The air in the sealed chamber felt like syrup—thick, heavy, and suffocating. Every breath Arthev took burned, like the very atmosphere was trying to strangle him. His chest tightened under the crushing weight of the aura radiating from the creature looming ahead.
It was massive. Serpentine. Its violet scales shimmered with an eerie glow, pulsing rhythmically like a heartbeat. Each movement of its claws against the stone floor echoed with a screech, gouging deep scars into the rock. The beast's presence wasn't just intimidating—it was a storm, howling and relentless.
Arthev stood still, the Three Tomoe Shinragan spinning in his crimson eyes. His fingers curled tighter around his kunai. His breathing stayed controlled, but shallow—his body wound like a spring, ready to strike.
Then a voice rumbled in his head.
"Yo, kid," Shukaku said, his tone a familiar mix of dry humor and warning. "Big bastard, huh? You sure you don't just wanna bolt? Oh—wait, my bad. No doors. Guess you're screwed."
Arthev didn't flinch. His lips twitched into the ghost of a smirk, but his gaze never left the beast.
"Running's not my style," he said flatly. "Let's see what this thing's packing."
The beast moved—no roar, no warning. Just a blur of violet light. Its claw cut the air, unleashing a crescent-shaped wave of energy that shrieked toward him.
Arthev vanished—Body Flicker Technique.
He reappeared across the chamber just as the attack smashed into the floor, tearing a deep gash through the stone. Dust billowed up, choking the air even more.
"Fast," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. His voice was calm, detached. Calculating.
He reached into his pouch, fingers flicking out a shuriken. With a sharp motion, he hurled it at the beast. The spinning blade struck the creature's scales with a bright spark—then bounced off harmlessly, clattering to the ground.
"Great. Tough hide," Arthev noted aloud, expression tightening. "Physical attacks might not cut it."
"Told ya," Shukaku snorted in his mind. "This ain't some chump you can poke with a pointy stick. You're gonna need something bigger, kid."
"Yeah, I hear you," Arthev muttered.
His hands blurred through hand seals—fast, precise. Tiger seal.
"Wood Release: Binding Roots!"
The ground trembled beneath him. Thick, thorned tendrils burst through the stone, coiling and twisting like serpents. They surged toward the beast, aiming to bind its limbs, the thorns digging into the shimmering violet scales.
For a moment, it worked.
Then the beast growled—low, guttural—and moved.
One violent thrash. That's all it took.
The roots exploded into splinters, shards of wood slicing through the air like knives. Arthev twisted aside just in time as a chunk the size of his head whistled past his ear and smashed into the wall behind him.
He didn't need Shukaku's sarcasm to know he was in trouble.
"Damn," Arthev hissed. His Shinragan spun, tracking the beast's movements. "That was stronger than the drake. Way stronger."
The beast's tail lashed out—a violet streak in the air. Too fast.
Arthev flickered again, but the shockwave still caught him. A thunderous boom echoed through the chamber as he was thrown sideways, skidding across the stone floor. He rolled, caught himself, then staggered to his feet with a wince.
Pain lit up his side like fire.
Ribs—definitely bruised. Maybe worse.
But he stood.
"Alright," he exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow. His voice was calm, steady. "Time to step it up."
"Finally!" Shukaku cackled, his voice ringing in Arthev's skull. "Stop messin' around and hit it with something real!"
Arthev nodded silently, drawing in his soul power. Energy pulsed through him as he formed a single seal.
Poof.
A Wood Clone emerged beside him, eyes glowing with the same spinning crimson of the Shinragan.
"Distract it," Arthev ordered, voice low but firm.
The clone didn't hesitate. It darted left, fast and fluid, launching a volley of shuriken. The blades pinged uselessly off the beast's armored hide, drawing its attention for just a moment—but that moment was enough.
While the creature turned its massive head toward the clone, Arthev was already in motion, circling right. His hand pulsed with soul power, the energy condensing rapidly into a spiraling, buzzing sphere.
"Rasengan!" he shouted, charging forward.
The roar of soul power filled the chamber as he closed the gap. With a precise leap, he drove the Rasengan straight into the beast's flank.
BOOM.
