Battle Against Yugito Nii

"That's more like it. I was worried I might accidentally beat you to death."

Chakra erupted from Yugito Nii like a volcano, surging in every direction.

Kazan showed no fear.

"I haven't had a chance to go all out yet."

The fighting instinct buried in his DNA was fully awake. Kazan wanted to see where his limits lay.

"Don't get cocky, Kazan!"

Yugito dropped to all fours and began moving like a cat.

Kazan had seen Tsume Inuzuka move in a similar way, but as a Perfect Jinchūriki, Yugito was far stronger than she was.

All four of her limbs moved at once. Fueled by Chakra, she reached Kazan's side in an instant and swept a vicious claw through the air at him.

Kazan tilted his head aside and answered with a full-force punch.

Bang!

A violent shockwave swept across the Training Ground, forcing the spectators to shield themselves from the wind.

When they opened their eyes again, they saw that Kazan's fist had struck Yugito's tail.

"Die!"

She gave a cold snort. Her tail hurled Kazan away, and her hands finished forming the Ninjutsu signs.

"Fire Release: Fire Rat Ball!"

Icy-blue flames poured from Yugito's mouth in the shape of a rat.

It was nowhere near as grand as the Uchiha's notoriously useless Great Fireball, but Kazan did not dare take it lightly. The center of that "rat" held unimaginable heat.

If it hit him, he would be burned to charcoal on the spot—or suffer burns across much of his body.

"You're a cat, but you spit out rats? Are those leftovers from last night?"

Kazan stepped through the air with Geppo and dodged the attack.

In the stands, more than a few Konoha villagers broke into a cold sweat for him.

The little devil had more nerve than Tsunade had luck calling herself a fat sheep. He even dared mock a Jinchūriki to her face.

"Isn't Kazan being a little too bold?"

"...A cat spitting out rats. That's hilarious."

Anko laughed easily. She clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.

"How can you laugh at a time like this? He's fighting a Jinchūriki!"

Asuma looked anxious.

He resented Kazan for taking all of Kurenai's attention, but they were classmates. He absolutely did not want Kazan to die here.

"Don't worry. Kazan will be fine."

Kurenai Yuhi's mother held her daughter's hand, which had grown sweaty with nerves.

After sharing a bed with her husband for so many years, how could she not know what he was like?

He must have taken plenty of punishment from Kazan while sparring. No matter how stubbornly he denied it, he could not fool the woman who slept beside him.

And her husband, Shinku Yuhi, was an elite Konoha Jonin and a master of Genjutsu!

Whoosh!

Bang!

Boom!

On the Training Ground, Kazan clashed fiercely with Yugito, who had drawn on Tailed Beast Chakra.

His iron fists whistled through the air. Unafraid of the Perfect Jinchūriki, he pressed forward with unstoppable force.

Every punch shook the air and blasted out a powerful gust.

"Rat Tail Ball!"

Yugito spat out a torrent of Fire Rat Balls—the technique's ultimate form.

With no need to worry about running out of Chakra, she unleashed dozens in one breath. They bore down on Kazan in a dark mass.

She could control them, too. Threads of Chakra connected them to her fingers, allowing them to track him in real time.

Kazan pushed his Observation Haki to its limit and wove through the downpour of attacks.

Whenever he found an opening, he drove forward and attacked with his fists.

In the distance, Obito Uchiha stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded. "Who could beat him?"

His opponent was a Perfect Jinchūriki. The fact that he could fight her this far was unbelievable.

"Kazan..."

Kakashi was hidden among the crowd. He had come to watch alone rather than sit with his classmates.

People who've lost their way are too weak!

Every one of Kazan's punches carried a drive to push forward. He had the audacity to believe he could beat even a Perfect Jinchūriki into the ground.

Kazan's words echoed unbidden through Kakashi's mind.

Even now, Kakashi did not know whether he was right or wrong, or what path he should take.

The battle escalated, and clouds of dust kept erupting across the ground.

Kazan pressed forward through the swarm of Fire Rat Balls. His senses were uncannily sharp as he darted through Yugito's technique.

"Konoha!"

A could no longer remain calm.

His father had been right to be wary.

Konoha truly was a place that nurtured talent. Generation after generation of heroes had emerged from it, along with countless powerful fighters.

Kakashi Hatake had not been enough. Now there was Kazan, too.

No.

After seeing Kazan fight Yugito while she wielded the Two-Tails' Chakra, A knew that even Kakashi Hatake fell short of this Konoha genius.

"Fist Bone!"

Kazan flashed in front of Yugito and threw a devastating punch.

"Impact!"

Explosive Chakra gathered around Kazan's right fist, forming a blue Cross that came crashing toward her.

Alarm surged through Yugito. She brought her tail around to shield herself from the terrifying punch.

Bang!

A violent shockwave burst from between them and swept outward. Many villagers watched with pounding hearts, feeling unsafe even in the stands.

They could not help wondering whether the vast Training Ground could survive the little devil's assault.

At almost the same moment, Yugito shot away like a cannonball and slammed hard into the Training Ground wall.

"Ugh..."

She was hurt. That inhuman punch had left blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Even that was only because Matatabi had shielded her with a tail at the last moment. Otherwise, she would have suffered far worse than a little bleeding.

"Matatabi!"

"I know. He's stronger than we imagined."

Apart from the Third Raikage, Matatabi had never seen a human this ferocious.

Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, with his particular fondness for Kurama, were exceptions.

If Yugito wanted to win, she would have to merge their powers even further.

"Let's fight together, Yugito!"

"Yeah. Sorry for the trouble!"

Yugito Nii and the Two-Tails exchanged a few words within her mind.

Then an even greater surge of Chakra erupted from her body. The violent energy tore apart her carefully braided hair, sending her long tan locks whipping wildly.

The single tail behind her became two, and Matatabi's Cat Demon markings appeared on her face.

In an instant, her injuries healed completely, and all her abilities rose sharply.

"She can still get stronger at this point?"

Asuma and the others stared wide-eyed.

The Perfect Jinchūriki was impossibly powerful.

It left them in despair.

"One last chance, Kazan. You can still surrender."

Her voice was cold and confident.

"Tch. You think a few tattoos make you look like some delinquent girl, and I'll be scared? I—"

Bang!

Before Kazan could finish, he was sent flying, and the Training Ground wall shattered.

Yugito rushed after him. She blocked his counterpunch, then whipped her tail around and launched him into the sky.

"I gave you a chance, too. You're the one who wasted it!"

"And you talk too much!"

Yugito kicked off the ground and pursued him into the air.