Chapter 109: Capturing the Five-Tails

"Gakuya, go get 'em! Show them the true power of Akatsuki's art!"

Deidara shouted as Hyuga Gakuya strode toward Han, his voice brimming with excitement.

Gakuya couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth. That one sentence somehow managed to drag the dignity of all three Akatsuki members present straight into the mud.

Who would've thought Deidara still remembered the nonsense Gakuya used to spout back in the day?

"So, you're Hyuga Gakuya," Han said in his deep, gravelly voice as he stared the man down.

"That's right. I'll be your opponent," Gakuya nodded calmly.

"That technique you just used to crush their skulls—was it only possible because they stood still?" Han analyzed coolly. "You compress the air around the target, building pressure until the head explodes, right?"

"More or less," Gakuya replied indifferently.

His ability to manipulate gravitational push and pull had long since become second nature. Even without activating the Tenseigan, he could still wield that power with ease. However, the further the target, the weaker the effect, and it took considerable force to crush someone's head—meaning he needed time to prepare.

"Impressive insight. I'd expect no less from the Steam Ninja, Han."

But then, his tone shifted. His eyes suddenly gleamed with the deep blue light of the Tenseigan. A cloak of glowing teal chakra flared up around him, and eight Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared, floating behind him in perfect formation.

"That said... it won't help you."

"The Truth-Seeking Orbs of the old man?!" roared the Five-Tails, Kokuō, sealed within Han. His eyes went wide with disbelief. "Collecting the Tailed Beasts... Is that guy trying to resurrect the Ten-Tails?!"

Like the other Tailed Beasts before him, the sight of those orbs shocked Kokuō to the core. He hadn't thought anyone in this era could wield such power.

"Han! We have to work together this time! If we fall here, there's no coming back. Release my seal—we're going full Tailed Beast Mode!"

His voice was honest, utterly sincere, with not a trace of deceit.

Before Han could even process it fully, Gakuya had already launched his attack.

The eight Truth-Seeking Orbs lit up like a constellation, spinning violently until they formed a storm of silvery light. In the blink of an eye, it became a devastating silver vortex, tearing through everything in its path—ancient trees, massive boulders, all reduced to dust in an instant.

"So cool!" Deidara couldn't help but shout, eyes gleaming. "This... this is true art!"

But Han and the Five-Tails didn't have the luxury to appreciate it. They knew how dire the situation was—one wrong move and they'd be obliterated.

"Move!" Kokuō barked, immediately pouring chakra into Han's body.

Han reacted instantly. A thick tail burst from his back as red steam armor enveloped him completely, spewing waves of scalding steam. With that surge of power, Han's body shot forward like a locomotive—faster and faster, propelled by pure steam pressure.

He barely dodged the edge of Gakuya's storm and, in the next instant, disappeared underground using an Earth Style technique.

...

"How cliché," Gakuya remarked as he slowly floated into the air. "Four-Tails tried the same thing at the end before giving in."

"Did you kill Roshi?" Han's voice echoed up from beneath the earth as he climbed back out, grief and rage written all over his face. Though Roshi had defected from Iwagakure, they had once faced death together.

"More or less," Gakuya replied flatly. "I'll give you time to fully transform into the Tailed Beast. Hurry up—I'd actually like to see what the Five-Tails is capable of."

"As you wish!"

Han activated a sealing technique, breaking the bonds that kept Kokuō suppressed. In his mindscape, the chains binding the beast shattered completely.

Even freed, the Five-Tails didn't flee.

"Get ready to handle my power!"

"Understood!"

From the distance, Gakuya watched as Han's body exploded with scalding steam. In the blink of an eye, a massive, white beast with five tails appeared, shaking the very earth.

It was a bizarre creature—its body resembled a horse, but its head was that of a dolphin. Most striking of all were the five long, razor-sharp horns jutting from its head.

"Nice," Gakuya praised, activating Sage Mode to show his respect.

"'Nice'?" Han and Kokuō both shouted, their voices merging in astonishment. "We're way beyond nice!"

The towering white beast slowly lowered its head, aligning all five horns before charging with explosive speed and power directly at Gakuya.

"Horn Break!"

Gakuya didn't flinch. He calmly raised a hand, as though eagerly awaiting the clash.

The Five-Tails barreled toward him like a runaway train, its full weight crashing down.

And yet, Gakuya met it with a single hand—grabbing hold of the beast's longest horn mid-charge. Though the Five-Tails' momentum pushed him back several steps, Gakuya quickly raised his other hand, stabilizing their position.

"What?! Impossible!" Han and Kokuō shouted in unison.

Was this guy even human?

He had stopped a full Tailed Beast's charge... in mid-air!

Far off, the retreating Konoha team all turned back in stunned silence, their eyes glued to the unbelievable scene.

...

Kakashi couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"This... this is beyond anything I imagined. Gakuya... has your power really reached such terrifying heights? Is there anyone in this world who can still beat him?"

Naruto stood frozen, mouth agape. "This is... what a ninja can become?"

He couldn't even begin to imagine reaching that level—but one day, he would.

Elsewhere, Itachi and Kisame were still fighting the Three-Tails when the shockwave from Gakuya's battle reached them. Both paused, eyes widening.

The Three-Tails, newly freed from Obito's control, trembled at the sight. Without hesitation, it dove back underwater in terror.

But Itachi was faster, activating Amaterasu and searing its shell with black flames.

The beast shrieked and tried to retaliate with a Tailed Beast Bomb, but Kisame interrupted it with a giant Shark Bullet Technique.

Meanwhile, Gakuya didn't even spare them a glance.

...

"So this is as far as we go," he murmured to himself.

With both hands, he tightened his grip on the Five-Tails' horn. Muscles bulged. In one tremendous motion, he lifted the massive beast off the ground.

Kokuō's hooves kicked wildly in the air, but it could no longer find its footing.

"Go!"

With a shout, Gakuya hurled the Five-Tails through the sky like a meteor.

The beast slammed into the ground with earth-shattering force, toppling trees, gouging a deep trench into the soil, as though the land itself had been split by a massive axe.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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