In the end, the sand sphere shattered completely, and a monstrous figure burst out from within.
Hidan stared at the One-Tail Shukaku in front of him—roughly around the size of Gamabunta and felt his spirit deflate a little.
Goddamn it… tanuki my ass. What kind of "raccoon dog" looks like this?!
The bloated body, blue-purple markings, hideous mouth, fat oversized tail…
This thing looks like a sand-drenched sumo potato.
"Kakashi!" Hidan snapped out of his thoughts as Kakashi appeared beside him. "Can you handle this thing?" Kakashi asked quickly. Foreign enemies had invaded the village—reinforcements were needed elsewhere.
"Well," Hidan shrugged lazily, "leave this chubby dirt-ball to me. You guys do your thing."
Dealing with a One-Tail wasn't a problem. The "Pseudo Eternal Infinite Kotoamatsukami" had drained him, sure, but he wasn't helpless.
"Then it's in your hands. Guy, let's move!"
Kakashi signaled Might Guy, and together they sped off to fight the enemies who had infiltrated Konoha.
With Hidan taking on the Shukaku-possessed Gaara, Naruto and Sasuke had nothing to worry about. Kankuro and Temari weren't so lucky—they were snatched by Sasuke's team almost immediately.
Once the chaos ended, both siblings would be detained for questioning.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop where the Third Hokage and Orochimaru stood, the Four Purple Flame Formation had been fully deployed by the Sound Four. Inside it, Hiruzen and Orochimaru had already begun their probing clash.
"I hope this time… you won't throw your life away, old man," Hidan muttered, glancing toward the blazing barrier.
As annoying as the Hokage could be, Hidan didn't want him dead. If nothing else, he owed the old man for saving him during the Eight Gates training.
But Hiruzen wouldn't be pushed to desperation so quickly. For now, Hidan needed to deal with the beast in front of him.
The Ichibi wasn't "awakened" through Gaara's Tanuki Sleep Technique—Gaara had lost control entirely, allowing Shukaku's full body to manifest. Gaara's human form was nowhere to be seen, swallowed inside the monster of sand.
"ROOOAAR!"
Having finally emerged into the open sky again, Shukaku roared hysterically. Years of confinement had driven it half-mad. Now free, even briefly, it wanted only one thing—
Destruction.
Raising its massive palm, the One-Tail immediately slammed down toward the closest target: Hidan. It needed to vent its rage with blood.
Unfortunately for it… it chose the wrong guy.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
A crimson beam of lightning sliced horizontally, cleaving Shukaku's massive sand arm clean off. It crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar.
"ROAR!! YOU DAMN HUMAN—DIE! DIE!!"
Enraged, Shukaku actually began speaking words instead of roaring mindlessly. But fury blinded it completely—it didn't even guard itself against an enemy who could dismember it with ease.
Lightning hissed continuously around Hidan's right hand as he eyed the One-Tail coldly.
This thing is weak. No wonder Gamabunta could push it around back then…
But what surprised Hidan was what came next.
Shukaku's severed arm dissolved into a stream of quicksand, flowed back to the stump, and reformed instantly.
"Yeah… every tailed beast has its own unique tricks," Hidan muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
He recalled how, when Naruto fought Pain, the nearly full-form Nine-Tails spat out nuclear-level fire even while partially sealed.
And the Four-Tails literally manipulated molten lava.
The tailed beasts chakra transformed the nature of Naruto's Rasengan later, too.
So if someone sealed part of Shukaku into their own body… could they also manipulate sand?
His thoughts were cut short by Shukaku's shriek.
A massive chakra sphere began forming in its mouth—liquid-like at first, then condensing into a pitch-black orb almost half the size of Shukaku's head.
The dense chakra radiated a terrifying pressure, enough to level a mountain upon impact.
"—!!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb launched at unbelievable speed, ripping across the ground and leaving a deep trench in its wake. It was seconds from hitting Hidan.
But to Hidan?
Tailed Beast Bomb, Ten-Tails Bomb—whatever.
If Kamui exists, everything becomes a suggestion.
"Kamui."
A giant spatial vortex spiraled open in front of him. The Tailed Beast Bomb vanished inside instantly—no sound, no explosion, not even a ripple of impact.
Shukaku: "?!!!"
What the—?! What kind of cheat move is that?!
I'm using my big ultimate here! You're supposed to dodge, or get blown up, or SOMETHING! Can't you at least PRETEND to struggle?! I feel like I just set off a firecracker in a bathtub!
"That was amazing! What kind of ability was that!? He erased that terrifying chakra ball like it was nothing!"
Naruto yelled from a distance, eyes sparkling with awe.
Sasuke, silent as always, kept his cool expression—but even he trembled internally.
This… this is the power of Mangekyō Sharingan…?
Even Orochimaru and Hiruzen, locked in battle, glanced over in shock. Everyone knew how terrifying a tailed beast was—even the weakest One-Tail.
But Hidan had reduced its ultimate attack to an afterthought.
Shukaku—who had only been free for less than three minutes—finally learned fear.
