The Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii! / Kill!

Mo stepped before everyone and looked expressionlessly at the group, who had been tempered by several battles and were no longer anxious.

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

Uchiha Mo nodded and turned to begin his actions.

At the same time, Clairvoyance and Wind Ear activated simultaneously. Mo's senses instantly crossed several kilometers and reached the Hidden Cloud army.

Mo had previously monitored the "A and B" duo for a time because he wanted to know Hidden Cloud's movements after Dodai's death. Unfortunately, apart from confirming that Hidden Cloud truly intended to intensify the war in retaliation, he had learned nothing about their specific plans.

He could not monitor the two of them all day, so in his subsequent observations, he had only noticed that Killer B had disappeared for roughly four days. As for what he had done during that time, there was no way to know.

But now that the war had begun, Hidden Cloud could no longer keep anything hidden. Sure enough, Mo quickly found the answer.

Dodai's former position in Hidden Cloud's Third Division had been filled by someone new: a girl about Mo's age with golden braids...

Mo withdrew his gaze, and the corner of his lips slowly curved upward.

"What a wonderful gift..."

Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito!

"Clang! Whoosh—!"

"Splurt!"

Uchiha Mo used Futsunomitama to cut through a Cloud Ninja's blade, then immediately beheaded him.

As a head flew through the air, Mo's eyes darted rapidly. While leaping nimbly through the crowd, he kept a constant eye on the golden-haired girl's position.

The battlefield between Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud lay on a plain in the northern part of the Land of Hot Water. This was the result Hidden Cloud had deliberately induced by slowing its march.

The plain greatly increased the area where both sides came into direct contact, drastically intensifying the war. Yet that was not Hidden Cloud's main reason for choosing this place. The real reason was... that plains were better suited for Tailed Beasts to unleash their power!

"Fire Rat Ball!"

A girl's shout rang out from somewhere. A rat-shaped fireball burning with ghostly blue flames suddenly shot from a corner toward Uchiha Mo's back.

"Whoosh—!"

But Uchiha Mo had long been prepared. As though he had eyes on his back, he shifted slightly aside, and the fireball grazed past his back before shooting harmlessly into empty space.

His straight blade pointed diagonally at the ground as he slightly turned his head to look at the golden-haired girl with long braids. The surrounding Cloud Ninja quickly retreated, clearing an open space.

"Yugito, leave Blood Ninja to us. You must avenge Lord Dodai!"

Hearing the rare goodwill of her companions, Yugito could not help curling her lips. The index finger of her right hand, hanging at her side, twitched faintly.

Then, as if it had received some command, the Fire Rat Ball that had already flown past Uchiha Mo instantly scattered into a dense mass of tiny fireballs. They rapidly curved around and once more shot toward Mo's back!

"Whoosh—!"

"Whoosh—!"

"Whoosh—!"

"..."

Uchiha Mo did not even look. He leaped into the air and spun in a flip, while the tiny fireballs streaked past his body through gaps beneath his arms, behind his knees, under his waist, and more, all missing their target.

His feet landed firmly on the ground. Mo turned slightly to face Yugito, his black eyes stained crimson, and a murderous smile curled across his lips.

"So this is the Two-Tails' ability? It still hasn't escaped the flaws of Fire Release. As expected, even if you were born with unmatched advantages, an animal's intelligence is still limited to an animal's level."

Tailed Beasts were likely the most unique lifeforms in the Ninja World. They were physical entities formed from pure chakra. Not only did they possess intelligence and life, but they also possessed the ability to never truly die. Even if killed, they would eventually gather and revive somewhere in the Ninja World.

And to Uchiha Mo, such lifeforms were immensely valuable.

The Sage of Six Paths had used Yin-Yang Release—the Creation of All Things—to divide the Ten-Tails' chakra and create the nine great Tailed Beasts, each possessing its own unique abilities.

Among them, the Two-Tails Matatabi possessed ghostly blue flames. The original work never explained this ability, which resembled a Kekkei Genkai. But based on that alone, combined with the Tailed Beasts' unique nature, if Tailed Beasts could provide proficiency, then the Two-Tails was undoubtedly one of the best choices for increasing Fire Release proficiency.

Moreover, according to the setting, the Tailed Beast Ball was formed when a Tailed Beast rapidly rotated and compressed the Yin-Yang Release chakra within its body in the air at a ratio of two to eight, ultimately forming a black, high-density chakra sphere.

