The Four-Tails let out a deafening roar, swiping away the whirling water shurikens with its massive, clawed hands. But some still struck true, their sharp edges biting into its thick red fur, drawing blood.
"You damn insect!" the Four-Tails bellowed, rage boiling in its voice.
Scorching lava erupted from its maw and claws, flooding the ground in molten rivers. The intense heat instantly melted the earth within dozens of meters, turning the area where Kadoya and his team had stood into a smoldering hellscape.
Without hesitation, they vanished in a blur of the Body Flicker, reappearing a safe distance away, hundreds of meters from the rampaging beast. The once-flooded battlefield was now a scorched wasteland, the water vaporized on contact with the Four-Tails' lava.
"Hey, Kadoya… can you cast that giant water ninjutsu again?" Nawaki asked, his voice tight as he watched the beast spewing rivers of molten rock.
"I could," Kadoya replied calmly, "but I doubt the monkey will give me the chance."
Before Nawaki could respond, Kadoya flickered away once more, dodging another surge of lava that crashed down where they'd been standing.
"This kind of monster… let's just run," Nawaki muttered under his breath, swallowing nervously.
But Sakumo shook his head, his expression resolute. "If this thing reaches the main battlefield or the Sand Ninja frontlines, the losses for Konoha will be catastrophic."
"My mission is to monitor it," he added, his tone steady despite the inferno. "I can't just leave."
Saiguu raised an eyebrow at that. "If your mission is to monitor it… what took you so long to find us?"
The question hung in the air, pointed and undeniable. Minato and Sakumo both averted their eyes, cheeks coloring faintly with embarrassment.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Kadoya said, his voice mild but cutting. "He lost track of his target."
Sakumo's jaw tightened, his mouth twitching in irritation. Losing track of a high target like Roshi during wartime was no small embarrassment, especially for a man like him.
"Kadoya," Sakumo called out, eyes narrowing. "You seem awfully calm about all this. Do you have a way to handle the Four-Tails?"
Despite his annoyance at Kadoya's blunt honesty earlier, Sakumo had noticed how composed the boy was, even when facing a Tailed Beast. He also knew Kadoya had learned Fūinjutsu under Lady Mito and was now the head of the Uzumaki. Surely, he must have some sealing technique at his disposal.
"Want me to hold it off?" Kadoya offered, confirming Sakumo's suspicions that he had some kind of plan.
"If you can kill him, that would be even better," Sakumo said bluntly. He understood the strategic weight of the situation. While a Jinchuriki was a key weapon to a village, if the Four-Tails died here, Iwagakure would have no choice but to withdraw from the war. Unlike Konoha, which only had the Nine-Tails, the other villages possessed two Tailed Beasts. Losing even one in battle would force them to retreat, or risk total collapse if they lost the second. No leader would dare continue the war under those circumstances.
But he was realistic. He didn't expect a nine-year-old to kill a Jinchuriki. At best, he was hoping Kadoya could weaken the beast enough for him to exploit.
"Minato," Sakumo said sharply, turning to the blond. "As a Jonin, I'm issuing a B-rank mission to you and Team 7. Return to Konoha's camp and request reinforcements. Kadoya and I will hold off the Four-Tails."
Minato and Saiguu both frowned at the order, but they knew better than to argue, especially during wartime. Nawaki, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief, visibly glad to be taken off the battlefield.
Saiguu, however, turned to Kadoya with worry in her eyes. "But… can you really hold out until backup arrives?" she asked. Her concern wasn't for Sakumo or the mission, but for Kadoya alone. The others might not realize it, but she couldn't hide it.
"It'll be fine," Sakumo replied, his tone calm and confident. "The Four-Tails is lending its power to Roshi, but it's also poisoning him. His chakra is unstable, and his body can't keep up. As long as we keep our distance and don't engage recklessly, we'll be fine."
Before anyone could continue, the Four-Tails let out an earth-shaking roar.
"Monkey Flame Arson!"
The beast bellowed, spewing a massive breath of green fire toward them.
In an instant, the group scattered, using Body Flicker to dodge the searing attack, reappearing on the far side of the battlefield, still alive and ready.
This time, Kadoya didn't retreat. He stood his ground, eyes locked on the massive beam of green flame barreling toward him, his hands quickly blurred through seals.
"Water Style: Water Jet!"
A torrent of water erupted beneath his feet, shooting upward and wrapping around him in a protective shell. Kadoya launched forward, piercing through the emerald inferno head-on, stunning everyone, including the Four-Tails itself.
Kadoya emerged from the heart of the flame unscathed, reappearing directly in front of the colossal red monkey. In his left hand, he gripped a long bone blade etched with glowing sealing runes. From that blade, three smaller blades sprouted like demonic wings, each covered in grotesque Sharingan eyes that opened and moved in eerie unison.
The Four-Tails' massive eyes widened in shock, its roar faltering as it beheld the monstrous weapon.
With a feral grin, Kadoya drove the blade deep into the Four-Tails' flesh. The beast howled in agony as the seal on the blade began to siphon its chakra directly into Kadoya's body.
Kadoya's smirk only deepened. In a blur of Body Flicker and a quick Blink, he reappeared beside Sakumo.
"You reckless fool!" Sakumo scolded, cuffing Kadoya lightly on the head before letting out a sigh of relief. "Don't pull something that crazy again."
"No promises," Kadoya replied, eyes never leaving the Four-Tails as it struggled. Though the beast managed to break the blade in half, the embedded shards continued to hungrily devour its chakra.
