Yugito looked at Uchiha Mo beneath her, his expression faintly mocking, and flew into a rage. Before the feeling of weakness could spread completely through her body, she gritted her teeth, ignoring the agonizing pain in her left claw and the lightning spear embedded in it.
"Damn it! Don't underestimate my resolve!"
Then... Squelch!
Scarlet blood mixed with chakra splattered everywhere as Yugito forcibly completed the strike!
Her entire left forearm was instantly torn in half. Though it was only the Tailed Beast Cloak, Yugito truly felt the pain and nearly blacked out on the spot. Fortunately, the price she had paid was not in vain—her attack had landed!
With a muffled bang, Uchiha Mo was sent flying!
"Great! It worked!" Yugito cried out in delight.
But before she could celebrate for long, Mo slowly rolled his eyes in midair, then flipped over and landed steadily on the ground. His feet plowed a trench through the earth, but he stopped himself.
Mo glanced at his shredded shirt. He reached across with his right hand, grabbed the shoulder, and tore it off in one forceful pull, revealing a pale, jade-like, muscular body entirely without injury.
"How... how is that possible...?"
Yugito's body stiffened at the sight, and her voice was filled with helplessness.
"My Cat Claw can easily cut through steel. How could an Uchiha have a body this strong...?"
Mo raised his straight sword and twisted his neck.
"Since you managed that much... I'll give you a few compliments. In all these years, you're the first person who has truly managed to hit me. Unfortunately, you have enough speed, but not enough force. Of course, if you meant it as a scratch, then it was passable."
As he spoke, the corners of Mo's lips curled upward.
He flipped his wrist and gripped the straight sword in reverse. The azure lightning on its blade was swiftly dyed crimson. Before long, the blue electricity had transformed into lightning surrounded by an aura like blood-colored flames, with crackling arcs occasionally bursting across the blade.
Amid layers of invisible shockwaves, the long braid behind Mo's head drifted gently upward. An immensely dangerous and powerful chakra presence instantly spread across the battlefield!
Yugito stared blankly at the scene, clearly still unable to recover from the realization that the attack she had poured all her methods and resolve into had only given someone a massage.
But Mo naturally would not wait for his enemy to adjust. He raised the arm holding his straight sword, his gaze narrowing as it fell upon the two-man-tall feline monster in the distance.
"Red Scorch: Vermilion Fang!"
Matatabi: I Refuse!
At the critical moment, A, who had been keeping a close eye on this battlefield, forced Minato Namikaze back with Killer B's assistance, then roared at Yugito:
"Quick, use full Tailed Beast Transformation! At worst, B and I will help you restore your sanity after the battle!"
"Full Tailed Beast Transformation... that's right! I still have that move!"
Hearing those words, Yugito's mind shook, and a crazed look of realization appeared on her face.
This time, faced with the blade flashing toward her neck like lightning, Yugito did not resist at all. Instead, she directly sank her consciousness inward.
"Two-Tails! I'm letting you out!"
The moment Yugito's consciousness entered the sealing space, she deliberately released her suppression and said this impatiently.
Yet to her surprise, after hearing those words, the large cat wreathed in ghostly blue flames showed no excitement at all. It simply lay lazily on the ground without even glancing at her.
"No."
"Ah...?"
"Why?"
Yugito's body stiffened slightly. She froze for a moment, then furrowed her brows. Her head unconsciously tilted to one side, her face filled with confusion.
"..."
Matatabi remained sprawled on the ground without moving, utterly ignoring her. Only her two tails, like ghostly blue flames, swayed lightly.
The atmosphere within the space fell silent for a time.
Yugito stood there, gathering herself for a while before speaking again.
"Two-Tails, I know you're unhappy with us, but this isn't the time to sulk. Hidden Cloud does want to use you, that's true, but this is also an opportunity for you, isn't it? Lord Lord Third isn't here right now. You have a high chance of escaping, and opportunities like this don't come often!"
She gradually calmed down and began to persuade Matatabi patiently.
Whether for the village's interests or her comrades' hopes, Yugito absolutely could not give up this chance. Besides, time flowed much slower in the consciousness space than outside. If she returned, she would be facing certain death.
After she finished speaking, Matatabi rolled her eyes and glanced at her. Just as Yugito thought Matatabi had been persuaded, she coldly spat out three words.
"I refuse!"
"..."
Yugito's body trembled. Her brow furrowed even more deeply, and her face twisted slightly as she shouted in incomprehension:
"Why?! You can observe that Uchiha through my five senses, can't you? Only if you kill him can we keep living! I can let you out—you can do whatever you want! Don't you want to live?! If I die, you'll die with me too, right?!"
Yugito's furious, confused shouts echoed continuously through the sealing space while Matatabi watched her coldly. Only after her voice faded and silence descended again did Matatabi slowly rise, lowering her head before Yugito and speaking icily.
"Kill him?"
"Hmph!" Matatabi sneered and continued.
"Ignorant and shallow. You understand nothing at all! You have no idea what kind of existence that person is! You want me to go out and face him? I would rather die here with you! At least in a few years, I can revive again, and I will still be free of the seal!"
"You..."
Yugito was immediately left speechless. She had not expected Matatabi to be so resolute, willing to die here with her rather than fight for a chance at freedom.
Of course, Yugito could choose to break the seal and forcibly release Matatabi, but leaking Tailed Beast chakra also took time. The greater the chakra involved, the longer it took. Especially when the Tailed Beast itself was unwilling, the speed and efficiency could not compare to cooperation between them. There was simply no time for it in this situation.
"Why...?"
As Yugito spoke, her entire body went limp. She collapsed onto the ground, her voice filled with profound helplessness.
