Chapter 219: Whoever Runs Is the Coward
Inside the massive sphere of water, Shukaku bounced around in wild excitement. Its enormous body churned the entire flooded area into violent waves. One claw—still clenched as if holding Taichi—was raised high, while the other slapped at the water in reckless delight, the beast completely lost in its own rampage.
But gradually, something felt… off.
If that bug was dead, why hadn't this vast water domain collapsed?
Confused, Shukaku brought its raised claw closer to its face and carefully opened each finger, one by one. When the last claw unfurled, there was nothing there.
Still unwilling to accept it, it checked again—left paw, right paw—almost as if expecting Taichi to have been crushed into its palm.
Nothing.
"Yaaah—where are you?! You damned bug! Where did you hide?!"
It howled in fury, thrashing its arms and sending waves crashing wildly across the water.
Meanwhile, Taichi stood calmly on a tree at the edge of the flooded area—right beside one of Minato Namikaze's previously placed Flying Thunder God kunai.
Moments earlier, amid the chaos of surging water, Taichi had created a shadow clone in front of him. His real body had already escaped using Flying Thunder God.
It was meant as a precaution.
But seeing Shukaku's arrogance—and that sudden, predatory instinct—it turned out to be a life-saving decision.
If his real body had been caught in that crushing grip… even his flame-based survival technique might not have saved him.
Through chakra sensing, Taichi clearly watched Shukaku raging helplessly. Above its head, the kunai he'd used still sat lodged unnoticed—too insignificant for the beast to care about.
Then, as Shukaku began forming another Tailed Beast Bomb—
Taichi's eyes sharpened.
This was the opening.
A Rasengan formed in his right hand, but under his control, its chakra density kept increasing without changing size. The sphere grew brighter and brighter, its power condensing to a terrifying degree.
He locked onto the exact moment the Tailed Beast Bomb reached near-completion.
In the final second—
He vanished.
Appearing directly above Shukaku's head, Taichi slammed the enhanced Rasengan down—and immediately teleported away again.
The instant he disappeared—
The Rasengan detonated.
A normal Rasengan might blast a crater a few meters wide.
This one?
Shukaku's face twisted in fear—an expression rarely seen on the beast. The upper half of its head distorted, then exploded from within like a bomb detonating inside its skull.
Sand scattered across the sky.
But that wasn't the end.
With its head half gone, the unstable Tailed Beast Bomb it had been forming collapsed—its surface warping violently before erupting into an even larger explosion.
This time—
Nearly half of Shukaku's body was blown away.
In Taichi's perception, the beast's violent chakra signature froze for a brief instant… then vanished completely.
Through his soul vision, he saw Shukaku's massive soul light disperse into the world itself.
Unlike humans, whose souls flicker out like extinguished candles, the tailed beasts returned to the world—destined to re-form somewhere, someday.
That was their immortality.
With its soul gone, the remaining body lost all vitality. The massive form collapsed, crumbling back into ordinary sand that flooded the entire battlefield.
Shukaku… was dead.
No one had expected this.
Not the Konoha forces.
Not Sunagakure.
A creature like a natural disaster—killed by a single shinobi.
Even more shocking—Shukaku wasn't mindless. It had intelligence. If it couldn't win, it could have fled.
But it never got the chance.
Taichi's relentless offense had crushed it from start to finish.
The collapse of that fifty-meter giant was visible even kilometers away.
For Suna—
That sight shattered something deeper than their formation.
The tailed beast had been their pillar of hope. Even after taking losses, they believed victory was still within reach.
Now?
That pillar was gone.
"Dead! The jinchūriki is dead! Konoha's Shadow Reaper is here!"
No one knew who shouted it first.
But soon, the cry spread like wildfire.
Combined with the earlier orders—encounter Taichi, and you may abandon the mission without punishment—panic broke out completely.
Lower-ranked ninja began to collapse mentally.
One after another.
Like falling dominoes.
Within minutes, the entire Suna front line began to rout.
Even Konoha ninja were briefly stunned by how suddenly the enemy collapsed—but confusion quickly turned into momentum.
Morale surged.
Once. Twice. Then exploded.
They pressed forward, cutting down retreating enemies without mercy.
On the Suna side, Chiyo and Ebizo quickly organized a defensive retreat. Using their authority, they gathered a core group and began withdrawing in formation, salvaging what they could.
But for many others—
It was pure chaos.
Konoha, led by Minato and Shikaku, began sweeping the battlefield, aiming to eliminate as many Suna forces as possible.
As for Taichi—
He felt… a hint of regret.
Not for killing Shukaku.
But for failing to extract any of its chakra.
Research opportunities like that didn't come twice.
Shaking off the thought, he turned his attention to the battlefield nearby—where Jiraiya and Rasa were still locked in battle.
The ground there was split—half covered in gold dust, half transformed into swamp.
Jiraiya's Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld.
