241. Men Vs Beasts

"Saiken!"

Beep... beep... beep...

The previously lively atmosphere of the chatroom was replaced with an eerie silence. The heavy-faced Gyūki severed his connection with the Saiken and shook his head at Kurama, whose expression was dark enough to drip water.

"The Saiken is missing as well."

"Gyūki, we'll be fine, right? Our main bodies are deep in the ocean—nothing bad will happen, right?"

Isobu, the Three-Tails, retracted its head into its shell, its single eye blinking cautiously as it inquired nervously.

"Of course, our fortress is the sea—our territory. Totally safe!"

Gyūki, his expression less than confident, straightened up and smacked his burly chest to reassure them.

"Chōmei, are you still in that little mountain valley?"

On the other side, Kurama, the Nine-Tails, squinted his eyes, his heavy breathing exhaling faint flames as he addressed the pure white cocoon.

"Yes."

The Seven-Tails’ voice emerged from within the cocoon. Since entering its chrysalis phase, it had remained in the valley surrounded by waterfalls, only occasionally emerging decades ago.

Confirming Chōmei's location, Kurama's narrowed eyes gleamed briefly before turning his gaze to the aquatic duo, issuing instructions.

"You two should stick together. If something happens, you'll have a chance to inform us."

"Hah! Do you think Lord Gyūki would ever be afraid of a few petty schemes?"

Gyūki, enraged by Kurama's words, scoffed loudly and struck a philosophical pose.

"Isobu, let's go. Same meeting spot!"

Before Kurama could offer further reminders, he watched as Gyūki, bristling with indignation, logged off with a haughty flourish. However, his parting words to Isobu echoed clearly in the chatroom:

"Stay safe!"

Dragging his heavy shell, Isobu disappeared swiftly, leaving only Kurama, now gnashing his glinting fangs. Determined to unravel the mystery of his missing comrades, he resolved to investigate to the end.

"I'll just... keep hiding for now..."

Chōmei weakly announced before logging off as well.

"Alright."

Seeing his friends disappear, Kurama extinguished the chatroom's lights and prepared to search offline for clues.

"Hey, fox! Why are you turning off the lights? I'm still here!"

Locked away in confinement, Shukaku the One-Tail, oddly enough, was in the safest position of all.


---

In the forest near Konoha, not yet named the "Forest of Death," the dense wilderness served as an ideal location for imprisoning tailed beasts.

BOOM!

A muffled explosion shook the earth, and even the villagers of Konoha felt the tremors.

"An earthquake?"

Peeking out from their homes, the villagers curiously speculated. Earthquakes were rare in the flatlands of the Land of Fire.

Deep within the forest, an incredible scene unfolded. Tobirama Senju stood atop a towering tree, tens of meters tall, his crimson eyes wide in astonishment.

"What the...?"

Known for his calm demeanor, even Tobirama was left speechless, his mind momentarily ceasing to function.

"Ha! Tobirama, that makes two!"

A long-haired man with a radiant smile sat cross-legged atop a wooden humanoid statue. Behind him trailed an unconscious gray slug, its massive body oozing corrosive slime that melted trees and rocks alike, releasing a pungent acidic stench.

Hashirama casually flung the Saiken into a pre-constructed wooden cage. As the beast was confined, blue light began to glow, greedily absorbing its chakra to reinforce the prison.

"This one and the Five-Tails we caught earlier—they’re like two completely different creatures. Fascinating! How were they even created?"

Recovering from his shock, Tobirama's curiosity surged as he examined the cage intently.

"Tobirama, there's plenty of time to study. Have you heard anything about Madara?"

Standing atop his wooden giant, Hashirama exuded confidence after capturing two tailed beasts. He was eager to see Madara's progress.

"Nothing. Probably running around aimlessly like a headless chicken."

Tobirama crossed his arms, a sly grin on his face. With his brother securing two beasts, the competition was as good as won. Madara was likely sulking somewhere.


---

Meanwhile, far along the coastline of the Land of Fire, two enormous figures advanced. Each step shook the cliffs, causing rocks to tumble into the sea.

"This is as far as we go."

Madara Uchiha, clad in a high-collared robe, inhaled the salty sea breeze and opened his scarlet eyes, six tomoe spinning rhythmically in his gaze.

Madara was astride a colossal, blue-hued cat engulfed in chakra flames, unaffected by the fiery aura. Beside it trudged a massive red ape, magma flowing from its four tails and leaving crystalline trails in its wake.

"Stay here and wait."

Madara ordered the beasts, his Sharingan reflecting in their massive eyes. Like obedient circus animals, they sat, motionless, awaiting their next command.

"Susanoo!"

Standing on a seaside cliff, Madara summoned a towering blue-armored figure. With confidence burning in his Sharingan, he took to the skies, heading toward his next target—a turtle-like tailed beast rumored to inhabit nearby shallow waters.


---

In the ocean depths, Gyūki propelled himself toward Isobu’s territory with all his might.

"Isobu, I’m almost there! Where are you hiding?"

"I'm beneath you," Isobu replied, buried in the sand.

"Sticking your head in the sand doesn’t count as hiding!"

Rolling his eyes, Gyūki landed beside Isobu, patting its shell with his tentacles.

"It's okay. Big brother is here!"

Just as Isobu began to relax, a massive blue slash tore through the sea, heading straight for them.

"Watch out!"

Gyūki roared, his tentacles anchoring him to the ground as he braced against the devastating attack, preparing a counterstrike.


"Oh? There are two of them? What a pleasant surprise!"

Just as the Tailed Beast Bomb of the Eight Tail was about to fully form, a cold voice echoed near the two tailed beasts. Both turned in the direction of the sound, trying to identify the intruder.

"Those eyes... They carry the aura of Indra!"

