Her eyes brimmed with joy and concern. "You're awake?"

Hearing Anko's voice, Jimo tried to sit up, but a wave of weakness washed over him.

Only then did he realize he was still suffering from the debuff caused by his Great Ape Form. His body felt as heavy as if a thousand-pound weight were pressing down on him.

All he could do was ask in a feeble voice, "Is the battle... over?"

Seeing how weak Jimo was, Anko's eyes filled with sympathy. But she soon nodded and answered softly, "Yeah, it's over. We won... but we paid a heavy price."

As she spoke, a trace of sorrow appeared on Anko's face.

"Although Lord Jiraiya arrived in time... and successfully sealed the two former Hokage... the Third Hokage still used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal... to seal Orochimaru's arms..."

Anko looked despondent...

"I see... So the old man still died..."

Jimo gazed out the window. Some things really were fated... Maybe that had been the best solution at the time... taking Orochimaru's arms...