Chapter 198: Plan A
Boom—
The world descended into silence.
In Tonari's ears, all sound vanished.
Moments later, as the shock subsided, he emerged from the sand pile, his body aching. Before him, the previously towering Triple Rashomon gates had completely disintegrated, leaving behind deep, jagged trenches carved into the sand.
Shukaku glared at Tonari, who had reappeared in its line of sight. Sensing the Two-Tails' chakra emanating from him, Shukaku's anger boiled over.
As a proud and noble Tailed Beast, seeing another of its kind serve as a tool for a human was deeply offensive.
But before Shukaku could roar in frustration, it noticed a faint, taunting smile on Tonari's face. His hands were raised before his chest, and between them spun a small black sphere of energy.
From the chakra cloak enveloping his body, more black energy threads emerged, fusing into the growing sphere. The ambient blue energy of the natural world also flowed into it.
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
Shukaku's eyes widened in disbelief.
Even it, with its limited chakra reserves, could use a Tailed Beast Bomb as a display of power—so why couldn't Tonari?
As the deadly orb spun between Tonari's palms, his thoughts wandered.
"To master this kind of technique properly, I really should learn the Rasengan first. Minato hasn't developed it yet, but maybe I should steal a march on him?"
Shukaku, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.
The swift retribution left it speechless. It had just unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb on someone, and now it was about to get a taste of its own medicine.
"Take this!" Tonari murmured as he thrust his hands forward.
The Tailed Beast Bomb shot out like a bullet, its immense power creating a powerful recoil that dragged his feet through the sand, leaving deep grooves behind.
"Damn you! Sand Defense!" Shukaku roared in anger.
A massive wall of sand materialized before it, rapidly morphing into a giant sand sculpture resembling Shukaku itself. The construct stood as a barrier between the incoming attack and its creator.
Though it had little hope of stopping the destructive force entirely, Shukaku's long experience in battle had taught it the importance of defensive measures.
Boom!
The sand sculpture shattered instantly upon impact, and the force of the explosion tore through Shukaku's sandy exterior.
Of course, this wasn't Shukaku's true body. The colossal form of sand was merely a protective shell.
But Tonari wasn't aiming to kill the beast—his objective was to locate its true form.
Shukaku's massive sand body and the surrounding desert sands acted as armor, concealing its core. To obtain its chakra, Tonari needed to expose the true Shukaku.
Through the chaos of the explosion and the swirling sandstorm, Tonari's sharp eyes locked onto a faint flicker within the debris.
A triumphant smirk spread across his face. "Finally… there you are."
From his ninja pouch, Tonari retrieved a scroll. On its surface, a bold "Three" was inscribed on the seal.
Ripping the seal apart, he unfurled the scroll, revealing a complex sealing array.
"I didn't think I'd need this so soon. Talk about perfect timing," Tonari muttered as he pressed his palm against the array and pulled out a cloaked figure.
The figure was draped entirely in white robes, its identity obscured.
Tonari formed the "Ram" seal and lightly tapped the figure's shoulder.
The robes twitched, and the figure began to move.
"Ah, so this is what the view is like from here?" a voice, identical to Tonari's, emanated from the robed figure.
The real Tonari smirked, releasing his grip. "You can marvel later. Focus on the job before that thing recovers completely."
"Understood."
It was an eerie exchange—like Tonari was speaking to himself.
The robed figure raised pale hands and formed seals.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Manipulation!"
The figure was none other than a puppet created from the corpse of the Third Kazekage. Crafted with techniques inspired by Sasori's puppetry but modified with Tonari's own innovations, it retained the ability to wield the Third's Magnet Release.
A seemingly ordinary black kunai shot out from beneath the robe, its trajectory aimed at the chakra core of Shukaku's true body.
Zzz—
At the same time, eight other black kunai, buried in the sand, emerged from hidden points surrounding Shukaku.
The nine kunai connected through a magnetic force, forming an intricate web.
"Iron Sand?!" Shukaku exclaimed, recognizing the substance immediately.
But it was too late.
The iron sand, hidden among the desert's grains, interfered with Shukaku's movements. Attempting to fully regenerate its sand body would only result in losing control to the puppet's Magnet Release.
Tonari marveled at the intricacies of Magnet Release.
While Sasori had pioneered the use of human puppets, Tonari's methods allowed for direct chakra control through his shadow clones. The puppet consumed chakra from the clone, limiting the number of puppets he could manage but granting exceptional precision.
And in this moment, one puppet was more than enough.
Clap—
The puppet's hands clapped together. "Magnet Release: Iron Sand Grand Seal!"
Zzzzz—
The magnetic forces intensified. Massive chunks of iron sand rose from the ground, clamping down on Shukaku.
"This is outrageous! I'm the great Shukaku! I won't be bested like this!"
Despite Shukaku's protests, the iron sand pinned it to the ground. A colossal slab of iron sand descended from above, ensuring its immobilization.
Sweat beaded on Tonari's forehead. Controlling the puppet and sustaining the seal required immense concentration.
"This is only a temporary solution," he muttered. "I need to act fast."
Leaping to Shukaku's exposed chakra core, Tonari drew his blade, infusing it with Two-Tails' chakra.
With one swift motion, he severed a chunk of Shukaku's chakra, sealing it into a prepared scroll.
"Arghhh!" Shukaku roared in fury, its struggles growing more violent.
The iron sand trembled under the strain. Tiny grains of sand began to rise, signaling Shukaku's imminent escape.
Tonari wasted no time. With a flick of his wrist, the puppet retrieved the unconscious bodies of Fugaku and Hizashi, both buried beneath layers of sand.
"Time to retreat," Tonari said, carrying the two and fleeing into the depths of the desert.
As the iron sand lost its magnetic force, Shukaku broke free.
Rage consumed the beast as it unleashed a violent sandstorm, scouring the landscape in search of its tormentor.
But Tonari was long gone.
---
In the aftermath, Bunpuku regained consciousness through an emergency failsafe. He reclaimed control of his body just as Shukaku's rampage reached its peak.
"No, Shukaku. Your time is up," Bunpuku murmured.
Shukaku's massive form crumbled into sand as Bunpuku's will prevailed. Standing atop a sand dune, the monk gazed at the remnants of the oasis, now buried beneath a sea of sand.
Hands clasped in prayer, he chanted softly, "May the departed find peace in the afterlife…"
---
Meanwhile, Tonari established a temporary base deep in the desert using iron sand. Resting Fugaku and Hizashi on makeshift beds, he inspected their injuries.
"They're important for Konoha's future," he mused, especially considering Fugaku's lineage. "His sons, especially Sasuke, will play a key role."
Satisfied with his work, Tonari glanced at his sealed scroll. "With this, Plan A is complete. If that fails… there's always Plan B."
(End of Chapter)
---
Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb
{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}
*Thank you*