Chapter 461: Violet Lightning Slash Pierces the Turtle Shell
Chapter 461: Violet Lightning Slash Pierces the Turtle Shell
"There is a significant drawback to a jinchuriki entering a voluntary slumber and allowing their tailed beast to fully awaken, compared to a true complete transformation. Since the jinchuriki's body cannot fuse with the tailed beast, it will be exposed on the surface of the beast's body. As long as the jinchuriki is killed or awakened, the tailed beast will disappear."
As Orochimaru shared this trivia with Mu Yue, he swiftly scanned the massive body of the three-tailed beast, searching for the jinchuriki's physical location.
Taking shortcuts will always have its limitations; the artificially induced transformation fell short of a genuine jinchuriki's full power and had many flaws.
Finally, Orochimaru's gaze landed at the end of the three-tailed beast's cranium, where a set of robes fluttered in the wind behind the thick, pointed spikes.
"So, do we kill the jinchuriki or knock them out and capture them alive?" Mu Yue asked after confirming the jinchuriki's position with her Byakugan.
In the current situation, capturing the person alive was as difficult as killing them, because attacking the jinchuriki to wake them up was unavoidable. The only difference between capturing and killing lay in the degree of force used.
However, the distinction between capturing and killing did not lie in the present but in the troubles that followed capturing them alive.
A living jinchuriki was like a ticking bomb, inherently dangerous. Advanced sealing techniques could prevent the tailed beast from easily using their chakra to influence the jinchuriki, but if the jinchuriki chose to resist and let the tailed beast take control, it was another matter entirely.
Aside from the danger posed by the jinchuriki themselves, capturing one alive would also have a terrifying impact, earning the enmity of their village and arousing wariness from other nations.
If they were simply ransomed and released afterward, it wouldn't be so bad, but if the tailed beast were extracted and sealed into a shinobi from their own village, the hatred bred would be greater than killing a kage.
Because no matter how much a kage might contribute to their village, their impact would only last a few decades at most. But tailed beasts were different; they could be passed down from generation to generation. Losing a tailed beast meant forever losing a top-tier fighting force, and that was something no shinobi village could tolerate.
"If we can, we kill," Orochimaru replied swiftly.
Konoha was already engaged in multiple battles; if they also stole the tailed beasts from other villages, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure might temporarily set aside their differences to join forces and besiege Konoha.
Therefore, Orochimaru believed that the best course of action was to kill the jinchuriki outright.
Killing the jinchuriki would certainly earn the hatred of Kirigakure, but compared to stealing their tailed beast, the animosity would be far less. Moreover, without a jinchuriki, Kirigakure might choose to lie low and wait for the tailed beast to be reborn.
Roar!
The three-tailed beast roared skyward, amassing an enormous amount of chakra in its mouth. Several black spots rapidly merged to form a small black ball.
Thanks to Orochimaru's warning, the jonin had long since retreated to a safe distance, with only Mu Yue's disciples and Orochimaru gathered around her.
Orochimaru, aware of Mu Yue's proficiency in the Flying Thunder God Technique, did not create distance like the other jonin.
As the three-tailed beast spat out the giant black ball, Mu Yue shot a Flying Thunder God kunai toward its side and then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the battlefield.
Boom!!
A terrifying explosion engulfed the entire battlefield, and the powerful force caused the ground to collapse. Everything in the camp, from tents to other facilities, turned to ashes, and the massive amount of smoke and dust rose into the sky, forming a mushroom-shaped cloud.
When the smoke cleared, the three-tailed beast looked around the empty battlefield and nodded in satisfaction. Those pesky ninjas had finally disappeared.
Whoosh!
Just as the three-tailed beast thought the battle was over, Mu Yue reappeared with Orochimaru and their disciples by its side.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
Orochimaru swiftly performed hand seals and aimed his palm at the three-tailed beast, unleashing a terrifying gale from his palm. Countless wind blades struck the beast's body in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Even at such close range, the powerful Wind Release technique caused the massive body of the three-tailed beast to stagger backward, leaving marks on its hard shell.
Whoosh!
Mu Yue seized the opportunity to shoot a Flying Thunder God kunai at the beast's head.
Ignoring everyone else, the three-tailed beast lashed out with its three gigantic tails, swinging them angrily at Orochimaru. That last attack had been the most painful one it had endured in this battle.
