Chapter 43: The Jinchuriki's End
"However, Lady Yugito, aren't you underestimating me?"
As the fireball approached, Uchiha Naoki didn't even try to block it. Instead, he threw himself directly into the inferno. "For me, Fire Release is the least damaging ninjutsu of all!"
Letting the flames consume him, he turned into lava, completely unharmed by the blaze. The next moment, Uchiha Naoki's form swelled, bursting the fireball apart. Instantly, terrifying lava erupted in all directions.
"Too slow!"
The world turned red. A scorching fist, wreathed in supreme power, shot forth. The surrounding forest withered instantly under the heat as the punch hurtled toward the Two-Tails, which was just turning to retrieve Karui and the others.
"Not good!" Inside the beast, Yugito Nii's pupils contracted.
How could she have imagined that a Fire Release technique of that level would be completely harmless to him? She had no choice but to halt her movement and spread the Two-Tails' twin tails wide to block the blow.
BOOM!
An astonishing scene unfolded. The Two-Tails' massive body was sent flying back dozens of meters by Uchiha Naoki's punch. The ground shattered along its path, leaving a trail of broken earth and piled debris.
Not giving it a chance to recover, Uchiha Naoki appeared in front of the Tailed Beast again with a 'whoosh'. He looked at Yugito Nii within and flashed a bright, white-toothed smile. "Miss Yugito, it's over!"
His right arm was already bubbling, and he threw forth another frighteningly hot punch. "Magma Style: Crimson Canine Lotus!"
Its speed was immense, its penetrating power extreme. It was perfectly suited to pierce the Two-Tails' chakra body and capture the Jinchuriki within.
"Don't even think about it!!!" Matatabi roared furiously. The chakra in front of it suddenly intensified several times over, transforming into a solid barrier to protect Yugito Nii.
But!
The moment before impact, the lava canine head nimbly twisted upward, shot into the sky, and then plunged down like a thunderbolt. Before the Two-Tails could react, it broke through the chakra body and seized Yugito Nii!
Hiss!!!
Yugito Nii's pupils shrank to pinpricks, a trace of pure horror rising in her heart for the first time. Her body felt as heavy as lead, incapable of the slightest evasive movement.
"Am I... going to die?"
Facing the scorching lava that seemed capable of annihilating anything, she didn't believe her mortal body could possibly survive.
But at this critical moment, a massive, blue-purple chakra hand stretched out, blocking the blow.
"How could I... let you hurt my Jinchuriki?!" The Two-Tails' icy roar resounded across the battlefield. It had undoubtedly saved Yugito from certain death.
But it was clearly struggling!
BOOM!
The Two-Tails was blasted back again! Its massive chakra form quickly dissipated, degenerating back into a partial transformation state. Clearly, Matatabi also understood that its large size made it an easy target.
SWOOSH!
With a sudden burst of acceleration, Yugito Nii vanished from Uchiha Naoki's sight.
"Do you think... you can escape?" Uchiha Naoki's voice was low, like a demon's whisper, carrying a palpitation-inducing intensity. "Isn't that underestimating me a little too much?"
His Observation Haki locked on, his Sharingan providing insight. The location of Yugito Nii's reappearance was instantly clear.
WHOOSH!
A scorching heatwave erupted from his body, granting him terrifying propulsion as he shot toward a point ahead of him.
BUZZ!
A heavy punch flew out, causing the air to vibrate violently.
The next moment!
The instant Yugito Nii, moving at high speed, reappeared, Uchiha Naoki was already rapidly enlarging in her vision.
In her violently constricting pupils, Uchiha Naoki's powerful, chakra-wreathed fist slammed heavily into her chest.
THUD!
Yugito Nii clearly heard the sound of her ribs cracking. Blood poured uncontrollably from her seven orifices. Her body hurtled uncontrollably into the forest like an arrow from a bow.
BOOM!
Dust plumed. The forest was flattened. Finally, after a violent tremor, the ground fell still.
Uchiha Naoki had long since disappeared from his original position.
In the forest!
Before Yugito Nii could free herself from the shattered boulders she was pinned under, Uchiha Naoki descended upon her like a persistent shadow, delivering a heavy punch to knock her unconscious.
He did not kill her. His purpose was simple: to acquire future combat strength for the ninja village he intended to build.
That he could defeat Yugito Nii was no surprise to him. She was, after all, only at the Kage level. When he'd possessed the two-tomoe Sharingan, he had been able to contend with the reincarnated First Hokage. Was it not normal, then, that with the three-tomoe he could handle a Jinchuriki of similar caliber?
"Store!"
He directly placed the unconscious Yugito Nii into his system space, then deliberately created a massive disturbance.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Scorching lava wantonly destroyed the forest, exploding the land for a radius of a hundred meters, until the area was completely reduced to scorched ruins. He continued until his own chakra was severely depleted, his face pale, his body feeling hollowed out. Only then did he cease his assault and walk slowly to rejoin the Scarlet Sand Scorpion.
As for whether he was being monitored by absolute secrets? If he weren't absolutely confident, would he dare to secretly abduct the Jinchuriki and then stage such a destructive scene?
Two Minutes Later...
As Uchiha Naoki emerged from the forest and joined the Scarlet Sand Scorpion, the three other Cloud ninjas—Karui, Omoi, and the now-conscious but weakened Yugito—succumbed to their poison and died.
"Dead?" the Scarlet Sand Scorpion asked, noting the absence of Yugito Nii's body.
Hearing this, Uchiha Naoki spread his hands helplessly. "I wanted to capture her, to complete a Tailed Beast capture mission ahead of schedule. But there was no other way. She would rather die than be taken alive."
Ah. Lying without blushing, his heart steady. This was a basic skill.
The Scarlet Sand Scorpion nodded, finding nothing amiss in this explanation.
After delivering the completed mission to their employer from the Land of Cedars, the two set off on their return journey.
Three Days Later...
"The Two-Tails Jinchuriki is dead? A pity," Pain mused after hearing Uchiha Naoki's mission report. "If you had successfully captured her, it would have greatly advanced our primary objective."
It never occurred to him that Uchiha Naoki would dare to deceive him. Moreover, if Naoki had captured the Jinchuriki and hidden her privately, it would be impossible to conceal from the Tailed Beast perception of the Gedo Statue. The fact that Uchiha Naoki stood before the statue without triggering any reaction proved his story was true.
"However," Uchiha Naoki asked with an expression of 'sincere' concern, "won't the 'death' of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki draw the Raikage's attention to us? Could he condemn us and disrupt the organization's plans to develop in secret and accumulate power?"
Hearing this, the Deva Path Pain responded indifferently, "It is of no consequence." He glanced around at the assembled members and delivered major news. "In truth, even without the incident involving the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, I had already planned to initiate the Tailed Beast capture operation."
His words caused a stir of surprise among all present.
"So... where do we begin?" Uchiha Naoki asked, his expression exaggerated.
Although he already knew the answer in his heart, the deviations from the original timeline had occurred multiple times now. He no longer dared to rely completely on his foreknowledge.