"His chakra… it suddenly surged!"
Minato's sharp gaze locked onto Rōshi as his chakra spiked to an unprecedented level. The sudden intensity of the energy made Minato's skin prickle as if it were burning.
In his Sage Mode perception, Rōshi's chakra now radiated with overwhelming power, infused with a brutal, murderous intent.
"Boom!"
Scalding magma erupted from Rōshi, spreading across the battlefield. The ground beneath him melted into a searing pool, covering dozens of meters.
Hanzo, Rasa, and Kitsuchi froze momentarily, their expressions grim as they watched the ground dissolve into molten earth.
Hiss!
All three took an involuntary breath, realizing that even getting close to Rōshi now would be perilous.
Swish!
Minato's figure flashed as he teleported out of the danger zone, reappearing hundreds of meters away. His eyes narrowed, observing Rōshi's monstrous transformation.
The searing heat emanating from Rōshi filled the air with visible ripples, and the brutal intent behind his chakra reminded Minato of something hauntingly familiar—the Nine-Tails' ferocity on the night of its attack.
The Four-Tails… Minato thought, his Rasengan Shuriken dissipating as his concentration wavered.
"Roar!"
The monstrous Rōshi turned his blazing eyes toward Minato, letting out an ear-piercing roar that reverberated across the battlefield.
"Boom!"
Tilting his head upward, Rōshi released a stream of molten lava from his mouth, which rapidly condensed into a massive fireball. The sphere, nearly five meters in diameter, radiated unbearable heat, rippling the air around it.
Minato's expression hardened.
Within moments, Rōshi hurled the enormous magma sphere at Minato.
Swish!
In an instant, Minato disappeared, reappearing in a flash of yellow light. However, instead of retreating, he positioned himself directly in front of the descending fireball.
His hands moved like a blur, forming seals faster than the eye could follow. Gripping two kunai infused with his chakra, Minato charged forward.
"Buzz!"
Black lines materialized around the fireball, forming a barrier. The lines expanded, enclosing the massive sphere and gradually consuming it.
In a stunning display, the magma sphere vanished completely, swallowed by Minato's technique.
Far away in the desolate Gobi Desert, the fireball reappeared in the sky, hurtling toward the ground. It exploded upon impact, creating a fiery inferno that engulfed a hundred-meter radius.
Back on the battlefield, the sudden disappearance of the magma sphere left everyone stunned.
Even the Three Kingdoms Coalition forces, who had been fighting in the distance, paused to gape in shock.
Hanzo, Rasa, and Kitsuchi exchanged uneasy glances. They realized that had the fireball landed, it would have devastated everyone in its range, friend and foe alike.
"An indiscriminate attack…" Minato muttered, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed Rōshi's actions.
There were only two possibilities for such a move. Either Rōshi was fully aware that Minato would divert the attack to protect his allies, or he had lost all rationality, consumed by a primal desire to destroy.
Either way, this is getting dangerous, Minato thought.
Swish!
Rōshi lunged forward, molten claws forming as he slashed at Minato.
"Senjutsu: Super Odama Rasengan!"
Minato countered, summoning a massive chakra sphere in his palm. The two forces collided with a deafening boom, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
The impact forced Rōshi back momentarily, but magma surged from his claws, melting away the chakra layers of the Rasengan.
"Boom!"
Minato rotated his palm, destabilizing the Rasengan's chakra, which exploded outward. The resulting blast dissipated the magma while propelling Rōshi backward.
But before he could be sent too far, Rōshi's molten chakra condensed into two blazing claws that gripped the ground, steadying him.
Standing upright, Rōshi's monstrous form seemed to calm slightly. The once-chaotic flames surrounding him now flowed like molten streams, revealing his fiery eyes beneath the heat.
"This power…" Rōshi murmured, his voice guttural and hoarse.
The flames around his body condensed further, no longer radiating wildly. Slowly, they formed distinct shapes behind him—four tails of pure molten chakra.
Minato watched closely, his sharp eyes catching the subtle shifts in Rōshi's energy.
He's regaining control…
The savage brutality that had dominated Rōshi moments ago was fading, replaced by a focused, controlled aura.
From a crouched, beast-like stance, Rōshi stood upright. Turning slightly, he addressed the battlefield with a growl.
"Something… happened to me just now. But I'm fine now," he said, his voice eerily calm.
Hanzo and Rasa exchanged wary looks before moving to stand beside Rōshi.
Hanzo, always calculating, couldn't help but reevaluate Rōshi's power. Despite his usual disdain for the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, he now recognized the threat Rōshi posed.
Even Rōshi himself seemed surprised by his transformation.
Within his mind, the Four-Tails chuckled.
"Not bad," the beast rumbled. "You've adapted to the second stage of Tailed Beast Transformation faster than I expected."
...
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