Boom!
The fiery kick landed, but it failed to break through. Just as Kiyosuke's attack was about to hit, the monk hastily activated another sealing technique. By a hair's breadth, he managed to block the strike and save his own life.
"Who exactly are you?"
Hiding inside his fortress-like seal, the monk's heart pounded wildly. If that attack had connected, he would have been dead for sure.
"Didn't I say already? Just a passing masked rider."
Kiyosuke chuckled, sizing up the seal.
Eight green rods shot up around the monk, each taller than half a man. A thin transparent film stretched between them, completely sealing him in, even overhead.
"Please don't make jokes at my expense, sir."
The monk's voice trembled as he glared at the masked figure whose face he couldn't make out. He believed his seal couldn't be broken so easily, but he also knew he wasn't strong enough to fight this monster. His only hope was that this stranger was attacking on a whim and would soon lose interest.
"Hehehe, I'm not joking."
Kiyosuke touched the barrier with his hand, only to be repelled by its force.
"Oh? The seal's power isn't weak at all. Hm… extracting tailed beast chakra, huh? If I had to guess, this must be Sunagakure sealing arts. Tsk, tsk… so you even drew out chakra from the Seven-Tails as well. That's a pretty good haul. But no matter how successful you are, there's no way you can suppress two tailed beasts."
Containing one tailed beast was already dangerous enough—containing two? Impossible. Unless you were a monster like Senju Hashirama and used something like the Eight Trigrams Seal, or a seal even stronger than that, you couldn't suppress two rampaging tailed beasts.
This monk was far too greedy. Even if he managed to pull it off, the only thing awaiting him was death.
"You need not trouble yourself over that."
Cold sweat dripped down the monk's forehead—not from heat, but from fear.
He had already steeled himself to replace Gaara as the One-Tail's jinchūriki. But he had never prepared himself for death.
His mission had been simple: extract Shukaku's power from Gaara and seal it into himself.
But adding the Seven-Tails on top of that…
The outcome was unthinkable.
"Is that so? Just thought I'd mention it. Also, is it really wise to bring such harm to your newly appointed Sixth Kazekage?"
"This is Sunagakure's internal affair."
"Oh~"
Kiyosuke let out a drawn-out, meaningful sound before adding:
"You know… in the face of absolute power, any defense is nothing more than decoration."
"What?"
The monk turned, only to see Kiyosuke clench his fist.
A heavy punch slammed into the seal.
"Pointless effort. You can't possibly—"
The monk's mocking words froze in his throat as cracks spread across his supposedly impregnable barrier.
This seal could withstand B-rank ninjutsu without issue. How could it…?
Just who was this man?
What terrifying power!
"Oh? Not bad. It's tougher than I thought. But it's still nothing compared to the Four Violet Flames Formation."
And if even the Four Violet Flames Formation could be shattered, then this little barrier stood no chance.
Kiyosuke snorted and struck again, this time with a powerful kick.
The barrier shattered instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Kiyosuke was behind the monk, one foot crushing down on his shoulder.
"So? Pointless effort, wasn't it?"
"S-sir…"
The monk's body screamed under the weight, as though a mountain had fallen on him. His shoulder threatened to snap at any second. He no longer dared pluck at the strings of his biwa. Survival mattered more than extracting tailed beast chakra.
"Not playing anymore? That music wasn't bad. I've never seen a sealing technique driven by a biwa before. Honestly, if it were activated some other way, I might've forced you to teach me. A shame it requires an instrument."
Kiyosuke spoke almost regretfully—then pressed down harder.
Crack!
The monk's shoulder shattered beneath his heel.
"Aaaghhhh!!"
Agonizing pain tore through his body, forcing a scream from his throat. The chains erupting from his chest thrashed uncontrollably. Without his control, even the sliver of tailed beast chakra he had stolen couldn't keep them stable.
"Lost control already, huh? But it should stay manageable for a bit longer."
With that, Kiyosuke grabbed the monk by the leg and dragged him toward the cocoon below.
A crowd of shinobi had already gathered around it, Neji's team among them.
"Byakugan!"
The moment Neji saw someone approaching, his eyes activated. Recognizing Kiyosuke's true face, he nearly jumped in shock—but also sighed in relief.
"Kiyosuke-sama."
"Oh, Neji."
Kiyosuke tossed the monk at their feet.
"This guy's the culprit. If you seal all of his tenketsu with your Gentle Fist, the technique will collapse."
"Understood."
Neji's Byakugan traced every chakra point across the monk's body. His fingers blurred as he struck them in rapid succession.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
His speed was so great it was almost impossible to see. The Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist was truly top class.
As the final tenketsu was sealed, the chains instantly vanished. The monk, wracked with pain, passed out cold.
Inside the cocoon, Gaara and Fū exhaled in relief. Any longer, and both of them would have been drained to death.
The two stepped out, immediately noticing Kiyosuke and Neji.
By now, Kiyosuke had removed his mask.
"Yo, Kazekage-sama."
"Kiyosuke-sama."
Gaara didn't hesitate to address him respectfully. It was recognition of his strength.
Looking at the unconscious monk, Gaara sighed.
"Forgive me for making you witness such disgrace."
"I hadn't planned to interfere in Sunagakure's internal affairs, but… if I hadn't stepped in, things might've ended badly. I hope you'll forgive my intrusion."
"No—you saved our lives. We owe you thanks."
Gaara spoke quietly, and wisely refrained from asking why Kiyosuke was in the exam grounds. He knew the answer would only be brushed off.
"Oh, wow, mister, you're crazy strong!"
Fū came bouncing over, grinning ear to ear, as lively as ever.
"That's right—I'm crazy strong!"
Kiyosuke stood proudly, hands on his hips, accepting the praise without a shred of modesty.
He was positively basking in it.
"You're impossible, Fū! How many times have we told you not to run off?"
Her two teammates scolded her, exasperated. If Kiyosuke hadn't stepped in, Fū would've been dead. How could they face their leader then? Before leaving, he had reminded them a thousand times to take good care of her.
"Sorry, sorry!"
Fū stuck out her tongue playfully, still grinning.
"But this old guy really is super strong!"
"Of course he is! Kiyosuke-sama's strength is unquestionable. Fū, you're being rude!"
"Hahaha, it's fine. This girl's pretty interesting."
"See? See?"
"Fū!!!"