Shukaku was sent flying by the impact, his massive body crashing onto the ground.
What does it mean to take little damage but suffer immense humiliation?
This scene was the perfect example. Shukaku's defense was nearly impenetrable—there was no way Chōmei's strike could actually harm him. His entire body was made of sand, rendering physical attacks largely ineffective.
But psychological damage? That was another story.
"Hahaha! Smelly tanuki! How does that feel?"
"I've been wanting to try this One Thousand Years of Death for ages, but I never had the right opponent."
"I have to say, Kazuyama was right—this technique is brilliant! The person who invented it must be a genius!"
Far away on another battlefield, Sakumo Hatake suddenly shivered and muttered, "Who's thinking about me? It can't be for anything good..."
Kazuyama twitched at the sound of Chōmei's manic laughter. Just as he was about to comment, a familiar system notification rang out.
[Ding! Detected: The host has successfully led Seven-Tails Chōmei down a path of no return, causing Chōmei to use disgraceful tactics to strike at the One-Tail Shukaku's psyche. Special reward: 10% Optimization of the Tailed Beast Ball. Note: At 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, an optimization ability will be unlocked.]
[Ding! Tailed Beast Ball optimization progress has reached 40%! Unlocking the optimized skill: Tailed Beast Ball Compression Explosion Mode! The host can use this ability in Partial Tailed Beast Transformation and Full Tailed Beast Transformation modes, compressing the Tailed Beast Ball to the size of a palm and implanting it into the enemy's body for a more devastating explosion! Note: The explosion will not harm the host.]
Oh ho, now this was an interesting ability. Wasn't this basically a remote-detonated explosive? And in this situation, wasn't it the perfect trump card?
Kazuyama grinned—an undeniably wicked grin.
Shukaku slowly pushed himself up, his face twisted with rage. Seeing Chōmei still laughing hysterically, he lunged at him with a furious roar, cursing as he went:
"You dare stab me?! I'm going to bury you in sand!"
"Die, you damn bug!"
Sand became Shukaku's weapon of choice as he hurled massive waves of it at Chōmei.
At first glance, it looked like he was simply trying to bury him alive, but Chōmei, well aware of Shukaku's fighting style, knew better.
This wasn't just any sand—it had been reinforced by Shukaku's chakra, making each grain sharp enough to pierce solid rock.
This was one of Shukaku's signature techniques—Sand Buckshot.
"Hmph, back then, this move gave me and several other Tailed Beasts a lot of trouble."
"Too bad—I won't fall for it again!"
Chōmei nimbly dodged by taking to the skies, circling above and occasionally releasing Scale Powder to disrupt Shukaku's vision.
What was once an all-out clash between two colossal beasts had now devolved into a ridiculous fight—one throwing sand, the other scattering powder. It was honestly kind of pathetic.
"Hmph! Chōmei, if you won't come down, I won't go up."
"We'll just wait each other out and see who lasts longer!"
Shukaku glared at Chōmei hovering in the sky, completely frustrated. His sand was fast, but catching up to Chōmei was impossible.
"Kazuyama, he's right. No matter how much we fight, neither of us can do anything to the other."
"If this keeps dragging on, it's not good for either of us."
Chōmei's voice carried a note of helplessness as he spoke to Kazuyama.
But Kazuyama didn't seem worried at all. Instead, he chuckled softly.
"Kazuyama, what are you laughing at?"
"How can you laugh at a time like this?"
Chōmei was completely baffled. Had his brother lost his mind? How could he still be laughing when the situation was this dire?
"Relax, Chōmei. I already have a plan."
"Huh? What plan?"
"My improvements to the Tailed Beast Ball are just the beginning. There's a lot more I can do—but first, I need to confirm something."
"What is it? Hurry up and tell me! This damn tanuki is getting sand all over me."
Kazuyama did have a plan, but even he wasn't completely sure it would work.
He intended to use the Tailed Beast Chakra as a medium to enter Shukaku's subconscious. If he wanted to resolve this once and for all, the real target wasn't Shukaku—it was his Jinchūriki.
Just like how Naruto had convinced all the Tailed Beasts, he needed to start from the source.
Only, Kazuyama wasn't going to talk things out. He was going to eliminate the problem permanently.
With a cryptic expression, he asked, "If you connect your chakra with Shukaku's, can I enter his consciousness?"
Chōmei had grown a lot over the years, no longer the reckless fool he once was. He immediately understood what Kazuyama was planning.
"You want to enter Shukaku's subconscious and take out his Jinchūriki?"
"If the Jinchūriki dies, we Tailed Beasts are forced into dormancy for a long time."
"You're planning to take down the smelly tanuki from the inside!"
Kazuyama burst into laughter—sharp, cunning laughter. He didn't bother hiding his appreciation for Chōmei's quick thinking.
"Chōmei, you've gotten smarter. That's exactly what I'm planning."
"No matter how strong Shukaku is, he's still just Shukaku. That old monk can't possibly be stronger than me, right? Killing him would be easy."
"So, are you in or not?"
Chōmei thought for a moment, nodded heavily—then suddenly shook his head.
Kazuyama frowned. "What kind of reaction is that? Are you agreeing or not?"
"Of course I agree, but it's not that simple. Our chakra needs to be connected first."
"That means I'll have to get into close combat with Shukaku. We'd basically have to wrestle."
"You know my melee combat skills. If I get caught up in a brawl with him, I'll be lucky if he doesn't rip all my wings off."
Hearing Chōmei's exasperation, Kazuyama almost laughed.
His tone was full of amusement.
"Wow, Chōmei. Not only have you picked up my fighting style, but you've also learned my cowardice, huh?"
"And seriously, worrying about your wings? I admit Shukaku is strong, but are you really that weak?"
"Alright, fine. You don't need to fight up close. Just give me control—I'll show you something cool."
Kazuyama immediately took over Chōmei's body. The massive insect froze midair, completely still, letting sand rain down on him without a care.
"Oh? Not running anymore, bug?"
"Tired already? Then get down here and take your beating!"
Seeing Chōmei motionless, Shukaku got excited, hurling sand with even more enthusiasm.
"Hmph, dumb tanuki."
"You won't be laughing for long!"
"Tailed Beast Ball—prepare!"
Dense chakra began to gather, but unlike the usual formation of a Tailed Beast Ball, something was drastically different.
As the energy slowly condensed into a sphere, Chōmei was utterly stunned.