He was trying to suppress Rasa's sand production—but the result was only partial.
Even so, Jiraiya still held the advantage.
Taichi didn't hesitate.
With no need to maintain the water prison, he released control. The massive water mass surged forward like a tidal wave, swallowing everything in its path—gold dust, terrain, everything.
Before he even arrived, his voice rang out:
"Kazekage! Weren't you chasing us so confidently last time? Don't run now!"
Jiraiya followed up instantly, launching fire techniques while keeping Rasa pinned.
"Rasa! Picking on a kid, are you? Come fight me properly! Let's settle this today—whoever runs is the coward!"
Rasa nearly choked on anger.
Two-on-one—and still mocking him?
And that "kid"… what kind of child could kill Shukaku?!
Worse—
The battlefield was now flooded. His sand manipulation had become far more difficult.
And Taichi's chakra…
Where did that monster even get so much?!
Grinding his teeth, Rasa could only continue fighting defensively.
Because deep down—
He already knew.
The battle was lost.
As Taichi closed in, Rasa made his decision instantly.
If he hesitated any longer and got pinned down by both Taichi and Jiraiya, even escape might become impossible.
No more holding back.
The remaining gold dust around him condensed in an instant, transforming into a wide-area attack.
Golden Sand Drizzle.
A storm of razor-sharp sand rained down toward Jiraiya. While Jiraiya raised his defenses—his Hair Needle Shield technique absorbing the barrage—Rasa seized the moment. The remaining gold dust gathered beneath him into a floating platform, and with a single leap, he rose into the air once more.
"Running again, huh?! Coward!" Jiraiya shouted from below. If he couldn't hit him, he'd at least get the last word.
Taichi, already arriving at the scene, watched Rasa take flight yet again—his expression turning sour.
How many times now? So what if you can fly?!
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals and slammed his palm into the water below in frustration.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave.
Spears of high-pressure water shot upward one after another, piercing through the air with sharp whistling sounds as they chased Rasa into the sky.
Rasa was forced to weave and dodge constantly.
One stream came dangerously close—cutting straight through his gold sand platform and shaving off a chunk of it. Had the angle been slightly better, he might've lost a foot on the spot.
But in the end, he still escaped.
As Rasa climbed higher and higher, Taichi could only stop his attack and straighten up, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Then—
A heavy hand landed on his head.
"Kid, you've really grown. Even I'm impressed."
Jiraiya laughed heartily, ruffling Taichi's hair.
Taichi chuckled awkwardly, instinctively leaning back a little under the affectionate head-patting.
Jiraiya withdrew his hand naturally. Once was enough—anything more would be overdoing it. After all, this "kid" was already a top-tier fighter now.
"It's not as exaggerated as you think," Taichi said modestly. "Most of that was just brute chakra output, relying on the Yin Seal I stored up beforehand. It's not my real, sustained strength. And after this… it's basically empty."
In truth, only about half the stored chakra had been used.
But there was no need to advertise that.
Even without it, Taichi had already stepped firmly into the ranks of elite shinobi.
As he spoke, he formed a series of complex hand seals. The spreading markings across his body began to retract, flowing back toward his forehead and disappearing into the diamond-shaped seal.
If one looked closely, the mark still glowed faintly—it hadn't dimmed at all.
Jiraiya watched the entire process in silence, his gaze lingering briefly on Taichi's forehead before he smiled.
He didn't question it.
A shinobi should always keep some cards hidden.
"Alright, that's settled here," Jiraiya said, instantly switching back into commander mode. "My shadow clone just reported—our main front is a complete victory too."
He pointed toward the rear.
"You're fast. Head back immediately. Bring the logistics and medical teams forward—we're about to receive the wounded."
Taichi's expression brightened at the news of victory.
Then… it darkened again.
He suddenly remembered.
He had ditched Yōhei, Kakashi, and the others mid-battle.
Now that he thought about it—
Yeah. That was… not great.
Their reaction?
Probably not pleasant.
"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked, narrowing his eyes. "Your face just changed. Chakra exhaustion?"
"N-no… it's nothing," Taichi replied, clearly lacking confidence. "Just… remembered something unpleasant."
Before Jiraiya could press further—
"I'll go ahead!"
Taichi vanished on the spot using Flying Thunder God.
Jiraiya stood there for a moment, slightly puzzled, then shrugged it off. He leapt onto a nearby tree, scanning the battlefield before heading off to support the remaining skirmishes.
The large-scale battle was over—
But smaller fights were still raging everywhere.
Meanwhile, Taichi reappeared not far away—only a short teleport this time. After taking a moment to compose himself, he used Flying Thunder God again.
This time, he arrived at the rear—a temporary camp near Konoha's border.
He appeared directly beside the medical chief.
"Taichi! What's the situation?!"
Every eye turned to him. Logistics and medical leaders alike stared, waiting.
Taichi looked around at the crowd—
Then smiled.
"Victory. A complete victory."