Seeing the beast charging at him, Byakuya was unfazed and immediately controlled his Susanoo to clash head-on.
"Boom! Crash!"
A thunderous collision echoed as the two forces met. One massive figure was sent hurtling backward. The bulky body of the One-Tailed Shukaku tumbled across the battlefield, its tanuki-like form rolling several times before slamming to a stop.
"Ugh, you actually managed to hurt me...!" Shukaku roared, rising angrily.
"Die!!"
"Wind Style: Sand Bullet Barrage!"
With a guttural cry, Shukaku raised its clawed arms, unleashing a hailstorm of chakra-infused sand bullets at Byakuya. The barrage crashed violently against the blue ethereal form of Susanoo.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The storm of sand had no effect—the ribbed armor of the Complete Body Susanoo easily withstood it, its powerful defense shrugging off the impact without a dent.
Byakuya remained calm. "Yasaka Magatama."
From Susanoo's palm, three spinning magatama-shaped projectiles launched toward Shukaku at high speed.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Each massive magatama slammed into Shukaku's body with explosive force. The beast howled in pain as three gaping holes were blown into its sand-formed body.
But tailed beasts are not living creatures in the normal sense—they are chakra entities, capable of regenerating even after taking serious damage.
The desert around them responded, sand rapidly surging to fill in the damage as Shukaku's injuries began to heal.
Even so, the pain was very real.
"You bastard!! I'll crush you!!" Shukaku bellowed, rage fueling its chakra.
It lunged once more at Byakuya.
Byakuya's expression didn't change. With precision, he directed Susanoo forward.
"Bang! Boom! Bang!"
A fierce hand-to-hand brawl erupted. Massive claw met spectral blade. Fist against tail. Roars echoed across the desert battlefield.
Despite Shukaku now being fully unsealed—its power no longer limited by a Jinchūriki—it still found itself on the back foot. Byakuya, wielding the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, was simply on another level.
Even Uchiha Madara, a legend among shinobi, had once used the same dojutsu to control the Nine-Tails. Byakuya now mirrored that power.
Every time Susanoo's strikes landed, Shukaku roared in fury—and from its chakra, a heavy storm of negative energy poured forth.
[You have absorbed Shukaku's rage: +1000 Negative Energy → Taijutsu +100]
[You have absorbed Shukaku's fury: +2000 Negative Energy → Ninjutsu +200]
[You have absorbed Shukaku's hatred: +3000 Negative Energy → Chakra +300]
[…]
Seeing his stats rising rapidly, Byakuya smirked.
Around him, the Uchiha ninjas were stirred into a frenzy.
"Look! Lord Byakuya is beating up a tailed beast!"
"Amazing! He's overwhelming Shukaku!"
"With Lord Byakuya leading us, the Uchiha clan will rise to the top again!"
Cheers erupted among the Uchiha.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Tsunade watched in stunned silence.
"He's toying with a tailed beast… like it's nothing…"
Shukaku, known for its destructive power and violent temperament, was being completely dominated.
Tsunade's thoughts turned inward.
Could it be true? Could he really have power equal to Uchiha Madara...?
She had once scoffed when Byakuya claimed to rival the man who fought her grandfather, Hashirama Senju.
Madara Uchiha—whose mere presence had threatened to bring down the entire shinobi world—was a living legend, a nightmare reborn.
Yet here was Byakuya, clad in a full-body Susanoo, overpowering a tailed beast with ease.
Tsunade suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.
While she felt awe, she also felt sorrow—for her own clan.
Will the Senju ever awaken Wood Release again…?
Watching her clan's legacy fade while the Uchiha thrived under Byakuya's reign brought an ache to her heart.
Not far away, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio looked on in disbelief.
"Shikaku… are you seeing this?" Choza gasped. "He's actually beating a tailed beast!"
"This is insane… His power goes beyond what we expected," Inoichi added, his eyes locked on the battlefield.
Even after witnessing Byakuya's strength earlier, they hadn't anticipated this level of domination.
This was Shukaku—an ancient chakra entity with the power to level villages.
And yet... it couldn't even lay a finger on Uchiha Byakuya.
Shikaku's eyes narrowed.
"…His strength is real. And it's terrifying."
"It seems that Konoha is about to undergo a major shift..."
"We need to start preparing now..."
Nara Shikaku said gravely, his sharp eyes fixed on the battlefield.
Shikaku had no doubt—after witnessing the overwhelming power of Uchiha Byakuya, it was clear the Sand Village stood no chance. The tide of the war between Konoha and Sunagakure had already turned.
Byakuya's return to Konoha would not just mark the end of the war; it would signal the beginning of internal upheaval. With his combat prowess—at a level rivaling legends—the current Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the village elders would struggle to hold their ground against him.
"Everything in Konoha will change," Shikaku muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio—representing the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans—were no strangers to political survival. As mid-tier noble clans, their strength came not from brute force, but from aligning early with those who held true power.
And now, that power clearly resided with the Uchiha clan, or more specifically, with Uchiha Byakuya. Their decision was simple—support the stronger side and ensure their clans' future.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, there was no cheering from the Sunagakure side—only stunned silence and grim expressions. The sight of Byakuya dominating the One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku, left them all in disbelief.
"Damn it! How can this Uchiha be this powerful!?" Rasa cursed under his breath, his fists clenched tightly.
He had hoped to use the immense chakra of Shukaku to crush Konoha's forces and cement his position as the next Kazekage. But that strategy had crumbled before his eyes. Even the rampaging power of a tailed beast was nothing before the might of Susanoo.
"We've lost this war, Rasa..."
Chiyo's voice was quiet but firm. Her sharp eyes never left the battlefield.
"Organize a withdrawal. Secure the One-Tail's Jinchūriki and pull back immediately."
Unlike Rasa, Chiyo was pragmatic. She understood that if Shukaku were captured or sealed, their village's greatest weapon would be lost. The survival of the Jinchūriki was now the top priority.
"I understand..."
Although Rasa's voice trembled with frustration, he knew Chiyo was right. As much as it pained him, Sunagakure's only option now was to cut their losses and retreat.
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