The man he faced wasn't in its league.
Not even close.
Even the Nine-Tails… might not be his match…
Run away.
That was the only thought left inside Shukaku's head.
A terrible, primal hunch told it that if it fell into this man's hands, fate would be miserable beyond imagination.
Because the way this human was looking at it—the gleam in his scarlet eyes—
Shukaku had never seen anything like it in its entire existence.
Wait. Who's the monster here? Him or me?
I'm a tailed beast! The great Ichibi Shukaku! People in Sunagakure tremble before me! And this bastard dares look at me like I'm free loot?!
Hidan felt the fear trembling in Shukaku's tiny pupils and a mocking smile tugged at his lips.
A giant beast with a giant tail… completely hopeless at running away.
Especially when he himself had Kamui.
"Hey, Shukaku," Hidan called out calmly, raising his head.
"I've been wondering… do tailed beasts die?"
Shukaku's massive, sandy body trembled.
Of all the questions he dreaded… this one ranked near the top.
Why?
Why was THIS human curious about THAT?
If it said it couldn't die?
This lunatic might try to verify it.
If it said it could die?
This bastard might want to kill it right now.
Either way, I'm screwed! How am I supposed to answer this!? Quick—think—think—THINK!
In the end, under the oppressive aura radiating from Hidan, Shukaku folded…
…like wet sand.
"The tailed beasts were created when the Sage of Six Paths split the Ten-Tails using Yin–Yang Release," Shukaku muttered in a low, sulky tone.
"We're all chakra aggregates… normally, we don't die. But yes, beings strong enough can kill us."
"Even if a tailed beast does die," Shukaku continued, glaring at Hidan, "our chakra will recompose over time and we'll resurrect. Same memory, same consciousness."
Hidan listened quietly.
So that was the truth.
Chakra beings. Conscious aggregates.
Deathless, immortal, endlessly reconstructing.
An infinite chakra battery… It's no wonder they're coveted.
Even someone like him—immortal body or not—still had the lifespan of a human.
Bodies age. Flesh decays.
Even immortals die eventually.
Which meant only one thing:
He wanted more.
More power.
More longevity.
More control.
Even Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki and Hamura died of old age in the end.
But Kaguya—sealed for millennia—survived.
And Black Zetsu had existed for ages without perishing.
Immortality wasn't just possible.
It was achievable.
But that was for later.
"Alright… thinking too far ahead won't help," Hidan exhaled, turning his attention back to Shukaku.
"Let's deal with what's right in front of me."
The root of everything was the tailed beasts.
The Ten-Tails before, the Nine-Tails now.
"Shin–Yū–Jō–I… Four Symbols Seal!"
The moment the seal completed, several chakra-forged chains burst from Hidan's body and shot into Shukaku with brutal precision.
"W-Wait—WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Shukaku shrieked, but its body was already bound tight, locked in place by the Four Elephant Seal's chains.
"Relax. I'm only taking half," Hidan said, tone flat.
"I'm not stripping you completely."
The chains yanked violently, extracting a massive portion of Shukaku's chakra.
Its huge sandy body began shrinking at visible speed.
"Just as I thought," Hidan murmured.
"Chakra extraction reduces their size… just like Minato did with Kurama."
This confirmed it once and for all—
A tailed beast really was just a conscious chakra lump with different elemental affinities.
Under Hidan's relentless pull, Shukaku split neatly into two halves—Yin and Yang.
The Yang half was sealed into Hidan's body, waiting for the right moment to be controlled with "Pseudo Eternal Kotoamatsukami."
Killing Shukaku right now would be pointless.
The system only granted its abilities, not its raw power.
So sand manipulation was likely the best he'd gain—nothing more.
And Hidan needed the tailed beasts alive for future plans.
The remaining Yin half of Shukaku lay before him, drastically shrunken—no longer towering like Gamabunta, not even half its previous height.
Shukaku stared down at its miserable, compressed form.
If tailed beasts could cry… it would.
(If I had tears. Which I don't. Because I'm sand. Goddammit.)
Hidan observed the smaller Shukaku and nodded, satisfied.
"At least now you don't look like a chunky dirt-boulder. Much more tanuki-like. Sort of."
"...Go on," Hidan said coldly. "Get back inside Gaara."
Shukaku glared resentfully.
It had gotten NO chance to fight.
Half its body stolen.
And now this psycho wanted to stuff it back into Gaara?
What am I, your personal chakra ATM!? You withdraw when you want and shove me back when you're done?!
Can't you have some conscience?! I LITERALLY just gave you half of myself—even if it was forced!
Seeing Shukaku's sulky expression, Hidan's lips curled slightly.
Unwilling?
So what?
If not for Gaara being valuable for future use, Hidan would have killed Shukaku and tested its resurrection cycle personally.
Shukaku felt the killing intent.
It froze instantly.
This human…
Was too frightening.
Too powerful.
In the end, trembling helplessly, the reduced Shukaku shrank further and slipped back into Gaara's body…
…defeated, humiliated, and spiritually exhausted.
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