"What… what kind of power is that?"
Yui and Kenta stared at Aoki Yoru in stunned silence, their eyes wide with disbelief.
They had already pushed themselves beyond their limits—Kenta opening the Sixth Gate, Yui exhausting nearly all her chakra—yet even combined, they had barely managed to injure the Eight-Tails.
And now—
Aoki Yoru alone had unleashed something on an entirely different level.
Kenta, barely able to stay upright, forced himself to lift his head. His vision swam, but he still fixed his gaze on the battlefield below.
"Did… did we win?"
His voice was hoarse, fragile, almost hopeful.
But Aoki Yoru's expression remained grim.
"No," he said quietly. "It's not over."
There was no triumph in his eyes. Only caution.
"A Tailed Beast… isn't something that falls that easily."
The Reality of a Tailed Beast
Through his sensory perception, Aoki Yoru could clearly feel it—
The Eight-Tails' chakra hadn't weakened significantly.
Worse—
Its injuries were already healing.
Flesh regenerated. Blood stopped flowing. Torn muscle knitted back together as if time itself were reversing.
It was absurd.
It was unfair.
It was… terrifying.
"This is ridiculous," Kenta muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief. "How are we supposed to fight something like that?"
Yui clenched her fists, her lips pale.
"Is this what a Tailed Beast really is…? No matter how much damage we deal… it just recovers?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Are they… invincible?"
A deep, resonant voice answered them.
"Not bad."
The Eight-Tails, Gyūki, spoke calmly, its massive form towering over the ruined battlefield.
"Since that man—the Third Raikage—you are the first to inflict such injuries upon me."
Its tone held no anger.
No rage.
Only acknowledgment.
It had recognized them as true opponents.
And that alone made the situation far more dangerous.
Aoki Yoru's Decision
"The only reliable way to deal with a Tailed Beast…" Aoki Yoru said slowly, "is sealing."
He paused briefly.
"Unfortunately… none of us know how."
That was the harsh truth.
No matter how powerful their attacks were, without sealing techniques, they could not truly defeat the Eight-Tails.
Only stall it.
Or survive it.
Aoki Yoru bit his finger sharply.
Blood welled up.
His hands blurred as he formed seals at high speed.
Then—
He slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Yatagarasu's Panic
With a burst of smoke, a massive black bird appeared.
Yatagarasu.
It landed gracefully, wings slightly spread, ready to greet its master in its usual flamboyant fashion.
It even opened its beak—
Ready to sing.
But—
The moment it saw the Eight-Tails—
Its entire body froze.
Its song died in its throat.
Slowly… stiffly…
It turned its head toward Aoki Yoru.
Its eyes practically screamed:
Are you insane?
You want me to fight THAT?!
Aoki Yoru didn't even give it time to protest.
He grabbed Yui and Kenta, leapt upward, and landed on its back.
"Stop staring—fly!"
Retreat… or Preparation?
Yatagarasu reacted instantly.
With a powerful flap of its wings, it shot into the sky, kicking up dust and debris.
Even Aoki Yoru raised an eyebrow at its speed.
So you CAN move this fast…
Below them, the Eight-Tails roared.
The pressure alone shook the air.
Yui clutched the feathers beneath her.
"Yoru… are we retreating?"
Her voice trembled slightly—not from fear for herself, but for those behind them.
"The camp… my cousin… the wounded…"
Aoki Yoru stared at the sky.
Dark clouds churned violently overhead.
Lightning flickered faintly within them.
Rain threatened to fall at any moment.
His expression hardened.
"I have one last move."
He inhaled slowly.
"If even that fails…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Instead, he glanced toward the camp.
Shinobi were still evacuating the wounded.
Moving stretchers.
Covering retreats.
Risking their lives.
"…then we save as many as we can."
His voice was low. Determined.
Calling Down the Heavens
Lightning gathered in his hand.
Crackling. Violent. Unstable.
Then—
He thrust his arm toward the sky.
