Chapter 80: The Inferno Unleashed

The battlefield was a wasteland of molten fury.

Rōshi stood at its heart, his body glowing with an unnatural heat, the very air around him shimmering in waves of distortion. The Four-Tails' chakra surged within him, wrapping him in a cloak of molten energy that radiated with raw, untamed power. The ground beneath his feet cracked and melted, forming rivers of lava that pulsed like veins through the battlefield.

Yet, amid the inferno, Ryūsei stood unbothered.

Perched on a jagged rock, his golden Byakugan glowed eerily through the smoke and haze. The heat, lethal to most, was nothing more than a warm breeze against his skin. His gaze was unreadable, calm—too calm.

Tsunade and Orochimaru watched from a distance, their presence masked by the terrain.

"He's taking his time," Tsunade murmured, her golden eyes narrowing.

Orochimaru's lips curled in amusement. "He enjoys understanding his opponents before taking them apart."

She exhaled sharply. "This one won't go down easily."

He chuckled. "That's what makes it fun."

But even she could feel the weight of this battle. Rōshi wasn't just another Jinchūriki.

This was a true warrior, one who had long mastered his power, blending his will with the beast within.

If Ryūsei underestimated him, he would be consumed.

A Clash of Titans

Rōshi's voice carried like a rolling thunder. "You don't understand what you're facing."

He stomped the ground.

BOOM!

A pillar of lava erupted beneath Ryūsei, a massive surge of molten rock exploding toward him like a geyser. The searing heat burned away the air itself, turning oxygen into flames.

Yet, Ryūsei did not move.

Not in panic.

Not in fear.

His expression remained impassive, almost… amused.

As the molten surge raced toward him, it suddenly stopped.

The lava froze mid-air.

Rōshi's eyes widened as the molten rock, once wild and chaotic, solidified into blackened obsidian before falling to the ground in lifeless chunks.

A moment of silence.

Ryūsei slowly lowered his outstretched hand, golden veins pulsing beneath his skin.

"…Fascinating," he murmured, rolling his fingers. "Lava Release… at its core, it's just Earth and Fire. Two elements I already control."

Rōshi's eyes darkened. "Then let's see if you can withstand the full power of the Four-Tails."

BOOM!

A colossal explosion of chakra tore through the battlefield as Rōshi let go.

His form shifted, the monstrous chakra of the Four-Tails bleeding into reality. A massive spectral beast loomed behind him, its molten form crackling with fury. The ground beneath them sank under the sheer weight of the energy he unleashed.

The battlefield transformed.

The air itself became fire.

The land twisted into a molten abyss.

And then, Rōshi charged.

His speed defied the weight of his transformation. A red-hot fist the size of a boulder tore through the air, aimed straight for Ryūsei's skull. The force alone shattered the cliffside behind them, sending debris flying like cannon fire.

Yet Ryūsei was already moving.

A flicker of motion—a golden blur.

The fist missed by inches as Ryūsei twisted out of the way, his hand thrusting forward in the same motion.

CRACK!

His palm met Rōshi's gut, sending a wave of chakra pulsing through the Jinchūriki's body.

For a moment, the molten energy flickered.

And in that instant—

Tsunade's sealing chains struck.

Golden threads shot from the shadows, wrapping around Rōshi's limbs, glowing with sealing inscriptions.

He let out a guttural roar, struggling, but the more he resisted, the tighter the bindings became.

Then—a sharp pain at the back of his neck.

Ryūsei's hand pressed against his spine.

A pulse of chakra.

Rōshi's vision darkened.

The Four-Tails' roar echoed through the mountains—before fading into silence.

The Aftermath

The battlefield was eerily quiet. The heat still lingered, and the scent of molten rock hung thick in the air.

Tsunade approached, dusting her hands. "That was unnecessarily dramatic."

Ryūsei glanced at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You sound unimpressed."

She folded her arms. "I was expecting a bigger explosion."

Orochimaru chuckled, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "I, on the other hand, found it… educational."

Ryūsei rolled his shoulders, glancing down at the unconscious Rōshi. "We need to move. The longer we stay, the greater the risk."

Tsunade nodded. "Where to next?"

Ryūsei didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small, severed piece of flesh.

A fragment of a Bijū's tail.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "That's from the Eight-Tails."

Ryūsei's smirk deepened. "I have something for Orochimaru."

He tossed the severed piece toward the snake sage, who caught it effortlessly between his fingers.

Orochimaru studied it with intrigue. "And what, exactly, am I supposed to do with this?"

Ryūsei's golden eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Figure it out."

A slow, sinister smile stretched across Orochimaru's lips. "Oh, I intend to."

Tsunade exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "I don't like this."

"You'll like the results," Ryūsei countered smoothly.

She shot him a look. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Orochimaru chuckled as he tucked the severed piece away. "Well then… let's see where this little experiment takes us."

As they turned to leave, Orochimaru subtly let something slip from his sleeve.

A few small, unnoticeable fragments of the Eight-Tails' flesh, scattered onto the battlefield.

They sank into the molten ground, hidden.

Unseen.

Ryūsei didn't turn back, but his smirk widened slightly.

Orochimaru was up to something.

And he was curious to see what it would become.

The wind howled through the mountains as they disappeared into the shadows.

The Four-Tails was captured.

But Ryūsei was already thinking ahead.

The hunt was far from over.