At the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire:
Whish—BOOM—!!
The gale whipped up by the Tailed Beast's true form surged, instantly sweeping up everything in the vicinity. Even the very topsoil beneath Ren Uchiha's feet was ripped away inch by inch, sucked into the terrifying tornado connecting heaven and earth.
"Shit!"
Ren cursed, spitting out a mouthful of sand. He gripped the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword with one hand—the blade itself was buried deep underground, with only the handle exposed. His body fluttered like a tattered flag in the storm, jerking violently with the wind. The razor-sharp gusts tore at his hair and shredded the high collar of his robe, which flapped noisily.
Flap-flap-flap-flap—
The sheer force of the wind pried Ren's mouth open, exposing his gums. The skin at the corners of his eyes and mouth was pulled back tight. Saliva, bloody tears, and the blood geyser from his severed left shoulder sprayed backward into the void.
This octopus-wind packs way more punch than Manda's tail ever did!
Ren actually found the mental capacity to make the comparison. Still, he felt the trade-off was worth it. One arm in exchange for forcing Killer Bee into his full Tailed Beast transformation and using the Tailed Beast Eight Twists.
This meant he had officially forced the man to show his hand!
Ren, armed with full knowledge of Bee's abilities, knew that the real fight was only beginning. Body discarded, beast unleashed! A form where mere physical movements carried the scale and power of S-rank ninjutsu, topped off with the terrifying, area-leveling threat of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
This—the philosophy that "bigger is better" and "more is best"—was the true horror of a Jinchūriki. It was their ultimate combat state.
And Ren? Unfortunately, he didn't have a giant "Gundam" of his own. He only had his small, two-meter frame to go toe-to-toe in a visceral, bone-crunching brawl against this behemoth.
Ren looked up. Through the circular opening in the clouds carved by the tornado, a vast expanse of pale, cold moonlight spilled down, bathing the savage beast standing between heaven and earth.
He felt a headache coming on. Despite pushing the enemy to his limit, he didn't actually have a solid plan for fighting something that size.
Finally, Ren's gaze shifted to his own abdomen. As the winds died down, he landed firmly on the ground and stared intently at his own "disgrace of the Tailed Beasts." He rubbed his hands together and spoke with expectant fervor:
"Little Zero, buddy... I've already beaten that jerk's true form out of him. Now, it's your turn to shine!"
"Quick, do something useful!"
Inside the Eight Trigrams Seal:
Hearing the call of its idiot master, the tiny Zero-Tails blinked its hollow white eyes. The entire serpent-like creature shuddered. It first compared its own three-inch length to the eighty-meter-tall Eight-Tails outside. Then, it slowly lifted the tip of its tail and pointed at itself.
It roared emotionally: "Chirp! Chirp-chirp-chirp?!"
"I'm not asking you to fight the Eight-Tails!" Ren coughed, trying to be persuasive. "Can't you absorb Tailed Beast chakra? Like you did with the Nine-Tails last time?"
Reibi scratched its head. It lifted its face, removed its mask, and flared its nostrils, taking a massive, deep sniff!
...And then, nothing happened.
Ren and Reibi stared at each other. Ren felt no surge of energy, no change in his status.
After a long pause, Reibi scratched its head and wailed: "Chirp!"
"You can't absorb it? Wait, what kind of crap is that?!"
Ren's expression twisted. Why? It worked on the Nine-Tails, but not the Eight-Tails? Is it because Bee is a perfect Jinchūriki? Or is this ox-octopus actually a saint who doesn't harbor a single shred of negative emotion?
Regardless of the reason, time had run out.
The Eight-Tails had finished its Eight Twists. It lowered its massive head, its round, emotionless eyes locking onto Ren Uchiha.
Then—
"—ROOOOAR!!"
The colossal beast howled at the sky! Blue and black chakra particles condensed rapidly at its mouth, forming a deep, pitch-black sphere of concentrated energy.
A laser-like trajectory!
BOOM!
The Tailed Beast Bomb shrieked through the air, aimed directly at Ren!
Facing this ultimate, world-ending ninjutsu, Ren's heart hammered against his ribs so hard it threatened to burst out. The nightmare he'd had that night after arriving in the Land of Hot Water had finally become a vivid reality!
There was no way to dodge, and no room for preparation. In these final seconds, Ren channeled every defensive measure he possessed! The Cursed Seal, his immortality, the Body Revival forbidden art, Fire Style: Chakra Mode—everything he had gained in his battles until now.
Everything!
He gripped his sword—now glowing with the brilliance of a thousand suns—and gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to tremble. He twisted his feet, dropped into a deep lunge, and raised the hilt to his chest!
He thrust forward with everything he had!
The Tailed Beast Bomb pulverized everything in its path—trees, soil, and rocks were reduced to dust. It carved a trench hundreds of meters long before slamming into the tip of Ren's illusory, forty-meter flaming greatsword!
However, the momentum of the Tailed Beast Bomb barely slowed. It instantly ground its way up the tip of the sword, shattering the brilliant blade inch by inch! The overflowing flames split into four streams, flowing past the surface of the bomb toward Ren.
From the tip, to the blade, to the guard, and finally to the hilt!
The blast pushed all the way to the swordsman. Before Ren's terrified eyes, the Tailed Beast Bomb slammed directly into his face!
Elsewhere, at the same moment:
From the highest branch of a tree, Madara Uchiha watched the ruins of the distant battlefield. Embers drifted through the air like a dream—beautiful and surreal. He leaned his chin on one hand, his other hand resting on his knee.
As the scorching wind brushed his face, Madara shook his head slightly, watching Ren Uchiha being blasted into the sky by the Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Tsk, tsk. How pathetic, kid."
His gaze fell on the charred arm lying beside him. Within the vision of his Sharingan, he could clearly see the chaotic, intertwined mess of forbidden jutsu and secret arts within the limb.
"Compared to Hashirama, this level of recovery is still far off. However... he might make an interesting pawn to pass the time."
Madara narrowed his eyes and let out a soft chuckle.
"Let's see. If he survives this... I'll grant him a taste of real power."
"This boy," Madara mused, "might just be a deeper backup plan. Someone who could eventually inherit the name 'Madara Uchiha'!"
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