Uzumaki Gamu: Tough! Invincible! The strongest! Crush! Shatter! Thunderous applause! Hahaha!

Let us rewind a little, to the moment Uzumaki Gamu discovered Shukaku!

Shukaku? Seriously... did this really have to mirror the original story? Uzumaki Gamu could not help grumbling inwardly when he saw Shukaku-the first tailed beast Naruto encountered in the original story, aside from the Nine-Tails, had also been Shukaku.

And the first tailed beast Uzumaki Gamu encountered and had to fight was Shukaku too... it was almost like fate!

But whatever fate had in store, Uzumaki Gamu had to make a choice now... run or fight!

First came the question of strength. Uzumaki Gamu was not confident he could win.

Besides... frankly, Uzumaki Gamu had no reason to fight Shukaku to the death-this was the Land of Wind. What the hell did the lives of its people have to do with him? There was absolutely nothing wrong with simply running away.

But...

"Ah... this is what makes being a good person such a pain." Uzumaki Gamu sighed helplessly. Though the town did not have many people at the moment, there were still over a hundred of them. He could not quite stomach watching them die. Besides... this was his disciple's home. Since he had accepted her as his disciple, he could not just watch her suffer and grieve!

Bring it on, then!

So Uzumaki Gamu used the Summoning Technique to call over the Toad King.

"Boss... holy shit, what is that?" the Toad King exclaimed in shock at the sight of Shukaku.

"Shukaku, the One-Tail. Our enemy this time, more or less!" Uzumaki Gamu was already standing atop the Toad King's head, settling into meditation and beginning to gather senjutsu chakra!

"...Boss, you really know how to pick your enemies!" The Toad King was truly speechless. Never mind those weaklings last time-this enormous monster was going to be a real handful!

"Isn't this the perfect time to show off the fruits of all your years of sweat and effort? Show that born monster that even a slow starter can succeed!" Uzumaki Gamu encouraged him.

"I'm a toad!" After that retort, the Toad King prepared to challenge Shukaku.

Just as the Toad King was about to leap, Mito suddenly shouted, "Wait, I'm coming too!"

"No!!" Uzumaki Gamu immediately replied. "Someone has to evacuate the townspeople. Lead them away from the battlefield!" Of course, that was really just an excuse!

With Mito's Adamantine Sealing Chains, dealing with Shukaku would be much easier, but... Uzumaki Gamu would worry if she went to the front lines. Better to keep her in the rear.

Though there's a hundred percent chance she won't listen to me! Uzumaki Gamu thought. Well... they had not become siblings yesterday. He knew his little sister's personality all too well. All he could do now was hope Mito would not do anything rash and would join the battle at a truly crucial moment!

After Uzumaki Gamu said that, the Toad King leaped into the battlefield.

Though Mito was unwilling, Uzumaki Gamu had a point... someone needed to evacuate Rōran's residents. So she turned away without looking back and went to evacuate the civilians.

Then came the scene at the end of the previous chapter: Uzumaki Gamu and the Toad King entered the battlefield.

When Reto saw Uzumaki Gamu arrive, he immediately ordered his subordinates, "Go to Rōran Town and evacuate the people there! Leave this to the two of us!"

"...Yes!!" Reto's subordinates knew they would only be a burden in a battle like this, so they could only go rescue people and do what they could.

Reto himself, meanwhile, jumped onto the Toad King. Why did he not leave with them?

He aspired to lead the Land of Wind Shinobi. How could he leave his nation's crisis for an outsider to resolve? If he backed down now, he might end up like Eunuch Cao from The Royal Swordsmen-Eunuch Cao's retreat set martial arts dramas back twenty years. If Reto retreated here, the Land of Wind would never have a backbone again!

Their heads could roll and their blood could flow, but no matter what hardships stood before them, the Land of Wind would never yield!!

When Uzumaki Gamu saw Reto, he immediately asked, "Where did this thing come from?!"

"Someone wanted to kill you... we'll discuss it afterward!" Reto cut the conversation short, because Shukaku had already turned their way!

"Ha!! A stinking toad that doesn't know its place? I'll start with you, then!" Shukaku continued firing Air Release: Drilling Air Bullets at the Toad King.

