Chapter 169 - 169

When the Nine-Tails appeared, even Gamabunta, who had been knocked to the ground by Shukaku, was utterly shocked.

"The Nine-Tails… That brat actually achieved full Tailed Beast transformation? Did he completely master the Nine-Tails' power?"

Meanwhile, Shukaku, who had been sent flying hundreds of meters by the Nine-Tails' claw swipe, steadied itself and immediately flew into a rage.

"Nine-Tails, you're asking for death!"

Everyone knew that the relationship between Shukaku and the Nine-Tails was extremely tense.

"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"

Shukaku smacked its stomach, launching a powerful wind bullet.

But the Nine-Tails didn't flinch.

It charged straight at Shukaku, completely unfazed, its massive body causing the ground to tremble violently with every step.

Boom!

The Nine-Tails swatted the Drilling Air Bullet away with a single claw.

In the blink of an eye, it was already in front of Shukaku.

SMACK!

One powerful swipe sent Shukaku's massive body hurtling hundreds of meters away.

Its enormous form, spanning dozens of meters, crashed heavily into a small mountain—

Boom!

—completely shattering it to pieces.

The Nine-Tails was incredibly strong and fast. Among all the Tailed Beasts, its raw power was second only to the Five-Tails, Kokuō.

That was why it could send Shukaku's bulky form flying with just a single claw strike.

But that familiar sensation stirred up old memories within Shukaku—

Memories of countless past battles between them.

"Nine-Tails… Even after all these decades, you still dare act so arrogant? I'm going to kill you!"

RUMBLE!

Shukaku had barely gotten back on its feet when a small Tailed Beast Bomb formed right in front of it.

In an instant—

BOOM!

The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded.

Everything within several kilometers was completely obliterated by the shockwave.

The spot where Shukaku had been standing was now nothing but a massive crater, stretching for kilometers.

And at its center—

Shukaku lay unconscious.

The Nine-Tails approached the crater, looking down with cold eyes.

"After all these decades, you still haven't learned anything."

"For over a thousand years, you've never been my match. And even now, you still aren't."

With that, the Nine-Tails muttered to itself in frustration.

"Where the hell is that guy? Even at a time like this, he's not in the village, leaving me to deal with this mess."

Shukaku had been knocked out cold.

The gap between their strength was simply too vast.

In the past, the Nine-Tails had never taken fights with Shukaku seriously, which gave Shukaku the illusion that they were almost equal in power.

But today's battle had crushed that illusion completely.

Shukaku hadn't even gotten the chance to fight back.

With its consciousness fading, Shukaku's body dissolved, retreating back into Gaara.

Now unconscious, Gaara lay at the center of the massive crater.

With the situation settled, the Nine-Tails also withdrew back into Naruto's body.

It wanted to stay outside, but the thought of Yoruha tracking it down and sealing it away again made it reconsider.

Besides, with Yoruha's new sealing technique in place, it couldn't break free anyway.

Once it returned to Naruto's body, Naruto reverted to his normal form—

However, he remained unconscious.

The Nine-Tails' chakra was simply too overwhelming.

Even though it had taken control of Naruto's body, his physical form still wasn't strong enough to handle such immense power.

That was why the full Tailed Beast transformation couldn't last long.

Fortunately, the Nine-Tails was powerful enough to knock Shukaku out before time ran out.

After the Nine-Tails retreated back into Naruto, only then did Gamabunta dare to approach.

The battle between the two Tailed Beasts had been far too terrifying.

He hadn't even dared to get close until now.

It hadn't even dared to get close.

Back then, when it had fought the Nine-Tails alongside the Fourth Hokage, they hadn't been at a clear disadvantage.

It had even once thought that Tailed Beasts weren't that powerful.

But today, when it had to fight Shukaku alone, it was completely overwhelmed in just a few moves.

If Naruto hadn't fully transformed into the Nine-Tails, it would have had no choice but to cancel the summoning and flee back to Mount Myōboku.

If it had been even a little slower, Shukaku might have killed it.

Yet that same terrifying Shukaku had been utterly crushed in front of the Nine-Tails.

It hadn't even had a chance to fight back.

A Tailed Beast was still a Tailed Beast—its power far exceeded that of any Summoning Beast.

They weren't even on the same level.

Gamabunta glanced at Naruto, who lay unconscious on the ground.

Without saying a word, he carried him over to Sasuke and Sakura.

Then, he dispelled the summoning and returned to Mount Myōboku.

Meanwhile, Sakura, who had witnessed the entire battle, was still too stunned to speak.

It wasn't until Gamabunta placed Naruto in front of her that she snapped back to reality.

Looking at the massive crater in the distance—several kilometers wide—Sakura murmured,

"That… That was the Nine-Tails? So… so powerful."

"No wonder Tailed Beasts have to be sealed away…"

"A creature like that could destroy the entire Hidden Leaf Village in an instant…"

She was truly shaken by the Nine-Tails' overwhelming power.

Shukaku had already been incredibly strong—even with Gamabunta's help, Naruto couldn't defeat it.

Yet that same Shukaku had been obliterated by the Nine-Tails in just a few claw strikes and a single Tailed Beast Bomb.

The entire fight had lasted less than a minute.

That was the strength of the Nine-Tails.

And now, Sakura understood just how terrifying Yoruha's power truly was.

After all—

He was the one who could suppress the Nine-Tails, sealing such a monstrous being inside Naruto.

But what shocked her the most was—

The Nine-Tails had chosen to help them.

She had heard everything it had muttered to itself while standing by the crater.

A brief moment of thought, and she already knew who it was talking about.

"For the Nine-Tails, a being that powerful, to willingly help us… It must be because of Yoruha."

"But what exactly did Yoruha do to it?"

"Or what kind of deal did they make?"

"Then again… A beast that strong—the only way to communicate with it is through sheer strength…"

Sakura speculated to herself.

Looking down at Naruto and Sasuke lying unconscious on the ground, she shook her head.

"He's already left us so far behind… At this rate, we might not even be able to see his shadow anymore."

Just as she was murmuring to herself—

A voice suddenly rang out beside her.

"I didn't expect that brat to achieve full Tailed Beast transformation…"

"He's much stronger than I imagined."

Hearing the voice, Sakura instantly pulled out a kunai and took a defensive stance.

She turned toward the source—

And saw a silver-haired ninja standing there.

It was none other than Jiraiya, who had just returned to the village.

Seeing Sakura's wary expression, Jiraiya waved a hand dismissively.

"Relax, I'm not an enemy."

"I'm Jiraiya."

At that name, Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

"Jiraiya… The one who taught Naruto the Summoning Jutsu? One of the Legendary Sannin?"

Jiraiya glanced at the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke, then chuckled.

"To think these two kids could push the Sand Village's Jinchūriki that far…"

"They're way stronger than I was at their age."

Back when he was their age, he hadn't been nearly as strong.

Especially Sasuke—

Even though he lacked a powerful Summoning Beast, preventing him from fighting Gaara in full Tailed Beast mode—

Gaara hadn't even been a match for him when he was only in partial transformation.

That alone proved Sasuke's strength had already reached the level of a Jōnin.

Not to mention—his mastery of Chidori was impressive as well.

At this point, both Naruto and Sasuke were technically at Jōnin-level strength.

Naruto, with Gamabunta's help, was even stronger than Sasuke right now.

But if Gamabunta wasn't included—

Then Naruto wouldn't be able to beat Sasuke.

After all—

He still hadn't mastered the Nine-Tails' power.

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