Such a strong defense — is this the power of the One Tail?
Killer Bee swirled in a storm of swords, his blade flashing relentlessly. Each strike cut through the air with incredible speed and precision, but no matter how many times he swung, it was as if his sword struck only the surface of the ocean — unable to land a true hit on his opponent.
Frustrated, Killer Bee paused, narrowing his eyes. "In that case, I'll break it with sheer force!"
Sheathing his sword with a sharp click, Killer Bee retreated swiftly. A dark, destructive aura radiated from him like a storm about to break loose.
Behind him, eight massive octopus tentacles burst forth, spreading wide like a peacock proudly displaying its plumage.
Before the eyes of every warrior on the battlefield, Killer Bee vanished, transforming entirely into a terrifying monster — a hulking beast with the head of a bull and the writhing, powerful body of an octopus.
"Look at that!" one Sand Shinobi gasped in shock.
"What kind of monstrous creature is that? How could such a thing possibly appear on the battlefield?"
With its immense size and overwhelming presence, it was clear to all that this was the Eight Tails, Gyūki — the true form of Killer Bee's tailed beast.
The Sand Shinobi fighting alongside him momentarily froze in awe and confusion. Their hesitation gave the Cloud Shinobi a perfect opportunity to strike — and they took it mercilessly, slaying their opponents without mercy.
"Heh, rookies," sneered one Cloud Shinobi who had just dispatched his enemy, eyeing the bodies scattered around disdainfully.
But when he lifted his gaze to the monstrous figure dominating the field, his eyes shone with a fanatic admiration.
Strength was everything to the Cloud Shinobi — their pride, their ideal. To see such raw power was to witness something sacred.
Meanwhile, inside the yellow sand swirling around a small raccoon-like creature, Fenfu — the Jinchūriki of the One Tail Shukaku — looked on solemnly at the terrifying sight before him.
One Tail Shukaku — a violent, volatile spirit notorious for driving its Jinchūriki into madness and despair.
Because of this, Fenfu had long imprisoned himself, sealed tightly within a cage of sand and isolation, striving to avoid causing harm to those around him.
So deep was his self-imposed exile that even most of the Sand Shinobi were unaware of his existence, referring to him only reverently as "Shukaku-sama."
On the palms of Fenfu's hands, two kanji characters were etched with Chakra — "心" (Heart) and "受" (Receive). When his palms were placed together, they formed the character "愛" (Love).
This was his lifelong conviction.
Fenfu believed that every being, every spirit, yearned to be loved — even the tailed beasts themselves.
So much so, that even Shukaku, known for his cruelty and wildness, had acknowledged Fenfu's gentle heart as being as pure and beautiful as the Sage of Six Paths himself.
But now, with the fate of the village hanging in the balance, Fenfu knew he had no choice but to take a final, decisive step.
"Shukaku," he whispered, clasping his hands together. "The rest is in your hands."
His head bowed softly, Fenfu relaxed his mind and allowed himself to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
From within the tiny two-meter-tall civet cat slowly surged a majestic, powerful aura — rivaling even the true body of the Eight Tails in intensity.
The sand around Fenfu solidified rapidly, forming a monstrous figure that grew larger and larger, until it stood towering beside Gyūki — a giant civet cat as immense as the Eight Tails itself.
One Tail Shukaku had joined the battle!
A deafening roar ripped through the battlefield, shaking the earth beneath the feet of all present.
"Ahaha! Finally, I emerge once again!"
"The old man has been hiding, defending for nearly a hundred years!" someone shouted.
"But now," Shukaku's voice thundered with fury, "I will slaughter all of you as my price! Ahahahaha!"
The yellow sand at Shukaku's feet responded to his emotions — surging and swirling wildly, sometimes condensing into sharp blades, other times dispersing like smoke in the wind.
"What is that monstrous creature?" one Cloud Shinobi exclaimed.
"Damn, the Sand Ninja sent out their own Jinchūriki too!" another remarked, fear flickering in their eyes.
