"We'd better run, nya!"
Scar's rolls of fat trembled violently with fear. It was just a ninja cat with no combat ability whatsoever—facing a Tailed Beast meant only one thing: death.
"That damn Sunagakure, actually using a Tailed Beast against me!" Renya growled, looking unhappily toward the distant, roaring Shukaku. "Good thing I left a Flying Thunder God mark beforehand, or I'd be buried here today."
Although his current strength wasn't bad, he had no confidence in winning against both Shukaku and the surrounding Sunagakure shinobi.
If it were only the Tailed Beast, it might still be manageable—but he was worried that someone might interfere or launch a sneak attack in the chaos.
And besides, the Tailed Beast could use the devastating Tailed Beast Bomb. If he got hit by that even once, he'd be reduced to dust.
He didn't have the Mangekyō Sharingan yet, and relying on the three-tomoe alone wasn't enough to control a powerful Tailed Beast. There was only one option left—run for it.
A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall.
Renya grabbed the fat cat by the scruff of its neck, ready to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to get the hell out of this place of disaster.
But just as he began to teleport, what Shukaku did next made him freeze. He suddenly realized—Shukaku's target wasn't him. It was… Sunagakure itself.
"Hahaha! Freedom! The great Shukaku-sama is finally free!"
Shukaku threw back its head and laughed wildly. Under its rampage, a massive sandstorm erupted over the village.
The purple-inked sealing patterns across its stomach began to glow, swelling as it aimed its mouth at the village below.
"Here's a little greeting gift!"
Boom!
A massive Tailed Beast Bomb shot from Shukaku's maw, twisting through the air before slamming dead center into Sunagakure's Kage Tower. The explosion's shockwave flattened every building within a hundred meters, and the flying sand and stones pierced through houses even farther away like bullets.
Screams and cries of terror filled the air.
"Hahaha! Yes! That feels amazing!" Shukaku bellowed in glee.
How dare those lowly humans seal him away! This was their deserved punishment!
...
Samon's eyes were bloodshot as he flew through hand signs.
"Sand Release: Sand World Method!"
The ground suddenly came alive, transforming into countless needles of sand that shot toward Shukaku. But these sand spears—sharp enough to pierce steel—were instantly absorbed into Shukaku's body upon contact, falling harmlessly back to the ground.
Shukaku of the Sand was no joke. Beating it in the desert was nearly impossible.
"Foolish humans!" Shukaku roared, swinging its massive claws. Three towering sand tornadoes instantly formed in the village.
"Using sand against me? Let me show you what true Sand Release looks like!"
Wherever the tornadoes passed, houses were ripped from their foundations, streets torn open into deep ravines. Cries and screams came from every direction as villagers struggled in the raging sea of sand like helpless ants.
"Evacuation units, lead the civilians to safety immediately! Combat units, with me—restrain Shukaku! Medical teams, prepare to treat the wounded! Sealing squad, find an opening to seal it!"
Samon's voice echoed across the entire village through chakra transmission.
Dozens of Sunagakure shinobi assembled from all directions, hurling kunai, explosive tags, and Wind Release jutsu like torrential rain toward Shukaku. But none of it could so much as harm a single hair. Shukaku didn't even bother to dodge, letting the "insects'" attacks fall harmlessly upon its massive frame.
It was, after all, a Tailed Beast known for its defense. And here, in the desert, its strength could be fully unleashed.
"So annoying!"
With a single sweep of its tail, Shukaku sent five unlucky shinobi flying before they could even react.
It inhaled deeply again, its belly swelling once more—not for a Tailed Beast Bomb this time, but for "Air Bullets Barrage!"
Seven or eight chakra-charged projectiles launched in different directions, each exploding with devastating force. The proud fortifications of Sunagakure crumbled like paper, collapsing instantly.
"Damn it! We can't let it continue rampaging!"
"Sand Release: Great Sand Burial!"
Samon's furious shout was almost drowned by the roaring storm. He spread his arms wide as torrents of chakra poured from his body like a flood. The desert within a hundred meters boiled, rising up in a massive tidal wave of sand that crashed toward Shukaku—giant hands of sand closing tightly around the beast's immense form.
Shukaku's roar shook the heavens. "You again, you damn bug!"
It thrashed wildly, sand scattering under its immense power, but Samon's chakra-fueled technique continuously replenished and reinforced the sand holding it down.
...
Veins bulged on Samon's forehead, his face turning pale. He knew this jutsu could hold Shukaku for at most three minutes—and that was only because the beast's body had just reformed and its strength hadn't fully recovered.
"Sealing squad! Now!" he barked through gritted teeth.
Dozens of sealing specialists leapt out from all sides, forming a wide circle around Shukaku. Their scrolls unfurled in unison, complex sealing formulas glowing on the sand.
"Kazekage-sama, the vessel is ready!"
Samon turned to see two jōnin rushing forward, carrying a thin, bald monk between them—the same man who had been imprisoned earlier.
"Bunpuku, do you understand what you're about to bear?" Samon demanded, maintaining his jutsu.
The monk Bunpuku pressed his palms together.
"This humble monk understands. If this body can serve as a vessel to protect the people from calamity, then that shall be my blessing."
Samon noticed the monk's trembling hands, but his eyes were unwaveringly resolute.
In the distance, Shukaku had already broken free from part of the sand burial's grasp.
"Begin the sealing!" Samon commanded.
The sealing squad immediately formed hand seals. Twelve beams of light shot out from their scrolls, weaving into a cage-like barrier that enclosed Shukaku. The beast sensed danger and began thrashing even more violently.
"You dare try to imprison me again!?"
A violent sandstorm erupted from its body, swallowing three nearby sealers in an instant—they didn't even have time to scream.
The others gritted their teeth, forcing more chakra into the seal to hold it together.
Bunpuku was carried to the center beneath the barrier, where he sat cross-legged.
The squad leader quickly drew dense sealing patterns all over the monk's body.
In the next moment, the entire barrier began to collapse inward. Shukaku's massive form was forcefully compressed into a torrent of chakra, which surged straight into Bunpuku's body.
He threw his head back and let out an inhuman scream as sand poured from his seven orifices.
"Hold on, monk!" Samon shouted. "If you lose control now, the whole village dies with you!"
Bunpuku seemed to hear him. His trembling hands came together once more, and he began chanting sutras through gasping breaths.
As time passed, his body gradually returned to normal.
"Th—the villagers…" His voice was hoarse and weak. "Are they safe?"
"For now, yes. How do you feel?" Samon approached, studying his pale face.
"Then… good." Bunpuku exhaled softly. "Please, Kazekage-sama… prepare a quiet room for me… with only water and simple food each day…"
Clearly, he intended to imitate his senior—isolating himself to suppress the beast within.
"Take him to the reinforced cell. Have medical-nin and the sealing squad watch him around the clock."
Samon looked out over the ruined village and sighed helplessly. It looked like he'd have to ask the Daimyō for reconstruction funds again.
In the distance, a man and a cat stared at the spot where Shukaku had vanished, then glanced at each other.
"Are we still going to Sunagakure, nya?"
Renya: "…"