Armament Haki

Buzz!

An intensely violent power erupted, dyeing the sky a brilliant green.

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 huge wave of Chakra surged outward in every direction.

He had never felt better. Emerald steam enveloped his body, and his short black hair whipped wildly despite the still air.

Like Yugito Nii in Tailed Beast Transformation, his pupils had vanished, leaving his eyes completely white.

"This pain? No problem at all."

Kazan stopped after opening the sixth gate. It wasn't that his body couldn't bear more; six was simply the most he could open right 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 an extraordinary talent.

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

"Here we go. Final round, beast!"

The moment he finished speaking, Kazan kicked off the air and vanished from the sky, leaving an afterimage behind. He moved 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 was already striking her face.

The emerald fist hit with crushing force, sending her flying backward.

Yugito let out a beastlike howl and drove her two tails into the earth, bringing herself to a stop.

Kazan was already on her again, both fists driving forward with even more weight than before.

Bang, bang, bang!

With the sixth gate open, Kazan's body had reached its strongest state yet. Even in Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, Yugito could barely keep up. She had to rely on Matatabi's warnings and assistance.

The Eight Gates Released Formation was a Secret Technique capable of "slaying gods" in the Ninja world.

It could unlock the full potential of the human body, allowing even a mortal to shake someone at the Six Paths level.

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

It was a Secret Technique that let mortals challenge gods!

Still...

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

One was a human-shaped beast. The other wore a Chakra Cloak, her physical strength raised to an incredible degree.

Every swing of fist or claw rubbed the air hot, carrying tremendous force.

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

"Urgh..."

Yugito went flying. Even she felt the pain of a blow that heavy.

"Kazan!"

She roared, killing intent blazing in her eyes, and counterattacked almost frantically. Crimson Chakra burned around her body as she tried to break free of his pressure.

But Kazan's body was stronger. He met force with greater force, driving forward with both fists and making the air tremble with every punch.

Boom!

Bang!

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

Their battle was breathtaking. If they hadn't seen it themselves, who would have believed the two were only a little over ten?

Even a Jonin couldn't be sure of surviving an onslaught like that.

Now...

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

Every punch landed like a hammer blow, numbing her whole body. His terrifying strength nearly made her cough up blood.

Only Matatabi's Chakra kept healing her before the damage could take hold.

"Rat Tail Ball!"

She spat out Fire Rat Balls without pause, too many to count. With a Tailed Beast's Chakra behind her, she had no need to conserve her strength.

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

But it was useless.

With his Observation Haki at full strength, Kazan wove through the dense swarm of flaming rats.

He kept closing in, using his body to feel for the Armament Haki he had yet to grasp.

This Jinchūriki could take far too much punishment!

Even with his extraordinary strength, he couldn't put her down. If he did injure her, she healed almost immediately.

The advantages of a perfect Jinchūriki were enormous.

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

"Not enough. Still not enough!"

Kazan hammered Yugito with both fists and drove her back step by step, but he achieved nothing decisive.

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

Armament Haki from the world of Pirates drew on ideas such as hard qigong.

It had three properties: coating and hardening, projecting force outward, and destroying a target from within.

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 hold back.

She opened her mouth. Matatabi's Chakra gathered there at once, compressing into a single point.

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

For now, this was Yugito's last resort.

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

What a shameless brat!

Countless villagers cursed him inwardly. The little menace had clearly forgotten that he was the king of destruction. Lord Hokage had punished him who knew how many times by making him repair roads and houses.

"Please! How can that little brat say something like that?"

"Exactly! He's shameless. Thanks to him, half the roads in Konoha have been rebuilt!"

"And not just the roads. Plenty of houses have been renovated too—all because of him!"

"Nothing but trouble! Nothing but trouble!"

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 closed around the iron ball like claws. He gathered all his strength and hurled it.

"Meteorite!"

Boom!

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

"You—"

Bang!

Kazan's overpowering fist was her answer.

"That Konoha brat is terrifying! He's overpowering Yugito even in Partial Tailed Beast Transformation!" The faces of the Kumogakure onlookers changed drastically.

At this rate, their perfect Jinchūriki might actually lose.

Kazan kept up his pursuit, seeking to grasp Armament Haki through the fight.

The sensation grew clearer with every swing of his fists.

The power gathering in them was growing stronger. It wasn't Chakra strengthening them, but a completely different energy.

Yugito felt it most keenly. Kazan's punches were getting heavier, and every blow shook her from within.

His fists were punching through her Chakra Cloak and driving force into her body.

Kazan fought with sweeping, powerful movements, the emerald steam around him growing ever more violent. Even with Matatabi's help, Yugito could not stop him.