"Hmph! So what?" scoffed a more confident Cloud Shinobi. "Even if they send the One Tail, Killer Bee-sama — our perfect Jinchūriki — is stronger!"
Despite their bravado, the leaders of both sides — the battle-hardened Jonin — wasted no time with idle chatter.
With rich experience and clear heads, they immediately began organizing the evacuation and strategic repositioning of their respective ninjas.
Communication between tailed beasts was a dangerous thing. The residual energies alone could level entire armies if left unchecked.
"Kill who?" came a rough, booming voice that cut through the tension like a blade.
Shukaku's wild roar faltered as he turned, his crossed eyes narrowing.
"Gyūki," he said with a mixture of surprise and irritation. "Why are you here?"
Gyūki, the Eight Tails, stood tall and imposing, his dark, tentacled form bristling with raw power.
"It seems you're under very close watch," Gyūki replied coolly. "You don't even know what's going on."
He stepped forward, trying to sound conciliatory.
"How about this? Come with me, and I'll give you freedom."
Shukaku blinked, skeptical.
"Freedom?" he sneered. "With you?"
"Then what? Another Jinchūriki? Another prison?"
"Isn't that just swapping one cage for another?"
Shukaku's eyes rolled with disdain. Could this bull-headed beast really think he could fool a civet cat like him?
"You don't know civet cats," Shukaku spat. "We're smarter than you think."
"I don't want freedom from your hands," Shukaku said firmly.
"I want to kill every last one of these people, and then take the old man away."
"This boring, meaningless place — the old man is barely alive and no one even recognizes him anymore."
"If I'm going to go, I'm going to go on my own terms."
Gyūki frowned but smirked.
"Since you won't listen to reason, I guess I have no choice but to use force."
With that, the Eight Tails surged forward, sending eight massive tentacles whipping toward Shukaku like deadly spears.
"Trying the same old trick again?" Shukaku laughed bitterly.
"The nine tailed beasts have been together since we were young," he said, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
"We know each other's moves."
"When I was a brat, you used to tie me up with those tentacles every time I caused trouble."
"Before letting me go, you'd force me to admit my mistakes."
Shukaku's face twisted with an old shame as he looked at Gyūki's tentacles.
"I'm not the same as I was back then, Gyūki."
"Wind Style — Practice Blank Shots!"
Shukaku slammed his left palm into his abdomen, releasing a compressed air cannon from his mouth.
The concentrated blast shot toward the Eight Tails, hitting the tentacles with a thunderous boom.
The tentacles coiled tightly, blocking the attack, and the air cannon exploded harmlessly in place, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air.
"Is that your ultimate move?" Gyūki taunted. "It's only good for tickling me."
Shukaku's anger flared instantly.
"Argh! You think you can mock me?"
"Wind Style — Infinite Dust Great Breakthrough!"
With a tremendous inhalation, Shukaku sucked in sand and wind from around him, then spat it out with tremendous force.
A swirling storm of dust and sand slammed into Gyūki, clouding the battlefield in a thick haze.
"This move's good for blocking vision," Gyūki commented, unimpressed but interested.
"It's been a long time since we last met. I'm curious to see how much you've improved."
Shukaku smirked beneath his mask of dust.
"Hehehe, you're too arrogant, Gyūki!"
"Sandstorm Layer Burial Seal!"
With a deep surge of Chakra, Shukaku caused the yellow sand within a ten-kilometer radius to tremble and rise.
A massive wave of sand swept up the shinobi from both sides who were caught off guard, burying Gyūki under a gigantic pyramid of sand and sealing him in place.
"Hehe, this is the price you pay for underestimating me!" Shukaku chuckled with satisfaction, admiring his handiwork.
Turning away from Gyūki, Shukaku's fierce gaze returned to the battlefield.
He had planned to vent his fury on the Cloud Shinobi first — since Gyūki clearly wanted to help them capture him, he would make them pay first.
The battle was far from over, and the war between the tails had just begun.