Chapter 72: Cut Him? Don’t Be Ridiculous! He’s My Brother!

The Tailed Beasts each had unique colors for their tails:

One-Tail: Yellow

Two-Tails: Blue

Three-Tails: Gray

Four-Tails: Red

Five-Tails: Pure White

Six-Tails: Milky White

Seven-Tails: Green

Eight-Tails: Dark Red

Nine-Tails: Orange

In the duo's line of sight stood an enormous, pure-white creature—a fusion of a dolphin and a horse. Its five tails whipped furiously through the air, never ceasing their violent motion. This was Kokuō, the Five-Tails—a living embodiment of raw, unstoppable power.

"Damn it! I knew something was off. He really is a Jinchūriki!"

"Five tails! The Five-Tails!"

Fugaku gritted his teeth, fighting through the pain as his gaze locked onto the massive beast in the distance.

"Why didn't you say something sooner? We could've retreated while we had the chance!" Minato shot him a frustrated, helpless look.

"It's too late now," Fugaku growled. "With all five tails unleashed, there's no doubt—it's a Jinchūriki and a Tailed Beast!"

"Roar!"

Kokuō's red eyes glowed ominously as it erupted into a rampage.

The Iwa ninja nearby froze in sheer terror.

"Five... Five-Tails... This can't be real!"

"Where is Lord Han?"

The remaining four Iwa shinobi were badly injured, but their pain was nothing compared to the overwhelming fear flooding their hearts. The Five-Tails hadn't appeared for years, having been suppressed by Han. But now, it had gone berserk.

"Run! Run! Go find Lord Rōshi! Only he can tame it!"

Just as they turned to flee, their bodies locked up. A horrifying numbness spread through them, rendering them completely paralyzed. They collapsed, unable to even move their tongues.

"No... no... this can't be happening..."

Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, Kazuyama observed the chaos below and finally heard the familiar system prompt.

[Ding! The host's actions have caused Jinchūriki Han to sustain serious injuries, breaking the seal on Kokuō. Result: Five-Tails has gone berserk. Special reward: +10 Strength.]

Huh? Just +10 Strength? That's it? Kazuyama frowned, frustrated. Kokuō's literal embodiment is absolute power, but all I get is 10 points?

Before he could dwell on his disappointment, more notifications flooded in:

[Ding! The host's actions caused Fugaku Uchiha to sustain injuries (broken ribs, broken left leg). Special reward: +1 Genjutsu.]

[Ding! The host's actions caused Minato Namikaze to sustain injuries (broken right arm, moderate concussion). Special reward: +1 Ninjutsu.]

[Ding! The host's actions caused 29 Iwagakure ninja to die (obliterated, no remains). Special reward: +3 Strength.]

[Ding! Residual Scale Powder in the air caused four Iwagakure ninja to become paralyzed, unable to dodge in time, resulting in their deaths as they were trampled by Kokuō. Special reward: +2 Stamina.]

Kazuyama was left speechless. This escalated quickly... All 33 Iwagakure ninjas are gone, and even Fugaku and Minato are injured.

Still, he couldn't help but smirk. Well, this mission turned out to be more successful than I expected!

"Hahaha! Kokuō's completely losing it!"

"Kazuyama, our plan worked like a charm!"

"Look at those red eyes—Kokuō's pissed!"

Chōmei glanced at Kokuō, who was rampaging wildly, venting his uncontrollable fury, and let out a laugh that sounded like a thief caught red-handed.

"Alright, time to get out of here! And we better drag those two idiots, Minato and Fugaku, with us—if Kokuō kills them, I'm done for!"

Kazuyama maintained his Transparent Escape Technique as he flew a kilometer away. His priority was to deal with the two intruders who had come to capture him. After all, a rampaging Tailed Beast was terrifying enough—but with both of them severely injured, the situation was even more precarious.

"Roar!"

Kokuō, in full rampage mode, began charging forward, his massive body kicking up clouds of dust as he barreled across the terrain. Unfortunately, his path led directly toward Minato and Fugaku.

Seeing this, Kazuyama suddenly felt like karma was coming back to bite him. Out of all the possible directions Kokuō could've gone, of course, it had to be straight toward his two battered victims.

"Chōmei! We're running for it!"

"Lend me your strength!"

"Alright, alright, take it! Don't worry about Kokuō—he's massive, but he's not fast. With my help, you'll outrun him easily!"

Kazuyama felt a powerful surge of chakra flood through his body. In the next moment, he beat his chakra-infused wings with all his might, launching himself toward Minato and Fugaku at a speed Kokuō couldn't hope to match.

"Damn it, Minato, can you still use the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Fugaku asked, panic creeping into his voice.

Minato shook his head, his expression grim. The explosion earlier had destroyed all the kunai he had placed in the area, leaving only the one that had helped them escape the blast's epicenter.

As the Five-Tailed Beast drew closer, the two young geniuses exchanged a glance, their shared despair reflected in each other's eyes.

"Damn it! I can't believe I survived so many battles, only to die like this—trampled by a Tailed Beast!" Fugaku roared in frustration.

Minato stood silently beside him, his shoulders heavy with the same regret. How could he not feel the same bitterness?

As the Five-Tails thundered closer, a voice suddenly rang out beside them:

"Hmph, who told you to chase me all the way to the Land of Grass?"

"Now look at you—completely helpless."

"You're not going to die, so go back to the village and wait for me to return in triumph!"

The slightly irritated yet unmistakably familiar voice hit them like a bolt of lightning.

Though no one was visible, they instantly knew the speaker—it was Kazuyama.

At that moment, Fugaku felt his anger dissolve. If Kazuyama could save them, then maybe he didn't want to kill him after all.

At the same time, Minato's thoughts softened. Perhaps everything Kazuyama had done to him in the past wasn't on purpose—if only he could rescue them now.

"Go!"

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Kazuyama made a point to shout the name of the jutsu, ensuring there would be no doubt who their savior was—the very man they'd come to kill.

In an instant, the two of them vanished.

When their surroundings shifted, Fugaku and Minato found themselves far from danger, standing atop a distant mountain. Below, they could see the Five-Tails still rampaging in the distance.

"It really was him… that bastard…"

"Damn it!" Fugaku, overwhelmed with emotion, let out a curse, while Minato stood beside him, nodding in disbelief and relief.

In that moment, their grudges and schemes evaporated. Kazuyama wasn't an enemy anymore—he was family.

"Kazuyama, you son of a bitch, you're my brother now!" Fugaku shouted, his voice full of an odd mix of joy and frustration.

"Kazuyama? Kazuyama! Where are you?"

Fugaku called out, again and again, but there was no response.

"Shit!"

Suddenly, as realization struck, both of them turned toward the distant Five-Tails with wide eyes.

Kazuyama hadn't escaped with them.