Chapter 52: Clash with Shukaku

The purple chains entwined around Bunpuku's body broke segment by segment. This exclusive sealing technique mitigated the lethal impact for him.

"Hey, Bunpuku, what's with you? Pull yourself together! You are the jinchuriki of Lord Shukaku, after all!"

What had just happened caught even Shukaku off guard. He saw Bunpuku being sent flying, almost dying on the spot.

"I... I can't hold on much longer, Shukaku..."

"Alright then, it's your turn now. Be careful."

The severe injuries were too much for someone of Bunpuku's age to bear. Just as he was about to use the "Feigning Sleep" technique to release Shukaku, he passed out.

Hanma's unexpected punch had an unintended, yet effective, hypnotic outcome.

Shukaku grinned widely. Without Bunpuku's restraint, he was ready for some fun.

Massive amounts of yellow sand gathered at an incredible speed. Pale yellow chakra danced in the sky, forming a giant tanuki. The lands that had turned into desert slowly began to return to normal as the sand congregated around Shukaku.

Shukaku collected every resource to strengthen himself. Having been imprisoned by Hashirama, sealed in a teapot, and then residing in Bunpuku's body for thirty years, it was unbearably dull.

For Shukaku, this appearance after such a long time had to be grand.

"Heeheehee!!!"

A gigantic, fat tanuki appeared on the ground. Its nearly hundred-meter-tall figure deeply shocked the far-off Konoha ninjas. Tailed beasts had been absent from the battlefield for a long time, and this terrifying presence was beyond many ninjas' comprehension.

Sakumo Hatake furrowed his brows and grabbed his sword, intending to aid Hanma. At the very least, two people would have a better chance of escaping.

But what he saw next was something he would never forget.

Hanma looked at the One-Tail. Going against such a colossal being was a novel experience for him, too.

In an instant, Hanma moved behind the One-Tail, took a stable stance, and grabbed its thick tail.

"Ah, this is quite a good leverage point."

Hanma's muscles bulged all over his body. His thighs dug into the ground, and his highly concentrated muscles slowly turned a peculiar black.

Shukaku was still rejoicing in its newfound freedom. It had only feared two humans before. It turned arrogantly to look for Hanma, only to find its tail being yanked with immense force.

Feeling confused, Shukaku had no time to ponder before it was swung around violently, spinning like mad.

Hanma fully unleashed his power, enjoying the unrestrained feeling of exerting his strength. It was something he had longed for.

Hanma hurled Shukaku high into the sky, then jumped, unleashing his full strength in a punch toward Shukaku.

The kinetic energy from the fall, combined with Hanma's immense power, created a terrifying punch that caused an earthquake across the entire area.

The ground cracked open, and the violent shockwave destroyed several kilometers of forest.

Sakumo silently put away his sword, staring at the scene before him, lost in thought.

"I heard from the vegetable vendor lady that the First Hokage might have had an illegitimate child. Could the timing match up?"

Faced with this absurd situation, even the usually cold Sakumo chose to briefly escape reality, pondering the gossip's truthfulness.

Shukaku curled up in pain. The large body made of yellow sand shrank by nearly a third.

Hanma squinted, contemplating the Tailed Beast's vitality.

"If I keep hitting it like this, will I be able to beat Shukaku to death?"

"You bastard... why did you hit me!" Shukaku yelled.

This overwhelming strength reminded Shukaku of only one being, the Five-Tails Kokuo. It instinctively thought the Five-Tails had come to sneak attack.

As Shukaku focused, its fat body comically hopped a step back. When it calmed down, seeing the relatively small figure of Hanma, it felt perplexed.

Decades ago, the one who captured it had a Susanoo much larger than this.

Out of the shadows of centuries past, Shukaku cautiously asked:

"Who are you related to Uchiha Madara?"

Watching via White Zetsu's live broadcast, Madara's mouth curled into a nostalgic smile. Next to him, Nagato gazed at him in admiration.

It was as if a kindly grandfather was bragging about his past glories to his grandchild.

Hanma chuckled. Having speculated about this elder over the past few days since Nagato's disappearance and sensing the surveillance before his bloodline awakened, it was clear it must be his doing.

Hanma coughed and said loudly:

"Who is Uchiha Madara? I don't know him. Is he the one who lost the Hokage election?"

Not done, he added:

"Oh, I remember now, he's the guy the Second Hokage kicked out of Konoha, right?"

Madara's face darkened. Glancing at the confused Nagato, he sighed and began to explain in a low voice.

Shukaku was bewildered. It didn't understand Hanma's words or the intricacies of Konoha.

"Are you messing with me?!"

Shukaku roared, slamming a massive arm towards Hanma, raising a cloud of dust.

Hanma's indifferent voice came through, "Too slow; not good enough."

Shukaku glared angrily at Hanma, furiously striking around. Hanma lazily dodged from side to side, silently marveling.

"These Tailed Beasts really don't have high battle intelligence."

As the dust settled, Shukaku prepared to howl in triumph, only to find Hanma still standing there quietly, even sighing.

"Are you mocking me?!"

Slamming its belly, numerous fierce mouths sprouted from Shukaku, spewing wind bullets towards Hanma.

"Wind Release: Infinite Air Bullets!"

The violent wind bullets engulfed the entire battlefield, turning it into scorched earth.

Hanma continued to calmly critique Shukaku's attacks, a hint of mockery on his face.

"Not powerful enough; not good enough."

"I'm truly curious why you don't use the Tailed Beast Bomb."

"Or do you just not know how?"

Shukaku was beyond furious. It refrained from using the Tailed Beast Bomb to showcase its scholarly prowess among the Tailed Beasts.

A thousand years ago, it was the only one among the Tailed Beasts who listened carefully to the Sage of Six Paths' teachings!

Among the Tailed Beasts, Shukaku alone mastered ninjutsu, sealing techniques, curses, and precise hand seals!

Who would use the common Tailed Beast Bomb?

With a murderous glint in its eyes, Shukaku's massive body turned into a large desert, covered in black seals targeting Hanma.

Hanma's expression slightly changed; it appeared similar to the sealing technique that could temporarily restrain Madara.

Leaping into the air, he saw the desert morph into a tanuki head lunging towards him!

With a gulp, Shukaku swallowed Hanma whole.

Confused by Hanma's lack of resistance, Shukaku theatrically gulped and shouted joyfully:

"That's what you get for underestimating me!"

Inside Shukaku, Hanma chuckled quietly, surveying his surroundings.

"Seems like Shukaku hasn't heard the story of the Gold and Silver Brothers."