"We should be close now."
After passing through a forest, Mimura spoke.
Before them stretched a rugged landscape of ridges and mounds, barren and completely devoid of vegetation.
Suddenly, a thunderous rumble echoed through the air, and the sky lit up with a blinding light.
"That technique again!"
Mimura's expression changed.
He had previously fought on the frontlines against the Four-Tails Jinchūriki and had only retreated after sustaining injuries.
Now that he was mostly recovered, he'd been assigned to guide Hajime to the battlefield.
"A Tailed Beast Bomb, huh…"
Hajime's gaze sharpened as he leapt into the air, soaring upward. Sure enough, he spotted a Tailed Beast Bomb barreling through the landscape.
"That's the Rashōmon…"
Hajime narrowed his eyes. He saw two layers of Rashōmon gates being shattered instantly by the Tailed Beast Bomb, which then slammed into several towering walls.
His gaze followed the blast's trajectory—there, he saw two figures.
Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato.
As their defenses were obliterated, both Jiraiya and Minato vanished from view.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Orochimaru appeared at the flank of the Four-Tails Jinchūriki—Rōshi—throwing a shuriken toward him.
Rōshi, his entire body cloaked in Tailed Beast Chakra with four tails swaying behind him, tilted his head slightly and dodged the shuriken with ease.
But in the next instant, Minato appeared at the shuriken's location with Jiraiya in tow.
Minato grabbed the shuriken with one hand, and with the other, he formed a Rasengan.
At the same time, Jiraiya's white hair surged forward, entangling Rōshi's four lashing tails.
Boom!
Minato's Rasengan smashed into Rōshi's shoulder.
The ground cracked and collapsed under the impact. The Rasengan tore through the Tailed Beast Chakra—but stopped short against a layer of hardened lava armor.
Rōshi roared, unleashing a burst of violent chakra that sent Minato flying.
His four tails broke free of Jiraiya's grasp and lashed out toward the airborne Minato—
But Minato's figure disappeared.
Rōshi immediately lunged toward Jiraiya instead.
The two clashed at high speed. Moments later, Jiraiya was sent flying, tumbling across the ground before slamming into a stone wall with a bang.
Just as Rōshi was about to press the attack, the ground beneath his feet turned to a bog.
Orochimaru had come to the rescue.
Minato appeared beside Jiraiya, helped him up, and then teleported them both to regroup with Orochimaru.
"Retreat," Orochimaru said.
Jiraiya nodded reluctantly.
Minato, standing beside them, was visibly pale and sweating profusely.
Flying Thunder God took a massive toll on him.
He was only eleven years old, and he hadn't mastered Flying Thunder God for long. He still couldn't freely plant markers on people's bodies.
And he definitely couldn't teleport massive attacks like the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Their earlier coordinated attack—if used against an average shinobi—would have been lethal.
But against a Tailed Beast Jinchūriki, it hadn't even pierced Rōshi's defenses.
Just then—
Crack! The bog sizzled as molten lava burned it away. With a flick of his tails, Rōshi launched himself into the air.
As Jiraiya and the others prepared to withdraw, a figure dropped from the sky.
"Hajime!"
"Hajime Bro!"
"Hajime-kun!"
All three—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Minato—lit up with joy.
Facing the half-transformed Rōshi, Hajime slightly turned his head and asked, "Jiraiya, Orochimaru—can you seal a Tailed Beast?"
The question stunned them.
Hajime continued, "Your sealing techniques should be much more advanced than mine."
"If I manage to subdue the Four-Tails, can you seal it?"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged a look—both visibly shocked.
"We'd need a container," Jiraiya said.
Hajime nodded. "That's fine."
Just then, Minato shouted, "Hajime Senpai! The Four-Tails Jinchūriki is about to unleash his ultimate move!"
Hajime looked up.
Rōshi was raising his head, gathering another Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Minato," Hajime said, "I told you before—the next step of Rasengan development involves incorporating nature transformation."
"Today, I'll teach you the S-rank ninjutsu I developed from Rasengan."
Hajime raised his right hand. A Rasengan quickly formed, then began to expand—accompanied by a piercing whine as sharp winds swirled around it.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
Hajime held the Rasenshuriken aloft. Wind currents twisted around him, and his robes fluttered wildly.
"What incredible chakra," Jiraiya gasped.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Both nature and shape transformation taken to their limits…"
Minato stared, stunned. "It's actually possible…?"
He had tried incorporating nature transformation himself—he even had an affinity for Wind Release—but he'd never succeeded.
"Careful, incoming attack!"
Orochimaru shouted.
Rōshi had just fired the Tailed Beast Bomb.
At the same time, Hajime flung his arm—and the Rasenshuriken soared forward.
"Wait, it can be thrown?!"
Orochimaru couldn't help but cry out in shock.
Jiraiya's eyes went wide.
Minato's gaze lit up, amazed. "That technique… it's incredible!"
On the other side of the field, Mimura had just arrived—and was struck speechless by the scene before him.
BOOM! BOOM!
The Rasenshuriken and the Tailed Beast Bomb collided midair, erupting in a blinding flash of light and forming a massive expanding energy sphere.
As the glowing sphere rapidly contracted, a terrifying shockwave burst outward, scattering sand and stones.
Hajime pressed his palms together—wooden stakes erupted from the ground in front of him, forming a barricade that blocked the storm.
Just as the winds settled, the sharp sound of tearing air rang out—whoosh whoosh whoosh—several tails pierced through the wooden wall.
Rōshi was charging in!
Boom!
The wall exploded, shredded by the furious sweep of the tails.
Hajime didn't move a muscle. Thick wooden vines burst from the earth and wrapped tightly around the incoming tails.
But the extended tails suddenly recoiled—Rōshi lunged, fists crashing down.