Might Guy pushed his breathing to the limit, entering the Chakra Mode of the Adamant Release, which caused his chakra to be consumed at a rapid rate. This, combined with the Eight Gates, further enhanced his physical strength to a terrifying level.
With the Kirigakure ninjas having retreated, Might Guy no longer had to hold back and was determined to assist Mu Yue to the best of his ability, despite the toll it would take on his body.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
Might Guy gathered a large amount of chakra in his legs, flexed his leg muscles, and leaped into the air with a spinning kick, sending one of the attacking tails flying. It crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom.
"The Eight Gates, huh? Seems like there's more to it than that," Orochimaru remarked with interest as he watched Might Guy's impressive display.
Orochimaru had rarely seen such a pure taijutsu specialist as Might Guy; other taijutsu users often incorporated ninjutsu to some extent. For example, Asuma Sarutobi primarily used taijutsu in battle but also possessed several nature transformation ninjutsu.
In Orochimaru's recollection, there weren't many strong ninjas who relied mainly on taijutsu, and there were none among the top-tier shinobi.
Asuma Sarutobi was strong, but in Orochimaru's eyes, he still had a long way to go to reach his level.
Orochimaru believed that Might Guy had the potential to surpass all taijutsu users Konoha had produced thus far and become a pure-bred top-tier taijutsu master.
Calmly performing a series of hand seals, Orochimaru unleashed an Earth Release jutsu, erecting a thick and solid wall in front of him to block the other two attacking tails.
Although Orochimaru was best known for his snake-based jutsu, he had mastered a wide array of elemental jutsu from the five basic nature transformations. Once considered the most likely candidate to succeed Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage, Orochimaru had instead forged his path, always utilizing whatever he found most practical.
Using the characteristics of the Fire-Style Chakra Mode, the two of them quickly gathered chakra and spat out a large expanse of flames that enveloped the Three-Tails' limbs.
Usually, the Blazing Fireball would be more effective against large creatures like the Three-Tails, but it consumed too much chakra and could affect Mu Yue, who was about to use the Flying Thunder God Technique. So, they opted for the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet instead.
Roar!
The Three-Tails let out an irritated roar; its entire body was covered in a layer of hard carapace. Although Obito and Itachi's flames couldn't hurt it, fire and heat were annoying to a creature that liked to stay in the water, even if it wasn't painful.
Whoosh!
As the kunai grazed the air, approaching the Three-Tails' head, Mu Yue once again activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and appeared on top of the beast's head.
Sensing the tiny human on its head, the Three-Tails frantically shook its head, trying to dislodge Mu Yue.
But ninjas were not so easily dealt with. Mu Yue calmly gathered chakra in his feet and ran on top of the Three-Tails' head, dashing towards the jinchuriki's figure.
"Don't think you can easily seal me away again," the Three-Tails said, sensing Mu Yue's intention. It began gathering chakra again and lowered its head towards the ground, preparing to pull Mu Yue down with it and eat a small-scale Tailed Beast Ball.
The Three-Tails, driven by its desire for freedom, had a clear mind. Its thick skin and tough flesh meant that eating a Tailed Beast Ball would only cause it some pain. But for a small ninja like Mu Yue, being caught in the blast would leave no trace of him behind.
Seeing that the Three-Tails was about to use another Tailed Beast Ball, Orochimaru and Kakashi quickly retreated.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique at his disposal, Mu Yue didn't need their protection. They needed to focus on not getting hit by the Tailed Beast Ball themselves.
Boom!!
A massive explosion rang out, and the smoke and dust enveloped the Three-Tails' enormous body.
Mu Yue's body appeared at a safe distance, unharmed by the blast, leaving behind numerous Flying Thunder God kunai on the battlefield.
When the dust settled, the Three-Tails, with its head retracted into its shell, came into view.
"How is this a tortoise?" Obito blurted out.
At first, Obito hadn't noticed because the Three-Tails' body was covered in spikes and it had three tails. But now, looking at it from a distance, it looked less like a tailed beast and more like a giant tortoise.
"And a very hard tortoise, at that," Kakashi added.
Despite the numerous attacks from the Konoha jonin, the Three-Tails remained largely unharmed—a testament to its hardness.
At that moment, the Konoha jonin who had dodged the first Tailed Beast Ball returned to the battlefield.
"Focus your attacks on the legs that aren't retracted!" Orochimaru ordered.
