439. Seven-Tails vs. Ōnoki

"Seven-Tails, is it...?"

High above the capital of the Land of Earth, Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, stood in mid-air, his gaze fixed on the figure radiating tailed beast chakra.

It wasn’t hard for him to deduce that this was the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki. Among all the tailed beasts, only Chōmei, the Seven-Tails, possessed the ability to fly.

Years ago, the Hidden Waterfall Village had sent out a plea to the Five Great Nations, claiming that their tailed beast had gone missing and requesting assistance in retrieving it.

The incident had caused quite a stir at the time.

Unfortunately, the Third Shinobi World War was still raging, and none of the major nations had the time to spare for a small, reclusive village like the Hidden Waterfall.

The matter had eventually been forgotten.

Who would have thought that the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki would appear now?

Perhaps sensing Ōnoki’s confusion, Aburame Ryoma chuckled lightly and said, "Lord Tsuchikage, there’s no need to be puzzled. I’m just a mercenary now. The daimyo paid a hefty sum for my security services. That’s all."

Ōnoki, however, wasn’t buying it.

His voice turned cold as he said, "I don’t care who you are. But if you insist on standing in my way, I’ll have no choice but to bury you here along with the rest."

His tone was filled with killing intent. Ōnoki knew that this war had to be won as quickly as possible.


Only then could the Land of Earth recover and develop rapidly. If the conflict dragged on, their national strength would inevitably fall far behind that of the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.


Every time he thought about this, he couldn’t help but curse the daimyo in his heart.

If only the daimyo had half the foresight of the Land of Lightning’s daimyo, he wouldn’t be in this mess now.

But no matter what, this battle had to be fought with overwhelming force to establish deterrence.

Ōnoki’s gaze hardened.

Seeing this, Ryoma shook his head and said, "I’m sorry, Lord Tsuchikage, but even mercenaries have principles. Since I’ve taken on this mission, I can’t just abandon it without a fight."

With that, his chakra surged once more. A crimson aura erupted from his body, and another pair of wings formed on his back.

"Stubborn fool. Then die with them," Ōnoki said coldly, his hands spreading open without hesitation.

A blinding white light erupted from his palms once again.

"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"

Faced with such a terrifying attack, even with the protection of the tailed beast, Ryoma didn’t dare to take it head-on.


Fortunately, while the Seven-Tails might not excel in other areas, its speed in flight was second to none.


The moment Ōnoki attacked, Ryoma burst into motion, dodging the attack with incredible speed.

Not only that, but as he flew, Ryoma released a massive amount of golden scales into the air. These scales quickly spread across the sky, not only obscuring Ryoma’s location but also carrying a potent paralyzing effect.

"Dammit..."

Ōnoki frowned.

Although he had covered his mouth and nose in time, he still inhaled a small amount of the scales.

Once inside his body, the scales took effect almost immediately.

A strong sense of paralysis began to spread through his body, causing the battle-hardened Tsuchikage to break out in a cold sweat.

"I need to get out of here, fast."

Ōnoki quickly made up his mind and flew to one side at top speed, trying to escape the cloud of scales.


Just as he was about to break free, a massive shadow emerged from the dense golden mist.

It was Ryoma, partially transformed into the Seven-Tails!

The Seven-Tails’ exoskeleton and the massive horn on its head had fully manifested in chakra form.


Taking advantage of Ōnoki’s paralysis and reduced mobility, Ryoma swiftly closed the distance under the cover of the scales and swung the massive horn on his head with lightning speed.

"Horn Impact!!"

The terrifying horn struck with a deafening crash, sending Ōnoki flying like a baseball!

"Boom!!"

With a thunderous impact, Ōnoki’s small frame smashed into a nearby hill, cracking it open.

Dust and debris filled the air, and the entire capital fell silent.

Ryoma, however, didn’t let his guard down. Seizing the opportunity, he fully transformed into the Seven-Tails!

A massive shadow emerged from the golden mist, its seven enormous tails spreading out in all directions.

Then, to the horror of everyone watching, it began to gather a massive amount of chakra, forming a deep purple energy sphere—the ultimate killing move of a tailed beast.

The Tailed Beast Bomb!!

Although Lord Danzō’s orders were simply to protect the daimyo of the Land of Earth, if Ryoma could kill Ōnoki here, it would undoubtedly plunge the Land of Earth into even greater chaos and division.

This would be extremely advantageous for Konoha’s plans moving forward.

So, without hesitation, Ryoma decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"You damn brat... Good thing I used Earth Spear in advance..."

Feeling the terrifying energy gathering in the sky and the growing Tailed Beast Bomb, Ōnoki finally stood up from the shattered hill.

His expression was grave.


Although the previous attack hadn’t caused significant damage, it had unfortunately aggravated an old injury in his lower back.

But faced with a tailed beast’s full-powered attack, Ōnoki had no choice but to endure the pain and quickly form hand seals.

"Don’t underestimate us old folks, you damn punk!"

With a roar, his aged hands slammed into the ground.

"Earth Style: Ultra-Large-Scale Light-Weight Rock Technique!"

As the jutsu activated, a powerful force enveloped the entire hill.

Countless cracks appeared, and the hill split into massive boulders.

These boulders then rose into the air, forming an incredibly thick wall—or rather, a "fortress"—in front of Ōnoki.

It was a truly awe-inspiring sight, a wall made from an entire mountain.

"As expected of a Kage. Let’s see if your shield is stronger than my spear."

Ryoma appeared in the mental space, gently patting Chōmei’s head.

"Leave the rest to you, Chōmei."

Over the years, Ryoma, with his deep understanding of insect behavior, had formed a strong bond with Chōmei. This was the real reason Danzō had sent him to confront Ōnoki.

"Leave it to me."

Chōmei responded, and the fully charged Tailed Beast Bomb...

Fired!!