Chapter 192: Nara Keisuke VS The Five-Tails, Kokuō!
RUMBLE!
The earth shook and the wind howled. Before the Five-Tails' attack had even landed, the sheer force of its charge was creating a scene like a natural disaster. Faced with the colossal beast hurtling towards him like a high-speed train, Keisuke activated his technique.
Flat Shadow Technique!
His body, like an intangible phantom, melted directly into the shadows on the ground, effortlessly evading the thunderous charge. A Tailed Beast's immense size gave it unparalleled power, but it also made it difficult for them to accurately target smaller opponents. Kokuō, like a speeding train, rushed past where he had been.
'An S-rank mission? Is a wild Tailed Beast really this powerful?' Keisuke's form reappeared from the shadows, his eyes glancing over the mission details on his panel with a hint of surprise. 'I'd expect this from the Nine-Tails, but Kokuō is S-rank, too?'
While he was looking at the panel, Kokuō used its powerful limbs to skid to a halt, carving deep gouges in the earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Nara Keisuke," the beast said, turning its head, its voice filled with confusion. "Why did you dodge?"
"Well," Keisuke began, looking hesitant. "I hadn't really considered this before... In my entire life, I've never punched a deer. I'm not sure how to begin."
Even though he had made ample preparations for this promised battle, when faced with the beautiful Kokuō, he found it difficult to choose an appropriate method of attack.
"I am not a deer!" Kokuō corrected him earnestly. "I'm really not! Show me your true strength, Nara Keisuke!" With that, it charged again.
"Sigh..." Keisuke let out a soft breath, instantly forming a hand seal and creating a Shadow Clone.
Kokuō rushed towards him and the clone, but the clone, instead of retreating, shot forward to meet the beast head-on, rapidly molding and fusing the dual chakra natures within its body. Just as they were about to collide, the chakra inside the clone instantly boiled over. The clone raised its right fist, focusing all of that violent energy into a single point, and slammed it directly into the Five-Tails.
Boil Release: Peerless Monstrous Strength!
THUD!
The clone's tiny fist met Kokuō's massive head, producing a short, dull boom. The two beings, their sizes completely disproportionate, had unleashed an astonishing amount of power. The air around them erupted into visible white shockwaves that radiated outwards. Kokuō's ferocious charge was brought to a dead stop, its advance forcibly halted by that single punch.
'Kokuō's strength is immense, but it's not so great that a human body can't stand against it!' Seeing this, Keisuke's heart was put at ease.
Unfortunately, the moment of triumph was short-lived. The incredibly violent power output was too much for the clone's fragile body. After a brief stalemate, it exploded in a puff of smoke.
"Such power!" Kokuō shook its head; the impact hadn't caused any real damage. Even so, it was deeply shocked by the incredible strength Keisuke had just displayed. In all its long life, this was the first time it had ever met a human who could match it in a contest of pure strength. Their original agreement was that Keisuke's power had to be "acknowledged" by it. Kokuō had been thinking of his overall combat ability, but it seemed... he really did intend to compare their raw strength.
While the Tailed Beast was stunned, Keisuke's main body acted. He activated his Lacquer Eye and, from his wrist, summoned a massive shadow chain that shot out and connected to Kokuō's own shadow. At the same time, a special Boil Release Mask appeared in his hand. This new mask was an A-rank tool, created by fusing the chakra from all of his remaining B-rank masks.
Shadow Vise Technique!
The steel-cable-like shadow temporarily bound the Five-Tails. At the same time, Keisuke used his Shadow Gathering Jutsu to create fine tendrils that drew the Boil Release chakra from the mask into his own body. Normally, his Shadow Doppelgangers couldn't use any ninjutsu besides his Yin-style secret arts. But inspired by the Wood Dragon, he could now create simple "conduits" within them, allowing him to channel other chakra natures through them. A Kekkei Genkai like Wood Style was too stable to allow other elemental jutsu to be added to it. But his Shadow Doppelgangers were just Yin Release "containers," incredibly stable, and could have any type of chakra run through them.
With this "artificial pathway system," all of his shadow constructs could now use additional nature transformations.
The Boil Release chakra from the mask flowed into his body. He used the Shadow Vise to pull himself towards Kokuō and, once again...
Boil Release: Peerless Monstrous Strength!
