"Th-that was… a Tailed Beast Ball?"
"Lady Yugito is finally going all out!"
The experienced Kumogakure jōnin immediately shouted warnings.
"Everyone, fall back! Avoid friendly fire!"
Konoha's forces reacted just as quickly.
"Danger ahead—retreat!"
Shinobi scattered at high speed, leaving an even wider vacuum around Yugito and Uchiha Akihito.
With no one else nearby, both were free to unleash everything without restraint.
In full Tailed Beast form, Yugito's eyes burned with killing intent.
"'Flame Demon' Akihito… goodbye."
"It ends here!"
Akihito remained calm and silent.
A faint smirk tugged at Yugito's lips.
"Still acting indifferent?"
Though she had been at a disadvantage earlier, the truth was Akihito's attacks hadn't inflicted truly severe damage.
Tailed beast chakra possessed regenerative properties.
Minor wounds healed quickly.
Red and blue chakra fully converged. A sharp light flashed in her eyes.
Underestimating your opponent comes at a price.
Let me teach you a lesson, Uchiha brat.
The blazing Nibi swung its head—
"TAILED BEAST BALL!"
A pale blue beam of annihilation roared forward.
The wave of destruction bore down on him—
Akihito closed his eyes.
At that moment—
He seemed to merge with nature itself.
Like Naruto in perfect Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku.
A master swordsman could perceive the "breath" of all things. In some sense, it mirrored sage arts.
Breath stilled. Spirit gathered. Intent unified.
Man and sword became one.
He drew his blade slowly—
And delivered a single, unadorned slash.
"One-Sword Style: Severing Wave."
A dark crimson arc split the earth as it surged forward—
Like Mihawk cleaving the battlefield.
Like Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō tearing through the sky.
BOOM—!!!
The two devastating forces collided.
The battlefield trembled violently.
Then—
Unbelievably—
Akihito's slash cleaved straight through the Tailed Beast Ball.
Silence.
The Kumogakure shinobi were stunned.
"Lady Yugito's Tailed Beast Ball… was cut in half?"
"Am I hallucinating?!"
Even Konoha's forces were dumbstruck.
"He sliced a Tailed Beast attack… with a sword?"
"Is that even humanly possible?"
Before anyone could recover—
The crimson slash continued.
Yugito had no time to evade.
She was struck head-on and sent flying.
BOOM!
The massive body of the Two-Tails slammed into the ground, carving out a massive crater.
Had the Tailed Beast Ball not consumed much of the slash's force, that strike might have cleaved the beast in two.
Once, Jūzō Biwa had tried cutting a Tailed Beast Ball.
It hadn't ended well for him.
Now—
Akihito had split one cleanly—
And remained unharmed.
A new record had just been written in shinobi history.
Another collective gasp echoed across the battlefield.
One strike nearly killing a tailed beast?
How monstrous was this man?
Yugito struggled to her feet, shock surging through her heart.
The power of a Tailed Beast Ball—
The defensive durability of a tailed beast—
Combined, yet she was gravely wounded.
Just how deep did Akihito's strength run?
Her eyes locked onto him.
"That wasn't chakra…"
"What was that?"
As a being formed of chakra, she was acutely sensitive to it.
She had clearly sensed—
That slash contained no chakra.
Chakra was the foundation of shinobi power.
Techniques without chakra were limited to taijutsu—
But that had clearly not been taijutsu.
It was something entirely new.
And deeply dangerous.
"I don't believe it."
"I refuse to believe you're this strong!"
"I am Yugito—the perfect jinchūriki of Kumogakure!"
Though her ultimate move had failed, she had no intention of surrendering.
Battle intent flared again.
"That technique must cost you dearly."
"Let's see if you can do it again… and again."
Akihito's gaze sharpened slightly.
She wasn't foolish.
That slash could be used—at most—three times consecutively.
One surge, then decline. Three strikes, and exhaustion.
Even he would be weakened after that.
Of course—
In her current condition—
Whether she could survive another one was also uncertain.
Her words were a calculated gamble.
She feared he might unleash it again.
He was spent—
But so was she.
Akihito calmly sheathed his blade.
"Tailed Beast Ball packs quite a punch."
"I wonder how many more you can fire?"
The faint smile on his lips ignited her pride.
Dare you belittle me?!
"You're courting death!"
She shifted back to partial transformation.
"Try this—Rapid-Fire Mini Tailed Beast Balls!"
Compressed spheres shot toward him like artillery fire.
Akihito moved without panic.
"One-Sword Style: Blazing Dance."
His blade blurred.
Each swing sent a miniature Tailed Beast Ball flying off course.
Clang. Boom. Slash. Deflect.
He advanced directly through the storm of destruction.
Closer.
Closer.
Yugito's pupils contracted.
"This is… pure swordsmanship?"
Akihito smiled faintly.
"You're correct."
In that instant—
He vanished.
The next second—
He stood behind her.
His blade rested lightly against her throat.
A calm voice echoed.
"Two-Tails jinchūriki…"
"You've lost."
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