A towering monster manifested in the middle of the battlefield.
It was a creature resembling a massive gorilla with crimson fur, four tails dancing behind its back the Four-Tails Son Goku.
With immense physical strength capable of flinging the Eight-Tails and the power of its Lava Release chakra nature, it was a terrifying sight.
"So you're the brat," Son Goku said, looking at the floating Tianyuan. "Quite the Taijutsu for someone so young. Your power is impressive; Roshi was no match for you, forcing me to step in."
Son Goku grinned savagely. "But since we are enemies, don't blame me for what happens next."
As a Tailed Beast, he felt no fear toward this human child. Even the powerful Taijutsu from before had failed to truly injure him. Unless Taijutsu reaches a certain transcendent level, it is incredibly difficult to harm a Tailed Beast.
Tianyuan considered reopening the Seventh Gate or the Eighth Gate. If he did, he could take down the Four-Tails just as he had dealt with the Eight-Tails. However, Tianyuan had no desire to waste a Senzu Bean so carelessly. The true strength of the Eight Gates Formation was most potent when the Seventh Gate and Eighth Gate were utilized.
"Taste my attack!" Son Goku roared. He opened his mouth wide and a beam of blue light shot out, surging toward Tianyuan.
Using the Sky Dancing Technique, Tianyuan zipped aside, narrowly dodging the blast. The power struck the distance with a thunderous roar. Thick clouds of dust billowed into the air, revealing that a section of the forest hundreds of meters wide had been completely incinerated by that single strike.
"You're fast," Son Goku remarked curiously. "That didn't seem like Ninjutsu."
"You were created by the Sage of Six Paths," Tianyuan said slowly. "Then I shall show you the power that once belonged to him."
"The power of the Sage of Six Paths?" Son Goku froze for a moment.
At that instant, Tianyuan's pupils bled into a deep crimson, evolving into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Eight circles spun incessantly, surrounded by flame-like patterns that radiated a mysterious, eerie aura.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan!" Son Goku exclaimed in surprise.
That was indeed a power once held by the Sage of Six Paths.
"Now, feel this strength."
Pitch-black Chakra billowed from Tianyuan, coalescing and condensing around his frame. Moments later, a warrior standing dozens of meters tall stood on the battlefield. This was the Susanoo, the ultimate power of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Is this the power of the Mangekyo?" Hizashi Hyuga murmured from afar. He had heard rumors of Tianyuan possessing the Mangekyo, but seeing it in person was another matter entirely.
It was the Four-Tails Son Goku against the Susanoo.
At this moment, ninjas from both the Rock and the Leaf turned their gazes toward the center of the struggle. That battlefield was no longer a place for ordinary men. Even a Jonin would find themselves in extreme peril there, liable to lose their life in an instant if caught between the Tailed Beast and the Susanoo.
"Susanoo..." Son Goku was stunned. It really was the power once held by the Sage of Six Paths. He knew all too well how terrifying the Mangekyo Sharingan could be.
Beyond the Susanoo's ability to clash with them directly, the raw ocular power of the Mangekyo was something Tailed Beasts could not resist. Even Kurama, the strongest among them, had no choice but to submit before the Eternal Mangekyo.
"Impossible... your Mangekyo cannot be the same as the Sage's!" Son Goku gathered Chakra in his maw. A pitch-black sphere began to form, a Tailed Beast Bomb concentrated with a precise ratio of Yin and Yang energy.
A Tailed Beast Bomb possessed enough power to level a mountain.
With a massive boom, the Tailed Beast Bomb shot toward the Susanoo. Tianyuan did not attempt to dodge. The Susanoo drew its twin blades and slashed directly at the incoming projectile.
To Son Goku's utter horror, the Tailed Beast Bomb was sliced clean in two. The halves of the energy sphere slid past the sides of the Susanoo, exploding harmlessly behind it.
"Ah..." Son Goku stared blankly. To slice a Tailed Beast Bomb with the Susanoo... how much power did this kid's Mangekyo possess?
Perhaps it truly was comparable to the Sage of Six Paths. Son Goku shook his head violently to clear the thought; he couldn't let his mind wander. The power of the Sage in the later years was beyond comprehension; without deep research into Yin-Yang Release, one could not push that power to its absolute limit.
Regardless, Son Goku knew one thing for certain: he was no match for the Susanoo.
"Listen, descendant of the Sage... I have no personal grudge against you. Just let me go, okay? I'll even give Roshi a good beating for you later," Son Goku said, his dignity completely cast aside.
"I'm afraid that won't work," the Susanoo replied in Tianyuan's voice.
"You can't kill me!" Son Goku snarled.
"I can defeat you or seal you. Oh, right Shukaku is already sealed. Perhaps you can keep him company," Tianyuan said with a faint smile.
"Is that so?" Son Goku roared. "Then taste my strongest power! The Ultimate Ninjutsu I've recently developed!"
With the beast's roar, fiery red Chakra erupted outward, and magma began to pool in the surrounding area. A brilliant red light flashed as a massive burst of flame enveloped the Susanoo.
"It's useless. Is this what you call your Ultimate Ninjutsu, Four-Tails?" Tianyuan asked as he walked out from the erupting magma.
Then, Tianyuan witnessed a sight that left even him speechless.
The Four-Tails was sprinting away into the distance as fast as its legs could carry it. It was running away!
Tianyuan was stunned, and the Rock and Leaf ninjas in the distance were equally dumbfounded. Was this the "nuclear weapon" of the ninja world? Was this the power of a Tailed Beast? It was an absolute disgrace to the name.
If Son Goku knew what they were thinking, he would have retorted instantly: If you're so brave, you go deal with a Susanoo!
"I think I might have messed up my attempt at looking cool," Tianyuan muttered, blinking in confusion. "I suppose I could have just let you surrender if you'd asked nicely."
"But since you want to play it like this..."
The Susanoo sheathed its long blades. A bow appeared in its grasp, and a pitch-black arrow slowly began to take form.
"Armament Haki."
"Ki."
"Kagutsuchi."
The arrow, born from the fusion of three distinct powers, finally materialized. It radiated a razor-sharp aura, its surface etched with countless shifting flame patterns.
"Go!"
The arrow vanished instantly, like a bolt of black lightning.
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