The Eight Tail caught a faintly familiar scent, its large bull eyes filled with disbelief as it stared at a blue tengu wielding a long blade, standing at the seabed. For ten seconds, the Eight Tail was forcibly immobilized.

In the meantime, its grip slackened, and the attack it was preparing crashed into its own burly chest, sending water splashing everywhere and leaving a gruesome scar. However, with the Tailed Beast's formidable healing ability, the scar began to heal rapidly.

"Wait, it’s blue?"

The Three-Tails Isobu, who had surfaced briefly, was equally bewildered but quickly noticed a discrepancy. "The eldest son of that old man controlled a purple giant, but this one is blue... and it’s much smaller. Whew! As long as it’s not him."

With Isobu’s reminder, the Eight Tail snapped out of its daze, shook its bull head, and looked at the emotionless Uchiha Madara. It let out a long breath of relief.

"A turtle and an octopus? What a strange combination. Oh well, you shall become slaves to the Sharingan!"

Standing within the blue Susanoo, Uchiha Madara was unaffected by the water pressure, even in the depths of the sea. After briefly examining Isobu and the Eight Tail, his gaze shifted back indifferently, the crimson light in his eyes flashing. He spoke slowly:

"Not good! Isobu, run!"

The Eight Tail, who had been defeated by the Sharingan once a thousand years ago, immediately sensed the cold, sinister power emanating from Madara’s eyes. It quickly connected the dots to the disappearances of other Tailed Beasts.

It wasn’t far off the mark—the man in front of them, carrying Indra’s aura, had used his ocular power to control the other Tailed Beasts. Soon, these two survivors would share the same fate.

"Ha! What are you saying? It’s just one guy. If we work together, we can handle him easily!"

For once, the usually cautious Isobu showed rare confidence. Emboldened by the Eight Tail's presence, it loudly declared its intention to teach the human a lesson. In its eyes, this "miniature" Susanoo was far less intimidating than Indra’s had been.

This time, Isobu wasn’t going to cower.

Isobu stood up.

Boom!

Before Isobu could finish its thought, the Eight Tail turned its head in confusion, only to see Isobu’s single eye reflect the image of a crimson Sharingan. The next moment, Isobu's massive turtle body shot forward like an arrow, slamming into the Ox Eight Tail.

Isobu used Rocket Headbutt!

The Eight Tail, seeing its ally suddenly turn against it, wasn’t entirely surprised. It had seen the enormous Sharingan with its own bull eyes. As the frenzied Isobu charged at it, the Eight Tail extended its eight tentacles, attempting to restrain the Three-Tails.

But Uchiha Madara gave it no chance. Behind them, the blue tengu wielding a long blade swung its sword directly at the Eight Tail.

"Hmph, eat this ink!"

Facing enemies on both sides, the Eight Tail took a deep breath, and from a hidden position among its tentacles, it unleashed a burst of pitch-black ink, dyeing the entire area in darkness. It then prepared to flee, intending to inform the Nine-Tails on land about the attacker.

"Nine-Tails! The one capturing the Tailed Beasts is Indra’s descendant!"

After relaying the message to the Nine-Tails, the Eight Tail began to retreat under the cover of the ink. But before it could take more than a few steps, a massive blue foot stomped down on its tentacle.

"Hey! Isn’t that rude?"

No matter how much the Eight Tail struggled, the massive foot pinning its tentacle didn’t budge. Helpless, it could only voice its indignation.

"Did I say you could leave?"

How could Madara let his prey escape? Pinning the Eight Tail firmly underfoot, he looked down coldly. His indifferent gaze sent a chill through the sea as he calmly ordered:

"Tailed Beast Bomb."

Seeing Madara so close, the Eight Tail realized this was its only chance. Without hesitation, it opened its maw wide, quickly forming a black sphere of destructive energy aimed directly at Susanoo’s head.

"Hmph, let’s see you act smug now!"

Boom!

The massive Tailed Beast Bomb hit Susanoo head-on, triggering a violent underwater explosion. The force of the blast sent Uchiha Madara back half a step, giving the Eight Tail a fleeting chance to break free.

"Isobu, sorry. I’ll come back to save you."

Glancing at the stunned Isobu, the Eight Tail felt a pang of guilt. But alone, it was no match for Indra’s descendant. Without hesitation, it used all eight legs to propel itself deeper into the ocean.

Thud!

However, its escape was short-lived. As it fled blindly, it slammed into something hard. Seeing stars, it rubbed its sore horn and looked up.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Madara’s chilling voice echoed in its ears. The Eight Tail stared at yet another blue Susanoo in front of it. What was already a cold, sinking feeling turned to utter despair.

Swallowing hard, the Eight Tail glanced back at the other Susanoo behind it. Only now did it realize the horrifying truth—Susanoo could clone itself. It would have to learn this ability someday.

"Fine, I surrender. Please let me go~"

The next moment, the despairing Eight Tail's bull eyes turned scarlet.

The Eight-Tails was out.


---

Meanwhile, on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls, a flash of fiery red fur anxiously called out.

"Gyuki! Hey, can you hear me?"

The Nine-Tails waited for a response, but it was met with nothing but silence. Its fox eyes narrowed with unease.

"The culprit is Indra’s descendant? Impossible! Those pathetic humans?"

Snorting with disbelief, the Nine-Tails paused briefly. Having witnessed Uchiha power firsthand, it couldn’t fathom that their weak ocular jutsu could have such an effect.

Well…except for that stupid weasel.

"There’s still some distance to the sea. The attacker won’t reach me for a while. I’ll grab Chomei and make a run for it."

Shaking its massive head, the Nine-Tails resolved to find Chomei, the Seven-Tails, and escape together. Without another thought, it raced toward the Land of Waterfalls.