Two blurs tore across the battlefield, moving so fast that only afterimages remained. Each collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, forcing nearby shinobi to brace themselves against the oppressive pressure.
One figure was wrapped in dark red phantoms, an ominous aura radiating from its form. The other moved leaner, sleeker—barely visible beneath the crackling blue electricity that traced its path across the grassland. The first was massive, steam jetting from its body before every strike. The second was faster, more controlled.
An unlucky Iwa shinobi caught between them had no time to react. The impact sounded like a bird hitting a train at full speed. Half his body dissolved into a mist of blood.
Minato Namikaze watched with quiet surprise.
Seiran's speed had transcended the limits of ordinary shinobi. Without pre-placed Flying Thunder God marks, even Minato—famous across the shinobi world for his velocity—wasn't certain he could match it. That realization was sobering.
Then, abruptly, the collision ceased.
Han stumbled to one knee, his red armor shattering. Beneath it, his clothes were drenched with sweat. His eyes trembled as he looked up at Seiran, shock etched across his face.
"I... I actually lost to you. In raw speed," he gasped.
Since his rise to prominence, Han had never held back the Five-Tails' chakra. As the fastest tailed beast, its power should have made him untouchable. Yet here he was, on the ground.
But speed had a price. The faster the velocity, the greater the toll on muscles and bone. Channeling the Five-Tails' chakra so recklessly had shredded his body from the inside. Even breathing hurt. Standing felt impossible.
Seiran, by contrast, barely seemed winded. His armor dissolved as he gasped lightly, evaporating sweat from his skin with controlled precision.
Electromagnetic propulsion at that level pushed things to the edge, he thought, checking himself. His thighs and waist—bearing the brunt of the electromagnetic strain—throbbed with mild injury. Nothing serious. His body had been tempered through three Electromagnetic Manipulation upgrades; it could handle what would destroy an ordinary shinobi.
Han took a slow breath, his gaze locked on Seiran. When he spoke, his voice was deep and steady.
"Among every shinobi I've ever fought, none matched you in speed. I, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, am willing to—"
"Stop," Seiran interrupted flatly.
He rolled his eyes. Don't make a dramatic monologue. You're not qualified.
Han's face twisted. A man of few words could only show so much anger before something had to give.
"Fine then. This is what you wanted!"
His body had reached its limit anyway. The decision crystallized in an instant. The crimson chakra coating his body suddenly exploded outward. His human form began to warp and expand, muscles tearing and reforming as he transformed.
The roar that followed shook the earth.
The Five-Tails, Kokuo, emerged in its full, terrible glory.
"A tailed beast! There's a tailed beast on the field!"
"Retreat! Get distance! Don't let it near you!"
"The Five-Tails?" Jiraiya's face went pale as he processed what he was seeing. "Boiling and speed combined—this is a nightmare scenario."
He turned sharply. "Minato! You're the fastest we have—support Seiran immediately. Do not let him fall!"
"Understood!"
Across the field, Rasa's jaw clenched. "That fool Han. He promised his father he'd handle Seiran. Why would he release the entire beast?"
Jinchuriki and tailed beast were not the same thing. Even an exceptional host like Han would struggle to maintain consciousness when channeling the Five-Tails' power. In full transformation, control passed entirely to Kokuo's autonomous will.
And after being sealed for so long, the Five-Tails would be furious. It wouldn't care whether it slaughtered Leaf shinobi or Stone shinobi—they were all equally ants to its rage.
Rasa's eyes narrowed as Minato's form suddenly blurred toward Seiran.
"Stop him! Now!"
The calculation was grim. A living Seiran could be worth five Iwa battalions. If Minato reached him first, the situation would spiral out of control.
---
Seiran studied Kokuo with genuine curiosity.
The Five-Tails was undeniably impressive. White fur as pristine as snow. A body built like a young horse. Five slender white tails that swung in lazy, deliberate arcs. With each breath, white steam sprayed from flared nostrils as its front hooves dug ragged trenches through the earth.
"You provoked me, human," a voice like sharp, mature steel rang out.
Kokuo looked down. The size difference was absurd—Seiran barely qualified as a speck against its bulk. Fresh from its seal, eager to unleash centuries of pent-up rage, the last thing it expected was a mortal who would dare stare back.
"Go. Die."
The Five-Tails' hind legs kicked with devastating force. Its front hooves—each one larger than Seiran's head—crashed downward.
Electromagnetic Manipulation flared. Seiran dodged by inches, feeling the displacement of air singe his skin.
The complete Five-Tails operated in a different dimension entirely. Speed. Strength. Everything Han had channeled was a shadow of this.
Size is impressive, Seiran thought, irritation creeping in. But that's all it has.
He'd fought tailed beasts before. The One-Tail fell when faced with enough electromagnetic firepower. This could be no different.
Seiran's chakra surged violently downward, seeping into the earth. Thousands of meters in radius. Metal particles decomposed and condensed. Currents of liquid metal gathered and coalesced at his feet, responding to his will like puppets on strings.
A shadow fell across the battlefield.
Shinobi looked up and froze.
An enormous metal construct rose from the ground—a towering frame that dwarfed even Kokuo. Its form was jagged, brutal, powerful. A walking fortress of pure metallic will.
"What... what is that thing?" someone whispered.
Seiran's voice echoed through the metal frame, sardonic and confident:
"Little friend. I think you're lost."
---
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