"Curse Seal — First State."
Ash spoke coldly. The three-tomoe pattern at the base of his neck spread rapidly, crimson markings crawling across his skin like burning flame tattoos.
Crackle—pop—
He tilted his head left and right, bones grinding audibly.
"This is my first time entering the Curse Seal form… it feels incredible."
Ash could feel natural energy swirling violently around him, washing over his body with overwhelming intensity.
"What is that power? That kid's chakra feels completely abnormal…"
Orochimaru frowned, gathering chakra immediately, ready to cast a jutsu at a moment's notice. The fiery markings covering Ash's body radiated an aura unlike anything he recognized.
"That's natural energy—Sage Chakra."
Jiraiya, who had been preparing to launch a jutsu of his own, suddenly stiffened. He sensed the flow of natural energy, and its source was unmistakable—Ash.
Among the Three Legendary Sannin, only Jiraiya could use Sage Mode at all, and even he required the aid of the two elder toads of Mount Myōboku. Entering Sage Mode alone was impossible for him.
"Everyone, stay alert! He's about to use Senjutsu—Immortal Techniques. Their attack power is overwhelming, and unless you inflict continuous damage, wounds heal instantly!"
His warning caused Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze to grow serious.
Since Minato had mastered the Flying Raijin, no opponent had truly threatened him—until Ash.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Ash's hands weaved seals, and he exhaled a torrent of flames into the sky. A massive dragon-headed jet of fire roared upward, crashing into the clouds above.
The moment the flames struck, the bright sky darkened. White clouds twisted into heavy black thunderclouds, churning violently under the superheated air.
Rumble… Crack—BOOM—!
Lightning writhed inside the clouds, the oppressive pressure sending a chill through every shinobi present.
"Moon Step."
Ash smirked and stepped off the air itself, launching upward in an instant. High above the battlefield, he stood at the edge of the storm he created—far beyond even Minato's instantaneous teleport range without multiple kunai prepared.
"What is he planning…?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
Ash hadn't attacked them at all—he struck the sky intentionally.
That meant only one thing: a far more devastating attack was coming.
"Kirin."
Ash's voice echoed like thunder across the battlefield.
Lightning inside the storm cloud twisted and condensed, drawn toward the electric surge gathering in his left hand. Under his control, the lightning shaped itself into a colossal beast—pure thunder in the form of a dragon.
The ninja watching felt their pupils contract in dread.
"This is natural power…"
Even veteran jōnin trembled.
No one withstands the power of nature—especially lightning at its peak.
The sky roared as the thunder beast finished forming, crackling with enough destructive force to erase everything below it.
"Minato, Jiraiya—prepare Reverse Summoning!
Lightning travels nearly at the speed of light. If we're careless, everyone here dies!"
Orochimaru's serpentine golden eyes narrowed, his hands flashing into seals as the colossal thunder beast above roared. Following his command, both Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze immediately prepared the Reverse Summoning Technique.
For the Konoha shinobi below, those with summoning contracts still had a chance. Those without could only wait for death beneath the crushing natural power gathering overhead.
"Killer B—this time we're counting on you."
The Fourth Raikage's expression darkened as he looked at his younger brother. Kumogakure had very few summoners, and none that could act quickly enough—except for one.
"No worries, Bro! I'll handle this show—'cause Eight-O tails is ready to go—yo!"
Killer B began to rap even in this crisis, drawing pained expressions from those nearby. His strange rhythms never improved, not even at the brink of annihilation.
"Stop clowning around. This isn't the time for jokes."
The voice of Gyūki, the Eight-Tails, echoed solemnly inside B's mind.
"The technique that kid is about to unleash belongs among the highest forbidden ranks. Even a Tailed Beast can die if hit directly."
Despite the warning, Gyūki also understood: B's eccentricity was exactly why they synced so well. That trust allowed them to fight without hesitation.
"Tailed Beast Transformation!"
A surge of massive chakra exploded outward.
First came an aura of crimson, bubbling like molten lava—then thicker, blackened layers of compressed chakra spiraled upward. In an instant, the fully manifested Eight-Tails appeared, towering over the battlefield: an enormous ox-headed octopus with eight coiling tentacles.
"So that's the Eight-Tails…"
Ash's eyes narrowed as he stared down from the sky.
The first Tailed Beast I've seen in person. I wonder… could a Master Ball capture a Tailed Beast?
The thought flickered through his mind. His spatial ring pulsed faintly—inside it rested more than one Master Ball, ready for use.
Once fully transformed, Killer B immediately wrapped the Kumogakure shinobi around him using his massive tentacles, shielding them.
At the same time, a dense jet-black sphere began condensing inside his maw—chakra compressed to an impossible degree. Even Ash felt a prickle of danger.
That density… even I can't ignore that.
"Tailed Beast Ball? Or Tailed Beast Cannon?"
Ash's Sharingan spun rapidly, analyzing the structure and heat of the chakra forming in front of Gyūki's jaws.
The Tailed Beast Ball was an instant burst attack that obliterated everything within tens of meters.
The Tailed Beast Cannon, though less explosive, fired as a continuous beam capable of carving through entire landscapes.
BOOM—!
The giant sphere launched directly toward Ash like a black meteor, distorting the surrounding space through pure force.
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
Ash's eyes flickered, his expression hardening.
Lightning surged violently from his left hand, thunder screaming through the clouds.
"Disappear—along with the storm."
His voice cut through the sky as he swung his arm downward—Leiqiu's power detonating against the incoming attack.
...
TN:
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