Armament Haki

Buzz!

A wildly violent power erupted, its emerald glow painting the sky in brilliant colors.

Kazan broke through six of the human body's Six Potential Gates in succession, pushing himself to the peak of what he could achieve at this stage.

"Hah!"

Kazan shuddered in midair, and a massive surge of chakra rolled outward like waves crashing against the shore.

He had never felt better. Emerald steam wrapped around his body, and his short black hair whipped about without a breath of wind.

Like Yugito in her Tailed Beast Transformation, his pupils had vanished, leaving his eyes entirely white.

This pain is no problem at all.

Kazan stopped after opening the sixth gate. It wasn't that his body couldn't take more; six was simply the most he could open for now.

He hadn't trained in the Eight Gates Released Formation for long. Opening six gates in such a short time already marked him as a rare genius.

He descended slowly, his gaze fixed on Yugito Nii below.

"Here we go. Final round, beast!"

As soon as he spoke, Kazan kicked off the air. An afterimage hung behind him as he vanished across the sky, moving as fast as a flash of lightning.

"Yugito!"

Matatabi sensed the danger and warned her at once.

But...

So fast!

By the time Yugito turned her head, Kazan's fist had already slammed into her face.

The emerald fist struck with crushing force and sent her flying.

Yugito let out a bestial howl and drove both tails into the earth to stop herself.

Kazan was already on her again, his fists bearing down with even more weight than before.

Bang, bang, bang!

With the sixth gate open, Kazan's body had reached its peak. Even in her Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, Yugito could not match him. She could only rely on Matatabi's warnings and assistance.

The Eight Gates Released Formation was a secret art capable of slaying gods in the shinobi world.

It could unlock the human body's full potential. Even a mortal body could shake someone at the Six Paths level.

The sight of Might Guy's kick still echoed in Kazan's mind.

It was an art that let mortals challenge gods!

Still.

As strong as Kazan was, Yugito could fight him in her Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.

One was a beast in human form; the other wore a Chakra Cloak that had raised her physical toughness to an astonishing level.

Each swing of their fists and claws heated the very air with friction, carrying tremendous force.

Yugito slashed with her claws, but Kazan's Observation Haki caught her turn. His emerald fist hammered into her and sent her flying again. He pursued her, giving her no chance to breathe.

"Urgh!"

Yugito was knocked away. Even someone as powerful as her felt the pain of that blow.

"Kazan!"

She roared, her eyes blazing with killing intent as she fought back almost frantically. Crimson chakra burned around her body as she tried to break free of his assault.

But Kazan was stronger. He met force with greater force, driving forward with both fists. Every punch made the air tremble.

Boom!

Bang!

...

The two young geniuses fought fiercely, neither yielding an inch. Green and red light clashed again and again across the field.

Their battle shook everyone watching. If they hadn't seen it themselves, who would have believed the fighters were barely over ten?

Even a jonin could not say for certain they would survive an onslaught like this.

Now.

Yugito was being overwhelmed. Even with her Chakra Cloak and Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, she was no match for Kazan.

Every punch struck hard enough to numb her whole body. The terrifying force behind them made her want to cough up blood.

Only Matatabi's chakra, constantly healing her, kept her from injury.

"Rat Tail Ball!"

She spat out Fire Rat Balls without pause, too many to count. With a Tailed Beast's chakra to draw on, she had no reason to hold back.

Give Yugito a Kamui Sharingan, and she could stare you pregnant.

But it was useless.

Kazan pushed his Observation Haki to its limit, weaving through the dense swarm of flaming rats.

He kept closing in, using the punishment his body took to search for the Armament Haki he still could not grasp.

The Jinchūriki before him could take far too much punishment!

Even with Cherry Blossom Impact behind his blows, he couldn't keep her hurt. Any injury he managed to inflict healed almost immediately.

The advantages of a perfect Jinchūriki were simply too great.

In the original story, the Nine-Tails had saved Naruto from certain death more than once.

Not enough. Still not enough!

Kazan hammered at Yugito with both fists, driving her back step by step without achieving anything decisive.

His attacks weren't strong enough. His fists weren't hard enough.

Armament Haki from the pirate world drew its inspiration from concepts such as hard qigong.

It had three aspects: coating and hardening, outward flow, and internal destruction.

Any one of them could raise his attack power to another level.

"Kazan!"

After being suppressed again and again, Yugito's anger surged.

At this point, she could no longer afford to hold anything back.

She opened her mouth. Matatabi's chakra rapidly gathered there, compressing into a single point.

It was a small Tailed Beast Bomb. A full-sized one had destructive power comparable to an intercontinental Missile.

This was also Yugito's last resort.

"Stop causing trouble for everyone else, beast!" Kazan shouted, swiftly tearing open a scroll.

The nerve of him!

Countless villagers cursed him inwardly. The little brat had clearly forgotten that he was the real king of destruction. Lord Hokage had punished him more times than they could count by making him repair roads and houses.

"How can that little brat say that with a straight face?"

"Exactly! Thanks to him, half the roads in Konoha have been repaved!"

"And not just the roads! Plenty of houses have had to be rebuilt too, all because of him!"

"Troublemaker! Nothing but a troublemaker!"

"..."

The villagers complained without restraint.

Kazan couldn't hear them. He tore open the scroll and pulled out an iron ball covered in Explosive Tags.

"Fist Bone!"

His fingers curled around the ball, and he hurled it with all his strength.

"Meteorite!"

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out. Before Yugito could finish forming her Tailed Beast Bomb, Kazan's iron ball struck her with full force and blasted her away.

"You..."

Bang!

Kazan's relentless fist was Yugito's only answer.

"That Konoha brat is terrifying! He's overpowering Yugito even in her Partial Tailed Beast Transformation!" The Kumogakure shinobi's faces changed.

At this rate, their perfect Jinchūriki might actually lose.

Kazan pressed his attack, seeking to grasp Armament Haki through the fight.

With every swing of his fist, the sensation grew clearer.

The power gathering in his fists grew stronger. It wasn't chakra, but an entirely different kind of energy.

Yugito felt it most keenly. Kazan's fists were growing heavier, and every blow sent a jolt through her body.

His punches were passing through her Chakra Cloak and striking deep inside her.

Kazan attacked with abandon, the emerald steam around him raging ever more fiercely. Even with Matatabi's help, Yugito could not stop him.