The canyon had partially collapsed in many areas within the range of Susanoo and the Gedo Statue's movements.
The rain had stopped.
When Masashi reappeared in the valley, he was standing on a slanted rock beach, tilted at a forty-five-degree angle.
The place where he had originally left his Flying Thunder God mark was now just part of this rocky terrain.
Under Nagato's control, the Gedo Statue took a step toward him.
"It seems we can have a proper conversation now." Nagato stood atop the statue, looking down.
He believed that even someone like Masashi must have exhausted most of his chakra after maintaining Susanoo for so long, reaching a dangerous level.
Even though it was the Gedo Statue's chakra being absorbed, as its controller, Nagato could clearly feel that Masashi had lost a significant amount of chakra. Even a tailed beast would be in serious trouble after losing so much.
Comparing it to his own chakra reserves, he figured that Masashi was no longer capable of using Susanoo. However, the Flying Thunder God Technique might still be usable a few more times, just enough for him to escape.
This technique was truly troublesome. Without it, once caught in the Gedo Statue's chakra drain, Masashi would have no other fate but to be completely drained dry.
Since he couldn't kill him now, Nagato didn't want to completely sever ties either. Doing so at this moment wouldn't benefit him or his plans. If a fallout had to happen, it should be after Konoha's upcoming joint chunin exams.
"With that attitude of yours, there's nothing to talk about." Masashi smiled. "I need to make you behave first."
"You don't even have enough chakra to maintain your Sharingan anymore, do you?" Nagato said. "If you run away now, your subordinates won't make it out of the Land of Rain."
"My chakra is indeed running low." Masashi nodded.
His eyes had returned to their normal black color.
Even though he had absorbed a lot of the Gedo Statue's chakra, it had all been used to restore his body. As for his own chakra, he had left it as bait, buying himself time.
The strategy had worked well. Even just in terms of his Sharingan, his visual prowess had significantly improved, and an initially weak ability was now becoming complete.
His physical energy was less perceptible, not as intuitively felt.
But he was confident that now, he could pull it off.
Masashi stretched his neck and relaxed his muscles.
"But fighting you? No problem." After finishing his warm-up, he beckoned to Nagato. "Don't stop now. There's nothing to talk about. Come on, let's continue."
Looking at the Gedo Statue, he was practically drooling.
The opportunity to harvest parts from it was too tempting to pass up, he'd never forgive himself otherwise. He searched for any vulnerability, wondering if the statue had a "G-spot" he could exploit with a well-placed kick. Even smashing its… vital parts might work well. That area was probably fragile and easy to break.
It might be an improper place to attack, but when it came to getting stronger, dignity didn't matter. But why didn't it have one? Trees should have reproductive organs too.
Masashi recalled that a plant's reproductive organs were usually its flowers, fruits, or seeds…
Hmm? Fruit?
A bold idea suddenly crossed his mind.
"You're asking for death. Don't blame me for what happens next." Nagato had no idea what Masashi was thinking. He only felt that Masashi had become too reckless.
Way too reckless.
But as long as he didn't run away, that was fine. Nagato was eager for this. He didn't believe anyone in this world could withstand the power of the Gedo Statue.
Masashi didn't bother arguing with Nagato. While he enjoyed thinking outside the box, making money, drinking tea, and playing cards, he didn't consider himself a chatterbox.
Did losing his Sharingan make him weak? What a joke.
Did running low on chakra mean he couldn't fight? That was some old-man logic.
Seeing that Masashi ignored him, Nagato didn't get angry. He simply commanded the Gedo Statue once again.
After a brief moment of silence, the statue let out a deep roar, raising its massive hand like a shadow covering the sky. With a burst of pressure, it came crashing down.
The canyon walls trembled, and the rocks on the ground bounced up as if caught in a hurricane, revealing the bare rock layers beneath.
Finally, a heavily damaged section of the canyon wall collapsed completely, crashing onto the statue and shattering into countless smaller fragments at its feet, sending up a cloud of dust.
Nagato's eyes widened.
Because not all of this commotion had been caused by the Gedo Statue.
At that moment, through the gaps between the statue's fingers, a solidified blue chakra was surging upward like flames!
At the same time, Nagato sensed an incredibly violent chakra below, a chakra that shouldn't belong to a human, expanding wildly!
This is…
Just as he began to form a hypothesis, the blue chakra flames erupted with explosive force. Even the Gedo Statue, with all its might, was pushed back by the shockwave, losing its balance and crashing onto its rear against the mountain behind it.
But Nagato wasn't concerned about the statue's posture.
Because in front of him, the surging chakra was expanding to an astonishing degree, like real flames. Red flames devour the clouds, their heat rising to the heavens.
How does he have tailed beast chakra?! Is this… the Two-Tails?!
