Shukaku's enormous body cast a vast shadow across the sand.
He bared a mouth full of sharp teeth, raised a giant claw, and slammed it down at Hoshino.
"Let's give it a try, Shukaku!"
The corners of Hoshino's mouth lifted slightly, a flash of fighting spirit in his eyes, and he vanished from where he stood.
Boom-
Shukaku's giant claw came crashing down, smashing a deep crater into the sand.
But Hoshino had already leaped into the air. Using the momentum of his descent, he gathered Tailed Beast Chakra around his right fist and smashed it into the top of Shukaku's head.
Bang-
With a muffled thud, Shukaku's head was knocked to one side, but he suffered no substantial damage.
"That's all the strength you've got? Not even enough to tickle me!"
After landing, Hoshino quickly retreated, dodging Shukaku's sweeping tail.
"Pseudo Magnet Release: Iron Sand Blade!"
At his low shout, the surrounding grains of sand rapidly gathered into several sharp Iron Sand blades that hovered at his sides.
"Go!"
Hoshino pointed, and the Iron Sand blades shot toward Shukaku's limbs and torso like arrows loosed from a bow.
Shukaku neither dodged nor evaded, letting the Iron Sand blades pierce his body.
Yet the moment the blades touched him, the Tailed Beast Chakra inside him shattered them, scattering them into grains of sand.
"Hahaha, brat, your toys are useless against the great me!"
Laughing, Shukaku plunged both claws into the sand.
The ground bulged in an instant, and countless pillars of sand shot up from below, coiling toward Hoshino like giant serpents.
Hoshino darted between the pillars of sand, his Tailed Beast Cloak trailing dark red afterimages.
The Magnet Release force field forcibly ground three pillars of sand to powder.
Then he used the momentum to launch himself into the air. The beads drew the Iron Sand into a drill that stabbed straight at Shukaku's right eye, sending a shower of sparks flying.
"Paltry tricks!"
Shukaku swept his tail, raising a hundred-meter wall of sand, while the light screen gave off a piercing scraping sound in the sandstorm.
Hoshino took the sandstorm head-on, charged beneath Shukaku's belly, and drove out a vicious punch.
Roar-
Shukaku roared in pain, and the Chakra inside him ran wild, forming a vortex.
Hoshino was about to pull back when he found his feet trapped in quicksand, and a giant claw wreathed in Iron Sand came crashing down.
At the very last instant, Hoshino's Tailed Beast Cloak receded like the tide, and Shukaku's claw stopped just short of his nose.
The five minutes were up... no, it hadn't been five minutes yet.
Maintaining the Tailed Beast Transformation while also using Magnet Release to attack and the light screen to defend consumed far too much of the stored Tailed Beast Chakra.
It seemed that using only the Tailed Beast Transformation would last five minutes, but fighting at full power would last only a little over three.
"Tch, you got lucky." Shukaku swept his tail and knocked Hoshino away.
Clap, clap, clap-
Grandma Chiyo's applause came from a distance.
"Xiaoye, that artifact of yours has truly opened my eyes."
Hoshino slumped onto the scorching sand and looked at the Spirit Control Beads, now dull around his wrist, with a relaxed smile.
With the Spirit Control Beads in hand, he had no need to fear anyone in the current Shinobi World.
But without the Spirit Control Beads, he was just a newly promoted Chunin.
Artifact refiners... were just that extreme.
"Tanuki, replenish the Chakra. That's part of our agreement, so don't even think about backing out!"
"Hmph, the great me isn't like you humans, going back on my word!"
Shukaku flicked his tail impatiently, immediately kicking up a cloud of dust from the sand.
"But... I can replenish the Chakra, though the price has to go up!"
Hoshino raised an eyebrow, got up from the ground, and brushed the sand off himself.
"A higher price? Go on, what do you want?"
Shukaku brought his fat face close to Hoshino, narrowed his eyes, and put on the smile of a crafty merchant.
"Another thirty jin of takoyaki, and... next time, let me roam free for two hours!"
The corner of Hoshino's mouth twitched, and he sighed helplessly.
"You fat tanuki, you really know how to bargain..."
"But you'll have to talk to Gaara about that. He's your Jinchūriki."
Shukaku curled his lip, his plump body swaying slightly.
Dark red Tailed Beast Chakra poured out of his body, turning into a streak of light that flowed into the Spirit Control Beads.
The twelve golden beads gradually lit up, their glow growing from dim to bright until they were fully charged again.
"There." Shukaku withdrew his tail and yawned lazily.
The immense Chakra gradually began to dissipate, until he finally returned to Gaara's sleeping form.
Hoshino clenched his fist, feeling the abundant Tailed Beast Chakra in the Spirit Control Beads, and felt a sense of reassurance.
It seemed he needed to find a power bank sometime.
Otherwise, if he ran out of Tailed Beast Chakra in the middle of a fight and still hadn't taken down his enemy, wouldn't he be dead for sure?
Hoshino woke Gaara and said, "Come on, let's head back to the village. Today's test was a great success!"
Grandma Chiyo nodded, her eyes full of gratification.
"Xiaoye, you're progressing even faster than I imagined. But powerful as the Spirit Control Beads are, they're still an external aid. Your own strength is what matters most."
Hoshino nodded solemnly. "I understand, Grandma. The Spirit Control Beads are only an aid. I'll keep improving my own strength."
Gaara said softly, "Hoshino, you're already very strong, but..."
Seeing how awkward he looked, Hoshino knew what he wanted to say without even guessing.
He immediately patted Gaara on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Gaara. You, Temari, and the others will all get one."
Then he turned to Grandma Chiyo and asked, "Grandma, what kind of artifact would you like?"
Grandma Chiyo froze for a moment, a flicker of gratification and emotion passing through her eyes.
"I'm already old. These novel things are better left to you young people."
Hoshino said earnestly, "Grandma, you're one of Sunagakure's pillars. How can you call yourself old? Besides, artifacts aren't just for young people."
Looking at Hoshino's determined gaze, Grandma Chiyo felt a little warmth in her heart.
She fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "All right. Since you've put it that way, I won't turn you down."
Standing to one side and watching the two talk, Gaara asked softly, "Hoshino, what... will my artifact be like?"
Hoshino turned and looked at Gaara with a smile. "Your artifact..."
He paused, putting on an air of mystery. "Of course, it has to suit your abilities. With Shukaku's Chakra and your ability to control sand, I already have a few ideas."
Gaara nodded. His face was as calm as ever, but a glimmer of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
The three chatted and laughed as they made their way toward Sunagakure.
After returning to the village.
Grandma Chiyo went back to keeping busy, but told Hoshino what she was busy with.
Gaara went home to try communicating with Shukaku and grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Hoshino asked around briefly and learned that after being promoted to Chunin, Temari had taken a mission to stock up and had yet to return.
So he could only go and check on the puppet factory first.
Although Kankuro was looking after the factory and Hoshino felt reassured, he couldn't just be a completely hands-off boss.
As it turned out, something really had happened.