The impact exploded in a blinding flash of blue light, the sound echoing like thunder. The force knocked the beast off balance, dragging its body a few feet across the stone floor. Dust and debris lifted from the ground in a wave.
As the light faded, Arthev landed in a crouch and skidded back, breathing hard.
He looked up.
The beast was still standing.
Its scales shimmered where the Rasengan had landed—dented, maybe scorched—but unbroken. No blood. No visible damage.
Arthev's eyes narrowed. "That... should've done more."
"Beats the hell outta me," Shukaku growled in his head. "But it's eatin' your best shots like candy. Time to quit playin' ninja and get messy. Try the sand—see if this freak likes bein' buried alive!"
Arthev didn't respond. He just raised a hand.
The air thickened.
Dust lifted from the floor, spinning around him in a tightening spiral. Cracks spread beneath his feet as hidden layers of fine sand burst forth, pulled into the vortex of his power.
His fist clenched.
The sand surged forward like a living beast, roaring across the chamber.
"Sand Burial!"
The sand surged forward like a tidal wave, wrapping around the beast's limbs and torso in a violent spiral. It howled across the chamber, dragging the creature down inch by inch, burying it beneath a crushing dune of soul-infused grit.
For a moment, everything went still.
The swirling sand settled. Silence fell.
The beast was gone.
Arthev stood rigid, eyes scanning the mound, his Shinragan spinning intensely.
"Did that do it?" he muttered, narrowing his gaze.
Rumble.
The floor trembled.
BOOM!
The dune erupted in an explosion of force. Sand blasted outward like shattered glass, ripping through the air. Arthev flinched as shards of stone and grit grazed his cheek.
The beast stood tall in the settling dust, violet eyes blazing with primal fury. Not a single scratch marred its gleaming scales. If anything, its presence was heavier now—its aura pressing down like a mountain.
"…Damn it," Arthev hissed, flickering back as a claw tore through the space where he'd just stood.
The wind from the swing hit like a hammer.
"That didn't even slow it down!"
"Told ya it wasn't gonna be that easy!" Shukaku barked, his voice a mix of urgency and frustration. "You're gonna have to go harder, kid. Way harder!"
Arthev inhaled sharply, then unleashed his soul power. Crimson energy burst around him, wrapping his frame in a volatile, sandy aura—the Tailed Beast Cloak. The air rippled with heat and pressure. His strength surged. His speed sharpened.
"Alright," he muttered, voice low and steady. "Let's really hit it."
He vanished, reappearing in a blur beside the beast, kunai gleaming in both hands. Each strike came fast, deliberate—aimed for joints, the eyes, the faint slits between scales. Sparks erupted with every hit, but the creature's armor held. Not even a dent.
The beast roared and countered, tail sweeping with terrifying force.
Crack!
It slammed into Arthev mid-dodge. The blow sent him flying, crashing into the chamber wall. Stone cracked. Pain lanced through his side. He hit the ground hard, coughing—blood in his mouth.
"Kid, you're getting wrecked!" Shukaku yelled, panic edging into his voice. "This ain't a sparring match—hit it with everything!"
"I'm trying!" Arthev snapped, pushing himself upright. His ribs throbbed. His vision swam. But his Shinragan spun steadily—analyzing, adapting.
Fast. Durable. Unrelenting.
No obvious weak spots. Not yet.
He wiped blood from his lip, breath ragged. "I need something else… something bigger."
Arthev dug deeper, drawing on Shukaku's power until it surged like a tidal wave inside him. Sand coiled tighter around his limbs, jagged black markings crawling across his skin—Partial Beast Possession. His aura thickened, pressure crackling in the air.
His stance shifted—stronger, sharper. Feral.
"Let's do this," he growled, and launched.
Sand snapped forward, twining with rising wooden tendrils in a synchronized assault. The beast's tail whipped up—but the roots caught it, locking it in place just long enough.
Arthev blurred in close, soul power spinning violently in his hand. "Rasengan!"
He slammed it into the beast's jaw.
BOOM.
The detonation echoed like thunder. The beast's head whipped sideways. A crater erupted beneath it, the ground shattering, dust and debris exploding outward in a deafening shockwave. For a moment, even the air stood still.
