"Bi, this opponent is no small matter! If you keep treating this like a game, your life could be in danger!" the Eight-Tails inside Kirabi warned sternly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Time to bring out Stage Two and end this fast, stupid guy, bastard guy!" Kirabi replied.
Grrrrrrrr!!
An even greater amount of tailed beast chakra surged from Kirabi's body, forming a red cloak and skeletal white bones on his elbows.
Boom! Kirabi landed on all fours, hot steam hissing from his mouth and tailed beast cloak.
This was Stage Two—the tailed beast's chakra forcibly compressed into humanoid form. Though weaker in raw power than full transformation, it vastly boosted speed and explosive force. Whenever Kirabi activated this form, battles tended to end in seconds.
Inside Susanoo, Obito (formerly Yamato Arata) said coolly, "Half-tailed beast form... impressive."
"I haven't used this form except against my big bro. This is the end! Eight Swords Style: First Form!"
Boom! Kirabi launched himself forward with a brutal headbutt aimed directly at Susanoo.
Cracks spread instantly from the point of impact, and with a loud shatter, the skeletal Susanoo collapsed.
"Too easy. Now this is what I call a fight!" Kirabi shouted, lunging toward Obito.
And then—
He passed straight through Obito's body.
"What?!" Kirabi froze mid-motion. The typical reaction upon encountering Kamui's intangibility for the first time.
Obito calmly turned, his Mangekyō Sharingan locking onto Kirabi's exposed back. "Kamui."
Click!
A gaping hole appeared through Kirabi's chest and back, piercing straight through.
"Agh!!!" The transformation dispersed, and Kirabi collapsed into a pool of blood.
Obito looked down without emotion. "I avoided his head. For a Jinchūriki, this won't be fatal."
Killing a Jinchūriki also risks killing the tailed beast. Obito's goal was to extract the Eight-Tails—not destroy it. Injuring Kirabi was merely a step toward breaking the seal.
Thump...thump! Kirabi's heartbeat slowed.
"So cold..." In his spiritual world, darkness closed in around him.
"Bi! Hang in there! I'm transferring chakra to you!" The Eight-Tails' voice rang out, flooding Kirabi with its life force.
The gaping wounds began to heal rapidly. Only Senju Hashirama, Tsunade with her Hundred Seal, or a perfectly synchronized Jinchūriki could regenerate from such near-fatal damage.
Obito gave a small smirk. This was all going according to plan.
In Kirabi's mind—
"That eye technique is terrifying! I almost died!" Kirabi gasped.
"Bi, he could've aimed for your head, but he didn't. He's after me," Eight-Tails said gravely.
"So... I'm just bait? He couldn't resist my genius?"
"You're overthinking it. He's targeting the Eight-Tails, not admiring your rapping."
Kirabi got to his feet. "Fine then, let's see how he likes this."
"Being a little more serious now?" Obito asked, his tone still calm.
"Stupid guy, bastard guy!"
Boom!
Kirabi once again entered Stage Two. Opening his mouth wide, he began compressing a Tailed Beast Bomb—an ultra-dense sphere of chakra.
The weight of it alone cracked the ground beneath him. Though small, even a half-formed Tailed Beast Bomb could level a mountain.
"Tch... Still trying the same trick," Obito muttered.
Boom!!
The Tailed Beast Bomb launched—but passed harmlessly through Obito.
RUMBLE! A distant mountain behind him exploded in a flash of light and sound.
"That's... the power of a Jinchūriki?!" Uzuki Sunset, watching from another peak, was stunned.
Kirabi, too, looked shaken. "He's so strong... even a Tailed Beast Bomb passed through him..."
"Bi, we don't have the intel for this kind of opponent. Retreat!" Eight-Tails urged.
"Yeah... but there's something I gotta check first."
Kirabi formed another Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Really? Another one? You'll just waste chakra," Obito said.
Suddenly, Kirabi turned and fired—not at Obito, but at the peak where A Fei and Uzuki Sunset stood.
"Here it comes," A Fei muttered.
"Damn it!" Obito cursed, activating his Mangekyō.
Too far to reach in time. But his left eye flared, locking on the flying bomb. "Catch it... Kamui!!"
Uzuki Sunset closed her eyes, accepting death.
SHWIP!
The Tailed Beast Bomb vanished into the void.
She opened her eyes in disbelief.
"Thunder Plow Hot Knife!!" Kirabi yelled, launching a high-speed tailed beast chakra-charged lariat.
CRACK! Susanoo only managed to block the strike for a second before it shattered. The hot, crackling blow was now inches from Obito's chest.
Too close. Even he couldn't phase through in time.
Uzuki Sunset cried out, but A Fei grabbed her shoulder. "Wait."
SNAP!
From Obito's right shoulder, thick vines of wood erupted, snaring Kirabi and wrapping tightly around his limbs.
Uzuki Sunset exhaled in relief.
"Wood Release?! He can use Wood Release too?!" the Eight-Tails shouted.
"Wood Release... Senju Hashirama's legendary bloodline technique! Who is this guy?!" Kirabi added. "But I get it now. When he attacks, he must be solid—that's his weakness!"
"Focus, Bi! Break free!" Eight-Tails shouted.
"Right! Full transformation!"
BOOM!!
The vines exploded apart as the Eight-Tails emerged in its true form.
Obito retreated, watching the massive beast loom over him, its chakra overwhelming.
But a grin formed behind his mask.
"Finally... I've been waiting for you, Eight-Tails."