The Tailed Beast Ball.
The ultimate change in the shape of a tailed beast's chakra—a compressed mass formed by kneading black and white chakra together at an eight-to-two ratio.
Before Kurama's open jaws, a dark purple sphere of chakra began to gather.
It grew larger and denser by the second.
Kushina had never seen a Tailed Beast Ball before.
Even so, her instincts screamed danger.
Her fingers twitched.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains scattered across the ground immediately rattled, ready to move and restrain Kurama before he could fire.
"Kushina, wait!"
Matatabi quickly called out.
Because she trusted Kizaru, she stopped Kushina before the chains could strike.
"Huh?"
Kushina froze for a moment.
Her expression stiffened, but she still stopped controlling the chains.
And in that instant—
Kizaru, who had been standing beneath Kurama, vanished in a flash of golden light.
The next moment, he appeared in midair, hovering near the side of the massive tailed beast.
"Ooh… how scary."
One hand remained in his pocket while the other lightly touched his chin.
Looking down at the Tailed Beast Ball forming beneath him, Kizaru slowly raised his glowing right leg.
Then he kicked.
Kurama's eyes narrowed.
He had taken too long charging the attack, but he still intended to strengthen the chakra inside the Tailed Beast Ball and detonate it from his mouth.
The moment he saw Kizaru move, Kurama opened his jaws wider, trying to bite down and release the blast.
But Kizaru only smiled lazily.
Golden light flared around his foot.
At the same time, his strange strength erupted.
Boom!
The enormous Tailed Beast Ball was kicked straight into Kurama's mouth.
Kurama's pupils shrank.
He had planned to detonate the Tailed Beast Ball in his jaws and release a devastating shock wave.
But Kizaru's kick was far heavier than he expected.
The sphere was forced past his fangs and driven deep into his throat.
Die, you damn bastard!
Kurama cursed inwardly.
Even then, he did not stop.
He clenched his jaws shut and detonated the Tailed Beast Ball inside his throat, trying to force the shock wave out.
A blinding white light leaked between his fangs.
His massive body swelled slightly as the pressure surged inside him.
He was about to release it toward Kizaru.
"That would be troublesome if I let it out."
Kizaru's body turned into light.
In an instant, he flashed above Kurama's mouth.
Looking into Kurama's huge furious eyes, Kizaru coated his foot in Armament Haki and stomped down hard.
Bang!
Kurama's head was crushed straight into the ground.
His jaws were forced shut.
He could not open his mouth.
Boom!
A dull explosion erupted inside him.
Kurama's entire body inflated like a balloon.
Black smoke burst from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.
Matatabi turned her head away.
As a fellow tailed beast, she could almost feel that pain herself.
Kizaru…
What a terrible man.
She slowly looked back at Kurama, who was lying weakly on the ground with his mouth slightly open, black smoke spilling out from between his fangs.
"Kurama, stop fighting."
Matatabi walked forward a few steps and looked at him seriously.
Kurama's throat felt as though it had been torn apart.
His head was still buzzing from the explosion.
He slowly turned his eyes toward Matatabi.
"Ahem…!"
He wanted to roar, but the moment he opened his mouth, smoke and pain choked him.
Kurama coughed violently.
"You tailed beasts really are monsters."
Golden light gathered above Matatabi's head.
Kizaru appeared there, hands in his pockets, speaking as though he had only watched something mildly interesting.
Matatabi looked up at him.
For a moment, she truly wanted to spit something at him.
Who are you calling a monster?
You're the monster here.
In all her years as a tailed beast, this was the first time she had ever seen someone kick a Tailed Beast Ball back into a tailed beast's throat, then hold its mouth shut and make it explode inside its own body.
With that kind of strength…
Are you really human?
The scene replayed in Matatabi's mind again and again.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But for once, she could not find the words.
It was not just Matatabi.
Kushina, who had watched Kizaru kick the Tailed Beast Ball and stomp Kurama's head into the ground, stood there with her mouth slightly open.
She was completely speechless.
How strong is this guy…?
Kurama was the monster she had always feared.
The terrifying existence that could only be suppressed through sealing.
And yet Kizaru had beaten him down with his feet.
Kushina had heard countless people in the village praise Kizaru before.
She had always thought they were exaggerating.
Kizaru was strong, yes.
But surely not that strong.
Now she finally understood.
