"Roar!"
A deafening bellow echoed from below, jolting Kawaki Aoba mid-flight.
Only one being could produce such a terrifying roar—the massive creature rampaging below.
Upon hearing it, Kawaki Aoba's senses flared with panic. His Observation Haki pulsed like a siren in his mind.
He looked down—and nearly cursed aloud.
He'd joked earlier about dodging a Tailed Beast Ball, but it seemed the Four-Tails had taken it seriously.
From the maw of the mighty Yonbi—Son Goku—chakra was already spiraling inwards, gathering in immense quantity. This was the iconic Tailed Beast Ball, formed from a fusion of positive (Yang) and negative (Yin) chakra. Though typically a 1:1 ratio, Son Goku, being a beast of fire and earth, seemed to skew the balance toward raw, destructive Yang.
In moments, the sphere of condensed chakra was complete—dark, ominous, and humming with unstable energy.
But instead of launching it, Son Goku tilted his head back—and swallowed it whole.
Kawaki Aoba's eyes widened in realization. "Shit."
He flapped his wings wildly, weaving through the air like a madman. He'd nearly forgotten—some Tailed Beasts, like the Four-Tails, could internalize a Tailed Beast Ball and unleash it as a beam-like blast, similar to atomic breath.
The eruption came a second later—Son Goku's molten chakra beam tore through the sky, targeting Kawaki with frightening precision.
Thanks to the precognitive nature of his Observation Haki—akin to advanced precognition—he narrowly dodged the beam by a hair's breadth.
"That was too damn close," he muttered, adrenaline surging. "Was he trying to kill the jinchūriki too?"
Then it hit him—the man below was no longer Roshi. The jinchūriki was gone, or at least suppressed. What remained was the raw fury of the Four-Tails in full form.
And really, what did it matter? If the jinchūriki died, the Tailed Beast would simply reform over time. And Roshi? He was replaceable.
Still, Aoba couldn't afford to lose his bargaining chip just yet.
Down below, Son Goku growled, missing his target. He attempted to redirect the attack midstream, but the chakra had been expended. Another Tailed Beast Ball would take time to charge, and Aoba would already be gone by then.
So the beast did the next best thing—it roared, slammed a massive foot into the earth, and gave chase.
Thus began the bizarre spectacle: a man with wings soaring erratically through the skies, and a Tailed Beast stomping across the countryside in pursuit.
Back at the ruined Iwagakure outpost, several jonin stood among the rubble, stunned.
"Lord Han was ambushed and seriously wounded. The enemy took him," said one ninja, slumped to the ground, bloodied and dazed. "Then Roshi lost control... released the Four-Tails."
"This mission's a total disaster," another muttered.
"Enough," said their squad leader. "We need to report to Lord Ōnoki immediately."
---
By the next day, word of the chaos had reached both Konohagakure and Iwagakure.
Among those most stunned was Team Kurenai. Upon hearing the intel, they quickly pieced it together—Aoba was being hunted by none other than the Four-Tails, Son Goku.
More shockingly, Aoba had succeeded in capturing Han, the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails—one of Iwagakure's most powerful assets.
Even without fully transforming, Han was a Kage-level shinobi, feared as the Steam Ninja. That a chūnin could capture him was... almost absurd.
Yuhi Kurenai and her team chose not to intervene. They observed from a distance, then rushed back to the Konoha encampment to report.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the commanding officer, was visibly shaken.
"The Steam Ninja… captured?"
Without hesitation, he summoned the Enma Clan and ordered them to relay the intel to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Iwagakure reacted just as swiftly, transmitting the report to the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
And Kusagakure—once a quiet, neutral land—became the battleground. For an entire day, the Four-Tails and Kawaki Aoba circled the countryside in a relentless chase, occasionally shaking the earth with cataclysmic blasts.
The shinobi of both major villages—Konoha and Iwa—quietly withdrew from Kusagakure, unwilling to risk the wrath of a berserk Tailed Beast.
The Grass ninja weren't so lucky.
Despite dispersing into smaller groups, they couldn't avoid the chaos. Some unlucky ones were caught in the crossfire—charred by molten chakra or crushed under the beast's massive limbs.
As for why Kawaki Aoba stayed circling Kusagakure?
Simple—he had nowhere else to go.
North led into Iwagakure territory. South was the Konoha main camp. West meant the Land of Rain, home of Hanzo the Salamander—and more dangerously, the Akatsuki, and Zetsu under Obito's orders.
Going east would put him into the contested battlefield between Iwa and Kumo, a perfect trap.
Hemmed in from every direction, Aoba could only continue circling Kusagakure with the Four-Tails hot on his tail.
Days passed. He stopped counting. Son Goku kept chasing.
Aoba survived on chakra pills and Red and Blue stamina potions. But the Four-Tails?
"Oh, right. He's a Tailed Beast. He doesn't need to eat," Aoba muttered, resigned. "Forget I asked."
Kawaki Aoba and the Four-Tails could both go without food for days, but the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, Han, was in agony. Not only had he been battered by freezing winds at high altitudes for days, but Kawaki Aoba periodically injected him with a chakra-suppressing toxin that paralyzed his muscles and drained his stamina.