Even before the blow landed, the sheer force of his chakra was enough to split Hajime's face-mask in two.
But at that very moment, Rōshi's body abruptly froze—his arms and waist tightly entangled by thick vines.
Roar!
Rōshi howled, molten lava surging from his body and melting through the bindings.
Yet Hajime was faster.
Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!
The moment Rōshi broke free, fresh vines sprouted and wrapped around him once more. Just as he was about to unleash a chakra burst, his power suddenly surged out of him as if a floodgate had been opened.
...
Elsewhere on the battlefield, two squads of Iwagakure shinobi were observing.
The moment they saw the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, they knew things were going south. One clone rushed back to report, while the rest sped toward the fight.
But by the time they arrived, a colossal forest had already engulfed the area.
Inside the forest, Rōshi's Tailed Beast Cloak had been completely absorbed. He now dangled midair in human form, drained and defeated, leaving even Jiraiya stunned.
That's it? It's already over?
"…Wasn't that a bit too fast?" Jiraiya murmured in disbelief.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Wood Release can extract a Tailed Beast's chakra."
Minato couldn't help but admire, "As expected of Hajime Senpai—the Wood Release user who made every hidden village issue an emergency protocol to abandon the mission if encountered!"
Capturing the Four-Tails Jinchūriki had gone far more smoothly than Hajime had expected.
The main reason: Rōshi was still young and clumsy in handling the Four-Tails' power—nothing like the control he'd attain later in life.
More importantly, Wood Release was a direct counter to Tailed Beasts.
Once captured, Hajime quickly formed seals and activated Dreamwalker's Technique, taking control of Rōshi.
"Jiraiya, Orochimaru—I'll leave the sealing to you," Hajime said, turning around.
Then, releasing the bindings, Rōshi suddenly bolted toward the edge of the forest.
The Iwa-nin hesitating nearby were startled when Rōshi burst from the woods.
"Rōshi, you—!"
They barely had time to celebrate before realizing something was wrong.
Rōshi, once again cloaked in Tailed Beast Chakra with multiple tails thrashing, lashed out before they could react—flinging several shinobi into the air.
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
With the element of surprise, Rōshi blitzed the Iwa-nin, never giving them time to form seals. In mere moments, they were all slain.
Back within the tree-covered battlefield, Jiraiya finished forming hand signs, and a stone platform rose from the ground.
"Hajime, we can only use the Four Symbols Seal, but we're not sure if it'll hold the entire Four-Tails," Jiraiya said seriously. "Also, we'll need a powerful enough vessel."
Hajime leapt onto the platform. "I'll be the vessel. That should be enough, right?"
"What?!"
All three—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Minato—were shocked.
Hajime… was going to become a Jinchūriki?!
Jiraiya broke into a cold sweat. "Wait… Is this the Third's order? Or Danzo's?"
Orochimaru, more composed, replied, "Neither the Hokage nor Danzo would give such an order. They couldn't have known Hajime could even capture the Four-Tails."
"Hajime, becoming a Jinchūriki is incredibly dangerous—even if the power is immense," Jiraiya said gravely. "And forcibly seizing the Four-Tails… Iwagakure won't let that go."
Hajime smiled. "I know. But don't forget—the Tailed Beasts were originally distributed by the First Hokage."
"He only did so to maintain balance in the shinobi world. Now that balance is broken, it's only natural for Konoha to reclaim what was once theirs."
No one could argue with that.
Hajime sat down cross-legged. "Let's begin. We don't have much time."
"If Ōnoki shows up, things will get messy."
Orochimaru stepped forward, smiling. "Your resolve is impressive, Hajime-kun."
Jiraiya gave a wry laugh. "The Hokage is going to have a headache over this…"
Rōshi returned after finishing off the Iwa-nin. Jiraiya and Orochimaru immediately began drawing sealing formulae with their own blood, forming an intricate array around Hajime.
Minato and Mimura, who had just arrived, stood guard at the perimeter.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru moved fast—within three minutes, the sealing formation was complete.
Under Hajime's control, Rōshi leapt onto the platform and sat facing him.
Hajime closed his eyes.
Three seconds later, his face-markings appeared, and his skin took on a bark-like texture.
"Sage Mode!" Jiraiya gasped.
"When did you master that?"
Hajime opened his eyes and smiled. "Not long ago."
"Let's begin…"
With that, Hajime used Rōshi's body to forcibly release the Four-Tails.
A pillar of crimson chakra burst skyward, howling with raw power.
The roaring wind forced everyone to shield their faces.
As the immense power was released, Rōshi's form shifted—soon, he had fully transformed into a giant ape.
Son Gokū, the Four-Tails!
ROAR!
With a deafening bellow, Son Gokū's power shattered nearby trees. Jiraiya and the others had to retreat further back.
Massive hands slammed down—lava oozed from between his fingers.
The Four-Tails lunged at Hajime.
But thick wooden vines immediately surged up to bind him. Locking eyes with the beast, Hajime unleashed Dreamwalker's Technique—and the Four-Tails' eyelids began to droop.
Around the platform, wooden stakes rose from the earth. Hajime leapt up, and his palm glowed with a glowing kanji for "Sit" (座), which he pressed against the Four-Tails' chest—drawing out a stream of blue chakra.
The berserk Four-Tails quieted instantly, eyes slowly closing.
"You can seal him now."
Hajime turned to Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
The two leapt forward and formed hand seals simultaneously.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
Jiraiya slammed his palm onto Hajime's abdomen.
Instantly, the sealing array activated—symbols surged across the platform, crawling onto Hajime's body and converging where Jiraiya had placed his hand.
At the same time, chain-like symbols wrapped around the Four-Tails' body.
Orochimaru pressed his palms together. "Seal!"
(End of Chapter)
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