She had clearly already prepared herself to die directly when the Tailed Beast went berserk, yet Matatabi, who had always desperately longed for freedom, had no intention of going out. Matatabi, normally so polite, was now uncharacteristically cold. This complicated feeling left Yugito even more helpless than despair.
"..."
Matatabi looked at Yugito's ashen face, and the coldness in her eyes softened slightly. She wanted to say something, but the image of that young man suddenly appeared in her mind.
After a moment of silence, she sighed, lay back down, and slowly spoke in her frosty female voice.
"Yugito, we have been together for nearly ten years. You truly are the best Jinchūriki I have ever met, and your personality suits me well. But in the end, we are only a Jinchūriki and a Tailed Beast... That person is special. Go back. I cannot help you, and even if I were willing to help, it would most likely be useless."
"One last thing..."
"Farewell... Yugito..."
Squelch!
A flash of blood-colored lightning passed by. The head of a blonde girl flew through the air amid a spray of blood, followed by her entire body beginning to collapse!
Swish!
Mo let out a long breath, standing behind Yugito's corpse as he flicked the blood from his blade. At the same time, his attention swiftly shifted to the illusory panel.
Fire Release Proficiency +15.41% Yang Release Proficiency +13.70% Yin Release Proficiency +11.32% Unlocked new abilities: Everlasting Life, Heavenly Insight!
Mo could clearly sense the chakra within his body rapidly growing stronger! At the same time, his ocular power surged, and a faint throbbing sensation arose in his eyes. Then, nourished by his ocular power, the quality of his chakra improved once again!
His body also changed instantly. His frame seemed to grow slightly taller, and the muscles on his body became fuller and firmer. Mo could even feel the vast, surging vitality within him!
Yet even so, he did not show the slightest joy. Instead, he furrowed his brows tightly.
Something was wrong. This was a Tailed Beast! The proficiency provided by one Tailed Beast, plus Yugito herself, two lives in total, could not possibly be so little!
Aside from Fire Release, which might have suffered further reduction after its proficiency surpassed the fifty-percent threshold, the increases in Yang Release and Yin Release should not have been so low even after entering the twenty-percent reduction tier!
And these numbers... If they had been provided by Yugito, they were far too much. If they had been provided by Matatabi, they were far too little...
"Is it because Matatabi wasn't killed by my own hand, but only died after being implicated by her Jinchūriki?"
Mo looked at the Cloud Ninja surrounding him, all trembling fearfully and swallowing hard, and slightly raised Futsunomitama in his hand.
"But if that were the reason, I shouldn't have received any proficiency at all. It isn't as if there haven't been people who died indirectly because of my slaughter before..."
When those Cloud Ninja saw Mo's expression, their bodies abruptly trembled in unison. They hurriedly retreated several steps, tightening their grips on their ninja swords, yet not one of them dared step forward.
"Forget it. I'll know after killing another Tailed Beast someday..."
Only when the Cloud Ninja began withdrawing did Mo shake his head and stop thinking about it.
The Changes to the Panel, Summary
After this battle, the title of Blood Ninja completely resounded throughout the Ninja World!
Dodai and Yugito used their blood and lives to build a towering platform of fame for Uchiha Mo.
A Jinchūriki was a nation's strategic weapon, so reports concerning Tailed Beasts always spread with the greatest efficiency. This time was naturally no exception.
Some believed Hidden Leaf had produced another remarkable genius, someone who could kill the Two-Tails Jinchūriki at such a young age. Others believed Yugito was too young to wield the Tailed Beast's full power and dismissed the news with disdain.
After the news returned to the village, Uchiha Mo received immense praise for his two heroic performances on the battlefield. His killing of Yugito had directly contributed to victory in this battle. For that reason, Lord Third Hiruzen Sarutobi personally promised him a generous reward after the war ended.
After learning of this, the Uchiha Clan became even prouder. Mo's already considerable reputation rose to new heights. Moreover, driven by an unseen force, they gradually came to firmly believe that Uchiha Mo was now the strongest member of the clan.
However, Mo did not care about these matters that gradually fermented with the passage of time. After returning to camp and leaving the Jonin meeting, he immediately went to the open field that had once served as a "training ground."
Mo sat cross-legged on the grass and shifted his attention to the illusory panel.
"Hm?"
The familiar panel had changed dramatically. Mo let out a puzzled hum, then carefully examined its contents.
[1: 41.91% Unlocked abilities: Innate Divine Strength, Everlasting Life Third stage: Reach 60% and unlock Orange Child's third-stage ability to unlock ability—Hate the Heavens Without a Handle (Sage Power—Incomplete) 2: 50.77% Unlocked abilities: Clairvoyance, Wind Ear, Heavenly Insight Fourth stage: Reach 75% and unlock Red and Yellow Child's third-stage abilities to unlock ability—Mind Perceives All Things (Sage Eye—Incomplete) 3: 41.91% + 28.32% Unlocked abilities: Impervious to Blades and Spears Second stage: Both reach 30% to unlock ability—Indestructible Vajra 4: 56.03% + 55.39% Unlocked abilities: Blazing Fire, Thunderstorm Third stage: Both reach 50% and unlock Yellow and Orange Child's second-stage abilities to unlock ability—Heavenly Fire 5: 10.85% Unlocked abilities: None First stage: Reach 20% to unlock ability—Water Control 6: 50.77% + 25.87% Unlocked abilities: Invisibility Second stage: Both reach 30% to unlock ability—No Trace 7: 0.21% Unlocked abilities: None First stage: Reach 50% to unlock ability—Universe in the Sleeve
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