The Toad King leaped to evade them.

As he dodged, Uzumaki Gamu and Reto talked on his back.

"Though I'm ashamed to admit it, I have no way to seal him," Reto said. "Do you have a way?"

"Huh? I'm from the Uzumaki Clan. Do you think we can't seal him? But... we don't have a sealing vessel! Hey, is the vessel he was sealed in before still around?" Uzumaki Gamu asked. After all, Uzumaki Gamu was not Hashirama. He could not use Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands-a technique that suppressed tailed beasts by making the character for "sit" appear on the caster's palm, channeling chakra through it, and creating wooden rectangular pillars to suppress tailed beast chakra-or the Gate of the Great God. He had no way to knock a tailed beast unconscious outright. To seal Shukaku, he needed a suitable vessel.

Without a sealing vessel, there was only one option... seal him inside a human!

But however one looked at it, this thing belonged to the Land of Wind. Sealing him carelessly could easily spark an international dispute. Besides... Uzumaki Gamu still wanted the Nine-Tails. After all... looking cool was a lifelong commitment!

"That thing? I know it. I'll go find it now!" Reto remembered the jar, so he immediately jumped off the Toad King. Hey, the Toad King was still leaping through the air, dozens of stories high! Wouldn't jumping off like that kill you?

What a joke! Were you looking down on the Kazekage? Every Kazekage could fly-the Second used Sand Control, the Third had iron sand wings, the Fourth used Magnet Release with gold dust, and the Fifth also used Sand Control. Their flight speeds varied, but they could all fly. If he, the First, could not fly... wouldn't that make him a little too much like Groudon?

After jumping off the Toad King, Reto spread his outer garment, which turned into something like a hang glider. What was he, Kaito Kid?

The wings unfolded, and he used Wind Release to steer his flight. Rather than Kid, he felt more like Batman!

Once Reto left, the Toad King leaped in the opposite direction, drawing Shukaku away from him so he could search for Shukaku's sealing vessel.

All right, someone was searching for the vessel. Now they needed to figure out how to seal Shukaku.

"Okay, I'm in Sage Mode. Let's see what weaknesses that guy has!" Uzumaki Gamu used all his sensory abilities to examine Shukaku.

Hmm... no weaknesses~

"So this is a tailed beast? Terrifying indeed!" Uzumaki Gamu marveled.

Shukaku, the One-Tail, was a tailed beast formed from one of the nine portions of chakra that Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, separated from the Ten-Tails. He was a tanuki covered in cursed seal markings, skilled in Wind Release and Magnet Release sealing jutsu. (I did a little research. Sand Control is Gaara's ability. Shukaku does not seem to have any scenes where he directly controls sand to attack; Gaara does that. At most, Shukaku wraps the sand composing his body around an opponent to perform a Magnet Release seal. Of course, I might simply have missed the relevant scenes.)

Powerful Wind Release attacks were even stronger in open terrain, since obstacles would otherwise help block the spreading wind. Meanwhile, the winds Shukaku stirred up also swept sand around him, forming something like a protective wall. To attack Shukaku, they would first have to break through that wall of wind and sand! It looked difficult to land a direct hit with a ranged attack!

With that thought, Uzumaki Gamu raised his right hand, formed a senjutsu-enhanced Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, and threw it at Shukaku! Sure enough, the Rasenshuriken was deflected. This wind-and-sand barrier was not merely a force-field wall-it was a constantly spinning washing-machine drum!

The Rasenshuriken was carried around once by the wind wall, then flung away!

Just as I thought. To hurt Shukaku, we first have to get through that outer wind wall! Uzumaki Gamu glanced down at the Toad King and came up with a plan. Now all they needed was the sealing vessel!

Just then, Uzumaki Gamu noticed a Wind Blade fly beside the leaping Toad King. It was Reto's signal!

Through his Six Eyes, Uzumaki Gamu saw that Reto had found the vessel on the ground. Excellent, everything they needed was ready! The formula for victory was set! Time to stop defending and go on the offensive!

So Uzumaki Gamu patted the Toad King and explained the strategy.

The Toad King understood immediately and leaped toward Shukaku.