The beast reeled—staggering on the edge of the impact zone.
Arthev landed hard, panting. His Shinragan spun, scanning. Did that—?
Then the growl came—deep, guttural, seething.
The creature stepped forward, crushing fractured stone underfoot. A faint scorch darkened its jaw.
That was all.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Arthev breathed, eyes wide, voice ragged. "That was everything I had."
"Nope, not enough!" Shukaku snapped. "This thing's brushing you off like you're a mosquito. You wanna live, kid? You go all in!"
The beast's aura exploded outward—violet energy, wild and violent. The shockwave hit like a freight train. Arthev flew backward, the air ripped from his lungs. He hit the ground hard, bounced, skidded—ribs screaming with every jolt.
He coughed blood, forced himself up. His cloak flickered, soul power straining. Everything was failing.
"Nothing's working," he gasped. His breath came ragged. The beast stalked forward, claws raised like executioner's blades.
Then—his Shinragan spun faster.
His vision fractured, time splitting like glass. He saw the claw before it moved.
He moved.
The claw still clipped his shoulder—but didn't take his head. Arthev blinked. "What the hell—?"
The beast lunged again.
Another flash. Another glimpse.
He dodged. Sidestepped. Survived.
Each vision sharpened. Each movement flowed tighter, cleaner. He wasn't just reacting anymore—he was reading it.
Then—an opening.
The beast lunged too far.
Flicker.
He was behind it. Rasengan charged. "Got you—!"
The orb slammed into the beast's spine. A flash. A crack.
It hit.
The first real mark—a shallow fracture in its armor. The beast howled, turning in fury.
Arthev's eyes flared—but not in time.
That tail—massive. Unavoidable. The vision came too late.
CRACK.
The blow crushed him, folding his body in half midair. His arm snapped, bone shearing. He slammed into the far wall, stone cracking around him.
Pain swallowed everything.
He gasped, trying to breathe—but air wouldn't come.
Vision blurred.
Blood ran down his fingers, dripping from the shattered mess of his left arm.
The beast roared and charged—a blur of violet rage. Arthev barely had time to react before its claw speared forward, punching straight through his chest.
CRUNCH.
The sound was wet, final. Time stopped.
A sickening shock hit first, then pain—white-hot, blinding. The beast's claw tore through flesh and bone, splitting muscle, snapping ribs. A gaping hole opened beneath Arthev's sternum, soul power leaking out along with a flood of blood. His heart had barely missed being skewered.
He staggered, the light in his Shinragan dimming, mouth agape as blood welled up his throat. His left arm hung limp, his entire chest a mangled ruin. He collapsed to his knees.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't feel his body anymore—just pain, and cold.
"Kid!" Shukaku's voice shattered the fading haze, raw and panicked. "You're done! That thing just cored you! You can't win this like this! You want a shot? Then Summon me! Now! Hands together, soul power out—CALL ME UP!"
Arthev coughed, blood splattering across the ground. His vision blurred at the edges, but his mind—his will—refused to die. He gritted his teeth, lips stained red.
"Summon… you?" he rasped, voice barely a whisper, every breath agony.
His trembling fingers moved.
Ram.
Then he slammed his palm to the ground, blood acting as the ink of desperation. "Fine. DO IT."
"About damn time!" Shukaku growled.
The air ignited. Arthev's body became a conduit—his soul power howled as it burst free, red and gold and wild. The chamber cracked, the stone screamed as a titanic force erupted upward.
A shadow swallowed the chamber.
Shukaku stood tall—150 meters of sand and wrath, his single tail lashing like a whip of doom. His jagged mouth curled into a grin, amber eyes flaring as they locked onto the beast.
"This thing's soul power…" Shukaku snarled, eyes narrowing as he faced the beast, "it's damn near 93-level , kid—almost my level!" His tone was grim, laced with disbelief and fury.
Arthev lay slumped on the floor, blood pouring from the gaping hole in his chest, gasping for air. His arm dangled uselessly, vision fading. Shukaku loomed over him, massive and furious, tail lashing.
"Stay down—I've got this."
The beast's violet aura surged, meeting Shukaku's head-on as the chamber shook, tension crackling in the air like a coming storm.