I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

At that moment, a barrage of Earth Release techniques erupted from the ground.

Yet, they failed to protect Gari.

And they failed to stop Kyoichi.

They could only watch as he vanished, without even getting a clear look at his face.

"Gari-sama!”

A group of Iwa-nin stood in shock, their disbelief palpable.

Ten full squads had been assigned to protect him.

And yet, their captain had been slain in an instant.

The enemy had come and gone like a ghost.

Who could have predicted this?

It was terrifying!

"Hold the others off for me."

Kyoichi spoke, forming a hand seal with both hands.

In an instant, an icy chill spread through the air. The steam that had risen before condensed, turning into droplets of rain.

The entire "Water Prison" transformed into a towering glacier, with even the once-molten lava inside freezing solid into stone.

Jiraiya stood dumbfounded.

He had never known—Kyoichi could use Ice Release?

That was a Kekkei Genkai!

The one most terrified, of course, was Roshi.

He finally understood.

This guy was never afraid of him. The so-called "retreat" had merely been a tactic to lure him here—into the perfect setup for an ambush.

He had planned this all along!

Damn it...

Roshi surged with Tailed Beast chakra. Behind him, four tails materialized.

His transformation deepened.

In the blink of an eye, the frozen lava reignited, turning back into searing molten rock. Then, with a furious roar, the Water Prison shattered.

However...

The moment the Water Prison broke—

A hand landed on him.

A layer of solid ice spread over his palm, shielding him from the intense heat of the magma and the corrosive Tailed Beast chakra. In his other hand, Kyoichi wielded a strange, massive sword.

Roshi lashed out with a punch.

But—

With just a slight swing of the sword, he felt the chakra surrounding his fist being devoured.

What the hell is this?!

Panic flickered in Roshi’s eyes as he struggled against the ice encasing him.

Yet—

Icy pillars, paired with crashing waves, surged forward, suppressing the torrents of magma erupting from his body. Explosions of ice and fire detonated in rapid succession, but neither side seemed to take any substantial damage.

Then, Roshi noticed—it wasn’t just the sword absorbing his chakra. Even Kyoichi's own hand was draining it away.

His expression darkened.

You like absorbing, huh?

Fine. Take it all!

Let’s see if you can handle this!

Pouring more power into it, Roshi channeled an overwhelming surge of Tailed Beast chakra.

Not everyone can stomach the chakra of a Tailed Beast.

At the same time, the four tails behind him lashed out. The ground quaked, and rivers of molten lava came surging forth.

A Jinchuriki truly wasn't easy to deal with.

But Kyoichi didn't waste time tangling with him.

He withdrew immediately—so fast that Roshi felt humiliated and furious.

This bastard got even faster?!

His previous speed... wasn’t even his limit?!

Every time Kyoichi raised the bar, Roshi felt like a fool. He had actually believed that Kyoichi had only been caught before because he wasn't fast enough.

Now he realized—

Kyoichi had only slowed down so Roshi could keep up.

And now, escape was no longer an option.

Roshi kept flooding the battlefield with magma, creating an inferno to prevent Kyoichi from getting close.

The abandoned jutsu formations slowly faded.

However—

The next moment, Kyoichi formed another hand seal.

Immediately, the Four-Tails’ chakra within him was forced into his Yin Seal, while a different chakra stored inside was released.

Roshi had no idea what he was doing.

But—

He wasn’t about to sit back and find out.

Shrouded in magma, he quietly condensed his chakra.

A black sphere formed in his mouth.

Tailed Beast Bomb!

The moment Kyoichi completed his sealing, the Tailed Beast Bomb launched.

BOOM!

In an instant, the dense chakra erupted into a beam of destruction, annihilating the spot where Kyoichi had stood.

Did it hit?

Roshi remained cautious.

But then—

He saw Kyoichi standing there, holding an enormous, grotesquely transformed sword.

No, that wasn’t just a sword anymore—it had completely morphed into some kind of bizarre, unknown beast.

What the hell is that?

Roshi was utterly baffled.

Kyoichi calmly suppressed the Tailed Beast chakra that Samehada had absorbed, transferring it into his Yin Seal.

With masterful chakra control, he effortlessly gathered all of it into one place—before locking the seal shut once more.

