"Chizan, are you alright?"
"Let me help repair your body."
That strike from Shukaku's arm just now had directly injured Gekko Chizan's internal organs, and that mouthful of blood he spat out was precisely because of it.
Chōmei's worried voice, along with the surging chakra, made Gekko Chizan laugh out loud.
"Don't worry, Chōmei, I'm fine."
"Just a bit annoyed, that's all."
The injuries weren't really a problem. After all, he was a Jinchūriki—with Chōmei inside him, there was no way he was going to die.
But what he didn't expect was that this expedition kept going wrong again and again. First, his ambush failed and he was forced to retreat. Now, his second ambush had also failed.
For someone who prided himself on being the best at stealth, this left Gekko Chizan extremely frustrated.
"Where the hell did this little fly come from, daring to ambush me?"
"Wind Release: Air Bullet!"
Looking at Shukaku's belly swelling slightly and hearing the whistling of the wind, Gekko Chizan's brow twitched.
He was about to use Flying Thunder God, but discovered that his marked kunai had been blown away by the violent air currents when Shukaku appeared earlier—he had no idea where they had ended up.
"Damn it! I must not have checked the almanac before leaving today—everything's going wrong!!!!"
The Drilling Air Bullet Shukaku had fully charged was gathering at an extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, it was ready to explode.
In that desperate moment, Gekko Chizan didn't dare hold back anymore.
"Crystal Release: Soaring Dragon in the Sky!"
"I'm flying!!!"
With Chōmei's chakra supporting him, Gekko Chizan clapped his hands—and whatever he shouted instantly manifested.
The Crystal Release dragon appeared and carried him upward into the sky.
Amidst the swirling sandstorm, the crystal dragon looked lifelike and magnificent. Even Shukaku was taken aback for a moment at the sight.
But the Drilling Air Bullet had already been released—a massive wind sphere infused with chakra and Wind Release energy shot fiercely toward the heavens.
"Shit! That's way too fast!"
Riding the crystal dragon skyward, Gekko Chizan felt the crushing pressure of the condensed bullet, his face darkening.
"Crystal Release—Protective Coffin!"
Hearing the ridiculous name, Chōmei almost tripped and fell inside him, blurting out:
"What the hell kind of stupid names are you coming up with???"
But Gekko Chizan had no time to argue. A mass of crystal rapidly encased his body, and in an instant, a massive coffin made of crystal formed atop the dragon's head.
This was a jutsu he had devised, modeled after the Ice Coffin—purely defensive.
Inside, he continued channeling chakra to maintain the crystal's hardness.
The Drilling Air Bullet struck.
The crystal dragon was the first to be obliterated under Shukaku's immense power, shattering into fragments.
Then the coffin holding Gekko Chizan was hit. Under the impact of the bullet, both coffin and man were blown away.
"Chizan-kun!!"
"Get out of my way, Chiyo!"
Orochimaru's eyes instantly turned blood-red at the sight, wanting to rush to his aid. But Chiyo, controlling nine puppets, blocked him completely, refusing to allow it.
Yes—nine puppets, though one had already been destroyed by Orochimaru.
"I won't let you pass, Orochimaru."
"That brat is already dead!"
Chiyo laughed coldly at Orochimaru's rising fury as she unleashed another jutsu.
Three puppets combined their power, generating a tremendous suction. Orochimaru staggered, barely steadying himself with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands to avoid being dragged in.
"Damn it! Manda! Save him!"
In desperation, Orochimaru could only send Manda.
Manda glanced at Shukaku in the distance and couldn't help but swallow nervously. While he hesitated, the serpent in the sky shook itself and flew toward Gekko Chizan.
"Tch, it's just a One-Tail, isn't it?"
"Like hell I'm scared of you!"
"ROAR!!!"
Seeing Urokohane move, Manda roared in rage, then charged at Shukaku with full strength.
"Hmph! Mudfish, I remember you. Didn't the lesson I gave you last time suffice?"
"This time I'll drown you in sand!"
Shukaku sneered, slamming his hands onto the ground. In an instant, the earth was blanketed in sand.
The beast's overwhelming power forced both Sunagakure and Konoha shinobi to retreat rapidly.
Only a handful of elite Konoha ninja dared to stand their ground to find a way to stop Shukaku.
Among them were Uchiha Fugaku, Shirakumo, and others.
From afar, they watched Manda's massive body get buried again and again under the surging waves of sand, their expressions grim.
"Orochimaru's Manda is strong, but compared to a Tailed Beast, the gap is still considerable."
"We have to join in. We can't let Shukaku advance any further."
Though injured, Shirakumo gripped his blade in reverse, his fighting spirit blazing.
Soon, the Konoha jōnin launched themselves toward the rampaging beast.
Meanwhile, Urokohane had already seized Gekko Chizan in her coils.
"Chizan, are you alright?"
As the crystal coffin wrapped in her tail cracked apart piece by piece, Urokohane asked, worried.
She exhaled in relief as the crystals shattered completely and Chizan leapt out, landing once more on her head.
He looked somewhat exhausted.
"I'm fine. Good thing the Crystal Release shielded me. If I'd taken that blast head-on, I'd be dust."
Chizan still felt shaken. He wasn't one of those ignorant fools—he knew very well.
Shukaku might only have one tail, but his strength was easily among the top three.
Magnet Release, Wind Release, and sealing techniques—none of it was weak.
"Huh? That's Manda? Is that fool trying to get himself killed?"
"He's actually attacking Shukaku head-on?"
Both Urokohane and Chizan stared in astonishment at Manda pressing toward Shukaku.
But before they could process it further, another surge of gold sand interrupted them.
"Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
"Gekko Chizan—your opponent is me!"
Rasa spread his hands wide, and countless golden spikes shot toward Chizan from every direction.
Chizan looked at the furious Rasa with exasperation.
"Are you some kind of ghost? Why won't you stop haunting me?!"
"Fine, let's finish this! Then I'm going back to settle things with Shukaku!"
"Urokohane, let's go!"
He truly was annoyed now. Rasa kept showing up to get in his way.
Once or twice was one thing—but over and over? Did Rasa think Gekko Chizan had infinite patience?
At his command, Urokohane's body trembled, natural energy gathering around her. A shimmering protective shield formed over her scales.
Her massive body lunged straight at Rasa, ignoring the storm of golden spikes hammering against her defenses.
"Urokohane, your defenses are impressive."
"Hehehe, I don't like fighting, so all my abilities lean toward defense. I can cover you, but offense is up to you."
Chizan nodded, pulling a sword hilt from his robes.
He infused it with chakra.
"Swish!"
Golden-orange light blazed forth, dazzling and fierce.
The personal weapon of the Second Hokage—the First Sword of the Shinobi World—the Sword of the Thunder God!