Was this a joke?
Had his eyes betrayed him? Or had the world changed so drastically during his sealing that he no longer recognized it?
Times had shifted. Ninjas piloting metal constructs now? The massive thing looming before him—he'd encountered something similar once. Uchiha Madara. Even the name sent ice down his spine. This metal Deva-Kshatriya was smaller, lacking that suffocating chakra pressure, but it was the first time genuine fear had seized him.
Primal. Instinctive. Woven into his very being.
"What the hell is that monster?" a distant voice whispered.
"Bigger than a tailed beast... and it's made of metal..."
The Dangerous Wanderer's sudden appearance didn't just shock the Five-Tails. Every shinobi on the battlefield lifted their eyes to the terrifying metal construct simultaneously.
Aggressive curves. All metal. A single careless punch could reshape mountains and redirect seas. Against this backdrop, Kokuo—the Five-Tails—looked like a malnourished beast, all skin and bones.
But something strange rippled through the assembled ninja. A yearning. An almost instinctive desire: what kind of power would come from piloting such a machine?
A real man should drive a Deva-Kshatriya.
The Wanderer moved.
Its massive arm swung down from mid-air in a devastating arc, aiming straight for Kokuo's throat. The Five-Tails scrambled like a terrified cat, all four hooves launching him sideways. The metal palm slammed into earth with bone-shaking force, leaving a crater the size of a crater.
Kokuo's scalp prickled. One solid hit would be catastrophic.
He exploded forward in a cloud of white steam, closing the distance to the Wanderer's chassis before driving both front hooves upward in a devastating kick. The move was formidable—steam propulsion combined with raw muscle, the same attack that had once sent Konan flying.
It was a pity he faced Hyuga Seiran.
The mecha didn't budge. Seiran had applied Electromagnetic Manipulation to the metal soles, anchoring them through the earth's magnetic field. The Wanderer only stepped back slightly, completely unscathed. The Five-Tails' terrifying blow looked, in contrast, like a cat slapping a man's chest.
Electromagnetic thrust kicked in. The Wanderer's speed exploded as it closed the distance in enormous strides.
Piloting such a massive construct consumed terrifying amounts of chakra. Seiran had solved this by reproducing a Chakra Reactor in the Wanderer's chest—not true nuclear fission, but a high-strength induction furnace. Energy from smelting poured throughout the machine, and through conversion, Seiran's consumption dropped drastically.
The Wanderer strode forward. Each step sent tremors through the earth.
Kokuo's hair bristled like a fried cat. The dignity of a tailed beast wouldn't allow retreat. All four hooves kicked off the ground simultaneously, horns flashing coldly as he executed a low sliding tackle aimed at the Wanderer's abdomen.
This would work. This had to work—
The Five-Tails' momentum died instantly. Two massive metal arms clamped around his throat, slamming him into the ground. His front hooves buckled under the force.
Kokuo wanted to scream, but the air was already crushed from his lungs. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Seiran almost smiled.
Among the nine tailed beasts, the Five-Tails was middle-tier—strong enough, but not exceptional. Its attacks relied on physical force: hooves, horns, steam-powered acceleration. Fighting a metal mecha with flesh was fundamentally stupid. Unless Kokuo could punch through the Wanderer's frame entirely, any damage would be negligible. And even then, Electromagnetic Manipulation would repair it faster than he could strike.
The Wanderer's advantages were absolute: weight, electromagnetic anchoring, propulsion speed. Kokuo couldn't win in direct combat.
The Five-Tails seemed to realize this too.
Struggling to raise his head, Kokuo opened his mouth. Black and purple chakra condensed rapidly—a Tailed Beast Ball at point-blank range.
An iron fist came down, forcing him to hold back.
Then another. And another.
Kokuo was utterly humiliated, pinned beneath the barrage while his hooves remained pinned.
"Human! Let me go!"
Clang. Clang. Clang.
An iron fist the size of a dune kept falling. Kokuo's head spun. The sound of metal on flesh echoed like a ringing bell.
From the distant battlefield, the watching shinobi felt a strange disconnect. The terrifying image of tailed beasts—ancient, unstoppable—clashed violently with the current scene: something that looked very much like an owner disciplining a pet.
"That metal monster is incredible," someone breathed. "I'm going to pilot a Deva-Kshatriya someday."
After dozens of consecutive punches—
Snap.
Kokuo's horn broke.
"Ah! Human... How dare you!" The Five-Tails' voice was hysteria incarnate. Pure fury. He'd never been so humiliated, and the rage of every previous slight erupted at once.
He didn't attempt another Tailed Beast Ball—Seiran wouldn't allow him time to charge. Instead, torrential white steam erupted from his body, carrying suffocating heat, engulfing the Wanderer in an instant before spreading across the battlefield.
Seiran frowned, manipulating the mecha to retreat. Steam, he realized, posed a greater threat than physical attacks. Metal transferred heat efficiently. Vapor condensing into water droplets would cover the frame, degrading his Electromagnetic Manipulation's precision.
Kokuo seized the opportunity to rise, shaking his head. Dizziness faded to white-hot fury.
"Go to hell, human!"
His mouth opened. Black and purple chakra condensed—another Tailed Beast Ball.
Seiran's expression hardened as he charged forward. Then something occurred to him, and a thin smile crossed his lips.
The steam around him vanished. In its place, a suffocating sensation—air suddenly became difficult to breathe.
A blue spark ignited beneath Seiran's feet.
Kokuo's heart seized. A wave of crisis flooded his mind.
Rumble.
Blue flame engulfed everything.
From a safe distance, Seiran watched the mushroom cloud rise into the sky, smiling faintly.
"Compared to ordinary water," he murmured to himself, "water vapor electrolyzes far more easily."
"Thank you, junior high school chemistry teacher. Seems the shinobi world has entered a new era."
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