Tailed Beast Ball

"Osamu! Are you okay?!"

Kato Osamu's body was covered in fine wounds. The Cloud Shinobi Jonin's attack had not left him completely unharmed. Though he had barely evaded the fatal strike, his chest had still been torn open. Fortunately, his internal organs had not been injured; they were only flesh wounds.

Rin Nohara helped Kato Osamu up. His shattered cloak and hood allowed her to see his entire face clearly for the first time.

His lake-blue eyes overlapped with the fading glow of the sunset. It was as though gorgeous, bewitching fireflies danced within them, while his mist-shrouded gaze held the hazy beauty of rain and smoke.

"I... I'm fine..."

"Rin, carry Obito. We've already been discovered..."

The disturbances from his battle with the Cloud Shinobi Jonin had alerted the other Cloud Shinobi searching through the forest to their trail. In Kato Osamu's senses, the Cloud Shinobi were already rushing toward them. They needed to leave immediately.

"But... you're injured like this... Obito has lost the ability to move too..."

"Minato-sensei hasn't responded at all either..."

"We... we..."

There was a tremor in Rin's voice. Right now, it was as though there was nothing but hopeless darkness ahead.

"I was the one who told Jonin Minato not to come rescue us..."

Kato Osamu's words filled Rin's eyes with disbelief as she stared at him wide-eyed.

With a soft sigh, he explained, "Jonin Minato is tied down by the enemy. If he supports us now, that octopus monster and the Cloud Shinobi leader will gang up on Lord Jiraiya. Jonin Minato doesn't have much Chakra left either. He can only rescue us once at the most critical moment..."

"Lord Jiraiya and Jonin Minato can't protect us every moment... If the three of us get caught in the monster's battlefield, then we truly won't have any hope of survival..."

Kato Osamu sensed the changes on the distant battlefield. He had been circling around it, never straying too far, while occasionally passing the situation of the three of them to Minato Namikaze.

He understood that the key to victory in this battle did not lie with the three of them. Only once Jiraiya or Minato emerged victorious could the three of them truly be saved.

"Osamu... you really are reliable!"

Obito was covered in wounds and leaned lightly against Rin's shoulder. He seemed a little embarrassed, but he still grinned.

Perhaps it was the strange atmosphere of finding joy amid suffering that gave Kato Osamu an unprecedented sense of wild freedom. Even as he forced himself onward, Obito's smile seemed to infect him.

Above the forest at dusk hung an enormous fireball, though only half its face was visible.

Its orange-red rays pierced through the gaps in the forest and spread resolutely outward. The traces of battle in the woods were like a child's scribbles dotting the earth, scattered everywhere. The setting sun shone upon the three of them, and the surroundings were quiet.

Kato Osamu smiled as he looked at Obito and Rin.

"Osamu, you look good when you smile..."

Rin looked at Kato Osamu and revealed a faint smile as well. With a light tap of her feet, she darted into the forest.

"Maybe..."

Kato Osamu shook his head and followed behind Rin.

The three of them temporarily hid behind a cluster of large rocks and began treating their injuries.

Kato Osamu finally allowed himself a rare moment of relief. Leaning against a boulder, he sensed the movements of the Cloud Shinobi.

The remaining Cloud Shinobi seemed to be developing thoughts of retreat. They no longer pursued them relentlessly as before, merely gathering together and slowly advancing from afar with vigilance and apprehension.

They had a brief chance to catch their breath.

But what came next would be the most dangerous moment. The Cloud Shinobi's remaining four Jonin had gathered together, while they were already completely spent.

Rin examined Obito's wounds. Without the Mystical Palm Technique or Healing Technique, Obito's injuries had shown almost no improvement and had even worsened somewhat. The flesh torn apart by Kunai was difficult to stitch together.

Rin drew a deep breath, her hand holding the Kunai trembling slightly.

"Rin... don't be afraid. I believe in you..."

Obito's face was pale as he smiled at Rin. Her trembling hand slowly steadied. She needed to cut away some of the mangled flesh from Obito's leg before she could stitch it up and stop the bleeding.

"Obito... bite down..."

Kato Osamu tore off a strip from his ruined cloak, folded it into a bundle, and stuffed it into Obito's mouth. As Obito's eyes widened, Rin's hand swiftly swept across the shredded flesh. Veins bulged on Obito's forehead, and beads of sweat rolled continuously down his face.

"Faster!"

Rin's fingers flew. Forcing herself not to look at Obito, she focused all her attention on the wound in his leg. The wound was continuously stitched closed, and the bleeding gradually slowed. Only after wrapping it tightly in bandages did Rin finally let out a breath and gently wipe the cold sweat from Obito's forehead.

"Obito... I'm sorry. My technique was too rough..."

"Rin! It didn't... hurt at all, really..."

Obito forced a smile onto his face, but it made Rin burst into tears. She looked at him with aching concern, unable to stop the tears. The emotions she had suppressed seemed to erupt all at once.

"What is that...?"

A violent Chakra fluctuation suddenly came from the distant battlefield, making Kato Osamu tense up again. In his senses, the Cloud Shinobi seemed to be rapidly moving away from them for some reason. A strange, tense premonition made Kato Osamu force down the pain in his body and spring to his feet.

"Rin! Hurry! Carry Obito! Run!"

"Run!"

Rin froze for a moment, but she chose to trust Kato Osamu. Quickly pulling herself together, she hoisted Obito onto her back and ran wildly.

Never before had Kato Osamu felt the threat of death so keenly. He could feel it—the terrifying monster on the distant battlefield had suddenly locked its killing intent onto his direction. This attack was coming for him!

"Little Eight! Do you really have to choose that brat? Isn't that a waste...?"

"B... that brat is more dangerous than Jiraiya..."

