They were wrapped in rich, dark red chakra cloaks, their figures completely hidden from view.

Behind them, one had four tails, the other five—each tail formed from densely concentrated, dark red chakra.

The two let out a sharp cry, exchanged glances, and then launched toward Kaito at breakneck speed. Their movements blurred into afterimages, and the air cracked behind them with thunderous force, like twin crimson streaks tearing through the battlefield.

These two were none other than the half-Tailed Beast forms of Roshi and Han.

Up in the air, Ōnoki's fighting spirit reignited at the sight.

He pressed his hands together, and a translucent cube began to form between his palms. He didn't attack immediately—he was biding his time.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Roshi and Han appeared before Kaito.

Their massive chakra-enhanced fists crashed toward him.

"Lava Style: Seabed Needle!"

"Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength!"

Two jutsus erupted simultaneously.

Roshi's lava-infused arm, radiating searing heat, surged forward with overwhelming force.

Han's dark red chakra fist punched forward, distorting the air around it with brute strength.

Kaito's body shimmered with crackling white lightning. His expression calm, he stepped forward, fists glowing with chakra, and met their assault head-on.

Boom!

At the epicenter of their clash, the ground cracked violently, shockwaves expanding outward in every direction.

The sheer impact kicked up fierce winds, tearing through everything in their path.

Roshi's lava punch exploded like a volcano, trying to engulf Kaito. But the lightning armor surrounding Kaito blocked the molten chakra from even touching his skin.

Han's raw strength was immense—but it paled in comparison to Kaito's punch. The two were sent flying without resistance.

However, in their half-Tailed Beast states, their recovery, strength, and durability had all been drastically enhanced.

Before they could be knocked too far away, they braced their bodies mid-air, landed roughly, and slid backwards across the ground, skidding to a stop as they dispersed the force of Kaito's counterattack.

They wasted no time.

Both opened their blood-red mouths wide.

Yin and Yang chakra fused inside them in an 8:2 ratio, tightly compressed.

In a flash, pitch-black spheres materialized within their jaws—Tailed Beast Bombs.

Boom!

Their mouths lit up like cannons, launching the twin bombs straight at Kaito at terrifying speed.

Kaito spun two full-moon-sized Rasengan, infused with wind and lightning chakra—Massive Rasengan—and hurled them toward the oncoming Tailed Beast Bombs.

BOOM!

It was like the end of the world.

The explosion rocked a ten-mile radius. The earth convulsed as though a dragon writhed beneath the surface.

At the core, searing white light consumed everything, leaving behind only scorched emptiness.

Chunks of land shot into the sky. The ground split apart like broken glass.

The energy backlash turned into slicing hurricanes that ripped through everything in their path.

It was a calamity.

Floating high in the air, Kaito remained surrounded by chakra, his clothes flapping wildly, standing on air using [Moonwalk].

Just then, a sound sliced through the wind.

Kaito turned—and saw a crystalline cube hurtling toward him like a bullet.

Ōnoki had chosen his moment.

"You're really persistent, Ōnoki!" Kaito muttered. He raised a finger, summoning a spiraling shuriken in an instant.

With a flick, he hurled the Rasenshuriken at the cube.

Then, without sparing another glance at Ōnoki, he looked downward.

The brilliant white light below had finally faded, revealing the devastation left behind.

At the heart of it was a bottomless crater stretching a kilometer wide. The surrounding landscape was scorched crimson, with faint white lightning crackling through the charred terrain.

The destruction spanned nearly ten miles in all directions.

"You should just unleash your full-tailed forms already," Kaito said coolly. His voice echoed clearly, laced with chakra. "You half-transformed beasts aren't even close to being my match."

Not far away, Roshi and Han heard him clearly. Kaito's words carried weight—and truth.

At that moment, several miles away, a young man hidden on a plain withdrew his gaze, sweat pouring down his face.

Clutching his chest, he muttered nervously, "So terrifying… He sensed me from that far away. That's insane…"

"What are you rambling about, Hizashi?! What's terrifying? What's going on at Rock Shinobi?" a chubby youth asked.

"Over there!" Hyuga Hizashi said, trembling slightly. "There's a battle going on—Tailed Beast-level!"

"Tailed Beast battle? The Third Raikage is still fighting after three days and nights? Didn't intel say he was on his deathbed? Wasn't Ōnoki supposed to send out Jinchūriki to fight?" Akimichi Chōza frowned.

Cloud had already withdrawn from the Sand battlefield. Konoha and Suna were still engaged in heavy fighting, but Iwagakure seemed ready to strike next. Hiruzen Sarutobi had dispatched Jiraiya for border defense.

Jiraiya had brought a team: Akimichi Chōza, Hyuga Hizashi, and Aburame Shiki.

Today, they felt the intense chakra pulses from the Land of Earth. Confirming that there were no nearby Iwagakure outposts, they crept closer.

Hizashi had used his Byakugan to scout—and was so shaken he couldn't stop sweating.

"There's definitely a Tailed Beast battle up ahead," Aburame Shiki said calmly. "Even my insects are too scared to leave my body."

"It's not the Raikage," Hizashi added after regaining composure. "It's a masked man. He's fighting the Third Tsuchikage, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, and the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki—by himself."

Silence.

Akimichi Chōza sucked in a sharp breath.

He didn't doubt Hizashi. Not after seeing the terror on his face.

---

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