Chapter 85 – Susanoo Cuts Down Shukaku
The clash between Susanoo and Shukaku—two colossal titans—instantly drew the attention of every shinobi on the battlefield. Even those locked in life-or-death duels couldn't help but glance toward the spectacle, wary of the destructive shockwaves rippling from their battle.
One stray blow from either monster could obliterate dozens in an instant. Everyone knew it, and so everyone watched with both awe and dread.
The Konoha shinobi, though uncertain what exactly this towering black giant was, felt their morale soar when they saw it driving back the Sand's infamous beast. Whatever it was, it had to be an ally.
By contrast, the Sunagakure forces were shaken. For generations, Shukaku—the so-called phantom of the desert—had been their symbol of dread and power. Yet here it was, wounded, arm and tail severed by a mysterious warrior from Konoha. Fear of Konoha's hidden might spread quickly through their ranks.
Nan, of course, was unaware of the wider impact he'd just had. His sudden intervention—crippling Shukaku in a single exchange—had rattled even the six great figures presiding over the battlefield.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru both stared at the armored giant, each reaching their own conclusions.
The Third Hokage had seen this power before. He remembered Uchiha Madara's Susanoo vividly. It was the domain of the Mangekyō Sharingan, or so the records said—yet Madara's eyes should have perished with him. So who now wielded this forbidden ocular power? Which Uchiha had awakened it?
Until now, Hiruzen had been grimly uncertain of victory. Jiraiya alone could not suppress Shukaku. But with this Mangekyō user on their side—one who seemed capable of dominating the beast outright—Konoha's prospects had shifted dramatically. Victory seemed within reach.
And yet, the old Hokage's relief was shadowed by unease. A Mangekyō… is its appearance a blessing, or a calamity waiting to unfold?
Orochimaru's reaction was different—sharper, more personal. He didn't fully understand the Mangekyō's mysteries, but he recognized the man.
Uchiha Han.
Hadn't he vanished long ago? Orochimaru had assumed him dead. Yet here he was, alive—and stronger than ever, bearing a power great enough to challenge a Tailed Beast.
The Sannin's golden eyes widened, and then narrowed with intrigue. His tongue flicked across his lips. So… just how did a once-mediocre Uchiha climb to such heights in so short a time?
Meanwhile, Shukaku roared in a frenzy, his voice shaking the battlefield with promises of Nan's grisly death. His massive frame lashed out in blind fury, sending waves of sand and shattered earth flying.
Then, abruptly, the tanuki stopped thrashing.
The air trembled as vast amounts of chakra—swirling red and blue in an uneven ratio of two parts yin to eight parts yang—gathered at his maw.
Nan's eyes narrowed, but his lips curled in a faint smile. Finally. The Tailed Beast Ball.
The Bijūdama—signature technique of all Tailed Beasts. Their ultimate weapon. By blending yin and yang chakra at a precise ratio, they birthed a sphere of annihilation, unmatched in destructive force.
Until now, Shukaku's attacks had been little more than oversized wind and sand techniques, overwhelming only through sheer chakra volume. They had bored Nan more than challenged him.
But this—this was different.
This was power worth meeting head-on.
Inside Susanoo, Nan tightened his focus, feeding more ocular power into the construct. The giant's frame solidified, its armor shimmering with greater density. He braced himself. Not to dodge. Not to evade. To clash.
At Shukaku's jaws, the condensed chakra coalesced into a growing black sphere, heavy and malevolent. Even incomplete, it was already a true Tailed Beast Ball.
But Shukaku wasn't stopping. His rage demanded more. He poured chakra recklessly into the sphere, swelling it larger and larger until it dwarfed his head—until it was nearly a third the size of his entire body.
The battlefield froze. Even the most hardened veterans felt their breath catch.
At last, the growth slowed, the expansion nearing Shukaku's limit. The Bijūdama pulsed in his jaws, a miniature black sun ready to erase everything in its path.
As expected, Shukaku's chakra was nowhere near the level of the Nine-Tails. Even after Naruto had drained most of Kurama's power, the fox could still create a Tailed Beast Bomb larger than its own body.
The destructive power of such a blast… unimaginable.
Both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage felt a chill run down their spines. If it detonated too close, even the shockwave alone would cause devastating casualties among ordinary shinobi.
Thus, as Shukaku's Bijūdama swelled ever larger, the Hokage and Kazekage simultaneously ordered their forces to retreat far from the battlefield.
The sphere of condensed chakra finally stopped growing when it reached half the size of Shukaku's body—its absolute limit. But even so, the beast had poured the entirety of its chakra into this single strike.
Even Nan felt the weight of the pressure radiating from it.
Shukaku let out a furious bellow:
"Never in my life have I suffered such humiliation! Die, brat of Indra!"
The monstrous sphere shot forward with terrifying speed—far faster than nearly any ninjutsu Nan had ever seen, a technique impossible to evade.
But evasion wasn't on his mind. Instead, he burst out laughing.
"Good! Let me see for myself what the legendary Tailed Beasts are truly capable of!"
Susanoo raised its massive blade, Eclipse, and cleaved down at the oncoming sphere.
The colossal black Bijūdama, nearly half the height of his Susanoo, smashed against the blade. For any normal shinobi, being struck by something of this size would mean shattered bones, ruptured organs, and instant death.
But Nan held his ground. The sheer force pressed against him, but he didn't yield. Step by step, he forced Susanoo forward while Eclipse slowly devoured the chakra within the sphere, weakening it while strengthening itself.
Yet the Bijūdama was infused with a terrifying amount of chakra. Though Susanoo could just barely withstand the impact, the ground beneath it could not. The construct's massive feet carved two deep furrows in the desert as it was pushed backward by the momentum.
Eclipse could consume chakra, yes—but not instantly. It would take time to drain a Bijūdama of this size. After all, this was still not Susanoo's final form.
But Nan refused to back down. The more chakra Eclipse devoured, the stronger Susanoo became, and the faster it consumed what remained.
Shukaku, however, quickly realized something was wrong. He had expected to overpower Nan, but instead his Bijūdama was shrinking before his very eyes. His heart sank.
If this attack fails… I'm finished.
Panic replaced fury. Shukaku abandoned the contest of strength and detonated the sphere.
With a deafening BOOM, the world exploded in light and force. The detonation was like a nuclear blast—an immense mushroom cloud rising into the sky, a shockwave flattening the desert and gouging out a massive crater in the sand.
From a safe distance, the shinobi of both villages watched with wide eyes and trembling hearts. Such apocalyptic force would have obliterated them without a trace. Surely even Nan could not have survived that.
But then—before the dust had settled, from deep within the mushroom cloud came a cold, defiant voice:
"Killing me won't be that easy."
A massive black blade of chakra slashed out from the smoke, tearing toward Shukaku.
The beast's eyes went wide with disbelief.
Even after pouring all of my chakra into a single Bijūdama… I still couldn't defeat him?
For the first time, the so-called spirit of the desert began to doubt itself.