Explosion. Tremors. A raging storm swept across the heart of the desert in an instant.
"Unbelievable, Chizan, how did you block that?"
"Your Tailed Beast Ball isn't just stronger than Shukaku's, it's also larger."
Chōmei's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He couldn't believe what had just happened.
At the very moment the two Tailed Beast Balls collided, the one fired by Gekko Chizan actually managed to block Shukaku's. And then—both of them shot straight up into the sky.
And exploded in midair.
"Chōmei, you need to understand—brute force alone is never the answer. My Tailed Beast Ball may be a bit smaller, but its density isn't inferior to Shukaku's."
"As for the size? That's irrelevant. I aimed precisely at the underside of his Tailed Beast Ball. Under the effect of force, of course it was launched skyward."
"This is called winning with finesse!"
Chōmei was stunned, his insect body frozen in disbelief. He thought: That's even possible?
Though the Tailed Beast Ball failed to kill Gekko Chizan, Shukaku didn't care. Enraged, he let out a deafening roar, then controlled the surrounding sand, forming giant hands that clawed toward Chizan.
These sands were more flexible and threatening than before, massive hands formed from countless grains.
To Gekko Chizan, it felt less like a desert and more like hell itself.
After all, only in hell would so many hands reach out at once!
But facing Shukaku's assault, Gekko Chizan showed not the slightest worry. Against another opponent, this ability might have been dangerous.
But who was he? He was the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails!
And the advantage of the Seven-Tails? The ability to fly!
Chizan immediately took to the air, soaring high above, looking down at Shukaku from above.
No matter how much sand Shukaku hurled upward, not a single grain could touch Chizan.
"Roooar!"
"Insect! If you've got guts, stop running!"
Shukaku cursed furiously, spitting out "little insect" again and again, making Chizan's ears itch.
Finally, unable to hold back, he snapped back:
"I'm the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails, Chōmei itself is an insect!"
"You stupid damn tanuki!"
When it came to trading barbs, Gekko Chizan feared no one—certainly not Shukaku.
Among the nine Tailed Beasts, Shukaku was infamous for his foul mouth, but compared to Chizan, he was a child at play.
"Hmph! If you've got guts, come down here!"
"If you've got guts, come up here!"
"You come down!"
"You come up!"
One man and one beast—one on the ground, the other in the sky—argued back and forth like children spitting insults.
"Hahaha! Stupid tanuki, you can't fly, can you?"
"Trash!"
After venting enough, Chizan unleashed his power again. Two Tailed Beast Balls formed simultaneously, one in each hand, brimming with terrifying power as they shot downward.
Shukaku was dumbfounded.
What was this? Since when could Tailed Beast Balls be held like that?
Wouldn't such tightly compressed energy explode in your hand?
Was this a new tactic Chōmei had invented? Since when had that bug become this insane?
While Shukaku hesitated, the two Tailed Beast Balls slammed into his face.
Two Tailed Beast Balls, full impact.
"Boom!"
The explosion engulfed Shukaku completely.
Meanwhile, Gekko Chizan retreated at high speed with his flight, unwilling to be caught in his own blast.
Even a Tailed Beast could suffer badly from the rage of a Tailed Beast Ball.
"Chōmei, do you think those two blasts are enough to make Shukaku behave?"
"Hopefully knock him out."
By now, Chizan was nearing his limit. Firing two Tailed Beast Balls in quick succession was the most he could manage. If even that couldn't finish Shukaku, then the fight would drag into a long war of attrition.
Especially since in partial Tailed Beast Transformation, most of his ninjutsu couldn't be used.
And even if they could, they'd hardly affect an opponent whose entire body was sand.
"I doubt it," Chōmei replied. "Shukaku may only be the One-Tail, but he wasn't lying."
"Among us nine Tailed Beasts, he has the strongest defense. And he knows ninjutsu and sealing techniques. In terms of overall power, aside from Gyūki and Kurama, he's definitely third."
Chizan knew this, of course. But still, he clung to a shred of hope.
That hope was soon shattered.
Though the twin Tailed Beast Balls had blown half of Shukaku's face into sand, he didn't fall. On the contrary, he grew even more furious.
"Bastard! Bastard!"
"Why do you always hit my face! My handsome, dashing face!"
Shukaku charged toward Chizan, his huge steps pulling more and more sand into himself.
In moments, countless sand lances thrust up from the ground.
"No choice. Chōmei, you take over."
"When you're tired, I'll step back in."
Chizan's crimson skin slowly faded as he sighed helplessly.
Then his body began to change—first wings and antennae, then the rest.
The Seven-Tails, Chōmei, the colossal flying insect, emerged in full glory!
"Tanuki! This time it's me you're fighting!"
"After all these years, let me show you the might of Chōmei-sama!"
As soon as Chōmei appeared, scale powder erupted, surging through the air, interweaving with the sand.
Infused with his chakra, the powder forcefully halted the spread of the sand.
"Stupid insect! Using scale powder to block my sand? You're insane!"
"Hmph! Stupid tanuki, what do you know! I'm no longer the Chōmei you bullied back then! Ignite!"
Chōmei flooded his scale powder with chakra and detonated it.
"Boom!"
Flames filled the air, igniting the sand itself. Shukaku had just opened his mouth to curse again when the fire engulfed him.
"Hmph! I've transformed. Back then, you always bullied me, but now with Chizan's training, I'll crush you completely!"
Who said Chōmei couldn't use ninjutsu? Even without them, he had wings!
His six giant wings beat furiously, whipping the flames from the explosion into an even greater inferno.
This combination attack made Chōmei look sharp and deadly.
With compound insect eyes, he locked onto Shukaku's struggling figure.
"Take another one from me! Chōmei's Horn! Millennium Strike!"
Chōmei's body flickered forward, appearing behind Shukaku, his gleaming horn stabbing straight toward the tanuki's rear.
"Dammit! Stupid insect! You're playing dirty!"
"Kyahaha! Damn right I'm playing dirty! Like Chizan always says—who the hell fights head-on these days? Only idiots!"