Besides the increase in chakra providers from four to six and the significantly larger barrier range, there was almost no difference.
The moment the barrier rose, Konoha's hidden ninjas, lying in ambush, launched their techniques against the massive Four-Tails, Son Gokū.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Fifteen elite ninjas from the Nara clan—urgently dispatched by the village—worked in coordination to bind the rampaging Tailed Beast, hoping to immobilize it long enough for the sealing to begin.
Accompanying them was a specialized sealing squad, composed of veterans who had once protected Kushina Uzumaki during her early days as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
However, as the sealing squad approached, their expressions darkened.
"This is bad! The Four-Tails' chakra is extremely unstable—violent. The sealing tags we brought were never designed to restrain a fully manifested Tailed Beast!"
"Damn it! Nara clan, hold firm! If you let up even a little, his chakra will erupt as molten rock! With a Tailed Beast's chakra, that magma could flood this entire valley!"
"We've been outplayed by a Tailed Beast…"
In that moment, the Four-Tails glared at them with unmistakable contempt.
It had anticipated this. Even if it hadn't sensed their ambush, Son Gokū knew that humans always came for its power.
Its long imprisonment in Iwagakure had taught it a bitter lesson—escape was nearly impossible. If it was to be recaptured, it would at least ensure maximum destruction and vengeance.
Whether the casualties were Konoha or Iwa shinobi didn't matter. The Tailed Beast didn't differentiate. If they fell in droves, it would find satisfaction.
The Konoha forces had, indeed, walked into a trap.
Akimichi Takefu stepped forward, surveying the Four-Tails covered in partial sealing marks. He muttered:
"There's still a chance. Son Gokū isn't completely free… if we can injure him seriously enough, the residual bond with the Jinchūriki might draw him back in."
"Takefu-sama is right," a sealing ninja said grimly. "But we can't hold him for long, and striking a Tailed Beast hard enough in such a short time…"
He didn't finish. He didn't need to.
Still airborne, Kawaki Aoba observed the situation clearly through his heightened perception—here referred to as Observation Haki, though not a standard term in the Naruto universe, suggesting a crossover element or unique ability.
He recognized the bitter irony: they had orchestrated this whole operation and now were at risk of dying by their own plan.
And he—Kawaki Aoba—was the one who lit the fuse.
He couldn't let this end in disaster.
"We have to finish this now." Kawaki Aoba flapped his chakra wings and dove toward the barrier. His sensory ability picked up multiple chakra signatures approaching fast from the north.
Delay any longer, and they'd be overwhelmed.
He gently lowered Han—the weakened Five-Tails' Jinchūriki—outside the barrier, then reverted to his usual appearance. Raising his voice, he shouted:
"Everyone inside, hang on a bit longer! Give me time, and I'll bring down that monster!"
Many turned to look at him. Though young, Kawaki Aoba's actions over the past few days had earned their respect.
Still, this was a high-risk situation. Few were willing to bet everything on one man.
Except one.
Akimichi Takefu stepped forward and asked directly:
"Aoba, it's not about trust. The Four-Tails' chakra is in a fully berserk state. If we can't bring him down quickly, this valley becomes a graveyard. Are you truly confident?"
Kawaki Aoba nodded firmly. He gestured to Han, now unconscious at his feet:
"I used this technique to take down Han—when he was in partial Tailed Beast form. This time, it'll be even stronger. But I need prep time."
Then he pointed north.
"Also… prepare yourself, Takefu-sama. Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, is headed here."
Akimichi Takefu's expression didn't change much—just a slight frown.
Clearly, some silent negotiation between Konoha and Iwa had already taken place. Kawaki Aoba realized this mission was more than just an operation—it was a bargaining chip in larger political maneuvers.
Takefu issued a decisive order:
"All ninja, except the Nara clan and the sealing unit—evacuate with me immediately. Barrier squad, you're dismissed too. Drop the field."
He turned to Kawaki Aoba and added with weight:
"Everything we prepared has failed. Now, it's on you. Don't push yourself to the edge. If you fail, survive."
Kawaki Aoba nodded. He understood: casualties must be minimized—and that meant he had to succeed, or escape.
He pulled out a large bottle of glowing blue medicine, chugging it quickly, then began gathering chakra into his cloak—a denser, more potent form than before.
Unlike with Han, who had only transformed halfway, the Four-Tails now stood fully manifested. This wouldn't be a battle—it would be a reckoning.
As the Nara clan held formation, and the others evacuated carrying Han with them, Kawaki Aoba's chakra cloak continued to form.
And the route of evacuation? Deliberately directed toward Tsuchikage Ōnoki and his party.
A sign. A message. A political signal.
Kawaki Aoba ignored the implications.
With chakra accumulating—at a rate of one "card" per second, as he called it—he stayed focused. The moment his medicine's ten-minute effect faded, he drank another bottle, unwavering.
Soon, he felt the arrival of Ōnoki's forces, but the two sides didn't clash—they only observed.
Then—
"Chūnin Aoba!" A sweating shinobi yelled from the barrier's edge. "How much longer?! We're nearly out of chakra!"
Aoba opened his eyes, the cloak blazing brighter.
"I'm ready. But the longer you last, the stronger my attack becomes. Tell me exactly one minute before you're done."
Elsewhere, in the place where Kawaki Aoba had been leading the Four-Tails in circles, Akimichi Takefu led the Konoha ninjas and stopped Tsuchikage Onoki and the others.
"Tsuchikage-sama, we've been waiting for you here for a long time," Akimichi Takefu greeted.
