Onoki gave Takuno a deep look, as if trying to carve his figure into his very marrow.
That gaze was incredibly complex, a mixture of unwillingness, humiliation, and anger, all of which finally transformed into profound exhaustion.
"Wait for me a moment."
He rasped out these words, then said no more. His figure took to the air with a slightly heavy posture, flying toward the village; he had to find the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, personally and explain the reasons.
Takuno quietly watched the aged figure recede, his face showing no ripple of emotion.
He had no need to worry about whether the other party would gather forces within the village or set a trap for a counterattack.
This certainty stemmed from the absolute power he now possessed, which was enough to look down on everything.
It was the absolute confidence bestowed upon him by his strength.
As his thoughts drifted, the corner of Takuno's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, carrying a hint of self-deprecation.
Not long ago, he had been struggling with how to capture Onoki alive and force out the mysteries of Dust Release.
Looking back now, the troubles of that time were quite laughable.
"It seems my way of thinking hasn't had time to keep up with the speed of my power growth."
He whispered silently in his heart.
The leap in power had been so swift that his habitual ways of planning felt somewhat redundant.
In the face of absolute power, all detours and schemes lose their meaning.
Now, if he wanted to obtain the research scrolls for Dust Release, why would he need to expend such effort and go through such trouble? It was merely a matter of a single sentence.
But at this moment, his gaze became sharp and focused again.
Before the dust settled, the primary task was still to get the Five-Tails' chakra first.
After a brief silence, two figures reappeared in Takuno's field of vision.
Leading them was the familiar figure of Onoki, while the figure following closely beside him emitted a completely different aura.
The newcomer was exceptionally burly, like a moving iron tower. The shadow of his straw hat obscured part of his face, but it could not hide the iconic red mask and the crimson armor covering his entire body; it was indeed the Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, Han.
"Oh?" Takuno's eyebrows quirked slightly, his lips curling into a playful arc. "Finally brought him?"
His gaze was like a torch, bypassing the grim-faced Onoki to lock directly onto Han.
Onoki said in a deep voice:
"Han himself... has already agreed to this deal. But Han's agreement does not equate to the Five-Tails sealed within him approving of this decision!"
"Heh..." Takuno let out a disdainful sneer.
The implication in Onoki's words was crystal clear: he needed to step in personally and use force to make the Tailed Beast submit.
This was not a difficult task for Takuno, but at this moment, he only found the other man's words redundant and laughable.
"Mere Five-Tails," he said in a contemptuous tone, carrying an unquestionable dominance. "In this setting, it has no right to speak."
Before his voice had even faded, several dazzling golden chains, like living pythons, instantly shot out from behind him, aiming directly at the motionless Han!
Those chains tore through the air with such speed they let out a sharp whistling sound, arriving in front of Han's face in the blink of an eye.
As a battle-hardened ninja, Han's muscle memory almost drove him to instinctively dodge the strike.
However, thinking of the survival of the entire Iwagakure behind him depending on his choice at this moment, he forcibly suppressed the urge to dodge.
Moreover, the speed of those chains and the terrifying power they contained left his heart chilled; even if he could dodge the first strike, there was no possibility of escaping unscathed under a continuous onslaught.
His gaze unconsciously swept toward the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, who was bound by chains and had a withered aura.
If Roshi were also in peak condition, combined with his own strength and Tsuchikage Onoki's power, the three of them working together might have barely managed to contend with this unfathomable enemy.
Unfortunately, the cruel reality had completely extinguished even that faint glimmer of hope.
Encountering almost no effective resistance, the cold golden chains firmly entwined and locked down Han's burly body, the powerful restraint leaving him unable to move.
"The person has been brought, and the restraint is complete," Onoki's voice was low and suppressed, his gaze fixed on Takuno. "According to the agreement, it is now time to return Roshi to us."
Takuno glanced sideways at Onoki with an indifferent expression.
With a slight shift of his will, one of the chains connected to Roshi shook violently, tossing the unconscious Roshi through the air toward Onoki like shaking off a piece of irrelevant cargo.
Onoki hurriedly stretched out his hands to catch his old friend, his chakra rapidly probing the other's body to carefully examine the injuries.
A moment later, his tense nerves relaxed slightly.
Though the injuries were severe enough to kill an ordinary person, for a Jinchuriki supported by powerful vitality and Tailed Beast chakra, there was indeed a possibility of recovery if given enough time.
