Chapter 168: The Land of Iron
Chapter 168: The Land of Iron
Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise!
Behind Tonari, from the nine spatial gates forming a crucifix, emerged four mysterious creatures, each wearing a white mask and cloaked in flowing white robes.
These were the Mask Beasts, summoned through the Supa Four-Faced Manifestation technique, representing the four legendary creatures of mythology: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.
Kakuzu had seen Tonari use the Supa Three-Faced Manifestation before. He hadn't expected that another mask beast had been added, surprising him slightly.
However, this time, these beasts were on their side.
From Kakuzu's body, black tendrils resembling writhing threads emerged, carrying the four masks on his back. The masks transformed into hideous creatures of black sinews, each representing a different elemental heart.
Unlike Tonari's summons, Kakuzu's mask beasts didn't require hand seals to use jutsu.
Four Mask Beasts from Tonari and four elemental hearts from Kakuzu—this was a veritable Army of Masks!
As the onslaught began, Han—still in his three-tailed state—was already exhausted after launching a Tailed Beast Bomb. Unless he released more of the Five-Tails' power, he wouldn't be able to withstand such a fierce barrage.
Kakuzu glanced at Tonari, who maintained a calm expression, and asked, "Isn't Wood Release supposed to suppress Tailed Beasts?"
He knew Tonari could use Wood Release; the first time he saw it, it had given him quite a scare.
However, upon reflection, Tonari's Wood Release wasn't particularly strong. Kakuzu realized he'd scared himself by associating it with the legendary Hashirama Senju, a memory that had left a deep impression.
This self-induced fear had become a blemish on Kakuzu's pride—one he found hard to erase.
Tonari rolled his eyes at him. "If my Wood Release were that strong, why would I be here playing cat and mouse? Why bother setting up schemes? Wouldn't it be easier to bulldoze the entire ninja world?"
His candid admission that his Wood Release wasn't particularly powerful left Kakuzu momentarily stunned.
Yet, the more straightforward Tonari was, the more wary Kakuzu became. It meant Tonari no longer needed to rely on Wood Release to intimidate him—Tonari now had the strength and confidence to confront Kakuzu directly.
Kakuzu quickly set aside his probing thoughts, refocusing on the rampaging Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, Han.
It was unclear whether Han's remaining consciousness was suppressing the Five-Tails or if the previous Tailed Beast Bomb had drained his chakra. Regardless, the fourth tail that had been on the verge of manifesting mysteriously receded.
"Now's the chance—take it!" Kakuzu barked.
After a prolonged battle, the black tendrils from Kakuzu's elemental hearts had burrowed into the ground, coiling tightly around Han's limbs and tails.
"Roar!"
Sensing the danger, Han's fragile will was finally overrun by the Five-Tails. Chakra surged violently, and the fourth tail began to emerge.
This was when Tonari's Mask Beasts struck. The Black Tortoise descended from the sky, pinning Han to the ground, while the other three Mask Beasts latched onto his tails, immobilizing him completely.
Zzzzt!
Electricity crackled around Tonari, and his speed increased to its peak as he appeared beside Han in a flash.
He raised his right hand, which now resembled a blade, cloaked in a dense layer of pale blue Tailed Beast Chakra.
"Haah!"
Summoning all his strength, he brought the chakra blade down in a slicing motion.
"ROOOAAAR!"
Whether the roar belonged to Han or the Five-Tails was unclear, but it was filled with fury as Tonari's chakra blade severed the three tails at their base.
Though these tails were mere chakra constructs, they were as tangible as real tails. Severing them caused the three tails to fall to the ground, where they quickly dissipated.
Tonari wasted no time. He retrieved a scroll, rapidly formed seals, and activated a sealing jutsu to capture the chakra from the severed tails.
After completing the sealing process, Tonari immediately retreated. He could feel the Five-Tails' wrath mounting, and staying any longer would only spell disaster.
"ROAR!!"
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Kakuzu's black tendrils snapped one by one, and the four Mask Beasts struggled to maintain their hold. The severed tails regenerated swiftly, and a fourth tail began to materialize at an alarming speed.
"Oh no, it's about to go berserk! Retreat now!" Tonari exclaimed, his face pale with fear.
Without hesitation, he sprinted away from the rampaging Five-Tails. As he passed Kakuzu, he shouted, "Why are you hesitating? Run! Do you think you can handle the full Five-Tails?"
Kakuzu was speechless.
Although he found Tonari's behavior exasperating, he couldn't deny the sense of danger emanating from the enraged creature.
While Jinchūriki could harness some of their Tailed Beasts' power, unless they were perfect hosts, they acted more as prisons, restricting the Tailed Beasts' full capabilities.
However, once a Jinchūriki lost control and the Tailed Beast fully manifested, it became an unstoppable force of nature.
Tonari had no desire to face the Five-Tails head-on. It was a fight he knew he couldn't win.
Kakuzu quickly retracted his elemental hearts and followed Tonari in retreat.
Three of Tonari's Mask Beasts disappeared into his robes, leaving only the Vermilion Bird. Grabbing onto its talons, Tonari soared into the sky. Kakuzu, using his elongated arms, latched onto Tonari's legs and allowed the Vermilion Bird to carry them both away.
Behind them, the rampaging Five-Tails continued its furious roar, its fourth tail nearly fully formed.
At the same time, several figures with disheveled appearances emerged from the surrounding forest.
These were Iwa-nin, their headbands marking them as shinobi of the Hidden Stone. The leaders wore grim expressions.
"Damn it! Han-sama has completely lost control. Activate the sealing formation!"
"Yes, sir!"
In unison, the Iwa-nin performed hand seals. Massive stone pillars shaped like dragon heads erupted from the ground, binding the Five-Tails' limbs and tails.
Despite these restraints, the Five-Tails struggled violently, threatening to break free.
A dome-shaped rock structure descended from above, encasing the Five-Tails and compressing into a spherical prison.
Even within the prison, tremors shook the ground, indicating the Five-Tails' continued rampage.
Several Iwa-nin rushed forward, placing sealing tags inscribed with intricate runes onto the stone sphere. Channeling their chakra, they activated the sealing jutsu.
Gradually, the sphere's tremors subsided until complete stillness was achieved.
Once the Five-Tails' chakra had been suppressed, the Iwa-nin split the stone sphere in half, revealing Han's unconscious, human form. His red armor had been completely destroyed in the process.
One of the Iwa-nin hoisted the unconscious Han onto his shoulders, and the group swiftly departed the area.
Under the cautious leadership of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, measures had been put in place to suppress the Five-Tails in case of such an emergency.
A capable Jinchūriki was an invaluable asset to any village, and Han, who could partially harness the Five-Tails' power, was particularly rare.
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Meanwhile, Tonari and Kakuzu finally came to a halt after covering a safe distance.
"That should do it. Looks like the Five-Tails didn't fully go berserk. The Hidden Stone really knows their stuff," Tonari remarked, somewhat impressed.
Kakuzu pulled out a new black robe from somewhere and slipped it on, throwing Tonari a withering glare.
"It's a major village, and Onoki isn't some fool. Did you really think they'd act without contingencies?"
"Oh? Seems like you're quite familiar with Onoki. Makes sense—you two are from the same era. Though, he's probably younger than you, right?" Tonari teased.
He suddenly remembered that both Kakuzu and Onoki had lived during the era of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
"Had some dealings with him. Do you think all those overpriced bounties in the underground market post themselves?" Kakuzu replied indifferently.
"So, my bounty..."
"That, I don't know. But he does seem like the type to do it," Kakuzu admitted.
Tonari smirked but said nothing further.
(End of Chapter)
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