An unending stream of Dragon Vein energy continued to pour into Tatsuya's body. The immense power radiating outwards formed a distinct, pale blue aura around him, bathing the area in an intimidating pressure.
"Dragon Vein Jinchuriki? This is insane!" Sara exclaimed, staring at Tatsuya, enveloped in the light blue energy shield, her face etched with disbelief.
This state persisted for over ten minutes.
A flicker of pain crossed Tatsuya's face, and his brow furrowed slightly. He had somewhat underestimated the sheer volume of the Dragon Vein's energy. The sealing formulas he had meticulously inscribed across his body were rapidly approaching their saturation point.
Realizing this, Tatsuya withdrew his right hand from the (now collapsed) sealing platform and formed a one-handed seal.
Yin-Yang Seal, Release!
Instantly, a massive wave of pure chakra surged outwards like rising steam.
BOOM!
Hit by the chakra shockwave, Toma and the others were forcefully pushed back more than ten steps before managing to regain their footing.
"Such immense chakra!" Toma gasped, his already pale face flooding with renewed shock. This level of chakra fluctuation far exceeded that of any Jonin. Crucially, this wasn't the Dragon Vein's power – this was coming from Akimichi Tatsuya himself.
Woosh~
The chakra, so dense it seemed almost tangible, flowed with an audible rushing sound. Behind Tatsuya, enormous wings, spanning three meters, slowly materialized. As the pair of giant, pale blue wings beat gently, an even more intense pressure permeated the entire area.
Rumble... rumble...
The underground chamber housing the Dragon Vein seal began to tremble violently. The surrounding structures groaned, already unable to withstand the immense pressure radiating from Tatsuya's chakra.
"Not good! This place is going to collapse!" Toma and the others looked around in panic as the chamber shook violently. "Your Highness, we need to get out quickly!" They hastily supported Sara and scrambled towards the exit tunnel. The intense chakra pressure made their movements sluggish.
Several minutes later, they finally managed to escape the opening of the Leaning Tower.
BOOM!
The moment they cleared the entrance, the entire underground Dragon Vein sealing chamber collapsed completely behind them. A massive cloud of dust billowed upwards, blanketing the area in swirling yellow sand.
"Lord Tatsuya!" Sara cried out in alarm, watching the dust cloud engulf the site of the seal. She feared not only for Tatsuya's safety but also worried that if something happened to him, the Dragon Vein would run rampant without anyone to suppress it.
However, her fears were unnecessary.
As the dust began to settle, Tatsuya's figure appeared beside the collapsed sealing ground. Behind him, the two enormous blue wings beat softly. The debris and sand around him had already been cleared away, presumably by the earlier chakra release. The towering pillar of Dragon Vein energy, though originating from the now-buried seal, still persisted, continuing to flow steadily into Tatsuya's body as he absorbed it.
Under the combined empowerment of the Dragon Vein energy pillar and his Butterfly Mode, the pressure emanating from Tatsuya was so intense that even the airborne sand particles seemed to freeze in place around him.
"Such incredible power!" Toma and the others stared with unconcealed shock and awe at the figure standing amidst the settling dust, resembling a transcendent butterfly sage. This kind of overwhelming presence, this sheer volume of chakra – it was something they had never witnessed, never even heard of!
Beside the ruins of the seal, Tatsuya, standing at the epicenter of the former energy pillar, felt his strained expression gradually ease. By releasing the Yin-Yang Seal and activating Butterfly Mode, he had finally brought the massive influx of Dragon Vein energy within the safe threshold of his sealing technique.
Onlookers – Sara, Toma, and the others – watched numbly as Tatsuya continued to steadily absorb the remaining Dragon Vein energy.
After some time, figures appeared in the distance, hurrying towards the site. It was the group of merchants from before.
"What is this?" someone exclaimed upon seeing the scene, their voice a mixture of disappointment and fear. Disappointment, because this clearly wasn't the emergence of some hidden treasure; fear, because the oppressive pressure filling the area was terrifying.
"That's the legendary Dragon Vein! He's stealing the Dragon Vein!" shouted a guard ninja traveling with the merchant caravan, revealing the truth of the situation.
"Stealing the Dragon Vein?! We need to leave, quickly!" A quick-witted merchant instantly paled, realizing the implications. It was no secret in the northern Land of Wind that Sunagakure coveted the Dragon Vein. The Sand Village had previously dispatched large numbers of ninja to investigate it. For someone to be stealing it so brazenly now, Sunagakure would certainly not stand idly by. A major battle was inevitable! If they, mere bystanders, got caught in the crossfire between such powerful entities, they wouldn't be able to escape.
"Right! Right! Let's go, now!" The realization dawned on the rest of the caravan. They turned and fled, moving even faster than they had approached.
However, they hadn't gotten far before the distinct sounds of multiple bodies cutting through the air approached rapidly from another direction.
Sunagakure ninja had arrived!
Swish~ Swish~ Swish~
Over ten Sand shinobi leaped swiftly through the air, converging on the location. Seeing the approaching ninja, the merchants, who had perhaps hoped for some easy gain, quickly scattered and tried to make themselves scarce. The Suna-nin ignored the fleeing merchants entirely, their full attention captivated by the scene unfolding at the former Dragon Vein sealing site.
At the forefront of the Sunagakure contingent was a middle-aged man with short brown hair, dressed in standard black ninja attire. Beside him stood a young boy, perhaps seven years old, with striking red hair and the character for "Love" tattooed prominently on his forehead. The boy's eyes held a perpetual, chilling emptiness, radiating an icy, violent, bloodthirsty aura.
These two were none other than the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and his son, Gaara.
As it happened, Rasa had been conducting special training with Gaara in the northern desert gobi, attempting to help the boy gain control over the One-Tail Shukaku sealed within him. The training, however, had proven unsatisfactory. At this stage, Gaara not only failed to control Shukaku's power but was also severely affected mentally by the beast, degenerating into a cold, brutal monster obsessed with killing. Upon receiving the report from his scouting ninja about the Dragon Vein activity, Rasa had immediately brought Gaara and rushed to the location.
As the Kazekage of Sunagakure, Rasa was naturally aware of the Roran remnants and the Dragon Vein. He would absolutely not sit by and allow someone else to steal such a prize from within the Land of Wind's borders.
Even from a distance, Rasa instantly recognized the scene. "Such powerful chakra fluctuations! Is that the Akimichi clan's Butterfly Mode Secret Technique? Akimichi Tatsuya?" Tatsuya, enveloped in the pale blue energy shield generated by the absorbed Dragon Vein power, with those massive, distinctive blue wings – the signs were unmistakable. Rasa identified him almost immediately.
Manipulating his Gold Dust, Rasa propelled himself and Gaara rapidly through the air towards the collapsed sealing ground.
Just as they approached, the towering pillar of Dragon Vein energy began to dim, showing signs of finally dissipating. Countless motes of pale blue light flickered and vanished in the air. The energy pillar shrank rapidly, then disappeared completely.
Simultaneously, down below, Tatsuya removed his hands from the rubble of the sealing platform and let out a soft breath.
He had successfully sealed the Dragon Vein within his own body.
Soul Seal: Seal!
His hands flew through seals before his chest, and he uttered the command softly. Instantly, another wave of ink-black sealing formulas spread across his body, flashed once, and then vanished without a trace.
The giant pale blue wings behind him dissipated, and his Sage Mode deactivated concurrently. Tatsuya lifted his head, his gaze meeting the newly arrived Rasa and his entourage.