The Sound of Falling Rain

"Glug... Glug..."

The crimson Tailed Beast Chakra coalesced once more, Rin Nohara lay prone on the ground, looking even more like a wild beast, with her second tail gradually emerging.

Seeing this, Kato Osamu's heart sank. In the past, his Genjutsu was always effective against ordinary ninjas. Even against Karatachi Yagura or other ninjas who were proficient in Genjutsu, although they were slightly troublesome, he had never felt so helpless.

The berserk will of the Tailed Beasts seeped into Rin Nohara's mind; his Genjutsu was utterly ineffective against a berserk Tailed Beasts...

The fog continued to rise, and in the sky, thunderclouds began to gather. The booming thunder accompanied the torrential rain, weaving together into a dense electric grid, a truly earth-shattering sight.

Rin Nohara's remaining face was gradually enveloped in pale red Chakra, and her eyes were fiercely struggling between savagery and clarity.

The Tailed Beast Chakra had gradually crept up her cheeks seemed to be slowly fading away because of her struggle, but the time of clarity seemed to be getting shorter and shorter...

In that brief moment of clarity, her eyes held a longing for life, which instantly transformed into unwavering resolve, and a deep pleading expression appeared in them.

Looking at Kato Osamu, tears welled up in her eyes once again.

"Kill... me..."

"Quickly... kill me..."

"Xu... please..."

Before the girl could finish her sorrowful words, she suddenly lunged at Kato Osamu, a savage look reappearing in her eyes...

"Bang!"

Taking a deep breath, Kato Osamu charged straight at Rin Nohara, whose speed had increased dramatically.

The moment the Soul-Extinguishing Blade collided with the beast's claw, a tremendous force was suddenly transmitted through the blade to his body.

Kato Osamu's body suddenly crashed into the jungle like a cannonball.

"So it has two tails now...?"

"Cough cough..."

In the dark jungle, Kato Osamu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, propped himself up, and his eyes became even more complicated.

Looking at the crimson humanoid creature whose aura soared into the sky in the distance, his gaze was somewhat gloomy. His palm was covered with black runes, but he still frowned.

Having practiced Sealing Jutsu for so long, he understood Sealing Jutsu power, but he also knew that ordinary Sealing Jutsu could never easily defeat a Tailed Beasts.

Even with his mastery of Sealing Jutsu, he could probably only imprison it for a short time...

"Roar!"

With a loud roar, the crimson body once again chased after Kato Osamu, rushing into the jungle.

The earth trembled, Tailed Beast Chakra scorched up thick fog, filling the entire jungle with a hazy glow.

In the jungle, following the scent, the girl swiftly pounced on Kato Osamu.

Seemingly not having reacted, Kato Osamu stared coldly, her senses heightened to the maximum, yet she remained motionless.

The hidden Sealing Formula condensed in the palm of his left hand, and the jet-black six-pointed star with intricate patterns was poised to be unleashed.

In the deep, dense forest, glistening raindrops fall on the dark branches, branches that have lost all their leaves, crisscrossing deep within the jungle.

"Lin!"

The cloaked boy, wearing goggles, stood on a tree trunk with Chakra surging beneath his feet. Countless broken branches fell down, and the boy's figure flashed and disappeared in an instant.

Raindrops fell on his face, one eye was tightly closed on his wrinkled face, and his only remaining eye was filled with anxiety.

"Faster! Faster!"

The cry from his heart seemed unable to reach his body. The long run had exhausted him. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his ankle, and he lost his footing, falling into the mud.

But he had no mind to think about his body anymore. A loud bang echoed from the mud, and the boy, without bothering to wipe himself off, ran wildly towards the other side of the jungle once more.

The jungle returned to tranquility after the boy left, with only the tinkling sound of raindrops.

"The time... it should be about right..."

A white figure slowly emerged from the corner of the tree trunk, gazing in the direction the boy had run off in. One hand gently stroked the chin, and a hint of surprise inexplicably appeared on the pale face.

"What does it feel like to have a beard? How is it different from the feeling of taking a dump?"

His Chakra was completely depleted, and his body was covered in wounds. Kato Osamu knew he only had one chance.

"Roar!"

Rin, who was almost in her Three-Tails form, suddenly unleashed her power once more, and Kato Osamu gripped the Soul-Extinguishing Blade tightly in his right hand.

The girl's crimson figure drew closer and closer, and Kato Osamu's senses were almost fully activated. Looking at the girl so close to him, his eyes were calmer than ever before.

"They're here!"

Perhaps it was due to the limitations of the original physical attributes of Pseudo-Jinchuriki, or perhaps it was due to the inability to control too much of the Tailed Beast Chakra.