A massive surge of Lightning Release chakra shot upward, piercing straight into the storm clouds.
Instantly—
The heavens reacted.
Thunder roared.
Lightning danced wildly.
The entire sky seemed to come alive.
From within the churning clouds—
A shape emerged.
A colossal beast of lightning.
A Kirin.
It roared silently, its body formed entirely of natural lightning, illuminating the sky with blinding brilliance.
Even Yui and Kenta stared in awe.
"It's… bigger than before…"
Aoki Yoru narrowed his eyes.
Still not enough.
Sasuke's Kirin in the original story had been powerful—but not enough to break through absolute defenses like Susanoo.
And this—
This opponent—
Was a Tailed Beast.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Then—
He pushed further.
Natural energy surged outward, wrapping around the Kirin like armor.
Its form became denser.
Sharper.
More terrifying.
Aoki Yoru's face paled instantly.
The strain was immense.
He was using everything he had.
Everything.
The Final Clash Begins
Below—
The Eight-Tails lifted its head.
Killer Bee's voice echoed within it.
"Gyūki… be careful. That thing… is dangerous."
The Eight-Tails snorted.
"I am Gyūki, the Eight-Tails. I will not fall so easily."
Its massive jaws opened wide.
Dark chakra gathered rapidly.
Compressed.
Condensed.
A Tailed Beast Ball began to form.
Black… with a core of crimson.
Dense enough to distort space.
Above—
The Kirin crackled with divine fury.
Below—
The Tailed Beast Ball pulsed with destruction.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Even the distant fighting stopped.
Everyone watched.
Because they knew—
This would decide everything.
Impact
Aoki Yoru didn't hesitate.
He brought his arm down.
"Sage Art: Lightning Release… Kirin!"
The lightning beast descended.
At the same moment—
The Eight-Tails roared.
And fired.
The Tailed Beast Ball shot upward like a comet of annihilation.
Then—
They collided.
The World Shakes
"BOOOOOOM—!!"
Light consumed everything.
Lightning and darkness tore into each other, annihilating, devouring, exploding.
The shockwave spread outward in all directions.
The earth cracked.
The air shattered.
Trees were uprooted.
Rocks disintegrated.
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
For a moment—
No one could see.
No one could hear.
Only destruction remained.
Aftermath
Slowly…
The light faded.
The smoke began to clear.
Everyone stared in silence.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Fearing.
Aoki Yoru exhaled weakly.
"…It worked."
The Eight-Tails' presence—
Was gone.
Killer Bee Falls
As the dust settled, the battlefield came into view.
A massive crater.
The land itself had sunk.
At its center—
A figure lay motionless.
Killer Bee.
His body was charred black.
His breathing faint.
Barely alive.
The Tailed Beast transformation had been forcibly broken.
Before anyone could react—
The ground shifted.
Earth rose up suddenly, wrapping around him and pulling him underground.
"Damn it—!"
Aoki Yoru clenched his fists.
Reinforcements.
Rescue.
He couldn't stop it.
They had no strength left.
The Battle Continues Elsewhere
On the main battlefield—
"BEE!"
The Raikage's roar echoed.
For a brief moment—
He lost focus.
And that—
Was enough.
Kakashi's Counterattack
Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Kamui!"
Space twisted violently around the Raikage.
The air warped, threatening to tear him apart.
The Raikage reacted instantly.
"The same trick won't work twice!"
His chakra surged.
He tore himself free—
Abandoning his Lightning Armor to escape the distortion.
But—
Kakashi's voice came from behind him.
"Is that so?"
The Raikage's pupils shrank.
The Kakashi in front—
Dispersed into lightning.
"A Lightning Clone…?!"
Too late.
"BOOM—!"
A devastating strike landed.
The Raikage was sent flying, carving a deep trench across the battlefield.
A New Turning Point
The tide of battle had shifted.
The Eight-Tails was down.
The Raikage was injured.
And Konoha—
For the first time—
Had hope.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)