Chapter 180: Titan No. 1
"Gaara, take Shukaku and leave this place first!"
As Kankuro controlled his puppet to fend off the encroaching bio-phantoms, he shouted to Gaara.
The enemy they were currently facing was Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, who had come to seize a Tailed Beast.
After a few failed attempts, Urashiki had wised up. He now understood that skipping levels was a mistake—there was no way he could clear the final stage without first leveling up through the earlier ones.
"You can leave—but Shukaku stays behind!"
Urashiki whipped his fishing rod, the red hook flying straight at Gaara.
"Damn it…"
Kankuro glanced around at the bio-phantoms surrounding him. He had no way to spare a hand to protect Gaara, who had been wounded by Urashiki's sneak attack.
The red hook pierced Gaara's chest and reeled out a mass of yellow chakra.
Watching Gaara and Kankuro getting overwhelmed by bio-phantoms, Urashiki couldn't help but smile smugly. "These bio-phantoms Gray Wolf gave me really are useful."
"Uncle Gaara!"
At the sound of the sudden voice, Gaara clutched his chest and turned his head.
"Well, well—what a nice bonus."
Compared to Shukaku, Kurama was clearly the more tempting prize.
He couldn't beat Naruto, but surely he could handle Naruto's son.
Urashiki immediately cast his hook toward Boruto.
"Watch out! Boruto, get out of the way!"
Just as the hook was about to strike Boruto, a shuriken flew in from the side at a strange angle and knocked it off course.
"Idiot." Kawaki appeared beside Boruto, shooting him a disdainful glance. "If the enemy gets their hands on the Nine Tails inside you, we'll be in serious trouble."
Besides the Nine Tails inside Boruto, the other person who had caught Urashiki's attention was Kawaki.
"So, the revived vessel…"
"Aren't these the same bio-phantoms we saw on the road earlier?" Kawaki muttered, glancing toward Shuyu.
Though their appearance differed slightly from the Mad Babies, the overall design was clearly similar.
"Yeah," Shuyu nodded and frowned as he scanned the surroundings. "Could S.H.I.E.L.D. be involved here too…"
At that moment, Urashiki floated up into the air and called out, "Gray Wolf, how long are you going to sit back and watch the show?"
"Gray Wolf… Everyone, be careful!" Gaara warned.
According to intel from the Hidden Leaf, Gray Wolf was actually Orochimaru.
"After all, the Deputy Director gave strict orders. Unless Hydra intervenes in the cold war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel are not to get involved," said a short, scruffy gray wolf who appeared on the desert sand, shrugging. "So, my hands are tied."
Originally, Gray Wolf had only aided the Land of Water with bio-phantoms to collect data on them.
Following him was Mitsuki, who had been assigned to monitor Gray Wolf's actions.
As the only member of S.H.I.E.L.D. not under its direct control, Mitsuki was the perfect choice to keep an eye on Gray Wolf.
Urashiki clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Although Gray Wolf's refusal to help meant it was best to retreat for now, Urashiki couldn't bring himself to leave. After all, the Nine Tails was right in front of him, far from the protection of the Hidden Leaf.
If he passed up this opportunity, who knew when another would come?
"Gray Wolf, do you have any stronger bio-phantoms?"
"Of course. Just because I can't make a move doesn't mean my creations can't," Gray Wolf replied. He then formed a summoning seal and slammed his palm down onto the sand.
A three-meter-tall iron crate appeared with a puff of smoke.
"This is my latest research project: Titan No. 1."
As Gray Wolf finished speaking, the door of the crate suddenly creaked open. Out stepped a hulking, pitch-black monster over two and a half meters tall.
Two green tubes of liquid were embedded into each side of its back.
"This will do nicely…"
Urashiki didn't need help defeating his enemies—he just needed someone to tie them down.
With his chakra stolen by Urashiki, Gaara was in no shape to contribute in battle.
Kankuro's strength lay in his puppets, but when faced with Titan No. 1, they were simply no match.
Urashiki ignored Shuyu's attempt to block him and went straight for Boruto.
"Kawaki, go help the Kazekage seal Shukaku."
Shuyu turned to Kawaki.
If they wanted to transport a Tailed Beast all the way back to the Hidden Leaf, sealing it was the only option.
Kawaki wasn't proficient in ninjutsu and wouldn't be of much help in a direct fight with Urashiki anyway, so aiding Gaara was his best use.
Kawaki, being a rational person, wasn't about to throw himself into a losing battle.
He nodded and moved to Gaara's side.
He hadn't forgotten that members of S.H.I.E.L.D. were still present.
Though they claimed they wouldn't intervene unless Hydra did, who could say for sure?
"Kawaki, ever considered joining S.H.I.E.L.D.? You've seen its power firsthand. An organization capable of creating bio-phantoms might also be able to help you break free from the Kāma."
Gray Wolf's words were tempting, but Kawaki firmly shook his head. He genuinely liked his life in the Hidden Leaf. Besides, he believed he could find a way to free himself from the Kāma without anyone else's help.
"…Shukaku, I don't have a choice. You have to listen to me." On the other side, Gaara was already speaking with the Tailed Beast in the desert. "Urashiki can sense your chakra, so I have no choice but to seal you here."
Shukaku looked down at the chamber pot Gaara had placed on the ground and replied, "No way. I'm not going inside something like that."
"Shukaku, I promise I'll protect you from Urashiki."
Gaara spoke with determination.
"Gaara, forcing out the last of your chakra to perform the sealing technique could kill you."
"To protect you, that's a price I'm willing to pay."
"…Hmph, do what you want. I won't feel sad if you die."
"Thank you, Shukaku." Gaara began forming hand signs as he spoke.
Shukaku's body gradually turned to sand and flowed into the chamber pot.
Because Shukaku was cooperating and didn't resist, the strain on Gaara was significantly reduced.
Finally, Gaara attached a sealing tag to the bottom of the pot.
"Gaara, are you okay?"
Kankuro helped the gasping Gaara sit up from the ground.
"I'm fine. Just… completely out of chakra now," Gaara said, waving his hand dismissively.
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