Nagato was certain that Masashi wasn't a jinchūriki. A jinchūriki's body unmistakably contained a tailed beast's chakra, which was impossible to hide from a sensor-type ninja. The difference between human and tailed beast chakra was too distinct.
Yet up until this moment, Masashi had not displayed even the slightest trace of tailed beast chakra.
How was this possible?
Nagato didn't know.
---
As Nagato struggled to understand the scene before him, in Konoha, within the Uchiha clan's territory, the jonin were all staring in shock at the Two-Tails, standing in the forest.
At that moment, a familiar curse mark appeared on Matatabi's forehead. The large feline paid no attention to the group of Uchiha jonin surrounding it. Instead, it was fulfilling its agreement with Masashi, releasing a vast amount of chakra, beyond what humans could even comprehend.
Seeing Matatabi in this state, the Uchiha present immediately understood what was happening.
Among their clan, only those who bore the curse mark could access Matatabi's chakra, and aside from Masashi, all of them were present. None of them had requested chakra assistance from Matatabi. That could only mean one thing, Masashi was the one using Matatabi's chakra.
Through the Sharingan, they could see that the amount of chakra Matatabi was releasing was far from ordinary.
"What's happening? A curse mark? Is it Masashi!?" A middle-aged man appeared, his expression serious… Actually, no, he just had a perpetual poker face.
"Fugaku-sama!" The crowd quickly made way.
"Someone explain."
"Yes. None of the clan members with the curse mark have used its power," Shisui stepped forward. "Even if they did, they couldn't reach this level. It can only be Masashi-nii."
Shisui himself was also one of the Uchiha who bore the curse mark.
"Masashi must have encountered a formidable enemy. Ame… Could it be that self-proclaimed 'god'?" Fugaku was truly furious now.
Damn you, Ame. I was finally close to retirement, and now you dare target Masashi?!
So you think the Uchiha clan has just given up fighting, huh?
"Shisui, as the Hokage Advisor, I'm authorizing you to immediately lead the First Squad to Ame to support Masashi! You may also command any of the clan's jonin as needed. I'll handle the rest."
Fugaku pulled out a small notepad and pen from his robe, quickly scribbled an order, and then stamped it with his advisor's seal.
"Go immediately! Don't waste any time!"
"Yes!" Shisui knew the situation was urgent. He took the order, immediately selected a few jonin on the spot, and they all rushed off toward the Police Force headquarters.
"Itachi, you go too." Fugaku suddenly turned to Itachi in the crowd. "Your teacher is in trouble. As his student, you should be there."
Without a word, Itachi dashed after Shisui and the others.
Amidst all the commotion at his feet, Matatabi remained unbothered. It was currently communicating with Masashi.
Masashi, how did you come across that thing? Sorry, I can't face it directly.
I know. Just lend me your chakra. I need to enter Tailed Beast Mode.
Oh? You can do it now? Alright! Take as much as you need!
---
In Ame's canyon, after completing their real-time communication, Masashi instantly felt the full chakra connection from Matatabi flowing into him.
On the other side, the Gedo Statue was using the rocky walls to push itself back up.
A jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Mode was similar to using Susanoo, but Masashi had never been able to use it before. As a non-jinchūriki, his body couldn't fully withstand Matatabi's chakra.
It wasn't that his chakra pathways couldn't handle it, it was that the system connected too closely with his internal organs, which couldn't endure the strain. If he forced Tailed Beast Mode, the first thing to suffer severe damage would be his organs.
But now, he felt like he could do it!
Matatabi's chakra had already completed a full cycle through his chakra network and was beginning to integrate into his internal organs. This time, there was no excruciating pain like in his previous failed attempts. It was uncomfortable, but bearable.
Before the Gedo Statue could fully stand, a massive beast, wreathed in blue flames, finally took shape.
On top of the statue, Nagato was truly shocked.
Masashi had entered full Tailed Beast Mode. And not just a partial transformation, this was the complete form!
In this state, the user could wield nearly all of the tailed beast's abilities while also possessing the strength of the beast itself.
Even for actual jinchūriki, reaching this stage was no easy feat. The vast majority were stuck at the incomplete "Version 2" transformation for their entire lives.
Suddenly, the Gedo Statue let out a roar, but this time, it wasn't Nagato controlling it.
Alarmed, he rapidly poured more chakra into it, trying to regain control.
But something was off.
The Gedo Statue seemed to be going berserk.
It moved on its own, lunging straight at the fully transformed Masashi!
Theoretically, thanks to enhanced combat awareness and skills, a fully tailed beast-transformed jinchūriki should be stronger than the beast itself. However, considering the prerequisites for full transformation, most jinchūriki find themselves in an awkward position, ironically, the tailed beast alone often outperforms them.
But Masashi didn't have this problem.
