"I regret letting you go back then, thinking you would find your way back. But now, it's clear I was terribly wrong!"
Sarutobi suddenly became calm.
Orochimaru licked his lips, his gaze turning cold as well. "Now you regret it? Isn't it a bit too late?"
"No, it's not too late yet. I'll personally correct the mistakes I made!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Sarutobi, who had a sharp kunai pressed to his throat by Orochimaru, turned into a mud clone and began to melt away...
"Earth Release: Shadow Clone Jutsu? It seems you were prepared, Sarutobi-sensei."
Orochimaru wasn't surprised; in fact, he had anticipated this.
In the next instant, Orochimaru leaped aside, and a raging sea of flames engulfed the spot where he had been.
Having shed his Hokage robes at some point, Sarutobi, now in battle gear, wielded the adamantine staff and, along with two Anbu members, pursued Orochimaru!
Just as this dramatic change unfolded at the venue, hidden Sand shinobi throughout Konoha began their assault.
However, many were met with swift death at the hands of the waiting Konoha Anbu as soon as they tried to act!
Amidst the chaos, Kakashi, Gai, and others were entangled by elite Sand shinobi led by Baki.
Meanwhile, others worked to distract Shukaku, buying time for the civilians to evacuate.
Even though Sarutobi had anticipated the attack and made preparations, he hadn't expected the Sand Village to bring their jinchuriki and release him inside Konoha.
It caught them completely off guard!
It was like reliving that terrifying night years ago when the Nine-Tails went on a rampage!
But he was no longer the 'useless' one who couldn't withstand even a finger of a tailed beast!
Aoyama's eyes filled with intense battle spirit.
As Itachi prepared to use his jutsu to stop Shukaku, Aoyama intervened, saying, "Let me have this 'spotlight' opportunity. You go help the others."
Itachi gave him a serious look, then nodded. "Don't lose. Everyone's watching."
Aoyama smiled. "Don't worry. Just be ready to back me up!"
"Alright."
To everyone else, the one-tailed Shukaku was something to fear, but to these brothers, it was 'not worth mentioning.'
If Shukaku heard this conversation, he'd probably go berserk!
"Hey, big cat, look over here!"
Aoyama darted to the rooftop of a nearby building, calling out to the 'excited' Shukaku.
"Big cat? How dare you call the great Shukaku a big cat? I'll squash you!"
The slightly neurotic Shukaku immediately got angry and swung a massive paw down.
Aoyama deftly turned into a streak of lightning, disappearing and reappearing on the other side of Shukaku.
With a loud crash, the spot where Aoyama had stood was smashed to pieces!
"What? Angry? Isn't your true form a tanuki? Oh, by the way, I also have a tanuki pet, just as prideful and foul-mouthed as you. If you were female, maybe you two could be a pair..."
Before Aoyama could finish, Shukaku angrily swatted again.
This time, Aoyama seized the moment, jumping onto Shukaku's arm, gripping his sword hilt as he ran up the limb.
"If you're a tanuki, then just go act cute!"
"Breath of Thunder: First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
With a crackling sound and a shout, Aoyama transformed into a flash of lightning, disappearing from Shukaku's sight, and then slashed a mark on Shukaku's face!
However...
Shukaku only paused for a moment before scratching the 'wound' on his face with a finger. "Is that it?"
"Ah, so painful~painful~painful... did you think I'd say that?"
"Hahahaha... such big words, but this is all you've got?"
"It's not even enough to scratch me!"
Mocked...
Aoyama spat on the ground but had to admit that this level of attack indeed had little effect on a tailed beast.
He sheathed his sword and looked up at Shukaku's massive body.
"What's the matter? Not attacking anymore? Realized the vast difference in our strength and feeling despair? Starting to tremble with fear?"
"What a boring battle. No, this isn't even a battle. It's just a one-sided massacre by the great Shukaku! Hahaha!"
As Shukaku laughed wildly, another laugh grew louder...
Trembling with fear?
No, it was excitement that he could barely contain!
Despair?
On the contrary, he'd been waiting for such a stage for a long, long time!
So what he had to say was...
"Thank you..."
"Huh? What did you say? Already scared and talking nonsense?"
"Don't misunderstand, I truly want to thank you. Thank you for being here, thank Orochimaru for setting up this grand stage for me!"
"As the main character, I can't let the 'villain' like you and the audience down."
"Shukaku, let's enjoy this grand party together!"
Aoyama's pupils turned flame-red, filled with fervent and overwhelming battle spirit!
With a roar, a powerful aura accompanied by dazzling lightning surged from Aoyama!
The intense heat not only shattered the ground beneath him but also made his short hair stand up, resembling a Super Saiyan transformation.
The chakra-absorbing "Big Bandage" was affixed to his wrist, providing a continuous supply of chakra.
The "Breath of Thunder" technique was pushed to its limit!
Aoyama's heart rate shot past 200 beats per minute, and it continued to rise.
"Iron Body," "Hardening," "Armament Haki," "Thorn Halo"—all activated!
The "Hyper Regeneration Body" constantly repaired his body, which struggled to contain the immense power.
In fact, ever since his "Inferior Self-Healing Body" evolved into the "Hyper Regeneration Body," the forbidden technique he had sealed away could finally shine!
And for a stage as grand as today, with a formidable opponent like Shukaku, it was the perfect debut!
So his gratitude was indeed sincere.
Shukaku sensed unease at the sudden change.
The playful, cat-and-mouse expression vanished, replaced by a colossal paw crashing down!
"Die!"
Aoyama exhaled deeply. "Nine Revolutions Thunder Rage... Sixth Revolution, activate!!!"