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Hayato wanted to test himself in his normal state, sharpen his skills without relying on transformations—but the Rock Shinobi weren't about to give him that chance. The moment he moved, Rōshi unleashed the full power of the Four-Tails, Son Gokū.
With a deafening roar, the massive beast appeared before everyone. Despite sharing the same name as the legendary Monkey King, this Son Gokū looked nothing like the hero of myth. Its face was twisted and grotesque, its maw filled with long, jagged fangs—feral and monstrous rather than noble. Still, this wasn't the same world, so the difference made sense.
Unlike most jinchūriki, though, Rōshi had a decent relationship with his beast. He could wield the Four-Tails' power without it fighting back against him.
Boom!
Son Gokū's enormous, flame-wreathed fist came crashing down toward Hayato. His expression shifted instantly, and he leapt back fast, the ground shaking beneath him. One look at that colossal frame, one taste of that overwhelming energy, and Hayato knew it: trying to train in his normal form was a lost cause.
He drew in a deep breath, letting the storm of fury swell inside his chest. Rage burned through his heart and burst outward—
In an instant, his entire body was wrapped in a green aura. The next heartbeat, a towering figure—over six meters tall, nearly matching Son Gokū in size—stood in his place. A massive green giant.
"What?!" Son Gokū froze for a split second, clearly not expecting his opponent to grow into something just as huge. That was all the opening Hayato needed. His giant fist slammed straight into Son Gokū's face with a thunderous crack. The Four-Tails was lifted clean off the ground and smashed into the dirt with an explosive crash.
"You bastard! You actually hit me?!" Son Gokū roared, fury twisting his face. "Then die!"
Its jaws opened wide, spewing molten magma in a blazing torrent.
Hayato, mind clouded by rage, took the full blast head-on. His body hissed and sizzled, black smoke pouring off his skin, the surface charred and blistering. Agony tore a howl from his throat—but it only drove him further into madness. With a violent leap, he lunged at Son Gokū, slamming the beast onto its back. Straddling its chest, he raised both massive fists high and brought them crashing down.
Boom!
The impact drove Son Gokū's head deep into the earth. Fire gushed from its mouth and nostrils, forced out by the sheer force of the blow.
"Arghhh! Bastard!" Son Gokū howled again, lashing out. With a brutal kick, it threw Hayato off and scrambled to its feet, fists wreathed in fire as it swung them down.
Smack!
Hayato's massive hand caught the blazing fist mid-swing. The flames seared his skin, filling the air with the stench of burning flesh, but he held firm, smoke curling from his hand.
The two monsters clashed again and again, every blow shaking the battlefield, every step rattling the earth.
Watching from the sidelines, Rōshi and Ōnoki could only stare, eyes wide with disbelief.
"He's actually going toe-to-toe with Son Gokū… He really is a monster!" Rōshi muttered, heart pounding with shock. As the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, he knew better than anyone just how terrifying its strength was.
Ōnoki's expression hardened, shadows darkening his eyes. "Don't just stand there gawking. Attack! Sealing squad—be ready. The moment we get an opening, seal that green brute immediately."
Right after Ōnoki gave the order, the Iwa-nin unleashed a barrage of jutsu against Hayato's massive frame. Elemental blasts, big and small, lit up the battlefield. But with Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, standing right in front of him, Hayato barely paid them any attention. His focus was locked on the beast.
The attacks landing on him might've scarred anyone else, but the wounds closed almost instantly on his body. Compared to Son Gokū, the rest weren't even worth noticing.
Crack!
Hayato's hand shot out, seizing Son Gokū's flaming fist. With his other hand balled into a fist, he raised it high and slammed it down toward the beast.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki's voice boomed across the field. A brilliant beam of light shot forward, striking Hayato's arm—the one clutching Son Gokū. In an instant, a hole burned straight through, not just shredding flesh but pulverizing bone.
"Die!" Son Gokū roared, tearing free from Hayato's grip. He swung with all his might, his fist smashing into Hayato's face.
The giant staggered and toppled with a heavy crash. Son Gokū didn't waste the chance—he lunged forward, pinning Hayato beneath his massive body.
"Now! Seal Squad, move in!" Ōnoki's eyes gleamed as he barked the order.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!"
The sealing squad rushed in, layering jutsu and slapping specialized tools onto Hayato's body—techniques meant to bind tailed beasts themselves. Son Gokū's eyes flickered with a harsh glint. He remembered all too well being sealed inside Rōshi's body the same way.
"Raaaagh!"
Hayato let out a furious roar. His already gigantic body—nearly as big as Son Gokū's—suddenly swelled even larger, muscles and flesh bulging unnaturally. Son Gokū, who had him pinned a second ago, found himself thrown off balance and overwhelmed.
Boom!
The beast was tossed aside like a rag doll, crashing into the earth with a thunderous impact.
Hayato bellowed again, raising one colossal palm. With a sickening smack, like someone swatting a mosquito, he slammed it down on the sealing squad—instantly crushing nearly half of them to bloody pulp.
"What?!"
"The seal didn't work?!"
"No way…"
Ōnoki's jaw dropped. Rōshi froze. Even Son Gokū stared in shock. The sealing arts designed specifically to restrain tailed beasts had failed against Hayato.
Smack!
Another palm came down, blood spraying everywhere. The rest of the sealing squad—gone in an instant. No trace left behind but gore, as if he'd simply clapped away a handful of insects.
"....."