When Shukaku saw that the Toad King had stopped fleeing and was jumping toward him instead, he immediately burst out laughing. "Hahaha, coming here to die of your own accord? Perfect, I'll send you on your way! Wind Release: Air Release: Drilling Air Bullet!" Three Drilling Air Bullets shot toward the Toad King at once!

"Water Release: Iron Cannonball!" The Toad King attacked with his own water bullets, but he only fired two.

After canceling out two Drilling Air Bullets, he had nothing left to block the third. The Toad King could only take it head-on with his body!

"Hahaha, serves you right!!" Shukaku laughed happily when his attack struck the Toad King. What he did not expect was for the Toad King to force his way through the air bullet, charge up to him, and claw his protective barrier open with one swipe!

Did you know why Gundam Exia was equipped with a physical sword? Elemental shields like this, designed to defend against energy attacks, had to be forcibly broken with physical attacks!

"Go, boss!!" the Toad King shouted!

"Right, leave the rest to me... Sage Art: Lava Release: Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken!" The opportunity would not come twice. Uzumaki Gamu immediately unleashed the most destructive skill he currently possessed. (Well, in terms of sheer destructive power, Lava Release was definitely the strongest~)

Uzumaki Gamu leaped off the Toad King's back, holding the Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken. He jumped through the opening the Toad King had torn and entered the windless zone inside Shukaku's wind-and-sand barrier, ready to throw his ultimate attack at Shukaku!

"That's Son Gokū's-the Four-Tails'-Lava Release? You're not hitting me with that!!" Shukaku's arm turned into sand and surged toward Uzumaki Gamu. This way, Uzumaki Gamu's Lava Release Rasenshuriken could not hit Shukaku! It would only strike the sand formed from his arm!

"Wind Release: Heavenly Net!!" Reto also charged through the opening the Toad King had torn into the windless zone, then unleashed his strongest finishing move!

For this technique, Reto gathered chakra and hurled several wind blades forward in succession, then controlled countless wind blades to form a giant net that sliced the enemy in a grid. It could easily cut through a mountain and was immensely powerful! (Morefun's demonstration proved that Reto really was a pure Wind Release shinobi... in an era full of overpowered cheats, relying on Wind Release alone... he certainly had it rough.)

Back to the point: Reto used this grid-shaped cutting attack to slice apart Hajime Kashimo... sorry, wrong series. He sliced apart Shukaku's Sand Defense, giving Uzumaki Gamu a clear shot at Shukaku.

"Right there! Go!" Uzumaki Gamu threw the Sage Art: Lava Release: Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken through the passage Reto had opened, landing it squarely on Shukaku's belly!

The spiraling attack detonated. The enormous orange-red Rasengan expanded in an instant, swallowing Shukaku!

Uzumaki Gamu and Reto were blown away by the blast's shock wave as well, but the Toad King caught them.

"Boss, the aftermath of that attack is scorching!" the Toad King complained. "It burned my skin!"

"Sorry, but I didn't have a choice!" After apologizing, Uzumaki Gamu turned his attention to Shukaku. His Six Eyes pierced the smoke and dust of the explosion, revealing Shukaku's condition. Half his body had been blasted away by that attack.

Uzumaki Gamu had poured all his senjutsu chakra into that ultimate attack, so such power was only natural! (Uzumaki Gamu had already dropped out of Sage Mode.)

Now that Shukaku was half-crippled, it was time to seal him!

Uzumaki Gamu did not even give the smoke time to clear before starting the sealing process. "Bring the sealing vessel over!"

Reto immediately jumped to the ground and brought over the sealing jar, while Uzumaki Gamu began using his sealing jutsu.

"Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Sealing Chains!" With his Six Eyes, Uzumaki Gamu could now use this technique too. His proficiency and power were inferior to Mito's, but... sealing this half-crippled Shukaku should still be no problem!

Four chains emerged from Uzumaki Gamu's back and shot toward Shukaku!

Sensing Uzumaki Gamu's sealing jutsu through the smoke, Shukaku flew into a rage. "Damn humans! Don't think you can seal me in there again!!" Fierce winds sprang up around the furious Shukaku, blowing all the smoke away. At the same time, he rapidly absorbed sand and gravel from the ground, swiftly restoring his missing body.

