Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast of the Sand Village.
A living weapon feared even by the other Hidden Villages.
This was the ultimate trump card that gave Sunagakure the confidence to challenge the mighty Konoha forces.
Although Konoha's strength was undeniable—especially with the Uchiha clan leading the charge—Chiyo remained confident.
As long as they could control Shukaku, they still had a chance.
Rasa, too, regained some composure when he saw the massive form of the tailed beast begin to rise.
"You're right. With Shukaku, we can still turn the tide!" he declared.
He had confronted the berserk Ichibi in the past—he knew full well just how destructive it could be.
"All Sand Shinobi, fall back immediately!" Chiyo ordered sharply.
"Clear the battlefield and leave Shukaku to handle Konoha!"
She understood the tailed beasts were not allies—they were calamities. And any allied ninja too close to the rampage would only become collateral damage.
Upon hearing the order, the surrounding Sand Ninjas quickly retreated, abandoning the frontlines without hesitation.
Only Shukaku remained—a giant, monstrous tanuki—its body now towering over the battlefield.
With a snarl, it opened its mouth, wild chakra leaking from its form.
"What… what is that thing!?" a Konoha shinobi gasped.
"It's not a summoning… that's—no, that's a Tailed Beast!"
"The Sand really unleashed Shukaku!? Are they insane!?"
"Attack it! Stop it before it wipes us out!"
A handful of Uchiha quickly formed seals and launched a barrage of Katon (Fire Release) techniques toward Shukaku.
The flames hit, but their impact was negligible—against a tailed beast, these jutsu were little more than sparks.
Then, with a deafening roar, Shukaku slammed its clawed paw into the earth.
BOOM!
The ground quaked violently—like an earthquake had erupted beneath their feet.
Konoha shinobi were sent flying in all directions, many unable to even react in time.
The sheer pressure of a Tailed Beast's chakra was overwhelming—no ordinary shinobi could stand against it.
"Uchiha En!" Byakuya called out.
"Take everyone and fall back. This one's mine!"
En hesitated for a moment but nodded. "Understood! All units, withdraw—now!"
The Konoha forces pulled back to the battlefield's edge, watching from a safer distance.
This was no longer a clash between ordinary ninja—it was a confrontation between titans.
Byakuya stood alone before the raging One-Tail, completely unfazed.
"So… Shukaku," he murmured. "I never thought I'd face you this soon."
"Let's see if you can give me enough negative emotion to make this interesting…"
"ROARRR! Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
The Ichibi's mouth expanded unnaturally, and an enormous sphere of compressed wind burst forth toward Byakuya.
"Flash."
In an instant, Byakuya vanished from the spot. The massive wind bullet struck the ground behind him, carving out a massive crater in an instant.
"Not bad," he muttered.
Then—Susanoo.
Violent chakra erupted around him. As it solidified, a massive armored warrior formed in mid-air—Byakuya's third-stage Susanoo.
The spectral titan landed with a thunderous impact, its hand already gripping an enormous blade of chakra.
"Let's see how you handle this—Slash!"
With a roar, Susanoo swung the sword down with immense force, striking Shukaku head-on.
The tailed beast let out a pained scream as it was forced backward, its form skidding across the battlefield.
But Shukaku wasn't down for long. Its tail whipped around like a battering ram, crashing into Susanoo's side and pushing the construct back several meters.
"ROAR!!"
The One-Tail charged again, mouth open and claws outstretched.
"Come on!" Byakuya shouted, eyes glowing.
The two giants collided.
BOOM! BOOM! CRASH!
The earth trembled violently as the impact landed, carving massive craters into the battlefield. Shockwaves rippled outward, and a suffocating cloud of dust rose high into the sky.
The surrounding shinobi, both from Konoha and Sunagakure, could only watch in awe and fear.
"Wh-What power...!"
"Is that the might of a Tailed Beast!?"
"Lord Byakuya is incredible... Could he really defeat a Tailed Beast!?"
"Of course! Don't forget—Lord Byakuya awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"That's right! With the Mangekyō, even a Tailed Beast isn't invincible!"
The Uchiha clan members were filled with unwavering confidence. While they understood the danger of Shukaku, the One-Tail, they believed Byakuya's Sharingan gave him the edge.
On the other side, Chiyo and Rasa stood tensely, observing the clash between Byakuya's Susanoo and the rampaging Shukaku.
"Damn it... how is this possible?" Chiyo muttered. "He stopped the Tailed Beast's attack head-on..."
Rasa's eyes narrowed. He had fought Shukaku before—when its Jinchūriki lost control. "No... it's not just blocking. He's fighting it on equal ground."
Their earlier plan to rely on Shukaku as an overwhelming trump card against Konoha was starting to unravel. They had expected the One-Tail's destructive power to end the battle swiftly, but now even that wasn't guaranteed.
"Still... he can't win," Chiyo said, as if convincing herself. "No shinobi can truly defeat a Tailed Beast alone... not even someone with the Mangekyō."
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Byakuya's Susanoo delivered another series of punishing blows to the massive sand construct surrounding Shukaku. The force of the strikes was enough to shake the ground and rupture the surrounding terrain.
But Byakuya's brows furrowed.
Despite the barrage, Shukaku showed no sign of emotional agitation. No hatred, no rage—nothing to fuel Byakuya's eye technique.
"Strange... Why isn't he reacting?" Byakuya murmured.
"He should be overflowing with malice. He's a Tailed Beast..."
And yet, Shukaku's chakra remained eerily stable.
Unlike most living beings, Tailed Beasts were masses of chakra with vast but unusual emotional patterns. While known for their hatred of humans, the One-Tail was particularly erratic—sometimes gleeful, sometimes calm, and only truly enraged when provoked the right way.
Byakuya realized: this wasn't an ordinary opponent. Trying to manipulate Shukaku like a human or even a Jinchūriki was futile.
"This isn't like fighting a person..." he muttered, tightening his grip.
"If I want to bring him down... I'll have to do it the hard way."
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