He raised his right fist high and, after a brief charge, poured all of his physical strength and Boil Release chakra into a single, violent punch that hammered down on the restrained Tailed Beast.
THUD!
Kokuō, still surprised by the unique shadow technique, took the full force of the blow and its massive body staggered.
On the edge of the valley, Hiruzen and the others, who had rushed to catch up, witnessed the scene of the Five-Tails nearly being knocked over by a single punch. Their jaws almost hit the floor.
Keisuke had no time to pay attention to the peanut gallery. Kokuō's strength was too great; his Shadow Vise wouldn't hold it for long. He had to deal as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time.
Drawing on the A-rank mask, he began to swing his fists, his arms moving so fast they became a blur. Each punch carried an immense, boiling power.
Boil Release: Peerless Monstrous Strength - Barrage Version!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The flurry of blows rained down on Kokuō's head, forcing the massive beast back, step by staggering step. Unlike a normal Shadow Clone, Keisuke's own Shadow Doppelganger body could go intangible, allowing him to completely ignore the physical strain of this incredible power output. Kokuō's defense was amazing; it had taken the first punch with almost no damage. But now, under this relentless storm of blows, the damage began to accumulate, and it couldn't help but feel intense pain.
HISS—
Suddenly, a thick, scalding white steam erupted from its body. The power of Boil Release surged, amplifying its strength and allowing it to instantly shatter the shadow binding. The moment he saw the steam, Keisuke stopped his attack and leaped backward. But Kokuō clearly had no intention of letting him go.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Wreathed in steam, it galloped across the earth, leaped into the air, and brought its slender forelegs down on Keisuke with the force to split mountains.
"Five Mountain Leap!"
Seeing the kick about to land, Keisuke drew out all the remaining chakra from his A-rank mask, concentrated it in his body, raised his right fist, and met the attack head-on.
BOOM—
A deafening roar that seemed to split the clouds and crack the stones erupted at the point of impact. A violent shockwave blasted outwards, and the scattered trees on the plain were snapped in two by the hurricane-force wind.
Keisuke's body was sent crashing to the ground, the special Boil Release Mask he had made shattering into nothing. But by comparison, Kokuō's upper body was thrown off balance by the fully boiling punch, and it was sent flying backward, tumbling for dozens of meters and kicking up a long trail of dust.
"How is this possible..."
"Keisuke actually won against the Five-Tails in terms of strength..."
"How can a human body possibly compare to the power of a Tailed Beast..."
Seeing this, Hiruzen and the others could barely believe their eyes. Even if Keisuke had trained with Tsunade, her own Monstrous Strength wasn't this ridiculous, was it?!
Kokuō's forelegs trembled as it struggled back to its feet, equally shocked. If the previous punch was "comparable" to its strength, this last one had completely surpassed it. It couldn't accept losing to a human in a contest of pure strength, even if it was fond of him. After a moment, it charged again, lowering its head to gore him with its massive horns.
"Horn Breaker!"
Faced with this charge, Keisuke sighed again. A massive, thick black arm shot out from his shadow, holding a giant black shield to meet the attack.
Shadow Transformation Technique: Black Samurai!
Kokuō's horns slammed into the shield, nearly piercing through the dense construct of Yin Release chakra. The collision of these two extraordinary forces produced a heaven-shaking roar. A violent shockwave exploded outwards, and the very ground beneath them cracked and shattered.
Keisuke's ultimate trump card, prepared specifically for this battle, had officially entered the field. He had used nearly his entire stockpile of Yin Release Masks to half-refill his Yin Seal, providing more than enough energy for the Black Samurai.
Shadow Vise Technique!
Keisuke, as the Black Samurai, once again shot out a thick shadow cable, binding the Five-Tails. "Sorry, Kokuō, but your strength is just too great."
His left hand held the beast steady while his right hand balled into a heavy fist and began to hammer down on its head.
BAM! BAM!
Each punch from the Black Samurai made Minato and the others flinch, and it broke Nara Shikano's heart. The only one who seemed strangely excited was Uchiha Kagami. 'Yes! Yes! This is the feeling!'
After a merciless, one-sided beating, the Five-Tails, Kokuō, was finally, thoroughly convinced of Keisuke's strength—no, his power. Under the storm of blows, it finally found a chance to surrender.
"Nara Keisuke! This power... I acknowledge you!"
[You have defeated the S-Rank Ninja Battle Mission target!]
[You have obtained one S-Rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
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