The strongest tailed beast learned what humiliation really felt like.
"Tch… not bad for the Nine-Tails."
A calm voice sounded from beneath the massive claw.
The Nine-Tails, which had been in the middle of tempting Naruto, froze instantly.
"That's impossible!!"
"Just a human?!"
From the overwhelming resistance pushing back against its paw, the Nine-Tails couldn't help but cry out in shock.
It was the Nine-Tails—
The strongest of all tailed beasts.
A full-powered strike should have crushed any human on contact.
Yet the boy beneath its claw was holding it back with nothing but raw flesh and bone.
Terrifying.
No—terrifying even by tailed beast standards.
"Damn it!"
"This kind of thing—!"
"Die!!!"
Furious, the Nine-Tails poured even more strength into its claw, slamming down with everything it had.
It was the strongest tailed beast.
How could it possibly lose to a human?
But no matter how much force it used—
The claw wouldn't budge an inch.
Outside the iron bars, Naruto Uzumaki stared in complete disbelief.
"Big brother Alaric… he's insanely strong."
Naruto had thought defeating Sasuke was already unbelievable.
But this—
Holding down a monster like this?
Looks like he'd worried for nothing.
As for Alaric, feeling the Nine-Tails' power firsthand gave him a clear benchmark of his current strength.
Ever since activating the Homelander Template, he'd never truly tested his limits.
After all, his fusion rate had only just reached thirty percent.
[Host: Alaric Sarutobi]
[Age: 10]
[Ninjutsu: None]
[Taijutsu: None]
[Genjutsu: None]
[Bloodline: None]
[Template: Homelander]
[Fusion Rate: 30%]
[Unlocked Abilities: Super Defense, Super Strength, Super Speed]
[Next Template: Superman (Man of Steel)]
This was exactly why he'd come.
A perfect test subject.
From the results so far, his super strength was already on par with the Nine-Tails.
Not true Superman levels yet—but once the Homelander Template reached one hundred percent, the next stage would unlock.
And when that happened—
Strength capable of dragging planets.
Power that could tear free from a black hole.
With a reference point in front of him, there was no reason not to test everything.
"Hah!"
Alaric let out a sharp shout.
His power exploded.
Even as the Nine-Tails struggled with everything it had, it was no longer a match.
The enormous body was lifted and hurled away—
Slamming violently into the wall of the sealing space.
Boom!
"That's impossible!!"
"How can a human have this kind of strength?!"
"What the hell are you?!"
The Nine-Tails staggered back to its feet, eyes locked on Alaric with raw caution.
In its understanding, even Hashirama Senju had relied on Wood Release to suppress it.
Pure physical strength alone should never have been enough.
Yet the being before it—
Wasn't human at all.
Alaric didn't bother answering.
He'd finally found a benchmark—there was no way he'd waste it on conversation.
Seeing the amused curve of Alaric's lips, unease surged through the Nine-Tails' heart.
Before it could react—
Alaric bent his knees slightly, then stomped down.
His body launched forward like a cannonball.
Boom!!!
The speed was so terrifying that even the Nine-Tails couldn't react.
By the time it sensed danger, agony had already exploded through its body.
"Gah—!!"
The blow folded the Nine-Tails in on itself.
And it didn't end there.
Alaric's figure flashed repeatedly through the space.
Even without flight, super speed alone made the difference negligible.
With every strike—
Pain detonated.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Each punch landed cleanly.
The once-dominant Nine-Tails was beaten into a miserable, curled heap—more like a battered mutt than a legendary beast.
"Damn it!!!"
"I'm the Nine-Tails!"
"Die, you little brat!!!"
Driven beyond endurance, the Nine-Tails began condensing chakra in its mouth.
A terrifying aura flooded the sealing space.
The tailed beast's ultimate technique—
The Tailed Beast Ball.
Its killing intent locked firmly onto Alaric as chakra compressed wildly.
Just as it was about to fire—
Alaric vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of its face.
The Nine-Tails' heart skipped.
It tried to release the attack—
But Alaric grinned.
Then slammed both hands shut around its jaws.
"Mmmph—!!"
"Let go!! Let go!!!"
Panic finally erupted.
The Nine-Tails struggled frantically, but now that Alaric fully understood his own strength, there was no chance of escape.
Boom—
A dull explosion echoed.
Unable to fire outward, the condensed Tailed Beast Ball detonated inside its mouth.
The blast left the Nine-Tails completely stunned.
The massive fox stood there, dazed, eyes unfocused—
Questioning its entire existence.
"…Wait."
"You're the Nine-Tails?"
"The strongest tailed beast?"
"That's it?"
Hearing Alaric's mockery, the Nine-Tails finally broke.
Tears streamed down its enormous face.
At that moment, it desperately missed the Sage of Six Paths.
It had been minding its own business in the forest—
Then some monster with the Sharingan forced a contract on it.
Dragged into battle.
Crushed by a giant statue hand and sealed because it was "too strong."
Finally escaped—
Only to be split in half by a blond lunatic.
Now it was behaving itself inside a kid—
And yet another kid had come along and beaten it senseless.
This world was cruel.
Utterly cruel.
Outside the bars, Naruto stared, wide-eyed.
"…Big brother Alaric."
"That big fox… I think it's crying."
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