"This really does bring back memories."
Madara Uchiha muttered from the sidelines, a trace of nostalgia flickering in his Sharingan.
More than forty years ago, after Konohagakure was founded, his friend Hashirama proposed distributing the Tailed Beasts among the Five Great Nations to maintain peace. Aside from the One-Tail already in Sunagakure's possession, all the other Tailed Beasts had been captured by the two of them, and the Four-Tails had been Madara's personal catch.
Now, watching the battlefield where a mountain-sized beast had suddenly appeared, even though the Iwagakure shinobi knew it was their own village's Tailed Beast, the first sight of it still filled them with terror. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Fortunately, a familiar voice rumbled from the massive red ape at that moment.
"All Iwagakure shinobi, fall back three miles!"
Hearing the command, under the lead of the village's jōnin, the Iwagakure shinobi immediately began to retreat.
Pakura made no move to stop them. There was no need to. Even the jōnin who had been struggling against the tanuki monsters knew that with Roshi now in full Tailed Beast form, they had no place in this fight. They quickly broke off and retreated as well.
As for Han, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki, he deactivated his Tailed Beast Mode. He needed to conserve his chakra in case of emergencies. After all, Sunagakure's Kazekage had yet to make a move.
Once the Iwagakure shinobi had retreated to a safe distance, Roshi, now fully transformed into Son Gokū the Four-Tails, glared down at the tiny Pakura and roared:
"Sunagakure shinobi! Let me show you the true power of a Tailed Beast!"
"What an exaggerated size..."
Pakura muttered, this being her first time seeing a Tailed Beast in its complete form. She couldn't deny the overwhelming pressure it exuded. But it was exactly that kind of challenge that made this interesting. Besides, she had Rasa standing behind her.
Thinking of this, she swiftly formed hand signs.
"Summoning Technique!"
A burst of white smoke erupted, and Pakura's figure soared into the air. Beneath her feet, a summoning beast appeared—a giant creature with a yellow body, resembling a cross between a lion and an elephant.
In the distance, Madara's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the beast.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's the Shimura clan's summoning beast, Dream Tapir, Baku. How did it end up in Sunagakure's hands?"
White Zetsu's voice echoed beside him.
"Madara-sama, I reported this to you before. Last time, Danzo tried to ambush the Kazekage and not only lost his arm and Sharingan, but even his summoning beast was taken."
Madara snorted in disdain.
"Konoha really is getting more and more weak."
Unfortunately, even Madara was speaking too soon. What happened next left him utterly dumbfounded.
The newly summoned Dream Tapir had just prepared to let out a proud roar to express its excitement at being called by its new master—only to spot Son Gokū before it.
The roar got stuck in its throat. It stared in shock at Pakura, its expression practically screaming: "Is… is that our enemy?"
Pakura, of course, understood that sending Dream Tapir to fight a fully-transformed Four-Tails was basically sending it to its death. Still, its utterly pitiful display embarrassed her as she spoke up.
"Just help me distract him. Leave the Tailed Beast to me."
Pakura's voice rang out confidently as she clasped her hands together and formed the Seal of the Rooster.
"Eight Gates Release—Open!"
"Open Gate, Rest Gate, Life Gate, Wound Gate, and Limit Gate!"
With a fierce burst, Pakura opened five gates in a row.
Boom!
In an instant, chakra exploded from her body like a torrent, overwhelming the battlefield. The immense aura she unleashed sent shockwaves through the area, making everyone realize that the seemingly frail figure of Pakura was now emitting chakra no weaker than that of a Tailed Beast.
"Wh... What is this...?"
The Iwagakure shinobi looked on in horror, their faces full of disbelief.
The strength of Sunagakure's ninja was far beyond anything they had anticipated.
Far in the distance, Madara Uchiha's expression turned cold as he spoke in a frigid tone.
"This brat, Danzo, really has given the enemy plenty of gifts."
It didn't take much to figure out that the Eight Gates, a forbidden technique of Konohagakure, had somehow found its way into the hands of Sunagakure, and it was clearly tied to Danzo.
In the center of the battlefield, Pakura, her body surging with visible chakra, stood atop the Dream Tapir, her movements still unrelenting. Despite this overwhelming display, she knew it wasn't enough to defeat the Tailed Beast just yet.
But she still had one final trump card left to play.
This technique she had developed over the past year was based on her mastery of the Scorch Release chakra mode. It combined all the strength she had gained from Rasa over the past year.
"Sage Arts: Scorch Release Chakra—Phoenix Mode!"
Instantly, a pair of massive wings, reminiscent of a peacock's tail feathers, ignited in flames behind her. The flames engulfed Pakura, transforming her into a giant, fiery phoenix. With claws burning with intense fire, the phoenix launched toward the Four-Tails.
!!!
The breathtaking, divine sight left everyone on the battlefield speechless.
"That's one flashy technique!"
Indeed, when it came to developing jutsu, Pakura proved herself to be a true genius.
This technique wasn't just a blend of the Eight Gates, Senjutsu energy, and Scorch Release; it also incorporated a unique method from Hoshigakure—Peacock Mystical Arts. Rasa himself had nearly forgotten about this technique, a force he'd once used during his time in the alternate world.
Boom!
Roshi, the Four-Tails jinchūriki, looked on with shock as the massive fire phoenix barreled toward him. But he still held confidence in his Tailed Beast's power. Slamming his hands into the ground, he summoned his own countermeasure.
"Melting Release: Mount Huaguo!"
In an instant, the earth beneath the Four-Tails turned into molten lava. The eruption of magma, towering dozens of meters high, surged toward the phoenix to block its fiery advance.
But the phoenix seemed utterly undeterred. It passed through the spewing magma as if it was nothing and continued its path straight toward the Four-Tails, its burning claws reaching out.
Though Roshi had expected that his Melting Release might not be enough to stop the phoenix, seeing it completely disregard his defense left him frustrated. But he still trusted in the defensive power of his Tailed Beast's body.
With that thought, he reached out, intending to grab the incoming phoenix's claws.
However, what he didn't anticipate was the searing pain that shot through his hands the moment he made contact with the blazing claws.
Looking down, he saw burn marks appearing on the Four-Tails' hands.
"How is this possible?"
Roshi couldn't comprehend what was happening.
At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Idiot, don't try to brute force it. Her flames are different. There's a special kind of energy inside them that can hurt me!"
"What?"
Roshi was stunned to hear the Four-Tails speak to him directly, but he trusted the beast's words. Ignoring the pain, he swiftly threw the phoenix away.
As for Pakura, the phoenix she controlled spun in the air for a moment before it flared its wings, and countless fireballs appeared beneath its burning feathers. These fireballs hurtled toward the Four-Tails.
Roshi, feeling the pain in his hands, could only dodge as quickly as he could.