The appearance of Shukaku stirred the winds into a frenzy.
Yellow sand and smoke spiraled into the sky, refusing to settle—as if the desert itself was bowing to the return of the beast.
All around, Sand shinobi stared at the monstrous figure with dread carved deep into their faces.
To them, the name Shukaku spelled one thing:
Disaster.
Every time it had appeared in the past, it brought ruin, suffering, and death. It was a symbol of chaos—a nightmare born of sand and rage.
A jōnin in the crowd glanced up at the towering beast and muttered, half in hope, half in denial, "Maybe... maybe that monster crushed the intruder...?"
"Don't count on it," another said, voice grim. "That man defeated the Fourth Kazekage. Nothing about this is simple."
The group fell silent, despair creeping in like a cold wind.
With Rasa down and no one else strong enough to face the beast, what hope did they have? The village was defenseless.
Their expressions darkened, many already envisioning the destruction of Sunagakure.
Then, as the winds gradually calmed and the sand settled, a lone figure emerged from the haze.
Zeldris.
Unbothered. Calm.
While others stood frozen in terror, he dusted his cloak off like nothing had happened. Looking up at the tailed beast before him, he gave a faint, amused smile.
"Hmm," he muttered to himself, "Fifty million... this one's not going down easy."
But just then—
"DIDN'T EXPECT ME, DID YOU?! I'M FREE AGAIN!!"
The deafening roar thundered from Shukaku, rattling bones and sending a fresh wave of panic through the village.
People screamed and clutched their ears, praying desperately for a miracle.
"Where's Lord Rasa?! He has to stop it!"
But the truth was... Rasa had been buried completely during the earlier chaos—his chakra nearly gone, his body out of sight.
There would be no savior.
All the villagers could do was watch as their worst nightmare roared at the sky.
Shukaku's wild eyes darted around as it began scanning the ground, as if searching for something.
Then, it shouted again, voice dripping with mockery:
"Rasa! Where are you, coward? Hiding again, huh?"
"Come out and get crushed!"
"If you won't show yourself, I'll just raze this village to the ground!"
The beast laughed—a horrible, echoing laugh filled with madness.
It was looking for Rasa.
Every time it had broken free in the past, he was the one who sealed it again.
But now, no sign of the Kazekage.
Just as confusion flickered through Shukaku's mind, a calm voice rang out beneath it.
"Hey, raccoon. Stop looking for him."
Shukaku blinked.
"Rasa's already down. I'm the one who put him there."
The beast's head jerked downward, its enormous eyes locking onto a small figure in black. Standing alone, dust swirling around his feet, Zeldris looked up with a calm, mocking grin.
For a moment, Shukaku was stunned. Then its lips curled in disgust.
"Huh?! Just a brat? I thought it was someone strong."
It scoffed.
"What? You expecting me to be scared? Beat it before I squash you like a bug!"
Zeldris only chuckled, shaking his head.
Then he said flatly, "Go ahead. Try."
"…If you can, raccoon cat."
Shukaku's eye twitched.
"Raccoon… cat?"
The nickname stung. Shukaku's pride flared like a wildfire.
"You little bastard…" it growled, narrowing its eyes. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."
"Let's see how long you keep that mouth when I smash you into paste!"
With that, Shukaku reared back and raised its massive claw into the sky.
The air screamed as the enormous limb came crashing down, like a falling mountain. Wind howled in its wake, the pressure alone enough to pulverize stone.
To the shinobi watching, there was no way anyone could survive a blow like that.
But Zeldris didn't move.
Not even a step.
His eyes didn't flinch. No fear. No hesitation.
As the claw neared, Zeldris simply lifted his arm. A white-hot glow began to wrap around his fist, humming with violent energy.
Then—
Boom!
He launched his fist upward, directly into the descending claw.
White light exploded on impact.
The desert shook.
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