"How is he so fast?" Uzumaki Gamu's jaw dropped in shock. He had healed far too quickly! Could the Adamantine Sealing Chains still hold Shukaku?

Clearly not. The fully restored Shukaku swatted the Adamantine Sealing Chains away.

"Shit, that bastard's cheating!!" Uzumaki Gamu said, speechless. What cheating? That was his home-field advantage!

As long as there was sand, Shukaku could quickly replenish his body without spending much chakra. Moreover, now that he was furious, he was no longer playing around. A black chakra sphere began gathering in his mouth.

The Tailed Beast Bomb-the prototype for the Rasengan-was formed by compressing yin and yang chakra into a sphere at a ratio of 2:8. Its enormous power could shatter mountains and split the earth.

An attack like that could not be tanked; dodging was the only option. Unfortunately... Uzumaki Gamu and the others were directly aligned with Rōran. If they dodged, then... Rōran would become the Tailed Beast Bomb's target!

"You've got to be kidding! Do we have to take it head-on? How could we possibly stop that?!" Uzumaki Gamu cried in frustration. His last attack had already used up most of his chakra. How was he supposed to withstand Shukaku's Tailed Beast Bomb now? With the courage Fish Leong gave him?

Just as the Tailed Beast Bomb was about to fire, several more Adamantine Sealing Chains shot out from the side and bound Shukaku. One hard tug pulled his body off balance... and sent the Tailed Beast Bomb off target!

"Nice work, little sis!!" Uzumaki Gamu exclaimed happily. Sure enough, things had gone much as he had anticipated at the start. Mito had come to join the battle after all. She had seized the right moment to bind Shukaku from the side and forcibly redirect his attack!

The Tailed Beast Bomb flew off in another direction, and then... an explosion comparable to a nuclear blast erupted, complete with a mushroom cloud!

"So this is the power of a tailed beast?" Reto had finally had his eyes opened and understood a tailed beast's true power. With strength like that, how could he fail to unify the Land of Wind? He might even... seize territory from the neighboring Land of Fire... forget it. The Land of Fire had monsters. That idea seemed hopeless.

Reto was a practical man. Seeing a tailed beast's power had not gone to his head. Uzumaki Gamu alone had just produced a ninjutsu attack with an effect similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb, and Reto had heard that the Land of Fire had two people even stronger than Uzumaki Gamu. If all three attacked together, Shukaku would probably become their plaything... how the hell was a human supposed to stand against that? (Twenty-year-old Madara and Hashirama probably had not reached their peaks yet, so they might not be able to completely overpower a tailed beast. But... working together, they should be able to handle Shukaku. As for what Uzumaki Gamu would do? He could wave a flag and cheer them on.)

Once I unify the Land of Wind, I'll immediately strengthen our friendship with the Uzumaki Clan! We'll be their staunchest allies!! Reto had made his plans too. If he could not beat them, so be it. Becoming their junior partner and sharing in the leftovers was a decent outcome.

Better than starving to death in a famine!

Of course, they first had to find a way to deal with Shukaku. Otherwise... before that day ever arrived, the Land of Wind might be reduced to ruins.

Back on Uzumaki Gamu's side, he wanted to help his little sister restrain Shukaku, but... Mito had not completely suppressed him.

Though the Adamantine Sealing Chains could counter tailed beasts, discussing effectiveness without considering dosage was pure nonsense!

The strength of the Adamantine Sealing Chains depended entirely on chakra. Mito's current chakra reserves were not enough to completely suppress Shukaku.

So Shukaku gave a hard yank, pulling on the Adamantine Sealing Chains and dragging Mito toward him!

Seeing his little sister in danger, Uzumaki Gamu immediately jumped toward her and shouted, "Shit! Mito, let go!"

Mito gritted her teeth and ignored him. If the chains were released, no one would be suppressing Shukaku's power, and there would be more danger!