The Yin Seal was reinforced with a layer of Four Symbols Seal, leaving it rock-solid. And at the same time, tendrils of Tailed Beast chakra began seeping out…

“Hurry up and finish him off! I can feel Onoki coming!”

Jiraiya was still locked in combat against the Iwa-nin reinforcements. When he glanced over at Kyoichi, his frustration grew.

This is enemy territory!

"A Jinchuriki isn't that easy to deal with."

But—

Even as he spoke, Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

The Tailed Beast chakra that had leaked into Kyoichi’s body was spreading thinly throughout. Though faint, his body was adapting to it.

Now…

First Activation—Release!

Kyoichi took a deep breath. Then, in the next instant, he unleashed his chakra, brandishing Samehada as he charged toward Roshi.

In this enhanced state, his strength and speed surged dramatically.

Roshi stared in shock.

His chakra—

It was starting to resemble a Tailed Beast’s!

It even radiated a molten glow, like lava.

Impossible!

Roshi couldn't believe it, but there was no time to hesitate.

He unleashed the full power of the Four-Tails.

A colossal beast took form.

BOOM!

It roared, slamming both fists into the ground.

Lava Release: Mount Huaguo!

The massive eruption covered the entire battlefield—nowhere to run.

But—

Samehada devoured everything.

It carved a path straight through, consuming all the chakra in its way.

And with Kyoichi’s pseudo-Tailed Beast Cloak shielding him, the damage from the lava was minimal.

At blistering speed—

SWOOSH!

A deafening impact rang out.

The Four-Tails' rock-like armor cracked apart, Samehada and the Lava Vacuum Blade tearing a massive wound across its body. Blood streamed down in rivulets.

"AAARRGH!"

Son Goku let out a pained, guttural roar.

A gaping hole had been drilled through his arm, and his tail thrashed violently, wrecking the surroundings.

But Kyoichi, infused with similar Tailed Beast chakra, didn’t fear him.

On top of that, he still had the Earth Spear effect.

One hand pressed against Son Goku's wound, continuously pouring in Ice Release chakra.

Son Goku’s blood began to crystallize.

Meanwhile—

Borrowing the Tailed Beast chakra, Kyoichi created a Shadow Clone.

The clone, in sync with the sealing scroll prepared for Samehada, activated the Four Symbols Seal.

The scroll unfolded.

Intricate sealing patterns flared into existence, enveloping Son Goku’s entire body.

In mere moments, Kyoichi’s seals locked into place, etching themselves onto the Tailed Beast’s stomach.

And then—

With a reluctant snarl, Son Goku reverted back into Roshi.

Roshi struggled desperately.

But—

He could no longer summon any of the Four-Tails’ power.

THUD!

Kyoichi knocked him out cold with a single punch.

Then, gathering more chakra, he raised his sword once more—

A Vacuum Blade infused with the Four-Tails' chakra!

A searing inferno erupted forward, turning the night into blazing daylight.

"Move!"

"AHHH!!" Jiraiya bolted.

Without a Yin Seal to store chakra, he had to conserve energy for an escape. In truth, he'd barely been fighting—he’d relied on Gamabunta the whole time.

The Iwa-nin attempted to shield themselves with Earth Release.

But—

They couldn’t keep up.

Moments later, Onoki arrived.

He soared over the firestorm, ready to give chase—only to be met with a swarm of eerie birds, diving toward him in the blaze.

Exploding tags?!

What kind of trickery is this?!

If those went off, even he wouldn’t escape unscathed.

Onoki hastily formed a cube in his hands and hurled it forward, disintegrating every last bird before they could detonate.

The explosion never came.

But—

That brief delay was enough.

He could already feel Roshi being dragged farther and farther away.

Even while carrying someone, Kyoichi's speed remained absurdly fast—so fast that even Light-Weight Rock Jutsu couldn’t keep up.

And then…

As he continued the pursuit, Onoki encountered more than a dozen deeply concealed "black" explosive tags.

Individually, their power wasn't overwhelming, but they were a damn nuisance. Especially when—

CRACK!

Onoki's high-speed chase came to an abrupt halt—

To dodge the explosion, he had to twist his waist mid-air.

Damn it…

Who the hell came up with this technique?! It’s like it was designed just to mess with me!

This is just pure evil!