Heaven have mercy—Han was still seriously injured. It was a miracle he remained alive after days of torment.
From Kawaki Aoba's perspective, though, it was understandable. Han was the enemy's Jinchūriki—an asset too dangerous to be handled lightly.
Kawaki hadn't spent these days idly either. Using his advanced sensory perception—comparable to max-level Observation Haki in another world—he had detected several Konoha squads attempting to deliver intelligence to him.
But each time, because of that damn monkey—the Four-Tails—Kawaki didn't dare approach.
Luring the Tailed Beast toward his allies would endanger both them and himself, now flying at lower altitude.
As a result, Kawaki Aoba still didn't know what kind of intelligence the village was trying to send him.
If things continued like this, who knew when it would end? Even if Kawaki could endure it, the hostage likely wouldn't survive much longer.
If Han died, Kawaki would lose a critical bargaining chip—one that could seriously impact the political balance. Worse, Iwagakure might consider it a direct provocation. And if that happened, even Kumogakure, currently at odds with them, might join forces with Iwa to retaliate against Konoha.
Unbeknownst to Kawaki Aoba, a legendary veteran had just arrived at the border between Konoha and Kusagakure.
Stocky and bearing the Akimichi clan crest, the elder's age was comparable to that of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was none other than Akimichi Torifu—a former disciple of the Second Hokage, who had withdrawn from the political stage after aiding Hiruzen in consolidating power.
"How is it? Still no contact with Kawaki Aoba?" asked Torifu, his eyes calm but intense as he questioned the squad that had just returned.
The four-man team bowed apologetically. "We're sorry, Torifu-sama. Aoba-sama's summoned beast is flying too high. We can't transmit messages that far. If we get too close, we risk alerting the Four-Tails."
"I see. Then it can't be helped." Torifu sighed, thoughtful. "If the message can't be delivered, we'll have to rely on unspoken coordination."
When it came to handling Tailed Beasts, the Uchiha were better suited for the task. But apparently, his old comrades had more faith in him than in entrusting this to a Sharingan wielder.
Perhaps he had made the right call back then. After so many years, his comrades were no longer the same.
"Is it finally time to act?" Kawaki Aoba muttered, circling once more above the valley. "If I don't deal with that monkey soon, the hostage won't last much longer."
Even from the sky, Kawaki kept his senses fully extended, carefully observing the movements of both Konoha and Iwagakure. When he sensed chakra as vast as Hiruzen Sarutobi's, he immediately realized Konoha's reinforcements had arrived.
He also knew the village had set up something, though he hadn't figured out the exact nature of it. Thus, he'd stayed within the region, circling with the Four-Tails, not daring to leave.
His comrades below had already noticed his strange behavior.
---
A Chance Missed Is Gone Forever
Down below, the Konoha forces had finally completed their preparations. A net had formed to encircle the Four-Tails, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Once it was in place, Kawaki Aoba only had to lead the beast into the trap.
While Konoha might still struggle against a fully-powered Nine-Tails, they were confident they could subdue the Four-Tails, given the right setup.
Inside a valley near the encirclement site, Akimichi Torifu listened to the rumblings of the Four-Tails and sighed.
"If I'm not mistaken, that kid is just 14, isn't he? To pull off something like this at that age... He'll become a true pillar of Konoha in time."
He turned to the Jōnin beside him. "You've taken in a good disciple, Yuhi Kurenai."
Standing respectfully behind him, Kurenai replied, "It's my honor to guide someone as talented as Aoba."
"I said it before—his sensory abilities are top-notch. He must already know what we're doing. Isn't his reaction proof enough?"
Torifu nodded silently but agreed.
Setting up an ambush at a fixed location minimized risk and casualties. As he walked, he mentally calculated the time.
"Go tell the others to speed up. We might not have much time left," he ordered suddenly.
Although Kurenai didn't understand what he meant, she saluted and left to carry out the command.
Torifu remained alone, looking toward the direction of the Land of Earth.
---
At the same time, in the Land of Earth, Tsuchikage Ōnoki floated above the terrain, using the Lightened Boulder Technique.
"Touzuru, are you saying the Konoha boy and the Four-Tails have been circling the same area all this time?"
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama. I've personally observed the area. Neither the boy nor the Four-Tails has left."
Onoki's brow furrowed further.
"Konoha... You're biting off more than you can chew. Move out! We're taking the Four-Tails back."
---
Back above the valley, Kawaki Aoba confirmed the trap was complete. He turned and began leading the Four-Tails toward the valley.
"Everyone, prepare! Aoba is leading it in!"
His monster-luring strategy was simple—just change flight direction. Over the past few days, he had become familiar with the Four-Tails' behavior. The beast had some intelligence, but not much. After being tricked repeatedly, its rage had shifted into something resembling amusement.
Leading it into the trap was almost effortless.
But something gnawed at Kawaki.
Everything was going too smoothly.
The moment the Four-Tails entered the valley, six beams of chakra erupted from the surrounding terrain, forming a massive barrier—
The Six Red Yang Formation.
A powerful sealing barrier—an upgraded version of the Four Violet Flames Formation.
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