Even though it was his first time using full tailed beast transformation, it felt no different from using Susanoo, completely natural.
And he could perfectly use the technique he had borrowed, no, referenced, the Super Push Hand. When the Gedo Statue suddenly charged forward like it was on drugs, his reflex was to slap it across the face.
But he didn't just slap once.
The moment his first hit landed, it turned into a flurry of consecutive slaps. One could call it: tailed beast transformation, Unruly Big Cat, Super Consecutive Slaps.
This wild barrage wasn't even Masashi's intention. His unique state with Matatabi made his tailed beast transformation different from ordinary jinchūriki. Both he and Matatabi could control the transformation's chakra shell, and they shared vision.
So this insane combo? That was all Matatabi. The moment it saw the Gedo Statue pouncing, it freaked out.
The statue was bigger than Matatabi, so the startled beast instinctively made the chakra shell leap up to attack. Even in its complete form, the chakra shell was as agile as Matatabi itself.
The relentless slaps spun the Gedo Statue around in place, and Nagato almost got flung off. He barely managed to steady himself, but in the process, his chakra rods snapped!
Not good! He cursed inwardly.
Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but with the statue already unstable, suddenly losing direct control meant it could truly run amok.
And just as he feared, the Gedo Statue completely broke free of his influence and began thrashing violently, trying to shake him off.
It clearly found the thing on its head extremely annoying.
Meanwhile, Masashi was baffled by the scene before him.
Why was the Gedo Statue suddenly dancing?
No, seriously, this thing was straight-up raving! He wasn't about to be fooled, back in his first life, he'd seen plenty of people in the club flailing around like this.
But there wasn't even any music playing... Did this thing have a built-in rhythm?
A wild thought crossed his mind.
Could it be… the Ten-Tails was just a suit? A regular at the club?
Holy crap! What if this was some insane isekai plot where a reincarnator turned into the Divine Tree, got their you-know-what eaten by the villain, and now rampaged across time and space trying to get it back?!
Damn, that could be an entire novel!
Masashi was shook. He felt a sudden chill down his spine.
A fate this tragic… it brought tears to his eyes. He had to help this poor soul reincarnate ASAP.
"Matatabi! I'm going in, fire a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Got it! Blast it away!
Working in perfect sync, they shaped the chakra shell's mouth and rapidly formed a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The Gedo Statue stopped "dancing" and let out a low, menacing growl. It crossed its arms in front of itself in a defensive stance. Even though it had no eyes, both Masashi and Matatabi felt it staring them down.
Take this!
The dark sphere shot forward, slamming into the Gedo Statue's arms and erupting in a blinding explosion of light.
The resulting shockwave was immense.
The brightness rivaled the sun itself, and even with Matatabi's chakra shielding him, Masashi's vision was momentarily overwhelmed. Reacting instantly, he maneuvered the chakra shell to jump back, using the explosion's force to create distance.
This was, after all, the Ten-Tails' body, he couldn't afford to be careless.
As he landed, the area ahead was engulfed in a swirling dust storm, like a miniature sandstorm raging toward him.
Matatabi's usual moves consisted of scratching, shedding fur, and spitting fireballs, but he was a ninja, of course, he would use jutsu.
In complete tailed beast form, his ninjutsu was just as amplified as a fully armored Susanoo. So Masashi unleashed a storm of his own.
The clash of winds halted the advancing dust cloud, but within the swirling debris, a massive shadow emerged.
It was the Gedo Statue.
It had taken a direct hit from a Tailed Beast Bomb and only looked slightly scorched.
"ROAAARRR!!"
With a deafening roar, it burst through the dust, charging straight at him, completely unfazed by his wind attack.
Damn, that thing is tanky!
But hey, if someone stole your you-know-what, you'd probably be just as pissed.
With an infusion of chakra, the tailed beast's shell expanded rapidly, growing to match the Gedo Statue's size. Then, standing upright, it braced itself.
When the statue's massive hand reached for him.
"Time for bed."
Big Cat Over-the-Shoulder Throw!
The Gedo Statue was lifted and slammed into the ground, forming a deep crater in the rock. If it were human, it'd probably be dumbfounded, since when did cats suplex people instead of scratching them?!
But it wasn't human.
Ever since Hagoromo had stripped away most of its chakra, its intelligence had faded along with it, leaving behind only primal instincts. And right now, its only instinct was to reclaim its lost chakra.
So it tried to rise again.
"Oh? Still going?"
Masashi watched it struggle to get up. No doubt about it, the Gedo Statue was freakishly strong. He couldn't just pin it down.
So, instead of forcing it down, he let go and leaped high into the air, curling into a ball mid-flight.
Back in the Land of Iron, when he had been observing the battlefield, he had not only seen Deidara in action but also Kurotsuchi using this technique to enhance her Lava Release attacks.
