Kurama Makes His Entrance

Yellow sand surged like waves as the thirty-meter-tall tanuki-like monster hunched over, its fanged maw swelling like a bellows.

Murky yellow-brown chakra spun wildly in its throat, compressing the air until it gave off a piercing shriek.

This was the opening move of One-Tail Shukaku's signature killing technique—Wind Release: Air Drill Bullet.

Everyone in the stands held their breath. Temari clamped a hand over her mouth, her nails digging into her palm.

Kakashi's Sharingan shifted into the Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan, his right hand already resting on a kunai, ready to charge in at any moment.

Just one second before that enormous mouth unleashed its devastating storm.

Naruto hugged his blade and leisurely raised his chin. His voice was quiet, yet it pierced straight through the howling wind.

"Hey, tanuki, a fox asked me to pass along a message..."

"Pfft—"

Shukaku's cheeks, puffed up like balloons, instantly deflated. The chakra gathered in its throat fell into chaos, making it cough violently.

Shukaku looked at Naruto. After waiting for ages without hearing another word, it thought, Damn... he shut up... he tricked me...

It stood there for a full three seconds before realizing it had been played.

"You damned brat!!"

Shukaku was so furious that the sand covering its entire body trembled. Its claw slammed down onto the arena, making the whole venue shake three times. "You dare mock the noble Lord Shukaku! I'll tear you to pieces! Skin you alive! Grind your bones to dust and scatter them across the desert!"

Its roar had not even finished echoing.

Naruto had already vanished.

"So fast!"

Kakashi's pupils contracted sharply. Even his Sharingan could catch only a blurry cyan afterimage.

The next instant, Naruto appeared atop Shukaku's thirty-meter-high head.

Wind-nature chakra gathered around the Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade, and a cyan blade aura cleaved down like lightning.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks burst across the yellow sand as crisp metallic collisions rang out in rapid succession.

Like a ghost, Naruto darted and weaved across Shukaku's enormous head. Every slash struck the exact same spot, so fast that only afterimages remained.

"Ha ha ha ha! Useless!"

Shukaku whipped its head around wildly, trying to shake off the mosquito on top of it, its tone full of mockery. "Is that all the strength you've got? It isn't even enough to scratch an itch! You giving me a massage, brat?"

It suddenly whipped its tail toward its own head with overwhelming force. The massive sand-forged tail tore through the air with an explosive boom.

With a tap of his toes, Naruto drifted away like a willow leaf, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike.

The giant tail smashed into its own head with a dull thud, making even Shukaku groan in pain.

"It really is a little tough."

Naruto landed in midair and formed a hand seal with his left hand, activating Kagura Mind's Eye at full force. Countless pieces of information instantly flooded his mind.

[Shukaku's body is composed of chakra and yellow sand. Ordinary attacks are ineffective. Its chakra core is located in its chest, protected by three layers of high-density sand armor. In close combat, it relies on its claws and tail. Its attack range is vast, but it turns slowly. Its Wind Release ninjutsu is extremely powerful, but requires a long charging time...]

A sly smile curled across his lips as he added silently, But its brain really is terrible.

"Since scratching won't work, I'll just punch a hole through you."

Naruto rapidly formed hand seals with both hands, moving so fast they left afterimages.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A gale ten times fiercer than before erupted from his palms. It did not strike Shukaku, but blasted toward the ground.

The yellow sand filling the arena was instantly swept into the sky. The entire stadium became a yellow fog, with visibility reduced to less than three meters.

"Cheap tricks!"

Shukaku snorted and spread out its chakra, trying to sense Naruto's location. But the moment it released its chakra, it heard nine whistling projectiles tearing through the air from different directions.

"Fūma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill!"

Nine shuriken carrying cyan wind blades pierced through the yellow sand and shot toward Shukaku's nine eyes.

"Useless!"

Shukaku shut its eyelids, and yellow sand instantly formed shields before its eyes. A series of metallic clinks rang out as every shuriken was deflected.

But at that moment.

Three exceptionally condensed wind blades silently emerged from the yellow sand, bypassed the frontal sand shields, and shot precisely at the three chakra nodes at the base of Shukaku's tail.

This was the trump card Naruto had deliberately prepared earlier. The Fūma Shuriken had been a feint; the true killing move was these three pre-condensed Wind Release: Vacuum Waves.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

The wind blades pierced straight through the weakened sand layer, severing Shukaku's chakra pathways that controlled its tail.

"Argh—!"

Shukaku let out a miserable scream. The enormous tail that had looked so imposing moments ago instantly drooped limply.

"He hit it!"

Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands.

"My god! How did he do that?! In such a massive sandstorm, he still found its weakness so precisely!"

"Where did those three wind blades come from? I didn't even see him form any seals!"

Might Guy excitedly punched the railing, leaving a massive dent in it. "Magnificent! This is the speed and wisdom of youth!"

Kakashi also let out a sigh of relief, his eyes full of shock. "His control over Wind-nature chakra has reached such a level... He can make Vacuum Waves curve, and he can even set traps in advance..."

In the shadows, Danzo's expression darkened, and a sinister glint flashed through his single eye.

"This brat... is far more difficult to deal with than I expected. But it doesn't matter. Shukaku's true power has not yet been unleashed."

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!"

With its tail crippled, Shukaku went completely mad.

It no longer held back any of its strength. Chakra erupted from its body like a volcano.

Yellow-brown chakra shot into the sky, forming an enormous cloud of sand overhead.

"Brat! You forced my hand!"

Shukaku opened its massive mouth, wildly compressing the chakra in its throat until its color changed from yellow-brown to deep black.

The terrifying pressure cracked the ground throughout the stadium, and the spectators in the stands retreated in fear.

"S-rank ninjutsu—Wind Release: Sand Shotgun!"

Countless bullets formed from high-density chakra and yellow sand poured down from the sky like a torrential rain. Every bullet had enough power to pierce a Jonin's defenses. They covered the entire arena, leaving absolutely no room to evade.

"It's over..."

Temari closed her eyes in despair.

Kankuro slumped in his seat as well, his face ashen.

Kakashi and Might Guy's expressions changed dramatically. They charged into the arena without hesitation.

"Naruto! Get out of there!"

"You can't block that!"

A cruel smile curled across Danzo's lips.

"Die, Naruto. The Nine-Tails will be mine soon."

The Sand Shots fell like raindrops, instantly swallowing Naruto's position. Violent explosions rang out one after another, blasting the entire arena into scorched earth as shattered rocks and yellow sand filled the sky.

Shukaku laughed triumphantly. "Ha ha ha ha! Pathetic human! This is the price of provoking Lord Shukaku!"

But its laughter suddenly stopped.

Amid the dust and smoke, a golden light slowly lit up.

Two fluffy golden tails swayed within the haze like flames.

A figure dressed in a black coat stood quietly within a golden chakra cloak, completely unharmed.

The world-destroying Sand Shotgun from earlier had not even touched the corner of his clothing.

Naruto raised his head, a wicked smile curling across his lips. His voice carried the Nine-Tails' distinctive laziness and arrogance.

"Heh heh, stinky cat, remember me?"

Golden chakra spread outward like a tide. That terrifying pressure from the Nine-Tails, which stood above all Tailed Beasts, instantly overwhelmed Shukaku's aura.

The smug smile on Shukaku's face froze at once.

Its huge bell-like eyes widened as it stared at the two golden tails in the arena, its body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

A shrill, ear-piercing voice, filled with unbelievable terror, squeezed out from its throat.

"It's you... you filthy fox!!"