Sowing Discord, The Bewitched Great Tanuki

Seeing this, Rasa cast a disdainful glance at Shukaku.

This creature had been out for so long, yet it hadn't done a single thing!

"Don't even think about leaving; all of you are staying right here." After sending over a dozen Sand Ninja to the side, Rasa immediately manipulated his Gold Sand to pursue the Konoha ninja.

Like a crashing tidal wave, the Gold Sand descended, as Rasa attempted to bury them all in one fell swoop.

Seeing this, Sen Chisato decisively flashed in front of the Gold Sand, formed hand seals, and spat out a terrifying torrent of water: "Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Under the infusion of a massive amount of chakra, the torrent instantly transformed into a surging wave the moment it hit the ground.

BOOM!

The sea of gold sand and the wave collided, grinding against each other as each side fought to overwhelm the other.

In the stalemate, the water current, carrying the Gold Sand with it, poured down through the collapsed gaps at the edges, continuously flooding into the canyon.

The Konoha ninja finally finished their retreat. The Sand Ninja had wanted to pursue them, but were blocked by the ninjutsu clash between Sen Chisato and Rasa.

Both men possessed vast reserves of chakra and were adept at large-scale area-of-effect ninjutsu. Caught in a deadlock, the immense power and wide reach of their techniques made it impossible for the Sand Ninja to cross.

This, in turn, successfully covered the retreat of the Konoha ninja.

Meanwhile, the massive commotion caused by the two finally attracted Shukaku's attention.

Hundreds of meters away, Shukaku's ears twitched. The moment it turned its head, its gaze was immediately drawn to the shimmering Gold Sand.

This familiar technique, this similar method of chakra manipulation... it was truly unforgettable to the beast, etched deep into its very soul!

"Hahaha, you Sand Hidden bastards, go to hell!"

Taking two short steps, Shukaku's massive body leaped into the air.

Sen Chisato and Rasa were in the middle of their ninjutsu clash when they felt the earth shake twice. The next second, a massive shadow was cast over their heads.

Looking up, both men simultaneously cut off the chakra maintaining their ninjutsu and retreated rapidly.

BOOM!

Like a bomb being dropped, the ground was instantly smashed into a giant crater. Water splashed, Gold Sand flew, and dense cracks spread outward. The cliff, already battered, nearly collapsed again.

Violent winds swept through. Rasa, half-crouched on a sand cushion with his hands shielding his face, was blown dozens of meters away through the air.

Over a dozen Sand Ninja were once again caught in a situation that didn't concern them; some were flattened directly by Shukaku, while others were blown away by the gale.

This time, even Rasa had no chance to save them.

"That stupid raccoon dog!" Rasa cursed under his breath.

Couldn't that old geezer Bunpuku keep it under control? Did he not know what it was let out for?

If he hadn't dodged fast enough, he would have been flattened just now!

Sen Chisato jumped back repeatedly under the assault of the wind. After putting some distance between them, he was equally speechless.

He hadn't even done anything yet; how did he get included in the attack range?

Oh, right.

This thing was a Tailed Beast. It hated all humans; the only difference was the level of hatred.

I have to find a way to make Rasa and Shukaku fight each other first, Sen Chisato thought to himself.

The next second, his mouth twitched.

Shukaku, having let out a joyful roar to vent the frustration it had held for years, looked down and realized it hadn't actually killed anyone yet. It immediately began scanning for targets, and its gaze locked onto Sen Chisato.

"Little bug, you dodged pretty fast."

After mocking him with a shrill voice, it stomped its foot on the ground.

In an instant, the earth shattered and was ground into fine yellow sand. The sand churned like waves, and under Shukaku's control, it crashed down toward Sen Chisato like a giant tsunami.

"Are you sick? Why are you targeting me?"

Sen Chisato retreated helplessly, his hands forming seals rapidly: "Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

The waves surged once more, colliding with the yellow sand. The two ground against each other, and after a brief stalemate, the sand mixed with the water, becoming increasingly heavy until it finally fell with a thud, piling up into a small mountain on the open ground by the cliff.

Seeing this, Shukaku's small eyes were filled with disdain: "I hate you Water Style ninja the most!"

With a roar, it moved its mountain-like body and charged toward Sen Chisato.

"Wait!" Sen Chisato hurriedly raised his hand.

"Hmm?" Shukaku stopped in its tracks and asked maliciously, "Little bug, do you have any last words?"

Sen Chisato's mouth hung open. This guy actually stopped!

Was it really that obedient?

Quickly putting away these unkind thoughts about Shukaku, Sen Chisato pointed behind it: "Regardless, that guy over there is the one who has a grudge against you. I'm a Konoha ninja; I've never even met you."

If he had said this to any other Tailed Beast, it wouldn't just be useless—it would be an active provocation.

After all, almost all Tailed Beasts held a grudge against Konoha. Who else but the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was responsible for capturing the Tailed Beasts and distributing them in the first place?

But for the One-Tail Shukaku, that wasn't a problem.

This was because it had already been captured and sealed by Sunagakure before the First Hokage could make a move.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Shukaku instantly turned its head, first glancing at the Gold Sand covering the ground, then locking its gaze onto Rasa.

"Look, you have a grudge against him, and I have a grudge against him too. Even if you want to kill me, shouldn't I be behind him in line?"

Sen Chisato continued to goad it. Seeing that Shukaku was gradually being persuaded, he decisively provoked it: "As long as you say you want to finish him off, I will definitely help! Or are you afraid, and that's why you only dare to deal with me?"

"Shut up! How could this lord be afraid of a human!?" Shukaku roared.

Thinking back to how it had been perfectly fine in the desert until a group of ninjas from Sunagakure sealed it and shoved it into a human body... the more it thought about it, the angrier it became, and Shukaku's fury was ignited.

"You're right. This lord will stomp that guy who stole my trick of playing with sand to death first!"

Shukaku decisively changed its target and charged toward Rasa with heavy strides.

Rasa, who had been watching the show, turned dark.

"That idiot!"

It was one thing to be disobedient, but to be manipulated by the enemy as well!

"One-Tail, stop right there!" Rasa shouted sternly.

"Tch, what are you, daring to order this lord around?" Shukaku grew even more displeased and swiped a paw down at Rasa.

Controlling its sand platform to retreat, Rasa easily dodged the blow and said with a cold face, "Stop! I am the Fourth Kazekage! If you don't behave and listen to me, I will seal you away again!"

Hearing this, Shukaku paused for a moment, then became even more enraged.

"Damn bastard, you actually still want to seal this lord? Go to hell!"

It slammed both hands heavily onto the ground, and the sand on Shukaku's arms immediately began to flow, drilling continuously into the earth.

Rumble!

The ground shook violently as countless mud and rocks were crushed into sand, creating an ever-expanding desert.

As Shukaku raised its hand, a massive sandstorm was whipped up, crashing toward Rasa like a tsunami.

Rasa's expression was grim as he controlled his sand platform to fly backward, but the sandstorm followed closely behind, as if it would not rest until it had killed him.