But the moment the words left Shukaku's mouth, it suddenly realized something was wrong.
This was the sealed space.
So who—was talking?
It instinctively pushed itself upright, its two stubby claws propping up its massive body. Its round belly almost completely blocked the movement, while its long arms dragged along the ground.
Lips pursed, its tiny brown eyes—no bigger than mung beans—stared upward.
Then it saw a face.
A very familiar one.
A human.
The same human who had just beaten it senseless outside?!
This terrifying guy had actually ignored both the spatial barrier and the seal itself, appearing directly inside this mental world?
Although the figure before it was small—almost insignificant compared to its massive body—
He radiated an oppressive pressure that made Shukaku's fur stand on end.
In the next instant, Shukaku felt its entire body explode with alarm as it staggered backward.
At the same time, its enormous mouth snapped open like a bottomless abyss, panting furiously.
"Hah—hah—human! How did you get in here?!"
Because of the shock, Shukaku's voice cracked again. Its enormous sand-and-stone body tried to retreat further.
But there was nowhere left to retreat.
A tremendous force suddenly struck it.
Before it could react, that force dragged the massive tailed beast directly in front of Uchiha Kai.
Then—
Kai slowly raised his hand.
A faint silver glow surrounded his body, wrapping around his right fist as it descended.
The motion wasn't fast.
In fact, Shukaku could see it clearly.
But—
That fist gave it an oddly familiar feeling.
As if it had seen it somewhere very recently.
BOOM!!!
A deep, thunderous impact exploded through the sealed space.
Before Shukaku could even process what was happening, its entire head was smashed backward.
It was hard to imagine that a face formed purely from chakra and sand could be shattered again like ordinary sand outside.
Yet nearly half of its head exploded apart under the blow.
Thud.
Thud-thud.
Losing its footing, Shukaku's thick little legs stumbled backward again and again.
Every step shook the entire mental world.
Finally, it crashed heavily onto the ground.
"ROOOAARGH—OW!"
"That hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"
Wailing miserably, Shukaku stretched out its long claw and clutched its head.
Only then did it remember why that fist had felt so familiar.
Wasn't this exactly what it had just experienced outside?!
So not only was this human powerful in the real world—
He was just as terrifying inside this sealed space?
Realizing this, Shukaku's enormous head slowly began repairing itself while its mind raced.
There was no doubt about it.
The human before it was strong.
So strong that even it didn't know how to deal with him.
But then—
Wait.
Sealed space?
Mental world?!
That's right!
This was its mental world!
Its territory!
Its domain!
Why should a tiny human act so arrogantly here?!
Suddenly, Shukaku grasped the key point.
The despair in its heart slowly faded.
Its confidence surged back.
Then it slammed its two claws together.
Confidence restored.
Its jagged mouth opened wide as it inhaled deeply.
Black chakra laced with sealing talismans flowed across its body, merging into the chakra inside it.
Even mental energy would be suppressed by this special chakra!
Wind Release: Air Bullet!
Whoooosh!
Several massive spheres of compressed wind blasted forward.
The violent pressure alone felt sharp enough to tear a person's eyes apart just by looking at it.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… looks like hiding inside that jar all day has messed up your brain, Shukaku."
Kai shook his head.
He didn't even move.
To be fair, Shukaku really was the odd one out among the tailed beasts.
Most tailed beasts solved problems with brute force—charging in physically or firing a Tailed Beast Bomb.
But this guy?
He actually used ninjutsu.
And the worst part—
He was both arrogant and overly thoughtful.
If someone didn't know better, they might think Danzo himself was standing inside that body.
"You're not dodging?" Shukaku's eyes widened again.
Even if this human was powerful—
Why wouldn't he dodge?
Its ninjutsu wasn't something a mere human could withstand!
"Did he get scared stupid?"
The thought suddenly appeared in Shukaku's mind.
And with that thought, its heart began pounding wildly.
If it managed to catch this human—
It would definitely torture him mercilessly.
But soon, that excited heart sank.
Because Shukaku watched helplessly as its wind bullets roared past Kai—
And simply kept going.
Like sunlight passing through mist.
They only caused a brief ripple.
"Space–time ninjutsu?!" Shukaku finally realized.
"Or perhaps… it's because I'm only a fragment of consciousness."
Kai raised an eyebrow, speaking casually.
It had been meant as nothing more than a teasing remark.
But to Shukaku—
It struck like thunder.
And in the next moment…
It became ecstatic.
"HAHAHAHA! HAHAHA!"
"I knew it! No one could possibly ignore my Wind Release!"
"But—"
"You're just a spiritual projection! How dare you act so arrogantly in front of me?!"
After shouting those words, Shukaku threw its head back and roared.
Massive torrents of sand swirled through the mental world.
Violent chakra spread outward.
It was obvious that Shukaku was in an extremely good mood now.
The boulder that had been weighing on its heart felt like it had been lifted away.
Everything suddenly seemed clear.
Hope after despair.
Either way—
Shukaku was happy.
So happy that it couldn't help hopping lightly on its short legs.
Duang~
Its big belly wobbled.
But its massive body barely moved.
"Alright, kid! Judging by how skinny you are, there's probably nothing worth eating anyway."
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you go."
Shukaku waved a claw dismissively.
"You can scram now."
"Otherwise, don't blame me if I swallow you whole!"
The threat was obvious.
Hearing this, Kai—who had originally been planning to chat a little longer to see if he could copy another trait—raised an eyebrow.
"Actually… I wasn't that interested in your traits anyway."
"And besides…"
"I think I'm starting to enjoy the feeling of fists hitting flesh."
"Hm?"
Shukaku turned its head with obvious disdain.
"What are you muttering about, you little insect?"
"Hurry up and get lost! I'm going to sleep—AH! WHAT THE—"
It had completely forgotten that the moment Kai entered earlier—
He had already punched it once.
Before it could finish speaking—
A tiny fist descended from the sky.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Fists.
More fists.
Endless fists.
They rained down on Shukaku like a storm.
Relentless.
Simple.
Direct.
Brutal.
Exactly the kind of impact that made every blow sink deep into flesh.
And with every punch Kai threw, he didn't use any flashy ninjutsu or external abilities.
Only pure physical strength.
For nearly seven years, under the enhancement of countless traits, Kai's physical power had become utterly monstrous.
Especially as his Wood Release cellular analysis continued improving, every punch and kick carried force comparable to monstrous strength.
The result was simple.
Shukaku's enormous body had now become nothing more than a punching bag.
"ROOOAR! Y-you—how can you touch me?!"
"Damn it! I'm the tailed beast here!"
"OW! OW! OW! THAT HURTS! HUMAN—no! My lord! Please spare me! Meow—!!"
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