The Three-Tails already had a hard carapace covering its body, and with its head retracted into its shell, it had two layers of protection, making it difficult to inflict any significant damage.
Hearing Orochimaru's command, the Konoha jonin directed their attacks at the Three-Tails' exposed limbs. Orochimaru himself used the Body Flicker Technique to appear next to the beast and targeted the same area he had previously struck with Wind Release.
Whoosh!!
A barrage of sharp wind blades surged towards a single spot, as Orochimaru pushed his Wind Release nature transformation to the limit, channeling a massive amount of chakra into the Wind Cutter Technique.
Bang!!
The Three-Tails' hard carapace cracked, and the relentless wind blades struck its body.
In the midst of lashing out with its tails at the Konoha ninjas, the Three-Tails cried out in pain, causing even its powerful tails to falter.
The Three-Tails' emotions reached their peak, and it figured the ninjas wouldn't be able to get close to its head so quickly again. So, in its anger, it stretched out its head, opened its mouth wide, and began gathering chakra for another Tailed Beast Ball.
This time, the Tailed Beast Ball wasn't a small one like the previous one; the Three-Tails had intentionally reduced the power of the second Tailed Beast Ball to increase its release speed.
Seeing the Three-Tails gathering chakra for another Tailed Beast Ball, the Konoha jonin immediately ceased their attacks and used the Body Flicker Technique to create distance.
They had witnessed the power of the Tailed Beast Ball firsthand, and even a slight brush with it could be deadly. Defending against it head-on was extremely difficult.
Whoosh!
As the Three-Tails stretched out its head, Mu Yue, wielding the Yama, appeared on top of its head using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Before leaving, Mu Yue had marked the Three-Tails' head with the Flying Thunder God seal, waiting for this very opportunity.
Sensing the strange sensation on its head, the enraged Three-Tails immediately resorted to its instincts and tried to retract its head into its shell at incredible speed.
Revenge was important, but if it were sealed away again, how could it seek revenge?
The Three-Tails' maneuver left the Konoha ninjas on the field bewildered. "You didn't seem so timid when you were attacking us just now," one of them muttered.
The Three-Tails' speed of retraction was astonishing. One second they saw it gathering chakra for the Tailed Beast Ball, and the next, its head was almost completely retracted—so fast that it nearly created an afterimage.
At this speed, it would be incredibly difficult to strike the jinchuriki at the back of the Three-Tails' head.
"The jinchuriki truly lives up to its reputation as the ultimate weapon. I wonder about the strength of our own Nine-Tails jinchuriki," one of the Konoha ninjas mused.
Others marveled at the tailed beast's power, acknowledging that even with their numbers, the jonin of Konoha were struggling to gain the upper hand.
"After today, Teacher Mu Yue's reputation will soar even higher!" Obito exclaimed, his eyes shining as he watched Mu Yue in action.
Hearing the villagers of Konoha discuss Kakashi's genius, Obito scoffed, thinking they lacked discernment. But when someone praised Mu Yue's extraordinary strength, he couldn't help but agree that they knew how to recognize true power.
"The battle is finally coming to an end," Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Yue's reaction speed was terrifying. In Kakashi's opinion, the moment the Three-Tails poked its head out, its fate was sealed.
While the Three-Tails possessed an abundance of powerful chakra and was incredibly strong, it was too clumsy. In close combat, it could only roll around or swipe with its tails, and for long-range attacks, it only had the Tailed Beast Ball at its disposal, lacking the knowledge of ninja techniques that its opponents possessed.
For Mu Yue, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, dealing with the rampaging Three-Tails might even be easier than facing the Gogyo Yukura.
Orochimaru halted his steps and quietly watched as Mu Yue, sword in hand, faced off against the retreating Three-Tails.
Every ninja on the battlefield turned their attention to this climactic confrontation between a person and a beast.
Having activated the Lightning Chakra Mode in advance, Mu Yue channeled a massive amount of chakra and transformed it into lightning-attribute chakra, infusing it into Yama. The dazzling purple lightning enveloped the blade, turning it into a thunderous edge.
"Mugen One Sword!"
In the Lightning Chakra Mode, Mu Yue's movements were incredibly swift. As the Three-Tails retracted its head into its turtle shell by two-thirds, the sword, enveloped in purple lightning, descended with unstoppable force.
Boom! Crack!
The sword, intertwined with purple lightning, flashed by, and the sturdy spikes in its path were instantly cleaved apart.
