"So fast—so this is the power of a Two-Tails jinchūriki!?"
Izumi's expression shifted as she watched the charging Nii Yugito in shock.
Even though she didn't seem like a taijutsu-type ninja at first glance, once she unleashed the chakra of the Bijū, her speed nearly rivaled Naruto-dono himself.
Especially that pale blue flame of the Two-Tails—it gave Izumi a strong sense of déjà vu, almost as if she were facing Marco.
Both were speed-based fighters taken to the extreme.
Even though Nii Yugito came in fast, Naruto still found the time to explain to Izumi:
"Don't underestimate this naked beauty. She's one of the few perfect jinchūriki who can utilize 200% of her Bijū's power."
Ordinary jinchūriki and perfect jinchūriki were two entirely different concepts.
To ordinary ones, the Tailed Beasts were monsters—natural disasters that could run amok if not carefully controlled.
But to perfect jinchūriki, the Bijū were comrades—trusted partners who moved as one with them.
And a perfect jinchūriki often had a stronger combat power than the Tailed Beast itself. After all, Bijū couldn't use jutsu.
Izumi nodded thoughtfully.
But in the few seconds they'd spent talking, Nii Yugito had already reached Naruto, claws slashing toward him.
In an instant, her razor-sharp claws tore through Naruto's clothing.
But just as her claws were about to reach his skin, Naruto calmly said:
"Busōshoku: Kōka (Armament Haki: Hardening)."
Bang!
Yugito's claw struck Naruto's chest—but her expression instantly changed.
"What!? Why is it this hard!?"
The recoil made her arm throb in pain.
It felt like she'd struck not flesh, but a humanoid steel wall.
"Wanna learn it? I can teach you," Naruto said with a smile.
But Yugito wasn't listening. She clenched her teeth and roared:
"Katon: Nezumi Tama (Fire Style: Mouse Flame Ball)!"
Her lips parted, and she spat out a blazing orb of pale blue flame, like a cannonball, crashing into Naruto's chest.
But Naruto just chuckled, casually catching the ball of fire with his bare hand.
"Blue flames, huh? That's rare."
With the power of the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit), Naruto was the natural ruler of all fire. No Fire Release jutsu could harm him.
But Yugito didn't know that.
She stared at him in disbelief.
"How is he so strong?"
Meeting Naruto's gaze, she suddenly shuddered, a foreboding feeling creeping into her chest.
Could she... actually lose this fight?
"No... Impossible! I'm Nii Yugito! I won't lose here!"
She roared, "Matatabi!!!"
With her shout, her snow-white body was engulfed in even more violent blue flames, her body rapidly expanding.
In just seconds, she grew dozens of times larger.
The once-beautiful pale-skinned woman had fully transformed into a monstrous feline wreathed in dark blue fire.
Her enormous body towered dozens of meters high, and her four limbs burned with demonic flames as she looked down at Naruto with savage eyes.
"Naruto-dono, I can use my Mangekyō Sharingan to control her..."
Izumi spoke excitedly, her crimson eyes spinning as she stared at the massive beast.
She felt it—that she could control this Bijū, just like Uchiha Madara had.
If she had a Tailed Beast under her control, her power would skyrocket—maybe even let her summon the legendary armored Susano'o.
But Naruto waved her off, flexing his fist and walking toward Matatabi with a grin:
"No need. Your Mangekyō can't handle this kind of strain. Let me warm up before I fight the Fourth Raikage and company... and try out the monstrous strength I just learned."
The golden-haired youth took a deep breath and charged toward the oncoming claw of the Two-Tails.
BOOM!
The impact sent Matatabi flying backward, crashing into a distant cliffside with a thunderous explosion.
Izumi sighed, slightly disappointed as she looked at the Two-Tails.
"If only I had the Eternal Mangekyō..."
Though powerful, the Mangekyō Sharingan drained vision with each use. Eventually, it led to total blindness.
Naruto shook out his hand and couldn't help thinking of Uchiha Obito.
He had the Mangekyō too, but could spam Kamui without limit—thanks to having Hashirama's cells.
"Those cells can restore ocular stamina... I should consider giving Izumi a transplant if I get the chance," Naruto thought silently.
In the Naruto world, transplanting cells was tough. But in the One Piece world, it was child's play.
With the black technology of places like Marineford, Germa 66, and especially Law's Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit)... it could be done easily.
Still, Naruto kept that to himself. It wasn't time yet.
Meanwhile, on the cliffside, Matatabi—or rather, Nii Yugito—stared at Naruto in disbelief.
"What kind of power is this...? Is he really human? He actually knocked me away in my complete form?"
To her, Tailed Beasts were natural disasters—forces of destruction.
Even the Fourth Raikage, who'd once severed the Eight-Tails' horn, didn't dare fight it head-on, relying instead on pure speed.
"But this guy... I can't beat him...!"
She roared again and leapt down from the cliff, charging at Naruto in her massive form.
Naruto returned to his senses, grinned, and met her head-on—no ninjutsu, no tricks.
Just brute strength.
BOOM!!!
This time, Matatabi stumbled back seven or eight steps, roaring, her body still wreathed in flames.
And then she resumed her barrage, unleashing a flurry of strikes against Naruto.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Man and beast clashed with nothing but raw power.
The sheer force of their battle shattered the cliffside, the ground trembling violently beneath them.
Stone rained from above as the mountain began to crumble.
It was like a massive earthquake had struck.
"This woman... she's doing it on purpose, isn't she?"
Izumi frowned, watching Yugito.
Even mid-battle, she was howling at the top of her lungs—clearly trying to draw attention from the distant Kumogakure shinobi.
Thinking that, Izumi turned to look toward the village.
With her Mangekyō's vision, she could clearly see a swarm of Kumogakure ninja rapidly approaching.
(End of Chapter)
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