"So effective?"
Gokuma Senju tore open the scroll, watching the Eight-Tails bound in place and unable to move. At first, joy lit his face—but it quickly gave way to a deep chill spreading through his heart.
Because this scene only confirmed his suspicion: a tool that could so easily subdue a tailed beast… simply handed to him? Was that possible?
A trap.
It was a trap.
Such an obvious trap.
Gokuma's chakra output didn't falter, nor did his thoughts pause for even a heartbeat: it was already too late to dwell on the enemy's motives—what mattered now was sealing the Eight-Tails.
At that moment, Butsuma Senju and Master Fayen finally arrived with a contingent of Senju warriors. Even the two strongest among them couldn't hide their shock at the sight, while the others looked on in wide-eyed astonishment.
"What is this?"
"That chakra… it's suppressing the Eight-Tails?"
"Elder Gokuma has such strength?"
…
Butsuma's expression held not only surprise but a trace of fatigue. Yet after only a moment's distraction, he steadied himself and stepped forward to take command.
"Gokuma, keep maintaining your chakra suppression. I'll assist Master Fayen in using the artifact to seal the Eight-Tails."
The monk wasted no words. He set down the Amber Purifying Pot and began chanting once more.
Its mouth glowed faintly, the light spreading much faster than before thanks to Butsuma's aid.
Under the pressure of that pale purple chakra, the Eight-Tails felt a lethal crisis closing in. It tried to use its self-amputation escape technique again, but found that under this suppression it couldn't perform any jutsu at all.
The helplessness dragged it back to a thousand years ago—when, before that being, it had been as insignificant as an ant.
"Damn it!"
Negative emotions surged: resentment, hatred, fear… until finally, all of it turned to despair.
The Eight-Tails roared in fury and hatred, but could do nothing. It could only watch as its body was converted into chakra and slowly drawn toward the Amber Purifying Pot.
As the beast ceased struggling, Gokuma's burden lightened, and Butsuma and Fayen's sealing work sped up.
Butsuma had many questions about the scroll, but knew now wasn't the time. He trusted Gokuma, and would wait until the matter was settled.
Gokuma, on the other hand, found he couldn't speak a single word. Since unfurling the scroll, his body had ceased to obey him.
No one else noticed—because another, far greater problem had just appeared.
When the actual sealing began, they realized the huge problem: though absorbing the Eight-Tails' chakra went smoothly, the sheer scale of a tailed beast's chakra was staggering. In the past, sealing the One-Tail with an artifact had taken less than half a day. But each tailed beast's strength was different. Judging by the Eight-Tails' chakra volume, even with the Amber Purifying Pot and the mysterious scroll's suppression, it would take at least three days to fully seal it.
And the most pressing question—did they have three days?
"Clan Head! Bad news—many shinobi are approaching from the northeast… it's the Uchiha from Kōga!"
"The Uchiha? How many?"
"I don't know, Clan Head—their numbers are huge, and they've all awakened the Sharingan."
Impossible.
The report shattered Butsuma's plan. In his original strategy, this mission deployed almost all of the Senju's main fighting force, with crucial artifacts from their Uzumaki allies and the friendly Sage clan. Capturing the Eight-Tails should not have been difficult.
But unforeseen events had already thrown the plan into chaos.
First, Butsuma had underestimated the Eight-Tails' ability to escape—managing to break free even from the combined restraints of the Adamantine Sealing Chains and the Amber Purifying Pot, inflicting heavy losses on his jonin. Second, sealing the Eight-Tails' chakra would take three whole days.
A wry smile flickered in Butsuma's eyes.
Three days… there was no way to conceal this from the Uchiha. But he had never expected the operation to remain undiscovered; that was why he had brought large numbers of chunin and genin as well. They were not meant to help subdue the tailed beast, but to serve as a deterrent—warning the Uchiha against rash action, and buying time if an unexpected delay arose.
