Chapter 42: The Two-Tails Unleashed
Karui had truly overestimated the Scarlet Sand Scorpion. But she never could have imagined he would be this monstrous. Controlling a hundred puppets simultaneously was something entirely beyond her comprehension.
It wasn't just Karui, Omoi, and the recovering Yugito who were horrified. Even Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, was shocked speechless by the scene.
"This guy... he actually abandoned the conventional puppeteer method of using his fingers and created his own school, controlling puppets directly with his core?" Yugito Nii's face was a mask of fear. "What a madman. And he's made it so terrifying!"
She looked back at Uchiha Naoki, who was trading blows with her without losing ground, their impacts cracking the earth again and again. She gritted her teeth, her expression turning ugly. "You... you used me to complete the evolution of your Sharingan?!"
Looking at the three tomoe spinning in Uchiha Naoki's eye sockets, if she didn't realize now that his sudden sluggishness had been intentional, she would be a fool.
Not daring to be careless, she quickly disengaged and retreated. The Sharingan was the natural enemy of the Tailed Beasts. The Two-Tails inside her had already issued its most severe warning. She was no longer Uchiha Naoki's opponent.
She had to leave. Now. That was the only way to preserve some strength for Kumogakure. If she stayed and continued to fight, their entire squad would be wiped out here.
"But how could I abandon my comrades?!" Landing on the ground, Yugito Nii roared inwardly, "Matatabi! Please! Lend me all of your power!"
The Two-Tails had no objections.
Immediately, it was as if the ocean had overturned and the mountains were collapsing. An unimaginably heavy pressure erupted from Yugito Nii. More violent and disturbing chakra wrapped around her. Amidst the exploding ground, her form swelled, transforming into a massive blue-and-black patterned cat demon.
BOOM!
The surrounding ground collapsed uncontrollably, trees exploded, and a fierce wind raged. The very air could not bear the terrifying aura emanating from the Tailed Beast.
"A complete Tailed Beast transformation... the true chakra form of the Two-Tails," Uchiha Naoki murmured, licking his lips. Everything was so clear to his eyes now. The vast chakra within the Two-Tails, its flow patterns, its expressions, its movements—nothing could escape the insight and analysis of his three-tomoe Sharingan.
"The perceptual ability granted by the three-tomoe Sharingan is even more fluid." He touched his eyes. "Although I have no talent for genjutsu and will rarely use it, having this level of insight makes all the risk I took worth it."
He activated his Observation Haki, expanding his perceptual field. His own aura skyrocketed as he looked at the Two-Tails with a provocative smile. "Come on then, Matatabi!"
ROAR!
The Two-Tails roared in fury, its voice mingling with Yugito Nii's own rage. Amidst the deafening sound, the beast's form became unpredictable and swift, its speed no less than Yugito Nii's had been in her partial transformation.
But!
"Too slow!"
It was completely different from before when his Haki could only capture an approximate location. Augmented by the three-tomoe's insight and analytical abilities, the moment his Haki captured Matatabi's position, its exact location was instantly locked.
A superheated, condensed giant fist of magma tore through the air. The surrounding atmosphere distorted from the intense heat as it collided with the Two-Tails charging at high speed.
BOOM!
Thunder erupted on the open ground. Rocks shot into the sky, and the earth split apart. The Two-Tails' advance was abruptly halted.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the beast tried to retreat and wait for another opportunity.
But!
"Why the hurry to leave?!" Uchiha Naoki grinned, stomped the ground, and shouted, "Lava Burst Shot!"
BOOM!
A violent, unusually red pillar of magma erupted from the ground, piercing through the Two-Tails' chakra body before it could even react.
ROAR!
The Two-Tails swung its sharp claws in a pained rage, tearing through the air where Uchiha Naoki stood with unparalleled speed. But undoubtedly, Uchiha Naoki, now elementalized, ignored all damage.
Not waiting for the Two-Tails to move again, Uchiha Naoki—whose physical mobility had been greatly enhanced by his Sharingan's evolution—immediately transformed into a lava deity, moving to a position level with the beast's line of sight.
Just as the Two-Tails opened its maw to accumulate a massive fireball, Naoki blasted forth a giant, snarling lava dog's head. "Magma Style: Crimson Canine Lotus!"
BOOM!
Like a red laser, the scorching canine head pierced straight through the fireball and into the Two-Tails' body, grazing past Yugito Nii's real form within and piercing the Tailed Beast's chakra body once more.
OWWWW!!!
The Two-Tails' eyes burned crimson, now completely enraged. Its two tails stabbed toward Uchiha Naoki like twin spears. Naoki turned to lava again, effortlessly evading the blow.
But it wasn't over yet! With the powerful insight provided by the three-tomoe, he could now analyze and predict the Two-Tails' actions to a significant degree.
While still in his lava form mid-air, he launched another magma-fist rock at the beast. "Meteor Fire Rain!"
This blocked the Two-Tails' plan to capitalize on Naoki's body reforming on the ground to deliver a decisive blow.
"Goddamn it!!" Yugito Nii's furious roar echoed from within the beast, laced with extreme impatience.
And so, through his three-tomoe's insight, Uchiha Naoki could see Yugito Nii's chakra pathways becoming completely chaotic.
"Planning a killing blow, are you?"
The chakra within the Two-Tails also grew turbulent under Yugito Nii's influence. Two forces, one light and one dark, converged towards the beast's mouth in a drastically uneven ratio. This was unmistakably the precursor to a Tailed Beast Bomb.
"But I'm going to use this blow to force both me and Brother Sasori to retreat, giving you a chance to rescue Karui and the others, right?" Uchiha Naoki's lips curled in admiration. "A brilliant plan."
However, since he had insight into her intentions, how could he let her succeed?
"Burst—Lava Burst Shot!!"
Channeling all his power, he ripped multiple streams of lava from the ground, sending them spearing upward.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The lava was scorching and violent, piercing through the Two-Tails' body in multiple places, forcibly disrupting its sure-kill attack.
ROAR!!!
The Two-Tails roared in fury, its power enough to shatter the earth, but it could do nothing to Uchiha Naoki. On the contrary, the repeated injuries placed a massive burden on Yugito Nii, who immediately vomited a mouthful of blood.
But this was a stall tactic!
The moment Uchiha Naoki landed, the Two-Tails' twin tails swept through the air again, exploding with force. The resulting gale was strong enough to bend mighty trees. Now, if Uchiha Naoki didn't want to be injured by this blow, he would have to retreat. And if he retreated, the Two-Tails would have a chance to catch its breath. Even if Naoki saw through the beast's intentions, it was useless because he couldn't stop it. This was a true, unavoidable tactical move.
"Also, the Two-Tails' preparations are clearly more than just this."
The scorching power condensing in its throat undoubtedly told Uchiha Naoki one thing: the moment he dodged, he would be attacked again.
Sure enough, the instant he elementalized to avoid the twin tails' attack, a fireball ten meters tall hurtled across the ground, attempting to engulf him with sky-burning heat. His pursuit was forcibly halted.