Those people had not been praising him.
They had simply been stating facts.
"Damn it…"
After a while, Kurama finally recovered enough to move.
He planted his front paws into the ground and forced himself to stand.
"Damn human…!"
His red eyes burned with rage.
"I'll make you feel this pain!"
Kurama roared.
The nine tails behind him suddenly stretched out, shooting forward like spears.
Kizaru leapt into the air, casually avoiding the first wave.
Before the remaining tails could pierce him, his body elementalized into golden light and slipped cleanly through the gaps.
He appeared directly above Kurama.
Kizaru crossed his hands in front of his chest.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Two brilliant spheres of light formed between his palms.
In the next instant, countless light bullets rained down.
They fell like a golden storm.
Every light bullet that struck Kurama exploded violently.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Kurama's massive body was swallowed by continuous explosions.
Unable to dodge, he was blasted backward, roaring in pain as his body slammed into the ground.
But Kizaru did not stop.
He descended in a streak of light and landed beside Kurama's tail.
Then he stretched out both hands.
Armament Haki.
Strange Strength.
Both erupted at once.
Kizaru grabbed one of Kurama's enormous tails, turned his body sideways, and threw him over his shoulder.
Boom!
Kurama's massive body flew through the air and smashed into the ground.
The impact shook the entire space.
Dust and smoke rose in waves.
"Roar!"
Kurama lay on his back, furious and in pain.
Then he saw Kizaru floating above him again.
His pupils suddenly shrank.
In the air, Kizaru brought his hands together.
A massive sword of light, tens of meters long, formed in his grasp.
Holding the blade with both hands, Kizaru dived downward and swung toward Kurama's neck.
"Kizaru, stop!"
Matatabi shouted at once.
She was afraid Kizaru would really cut off Kurama's head.
As a jinchūriki, Kushina knew that if a tailed beast was extracted, the host would die.
But if the tailed beast was beheaded inside her own body…
Would she die too?
She did not know.
Her heart jumped into her throat as she watched the giant sword of light descend toward Kurama's neck.
Then—
Kizaru landed.
The blade stopped perfectly against Kurama's throat.
Even if he could revive after death, Kurama had no desire to experience having his head cut off.
When the lightsaber stopped, he secretly let out a breath.
His front paws were still braced against the ground.
His belly faced upward.
He lowered his eyes and glanced at the glowing blade resting against his neck.
Then he slowly turned his gaze toward Kizaru.
Kizaru looked back at him with that same lazy, unreadable smile.
"Now then… can we talk calmly?"
"Che…"
Kurama wanted to spit out a few vicious words.
But the heat pressing against his neck made him swallow them back.
"Kurama."
Matatabi stepped forward.
Her voice became quieter.
"I know your hatred. I know your pain. But this child is innocent too. She is another victim of this cruel shinobi world."
She looked at Kushina, then back at Kurama.
"So talk. Properly."
Kurama's pride would not let him surrender outright.
Matatabi understood that.
That was why she gave him a way down.
"Hmph."
Kurama turned his face away.
"…Fine."
Seeing Kurama back down, Kizaru let the huge lightsaber dissolve into golden particles.
Then he put both hands in his pockets and walked back toward Kushina.
"Tailed beasts are surprisingly reasonable once you talk to them."
Kushina stared at him.
For a second, she could not even respond.
Then her eye twitched.
"Talk to them?!"
She pointed at Kurama, then at Kizaru.
"You kicked a Tailed Beast Ball into his throat, stomped his mouth shut, blew him up from the inside, blasted him with light, threw him over your shoulder, and nearly cut off his head!"
Kushina's voice grew louder with every word.
"What part of that was talking?!"
Kizaru rubbed the back of his head, looking almost embarrassed.
"Ooh… is that so? I thought it went pretty well."
"That's not what I meant, idiot!"
Kushina clenched her fists in front of her chest, shaking with frustration.
"Besides, who else in the world could do something like that?! You're the weird one here!"
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses with a small smile.
"How cruel… calling me weird after I helped."
"I'm not praising you!"
"Mm. Yes, yes."
"Don't 'yes, yes' me!"
Kushina finally screamed in pure frustration.
Matatabi watched from the side in silence.
Kurama lay on the ground, smoke still drifting from his mouth.
For once, the mighty Nine-Tails said nothing.
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