Shukaku was sent flying by a headbutt, his massive body slamming heavily into the ground.
What does it mean when they say "the damage isn't much, but the humiliation is unbearable"?
This scene was exactly that. Shukaku's defense was astonishingly strong—Chōmei's headbutt couldn't possibly injure him. After all, Shukaku's whole body was made of sand, and physical attacks had little effect.
But psychological trauma was another matter entirely.
"Kyahahahaha! You filthy tanuki! How does that feel?"
"I've wanted to try this Thousand Years of Death for a long time, but I never had the right opponent."
"I have to say, just as Chizan mentioned, this jutsu really is brilliant! Whoever invented it must have been a true genius!"
Far away on another battlefield, Hatake Sakumo suddenly shivered and muttered,
"Who's thinking about me? Definitely not in a good way..."
Gekko Chizan twitched at the corners of his mouth as he listened to Chōmei's hysterical laughter.
Just as he was about to complain, that familiar system notification chimed again.
[Ding! The system has detected that the host has successfully dragged the Seven-Tails Chōmei down an irreversible path, causing him to use such shameless means to wound the heart of the One-Tail Shukaku. Special reward: Tailed Beast Bomb Optimization +10%. Note: At 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% progress, one optimization ability will be unlocked respectively.]
[Ding! Tailed Beast Bomb Optimization progress has reached 40%. Unlocking optimized skill: Tailed Beast Bomb Compression Explosion Mode! Host may use this in either Half-Tailed Beast Transformation or Full Transformation Mode. This allows the Tailed Beast Bomb to be compressed to palm-size and injected directly into the enemy's body, triggering an internal detonation! Note: The explosion will not harm the host.]
Oh ho, now this ability was interesting. Wasn't this basically a remote-detonation grenade?
And the remote-controlled type at that—exactly the most useful ability for the current situation.
Gekko Chizan grinned, his smile wicked and sinister.
Shukaku slowly rose to his feet, his face twisted with rage. Staring at Chōmei still cackling madly, he suddenly lunged forward, roaring as he cursed:
"You dare stab me? I'll crush you to death with sand!"
"Die, insect!"
Sand became Shukaku's weapon of fury, hurling massive clouds of yellow grains straight at Chōmei.
It looked like Shukaku intended to bury Chōmei under sand. But Chōmei, familiar with his fighting style, knew better.
This wasn't ordinary sand. Every grain was enhanced by Shukaku's power, able to pierce through solid rock.
This was one of Shukaku's techniques.
"Hmph, back then this move of yours gave me and several other Tailed Beasts a hard time."
"Too bad for you, I won't fall for it again!"
Using flight to evade, Chōmei circled in the air, occasionally scattering scale powder to disrupt Shukaku.
What was originally a titanic beast battle had now degraded into one throwing sand and the other scattering powder—utterly ridiculous.
"Hmph! Chōmei, if you won't come down, I won't go up."
"Let's just drag this out here and see who runs out of stamina first!"
Looking up at Chōmei, Shukaku could only seethe. His sand was fast, but catching Chōmei in the air was a hopeless dream.
"Chizan, he's right. Neither of us can do anything to the other."
"If this keeps going, it won't solve anything."
Chōmei's weary voice echoed within Gekko Chizan's heart.
But Chizan wasn't worried at all. Instead, he chuckled.
"Chizan, why are you laughing?"
"This is no time to laugh."
Chōmei was utterly speechless. Was he losing his mind?
Why else would he be laughing in the middle of this standoff? Couldn't he see how the situation looked right now?
"Don't worry, Chōmei. I already have a plan."
"Huh? What plan?"
"My improvements to the Tailed Beast Bomb aren't limited to this. I've got plenty more tricks. But first, I need to confirm something."
"What? Hurry, that damned tanuki's already gotten sand all over me!"
Gekko Chizan did have a plan, though it wasn't entirely guaranteed.
It was to use tailed beast chakra to establish a link, entering Shukaku's inner world. The only way to truly resolve this fight was to deal with the Jinchūriki directly.
Just like how Naruto once persuaded all the Tailed Beasts—solve the problem at its root.
Except, instead of persuading, Chizan intended to make it permanent—by killing the host outright.
With a mysterious look, he asked,
"If your chakra and Shukaku's were to connect, could I enter Shukaku's inner world?"
Chōmei was no longer the reckless youngster of old. He immediately understood Chizan's intent.
"You mean to enter Shukaku's inner world and kill his Jinchūriki?"
"If the Jinchūriki dies, we Tailed Beasts will be forced into long-term slumber."
"You want to defeat that tanuki this way!"
Chizan's sly laughter echoed, filled with treachery.
He didn't bother hiding his praise for Chōmei.
"Chōmei, you've gotten smarter. Yes, that's exactly my plan."
"No matter how strong Shukaku is, he's still just Shukaku. That old monk can't possibly be stronger than me, right? Killing him will be a breeze."
"So, are you in or not?"
Chōmei nodded heavily after some thought, but then quickly shook his head.
Chizan blinked in confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean? Yes or no?"
"Of course I agree, but it's not that easy. For chakra to connect—"
"First, I'd have to clash with Shukaku directly, even grapple with him in close combat."
"You know my close-range ability. If I brawl with him, he'll rip my wings clean off!"
Hearing Chōmei's depressed tone, Gekko Chizan nearly laughed out loud.
His reply was dripping with mockery.
"Good one, Chōmei. Not only did you learn my fighting style, but you picked up my cowardice too?"
"He'll rip your wings off? I admit Shukaku's strong, but you're not that weak, are you?"
"Forget it, no need for you to fight up close. Just give me control. I'll show you what I can do!"
Chizan seized control of Chōmei's body. The enormous insect froze in midair, no longer dodging, letting the sand rain down on him without care.
"Oh? Insect, not running anymore?"
"Tired already? Then hurry down and take your beating!"
Seeing Chōmei stop moving, Shukaku perked up, flinging sand even harder.
"Hmph, damned tanuki."
"You won't be laughing much longer!"
"Tailed Beast Bomb—prepare!"
Dense chakra began to gather, though the process differed drastically from the usual method of forming a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Watching the slowly condensing sphere, Chōmei was stunned.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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