Chapter 102: Daytime Tiger
More and more Mist ninja landed on Skull Island. Samui's pupils constricted, and she quickly shouldered the unconscious Ringo Ameyuri, using her as a shield. She expected the Mist ninja to attack her, but upon seeing Utakata enter his partial Tailed Beast state, all their attention focused on the main battle. Whether Kiri could retake Skull Island hinged entirely on whether Utakata could defeat the Star of the Cloud.
"He's actually fighting Utakata-sama to this extent!"
"Is this guy a monster?"
"Utakata-sama has entered his partial Tailed Beast state!"
"Everyone, fall back ten li!"
The surrounding Mist ninja frantically retreated. Two blurs of light—one black, one dark red—clashed repeatedly, shockwaves radiating outwards, collapsing buildings and shattering the dense forest. They were powerless to intervene in a battle of this level. Getting too close meant risking annihilation from the aftershocks.
"Damn it." Pakura grabbed Samui with one hand and Ringo Ameyuri with the other, using her Swift Release to dash towards the sea.
Samui, being rapidly pulled backward, stared at the two rampaging figures in the distance, swallowing hard. Tailed Beasts were war machines; just sensing their chakra inspired dread. "Neji-kun's small frame is actually going head-to-head with a Tailed Beast... Isn't he going to die?"
"Is that... Utakata-sama?" Ringo Ameyuri mumbled, having regained consciousness sometime during the retreat. She weakly looked up at the battle raging on the island. Utakata in his partial Tailed Beast form. Neji-kun in his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Skull Island in ruins. Ringo understood that the island falling would trigger a chain reaction, but she never imagined it would escalate to this point, with Utakata, the supreme commander, personally taking the field.
"ROAR!"
The blood-red Six-Tails threw its head back and roared. Its terrifying chakra surged again, a palpable, heart-stopping pressure felt even by the Mist ninja who had retreated far out onto the sea. Amidst the roar, the Six-Tails' form rapidly swelled. In moments, a giant, white, slug-like beast stood before Neji-kun, its body covered in corrosive slime.
Full Tailed Beast Transformation.
"The Six-Tails..." Sensing the immense pressure, Neji-kun couldn't help but clench his fists, a chilling battle-lust gleaming in his eyes.
BOOM!
A fierce wind assaulted him as countless corrosive droplets rained down like acid sleet. Neji-kun had just dodged the acid rain when the fully transformed Utakata suddenly appeared before him, six tails slamming viciously towards his face.
CRASH!
Neji-kun crossed his arms defensively. The terrifying force hit him like a baseball bat striking a ball, sending him flying in a high arc before crashing into the sea.
"Neji-kun?!" Samui cried out, her eyes filled with worry.
Sasori, one hand on his hip, raised an eyebrow under his mask, debating whether to take this opportunity to escape. After considering, he decided to stay put.
Pakura looked at Samui and comforted her, "Don't worry. That guy hasn't even gotten serious yet. This is just a warm-up."
Samui's eyes widened. "Just a warm-up?"
Pakura glanced at Samui and muttered, "It seems you know nothing about his true power."
Samui looked flustered, her lips parting as if to argue, but ultimately, she said nothing. Pakura wasn't entirely wrong. She had lived with Neji-kun for eight years, but perhaps she truly didn't understand the depths of his strength.
Meanwhile, seeing the Six-Tails send Neji-kun flying, the Mist ninja erupted in cheers.
"Getting hit like that, the Star of the Cloud is definitely dead!"
"Obviously!"
"But forcing Utakata-sama this far... that guy was impressive."
The Mist ninja knew how terrifying Utakata was in his full Tailed Beast form and were ecstatic. In their eyes, the Star of the Cloud, though strong, was no match for a Tailed Beast.
However, a Mist Jōnin named Ganryū, standing among the crowd, looked grave. He suddenly sensed a heart-stopping chakra signature emanating from the sea surface. Which meant... Ganryū's heart sank, a foreboding feeling washing over him. But logic told him that a mere human couldn't possibly defeat a Tailed Beast. All they could do was wait and see.
Beneath the Sea.
"The Third Raikage could fight the Eight-Tails head-on. Don't tell me I can't handle the Six-Tails."
With a thought, the black lightning surrounding Neji-kun dissipated, but his aura surged dramatically.
