One-Tail!

Orochimaru had been fighting the Hokage.

Then he glanced behind him and saw Gaara getting pummeled.

Orochimaru froze.

"Holy crap!"

"What's with this kid? Weren't we clear back then? He could only use it once, and that weird weapon of his didn't seem this big!"

The truth was, Orochimaru had never taken Uchiha Sora seriously. He'd thought Sora was only good at sneak attacks.

The weapon he'd used before was something Orochimaru could simply keep an eye on and otherwise ignore.

But now that he saw it, he realized that unless he went all out, getting hit even once would be disastrous. Normal people didn't have a Tailed Beast's health bar!

Wouldn't they be blown into pieces in seconds?

Deidara was thrilled.

"Oh, wow! I knew this guy understood art. The explosions aren't that powerful, but they just keep coming. Amazing!"

For a moment, Deidara almost wanted to rush down there and become sworn brothers with Uchiha Sora!

Itachi Uchiha was just as shocked.

He stared blankly at the one who was supposedly one of his two pitiful blood relatives in Konoha.

How did he look so formidable?

That guy had a weapon hidden in his hands and was chasing Gaara down.

For a moment, it seemed like he was the invader.

"Strange... I don't remember our clan having a weapon like that. But Uchiha Sora really is one of the Uchiha Clan."

He was utterly confused.

The only one thrilled at that moment was the Hokage.

"I knew it! That kid's no ordinary shinobi. I never expected him to unleash this kind of power and suppress a Tailed Beast!"

"Since that's the case, let's go all out!"

The Hokage roared, chakra surging out of him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held a massive pillar that looked like a roof beam!

He swung it with such force that each movement seemed to whip up fierce winds and crackling lightning.

Seeing the Hokage spring back into action, Orochimaru was furious.

"Damn it! How can a mere kid have such terrifying combat strength?!"

He was still baffled, but soon sneered.

"It's pointless. No matter how strong he is, he's still just a person. Against a powerful Tailed Beast, this is nothing!"

Orochimaru's gaze turned cold.

"Friends from Sunagakure, hurry up and unleash your Tailed Beast, or we'll lose our chance!"

That was the trump card Orochimaru and the others had been counting on: Gaara's Tailed Beast.

If a Tailed Beast rampaged in the village, surely the higher-ups of Konoha wouldn't be able to sit back and do nothing.

Then the strongest shinobi would all go to deal with the Tailed Beast.

What could a mere Uchiha Sora possibly do to turn things around?

Sure enough, in the plaza, Gaara let out a furious roar.

By then, my body had been riddled with holes by the Gatling Gun, leaking everywhere like a wasp nest, while sand poured wildly from the gourd on my back.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say I could be finished off at any moment.

Without another word, he reached out to the Tailed Beast sleeping within him.

"Shukaku, come out... Now's your chance to make an appearance!"

In an instant, the sky above all of Konoha darkened.

Lightning coursed through the clouds, and the sky itself seemed to tremble.

Cracks appeared in the ground. With the sky shaking above them, it looked like the end of the world.

"What is that...?"

Kakashi, who was helping the injured, couldn't help glancing over.

His expression darkened at once.

Jiraiya drew in a sharp, shocked breath.

"A Tailed Beast. The One-Tail. Even though it's only the One-Tail, it's still insanely powerful."

Might Guy looked grim.

"Damn it! What's Uchiha Sora supposed to do now? No matter how strong he is, he can't take on a Tailed Beast alone!"

Asuma gritted his teeth.

"If we have to, we should stop worrying about this and go hold off the Tailed Beast first!"

"But the whole point of those Sunagakure guys is to use the Tailed Beast to tie us down!"

Everyone was frantic at the sight.

Meanwhile, nearby, Hinata and the others gradually came to.

Among them were Sasuke and Naruto, as well as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

In their memories, they'd just been watching the Chunin Exams as usual.

They'd been watching the exciting match between Rock Lee and Gaara.

But how had they suddenly fallen asleep?

Now that they were awake, the whole village seemed to be in chaos, on the verge of destruction.

"What happened? I feel like I just dozed off, and then the whole world changed!"

Choji scratched his head, then spotted Uchiha Sora fighting Gaara nearby.

He was stunned.

"Oh, man! What happened? Someone's invading Konoha, and we slept through it!"

"Uchiha Sora's the only one holding them off!"

Shikamaru had woken up too.

He quickly surveyed the area and figured out the situation, then explained.

"Probably... That chakra feels like a Tailed Beast. Uchiha Sora's fighting it!"

Ino's eyes lit up.

"He's fighting a Tailed Beast for the sake of the village... Uchiha Sora is so cool!"

Hinata was worried sick about Uchiha Sora.

"No! I have to go help him!"

Sakura Haruno shook her head.

"Don't go! You'd only get in his way right now. Trust Uchiha Sora."

Sasuke's expression was solemn.

"Don't worry. My big brother will figure something out!"

Shikamaru said gravely from beside them,

"It looks like none of the village's strongest shinobi can get away right now. At this rate, the Tailed Beast is about to appear!"

"If Uchiha Sora really can't hold out alone, we'll get him out of there!"

Clearly, once they realized Uchiha Sora was fighting a Tailed Beast, none of them held out much hope.

After all, in their minds, a Tailed Beast was the Nine-Tails Fox, a monster that could take on a Hokage all by itself!

For a moment, Hinata's eyes grew a little red.

As everyone watched in shock,

the earth shook, and a colossal figure suddenly appeared above Konoha!

It was none other than the terrifying Sand Shukaku, covered from head to toe in yellow-brown scales!

It was also the One-Tail among the Tailed Beasts in the Naruto World!

Roar!

Shukaku threw his head back and bellowed, as if celebrating his release.

His enormous figure blocked almost the entire sky, and the pressure made it hard for everyone to breathe.

Even the Hokage looked up in despair.

"You beasts... You really released a Tailed Beast here!"

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi believed in Uchiha Sora, he knew Sora couldn't possibly defeat a Tailed Beast.

The two were on entirely different levels.

Even Itachi Uchiha's eyes filled with murderous intent.

"You dared touch my little brother. Whoever you are, you won't get away with it today!"

Itachi Uchiha had come to stir things up today.

But now, he hesitated.

He wondered whether Uchiha Sora could already face this on his own.

Whether he had grown strong enough.

Should he step in or not?