"Minato Namikaze possesses the Flying Thunder God Technique and can't be hit. Jiraiya may seem unrestrained, but he is unfathomable. He definitely has the ability to block or evade a Tailed Beast Ball..."

"That brat's techniques are far too strange. We absolutely can't let him grow smoothly. Otherwise, he'll be even more troublesome than Minato Namikaze in the future! And even more dangerous!"

"That blue giant has the power to kill me!"

Killer B fell silent. The Eight-Tails' words surprised him. It was the first time he had seen the Eight-Tails so wary of someone. Not even his father, who had once cut off one of its horns, had been regarded as such a grave threat.

"Fine!"

Though he could sense some of the blue giant's threat through the Eight-Tails, he did not possess the beast-like instinct for life and death that the Tailed Beasts had. Still, he chose to trust Gyūki. That had always been their mutual understanding.

A terrifying aura began to surge at an exaggerated speed. Enormous Chakra roared and churned, the immense pressure rising sharply and bursting forth with waves that made one tremble. Even the ground began to shake. Cracks spread beneath the Eight-Tails' feet, crazily extending outward.

"Osamu..."

Within Minato's mind, the Flying Thunder God mark on Kato Osamu's arm was continuously activating. Osamu's thoughts also surfaced in his mind. The message carried frantic warnings and pleas for help, and the violent emotions mixed within it left him confused.

"Osamu means the Tailed Beast Ball is heading toward them?"

"Why?"

Minato's heart jolted. Estimating the amount of Chakra he had left, he had already prepared to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to transfer the Tailed Beast Ball. Yet Osamu's plea for help had completely exceeded his expectations. It seemed that the Tailed Beast Ball would not be heading toward Jiraiya...

"Jiraiya-sensei!"

Minato roared. He exchanged a glance with Jiraiya and instantly understood his intent. The appearance of the blue giant made Minato Namikaze choose to trust Kato Osamu. He would never raise a false alarm.

"Don't even think about leaving!"

A stared intently at Minato. Though he did not understand what Minato Namikaze intended to do, he could tell that Minato Namikaze wanted to leave. When he did not understand the situation, stopping the enemy's actions was certainly the right choice.

Violent lightning fluctuations erupted from his body as an elbow strike like a bolt of lightning shot toward Minato Namikaze.

"You can't stop me!"

Minato did not linger in battle. With a flash, he turned into golden light and vanished.

"Damn Flying Thunder God Technique!"

A's strike felt as though it had hit cotton, infuriating him. He stared at the direction where Minato Namikaze had disappeared and carefully considered why he had suddenly left. Then he looked up at the Eight-Tails, which was condensing a Tailed Beast Ball, and seemed to understand.

"Idiot!"

The instant Minato vanished, a dense, terrifying mass of Chakra, nearly solid in form, suddenly burst from the Eight-Tails' mouth.

Everything touched by the Tailed Beast Ball began to collapse. A long ravine was carved through the earth ahead, and the countless plants, trees, soil, and rocks shattered by the blast turned into dust within it.

The violent Tailed Beast Ball pierced through every barrier ahead. Any form of defense seemed incapable of resisting it and shattered in an instant.

"It's coming!"

In Kato Osamu's senses, an immense mass of Chakra surged toward the boulder where they had just hidden, carrying monstrous waves of flame.

Rin ran frantically ahead of him, but with Obito on her back, she had long since run out of strength. Sweat had already soaked her entire body.

"Rin... leave me behind... or you'll die too..."

The violent Chakra fluctuations were already clear enough to feel. Obito sensed the oncoming Chakra impact too and could not help speaking.

"Obito... you really are so pessimistic..."

Minato Namikaze finally arrived. The dark clouds hanging over the three of them seemed to disperse in an instant...

"Minato-sensei!"

Rin looked at Minato Namikaze, who had arrived in an instant, with delighted surprise. Kato Osamu finally let out a breath as well. They had managed to hold on until Minato Namikaze came.

"You've already done well enough, especially you, Osamu..."

Minato Namikaze had wanted to rescue the three of them more than once, but Kato Osamu had brought him surprises time and time again. If they had not held back the main Cloud Shinobi force, this battle would likely have been lost long ago, unable to last until now.

"Osamu-kun really is reliable..."

"I'm reliable too!"

Obito glared at Minato angrily, but the joy in his eyes could not be concealed.

"Hasn't Obito always been reliable?"

Rin's gentle voice made Obito grin foolishly.

"Let's go..."

Minato Namikaze narrowed his eyes and smiled at the three of them. Then his figure flashed. Chakra connected the three of them, golden light appeared, and all four figures vanished.

BOOM!!!

The Tailed Beast Ball finally reached its destination, its searing shockwave accompanied by an earth-shaking roar.

Rolling smoke rose into the sky like an overwhelming sandstorm. A bewitching crimson light bloomed amid the dust, as if it intended to engulf the entire forest.

Vast stretches of forest vanished in an instant, while shattered rocks fell like a meteor shower.

The surrounding landscape was overturned beyond recognition. Everything at the center of the explosion had vanished, leaving only desolation and charred earth. The unrecognizable environment made the world seem to freeze as everyone stared at the scene in shock.

The Cloud Shinobi searching in the distance hid within spherical fortresses of Earth Release, resisting the shockwaves coming from afar.

Through narrow gaps, they watched the scene before them with trembling bodies. Though they had heard of the Tailed Beasts' power, this was their first time witnessing it.

The relentless inhuman attacks, the blue giant, the enormous summoned toad, and the Tailed Beast Ball made these Elite Jonin, long immersed in taijutsu and ninjutsu, feel a profound sense of powerlessness for the first time. Compared to these, their attacks seemed as laughable as a child's...