The massive figure advancing from the rear of the Sand Shinobi army was unmistakable—a colossal sand raccoon, its body covered in intricate purple curse marks pulsating with ominous energy. It was One Tail Shukaku, the tailed beast of legend, brought to the battlefield through the Jinchūriki vessel, a monk named Bunpuku.
Even among the ranks of the Sand Shinobi Village, fear was evident. Warriors instinctively stepped aside, giving the towering creature a wide berth as it moved, each thunderous step reverberating across the battlefield.
From their vantage points, Aizen and Namikaze Minato, both possessing acute sensory abilities, immediately felt the overwhelming presence of Shukaku's chakra as it approached.
"One Tail Jinchūriki," Aizen muttered, his sharp gaze locking onto the source of the disturbance. A flicker of curiosity crossed his face as he took in the enormous figure.
"This chakra… it's undoubtedly a tailed beast!" Minato's attack on Chiyo ceased abruptly as he turned to face the encroaching threat, his expression shifting to one of grim focus.
Sensing Minato's distraction, Chiyo breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Quickly, she maneuvered her remaining puppets to retreat from the area littered with Flying Thunder God kunai, keeping a wary eye on Minato.
Minato, however, paid no heed to Chiyo's withdrawal. His own chakra reserves were dwindling after the relentless combat, and he knew pursuing Chiyo would be a waste of precious energy. With Shukaku's arrival, he needed to conserve every last bit of chakra for what was to come.
As One Tail Jinchūriki fully revealed itself, the battlefield came to an eerie standstill. The armies of both sides halted their fighting, separating into two factions and facing each other from a distance. All eyes turned toward the massive figure that loomed over the field.
Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back to Aizen's side atop the fortress wall. He glanced at his companion, concern etched into his features. "Aizen, what's your status? How much chakra do you have left?"
Aizen's response was deliberate, his tone carrying the weight of fatigue. "Less than 20%. I can maintain the Vortex Water Blade for another ten minutes at most. After that, I'll need to retreat."
Minato nodded, his gaze shifting to the swirling vortex below, where the remnants of Ebizō's giant puppet worm were still trapped. "That won't be necessary. I believe the terrain is about to change."
Aizen gave a knowing nod. "The One Tail Jinchūriki has already begun altering the battlefield. My water will be replaced with sand soon enough."
As if on cue, a massive wave of golden sand erupted from the vortex, spreading across the terrain in an instant. Aizen and Minato leaped back to the safety of the tower, watching as the lake beneath the fortress was swallowed by the shifting sands.
Ebizō's giant puppet, freed from the vortex's grasp, returned to its master's side, while Chiyo regrouped with Ebizō at the forefront of the Sand Shinobi army.
The earth shook with each step of the One Tail Jinchūriki, its sheer size and power evident as it advanced. The oppressive aura of the tailed beast blanketed the battlefield, its presence undeniable.
"That's the One Tail Jinchūriki of Sand Shinobi Village?!" one Konoha shinobi exclaimed, his voice trembling.
"They've deployed their ultimate weapon…" another whispered, his face pale with dread.
"How can we possibly defend against this?" The question hung in the air, capturing the growing despair among the ranks of Konoha's western army.
The battlefield fell into a stunned silence as the immense figure of One Tail Shukaku loomed over the Sand Shinobi forces. Even those who had faced tailed beasts before were unnerved by the overwhelming chakra, its nearly indestructible form, and the devastating Tailed Beast Bomb it could unleash—a power capable of obliterating mountains.
Breaking the tense quiet, Aizen stepped forward. In a single fluid motion, he activated his Water Style Chakra Mode, his body radiating a faint blue aura. Leaping into the air, he brought his hands to his chest, where dozens of condensed water orbs, water jade, swirled together to form a glowing, football-sized energy core.
"Water Style: Water Jade," Aizen announced, his voice calm and steady.
With a flick of his hands, the energy core released a barrage of light blue orbs. The sheer number was overwhelming, and their speed was such that they filled the sky in a relentless onslaught, raining down on the Sand Shinobi army like a storm of destruction.
The Sand Shinobi commanders reacted instantly. Chiyo and Ebizō, their faces grim, deployed their puppets in an attempt to shield their forces. Simultaneously, One Tail Jinchūriki condensed a massive sand shield above its head, hoping to deflect the attack.
But these defenses were futile against Aizen's Thousand Water Jade. Each orb carried the unique properties of Chakra dissolution and explosive force. As they struck the sand shield and the puppets, low, rhythmic explosions resounded across the battlefield. Water seeped into the sand and the puppet mechanisms, destabilizing their structure and rendering them ineffective.
"This… this water dissolves Chakra!" Chiyo exclaimed, her voice laced with disbelief as she abandoned her disintegrating puppets.
Realizing their peril, both Chiyo and Ebizō retreated underground using specialized burrowing puppets, narrowly escaping the relentless barrage. However, Shukaku's massive body, composed of sand, had no means to evade. The water orbs relentlessly hammered its form, creating gaping holes and washing away layers of its sand body. Even as Shukaku roared in defiance, its form crumbled under the continuous assault.
Cries of despair echoed across the battlefield as countless Sand Shinobi were caught in the crossfire, their defenses no match for the water jade's destructive power. The assault lasted over a minute, leaving the frontlines of the Sand Shinobi army in ruins.
When the attack finally ceased, Aizen descended gracefully back to the fortress wall, deactivating his Water Style Chakra Mode. His calm demeanor stood in stark contrast to the chaos he had unleashed.
Before the Sand Shinobi army lay a scene of devastation. The once-mighty One Tail Jinchūriki had been reduced to a collapsed mass of sand. Fragments of Chiyo and Ebizō's puppets littered the battlefield, and hundreds of Sand Shinobi lay motionless, the remnants of their bodies scattered.
Both Konoha and Sand Shinobi forces stared at Aizen in stunned silence, their expressions filled with awe and terror.
But the reprieve was short-lived.
A guttural roar pierced the air, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Under the horrified gaze of the Konoha forces, Shukaku's scattered sand began to gather, slowly reconstituting its colossal form. The tailed beast's head reemerged, its twisted features contorted in rage.
Shukaku let out a deafening roar, its voice filled with primal fury. Its massive jaws opened wide as it began gathering chakra. The air grew dense, the oppressive weight of its power palpable as a black sphere of energy began to condense within its maw.
The battlefield stilled once more as every Konoha shinobi froze, their faces pale with terror. The Tailed Beast Bomb—the ultimate attack of a tailed beast—was being prepared. A single shot of that devastating sphere could annihilate not just their fortress but the entire landscape surrounding it.
This was the moment they had feared.