To breach the core of a village wasn't all that hard or impressive; even a moderately skilled ninja could bring the whole place down—at least in Haseo's view.
The difference lay only in the time interval between the destruction starting and taking effect. Instantaneous devastation might be rare and somewhat difficult, but "gradual progression" was always possible.
Whether detonating a sealed Tailed Beast, using Shinra Tensei, unleashing an oversized Earth Release collapse technique, or even something like what Orochimaru did during his original attack on Konoha—including summoning countless massive Summoning Serpents—they were all capable of achieving the same effect.
The first two resulted in total annihilation, while the latter resembled a controlled demolition site—visually spectacular but practically limited. As for the last one... honestly, it felt kind of pathetic in comparison.
When the land of Mist started to bulge layer by layer, the terrain and village structures had already begun collapsing alongside it. And once the clay giant stomped its foot down forcefully, it was like trying to push back against an erupting volcano using immense external force—the bidirectional shockwaves wouldn't cancel each other out but would instead explode violently across the entire village.
Then, Mist became a scene familiar to many—much like a childhood prank many kids once played: inserting a cylindrical explosive with a fuse into soft, warm, feces-like material, then setting it off...
That was exactly what happened to Mist after just one blow.
Earth Release alone was merely Earth Release; such an attack could never lead to complete annihilation. Yet regardless, Mist now looked utterly ruined.
Summoning an Earth Release statue wasn't particularly powerful since Haseo's technique intensity was quite limited. After delivering just one stomp, the statue itself broke a leg and fell straight downward in pieces.
No matter their size or strength level, so far all of Haseo's "figurines" seemed disposable.
Haseo leapt off the top of the still-toppling giant statue. A biting wind whistled past his ears, and the sharp chill of winter brushed across his face. Looking down, he saw a scene of utter chaos—buildings crumbling and smoke rising from every corner.
Just as Haseo focused his gaze below, suddenly from his flank came a [Water Jet] aimed directly at his shoulder and neck.
In a flash, Haseo twisted his torso and ducked his head just enough to let the razor-sharp attack graze past—missing him by a hair's width.
The viscous strike pierced into the fallen giant statue behind him, accompanied by loud, sizzling sounds and an acrid, nose-piercing stench, followed by thick white smoke.
Clearly, this wasn't water—it was acid.
This was where the difference among ninjas showed. While most were buried beneath the sudden disaster, and the lucky few survivors remained stunned amidst confusion, someone had already stepped forward to fight desperately for the village.
The attacker was none other than Haseo's "old friend."
To be precise, it was the person inside who had once met Haseo and shared an unforgettable, profound experience with him. As for the outer "shell," Haseo didn't recognize it at all.
Naturally, he didn't know the specific identity of Mist's newly appointed Six-Tails Jinchuriki.
According to Mist's previous strategy and regulations, the Jinchuriki must never appear before Haseo. But given the current situation, there was no point in keeping the Jinchuriki hidden anymore.
The original reason for concealing the Jinchuriki had been to prevent the village from being destroyed, but now that the village had already been damaged, what was left to hide? How much worse could it really get if they just came out and fought?
Whether out of anger or duty, stepping forward to block Haseo was clearly the right choice.
At this moment, even those within Mist who didn't know the truth couldn't possibly recognize the Jinchuriki's identity as a ninja. That's because he had already partially transformed into the Tailed Beast state. His dark red Chakra Cloak, radiating intense toxicity, along with the six tails behind him, revealed exactly what state he was in.
[Semi-Tailed Beast Transformation] wasn't a rare sight among Jinchuriki, yet this Six-Tails Jinchuriki was somewhat special—he remained fully clear-minded despite entering the half-transformed state.
"Hmm, does the new Jinchuriki have a good relationship with the Six-Tails? Otherwise, why would it lend you its power like this?" This thought flickered briefly through Haseo's mind.
But maybe it wasn't necessarily about having a good relationship—sometimes even when relations were terrible, tailed beasts could still offer their powers, sometimes even willingly.
The Six-Tails must remember the feeling of dying from complete Chakra depletion, and the pain of being recaptured by Mist after revival [being brought back under control].
It hated ninja in general, but harbored much deeper hatred toward certain specific ones.
As for the risks involved in fighting Haseo again—would a tailed beast really consider so many things?
Releasing long-suppressed fury was the top priority.
