The battle had reached a critical turning point.
Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, frustrated by her inability to land a single hit, took a few steps back. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes narrowed, disbelief flashing across her face. That this young man had cleanly evaded every single one of her high-speed, chakra-enhanced attacks—it simply didn't make sense.
She wasn't just a jōnin. In her semi–tailed beast state, every aspect of her physical prowess—speed, strength, reaction—had reached extraordinary levels. Even elite jōnin often couldn't match her once she began fighting seriously. But this man—this Uchiha—was not only keeping up, he was completely unscathed.
Her gaze sharpened. This wasn't some no-name shinobi. This man was dangerous.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked, wary now.
The response came cool and measured.
"Uchiha Ryōsuke. Remember the name well," he said. "Because from here on out, I won't be holding back."
With that, Ryōsuke brought his hands together—and in the blink of an eye, his chakra surged wildly. A sudden wind burst outward from his body. Pale green steam hissed from his pores as his muscles visibly tightened.
"The Fourth Gate… Gate of Pain—OPEN!"
He had activated the Eight Gates—four of them, to be exact.
Even among the Uchiha, who prided themselves on Sharingan mastery and powerful Fire Release techniques, Ryōsuke was an anomaly. His strength wasn't just in ninjutsu or genjutsu. He had mastered the body itself.
In this moment, he was no different from the legendary Might Guy in his youth.
From the sidelines, the shinobi of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans gasped. None of them had seen such raw taijutsu power coming from their own ranks in years—not since Uchiha Shisui's fabled instant body flicker technique.
Even the typically composed Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Hachidai were visibly stunned.
"This is… unbelievable," Inaho muttered. "He's like a young version of the Fourth Raikage… no, perhaps even stronger…"
Their awe was justified.
Yugito's eyes widened as Ryōsuke shot forward in a blur. His body moved like a bolt of lightning—silent, sudden, unstoppable.
She barely had time to react. Her claws came up instinctively to block, but the impact sent her flying backward like a ragdoll. The ground tore open beneath her feet as she skidded across the battlefield, finally crashing down in front of the Kumo reinforcements.
The assembled shinobi from Konohagakure couldn't believe what they had witnessed.
He had just—by sheer taijutsu—kicked a semi-transformed jinchūriki across the battlefield.
Uchiha Ryōsuke stood calmly, steam still rising from his skin, his Sharingan spinning slowly. His eyes betrayed no arrogance, only calm focus. He knew this battle was far from over.
Yugito scrambled to her feet, panting. The pain in her arms told her that the boy's strength wasn't just for show. This wasn't genjutsu. This wasn't some trick. He really was this strong.
She looked across the field at her comrades—Cee, Darui, Mabui. Their faces were pale, their confidence shaken. Even the ever-calm Cee clenched his fists.
Yugito exhaled slowly, then turned back to them.
"It's him," she said. "The Uchiha the Fourth Raikage wanted dead at all costs."
Cee's eyes narrowed. "So it's really him… Ryōsuke of the Uchiha. No wonder the Hokage's faction fears him."
Darui muttered under his breath. "If we don't stop him now, we may never be able to."
Yugito stared forward, her resolve hardening. "You won't be able to help me in this fight. He's too fast. If we crowd him, he'll pick us off one by one. I'll finish this myself."
Mabui's expression turned grim. "Are you going to…?"
Yugito nodded.
"I'm going full transformation."
Darui's face changed immediately. "But that'll weaken the seal! If Matatabi breaks loose—!"
"It won't," Yugito interrupted. "We've already spoken. She understands. We fight as one."
Indeed, unlike many jinchūriki, Yugito had a rare relationship with her tailed beast. Matatabi—the Two-Tailed Beast—was known to be polite, calm, even considerate. Yugito, through years of patience, had become a perfect jinchūriki.
She closed her eyes and whispered a word.
The seal on her belly glowed. Tailed beast chakra exploded outward, washing over the battlefield in a blinding flash of blue light. The ninja of Kumo quickly retreated, as per protocol. No one wanted to be near a fully transformed tailed beast when it activated.
A moment later, a massive form burst from the white smoke.
A giant flaming blue cat—with two tails swaying like whips and flames licking from its body—roared into the sky.
Matatabi had entered the field.
From the Konoha side, there was momentary silence… then panic.
"The Two-Tails… it's fully transformed!"
"It's just like the Nine-Tails from back then—!"
Uchiha Inaho gritted his teeth, stunned at the overwhelming presence.
"That chakra... it's unreal."
Beside him, Uchiha Hachidai stood frozen, sweat forming on his brow. Even for experienced shinobi, the sheer chakra pressure was overwhelming.
Hyuga warriors looked to their leader, hoping for direction.
"Do we help him?" one asked.
Inaho turned to Hachidai, who, after a moment's thought, shook his head.
"No. This is his fight now. If we interfere, we'll only get in his way. Ryōsuke knew what he was doing when he faced a jinchūriki head-on."
"But—"
"No buts," Hachidai said firmly. "Have faith in him."
Across the battlefield, Ryōsuke stood motionless as Matatabi loomed high above him, easily dwarfing the trees and hills. Her chakra burned like a blue inferno, and her presence seemed to make the air itself tremble.
Still, Ryōsuke's expression didn't change.
He knew this would happen. In fact, he welcomed it.
This was the perfect opportunity.
"Let's see," he said under his breath, "if my training can really match the strength of a tailed beast."
He took a breath and opened his stance.
The battle between man and beast was about to begin.
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