Chapter 218: Taking on Shukaku Head-On
"Move! Stop him!"
Because Sunagakure's sealing techniques were incomplete, their jinchūriki could only release the tailed beast's power in stages. That delay gave Taichi a precious window to strike.
If the jinchūriki were killed before fully unleashing the beast, it wouldn't just be embarrassing—it would be catastrophic. This jinchūriki was the key to the entire battle. If something went wrong now, everyone involved would become sinners in the eyes of the village.
Around him, Suna ninja immediately shifted their focus and rushed toward Taichi, determined to stop him from continuing his assault.
Taichi sharpened his focus to the limit. Drawing his short blade again, he moved with precision—slashing, parrying, deflecting. He knocked aside incoming kunai, blocked relentless strikes, and let small spheres of water form around him, intercepting the wind blades slicing through the air.
For a moment, he was completely engulfed in a storm of attacks. Surrounded on all sides, he could only fend them off, unable to continue pressuring the jinchūriki.
Meanwhile, within the raging flames, Ryosuke—the jinchūriki—continued to scream in agony. The tailed beast's power kept repairing his body as quickly as it was being destroyed. Break, restore. Break again, restore again. It was a cycle of endless torment.
Staggering forward step by step toward the river, his movements were clumsy and unstable under the overwhelming pain.
No one could endure that kind of suffering forever. And Ryosuke was no exception.
Gradually, the screams stopped.
But almost no one noticed.
Most of the Suna ninja were too focused on Taichi—he was surrounded, and if they could kill him here, it would be a major victory in itself.
Still, not everyone was blind to what was happening.
Those positioned farther away were the first to realize something was wrong. The flames were still burning… but the screams had vanished.
Had the jinchūriki… burned to death?
A chill crept into their hearts.
Several Suna ninja skilled in water techniques rushed forward, preparing to extinguish the flames—
But before they could act, a violent surge of chakra erupted from within the inferno.
More precisely, it burst from the molten mass of sand at the center.
The explosive chakra shockwave blew the flames apart instantly, sending nearby Suna ninja flying.
Then, from beneath the earth, vast amounts of sand surged upward, converging around the jinchūriki like a rising tide.
In just a few breaths—
A colossal monster, towering nearly fifty meters high, emerged on the battlefield.
This time, everyone saw it.
A piercing, ear-splitting shriek swept across the entire battlefield.
"—Aaaahhh!"
"I'm… finally free!"
The arrogant, domineering voice echoed across the field, announcing to all present that the One-Tail, Shukaku, had broken free from its restraints and returned once more to the open world.
At the rear, Jiraiya and his group had already advanced close to the front lines. The towering fifty-meter beast was now impossible to ignore.
"Looks like Sunagakure lost control… they actually let the tailed beast run wild," Jiraiya muttered grimly.
With lingering smoke still hanging over the river, he couldn't see clearly enough to realize the truth—
That this chaos had been triggered, in no small part, by Taichi himself.
"Send orders to the front immediately," Jiraiya barked. "All units—withdraw from the tailed beast's vicinity!"
Unlike Jiraiya and the others, who were still in the dark, the Suna command—led by Rasa—saw everything unfold with brutal clarity.
This entire disaster traced back to one person—Matsushita Taichi.
If he hadn't suddenly intervened and disrupted the jinchūriki's controlled release, things would never have spiraled this far out of control.
Now the tailed beast was fully unleashed.
And once free, Shukaku didn't care who stood before it. Suna, Konoha—it made no difference. Everyone was an ant. If anything, it likely hated Suna even more, after being imprisoned by them for so long.
"Seal team—stand by at all times! We cannot afford to lose the tailed beast!"
Rasa issued the order immediately while advancing toward the battlefield. Still, he didn't act right away—he needed to observe Shukaku's behavior before deciding his next move.
On the riverbank, Shukaku finished venting its fury. One foot stepped into the water—then it immediately recoiled in disgust, shaking its leg like a dog trying to flick off the moisture.
Then it scanned the battlefield.
Ignoring both Suna and Konoha forces alike, its gaze locked directly onto Taichi.
Both claws lifted—pointing straight at him.
"Ahhh—it's you! Found the one I want to kill!"
Taichi's face darkened instantly.
You stupid beast—do you have no memory? It was Suna that locked you up for years! Why target me the moment you're free?
…Unless the jinchūriki's lingering will was still influencing it.
But Shukaku didn't give him time to think.
Its belly swelled, its jaws opened wide—and a massive sphere of compressed chakra shot out.
Wind Release: Air Bullet (Refined Empty Blast).
Fortunately, Taichi had already anticipated this. The moment Shukaku's belly expanded, he flung out several Flying Thunder God kunai and vanished just as the attack hit.