He had thought it was a pretty good jutsu, so he borrowed it. After all, he couldn't just let his time as an observer go to waste, could he?
But a single weight increase wasn't enough.
As the curled-up tailed beast chakra cloak began its descent, Masashi added another jutsu to the mix.
A sharp, piercing shriek filled the air as the chakra cloak plummeted, crashing heavily onto the Gedo Statue's chest. This time, the impact drove the massive creature deep into the ground.
Its enormous body didn't just sink into the layers of earth, the shockwave was powerful enough to devastate the entire landscape.
The ground began to collapse, boulders flew through the air, and amidst the chaos, a lone figure used the airborne rocks as stepping stones, leaping swiftly away.
It was Nagato.
He had given up.
There was no way to reestablish control over the Gedo Statue now, so he figured he might as well let the two monsters fight it out.
The structural integrity of this entire rocky region had been utterly destroyed. The collapses would continue, and most importantly, the sheer density and turbulence of the chakra here completely disrupted his sensory abilities.
He had to leave.
But just as he was retreating, a massive cat tail whipped through the air from within the debris.
Like a baseball bat, it struck him mid-air.
Nagato barely had time to brace himself before he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a distant mountain.
Inside the tailed beast cloak, Masashi hovered at the head of the giant cat, watching Nagato streak through the sky like a shooting star.
He was quite satisfied.
"Damn nuisance…" He lowered his hand from his forehead, where he had been mockingly shading his eyes like an observer, and turned his attention to the collapsing terrain. "Matatabi, let's get out of here too."
Auto-mode activated.
This was Matatabi's specialty.
With a few agile leaps, the enormous chakra-cloaked cat effortlessly escaped the danger zone. It landed on another mountain peak, overlooking the widespread destruction below.
Meanwhile, Masashi was already considering his next move.
This Gedo Statue was ridiculously tough, how was he supposed to break a piece off? And if he did manage to break something off, what would he do with it?
Maybe… soak it in alcohol? If deer antlers could be used for tinctures, surely this thing would work too, right?
Then again, if he did that, his wife would probably think he was trying to boost his stamina and double his chores around the house.
He didn't even drink on the job anymore! Where was the trust between people?
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
An enraged howl echoed from the collapsing depths as a massive hand burst out of the debris, followed by half of the Gedo Statue's body.
"Relax, Matatabi," Masashi reassured.
It wanted to climb out? What was this, rock climbing?
Sure enough, like a dying beast's final struggle, the Gedo Statue's attempt to rise only triggered an even larger collapse. In an instant, its half-emerged body sank back down, leaving only its head. Then, even that disappeared, leaving just one giant hand clawing at the air.
Wherever it grasped, the ground crumbled further.
At this point, Masashi reconsidered, maybe the Ten-Tails wasn't a reincarnated soul after all. Maybe it naturally knew how to rave.
Otherwise, how could something be this stupid?
"It's just a wild beast at this point…" Masashi sighed.
Don't let your guard down, Masashi! While it's stuck, we should run.
"Run? Hell no. I'm getting a piece of this thing today."
Come on, you just want its chakra, right? I can talk to the other tailed beasts for you. But if we keep dragging this out and it actually catches us, my chakra alone won't be enough for it!
"You're way too cautious. I know what this thing is. Didn't all of you tailed beasts get the intelligence it lost? You're the great Matatabi, aren't you? Don't wimp out now."
Just moments ago, when the Gedo Statue had reached out, Masashi had noticed that the wounds on its hands had deepened, probably from tanking the Tailed Beast Bomb earlier.
An idea suddenly struck him.
"Matatabi, I've got a plan. I still need to recover some chakra, so don't let me down."
How do you even know about my connection to it? What are you planning?
"I'll explain later. Right now, I want to test out my new eye technique. Prep a big Tailed Beast Bomb for me, aim for that hand that just emerged."
Fine, but you better come talk to me after this.
"Yeah, yeah, I promise. Now hurry up, I think it's about to break free."
Matatabi fell silent, focusing as an immense amount of chakra surged into the tailed beast cloak.
Below, the collapsed mountain remains trembled once more. The Gedo Statue's enraged roar echoed through the canyon. Finally, one of its arms burst through the earth.
Not that one. Next!
As if responding to Masashi's call, the other arm emerged, each hand gripping chunks of ground.
With a thunderous rumble, the Gedo Statue pushed against the debris trapping it, forcing its head to the surface.
Sensing the familiar chakra, it strained its neck, locking eyes with the looming Matatabi. Excitement surged through its form, and it let out a thrilled roar.
But what greeted it was a perfectly formed, ten times larger Tailed Beast Bomb.
With a deafening explosion that rivaled a thunderstorm, the battlefield was once again engulfed in blinding light.