"Have you been waiting for us long?" Onoki scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Heh, Akimichi Takefu, when did you become as hypocritical as Shimura Danzo? Don't bother with lies that can be easily exposed."
Flying in the air, Onoki glanced at the half-dead Five-Tailed Jinchuriki, Han, and spoke again, his tone harsh: "Stop talking nonsense, and quickly hand over Han."
Watching Onoki, who was unusually tough and seemed ready to attack at any moment, Akimichi Takefu didn't respond. Instead, he took out a kunai and stabbed it into Han's body with a 'poof' sound.
"Lord Tsuchikage, please don't joke around like that," Akimichi Takefu said with a calm smile, despite the tense situation. "The Five-Tailed Jinchuriki is our trophy, and we will not return it to you until this war is over."
Akimichi Takefu's chubby face was all smiles, but he drew another kunai, prepared for the worst.
"Damn it, what do you mean, Konoha? Are you trying to violate the conditions we agreed upon before?" Onoki's anger flared, his chakra flaring around him.
He began to form hand seals, preparing to unleash Dust Release at any moment. "If you're planning on keeping the Five-Tails, you're testing my patience."
However, Akimichi Takefu didn't show any fear and responded without changing his expression: "Lord Tsuchikage, I'll say it one last time: don't test us anymore, otherwise, we'll have to ask Iwagakure to wait for the Five-Tails to be resurrected."
"Hmph!" Onoki snorted coldly, a dark expression crossing his face as he backed down. However, his gaze shifted toward the direction of the Four-Tails, his eyes narrowing, a gleam of renewed authority flickering within them.
"Then, as agreed before, you can keep the Five-Tails for a while, but I must take the Four-Tails away today. So, Akimichi Takefu, can you tell me where the Four-Tails is now?"
"Hahaha, Lord Tsuchikage, rest assured, as long as Iwagakure keeps its promise, the Four-Tails will definitely be returned to you," Akimichi Takefu replied with a smile.
"But where is the Four-Tails now? Why can't I see it? Akimichi Takefu, are you playing games with me, the Kage of a village?" Onoki's voice grew darker. Unlike the deliberate difficulty from before, this time, Onoki's tone was firm, confident.
Akimichi Takefu, seasoned in such encounters, didn't let Onoki's accusations rattle him. He answered calmly: "Lord Tsuchikage, as the Kage of a village, don't be so impatient. The Four-Tails is on its way here, and I believe it will arrive soon."
Onoki's suspicions only deepened. He knew the situation well. Before arriving, the ninjas of Iwagakure had already determined the Four-Tails' condition. They knew that Konoha ninjas were capturing and sealing the Four-Tails in a nearby valley as a bargaining chip. But Onoki, having dealt with the Four-Tails before, wasn't convinced that Konoha's sealing plan would succeed.
Onoki wasn't in a rush. He was content to wait until the Four-Tails' chakra exploded. When that happened, he would take the Four-Tails back, along with the Five-Tails. If it weren't for these two valuable Tailed Beasts, Onoki wouldn't have even bothered to come to the battlefield.
Akimichi Takefu, however, understood what was happening. He realized that Onoki was playing his cards carefully, waiting for the Four-Tails to lose control so he could make his move. Konoha, in this situation, was outmaneuvered by Iwagakure's experience with the Tailed Beasts.
Akimichi Takefu turned his gaze toward the valley, hoping that Kawaki Aoba would succeed. If not, he would have to reveal his final trump card to deal with Onoki.
As both sides prepared for the next move, an Iwagakure ninja suddenly stepped forward, his face pale. He whispered urgently in Onoki's ear: "Lord Tsuchikage, the chakra aura of the Four-Tails over there has weakened, and it's weakening very quickly."
Onoki's face twisted in anger, a third unpleasant expression crossing his features. Meanwhile, Akimichi Takefu from Konoha smiled, knowing that the situation was starting to turn in their favor.
In the valley, Kawaki Aoba, having received a signal from the sealing team, began to release the strongest Hado he could manage.
"Waves of impurity, vessel of insanity; seething! Numb! Twinkling! Sleepless; steel princess also corrodes, clay figure also collapses; assemble! Confront! Suffuse the ground and let them know their powerlessness! Hado No. 90: Kurohitsugi!"
The incantation was the same one he had used a few days prior to deal with the Tailed Beast. However, this time, the Kurohitsugi was larger and remained for a longer time after it formed.
Kawaki Aoba, though his chakra was completely drained, still had half of his chakra remaining. Thanks to a potion's restorative properties, his body, which had been weakened by chakra depletion, returned to full strength.
The effects were immense. When the Kurohitsugi dissipated, the Tailed Beast's enormous body began to shrink. The Four-Tails, severely injured, was dragged back into its Jinchuriki's body by the sealing process.
Taking advantage of this moment, the sealing team quickly took soldier pills, replenishing their chakra reserves. While the Tailed Beast had been dealt with, the Jinchuriki inside it was still in a vulnerable state.
After a complete Tailed Beast Transformation, the Jinchuriki's state was akin to a deep slumber inside the Tailed Beast. Whether or not they could sense the outside world depended on the strength of the seal and the will of the Tailed Beast.
Roshi, the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, had always been one to fall into a deep sleep after transforming.
In his daze, Roshi's thoughts began to clear. Vaguely, he thought he heard voices.
"Don't seal it too tightly, leave a gap. Since we can't keep this guy, we must extract as much Tailed Beast chakra as possible."
"We only have this one chance, we can't lose out. As long as he doesn't die from it, extract it to the limit."
"Where are the soldier pills? Feed him more soldier pills. Don't worry, the seal is secure; he can't escape."
"Wait, what are you doing?"
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