The molten spheres clashed with the towering flames, the collision of their ninjutsu erupting in a deafening roar. The air twisted under the searing heat, waves of it rolling across the battlefield. Nearby ninjas, from both Konoha and Iwagakure, felt the terrifying power of their techniques.
Yet, Tengen's Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame proved superior, its blaze surging toward Rōshi.
"Lava Release: Granite Wall!" Rōshi conjured layers of molten rock, forming an impregnable defense. Though greatly diminished, Tengen's flames were ultimately halted.
A guttural roar tore from Rōshi's throat.
Crimson, frenzied chakra surged from his body, weaving a translucent tailed beast cloak around him. Tails sprouted, writhing in the air.
"You will die!" Rōshi's eyes burned with feral intensity as he charged Tengen, swift as lightning.
"Such speed!" Tengen's pupils contracted. In his tailed beast state, Rōshi's velocity had surged dramatically.
*Boom!* Rōshi's fist, imbued with the Four-Tails' power, struck Tengen's body. Tengen countered, their exchange faster than before, a blur of motion. Gradually, Tengen struggled to keep pace.
"Now!" A chakra-infused fist slammed into Tengen's chest, sending him crashing through several trees before he skidded to a stop.
"Impressive, Rōshi." Tengen said, his gaze steady. Remarkably, he appeared unscathed, Rōshi's attack hadn't been as devastating as expected.
"Then let's tap into ki." Tengen took a deep breath. His ki reserves weren't vast enough for techniques like a ki blast, but they significantly enhanced his taijutsu.
*Crack!* Tengen's foot slammed into the ground, shattering it. In an instant, his figure vanished.
This was Tengen's taijutsu, amplified by ki, rivaling the power of the first few gates of the Eight Gates.
"Here!" Rōshi spun to attack, but Tengen's fist breached his defenses, striking him squarely and sending him staggering back.
"Danger!" Rōshi's expression shifted as Tengen rushed him again.
"Too slow, too slow!" Tengen's figure flickered around Rōshi, impossible to track. Rōshi was hurled one way, then another, unable to counter even in his tailed beast state.
"Damn it!" Rōshi roared, pain searing through him. Tengen's strikes were taking their toll.
*Roar!* At that moment, Rōshi bellowed, his tails multiplying, four of them thrashing wildly. A deep crimson cloak, like living flesh, enveloped him, exuding the violent power of the tailed beast. This was the second stage of tailed beast transformation.
In this state, most Jinchuriki lost their sanity, with rare exceptions like Killer B of the Eight-Tails. Rōshi, barely, retained control.
"I'll kill you!" Rōshi seized Tengen with one hand, pummeling him with fists fueled by the Four-Tails' might.
Tengen's Armament Haki began to crumble under the onslaught, yet his gaze remained calm.
"Rōshi, did you forget I know the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Tengen said coldly.
"Flying Thunder God?" Rōshi's mind, clouded by the Four-Tails' savage chakra, reacted sluggishly.
Before he could respond, Tengen vanished from his grasp, reappearing at a spot marked by an earlier kunai.
"Damn you!" Rōshi slammed his hands to the ground.
The earth around Tengen morphed into a sea of molten lava, a Lava Release technique called Flower-Fruit Mountain, usable only in the second tailed beast state.
"Sky Dance Technique!" Tengen's body floated upward, but the lava sea erupted like a volcano, engulfing him.
Searing lava sprayed, scorching the ground into countless craters and setting trees ablaze.
In his second tailed beast form, Rōshi wielded Kage-level strength.
"Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, open!" Tengen's voice echoed faintly from above.
Green light enveloped him as the six gates unleashed a torrent of power, pushing his taijutsu to its pinnacle.
"What? Still alive?" Rōshi's face twisted. His rationality was fading, and he sensed he couldn't hold out much longer.
*Boom!* Tengen vanished, the air exploding with his speed, now surpassing some unspoken limit. Even Rōshi's second tailed beast form struggled to keep up.
*Bang! Bang!* Tengen's relentless strikes battered Rōshi, fueling the Jinchuriki's rage. A voice within urged him to surrender control completely.
The Iwagakure ninjas, still fighting Konoha's forces, watched the duel in awe. Their Four-Tails Jinchuriki, even in this state, was no match for Tengen. Just how strong was this Konoha genius? His taijutsu was monstrous.
Back during the Chunin Exams, Tengen, without his pseudo-One Punch Man training, Uzumaki physique, ki mastery, or Jonin status, had ravaged the Eight-Tails with the Eight Gates. Now, his taijutsu was even more terrifying.
Despair crept into the Iwagakure ninjas' hearts. Some Jonin began seeking escape routes, unwilling to be trapped here.
At that moment, a thunderous roar shook the battlefield.
A colossal, dozens-of-meters-tall beast emerged.
Rōshi had fully transformed into the Four-Tails.
***
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