Konoha cat breeder

Chapter 216: Another Unexpected Twist

Tonari and Minato both had the upper hand.

Killer Bee clutched his wounded arm, staring at Tonari with disbelief.

"We… still can't reach that level?"

The Yūgure Mode—

This was the perfect fusion of Tonari and Matatabi.

A form where the power of the Two-Tails was fully utilized.

It was the strongest state that Tonari and Matatabi had spent years perfecting together.

A Jinchūriki's strength, stacked on top of a Tailed Beast's power—

It made Tonari's strength surge exponentially.

In this form, Tonari felt as if everything was under his control.

Not just the people in front of him—

But also the vast forest, the swaying plants, the whispers of the wind, and the sunlight on his skin.

This was what a true Sage Mode should feel like.

At the same time—

Tonari felt his Hashirama Cells rapidly integrating into his body.

His own cells began fusing, multiplying, and strengthening at unimaginable speed.

It felt euphoric.

"If I had mastered this sooner..."

"So many things could've been different."

But—

Even he hadn't expected to reach this level today.

Back when he fought Shukaku in the Land of Wind, he was only in the Tailed Beast Chakra Mode—

Not Yūgure Mode.

It was different now.

He realized—

It probably happened after they saw Shukaku imprisoned.

After they met Bunpuku and witnessed how the Sand Village treated him.

After they saw Kushina and the sealed Nine-Tails.

Something had changed in Matatabi.

That last bit of distrust between them vanished completely.

And that was why they finally reached this form.

Bee and Gyūki, however—

They hadn't reached this level yet.

Gyūki didn't say it—

But Tonari knew.

Even if Bee and Gyūki got along, there was still a gap between them.

Maybe even Bee himself didn't realize it.

But Gyūki knew the truth.

To fully synchronize, a Jinchūriki had to remove their seal completely.

Otherwise, no matter how close they thought they were—

There was still a barrier.

But how many Jinchūriki would dare to break their seal?

And even if they did—

How many Tailed Beasts would stay willingly?

Most would immediately escape.

Some would even kill their Jinchūriki the moment they were free.

Because to them, their Jinchūriki was a prison.

A cage that kept them locked away for years.

Gyūki had hesitated for a reason.

It was not certain that if Bee removed his seal, Gyūki would stay by his side.

Bee and Gyūki weren't like Tonari and Matatabi.

Tonari wasn't from Kumogakure.

He never imprisoned Matatabi.

That's why—

Their bond was different.

Tonari smirked.

"You're still not ready, Bee."

"You can't use your full power."

"Must be frustrating, huh?"

"Gyūki! Take over!"

Bee hesitated—

Then nodded sharply.

"Alright, Gyūki! Beat his ass! Fool, ya fool!"

Tonari raised an eyebrow.

That hesitation—

It showed they still weren't ready.

A second later—

A red aura burst from Bee's body.

It expanded rapidly—

Growing larger and larger—

Until—

A colossal, fully formed Gyūki took shape.

His massive body flattened the forest around him.

One of his two bull horns had been sliced off before—

But that didn't matter.

"YOU DARE MOCK ME, BRAT?!"

Gyūki's roar shook the battlefield.

Tonari's eyes narrowed.

He wasn't underestimating Gyūki.

He remembered how much damage it caused when it rampaged in Kumo.

If not for Third Raikage, the entire village might've been destroyed.

Gyūki was a living weapon.

A true disaster-class beast.

BOOM!

One of Gyūki's tentacle tails smashed down—

Tearing through the ground like it was paper.

A massive trench formed instantly.

Everything beneath was obliterated.

Tonari barely dodged in time.

"Alright. This is serious now."

Inside his seal space—

He and Matatabi watched from a floating window.

Matatabi nodded grimly.

"Gyūki is one of the strongest among us."

Unlike Shukaku, Matatabi wasn't arrogant.

She knew her limits.

Gyūki was a powerhouse.

And she and Tonari weren't built for brute force combat.

Unless he opened the Gates, winning in raw power was impossible.

But Tonari wasn't a brute force fighter.

They had speed.

They had precision.

With each quick movement, Tonari slashed Gyūki again and again.

His claws and blade left wounds that wouldn't instantly regenerate.

Gyūki roared in frustration.

Tonari was too fast.

He was like a mosquito—

Constantly dodging, constantly cutting.

A and Minato had to relocate their battle.

Even A knew—

Gyūki was stronger than him.

Only Third Raikage could match its power.

So as much as he hated seeing Kumo's forest destroyed—

If it meant killing these two, it was worth it.

But then—

Gyūki stopped moving.

His chakra shifted.

He crouched down—

His mouth opened wide.

A dark sphere formed at its center.

It began to spin rapidly, sucking in natural energy.

Tonari's expression darkened.

"Tailed Beast Bomb..."

"That's not good."

Minato and A stopped fighting.

Both felt the pressure shift.

A's face changed.

"I've seen this before..."

He remembered Gyūki's rampage as a child.

A single Tailed Beast Bomb had wiped out an entire mountain.

He immediately retreated.

Minato felt it too.

His Flying Thunder God felt distorted.

Even space itself was shaking.

He appeared next to Tonari.

"Tonari, what's happening?"

Tonari nearly lost control of his own Tailed Beast Bomb.

"F**k! Don't sneak up on me!"

He stabilized the energy.

"This is bad."

"My hands are full."

"You need to leave."

Minato froze.

"...Leave?"

"Yes."

"Go back to Konoha."

"Right now."

Minato's eyes widened.

Tonari was serious.

"But—"

"Listen to me!"

"You're fast."

"Konoha needs you now."

"Jiraiya might be fighting against both Kumo and Kiri."

"GO HELP HIM!"

Minato gritted his teeth.

He didn't want to leave Tonari behind.

But—

He understood.

"Come back alive."

That was all he said.

Then—

Minato vanished.

Tonari exhaled.

"Alright…"

He turned back to Gyūki.

Then—

He felt it.

A massive chakra signature approaching.

From the forest—

The trees collapsed.

And then—

A massive, spiked shell emerged.

Three tails rose into the air.

A single red eye stared at him.

Three-Tails.

And its eyes—

Were spinning.

Sharingan.

Tonari gritted his teeth.

"Madara…?"

"No."

"Not yet."

But he was here.

And this—

Was no longer a simple fight.

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