Therefore, the stronger the Tailed Beast, the stronger its Yin-Yang Release attributes!

Yugito's lips curved downward as she opened her mouth to speak. But when she clearly saw Uchiha Mo's face, an inexplicable palpitation suddenly gripped her heart, while sharp pain flashed through her abdomen.

She furrowed her brows sharply, deeply confused.

"What's going on? Why has the Two-Tails suddenly started rampaging?! Damn it! Of all times..."

Yugito had become the Two-Tails Jinchūriki at only two years old. After nearly ten years of training, although she had not yet reached the state of being extremely close to a perfect Jinchūriki as she was in the original work, she could already actively draw upon the Tailed Beast's chakra for battle, much like Naruto's golden form. That was why Hidden Cloud had confidently entrusted its revenge against Uchiha Mo to her.

But she had never expected the Two-Tails to become restless at this moment! Though she could quickly deal with it, this was the middle of a battle!

Naturally, Uchiha Mo would not let such an opening pass. His figure instantly vanished from the spot, and when he reappeared, he was already behind Yugito.

"Fwoosh—!"

The crimson blade tore through the air with a wave of heat, instantly reaching the snowy skin beside Yugito's neck.

Yugito's heart seized, and terror flooded her face. Blazing heat and overwhelming killing intent swept over her like a tidal wave, making it difficult to breathe. She could even feel her hair curling from the heat.

Without time to stabilize the condition within her body, Yugito hurriedly bent low and lowered her head.

"Splurt!"

Blood sprayed as a chunk of flesh, along with golden hair, flew away.

Without time to think, Yugito instinctively dropped to the ground and used both hands to spring into a nimble flip, opening the distance between herself and Uchiha Mo.

An intense burning pain came from the wound at the back of her head. Yugito could even smell cooked meat, and she could imagine the scorched, blackened gash in the flesh behind her head.

Mo looked at Yugito in the distance with some surprise.

"Should I say that's to be expected of a cat? Your movements are remarkably nimble."

"But playing hide-and-seek alone... won't keep you alive against me."

The Three Tomoe spun. Mo pushed off with his toes, gripped Futsunomitama in a reverse hold, and charged at Yugito again!

Yugito hurriedly used the opportunity to suppress the unrest within her body. Then she crossed her hands before her chest as chakra rapidly surged through her body.

"Cat Claw!"

"Shing—!"

Ten sharp blades sprang from Yugito's fingertips, and at that moment, Mo had already reached her.

He took a deep breath. His left foot halted his body while his right foot slid in an arc across the ground. With a twist of his wrist, he shifted the long sword from a reverse grip to a normal grip and sheathed it. His left hand clenched the scabbard while his right loosely held the hilt. He lowered his body slightly before Yugito, his cold gaze falling upon her.

"Red Scorch: Severing Red Wave!"

The instant he spoke, blazing and powerful chakra erupted, and Yugito's mind screamed warnings!

"I'll die!"

She immediately abandoned her original plan. The Cat Claws she had intended to attack with retracted and moved before her body in defense. At the same time, ghostly blue flames rapidly spread across her body!

"Fwoosh—!!!"

In an instant, the blade in its Blood Blade form left its sheath. Blood flames exploded outward in a ring, forming an enormous flaming disk that violently spun and sliced in every direction!

(Reference image)

The Cat Claws snapped the instant they made contact. Along with the flying claws came a severed arm. The Severing Void Wave did not slow, instead slashing fiercely into Yugito's abdomen and scattering a burst of ghostly blue flames!

"Argh! Cough—!"

Yugito coughed up a mouthful of blood, and her body was sent flying like a rag doll.

Kill!

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

Yugito supported herself with one hand as she struggled to rise, blood continuously spilling from the corner of her mouth.

She lowered her head to look at the stump of her right arm and the horrifying wound across her abdomen, through which her internal organs could faintly be seen. If she had not abandoned her attack and defended with all her strength at the last instant, using the Two-Tails' Tailed Beast Cloak to reduce the Fire Release damage, she would likely have been cut cleanly in two!

Uchiha Mo's attack had caused a massive disturbance. Quite a few nearby Cloud Ninja had even been caught in it and instantly killed. A and B at the front line had also noticed the change in the battle, but Minato and the others were clinging too tightly for them to break away.

