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Tailed Beasts—also known as "monsters with tails"—are nine massive, beast-like creatures. There's Shukaku the One-Tail, Matatabi the Two-Tails, Isobu the Three-Tails, Son Goku the Four-Tails, Kokuo the Five-Tails, Saiken the Six-Tails, Chomei the Seven-Tails, Gyuki the Eight-Tails, and Kurama the Nine-Tails. These terrifying beings were originally considered the pets of the legendary Sage of Six Paths. After his death, they became weapons of mass destruction in an already chaotic world.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, managed to control all of them. Hoping to bring peace to the constant wars, he distributed the tailed beasts among the strongest nations of that time—trying to strike a balance so no single country would dominate or feel the need to start another war.
Here's how the tailed beasts were split:The Land of Wind got the One-Tail,The Land of Earth got the Four-Tails and Five-Tails,The Land of Lightning received the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails,The Land of Water took the Three-Tails and Six-Tails,The Land of Waterfalls got the Seven-Tails,And the Land of Fire kept the Nine-Tails.
But just because the beasts were given out didn't mean people could actually use them. Unlike Hashirama or Uchiha Madara, most people lacked the power to properly control the tailed beasts—in fact, more often than not, they'd hurt their own side before doing any damage to the enemy. That's why the appearance of Shukaku, the One-Tail, shocked the Second Hokage so much.
At that moment, a young boy appeared atop Shukaku's head. Looking down at the Second Hokage, he shouted to Chiyo:"Lady Chiyo! Get the Kazekage out of here, quick! I'll hold off the Second Hokage!"
The Second Hokage turned to a ninja named Aki and ordered,"Aki, take a team and bring the Kazekage back alive. He's the key to forcing the Land of Wind into peace talks. Use him as a hostage if you have to. Leave two Anbu behind to spread the news that the Kazekage was killed in battle!"
Aki nodded and took off with seven Anbu, chasing after Chiyo.
The Second Hokage glanced up at Shukaku and sneered,"So you're feeding your own life to Shukaku, huh? I wonder how long you can keep this summoning going."
The Sand ninja boy glared at him and yelled,"I'll be the one to end you today! Feigned Sleep Jutsu!"
The boy slowly sank into Shukaku's head. Once his body disappeared completely, Shukaku suddenly snapped open his eyes—his pupils spinning wildly before bulging out—and let out a booming laugh:"Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm finally free! I wanna kill! I wanna kill!!"
Without warning, he opened his mouth and blasted two rapid-fire Air Bullets straight at the Second Hokage.
The Second Hokage vanished using Flying Thunder God Jutsu, teleporting into the sky. From above, he formed hand signs—suddenly the sky opened up, and it started to pour. The Hokage disappeared into the rain and reappeared as a towering water giant that charged straight at Shukaku. Shukaku roared and swung his massive tail, smashing the water giant apart.
Then, the Second Hokage popped up right above Shukaku's head and launched Water Style: Water Encampment Wall in the Sky. The falling rain transformed into a massive water net that trapped Shukaku.
But Shukaku roared and summoned a whirlwind, ripping the water net apart. He whipped his tail up toward the Second Hokage.
The Hokage leapt into the air again, countering with Water Style: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade—a massive water blade came slicing down from above, cleaving straight into Shukaku's shoulder and severing one of his arms. Howling in pain, Shukaku went berserk, blasting Air Bullets in every direction as he searched for the Hokage.
Meanwhile, Aki and the seven Anbu were on Chiyo's trail. Thanks to Shukaku's rampage, very few Sand ninja were left to block them. With their teamwork, they cut down the ones who did try to stop them.
They soon caught up to Chiyo. Seeing them closing in, Chiyo laid the injured Second Kazekage under a tree and summoned a puppet to shield him from the rain. Then she turned to face the Konoha pursuers head-on. Mid-run, she flung several scrolls at them and activated her jutsu: White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.
Ten puppets appeared, immediately launching an assault. Some spat Wind, Fire, or Lightning Style jutsu from their mouths. Others came in close with scythes and twin blades.
The Anbu split up to deal with them, clashing hard against Chiyo's puppets.
Back on the main battlefield, Hiruzen Sarutobi was gasping for breath as he stared at wave after wave of Sand ninja.
"There are just too many of them," he said to Mitokado Homura beside him. "They keep coming in waves… if this keeps up, we're done for."
Suddenly, a voice came from deep within the Sand ninja lines:
"The Kazekage's been killed by the Second Hokage! Run! The Second Hokage's coming from the rear!"