Rin, who was nearly Three-Tails, did not possess the terrifying fighting power that Kato Osamu had seen with the Eight-Tails, nor did she display the terrifying size advantage of Tailed Beasts.

Despite this, under the influence of the violent and scorching Chakra, Rin, who was originally only at the Chunin level, is now rapidly approaching the combat power of Kage Level.

Moreover, the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak that enveloped him was extremely effective against his specialty, mental attacks.

"Lin! Wake up!"

Lin's attack was already upon her, Kato Osamu suddenly roared, but it did not affect the girl's offensive in the slightest.

For an ordinary Chunin, being able to struggle under the will of Tailed Beasts for so long is already quite remarkable.

"I'm sorry... Lin..."

With a silent command in his heart, Kato Osamu's figure actually rushed forward to meet the attack from beneath the towering giant palm!

"Spirit Transformation Body!"

The once solid body suddenly became illusory; the substantial body was pierced through as if it were air.

A massive, crimson Chakra palm, radiating boundless sharpness, intertwined and overlapped with Kato Osamu's body in an instant.

"Untie!"

The Spirit Transformation Body suddenly dissipated, and the instant Kato Osamu's left hand solidified, it struck Rin Nohara's lower abdomen.

The pitch-black six-pointed star suddenly lit up with a ghostly blue light, and in an instant, it climbed all over Rin Nohara's body.

"Ah..."

However, his left hand was also burned the moment he broke through the Tailed Beast Chakra. It felt like thousands of steel needles were piercing his nerves, and Kato Osamu's left hand trembled involuntarily, causing him to let out a muffled groan.

The moment the black chains closed, the Tailed Beast Chakra in Rin Nohara's entire body instantly dissipated, and the rising mist gradually revealed the girl's crimson appearance. Although it could only last for a moment, it made Kato Osamu breathe a sigh of relief.

Before her, the girl, stripped of her Chakra Cloak, trembled all over, seemingly enduring endless pain. Her teeth chattered, her face contorted with agony, and her entire body twitched slightly as her muscles spasmed. Her eyes regained their clarity as she stared blankly at Kato Osamu.

"Thread..."

The girl was so strong; though tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, she didn't utter a sound. With her only intact face, she forced a smile at the boy.

Kato Osamu could tell it was a smile...

Thunder and rain howled in the gale. Kato Osamu, feeling the pain in his left hand.

He understood what she was enduring. He gripped the long sword tightly, wanting to relieve her inhuman pain, yet seemingly wanting her to see the world one last time. The raised sword never fell.

Her tear ducts were now uncontrollably secreting tears, as if only in this way could the girl's flushed skin feel even a tiny bit of comfort.

Tears streamed down her face. Rin Nohara looked at Kato Osamu, seemingly sensing his predicament, and gently moved forward.

The damage from the Three-Tails 'Chakra felt like flames scorching her skin, yet she gritted her teeth and slowly moved towards Kato Osamu.

"Xu-kun has always been a very gentle person..."

Blood began to seep from the corners of his eyes, nose, and mouth, gradually mixing with his tears. However, he seemed to be suddenly stimulated by the pain, causing his whole body to tremble and his steps to abruptly stop.

Kato Osamu's pupils constricted sharply. He knew that even a second of time would plunge the girl into endless pain, and a resolute thought rose in his heart.

"I wonder if we'll ever meet again..."

Seeing Kato Osamu preparing to make a move, Rin Nohara stood quietly in place, looking at Kato Osamu with a final smile, as if in remembrance, slightly lost in thought.

"Xu-kun, you must live well..."

The long sword was suddenly raised, and just as it was about to strike, Kato Osamu's pupils suddenly contracted...

Them...

They made their move...

An imperceptible fluctuation, seemingly from nowhere, surged onto his right hand at the critical moment.

He began to lose control of his right hand, which was gripping the long sword. If Kato Osamu hadn't vaguely come into contact with this energy before, he probably wouldn't have noticed it.

However, the longsword that had been slashing through the air suddenly seemed to lengthen, and the dark energy merged with the longsword, so that no one except Kato Osamu would notice.

"Puff..."

The long sword suddenly slashed down, leaving a hollow hole in the neck from which blood gushed forth. The girl's head flew through the air and rolled down the forest floor.

"No!"

The rain fell to the earth like sharp blades striking Kato Osamu's face, but his heart clenched suddenly as if covered in countless thorns.

The sky remained unchanged, the roar echoing across the heavens, yet it seemed to have suddenly lost its color, leaving only a deep crimson staining Kato Osamu's eyes. No matter how frantically he shouted, he could not utter a sound, standing motionless like a wooden pillar.

Death is inevitable. I am not afraid of death itself, but I am afraid of it happening to those around me.

It brushed past me, leaving me all alone...