As Kazuya charged forward, a barrage of notifications filled his vision:
[100 Chakra points acquired]
[80 Chakra points acquired]
[200 Battle Experience acquired]
[30 Wind Style aptitude acquired]
[50 Wind Style aptitude acquired]
[100 Tailed Beast energy acquired]
[200 Tailed Beast energy acquired]
The battlefield was again illuminated by the golden glow of energy points pouring in, fueling Kazuya as he barreled into the fray.
Perfect.
This is what the battlefield was meant to be. Earn your place, work for your power, he thought, observing the chaos around him. Fight like your lives depend on it.
At that moment, the two Jinchuriki—Yugito and Killer Bee—rushed at him with unrestrained fury.
The air thrummed with the sheer force of their chakra.
"A Konoha shinobi shouldn't be this reckless!" Akimichi Choza coughed, blood speckling his lips as he tried to call out to Kazuya. "Those two are Jinchuriki—no one should be facing them alone!"
But Kazuya knew better than to look back. This battle wasn't meant for hesitation or fear. One against two? he thought, cracking his neck. Challenge accepted.
In an instant, Yugito and Killer Bee unleashed their full power.
"Forbidden Claw!" Yugito shouted, her deep-red chakra morphing into deadly, sharpened talons.
"Lariat!" Killer Bee cried out, his chakra-imbued arm slicing through the air like a blade.
Both Jinchuriki charged forward, their attacks ripping through the ground in their wake, creating shockwaves that trembled through the earth.
Kazuya's calm gaze remained fixed on them, but his chakra surged, radiating immense power. His feet dug into the ground, cracks splintering from under him in a spider-web pattern.
Two-Tailed Beast wielders, Kazuya mused. This could be interesting.
With a flick of his wrist, Kazuya hurled a special kunai through the air, embedding it into the ground ahead.
Yugito was the first to reach him, her claws swiping toward his neck in a deadly arc.
But Kazuya vanished in a flash, leaving nothing but space and the faintest glimmer of light in his wake.
"Where did he go?!"
The battlefield was chaos. Leaf and Cloud shinobi clashed all around them, yet Kazuya's white form was nowhere to be found. He'd vanished in an instant.
In a heartbeat, he reappeared directly behind Yugito.
"It's the kunai!" she realized, her eyes widening.
But her realization came a split-second too late. She had charged too quickly, her momentum carrying her forward, and now her back was fully exposed.
The opportunity was perfect, but just as Kazuya closed in, another flash of deep red chakra rushed toward him.
"You foolish Leaf ninja!" Killer Bee snarled. "We've fought against the Yellow Flash before—we know all about that trick!"
His words were a warning, but they dripped with arrogance. This tactic had failed against Bee and the Raikage once before; Kazuya would be no different.
"Go ahead," Bee taunted, his chakra flaring up as he attacked. "Die trying, Leaf!"
He swung with full force, his Lariat aiming to sever Kazuya's neck.
"NO!"
A shriek came from nearby, Uzuki Yugao's voice breaking with fear. At her side, Kurenai felt her breath catch.
But there was no blood. No pain.
The moment Bee's attack made contact, Kazuya's form exploded into a violent blaze, engulfing the two Jinchuriki in a searing flash.
"W-What the…?!" Bee stammered.
Before he could react, the blast threw him backward, swallowed by the shockwave of the explosion.
The roar of the blast split the air as the battlefield fell silent, every shinobi watching in stunned disbelief.
Golden orbs, the fruit of the battle, cascaded toward Kazuya as he emerged from the smoke.
Kazuya smirked beneath his mask.
A devastating shockwave tore through the battlefield, ripping the air apart. Nearby shinobi were blasted off their feet and hurled backward by the sheer force of the wind.
In the distance, Kazuya reappeared.
Behind his mask, he wore a warm, innocent smile.
"Ah, Killer Bee..."
"You've seen Minato use this move before, haven't you? But so have I!"
"Not just once, either—I've studied it over and over again!"
"So…who says the user of the Flying Thunder God technique has to be the real one?"
Explosive Clone!
This wasn't an ordinary Shadow Clone Jutsu; Kazuya had enhanced it with the fire element.
In other words, it was a Fire Release ninjutsu with a 100% damage boost.
In the original storyline, even Kakashi barely survived a single hit from Itachi's explosive clone.
But now, these two Jinchūriki had taken a full-powered, 200% explosive clone head-on!
"Lord Bee!"
"Lady Yugito!"
Cloud shinobi nearby couldn't hide their worry as they called out to their comrades.
"Wow!"
"Lord Kazuya's incredible!"
"Could we…have won?"
"Don't be so quick! Those are Jinchūriki we're up against; it won't be that easy!"
Konoha shinobi, caught up in the heat of battle, cheered and rallied even louder.
As the smoke began to clear, Killer Bee and Yugito finally emerged.
"Damn! Just like my brother said, Konoha's ANBU sure is sneaky. Kazuya of the Leaf—I won't forget you!" Bee barked, though he was covered in burns. Thanks to the Eight-Tails chakra, his wounds were already starting to heal.
"A twisted ANBU!" Yugito gritted her teeth. She looked much worse off; if not for her partial transformation, that blast would've nearly killed her!
"Yo, yo, yo! It's time to get serious! Even the great Killer Bee could get whacked if he's not careful. Let the battle begin, oh yeah!"
With that, the seven swords strapped across his back shot out. He gripped them with his hands, elbows, knees, even his mouth—every inch of him now brandished a blade.
"This is it! The dance of blades will finish you. It's over, ANBU!"
Blades of the Ravaging Tempest!
With a unique stance and an odd rap in his mouth, Bee launched his attack.
In an instant, he became a whirlwind of steel, a deadly cyclone aimed straight at Kazuya.
The same technique that had once shredded Sasuke to pieces was now a spinning, roaring mass of destruction, hurtling toward him!
"Calm down, will you?" Kazuya thought to himself with a hint of irritation. "Rushing in with your strongest moves right off the bat—is that really how you fight?"
He flicked his hand, and three Flying Thunder God kunai flew out.
"Come on then, Jinchūriki!"
"Let's see who's faster!"
His footsteps echoed as he accelerated toward the spinning whirlwind that was Killer Bee.
"Die!"
"Konoha ANBU!"
"Getting shredded by Lord Bee's ultimate blade dance—what an honor!"
"Yo, yeah!"
With each word, Bee's speed and power increased. Already partially transformed, his Blade Dance was faster and more brutal than ever!
A spinning vortex of death!
Its sheer force left the onlookers speechless.
"Bring it!" Bee roared.
5 meters.
1 meter.
Almost there!
Die!!
But just as Bee's blades were about to clash with Kazuya, his target vanished before his eyes.
"What?!"
Bee froze in shock.
Behind him, a massive explosion sounded.
"This…this is Flying Thunder God: Level Two!"
In an instant, Kazuya appeared beside a kunai, now right in front of Yugito.
"Sage Mode…activate!"
"Rasengan!"
In a split second, a vibrant blue sphere formed in his hand, expanding to a massive three meters in diameter.
With a mixture of fear and disbelief, Yugito could only watch as the Rasengan closed in, smashing directly into her face.
Boom!
A colossal surge of energy exploded against Yugito's Tailed Beast cloak, tearing it apart.
Smoke and wind filled the air, roaring through the battlefield.
Behind his mask, Kazuya smiled.
"Well then, little Jinchūriki…"
"I hope that Rasengan was satisfying enough for you."