One, two, three... all the sturdy spikes that stood in Mu Yue's way were shattered by the overwhelming lightning-infused strike, reminiscent of the might of a sleeping jinchuriki.
Perhaps it was due to the terrifying aura of the Mugen One Sword, or a sixth sense in the face of death, but in that final moment, the jinchuriki opened his eyes.
However, the strike was too fast and too powerful. In the next instant after the jinchuriki opened his eyes, the blade struck, leaving no time for words or expressions as he was obliterated into nothingness.
The connection between a jinchuriki and their tailed beast was peculiar. If the tailed beast was extracted, the jinchuriki would undoubtedly perish. Even those with strong life forces, like the Uzumaki clan, could only prolong their survival momentarily. Conversely, if the jinchuriki died while the tailed beast remained within them, the tailed beast would also meet its end.
But death was not the end for tailed beasts. They would resurrect after dying, their lifespan seemingly infinite.
"No!" The Three-Tails roared in defiance until its very last breath.
It was filled with resentment and anger. Having been captured and imprisoned within a human, it was now being slain by ninjas, and its fury knew no bounds.
However, the Three-Tails' anger and resentment could not change the reality of its demise. As the jinchuriki was slain by Mu Yue's Mugen One Sword, the Three-Tails' body underwent rapid changes, and to the shock of the ninjas witnessing the scene, it disintegrated into particles of light and vanished into the air.
In its final moments, the Three-Tails' massive eyes fixed upon Mu Yue, as if burning his image into its memory.
As the Three-Tails faded away, the Tensei Reya also disappeared, and darkness once again enveloped the battlefield.
"She actually succeeded!" one of the Konoha jonin exclaimed in astonishment.
He had thought that Mu Yue's assault would fail when the Three-Tails retracted its head so quickly, but he never expected that Mu Yue's strike would instantly kill the jinchuriki.
"It truly was a terrifying sword strike," Hyuga Hizashi recalled Mu Yue's overwhelming attack, still shaken by its sheer power.
With his Byakugan, he could clearly see the details of Mu Yue's Mugen One Sword. The incredibly tough spikes seemed as fragile as ordinary wood before Mu Yue's lightning-infused strike.
"I seem to have underestimated Mu Yue's strength as well," Nara Shikaku thought to himself, equally surprised.
Although he lacked a visual bloodline limit and couldn't perceive the intricacies of Mu Yue's sword strike, Shikaku had experienced the Three-Tails' defensive capabilities firsthand, and Mu Yue's attack reminded him of the Third Raikage's mighty spear.
"This is the pinnacle of lightning-style sword techniques," Kakashi remarked with a hint of admiration.
The strike Mu Yue had just delivered was the very thing Kakashi had been striving for over the past decade. If he could wield such a strike, he believed he could protect his comrades with his own strength, even when facing the Candidate Raikage again.
"As expected of Teacher Mu Yue, always so brilliant!" Might Guy exited the Rock Chakra Mode and the Eight Gates, giving Mu Yue a thumbs-up.
In his eyes, Mu Yue had achieved a true victory.
"It's finally over. Is everyone alright?" Rin let out a breath, relieved that the intense battle had come to an end.
This was her first experience with a battle of such magnitude, and she had been tense throughout the entire ordeal.
"I'm fine, Rin. Are you hurt?" Obito immediately replied and rushed forward to check on her.
"You always manage to surprise us, Mu Yue," Orochimaru said, his eyes gleaming with approval at Mu Yue's performance.
Given the potential Mu Yue had displayed, even if Mu Yue disapproved of his methods of human experimentation, Orochimaru would find a way to bring Mu Yue to his side. Having Mu Yue as an ally would make things much easier and less troublesome.
Although Orochimaru could have found a way to deal with the Three-Tails even if Mu Yue had failed, it would have been more complicated and might have resulted in more casualties among the Konoha ninjas.
"And he's only twenty years old. He still has so much room to grow," Orochimaru mused, and this was what he valued most about Mu Yue.
While Mu Yue's overall strength might not be on par with his own at the moment, Mu Yue was incredibly young. Orochimaru didn't have the slightest doubt that at the same age, he wouldn't be able to surpass Mu Yue.
If Mu Yue were to stand by his side, it would be akin to having the support of dozens of jonin.
PS: This chapter is 5k words. There will be another 5k-word chapter coming up, and we will definitely hit 10,000 words today!
(End of Chapter)
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