"First Gate, Gate of Opening, Open!" A current of air swirled around him.
"Second Gate, Gate of Healing, Open!" The current intensified into a wave.
"Third Gate, Gate of Life, Open!" Tangible chakra radiated outwards.
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain, Open!"
"Fifth Gate, Gate of Closing, Open!"
"Sixth Gate, Gate of Joy, Open!"
"Seventh Gate, Gate of Shock, Open!"
The chakra around him grew viscous, forming a layer of blue steam, like a Tailed Beast Cloak, enveloping him completely.
The Eight Gates Formation: breaking the body's limits to unleash power multiplied several times, even dozens of times over. Chakra is an equal mixture of spiritual and physical energy. However, ninja barely tap into their physical potential because the Eight Gates within the chakra pathway system inhibit, control, and protect the pathways, preventing the reckless extraction of chakra. Training in the Eight Gates allows one to open these gates and utilize chakra to a much greater extent. In essence, the Eight Gates burns life force, converting it into chakra.
Saiken, rampaging on the sea surface, seemed to sense something amiss and abruptly stopped.
BOOM!
The sea exploded upwards. Neji-kun shot out from underwater, landing several dozen meters away from Saiken.
ROAR! Saiken tilted its head back and let out a deafening roar. Then, it opened its mouth, and a terrifying energy condensed, forming a small, dark black orb.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
"This must be your strongest ability!" A crazed light flashed in Neji-kun's eyes.
In the next second, his arms blurred, striking the empty air at an imperceptible frequency. The air first compressed violently, then formed a massive, tiger-shaped cannon of air pressure. The shockwaves radiating from it made the sea surface tremble for kilometers around.
WHOOSH!
The dark black orb shot towards Neji-kun.
"Daytime Tiger!"
With a fierce roar, Neji-kun thrust his hands forward, and the white tiger of air pressure lunged. It opened its massive jaws and swallowed the Tailed Beast Bomb whole, then continued, undeterred, towards the Six-Tails.
BOOM!
A world-shattering explosion ripped through the air. A terrifying shockwave spread outwards, raising sea waves meters high. Skull Island, already mostly destroyed, was completely submerged in an instant.
When the waves subsided, a figure lay collapsed on the sea surface.
"Cough, cough—" Utakata coughed up large amounts of blood, his aura weak.
The Daytime Tiger, carrying the Tailed Beast Bomb, had exploded point-blank against the Six-Tails. Even in his full Tailed Beast form, he couldn't withstand the corrosive power. His weakened body could no longer channel the Six-Tails' power, forcing him out of the transformation.
"You... you bastard—" Utakata's bangs obscured his vision. He struggled to lift his head to see Neji-kun, when a foot suddenly pressed down on his head.
Neji-kun looked down at Utakata, his Tenseigan seemingly piercing through his body to see the giant slug sealed within.
The Six-Tails noticed Neji-kun's gaze. "Those sapphire eyes... that dōjutsu... you are?" it exclaimed.
"The Nine-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Two-Tails are all in Kumogakure. Want to catch up with them?"
"Hmph." The Six-Tails suppressed its shock and snorted. "What's so great about Kumo? It's the same everywhere. Can't leave this damned place anyway."
Hearing this, Neji-kun unhesitatingly took out the Amber Purifying Pot from a sealing scroll.
"That... is that one of the Sage's tools?" Saiken panicked. "But then again, I haven't seen the others in a long time. I kind of miss them. Catching up wouldn't be so bad."
Neji-kun chuckled. With a thought, a pale blue orb flew from his palm into Utakata's body. After applying the Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart and taking control, Neji-kun turned to the surrounding Mist ninja. "Six-Tails," he said coldly, "let me see your power again."
"Anything you say."
"Brat, if Utakata's body wasn't too weak to handle my full power, you wouldn't have won so quickly!"
As Saiken spoke, dark red chakra erupted from Utakata's body, which rapidly swelled, transforming back into the Six-Tails.
"What's happening?" Pakura watched, stunned, as Saiken spat out a Tailed Beast Bomb towards the Mist ninja. After a moment, a possibility dawned on her. 'Neji-kun not only defeated the Six-Tails but also subdued it?' Since when was taming a Tailed Beast so simple?
Sasori stared at Neji-kun standing atop the Six-Tails, comparing him to the Akatsuki leader, and couldn't help but frown.