A violent explosion ripped through the ground, tearing away an entire section of terrain. Several Suna ninja were shredded instantly—no time to dodge, no chance to survive.
Even Taichi, reappearing nearby, felt the terrifying aftermath. His kunai couldn't carry him far enough—he was still within the blast radius.
Without hesitation, he drew more kunai and began flickering around Shukaku, scattering Flying Thunder God markers farther and farther out.
"Little bug's pretty slippery… then try this—Air Bullet Barrage!"
Shukaku's manic shriek echoed across the battlefield.
One blast after another rained down, relentlessly chasing Taichi.
At this point, no one—Suna or Konoha—could stay in that area. Everyone fled in panic.
Except Taichi.
He deliberately ran toward clusters of Suna ninja.
And the worst part? Almost none of them could outrun him.
The result—countless Suna ninja were caught in Shukaku's bombardment, blown apart into mangled remains.
Rasa's expression darkened.
His forces weren't falling to Konoha—they were being slaughtered by their own tailed beast.
That was beyond humiliation.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Tidal Wave!"
A surge of gold sand erupted, blocking Taichi's path and intercepting his Flying Thunder God kunai.
Forced to halt, Taichi found himself briefly isolated.
Not entirely alone, though.
A figure with bright blond hair flashed forward against the chaos—arriving at his side in an instant.
It was Minato Namikaze.
Before he could even speak, another Air Bullet screamed toward them. Taichi grabbed him and teleported both of them fifty meters away.
They immediately flickered further out, escaping the shockwave.
"Minato-senpai, why are you here?"
"I arrived when the jinchūriki appeared, but had to circle around the battlefield. Didn't expect it to spiral into a full tailed beast rampage. I sent the others elsewhere—I came alone."
Taichi listened, then glanced at the distant Shukaku… and back at Minato.
Minato was strong—against people.
But against something like a tailed beast… his offensive power was limited.
Without hesitation, Taichi handed him a sealing scroll.
"Help me spread these Flying Thunder God kunai around. I'll hold Shukaku here."
Minato understood immediately. No arguments—just a quiet, "Be careful," before he vanished.
Rasa, watching from afar, initially considered interfering—but seeing Minato, he dismissed the idea. Those two were too slippery.
But just as he prepared to return to the main battlefield—
A loud voice crashed down from the sky.
"Fourth Kazekage! Your opponent is me—the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku—Jiraiya!"
Rasa looked up just in time to see a white-haired figure descending across the river.
Wind blades roared down, forcing him to summon gold sand defensively. Jiraiya landed smoothly, closing the distance immediately and dragging him into close combat—denying any chance of escape.
"Taichi, focus on the tailed beast. I'll handle the Kazekage. The front line is already turning in our favor—we just need to finish them."
The words were for Taichi—but also for Rasa.
And it worked.
Rasa grew increasingly anxious… and that anxiety began to cost him.
Meanwhile, Taichi finally had no restraints left.
The Kazekage was occupied.
Minato was reinforcing his mobility network.
Now—
He could fight without holding back.
He scanned the battlefield—and smiled.
Shukaku's bombardment had shattered the riverbanks. Water from upstream had overflowed, flooding the surrounding terrain.
A perfect battlefield.
Still… not enough.
Taichi formed a hand seal.
"Yin Seal… release."
The diamond mark on his forehead spread, sealing patterns racing across his body.
A massive surge of chakra flooded out—so overwhelming that a Byakugan user would've sworn it rivaled Shukaku itself.
Even Rasa and Shukaku grew wary.
But Taichi didn't care.
He slammed his hand down.
Water Release: Great Water Shockwave.
A massive torrent erupted beneath him, lifting him thirty meters into the air before spreading outward into a vast flood.
Within seconds, water rose to Shukaku's waist—trapping the massive beast.
Its movements slowed drastically.
It struggled, firing off Air Bullets in an attempt to break free—but Taichi was already closing in.
Hands flashing through seals—
He struck.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave.
High-density streams shot out like blades, piercing straight through Shukaku's body. Holes tore open, limbs shredded—
One stream cleanly severed an arm.
Shukaku shrieked—whether from pain or rage, it was impossible to tell.
Then, ignoring the damage entirely—
It began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Taichi's expression changed.
Air Bullets were one thing.
But that?
If the water field collapsed, restraining Shukaku would become far harder.
No hesitation.
He sprinted forward at full speed, flickered again—and hurled a Flying Thunder God kunai mid-motion.
Teleport.
In the final instant—
He appeared above Shukaku's head.
And was immediately met with two massive claws.
Clap.
The beast slammed its hands together, trapping him like an insect—grinding, crushing, trying to pulp him completely.
"Gyaa! Finally dead! You damn bug—hurting me like that!"