A flicker of pain flashed across Kadoya's face. He felt the phantom pain of his broken blade, a part of his own bone, and a surge of energy that clawed at the edges of his mind. He pressed a hand over his right eye, the phantom pain rushed in his skull. But he didn't care. Not when he could feel the Four-Tails' chakra flowing into him like molten fire.
The Four-Tails roared, thrashing in a fury. "You damned insect! What did you do!?"
Normally, no shinobi could safely contain the chaotic chakra of multiple Tailed Beasts. Their raw power would clash violently with the host's own, driving them mad, or worse. Tailed Beasts weren't just masses of chakra; once forcibly extracted, their chakra fragmented and would never fully return until rejoined with the original body.
Yet Kadoya was different. Unknown to even himself, his skill [Perfect Vessel] allowed him to absorb and contain any power, no matter how volatile, without risk of losing control. His inner world was an endless void: a bottomless, silent expanse where anything sealed within him simply… vanished into the abyss.
For now, though, Kadoya didn't think of any of that.
Congratulations! Hidden Quest Complete: "Absorbing The Tailed Beasts Chakra! (Son Goku)"
Reward: + 1 System Point + Lava Style: Super Heat Meteor
Kadoya's eyes widened slightly as the system's reward appeared before him. He hadn't unlocked Lava Release yet he managed to get his hand on a Lava-style ninjutsu.
Focusing his chakra, he began weaving hand seals. He raised his left hand, forming a massive fireball that blazed to life in his palm. Stones began to gather around the swirling flames, but his Earth Release affinity was too weak. The rocks were few and fragile, quickly turning to molten slag before being completely consumed by the raging fire.
"I see," Kadoya murmured, his gaze narrowing. "I still can't use this technique yet."
He turned back toward the Four-Tails, watching it attempt to tear the remnants of his bone blade from its side.
"Fire Style: Burn To Ash!"
He hurl the blazing sphere forward. It smashed into the Four-Tails, drawing a furious roar.
"Oi, monkey!" Kadoya's voice was icy, sending a shiver down the spines of Sakumo, Minato, Saiguu, and Nawaki. "You dare let your mind wander while you're fighting me?"
"Oi, Kadoya, have you lost your mind?!" Nawaki shouted, panic in his voice.
Kadoya didn't even spare Nawaki a glance. He was too caught up in the rush of power to care.
"Kid! What's gotten into you?!" Naori's ghostly form materialized beside him, her voice tight with concern. But Kadoya simply kept walking, his confidence radiating like a black sun.
"You damned insect-" the Four-Tails started, but its words were abruptly cut off as golden chains erupted from the earth, snaking around its limbs and torso. Enkidu coiled around Son Goku's colossal form like a serpent, binding him tighter with every struggle.
The beast thrashed wildly, but the more it fought, the tighter the chains pulled, forcing its head down until the mighty Four-Tails was kneeling before the boy. Kadoya stepped forward, planting a foot on the monster's bowed head.
"Since you won't dance, then shut up, monkey."
The Four-Tails let out a muffled, pained roar, magma bubbling at the edges of its body. But Enkidu's grip tightened, choking the molten chakra back into its skin.
Kadoya created more bone blades and drove his bone blades into the beast's side, drawing out more of its chakra in a steady, searing stream.
Everyone: "..."
Sakumo, Minato, Saiguu, Nawaki, and even Naori exchanged uneasy glances; none of them had expected to see the proud Four-Tails reduced to a whimpering, trembling creature, forced to submit like a beaten dog.
For the first time, Son Goku felt true terror. Even when Hashirama had subdued it, the beast had still been able to fight back, if only a little. But now, it was utterly powerless; no matter how hard it struggled, the chains only tightened, suffocating the beast's strength and will.
"Dear, don't pick on the little monkey," a soft voice murmured, gently tugging at Kadoya's scarf.
"Tch." Kadoya clicked his tongue in irritation but relented. He pulled out a blank summoning scroll and tossed it in front of the bound Son Goku. "Sign the contract. Withdraw from this war. If I see or hear about you again on the battlefield, I'll drag you back myself and beat you until you remember who you're kneeling to."
Son Goku, panting heavily, stared at the scroll… then at the calm boy standing before him, and the gentle girl at his side.
Kadoya let Son Goku's right hand free, as the massive beast pounded, should it try to strike them, but seeing how calm the young Uchiha was, is.
The beast just gave up and signed the contract, knowing this boy wasn't like the others who would simply try to kill him outright. He was a predator, one who enjoyed toying with his prey, who would humiliate him again and again if he didn't yield.
Kadoya released the bindings, letting the battered Four-Tails stand. A tense silence hung in the air as Son Goku's form shrank back into the unconscious Roshi, his spirit retreating in shame.
Son Goku would rather let his Jinchuriki die and die with him instead of facing Kadoya. At least by then it won't suffer such humiliation again.
Sakumo approached, still shocked. "Kadoya… what was that?" he asked, voice hushed.
"Nothing much," Kadoya said simply, tucking the scroll away. "Just teaching the Four-Tails how to behave."
The others watched him warily, suddenly realizing how much power Kadoya had kept hidden.
In the back of his mind, Kadoya already knew that the Village would take notice of this. They'd always been quick to brand the Uchiha as dangerous, using their power as an excuse to justify their own action. Calling his clan evil, while Hiruzen brainwashes small children, and Danzo kidnaps small children.
"Um… Kadoya?" Saiguu spoke up, hesitantly pointing to his left. "Who… is that?"
Kadoya turned, finding himself face-to-face with a warm, gentle smile.
"Tiamama?" he asks, recognizing the serene figure of Tiamat.
"Hello, dear," she said, her smile deepening as she tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. Hearing him call her "mama" sent a wave of warmth through her heart.