"Step..."

Mo flicked the blood from his blade. His calm eyes rested on Yugito as he slowly approached, his long sword pointing diagonally toward the ground.

As the footsteps drew closer, Yugito's heart chilled. Hidden Cloud had been wrong, and terribly so! They had vastly underestimated Uchiha Mo's strength. This man was at least no weaker than either member of A and B!

A cold sensation came from the back of her head. The weak breeze seemed to blow directly into her brain. The cut at her severed arm had been burned black by the flames, stopping the bleeding, while the long wound on her abdomen had been forcibly sealed with Tailed Beast chakra. Otherwise, her intestines might have fallen straight out of it.

Gritting her teeth, Yugito once more mobilized the chakra within her body. A crimson Tailed Beast Cloak began spreading across her skin.

"Even so, I absolutely cannot betray my comrades' expectations!"

If giving it everything she had was not enough, then she would give twelve parts out of ten! If her hand was cut off, she would kick with her feet! If her feet were broken, she would bite with her teeth! If her teeth were shattered, she would ram with her head! In short... she absolutely, absolutely could not give up! She absolutely, absolutely could not betray her comrades' expectations!

Soon, the crimson Tailed Beast Cloak covered Yugito's entire body, and the Partial Tailed Beast Transformation was completed in an instant!

Perhaps because of her powerful will, or perhaps because something had happened to the Two-Tails, this Partial Tailed Beast Transformation was smoother than usual, and the power it unleashed was even greater!

(Yugito's Partial Tailed Beast Transformation)

Wrapped in dense, solid chakra, Yugito's injuries were quickly suppressed for the moment. Feeling the power within her, which was somehow stronger than usual, she was exceptionally exhilarated.

"This power... I can win!"

"Has your fur stood on end?"

Uchiha Mo tilted his head slightly. His expression did not change as he looked at the two-man-tall monster before him, but the crimson heat on Futsunomitama was instantly replaced by brilliant blue lightning.

The Two-Tails' chakra possessed extremely strong resistance to Fire Release damage, especially after Partial Tailed Beast Transformation or Complete Tailed Beast Transformation. Therefore, Lightning Release was the best choice against it.

"Whoosh!"

Yugito instantly vanished from the spot and took the initiative to attack.

Almost at the exact second Yugito disappeared, a sharp sound tore through the air from Mo's side. Without even looking, Mo swiftly turned and raised Futsunomitama.

"Clang!"

Blinding sparks burst forth, and a wave of air erupted beneath them. Immense force traveled through the hilt, forcing Mo's feet several inches into the ground. Yet even so, his body remained completely motionless. What could not withstand the force was the earth, not Mo himself.

The power granted by Innate Divine Strength was not enough to give him an overwhelming advantage in high-level combat, but it also meant his enemies could not gain any advantage over him in that regard.

"Roar!" the red feline monster let out a howl.

"This guy's physical strength is actually this great. He can even block Cat Claws in Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, and his speed can completely keep up with mine... What a nuisance!"

"Crack!"

A sudden, crisp sound rang out. Yugito immediately shifted her gaze and discovered in shock that her claws had actually been cut into by that sword.

"Hah—!" She turned her head and let out the low growl of a kitten facing danger. Then she raised her other forepaw, pressing her entire body weight onto Uchiha Mo's blade. Mo's body sank a little deeper into the ground.

Then Yugito stared at Uchiha Mo beneath her and swung another forepaw fiercely toward his waist and abdomen!

The sharp Cat Claws ripped through the air, trailing white streams and producing a strange hissing sound, as though even space itself had been torn apart.

At the same time, Yugito let out a low growl:

"Your strength is indeed great, but cats don't have only one claw! Die with your repentance toward Hidden Cloud!"

"Hmph~"

Uchiha Mo sneered and abruptly raised his other hand.

"No matter how fiercely a kitten bares its claws, in its owner's eyes, it's merely acting cute."

"Chirp—!"

Chidori cried out as a long, sharp spear of brilliant blue lightning suddenly shot from Mo's raised left hand!

"Splurt!"

Borrowing both its own force and the force of Yugito's sweeping claw, the lightning spear instantly pierced through the entire paw. Yugito's attack abruptly halted. Lightning rapidly spread from the wound, and in mere moments, intense numbness spread throughout her body, leaving even her entire body gradually weak and powerless.

"..."