Seeing Pakura drawing closer and closer, Rasa's heart gradually fell into panic.
He summoned a massive tide of gold dust to shield himself, sending it sweeping toward Pakura like a storm blotting out the sky.
But unlike before, the gold dust—once flawless in both offense and defense—had completely lost its power before Pakura's Scorch Release.
At this moment, Pakura was like a being bathed in scorching flames. Any gold dust that stood in her way melted away in an instant.
"It ends here!"
Bang!
Pakura struck Rasa hard in the chest, sending him flying backward.
A deafening boom followed as Rasa's body slammed into the outer wall of Sunagakure.
Under the tremendous impact, dense cracks spread across the wall.
"Rasa lost… Even with the Magnet Release bloodline limit, he's nowhere near Lady Pakura's level."
"No wonder he had to scheme against her. Their strength isn't even on the same tier."
"That was a complete one-sided fight. Lady Pakura should have been Kazekage!"
Seeing Rasa beaten to the brink of death, the shinobi of Sunagakure believed Pakura's earlier words even more.
With the power she had just displayed, it was only natural that Rasa would fear her.
"Rasa, I'll personally send you to the Pure Land now. When you get there, apologize face-to-face to the comrades you caused to die."
Expressionless, Pakura walked up to him. A high-temperature fireball condensed in her palm.
After waiting all these years, she could finally avenge them.
Yet a strange smile appeared on Rasa's pale face.
"Everything I did was for the village. You and your subordinates were unstable factors. Was it wrong to kill them?"
"And these bastards in the village… Living under my protection, and now they kick me while I'm down…"
"I'll have all of you buried with me!"
His voice was icy, filled with hatred and madness.
The next second, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from within him.
"Kehehehehe…"
With a sinister laugh, Shukaku's massive body appeared before everyone.
"After all this time, I finally get to come out."
As soon as it finished speaking, its enormous claw slammed downward.
Pakura had no choice but to leap back, putting distance between herself and Shukaku.
Her high-temperature Scorch Release was devastating against humans, but against a Tailed Beast—an entity made entirely of chakra—its effect was extremely limited.
"It's a Tailed Beast! That lunatic Rasa actually sealed the One-Tail inside himself!"
"He's insane. As Kazekage, he turned himself into a jinchuriki?"
"This is bad. The One-Tail will definitely take revenge on us!"
The shinobi of Sunagakure fell into panic as Shukaku appeared.
From past experience, the first thing a rampaging Tailed Beast did was unleash indiscriminate slaughter.
"You bastards, today I'll show you my true power!"
Just as they feared, after driving Pakura away, Shukaku immediately turned its gaze toward Sunagakure behind it.
Looking at the densely packed shinobi atop the walls, Shukaku formed hand seals with both claws.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
A massive sphere of chakra wind burst from its mouth, invisible razor-sharp blades tearing toward the shinobi.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
…
Like slicing tofu, the shinobi were cut down in an instant. Limbs and bodies littered the walls.
"Kehehehehe… This feels incredible!"
After being sealed for so many years, Shukaku's hatred for Sunagakure's shinobi ran bone-deep.
Seeing so many die at once, it threw its head back and laughed wildly again.
Just as it reveled in the slaughter, the shinobi united and launched a counterattack.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
"…"
Countless Wind Release techniques, explosive tags, senbon, and other weapons rained down on Shukaku.
It merely snorted and flicked its thick tail.
In the next instant, vast amounts of yellow sand rose into the air, blocking every single attack.
"Is this supposed to tickle me?"
Shukaku sprawled across the wall and opened its massive mouth once more.
"Wind Release: Sand Buckshot!"
Under the amplification of Wind Release, countless sand pellets shot out like bullets.
Faced with such overwhelming firepower, the shinobi suffered heavy casualties yet again.
"Damn it, find cover!"
"It's over. Who can stop the One-Tail now?"
"It's all Rasa's fault! That bastard let the Tailed Beast rampage just to get revenge on us!"
Even elite jōnin found it difficult to injure a Tailed Beast.
Moreover, most of Sunagakure's shinobi were puppet masters or Wind Release specialists—both naturally countered by Shukaku.
Despite gathering nearly twenty thousand shinobi, they were gradually being crushed.
"Trying to run?"
"Today I'll wipe this village off the map!"
Seeing the irritating insects scatter and hide behind buildings, a cold glint flashed in Shukaku's eyes.
It raised its head as chakra began condensing in its mouth.
The shinobi froze in terror.
"It's a Tailed Beast Ball! The One-Tail is using a Tailed Beast Ball!"
"Damn it, who can stop it?"
"Our families are behind us. Think of something!"
As the Tailed Beast Ball continued to form, many shinobi dropped to their knees in despair.
As a village that had endured multiple rampages, they knew exactly how terrifying its power was.
It was a force capable of easily annihilating an entire village.
In past rampages, even when they succeeded in stopping it, the cost had always been catastrophic.
Now, with no one able to restrain the One-Tail, did this mean Sunagakure would be destroyed today?
Amid the despair, someone finally regained their senses.
From within the crowd, a voice cried out while kneeling, "Lady Pakura, please save us! Save the village!"
Hearing that, the others snapped out of their shock.
One after another, they knelt and begged desperately, "Lady Pakura, save us! Save the village!"
It wasn't cowardice or fear of death.
Their families and comrades were right behind them.
If the One-Tail's Tailed Beast Ball wasn't stopped, their home would vanish.
Seeing this, Pakura lifted her gaze toward Uchiha Yuzuru in the sky.
"Husband, give me a hand!"