At least on this point, "The Collector" had not deceived him.
Meanwhile, Takuno had concentrated all his attention on the "prey" before him.
The golden chains fixed Han firmly in front of him.
Expressionlessly, he raised his hand, his palm directly facing the key location on Han's abdomen where the Five-Tails was sealed.
A vast and cold chakra instantly surged from his palm, transforming into countless black incantations flickering with a dark light.
These incantations, like living things with a heart-palpitating erosive power, ignored the defenses on Han's body surface and madly burrowed deep into his body, rushing toward the core space sealing the Five-Tails along his Tenketsu and blood vessels at an alarming speed.
"Argh!" Intense pain instantly swept through Han's entire body; it was a piercing agony as if his soul were being forcibly torn, causing him to involuntarily let out a pained roar.
It wasn't that Takuno lacked gentler methods, but clearly, he felt that for a Jinchuriki who was most likely an enemy, there was absolutely no need for any redundant mercy.
The torrent of black incantations, carrying Takuno's chakra, rushed into the Five-Tails' sealing space with irresistible force.
...
Within the deep, oppressive sealing space of the Five-Tails, Five-Tails Kokuo lay quietly in the depths of the invisible prison like a captive white mountain range.
Every breath it took produced a dull sound that echoed in this dead space.
However, this silence was suddenly broken as a surge of energy—one that even Kokuo, as a Tailed Beast, felt wary of—suddenly manifested within the sealing space!
"Roar!" Five-Tails Kokuo abruptly raised its head, which was covered in white bone armor. Its giant beast-pupils suddenly contracted, locking tightly onto the area outside the prison.
There, countless Senjutsu chakra incantations flickering with obscure light emerged out of thin air like living things, emitting a terrifying pressure far exceeding that of ordinary ninjutsu.
The space seemed to vibrate slightly under this power.
The flow of the incantations suddenly accelerated, as if a hundred rivers were returning to the sea, instantly gathering and condensing!
The light flashed and vanished, and a slender figure dressed in a black robe with a masked face had solidified, standing silently within the sealing space.
It was none other than Takuno.
Under the mask, a low greeting carrying a hint of playfulness sounded clearly.
"First time meeting you. Hello, Five-Tails Kokuo."
A hint of alarm and brutality flashed in Kokuo's giant eyes: "Hmm?! Human! Who are you? Why do you know my name?"
Its voice was like rolling thunder, saturated with the anger of captivity and wariness toward the intruder.
"Who I am is irrelevant." Takuno tilted his head slightly, his voice flat to the point of coldness. "What matters is that I need... your chakra."
Before his voice had even faded, Takuno raised his arms slightly. Without the need for hand seals, several sturdy chains flickering with a golden luster and containing vast Senjutsu energy suddenly shot out!
They easily penetrated that layer of invisible prison barriers and, amidst the shocked and angry roars of the Five-Tails who had nowhere to hide, accurately and swiftly entwined its massive body.
The chains tightened instantly, producing a piercing metallic friction sound, binding the giant beast Kokuo firmly in place!
"Roar!" Kokuo fell into a complete frenzy!
It struggled madly, its massive body erupting with terrifying strength in an attempt to shatter these damn chains.
At the same time, incredibly hot white steam blasted out from the pores all over its body like a volcanic eruption, causing the temperature of the entire sealing space to skyrocket!
This was exactly its pride: the power of Boil Release, enough to melt steel instantly!
However, under the impact of the scorching steam, the golden chains—Sage Art: Adamantine Sealing Chains—merely showed a brighter flow on their surface and let out a faint "hissing" sound, yet they remained motionless, without even a trace of deformation!
The sealing power originating from the Uzumaki lineage and further enhanced to the extreme by Senjutsu chakra revealed its indestructibility and absolute suppression of Tailed Beasts at this moment.
Even when facing the full Kurama years ago, the Adamantine Sealing Chains without Senjutsu reinforcement were able to suppress it.
Perhaps the Kurama at that time was heavily exhausted from dealing with Konoha, but judging by the power displayed by the half-Kurama in the original work, even a heavily exhausted Kurama was not something the Five-Tails' power could compare to.
Furthermore, Takuno's Adamantine Sealing Chains were fused with Senjutsu power; all of the Five-Tails' resistance appeared utterly futile.
