"Roar!"
A cat-like monster, completely wrapped in black and red chakra with a pale white skeletal mask over its face, let out a deafening roar.
The soundwave turned into a massive shockwave, blasting a fan-shaped trench into the ground ahead of it.
But in the next instant, a figure suddenly appeared above it.
In his hand was a huge chakra sphere, cloaked in mist and water vapor.
Without hesitation, he slammed it down toward the rampaging Two-Tails.
The spinning chakra ball, resembling a massive water orb, violently ground against the beast's body.
Under the immense pressure of the attack, the Two-Tails' form was forced into a deep, unnatural arc.
The moment after delivering the blow, Minato Namikaze vanished, reappearing a safe distance away.
Just as his figure disappeared, the Water-Style Rasengan he left behind suddenly erupted into a towering water tornado.
At the center of the storm, the Two-Tails was completely engulfed.
Trapped in the vortex, its massive body was slammed back and forth against the ground, eventually being pressed several feet into the earth.
Water droplets burst in all directions like a torrential rain, while thick steam rose from the Two-Tails' body.
In the very next second, a flash of lightning shot across the battlefield from the distance.
The figure within the lightning struck like a thunderbolt, driving his shoulder and elbow straight into the white skeletal mask of the Two-Tails' chakra cloak.
With a crisp cracking sound, the dizzy beast—spinning helplessly from the tornado—was sent flying by the powerful blow.
Lightning Bomb!
The man who delivered the strike, the Raikage A, made no move to continue his assault.
Mid-air, the white mask cracked open, and the true form beneath was revealed—Yugito Nii, the jinchūriki host of the Two-Tails.
But her appearance was tragic.
Her skin, eaten away by the corrosive Tailed Beast chakra, was severely damaged. Multiple bones were broken, and her body hung limp and battered in the air.
The kind of injury she had would've been fatal for most shinobi if not treated quickly.
But as a Jinchūriki whose life was bound to a Tailed Beast, her vitality was abnormally strong.
Even if the wound was fatal, as long as she didn't die on the spot and the enemy didn't land a finishing blow or seal her, the beast inside her would use its chakra to keep her alive and help her recover.
Still, the damage to the Two-Tails looked truly tragic.
Three figures appeared at the spot where Yugito had fallen.
Seeing her lying there with eyes open, staring blankly at the sky as if she had lost all hope, they finally let out a small sigh of relief.
A soft green light of chakra spread from Kagetsu's hands, covering Yugito's body. Under the effect of her medical ninjutsu, Yugito's wounds began to heal quickly.
"How do you feel, Yugito?"
Raikage A's face, showing a rare trace of concern, leaned over her and met her eyes.
"It hurts!"
The moment Yugito saw the Raikage's face, she almost burst into tears.
Not again!
Ever since Konoha's delegation arrived and she resumed her so-called Hollowfication training, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
The last two times she woke up, her body was covered in bandages, lying in a hospital bed for days.
Both she and the Two-Tails inside her were starting to lose patience.
"I meant—how's the training going!"
Raikage A's expression darkened. He glanced at Minato and Kagetsu with clear irritation, then grumbled as he repeated the question.
He felt embarrassed. When did a Kumo shinobi ever complain about pain?
And in front of Konoha ninjas no less!
Utterly disgraceful.
He should've just knocked her out with that elbow earlier.
"Raikage-sama… can I give up on this Hollowfication training?"
Yugito, still wearing that soul-drained expression, asked in a lifeless tone.
"Impossible!"
Raikage A responded without a trace of hesitation, making Yugito Nii's heart sink instantly.
Even though she had heard this same answer every time she tried, it still crushed her spirit.
Couldn't he at least try to comfort her a little? Did he really think she would give up that easily?
"Hollowfication's danger is now under control," Raikage A said again, seriously. "As long as you break the Hollow mask before reaching the final stage of transformation, you can retreat from the danger safely."
He continued, his tone firm but not without care.
"I forbade you from training in Hollowfication before because one wrong move could cost you your life. But now, the risk is manageable. To gain power, what's a little pain? What's a few beatings?"
If it weren't for the fact that Yugito was a girl, he might've already punched her like he would his troublesome little brother.
"But the Two-Tails doesn't want to talk to me anymore!" Yugito said helplessly.
She used to have a decent relationship with the Two-Tails.
It wasn't as harmonious as Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails, but at least they could talk, and in critical moments, the Two-Tails would lend her its power.
Now, though, the Two-Tails had turned into an angry, sulking cat.
When it sensed the presence of Raikage and the others, its chakra went wild inside her, leaking out uncontrollably.
After resisting so many experiments only to be forced even more violently, the Two-Tails had become like a burnout — dead-eyed and defeated.
Its reaction when seeing the three of them was like how the Nine-Tails used to curse Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha after being beaten senseless.
The only thing Yugito and the Two-Tails could agree on now was this: they just wanted these Leaf shinobi to leave the Hidden Cloud Village.
"It's too resistant to Hollow power. That's why you still can't fully control Hollowfication," Kagetsu said calmly as he withdrew his healing technique.
Yugito's injuries had already been taken care of.
"Too dumb, meow!"
A black cat suddenly appeared on Kagetsu's head, its front paws grabbing Kagetsu's hair. Its small head leaned down slightly, wearing a face full of glee.
For Nekomata, watching its former self get beaten and train seemed to be something it enjoyed endlessly.
At least, for every trial, it would watch from start to finish through Kagetsu or Minato's shadow.
Yugito Nii's body suddenly showed the Two-Tails' chakra again. Obviously, the Two-Tails was very unhappy with Nekomata's mockery.
"Let's rest first. After the checkup, we'll prepare for the next trial," the Raikage Ai glanced at Nekomata.
Although it came from the Two-Tails, it now felt like a completely different being.
One was a chakra creature.
The other was a Hollow.
Though the trial failed again, Raikage Ai was not dissatisfied because, having participated in every trial, he had indeed seen progress.
At least now, Yugito Nii could stay conscious for a certain time in the Hollowfication mode. Though the time was short, it grew longer with each trial.
****
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