"I'll kill you all!"
Shukaku roared furiously at Senju Haruto and the others, compressing its yin–yang chakra in a two-to-eight ratio to form a massive sphere.
It was unmistakable—the signature technique shared by all the Tailed Beasts…
The Tailed Beast Bomb!
"That chakra…"
Sakura stared wide-eyed at Gaara's monstrous transformation. For the first time, she felt such terrifying power firsthand. To her, Shukaku's attack carried the force of the heavens collapsing, overwhelming and catastrophic.
"N-no… there's no way we can win this…"
Her legs gave out, and Sakura sank to her knees. Faced with such crushing power, despair once again seized her heart.
"Oi, oi… with that kind of force, there's no way I can stop it…"
Even Gamabunta, hardened by countless battles, looked uneasy. Deflecting Shukaku's smaller Air Bullets had already pushed him to his limit. But now—Shukaku had unleashed the Tailed Beast Bomb itself. Against that, his own strength was nothing.
"That's… the Tailed Beast Bomb."
Naruto frowned deeply. As a fellow jinchūriki, he knew very well how devastating that attack could be. During his time in the mental world, it was only thanks to Haruto and Kushina's chakra avatars that he'd managed to obtain the Nine-Tails' chakra at all.
But even now, there was no way he could form a Tailed Beast Bomb himself.
Naruto's gaze instinctively shifted toward Haruto.
Haruto, however, had no intention of wasting time here.
Orochimaru was far stronger than in the original course of events, and his development of the Edo Tensei had reached an even more terrifying level. Even if Hiruzen used the Reaper Death Seal, it might not be enough to turn the tide.
That meant the timing of Haruto's return to the battlefield was more critical than ever.
"A mere One-Tail dares flaunt itself before me?"
Haruto's eyes locked onto the growing Tailed Beast Bomb. With a leap from atop Gamabunta's head, he ordered the toad to focus on protecting Naruto and Sakura from the impending shockwaves.
As he fell, Haruto's hands slammed together, chakra erupting in a torrent.
"Wood Release—Wood Human Technique!"
The earth convulsed violently. The surrounding forest surged upward, trees fusing and twisting into a colossal form.
The sight was so shocking that even Shukaku faltered for a moment, his concentration wavering.
"This guy… is he really human?"
First, this man had restrained him with chakra, then forced him into another battlefield, and now he was summoning a technique of this scale.
Was his chakra limitless? A bottomless well?
Could he be… the descendant of that old man…?
For the first time, a sliver of doubt and unease entered Shukaku's mind.
Meanwhile, Haruto landed firmly—not on the ground, but atop the shoulder of a towering, ferocious wooden giant.
The giant rose to its full height, blotting out the sky, its immense shadow engulfing Shukaku completely.
Compared to Haruto's Wood Human, both Shukaku and Gamabunta seemed like mere pets.
And it didn't stop there.
"Wood Release—Wood Dragon Technique!"
Two wooden dragons burst skyward, coiling around the giant, fusing with it into a new, even more terrifying form.
Three heads roared in unison, the sound shaking heaven and earth.
Even arrogant Shukaku couldn't suppress a shiver.
Sakura, under Gamabunta's protection, froze in place, her eyes wide. She had always known Haruto was strong—but this… this was beyond anything she had ever imagined.
That towering Wood Human. Those monstrous Wood Dragons.
This wasn't simply ninjutsu anymore—it was something greater.
Haruto… Is this really the power of a ninja?
"Relax, Sakura," Naruto said with a grin, flashing his thumb confidently. "As long as Haruto-nii is here, no enemy can ever harm the Leaf."
Shukaku had finished gathering his chakra. Despite his growing unease, he didn't back down. With a bellow, he launched the Tailed Beast Bomb directly at the Wood Human's head.
Boom!
But the Wood Human, under Haruto's control, moved with blinding speed. Its massive hand shot forward, seizing the Tailed Beast Bomb mid-flight. Sonic booms crackled through the air as the volatile sphere struggled against the grip.
Shukaku's eyes went wide. He swallowed hard, unable to look away.
That attack—this form's strongest technique—had just been caught.
Impossible… How could he… with his bare hand…?
"Take it back."
Haruto's voice was calm, almost cold, as he looked down upon Shukaku.
The Wood Human obeyed, its other hand snapping out to seize Shukaku's neck.
Shukaku roared, thrashing wildly, trying to unleash his Magnet Release to tear apart the wooden arm—but the Wood Dragons were not for show.
"Raaaargh!"
The two dragons roared, their massive bodies constricting tightly around Shukaku, sealing away his last shred of movement.
Crash!
With a deafening crack, the Wood Human slammed Shukaku into the ground, pinning him like a ragdoll.
And then—it pressed the struggling Tailed Beast Bomb directly against Shukaku's face.
"N-no… Don't…! Don't do it!"
Panic overtook the tanuki, his voice breaking, incoherent with fear. But he couldn't break free.
The sphere flared with blinding light—
And with an earth-shattering detonation, it exploded point-blank.
Boom!
The blast spread like ripples in a pond, flattening the entire forest in an instant.
Gamabunta, realizing the sheer scale of the destruction, coiled every ounce of strength into his legs. After barking at Naruto and Sakura to hold on tight, he leapt high into the air, barely escaping the wave of annihilation.
Even so, his airborne position only brought him level with the Wood Human's head.
Below them, the land had been scoured bare, resembling the aftermath of the world's end.
"This… this is Haruto's true strength?"
Sakura could only gape, stunned beyond words.
But Naruto shook his head, a wry, almost bitter smile tugging at his lips.
"No… I'm afraid this is just one of his more ordinary techniques."
Sakura blinked at him in disbelief, but the look on Naruto's face told her he wasn't joking.
Because he remembered—he remembered how even the Nine-Tails itself had trembled before Haruto.
The Sage Art: True Thousand Hands.
Compared to that, today's Wood Human and Wood Dragons were nothing but a pale shadow.
Senju Haruto's true power…
Was fathomless.