"Lord Soren… a monster on that level—how could a human possibly defeat it? Does Lady Minako really stand a chance?"
The overwhelming pressure radiating from the Dragon King of Destruction, Setorquay, crashed down like the sky itself.
Even Ediss, the black-skinned Persian cat who had traveled across countless nations, felt as insignificant as an ant—one careless brush and she would be erased.
"Strong?"
Uchiha Soren chuckled softly.
He patted Hamsuke beneath him, signaling everyone to retreat a little farther back. Then his gaze settled calmly on the slender figure walking toward Setorquay.
"Strength is always relative.
To you, the Dragon King of Destruction is a calamity capable of annihilating everything.
But to Minako…"
He paused.
"…it's an excellent whetstone."
The moment his words fell, the three women of the Four Weapons stared in shock as a colossal beast with an insectoid body and seven tails roared its way out of Uzumaki Minako's body.
Its wings spread wide, blotting out the sky, scattering shimmering scales like a storm.
"Ki—!"
Sensing a powerful enemy, Setorquay let out a piercing cry from the massive maw embedded in its trunk.
Six tentacle-like branches—each over three hundred meters long—lashed out like dragons, carrying the force of collapsing mountains as they slammed toward the Seven-Tails.
The scales filling the air were swept aside by the hurricane winds.
In perfect sync with Minako's will, the Seven-Tails gathered a Tailed Beast Ball in its mouth and fired it straight ahead. Then the insectoid head snapped forward.
Like a meteor striking the earth—
The collision with Setorquay's six branches erupted with a thunderous roar. A shockwave blasted skyward, spraying black-green ichor like a torrential downpour across a radius of a thousand meters.
"…This is a monster."
The warrior Sukama whispered hoarsely.
Her once-rosy lips turned pale as despair seeped into her voice.
She couldn't understand how such beings could exist.
If monsters like this ever entered a human city—how could ordinary people possibly survive?
"This is just a tailed beast from the ninja world," Chiyo said casually after hearing Sukama's murmur.
"Strong, yes—but not quite a monster."
Her gaze lingered on Minako's overwhelming display, her eyes dark with memory.
She recalled the battle in the Black Horn Region, where Han of Iwagakure, the perfect Five-Tails jinchūriki, had crushed both her and Bunpuku, forcing Bunpuku into partial tailed-beast transformation before he lost control—only for Hanzo of the Salamander to reap the benefit.
"This isn't a monster?"
Lilynet gasped, gripping her reins tightly as the battlefield's wind pressure howled around her, making her sway like a willow by the shore.
"Does the ninja world have something even stronger than this?"
Seeing her unsteady state, Chiyo stepped forward and steadied her, speaking softly.
"Someone who treats tailed beasts like toys…
has been right beside you this entire time."
Lilynet froze.
She looked up at Uchiha Soren, seated atop Hamsuke, then at Chiyo, who gave a slight nod.
For a moment, it felt like a dream.
Boom!
A deafening explosion snapped her back to reality.
Her chest rose and fell violently as she stared at the shifting battle.
"Ki—!"
Setorquay cried out in pain, its body surging with an ocean of magic power.
Its roots drank deeply from the earth. The branches shattered by the Tailed Beast Ball regenerated at visible speed, whipping wildly at the Seven-Tails in a frenzy.
"A mindless beast."
Standing atop the Seven-Tails' head, Uzumaki Minako controlled it with calm precision. She dodged while repeatedly firing Tailed Beast Balls, steadily draining the monster's magic.
But the unrelenting regeneration made one thing clear—
Its vitality and recovery were terrifying.
Fortunately, Minako's goal was reconnaissance.
Seeing that Setorquay's tactics never deviated, she opened her mouth and unleashed a raging inferno.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The Seven-Tails beat its wings violently, creating a gale on par with an A-rank technique.
The flames surged as if drenched in fuel, burning ever more fiercely.
"Ki—!"
Setorquay's scream sharpened as magic light flared across its body.
Purple-green magic circles resonated with the heavens—and a torrential downpour descended.
Rain and flame clashed with a violent hiss.
From the root-covered earth, countless massive tree stumps erupted—each thicker than a man could embrace. In an instant, the sea of fire vanished, leaving only faint sparks that were immediately extinguished.
As the purple-green magic circles faded, deep green magic arrays lit up along Setorquay's six branches.
Their speed suddenly skyrocketed.
Caught off guard, the Seven-Tails was smashed head-on and sent crashing straight into the ground.
A shrill cry rang out from its mandibles.
Struggle flickered in its compound eyes—as if it were trying to awaken from an illusion woven by the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But as long as Uchiha Soren lived, that would never happen.
"So the Dragon King of Destruction… is stronger than the Seven-Tails—no, even stronger than the Eight-Tails."
Minako's expression remained steady.
A tailed beast was ultimately nothing more than a chakra reservoir.
Once her strength advanced further, this giant insect would be tossed into the Konoha Scientific Institute to fulfill its true purpose.
The sudden downturn of the Seven-Tails made the spectators tense—
yet seeing Soren's relaxed, almost appreciative gaze, their hearts settled again.
As long as that man stood there, even if the heavens collapsed, he would hold them up.
"Sage Mode."
Natural energy from the Mount Myōboku lineage surged in, replacing ordinary chakra.
Sage markings appeared around Minako's eyes, lending her gentle face a wild, captivating edge that made Soren momentarily dazed.
No matter when—this beautiful, loyal woman always held a place in his heart.
"Sage Art: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Golden chains burst forth from the void, instantly binding Setorquay's six branches.
The monster roared in fury.
From the maw in its trunk, corrosive magic ripples spread outward, staining the chains a sickly gray.
"Hiss—!"
The Seven-Tails let out a piercing cry.
All seven tails braced against the ground—
And with the force of collapsing mountains, it charged forward, ramming its massive horn straight toward the immobilized Setorquay.
With no branches left to shield it, Setorquay answered—
By unleashing its corrosive magic waves head-on.
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