Before long, the Mist ninja forces gathered around Skull Island were routed by the Six-Tails.
"Where is the main Mist army stationed?" Neji-kun asked, opening the map of the eastern sea.
"Right in this area," the blank-eyed Utakata pointed to a cluster of islands on the map.
"Excellent." Neji-kun nodded, put away the map, and turned to Samui and the others. "We have their supreme commander. It's time for a counterattack."
As he spoke, Neji-kun entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode, soared into the sky, and pulled Samui, Pakura, and the others along, flying rapidly towards the main Mist encampment.
Without Utakata, the Mist army was leaderless. Caught in a pincer attack between Neji-kun and Yugito, their lines crumbled. In the end, only a few hundred managed to escape the slaughter.
News of the events in the eastern sea quickly reached the leaders of the other ninja villages.
"Well done, Neji-kun!"
"I told you sending him to the Eastern Front was the right call!"
"This kid just keeps getting stronger... He actually captured the Six-Tails Jinchuriki!"
In the Kumo command tent on the Western Front, several older, dark-skinned shinobi looked at Yugito's battle report, laughing heartily. The Fourth Raikage couldn't help but marvel at Dodai's brilliant move. Capturing the Six-Tails Jinchuriki and crushing the main Mist army was a crucial victory for Kumo. The Raikage believed that after such a devastating loss, the Fourth Mizukage would surely seek peace talks. He was already considering redeploying troops from the east. Ōnoki leading tens of thousands of Iwa ninja was a serious threat; Kumo's forces were vastly outnumbered and only holding on thanks to fortifications and scorched earth tactics. The stalemate infuriated the straightforward Raikage.
"Is Rasa trying to jack up the price?"
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
The aged Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply as he read the intelligence scroll from Konoha's envoys. After receiving news that the Fourth Raikage was reinforcing the Western Front, the Konoha leadership had held an emergency meeting. They concluded that if Suna marched north and joined forces with Iwa, Kumo would inevitably collapse under the combined assault. Once the Western Front broke, the pressure on the Land of Hot Water and Eastern Fronts would decrease significantly. Then, the four villages could invade the Land of Lightning together and carve it up.
However, the envoys Hiruzen sent had been turned away at the gate, unable to even meet Rasa. Rasa still didn't know the truth about the Dragon Vein and firmly believed Konoha was behind it. Hiruzen, unaware of Rasa's thinking, assumed Rasa was trying to extort more benefits from Konoha before committing troops.
"Hiruzen! Hiruzen!"
The office door burst open, and Danzō stormed in, leaning heavily on his cane. Behind him followed Homura and Koharu. It was ironic; Konoha's main forces were locked in a bloody battle with the Uchiha in the Land of Hot Water, yet the "Konoha F4" remained safely in the rear.
"What's the rush? What happened?" Seeing all three advisors arrive together, Hiruzen sensed something major had occurred. It was worth noting that after the war began, citing a lack of manpower, Hiruzen had reinstated Danzō, restoring him to his former position.
"Latest intel from Kumo's Eastern Front. It's bad," Danzō said grimly, handing Hiruzen a scroll.
Hiruzen opened it, scanned the contents, and his face instantly changed.
"Three days ago, the traitor Hyūga Neji infiltrated Skull Island alone, wiped out the garrison, and captured the genius ninja Ringo Ameyuri. Two days ago, he defeated the Six-Tails Jinchuriki in direct combat."
"Now, the Mist army on the eastern border has utterly collapsed. Only a few hundred scattered survivors are fleeing in disarray," Danzō finished, his face dark. Koharu and Homura looked equally grim.
Taking a major logistics hub single-handedly and defeating a Jinchuriki... there was no doubt: that boy had achieved Kage-level strength.
"Hyūga Neji!" Hiruzen put down his pipe, gritting his teeth. This genius he had initially overlooked had grown into someone he couldn't ignore, someone he even had to fear. The most frustrating part was that Neji was originally Konoha's genius. If only they had retrieved him from Kumo back then... Of course, with the Caged Bird Seal, Konoha wouldn't have gained a Kage-level fighter, but Kumo would have lost one.
Hiruzen sighed silently. Regrets were useless now. He quickly composed himself. "With Kiri defeated, Kumo has breathing room. We must persuade Rasa to deploy his forces as soon as possible."