One-Tail Shukaku

Not far from the golden sea of sand, Sen Chisato emerged from the earth.

When it came to staying alive, he was no slouch either.

Looking up at the Third Eye floating in the sky, Sen Chisato smiled smugly.

He's been spotted... No, that brat had noticed me from the start! Rasa's heart sank.

If so, what had been the point of everything the brat had done earlier?

Sen Chisato answered him with action.

"Move!"

At his command, Sen Chisato immediately formed Hand Seals. "Earth Style: Earth Splitter Palm!"

Ten of them, including the Shadow Clones, attacked together. Backed by an enormous amount of chakra, the technique reached its maximum power and range.

Rumble!

The earth cracked and the ground collapsed. The entire area where the Sand Ninja stood crumbled apart.

The Surprise Attack Unit's ninja, who had been briefed beforehand, sprang into action too. They each performed ninjutsu, either blocking the Sand Ninja's escape or accelerating the collapse.

Screams rang out from the Sand Ninja as more than thirty of them plunged into the canyon along with the rubble!

The ground collapsed so quickly that Rasa had no time to react.

"Magnet Release: Sand Cushion." A mass of Gold Sand gathered beneath him and caught him in midair.

At the same time, he kept moving, using the Gold Sand to grab the Sand Ninja around him. Even so, more than half of them still fell into the canyon.

Under the sunlight, the Gold Sand reflected a dazzling light. Rasa's face suddenly turned terribly grim.

I've been played! At last, he understood the purpose of the brat's constant attacks.

It had all been to use him!

As he continually extracted Gold Sand from the earth, the ground beneath his feet had grown weak. With the enormous weight of the Gold Sand pressing down on it, when the brat finally made his move, the area had collapsed at incredible speed!

Having figured it out, Rasa looked up with a cold expression. He spotted Sen Chisato standing at the edge of the canyon, with one Konoha Ninja after another emerging behind him.

"Water Style."

Sen Chisato gave a simple command, then swiftly formed Hand Seals. "Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

The other Konoha Ninja who knew Water Style immediately stepped forward and sent streams of water pouring out.

More than ten streams cascaded down, and ten of them were so enormous they looked just like waterfalls.

Rasa's pupils contracted. He immediately controlled the Gold Sand to pull the remaining ten-odd people close to him. The Gold Sand shifted shape again and again, eventually forming a huge sphere that protected them all.

As soon as he finished, the water came crashing down.

Boom!

With a muffled crash, several Sand Ninja fell over inside the sphere. Everyone could feel themselves plunging rapidly downward.

However, protected by Rasa, they did not panic too badly.

Just then, a Sand Ninja suddenly spoke. "Lord Kazekage, Monk Bunpuku..."

Before he could finish, Rasa cut him off. "Don't worry about him. Even if we die, he won't."

As he spoke, Rasa looked through the Third Eye at the bottom of the canyon and controlled the Gold Sand sphere, gradually slowing its descent.

The sphere of Gold Sand opened up, and the Sand Ninja who had survived by sheer luck finally saw the light again, their faces showing the relief of those who had narrowly escaped death.

Meanwhile.

Boom!

A terrifying surge of chakra erupted nearby, followed by a piercing roar. "I'm finally free!"

"Heh." Rasa let out a cold laugh.

Above the canyon, Sen Chisato closed his eyes and sensed what was happening below.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and took two steps back. At the same time, he dispelled his Shadow Clones and reclaimed their chakra.

The next second, a gale whipped up by chakra swept out from below the canyon, followed close behind by that chilling roar.

The Surprise Attack Unit's ninja hurriedly retreated, raising their arms to shield themselves, their faces grave.

"Captain, what's going on?" someone asked.

Everyone looked toward Sen Chisato.

After the battle earlier, their trust in Sen Chisato had reached its peak.

"Nothing. A tanuki's come out to stretch its legs." Sen Chisato answered calmly, narrowing his eyes as he stared unblinkingly toward the bottom of the canyon.

"A tanuki?" The Surprise Attack Unit's ninja looked at one another.

What kind of tanuki could make a roar that loud?

The next second, they saw for themselves.

A gigantic shadow shot out of the canyon and landed heavily on the ground. The earth shook, nearly causing a second collapse.

The Surprise Attack Unit's ninja turned around at once, their gazes growing blank.

"Gulp." Someone couldn't help swallowing. Their face gradually turned pale, fear in their eyes.

Before them stood a fifty-meter-tall monster, its body covered in patterns resembling violets, its enormous form seemingly made of sand.

Even without sensing the immense chakra it contained, its sheer size alone was enough to inspire fear.

Was this thing seriously a tanuki?

Other than its appearance, what about it looked like one?!

"Ha ha ha! I'm finally free! Damn that old monk! Damn Sunagakure! I'll kill every last one of you!"

Newly freed, Shukaku was exuberant. He bounced around joyfully, destroying swathes of forest wherever he went.

"C-C-Captain!"

A ninja beside Sen Chisato's legs went weak, and he could barely get the words out. "What kind of monster is that?"

"Ah, One-Tail Shukaku... a Tailed Beast." Sen Chisato replied calmly.

"A Tailed Beast?!"

At those words, the light vanished from every ninja's eyes.

They were all elite Konoha Ninja, so of course they knew about Tailed Beasts.

But it was precisely because they knew that they understood how terrifying those words were. To be honest, they didn't even feel like resisting.

"Don't worry. I'll handle this guy. You get out of here first." Sen Chisato said with a light laugh.

He was genuinely happy right now.

When he buried ninja, he could obtain the chakra, ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, and more from their bodies.

So what about burying a Tailed Beast?

Even if a Tailed Beast couldn't truly be killed or buried, what about the Jinchuriki who served as its container?

He was incredibly curious about all of it. Today, he could finally test it for himself!

Seeing the smile on their captain's face, the Surprise Attack Unit's ninja were deeply encouraged and plucked up their courage.

"How can we leave our captain behind?"

"Exactly! It's just a Tailed Beast. What's the big deal?"

"Then we'll all die together!"

"Hey, don't say such depressing things!"

"..."

Everyone chimed in, acting as though they were ready to live and die alongside Sen Chisato. He could only stare at them speechlessly.

I haven't buried you all on the spot, because I'm thinking about how to earn positive reputation afterward and fleece Konoha for more benefits... No, it's because I'm showing you the greatest mercy and kindness I can.

Don't make me do what I want to do!

Just as he was about to say something, Sen Chisato turned to look behind him.

A golden wave of sand surged out of the canyon, with Rasa and more than ten Sand Ninja standing atop it.

Patting the ninja beside him on the shoulder, Sen Chisato said, "You'll only hold me back if you stay. If you want to help, hurry back to base camp and get my teacher to rescue me."

The Surprise Attack Unit's ninja fell silent.

It wasn't a pleasant thing to hear, but it made sense.

"We understand, Captain. Hold on!" The Surprise Attack Unit's ninja looked at Sen Chisato gratefully, then quickly set off toward Konoha Base Camp.