That shout sent a ripple of fear through the Sand forces. They hadn't seen their Kazekage since the fighting began, and the sounds from the rear confirmed he'd been ambushed. Now panic started to spread.
Ebizō, seeing his troops losing morale, sighed in frustration and ordered,"Retreat! We've lost our momentum. No point in dragging this out. Get some Jonin to hold the line—everyone else, pull back!"
Sarutobi and the Konoha forces also heard the announcement. Learning that the Second Kazekage had fallen, they launched an all-out assault on the collapsing Sand ninja army.
Back with Shukaku, the tailed beast was raging, but both its arms had already been severed. The rain kept falling, making it impossible for Shukaku to gather sand. He was forced to fight back using only his mouth and tail—still, the Second Hokage kept dodging like a ghost.
Suddenly, the Hokage reappeared at the base of Shukaku's tail, launching Water Style: Aerial Water Slash.
A giant blade of water formed in his hands and sliced clean through Shukaku's tail. Roaring in pain, Shukaku turned and fired several Air Bullets at him.
But this time, the Hokage didn't dodge. He rapidly formed hand signs and summoned a swirling water vortex between his palms. It turned into a spear. He hurled it at Shukaku's belly—on impact, it exploded into a water cyclone that blasted the beast backward dozens of meters.
Before Shukaku could react, the Hokage teleported above its head and repeatedly smashed it with Water Style: Clear Water Wave, wave after crushing wave pounding it into the ground.
Then the Hokage appeared where the Sand ninja boy had fused with Shukaku. He used a sealing jutsu to pull the boy out from the beast's body. Then he pressed one hand to Shukaku's forehead and drew out a yellow mass of chakra. With both hands, he merged the boy's chakra and Shukaku's, sealing them.
Shukaku roared:"NO! Damn you Senju scum! You filthy Senju! Using that disgusting sealing technique… I just got out! I just wanted to kill a few people!…"
The voice faded. Shukaku… fell back asleep.
The Second Hokage summoned a large sealing jar half his height. After chanting a spell, the jar opened, glowing blue. It sucked Shukaku inside and sealed shut. The Hokage jumped on top and performed a complex sealing jutsu. Finally, he sat down on the lid and muttered,"Finally got you under control, you damn raccoon. So much trouble. If it weren't raining here in the Land of Rain, I probably couldn't have done it."
Aki and the other Anbu had been fighting Chiyo for nearly ten minutes. Even with seven elite ninja, they were locked in a stalemate.
Aki realized these puppets were nothing like what he'd read in books. They could launch Fire and Lightning Style jutsu, were unbelievably durable, and could absorb chakra or even use sealing techniques. Chiyo had completely neutralized them.
Aki made a snap decision: Forget Chiyo—grab the Kazekage. He used hand signs to signal a plan, and the others nodded.
Two Anbu suddenly jumped out of the puppet's attack range and unleashed Earth Style: Falling Clay. At the same time, two more cast Earth Style: Rising Ground Jutsu, separating Chiyo from the Second Kazekage.
Chiyo panicked and tried to rush back to protect him—but Aki appeared beside her and hit her with a genjutsu: Dark Illusion Technique.
Their eyes met. Chiyo's vision turned pitch black.
She yelled,"You think a genjutsu like this can stop me? Puppet masters are the natural counters to genjutsu!"
She quickly countered with White Secret Technique: Three Treasures Suction Collapse. Three puppets formed a triangle and activated their mechanisms—Buddha, Dharma, and Monk. A swirling vortex tore through the sky, sucking in all the falling clay and pulverizing it. Aki had no choice but to dodge out of range.
Then Chiyo sent another puppet at him, releasing a sealing jutsu that broke his illusion completely.
Just as Chiyo was about to strike again, a Konoha Anbu called out behind her:"Move again, and the Kazekage's life is over."
She turned—and saw the Second Kazekage pinned by two Anbu, each with a blade to his shoulders.
The Kazekage roared,"Kill me! Use my death to inspire the Sand Ninja to fight back—now!"
Suddenly, the Second Hokage appeared beside Chiyo and smashed her mid-air with a punch. As she flew, he teleported again, caught her by the neck, and held her in the air.
He looked at the Kazekage and said,"Your choice, Kazekage. Her life and yours are both in your hands. I'll give you ten seconds."
The Kazekage, seeing Chiyo choking in mid-air, sighed, dropped his head, and said bitterly,"This war… we of the Sand Village have lost."
The Second Hokage smiled, threw Chiyo to the ground, and said,"You've made the right choice. You'll see."
Then the Anbu took the captured Kazekage and the unconscious Chiyo back to the Konoha camp.
"....."