But if she kept getting dragged over, Shukaku could swallow her outright. So Uzumaki Gamu jumped over and used his own chakra to sever Mito's chains. (Because they were blood siblings with similar chakra properties, Uzumaki Gamu could cut Mito's Adamantine Sealing Chains... an ordinary outsider would find it extremely difficult.) Then he rescued Mito, carrying her in a bridal carry!

"Second Brother, now he can keep using ninjutsu!" Mito said anxiously.

"I couldn't just watch him swallow you!" Compared with his own little sister, what happened to everyone else no longer mattered!

Though Mito felt somewhat helpless when she heard that, she was still... quite happy! (Uzumaki Gamu: My little sister is just this cute~)

However, this was no time for the two of them to display their sibling affection. With Shukaku freed, he could continue attacking with ninjutsu!

The Tailed Beast Bomb needed time to charge, but Drilling Air Bullets did not! Shukaku spat air bullets straight at Uzumaki Gamu and Mito.

Still in midair, Uzumaki Gamu and Mito had no way to dodge.

Just then, the Toad King leaped over and shielded Uzumaki Gamu and Mito with his body.

"Hey, are you okay?!" Uzumaki Gamu asked anxiously.

"I'm fine... like hell I am!" the Toad King said through the pain. "Boss, I can't hold on much longer. I'll run away and draw his attention. You think of another way to deal with him!" After saying that, the Toad King flung Uzumaki Gamu and Mito into the sand, then leaped in the opposite direction.

Shukaku, mad with rage, did not notice the trick and immediately chased the Toad King!

After Shukaku left, Uzumaki Gamu and Mito crawled out of the sand.

"The Toad King won't last long before he's sent back to Mount Myōboku," Uzumaki Gamu said anxiously. "Once Shukaku realizes he's been tricked, he'll come back!"

"The people of Rōran haven't all evacuated yet," Mito said. "If he comes back now..."

"Isn't there any way to deal with him?" Uzumaki Gamu asked in distress.

"What if we both use Adamantine Sealing Chains together?" Mito suggested.

"I don't know. It feels like our chances would be fifty-fifty... too risky!" Fifty-fifty left them caught in the middle. It was no good at all!

"Damn it, we're still not strong enough," Uzumaki Gamu said, scratching his head. "If only we had more power..." At that point, he suddenly fell silent!

"What is it, Second Brother? Did you think of something?" Mito asked hurriedly.

"...Who says we don't have more power? Mito, we're going back to Rōran!" Uzumaki Gamu took the still-bewildered Mito with him and headed toward Rōran!

-Preparing ninja tools-

"I'm furious! How dare you trick me!!" Shukaku roared. He had barely chased the Toad King before the latter could no longer endure and returned straight to Mount Myōboku!

Realizing he had been deceived, Shukaku immediately turned back. It did not matter if he could not find Uzumaki Gamu and the others. He would vent his anger on that human town he had seen!

Yet just as he returned, he heard a voice... laughing wildly!!

"Hahaha! Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!!" This was a high-level ninjutsu that Hashirama Senju excelled at. By transmitting chakra into trees and making them grow rapidly, the user created a giant wood golem whose size and combat power rivaled Perfect Susanoo. It could catch a Tailed Beast Bomb with one hand and use it to counterattack. Strong in both offense and defense, it specialized in physical attacks and skillfully used its enormous body to fight evenly with the Nine-Tails controlled by Madara. There was also a space in the golem's head that could accommodate Hashirama, providing extremely sturdy protection. This technique required Hashirama's genes and immense chakra reserves to use.

Wait, where had this technique come from? Had Hashirama arrived?

No, of course Uzumaki Gamu was the one using it!

But did Uzumaki Gamu not lack the chakra reserves for high-level Wood Release? Especially after spending so much chakra just now... well, naturally, he was relying on an external power supply!

Uzumaki Gamu was now using the Dragon Vein's power to drive the Wood Human Technique!

Standing atop the wood golem's head, Uzumaki Gamu laughed arrogantly. "Madman! Invincible! The strongest! Crush! Shatter! Thunderous applause! Hahahahaha!!!" That wild laughter was as though Seto Kaiba had possessed him!

And when Shukaku heard that high-pitched laughter from the other side... he felt an urge to run... that human facing him was terrifying!