By conventional reasoning, even if the Uchiha noticed the disturbance, they would not launch a full assault immediately. Their best move would be to send a small unit to scout, then decide on their next step.
Butsuma was not surprised the operation had been exposed. What shocked him was the time needed to seal the Eight-Tails—and how quickly the Uchiha had arrived, bringing their main force.
He had calculated to the very limit of what he could foresee, yet the situation was still slipping beyond his control.
Now he faced a bitter choice: sacrifice his clansmen to buy three days and force the sealing, or abandon the Eight-Tails and retreat—allowing the Uchiha to reap the reward.
Clan or beast—what was worth more?
With a long sigh, Butsuma made his decision: "Myozen, gather the nearby jonin and move to reinforce the line. Hokuma, signal the genin units to assemble to the northeast and block the Uchiha advance. Report our situation to the Uzumaki and have them prepare for reverse summoning at once."
…
Orders spread swiftly. Everyone understood: their clan head meant to fight with his back to the wall, determined to take the Eight-Tails home even at the cost of his life.
"Yes!"
The jonin moved at once—but elsewhere, the battle was already one-sided.
The Uchiha had emptied their nest, each warrior's face twisted with bloodlust, the crimson Sharingan making every foe's heart pound in dread.
At the front, Tajima Uchiha led with his blade. In a flash of lightning-fast steel, he cut down an entire Senju squad before resheathing his sword.
His hands blurred through seals: "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Though not yet matching Madara Uchiha's terrifying Fourth War display, Tajima's version was still devastating. He spewed forth a sea of fire so vast it covered nearly a quarter of the battlefield.
Caught off-guard, dozens of chunin and genin perished instantly. A handful survived only by diving into Earth Release shelters or combining Water Release to counter the blaze.
"This is the famed power of the Forest Senju of Iga? Have we, the Uchiha, truly been considered their equals? I'm disappointed." Tajima stood unmoving after his jutsu, arms crossed, watching the Senju scatter.
"Don't get carried away!"
A Senju jonin burst through the flames. Several Uchiha moved to block him, only to find his strength far exceeded their expectations.
He tore into the Uchiha lines, denying Tajima a chance to unleash another large-scale jutsu. Agile in midair, he evaded thrown kunai and shuriken with impossible precision, deflecting special Uchiha weapons with his own kunai to avoid entangling wires, and meeting close-range attackers with lightning-fast counters.
For a time, he rampaged unchecked.
Relying on monstrous strength and pinpoint chakra control, his punches sent Uchiha warriors—armor and all—flying. Every step crushed the ground beneath him.
In raw taijutsu, he was unmatched. And with this might, he carved a path straight to Tajima.
"Interesting."
The tomoe in Tajima's Sharingan spun rapidly. His foe's intent was obvious—he was here for Tajima himself.
"You all, go elsewhere. This one is mine."
Without hesitation, Tajima's guards peeled away to join other fights.
For the Senju jonin, reaching this point was his limit. His eyes locked on the man who seemed to be the Uchiha leader.
Ten meters.
The jonin gathered all his chakra into his fist, hurling himself at Tajima. Even before the punch landed, the sheer wind pressure whipped Tajima's black hair.
Yet Tajima made no move—no seals, no evasion.
"Underestimating people has its limits, Uchiha!"
Boom!
The impact unleashed a shockwave that toppled massive trees like stalks of grass. The ground beneath them caved into a pit.
"The Senju's monstrous strength, worthy of its name… but…"
The dust cleared to reveal the Senju jonin gripped in a gigantic skeletal hand. Tajima still stood with arms crossed, wreathed in an ethereal blue chakra skeleton.
The crushing recoil shook the Senju's organs. Blood dripped from his lips; bones creaked under the giant hand's grip. In moments, the powerful jonin hung at death's door.
Tajima tossed the dying man aside, letting the chakra skeleton fade. His Sharingan spun into a strange, intricate pattern.
"In the face of these Mangekyō Sharingan, all your resistance is futile."