Chapter 123: The One-Tails, Shukaku
The fifteenth day of the twelfth month, Konoha Year 23.
In the southwestern part of the Ninja World continent, within the desolate deserts of the Land of Wind.
For the past six months, the vast, clear blue sky over the southern region of the Land of Wind, an area spanning hundreds of miles, has been perpetually shrouded by endless yellow sand. The sandstorms occurring here have been more frequent and more powerful than in any previous year.
This unprecedented level of rare natural disaster has become unbearable even for the locals of the Land of Wind, prompting widespread resentment among the residents of the southern region.
The nation's high command, in a rare display of humanity, issued orders for the citizens to evacuate. Within a mere month, the hundred-mile radius of southern Land of Wind was completely deserted.
And today, this uninhabited area finally welcomed its first visitors in half a year.
It was a team of sixteen people. Each wore a thick, floor-sweeping, grayish-white robe that completely enveloped their bodies. Even their heads were covered with hoods, white caps, or scarves to ward off the sky-obscuring dust as they silently pressed toward a predetermined objective.
The low, muted sound of the wind and sand, "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—," constantly echoed in their ears.
The fierce, swirling sandstorm was powerful enough to knock an adult man to the ground.
Yet, it had no discernible effect on this mysterious group of strangers.
Although the sixteen individuals looked somewhat battered by the wildly flying sand, their footwork was as steady as a rock, and unyielding. Involuntarily, an aura of Jōnin-level strength emanated from each of them.
Suddenly, the leader stopped. Without needing a signal, the others behind him simultaneously halted their steps, casting glances of trust and respect toward their leader.
In the raging sandstorm, visibility was pitifully low, and the only sounds were the muted howl of the wind and sand.
The leader of this mysterious team slowly lifted his head, revealing a familiar face beneath the hood of his robe in the dim light filtering through the sand. If Orochimaru were here, he would be startled to recognize this man as the Second Kazekage, Hōsai Nagai, who should currently be in Sunagakure.
The Second Kazekage narrowed his eyes. His imposing Kage-level aura surged skyward, instantly dispersing the surrounding sandstorm in a radius around him. Simultaneously, a powerful spiritual energy instantly stretched out toward the distance.
The fifteen subordinates behind him staggered slightly under the impact of the Kazekage's aura, but they dared not show any disrespect, remaining respectfully rooted to the spot, awaiting Hōsai Nagai's command.
After a long time, Hōsai Nagai sensed the horrifying presence in the distance—an aura that caused even him, a Kage-level expert, to feel a sharp pang of fear. He took a deep breath, and a long-hidden trace of excitement and desire flashed across his profound eyes. Then, he said coolly: "We will reach the destination soon. Full speed ahead!"
The fifteen respectfully-faced Jōnin behind him answered in unison.
Hōsai Nagai's body stiffened, and a small cloud of dust burst from his feet. He shot out like an arrow from a bow, using Chakra Enhanced Speed to sprint away.
The fifteen Jōnin followed closely, transforming into sixteen high-speed black shadows racing through the sky-obscuring sandstorm.
The Desert Spectacle
About an hour later, the sprinting Hōsai Nagai vaulted to the top of a tall sand dune. When he looked ahead, the scene caused his eyes to narrow slightly. The fifteen Jōnin who arrived shortly after and landed beside him were all stunned into silence.
"Ahahaha! You little bugs still think you can capture the great Lord Shukaku, hahaha! Fun, fun! Come on, let's do it again!"
A terrifying sound wave, mixed with dense chakra, instantly spread out. The force of the surge instantly stripped away a thin layer of sand from the desert surface, which was carried high into the sky by the air current, strengthening the chaotic sandstorm outside even further.
Before them was an unnatural, smooth desert clearing, approximately ten football fields in size, created by a massive external force.
The outside world and this clearing seemed to form two different realms. Outside was the swirling sandstorm, but here, there was an eerie calm.
In the center of the clearing was a colossal, terrifying monster that resembled a speaking, giant, moving sand dune. While it appeared heavy and cumbersome, it also radiated a visual impact loaded with astonishing power.
Its enormous, yellowish body was covered in violet markings that represented the power of the Wind God. A thick, ferocious, terrifying aura was being recklessly emitted from the monster.
Its thick, long tail, dragging behind it, struck the ground with every beat, carving deep furrows into the earth.
The two giant claws, hanging by its sides, humanly beat against its belly. It constantly shook its massive, raccoon-dog-like head, and earth-shattering, arrogant laughter and sound waves surged from its huge, serrated mouth, generating strong gusts of air.
Beneath the terrifying monster, a vast, complex, and esoteric sealing array, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, was slowly rotating.
At each nodal point of the array sat a Suna ninja, constantly channeling their chakra into the huge, profound array.
The vast, intricate, esoteric, and obscure array, resembling a work of art, used a complex process to convert all the injected Suna chakra into five deep-blue chakra hands, each about the thickness of three people joined around. These hands violently erupted from the array and reached out to clutch the terrifying monster.
The five enormous chakra hands, like the arms of an underground giant, firmly gripped the monster's body. The five hands pulled together, attempting to suppress the colossal monster down into the sealing array.
Suddenly, the huge raccoon-dog-like monster's body shuddered. Its thick, wild aura intensified. A surge of powerful, tyrannical chakra erupted from the monster's body. It raised its two giant claws, covered in violet markings, and slammed them together, instantly dissolving one of the thick chakra hands, significantly reducing the pressure.
The strength of the ninja activating the array was, ultimately, too weak compared to the monster. Even with the array's amplification, the thick chakra hands generated were still destroyed by the monster's explosive force. For the moment, while the monster could not escape, it could not be suppressed either, and was instead treating the entire ordeal like a game.
In this giant desert clearing, surging chakra energy blasts and enormous sound waves intertwined, creating a constant tremor.
Gazing at the immense, unrestrained monster in the center of the desert clearing, the Second Kazekage, Hōsai Nagai, offered a meaningful smile: "The One-Tails—Shukaku!"
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