Chapter 418: Fear

"One-Tail. Shukaku!"

The massive creature before them towered over the battlefield, its earthy-yellow body adorned with intricate purple-blue markings. Its hulking frame radiated menace, but it was the enormous tail swaying behind it that truly captured everyone's terror.

As the beast's sudden appearance shook the ground, several nearby shinobi were crushed beneath its immense weight. The sickening sound of bones snapping and flesh being pulverized echoed across the battlefield.

"What kind of monster is this?!"

The cry came from a Konoha ninja, his voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and terror. Across the battlefield, a suffocating aura of chakra pressed down on everyone present, its weight unlike anything they had ever encountered.

To those unfamiliar with the tailed beasts, Shukaku's overwhelming presence was beyond comprehension. As a living mass of chakra, its power dwarfed that of even the most skilled human shinobi. For those who recognized the One-Tail, the fear in their eyes was far greater.

The Sunagakure shinobi, despite being the beast's supposed allies, knew all too well the destructive potential of Shukaku. They had heard stories of its rampages—of entire villages reduced to rubble under its might.

Minato stood firm, his sharp gaze fixed on the towering beast. Anger flickered in his usually calm eyes.

"This… this isn't how it happened," he muttered, his voice low but tinged with frustration.

The Sunagakure's decision to unleash the One-Tail's Jinchūriki in battle was unprecedented in the Third Ninja World War Minato remembered. The village's desperation was evident; it spoke volumes about their weakened state after losing the Third Kazekage and enduring Sasori's defection.

Minato clenched his fists. This was a reckless, almost suicidal gambit. The Sunagakure's top brass had gambled their very survival by weaponizing the One-Tail, hoping its power would even the scales against Konoha's elite forces.

But Minato understood the truth. Tailed beasts were not tools to be controlled. They were sentient beings with their own will, and their hatred for humans ran deep.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Shukaku let out a deep, guttural laugh that reverberated across the desert.

"Hehe, you think you can run?!"

The beast's voice was sharp and cruel, dripping with malice. Its hatred for the humans who had imprisoned it for decades was evident in every syllable. With a single wave of its massive clawed hand, the desert erupted into chaos.

"Crash!"

A towering wave of quicksand surged forward, engulfing everything in its path. The attack's scale was staggering—dozens of meters wide and high, with enough force to dwarf the strongest techniques Rasa had unleashed earlier.

Shukaku's wave swept across the battlefield indiscriminately, targeting both Konoha and Sunagakure shinobi alike. The sand churned like a living thing, devouring everything in its way.

Minato's eyes widened as he saw the incoming wave. With a flash of yellow light, he appeared in its path, slamming his hands together.

A shimmering barrier erupted in front of him, halting the sand's advance. The quicksand slammed into the shield with a deafening roar, sending ripples through the air.

"Run!" Minato shouted over his shoulder, his voice commanding.

The stunned shinobi, both Konoha and Sunagakure, snapped out of their stupor and bolted. Terror drove them to abandon their posts, fleeing from the golden tsunami threatening to engulf them.

Shukaku's eyes narrowed, its playful expression twisting into one of irritation.

"Huh? You're blocking me?!"

With another wave of its claw, the desert floor around Minato began to rise. The sand churned like an ocean, forming successive waves that battered the barrier. Each impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.

Minato gritted his teeth. The power behind the tailed beast's attacks was immense, and the barrier wouldn't last much longer.

"Impressive," Shukaku sneered, leaning forward. "But how long can you keep it up?"

Minato's gaze remained steady. He could feel the oppressive weight of Shukaku's chakra pressing against him, but he refused to falter. The lives of his comrades depended on his resolve.

The barrier finally shattered under the relentless assault, and a cascade of golden sand buried the ground where Minato had stood.

Shukaku cackled, triumphant. But its laughter faltered as it sensed something amiss.

Minato's chakra signature had vanished the instant the barrier collapsed. Shukaku's sharp senses extended outward, scanning the battlefield.

Behind it, Minato reappeared in a flash of light, his kunai in hand.

"Flash of light!"

Shukaku's massive tail swung with surprising speed, forcing Minato to retreat. The beast's agility was startling for its size, and its strikes carried enough force to shatter stone.

Their eyes met for the first time.

For a brief moment, Shukaku froze. Its massive frame shuddered, and it instinctively took a step back.

Minato's piercing blue eyes bored into the beast's own, radiating an aura that was eerily familiar.

"What… what is this?" Shukaku growled, its voice low and uncertain.

Though Minato's chakra was distinctly human, there was something else—something darker—lingering beneath the surface.

"Kyuubi?" Shukaku muttered, its massive claws twitching nervously.

Realization dawned in Minato's mind as he saw the flicker of fear in the One-Tail's expression. It's not me it fears—it's sensing the Nine-Tails.

Deep within Minato's soul, the remnant consciousness of the Nine-Tails stirred, its malevolent energy brushing against Shukaku's senses like a shadow of death.

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