At the border of the Land of Earth, shinobi from Takigakure and Iwagakure had already descended into fierce combat.
Across from Rōshi stood an elderly man in his fifties. The two faced one another in silence. All around them, the sounds of battle shook the battlefield—yet neither moved.
Before long, Takigakure's forces began to fall into a disadvantage. The old man opposite Rōshi was the first to lose his patience.
"Fourth Tsuchikage," he said slowly, "it seems I have no choice but to act."
He continued calmly:
"You understand this as well as I do. From the moment we became jinchūriki, we were destined to be nothing more than tragic weapons of war. Our entire worth exists for the battlefield."
"Now is the moment for us to prove that value. To have an opponent like you at the very end of my life… I have no regrets."
To be honest, Rōshi truly did not want to fight him. They were both jinchūriki, and their treatment within their respective villages had never been much different.
"You're already at death's door," Rōshi said. "Why force yourself to fight? Maybe you can live a few more days."
Born of the same fate—why must they destroy one another?
More importantly, the Takigakure jinchūriki before him was stronger.
That strength did not come from raw chakra alone.
A jinchūriki could suppress their tailed beast through sealing techniques and personal chakra, borrowing a portion of its power. But beyond that, there was another crucial factor: compatibility.
A true jinchūriki—one who had earned the tailed beast's recognition—did not rely solely on seals. In such cases, the seal merely provided space. The beast would not devour its host's consciousness, and would instead willingly provide chakra.
That was a perfect jinchūriki.
Rōshi's own slow growth was deeply tied to the Four-Tails within him. The two were utterly incompatible. The Four-Tails' chakra constantly leaked from the seal, disrupting Rōshi's control and forcing him to expend chakra simply to suppress it—leaving little room for training.
Yet the relationship between jinchūriki and tailed beast could be improved.
The villages had long realized this. A jinchūriki was molded from childhood—forced to endure fear, rejection, and isolation—so they could understand the tailed beast's pain, earn its sympathy, and ultimately gain its power.
The Takigakure jinchūriki before him had lived alongside the Seven-Tails for countless years. Now, at the end of his life, Rōshi could sense it clearly—the Seven-Tails had ceased resisting him, allowing him to walk peacefully toward the end.
By comparison, if Rōshi showed even the slightest weakness, the Four-Tails would seize his body without hesitation.
"Enough words," Rōshi sighed. "This is our fate."
The Takigakure jinchūriki removed his upper garment. Four dragonfly-like wings burst forth from his waist as he rose into the air.
"Secret Ninjutsu: Scale Powder!"
From above, countless yellow scales poured down, completely obscuring vision as they spread across the battlefield.
"This smoke may be poisonous—do not inhale it!"
In response, molten magma wrapped around Rōshi's body. A crimson tail emerged behind him.
"Lava Release Chakra Mode: Activate."
The heat radiating from Rōshi was intense. Before the scale powder could even touch him, it burned into black smoke.
"Do you think being airborne makes you untouchable?"
"Lava Style: Scorching Rocks Jutsu!"
Rōshi opened his mouth and fired several blazing magma spheres into the sky.
The Seven-Tails jinchūriki dodged them—but moments later, the spheres detonated midair, scattering molten fragments like a torrential rain. Several struck him, forcing a cry of pain.
More magma orbs followed. Knowing he could not evade them all, yellow waves rippled across his four wings. With a single motion, two intersecting air blades shot outward.
"Wing Slash!"
The magma attacks were shattered midair. The air blades continued downward, carving deep fissures into the earth.
Then countless yellow blades rained down relentlessly. Rōshi could only dodge, unable to counter.
"Give it up," the old man said. "Against someone who can fight in the air, you have no chance."
"Shut up, old man!" Rōshi snarled while forming seals. "Flying doesn't make you invincible!"
"Lava Style: Scorching River Great Eruption!"
A tidal wave of magma surged from his mouth. Rōshi stood atop the flowing lava, continuing to pour chakra into it as the molten tide rose to meet the airborne jinchūriki.
---
Below, ordinary shinobi—both Iwa and Taki—had long since retreated. They could only watch from afar.
They knew the war would be decided here.
Seeing the magma wave approach, the Seven-Tails jinchūriki formed seals.
"Scale Powder Blasting!"
The yellow powder ignited upon contact with the lava. Explosions erupted nonstop where red magma and yellow dust collided.
In the end, neither attack prevailed. The magma crashed back to the ground. The powder detonated completely.
The two once again locked eyes—one in the sky, one on the ground.
"The advantage is mine now," Rōshi said coldly, slamming his palm down.
"Lava Style: Floral Mountain!"
The battlefield was already flooded with magma. With that strike, Rōshi reshaped the land itself.
Chakra surged through the molten terrain. The temperature spiked once more.
Dozens of towering pillars of fire erupted like volcanic geysers, turning the battlefield into a sea of volcanoes.
The airborne jinchūriki began sweating—not from exhaustion, but from heat.
The ground temperature had risen past a thousand degrees. Anyone without Lava Style would be incinerated instantly.
Even in the air, he was forced to dodge both rising fire columns and magma projectiles.
"This chakra output shouldn't be sustainable… Is there another power source?"
He clenched his teeth.
"There's no choice… I'll offer up what little lifespan I have left."
"For Takigakure!"
He ascended higher and, during a brief lull, summoned a container from a sealing scroll—and drank it in one gulp.
Takigakure's two greatest taboos: one was Earth Grudge Fear, stolen by Kakuzu.
The other… was the Hero Water.
Hero Water multiplied chakra severalfold—but at the cost of lifespan. The user would die within seven days.
"Aaaaargh!"
His chakra exploded violently beyond his body's limits. Purple chakra burst from his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.
"What?!" Rōshi gasped.
The Seven-Tails jinchūriki was fully enveloped in a crimson tailed-beast cloak. Seven tails and four wings expanded wildly.
A colossal flying monstrosity—part beetle, part dragonfly—emerged in the sky.
"Tailed Beast Transformation!"
Rōshi clenched his teeth.
"No choice…!"
Twin white lights flared from his chest. The magma was instantly replaced by a black-and-red tailed-beast cloak.
Having completely drained two Heart Stones, Rōshi forcibly suppressed the Four-Tails' will and began his own transformation.
As the chakra cloak solidified, a massive crimson ape appeared upon the battlefield.
The clash of jinchūriki had truly begun.
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