The Tailed Beasts Turned Furry

Orochimaru controlled the four Kage and launched the first attack.

Hashirama clapped his hands, and countless thick branches burst through the floor, charging straight at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen tightened his grip on the Adamantine Enma Staff. He darted and weaved, smashing several branches and fending off the first wave.

Tobirama finished his Hand Seals. Floodwaters gathered around him, enveloping him as a Water Dragon Bullet took shape overhead.

Ōnoki glanced at Hiruzen. Minato had him tied up, leaving him unable to break free, so Ōnoki formed Hand Seals and used Earth Style: Earth Wall to defend himself.

"Flying Thunder God really is a pain." Cold sweat beaded on Hiruzen's forehead, and his Hokage robe was already torn in several places.

If not for his wealth of experience and familiarity with Minato, as well as Minato warning him when he attacked, he would probably have already lost.

Rasa's golden Gold Dust gathered in the air, poised to strike.

Hiruzen struggled to hold on. In just a short time, he was already showing signs of fatigue.

If Ōnoki hadn't been there to help, he would probably have already fallen.

Orochimaru stood in the rear, amusement filling his snake-like eyes. "How does it feel, Sensei? These four are all among the strongest of their respective eras."

Hiruzen couldn't spare the attention to respond.

Outside the barrier, Jingxin hovered in midair, his Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on the battle inside.

In the instant he was distracted, a faint chakra fluctuation came from below.

Jingxin's pupils contracted, and his Sharingan snapped toward the exam grounds beneath him.

At some point, Shukaku's enormous body had quietly gathered a vast amount of chakra. Its huge eyes stared fixedly at him, a sly glint flashing within them.

"Sealing Jutsu: Sand Curse Binding!"

Shukaku's sharp voice rang out. Countless grains of sand turned into chains of runes and shot up from the ground, instantly engulfing Jingxin.

An ominous light flickered along the rune chains. It was a sealing technique designed specifically to target chakra.

Shukaku had actually prepared this in secret while he was watching the barrier!

In the instant before the chains completely bound him, the Mangekyō pattern in Jingxin's left eye spun rapidly.

Aragami!

"What?!" Shukaku cried out in shock.

Black rune chains wound around its massive body layer by layer, and the sealing power surged into it.

Shukaku felt its power rapidly suppressed, its chakra flow growing sluggish.

But Jingxin wasn't faring well either. He hadn't had time to use Susanoo for defense before Aragami reflected the attack. Several rune chains had wrapped around his limbs, and their sealing power was invading his chakra network.

Jingxin could no longer maintain Light-Weight Rock Technique, and he began to fall.

Karin, watching nearby, tensed and hurried over.

But someone was faster.

Whoosh~

Karin felt a gust of wind rush past her. The figure almost seemed to have "stepped on her shoulder" to leap high into the air, catching Jingxin in her arms.

Karin: "?"

Kurotsuchi landed steadily and looked down at Jingxin in her arms. "Are you okay?"

"What are you doing?" Karin ran over in displeasure and immediately took Jingxin from her. "Do you even know Sealing Jutsu?"

Kurotsuchi gave a sly smile. Who cares whether I know it? I took my chance, and that's what matters.

Karin began checking Jingxin over.

Jingxin himself was also gathering the chakra within his body, trying to break through Shukaku's seal.

With Jingxin's efforts to free himself and Karin's help, the rune chains wrapped around him shattered piece by piece, dissolving into specks of chakra light.

At the same time, Shukaku was struggling frantically.

It was a Tailed Beast, after all, with a terrifyingly vast amount of chakra.

"Open up for me!"

Shukaku roared, forcibly shattering the sealing chains around its body. Then it looked up at Jingxin, horror filling its eyes.

It had planned to take the chance to seal Jingxin and escape.

But what kind of ability was that just now?

It could reflect an attack back exactly as it was?

Wait!

Why had that brat's seal been undone too?!

After getting to his feet, Jingxin's Mangekyō Sharingan appeared again in both eyes, radiating a heart-stopping pressure as it locked onto Shukaku almost instantly.

Shukaku instinctively took a step back, its voice trembling. "W-wait! That was a misunderstanding! I was only..."

To hell with that!

Jingxin's expression hardened. A pure white Susanoo appeared around him and continued to expand, protecting him, Kurotsuchi, and Karin inside.

A fight wasn't a stage play. There was no need to waste so much breath!

"I... I'm sorry!" Shukaku hurriedly said, raising its massive claws in surrender. "I promise I won't cause any more trouble! I'll go right back inside Gaara!"

Jingxin said nothing, simply continuing to advance Susanoo's form. In a few breaths, it had grown more than ten meters tall and sprouted limbs.

Shukaku grew increasingly uneasy. When begging failed, it panicked and opened its mouth. Tailed Beast Chakra gathered furiously, and a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb quickly took shape.

"Not good! It's a Tailed Beast Bomb!"

"Good heavens! Where are the Jonin?"

"Sealing Squad! Where's the Sealing Squad?!"

The scene descended into chaos almost immediately. Sunagakure and Konoha shinobi unleashed one ninjutsu after another, sending them flying toward Shukaku.

Vast quantities of sand appeared around Shukaku, blocking the ninjutsu.

Boom!

The Tailed Beast Bomb shot from Shukaku's mouth toward Jingxin.

Everyone watched in despair.

The white chakra giant looked intimidating, but they'd never seen it before!

Could that thing withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb?

And even if it could, the surrounding area would surely be left in ruins. How many people here would survive?

Jingxin, however, showed no sign of panic. Susanoo swung its arm, and a transparent white hand was covered in Boil Release, formed from water and fire chakra. It made a "glove" of steam, which swung from left to right and slapped the Tailed Beast Bomb.

Thud!

The Tailed Beast Bomb was squeezed and deflected by Boil Release, then sent flying into the distance.

Boom!!!

Shukaku's Tailed Beast Bomb exploded, and the powerful shock wave swept across all of Konoha. People were blown from side to side.

When everyone looked back, they saw that nearly half of Konoha had been reduced to ruins.

One astonished gaze after another turned toward Jingxin. He smiled faintly.

He'd done it on purpose.

He could have slapped it into the sky, but instead he'd...

Clack, clack~

Susanoo began to move, stepping onto the Chunin Ninja Exams grounds. Each step left a deep footprint in the earth, while Jingxin's Mangekyō power rapidly repaired the half of its wrist that the Tailed Beast Bomb had blown apart.

Susanoo approached Shukaku. Its left hand pinned the beast to the ground, while its right hand rose high. A powerful sealing force appeared in its palm and descended toward Shukaku's head.

"No!"

Shukaku shrieked. It knew Sealing Jutsu, and it recognized the Four Symbols Seal.

If it got sealed by that thing, it could forget about pestering Gaara every day.

"That thing was meant for the Nine-Tails! Not me! No!!!"

"Please! Stop! I... I don't want..."

But Jingxin remained unmoved.

Under everyone's dumbfounded gazes, Shukaku looked like a furry being being raped.

Dense black markings bound its body.

Shukaku rapidly shrank, until it had all returned to Gaara's body.

Gaara lay quietly on the ground, fast asleep. A red seal resembling a whirlpool had appeared on his abdomen, wisps of white vapor hissing from it.

Was that it?

The others remained unable to recover from the battle's sudden end for a long time.

Jingxin took Kurotsuchi and Karin to a safe place, then released Susanoo and flew into the sky again to look inside the barrier. The battle was still underway.