Sharingan.
Yang Release taijutsu.
Sage Mode.
And then that humanoid creature—appearing from nowhere, striking like a ghost.
Yugito Nii's mind spiraled into chaos, eyes wide, breath ragged.
Too much. Too fast. Too impossible.
But she couldn't even form the words.
Because her body was collapsing.
That hand pressed to her—
It wasn't just draining her strength.
It was sucking out Matatabi's chakra too.
Inside her, the Two-Tails raged in impotent fury, flailing against the impossible sensation of being devoured.
And Yugito, who had always been proud, always been calm…
Now found herself unable to even release her Tailed Beast.
Darkness gnawed at the edges of her vision.
The world vanished.
Ishiki Kujo exhaled as Highway Star released her.
Yugito's body crumpled to the ground, steam hissing from her skin.
He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
The moment Highway Star had touched her—
A searing burn had appeared on his arms.
A burn that came with it…
An unprecedented flood of nutrients.
More than any target before.
A feast of chakra—savage, rich, laced with a monstrous fire.
Only a Tailed Beast could produce that kind of return.
At the time, he'd been in his tent during a midday break, so no one noticed the sudden injury.
Instead of healing it, Ishiki had acted on instinct—
He summoned a shadow clone, flung sealing talismans to the corners of the tent.
A square barrier rose, locking down chakra fluctuation.
Perfect for the forbidden technique he was about to perform.
The clone nodded.
Ishiki stepped into place atop a metal drum inscribed with formulae.
He inhaled sharply.
The clone's hands flashed through seals.
Heavenly Transmission Jutsu — Ten'sō no Jutsu!
A crackle of lightning.
And Ishiki vanished.
He reappeared in the Land of Frost.
Pain blossomed across his skin—
Spatial tearing wounds from the reckless jump.
But his body, wrapped in Yang Release Ripple Mode, healed as fast as it shredded.
Highway Star was already inbound.
And in the distance—
He sensed chakra detonations, burning like stars.
More importantly—President hadn't left.
If it hadn't been urgent, he wouldn't have used the jutsu.
Ten'sō no Jutsu was dangerous, especially to the unprepared.
Normally he'd rely on President to ferry him across time-space, but summoning a Stand that many times in a row came with a cooldown.
The price had to be paid—
Now.
As soon as his skin sealed, he dropped the healing mode and inhaled deeply.
He focused on the sun.
Let the natural energy flow in.
When Yugito's howl split the air—
His eyes snapped open.
Golden markings bloomed across his face.
Sage Mode.
Perfected.
Flawless.
He donned a black cloak—similar to the Akatsuki uniform—and a freshly prepared fox mask.
Then vanished.
Mid-run, Highway Star fused back into his body.
Because now—
Was the time to end it.
To capture the Two-Tails.
His shadow clone had already proven it:
Sage-powered Fire Style jutsu could overwhelm the beast.
But this next strike had to be quick.
Finish it before anyone else showed up.
Break her before she realized what was happening.
He was going to break her.
That's why he used the Rasengan.
That's why he let her see the Sharingan.
That's why he made it unmistakably clear—he was Uchiha.
Psychological warfare.
Fear.
Pressure.
He bet everything on two weapons:
Ripple and Highway Star.
Even in full transformation, Yugito's weakness was still her human core.
Ripple passed cleanly through chakra—riding it, piercing it.
And once it reached her blood…
It would target the heart.
Speed up circulation.
Trigger a cardiac arrest.
Could a Tailed Beast save a dying heart?
Maybe.
Could she still fight in that state?
No.
Ishiki had gambled everything on this.
And he'd won.
But even if he hadn't—
He would've still survived.
Because as long as Highway Star kept making contact,
he'd keep getting stronger.
Yugito's flames, terrifying as they were, couldn't kill him through Ripple-enhanced regeneration.
All they could bring was pain.
And he could handle pain.
So the battle had only ever had two possible outcomes:
Capture the Two-Tails.
Retreat and vanish.
His hands were trembling—
Adrenaline overflowed.
Heart pounding like a war drum.
He breathed.
Steadied himself.
Focused.
Yugito was down.
Matatabi was sealed deep inside her.
Unconscious. Disarmed.
Now came the decision.
Should he extract everything?
Drain her dry?
Or…
Keep her.
Caged.
A living wellspring of Tailed Beast chakra.
A mobile feast.
Ishiki Kujo smiled beneath the mask.
Crisis breeds opportunity.
And he was never one to waste either.