The Jinchuriki, partially transformed, gathered his six dark-colored tails together. Then, propelled by a massive burst of Chakra, his entire body shot forward like a cannonball, becoming a vivid streak of deep crimson light aimed straight at Haseo hovering midair.
Faced with this sudden attack from a special enemy, Haseo didn't panic. Brilliant blue lightning suddenly erupted from his body, enhancing all his physical abilities—including his reflexes—once more.
Due to the partial transformation, the Jinchuriki's assault inevitably became more aggressive. He charged straight at Haseo like a living battering ram.
Still suspended in midair, Haseo's mobility was limited. In the next instant, the high-speed Jinchuriki seemed ready to smash straight into him, cutting him clean in half.
But before that violent collision could occur, Haseo's left hand, surging with fierce lightning chakra, pressed firmly down onto the opponent's head. Then, riding the force of the enemy's charge, he swiftly vaulted upward, dodging the impact while positioning himself directly above the Jinchuriki.
Then, Haseo clapped both hands together.
[Water Release: Rising Water Slicer!]
The technique slashed straight at the crown of the enemy's head—a truly fatal blow, unmistakably devastating.
The Jinchuriki naturally recognized the deadly threat posed by the Rising Water Slicer and immediately swung his tails forward, stabbing toward Haseo's body.
To evade the attack, Haseo twisted his body midair, causing the trajectory of the Rising Water Slicer to shift slightly. The so-called "fatal strike" only sliced diagonally across the opponent's back.
The six chakra-formed tails were cleanly severed by the incredible cutting force of the Rising Water Slicer and tumbled downward from the sky.
Everything happened in an instant—lightning fast—as they crossed paths. Yet considering Haseo's "greedy" nature, he would never allow this moment to end so simply.
Just as the Jinchuriki's speeding body was about to escape Haseo's range, Haseo lifted his right leg and brought it crashing down like a thunderous war axe, cleaving straight into the enemy's waist without hesitation.
Suddenly redirected from his prior diagonal upward path, the Jinchuriki shot downward at an almost vertical angle—faster than before!
"Boom!"
Another massive impact echoed out. The Six-Tails Jinchuriki crashed heavily onto the ground, carving yet another large crater into the already ruined Kiri.
That still wasn't the end. At that moment, Haseo's right hand gripped one of the two long blades at his waist—the spare weapon. As his figure spun midair, he fully utilized the recoil generated by the previous strike, launching the blade forward like an arrow or a thrown spear.
A cold gleam flashed. Then, the long sword pierced through the Six-Tails Jinchuriki's back, instantly impaling his shoulder.
Semi-Tailed Beast Transformation places tremendous strain on the Jinchuriki's body. In such a state, the pain caused by chakra corrosion is unimaginable. However, conversely, it also grants the Jinchuriki extraordinary physical regeneration abilities.
Therefore, whether slammed into the ground or stabbed entirely through, for the Six-Tails Jinchuriki in his current form, these were nothing more than minor wounds—easily healed within moments.
Indeed, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki immediately flipped himself upright. The tailed beast chakra cloak surrounding his body surged continuously.
He didn't even need to act himself—automatically, the chakra cloak behind him extended numerous "tentacles," preparing to pull out the embedded blade.
However, suddenly, a brilliant silvery-white chakra flared up along the length of the blade. The Six-Tails Jinchuriki felt his natural flow of tailed beast chakra abruptly halt. Then, like oil vanishing under a cleansing flame, the Six-Tails' chakra began peeling away and dispersing from where the blade met the Jinchuriki's body.
The activated Tailed Beast Seal was forcibly shut down.
Meanwhile, the Jinchuriki's body slowly revealed itself, soon displaying segmented patterns of a unique cursed seal.
Then the Six-Tails Jinchuriki realized that he could no longer access the beast's power—at this point, his own body had already been completely bound.
That's when Haseo landed in front of him.
"You thought I was fighting you one-on-one? If I say it's time to gang up, then it's time to gang up.
When dealing with a Jinchuriki, don't you get it yet—I don't need to get my hands dirty anymore? Haven't you Mist shinobi figured it out yet? I am the [Master of the Whirlpools]."
Haseo's nonchalant taunt echoed in the enemy's ears.
Whether it was Ka-jin's Binding Curse Technique or Kushina Uzumaki's chakra specifically effective against Tailed Beasts, along with the sealing techniques allowing him to command these forces—all of it served as vivid, factual proof behind his earlier statement.
Thank you StarYue666 for your generous reward of starting coins.
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(End of this chapter)
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