Takuno turned a deaf ear to the earth-shattering roars and the scorching airwaves near his ears. His gaze, through the holes in the mask, calmly watched the struggling giant beast.
With a slight movement of his will, countless fine black incantations, like living poisonous snakes, spread rapidly up the dark-gold chains, instantly crawling all over Kokuo's massive white body and covering it completely, forming an eerie and powerful sealing net!
After finishing all this, Takuno formed seals with his hands, his chakra erupting once again, and then those incantations wrapping the Five-Tails Kokuo also began to flicker with light.
"Sealing Jutsu: Chakra Severance Technique!"
"Roar!!!"
An unprecedented, soul-tearing, shrill scream suddenly erupted from Kokuo's mouth, resounding through the entire sealing space!
This was not simple physical pain, but a piercing agony originating from its chakra source being rawly stripped and torn!
Under Takuno's cold gaze, the Five-Tails' massive body appeared to be gnawed by an invisible giant beast, visibly twitching and shrinking by a large chunk!
The forcibly stripped chakra, containing terrifying and pure power, gathered and compressed in front of Takuno amidst the violent energy agitation.
Finally, a black chakra sphere—deep as ink, yet with a faint, violent white light flowing on its surface and emitting a suffocating pressure—hovered quietly in the void.
Contained within it was precisely the top-tier Tailed Beast power of the Naruto world: the chakra essence of the Five-Tails Kokuo!
Looking at this black chakra ball before him, the corner of the mouth under Takuno's mask finally curled into a cold and satisfied arc without concealment.
Five-Tails chakra, obtained!
...
Outside the Five-Tails' sealing space, in the sky above Iwagakure, the atmosphere was as heavy as solidified lead.
After Third Tsuchikage Onoki hurriedly finished inspecting the unconscious Roshi's injuries, his gaze was immediately captured by the situation not far away.
That mysterious "Collector" had actually pressed his hand onto the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, with no regard for anyone else, and was fully concentrated on performing some complex sealing jutsu.
This sight suddenly caused waves to surge in Onoki's usually calm heart.
He knew well that when facing an unfathomable powerhouse like The Collector, any rash movement at an ordinary time would be no different from seeking death.
However, at this moment, it was completely different!
In order to extract and seal the Five-Tails' chakra, the opponent's mind must be largely tied up by this cumbersome operation.
A glint of determination flashed in Onoki's eyes.
He knew his own strength might be far inferior to the opponent's, but regarding the absolute destructive power of ninjutsu, he had absolute confidence in his own Dust Release!
This "Kekkei Tota," which stood above "Kekkei Genkai," possessed the terrifying power to decompose everything down to the atomic level.
Even if the "God of Shinobi" Hashirama, who once looked down on the ninja world, were to arrive in person, he would absolutely not dare to face its edge head-on and would only dodge!
"This might be the only chance! It's a sliver of opportunity given to me by the opponent's arrogance!"
Onoki whispered in his heart. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the palpitation in his heart, and the chakra in his body began to gather silently and rapidly.
He concentrated all his spirit and energy to the peak, his sharp gaze locking onto Takuno, confirming the moment the opponent appeared completely off-guard.
"Now!"
Onoki slammed his hands together in front of his chest!
A suffocating, terrifying chakra fluctuation suddenly erupted, and space itself seemed to vibrate because of its power.
His arms snapped open, and a transparent conical barrier emitting an aura of destruction instantly condensed into shape between his palms!
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
Without the slightest hesitation, a brilliant white beam of destruction, containing the laws that decompose everything, shot out from the tip of the cone, rushing toward Takuno's upper body with the momentum of a thunderbolt!
Everywhere it passed, space was distorted, and anything it touched would meet total annihilation.
However, at this critical juncture, Takuno, who was facing sideways toward Onoki, quietly curled the corner of his mouth into an imperceptible arc.
"Finally couldn't hold it back, Onoki?"
He appeared to pour all his attention into his right hand, which was controlling the Five-Tails' chakra, but in reality, he was multi-tasking. His powerful sensory ninjutsu, "Mind's Eye of Kagura," had long since taken in every subtle movement of the calculating Tsuchikage with his "eye."
This seemingly fatal flaw was precisely the bait he had deliberately thrown out!
Now, the fish had finally taken the bait!