Explosion: Eight Gates Released Formation

Cherry Blossom Impact!

Undersea Drop!

Kazan seized Yugito Nii by the neck, twisted in midair, and slammed her down with all his strength.

I can't move!

An invisible force seemed to wrap around Yugito Nii's body. She couldn't move a single part of it.

Her opponent's strength was terrifying. If someone had told her he could smash a mountain, she would have believed them.

Whoosh!

She plummeted from the High Sky like a Missile.

Boom!

A thunderous crash shook heaven and earth as Kazan smashed Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki into the arena with a single move.

The entire Training Ground trembled. The blow scattered the smoke and sent shockwaves into every corner.

"Yugito Nii!"

Even the Kumogakure shinobi, who had absolute faith in Yugito Nii, felt their hearts leap into their throats.

"Damn it, I can never fight him up close. He's a monster!"

Asuma's jaw hung open. There was no way his body could take a hit like that.

Kushina Uzumaki's eyes widened. She was just as stunned.

As a Jinchūriki herself, she knew exactly how powerful Tailed Beasts were.

Each Tailed Beast was a seemingly bottomless reservoir of power. So long as a Jinchūriki could draw on its Tailed Beast Chakra, their energy would never run dry.

"Minato, if that brat ever starts a fight in the village, use Flying Thunder God to take him to another ninja village."

A prize like him deserved to be enjoyed by the other Shinobi Village.

Minato Namikaze gave a strained laugh. Whether he could do it was beside the point. Dumping Kazan in someone else's Shinobi Village was guaranteed to cause trouble, and he could never do that.

Kakashi felt it more keenly than any of them. Seeing that move again made his whole body ache, as if he were the one who had taken the blow.

Kazan wasn't finished.

A perfect Jinchūriki couldn't be at her limit yet.

Tap!

He stepped through the air as though it were solid ground, then shot downward, giving his opponent no time to breathe.

Fist Bone!

He clenched his fist once more and brought it crashing down with unstoppable force.

Chakra erupted like a volcano and gathered around his right fist, forming a huge blue-white Cross that fell like a meteor.

Impact!

An even fiercer collision erupted as Kazan's full-force punch struck Yugito Nii's two tails.

The ground, already cracked apart, exploded. It couldn't withstand the blow.

Boom!

A clash far beyond anything Genin should have been capable of shook the arena. The crowd erupted.

Countless faces changed at the sight of Kazan's punch.

But a Jinchūriki was still a Jinchūriki. Her Chakra was inexhaustible, and her Chakra Cloak was all but indestructible.

Yugito Nii's form changed again.

Ominous crimson Chakra spread from her feet to cover her entire body.

She dropped onto all fours, her two tails bracing against Kazan's ferocious punch. Her pupils had turned entirely white, making her look like a Demonic Beast that brought misfortune.

"Partial Tailed Beast Transformation! She's only one step away from Complete Tailed Beast Transformation!" Kushina Uzumaki cried. "She can actually go that far!"

She could hardly believe it. Kumogakure really had developed a way to harness the power of Tailed Beasts.

In this state, the Jinchūriki had reached the very limit of what she could do before full Tailed Beast Transformation.

One step further, and Kazan's opponent would no longer be Yugito Nii, but one of the Nine Tailed Beasts.

That was too dangerous!

"Minato!"

"I'm watching. Don't worry."

Minato Namikaze was ready to intervene at any moment.

In the arena, a thought flashed through Kazan's mind. He kicked off and retreated at top speed, putting distance between them.

But it did no good.

Danger followed close behind. The instant he landed, Yugito Nii was at his side, swiping at him with a vicious claw.

Iron Body!

Kazan crossed his arms to block, but the strike still sent him flying into the wall again.

Bang!

A human-shaped dent appeared in the wall. Before Kazan could make his next move, Yugito Nii lunged at him again, her hands now razor-sharp claws that tore through the air.

"Kazan!"

Kurenai and the other students watched in terror.

"He's fine!"

Asuka Hyuga had already activated his Byakugan.

He could see that, although Kumogakure's Jinchūriki kept him on the defensive, Kazan was still composed. He blocked her claws again and again, uncannily alert to every threat.

Fists and claws clashed in a rapid series of dull thuds.

By now, every one of Yugito Nii's abilities had risen to its peak.

She was fast and powerful enough to match Kazan. Like a creature possessed, she kept swiping at him with her kitty claws.

Thud!

Kazan met her attacks with both fists, but Yugito Nii still had two tails.

Crack!

Yugito Nii and Matatabi worked in perfect sync. A sweep of her tails whipped Kazan high into the air.

She really is a monster of raw power!

Kazan had no idea how many meters he had been thrown. Even with his tough body, he felt his insides churn.

He had no other choice. If this continued, she would keep him pinned down until he lost.

While he thought, Yugito Nii spat a barrage of Fire Rat Balls after him.

She didn't stop there. She raced along the wall on all fours, then sprang into the air and slashed at Kazan.

"Take your kitty claws and get lost, you beast!"

Kazan used Geppo to rise higher, dodged a claw strike, and punched Yugito Nii back down.

"Don't think you've won."

"Second Gate of Healing, open!"

Hum!

Chakra surged from Kazan again.

"What's he doing? Can he still get stronger?"

"It looks like some kind of secret technique. He's forced open a point in his body, and Chakra keeps pouring out of him."

Asuka Hyuga could see it clearly.

A tremendous amount of Chakra was surging from Kazan.

And yet...

He wasn't finished.

Kazan didn't stop at the second gate.

"Third Gate of Life, open!"

"Fourth Gate of Pain, open!"

"Fifth Gate of Limit, open!"

Kazan opened four gates in one breath. His physical strength and Chakra erupted like a volcano, a sight that shook everyone watching.

"Kazan!"

Might Duy was there too. He wouldn't have missed this match.

Seeing Kazan open five gates in succession didn't surprise him.

That boy was a Genius far beyond himself.

The Eight Gates Released Formation was a technique that let an ordinary mortal challenge even a Six Paths-level opponent. Unleashed completely, it could grant its user power dozens of times greater than their own.

But few people could make use of the body's eight limiters.

Only shinobi who had trained their bodies to the extreme could endure the strain of forcing the eight gates open.

An ordinary shinobi might not even survive opening one. Even after decades of training, Might Duy himself felt pain throughout his body when he opened the sixth gate or beyond.

"But youth doesn't back down from a little pain!"

"Show them, Kazan! Your youth burns brighter than the sun!"

Might Duy suddenly roared.

His goofball shout drew little attention. Everyone was watching Kazan in midair.

Kazan heard him. That's exactly what I'm about to do!

"Hah!"

Suspended in midair, he exhaled and drove all his strength against the sixth gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation, the Gate of View.

He clenched his fists and bent forward, like Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan for the first time.

A moment later, he forced the Gate of View open. Chakra poured from his body, turning into emerald-green steam.

"Sixth Gate of View!"

"Open!"