Chapter 303: Remember to Check the Rarity Before You Catch Them Next Time

"Don't come over here!!!"

Chongming, who had thought that by occupying the air superiority he could sit back and relax, let out a miserable shriek when he saw Isobu spinning as he ascended, charging toward him with fierce momentum.

It was truly a sound to break the heart and bring tears to the eyes of any who heard it.

"Damn it, take this!"

Because the space within the barrier was limited, the massive Seven-Tails knew there was nowhere to hide; only by fighting back with everything he had was there a glimmer of hope for survival.

Otherwise, just based on the Three-Tails' excessive weight, his own small frame would surely be finished right here, dying on the spot.

In front of his sharp mouthparts, a dark Tailed Beast Ball condensed rapidly. The chakra within Chongming was refined at high speed, and as the Tailed Beast Ball reached its threshold, scorching energy was blasted toward Isobu in mid-air.

Sensing the oppressive force of the Tailed Beast Ball, Isobu, unable to maneuver his body to dodge nimbly, steeled his heart and poked his head out from his shell. His single scarlet eye was filled with ruthlessness.

His high-speed spinning body paused, and in front of his armored mouth, a dark orb containing the power of destruction expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye. In no time at all, it had charged to completion.

"BOOM!!!"

Another classic collision of Tailed Beast Balls, with brilliant light scattering in all directions. Such an all-out duel was well worth the price of admission for the audience below.

"Hey, hey, hey~ Who will ultimately be the winner this time?"

Uchiha Gin, holding a megaphone, squinted his eyes as he watched the smoke rising in the arena.

It was clear that even he couldn't be sure which Tailed Beast would win this time, so he had even stopped the betting pool.

If one couldn't manipulate the outcome of the gamble, then there was no point in being the bookmaker!

"The turtle will win!"

Clenching his fists, Itama Senju pouted his little mouth, his eyes fixed intently on the arena as he silently prayed for Isobu to achieve the final victory.

"Thud~"

With a dull sound of impact, the massive force generated by the Tailed Beast's fall blew away the smoke and dust filling the arena, simultaneously revealing the final result of this battle to the public.

"Wow~ It's the Three-Tails! Relying on its sturdy defense, it stood until the end. Let us congratulate contestant Uchiha Madara for winning this battle!"

Referee Uchiha Gin arrived at the scene immediately. Looking at the Seven-Tails, whose wings had been pierced through, he raised the flag in his hand and declared the winner of the battle.

"ROAR!!!"

As the victor, the Three-Tails could not hide the joy in his heart. He immediately raised his head and roared loudly toward the sky to express his satisfaction.

After being stifled for so many years, he had finally proven himself. Aside from Shukaku, he, Isobu, was not the most useless Tailed Beast!

"Yay!!!"

Below the stage, Itama Senju jumped up in excitement, holding his cheering sticks high and shouting with joy.

Watching the jubilant Itama Senju, her figure—far more voluptuous than the average person's—made the women nearby feel a pang of heartache. Subconsciously, they reached out to touch their own, a flash of frustration appearing in their eyes as their mouths all turned downward in unison.

"Tsk! What did that guy eat to grow like that?"

"I need an explanation."

Hashirama Senju, his competitive spirit ignited, lowered his head and looked at the only remaining seedling on his side with a grim expression, asking coldly.

"Cough, cough, cough... I noticed early on that Chongming's state was a bit off. He looked like he had a kidney deficiency; perhaps his vitality was damaged earlier and he hasn't recovered yet."

The Nine-Tails' fur stood on end. Hashirama Senju's expression at this moment was exactly the same as that of the old man's living-hell-king son from a thousand years ago. Terrified, he clamped his legs together and tremblingly told his guess truthfully.

"Uh..."

Hearing this, Hashirama Senju's expression froze. His averted gaze held a hint of something inexplicable. He then slowly withdrew his aura and spoke to the shivering Nine-Tails.

"I see. Then I will leave the rest to you. I hope you won't disappoint me."

"It's a guaranteed win~"

With the mountain-like pressure lifted from his body, the Nine-Tails regained some of his spirit. He raised his massive beast head, gave Hashirama Senju an 'OK' gesture, and then leaped into the battlefield.

"Roar!"

As soon as he landed, the oppressive roar made everyone around feel a tightness in their chests. They cast their gazes toward the nine tails swaying behind the Nine-Tails and began to whisper.

"Senior Hikari, this Tailed Beast seems much stronger than the ones before."

Looking at the Nine-Tails showing off its power with some surprise, Uchiha Jiri turned her head to ask Uchiha Hikari beside her.

"Hmm, probably... about as much as all those others combined."

Her cold gaze landed on the Nine-Tails, and Uchiha Hikari nodded as if in thought.

"Woo~ Go turtle, go!"

Itama Senju, whose perception was also quite impressive, scrunched her face into a ball. Looking at the disheveled Isobu, she gritted her teeth and chose to continue supporting him.

Not coming for you when you are at your peak, and not turning away when you are at your lowest...

"So that is the Nine-Tailed Fox; it's actually even more terrifying than the legends..."

The members of the Ninja Clan Alliance wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads in unison. The tyrannical aura radiating from the Nine-Tails made them feel breathless.

Recalling the legends about the Nine-Tailed Fox circulating within the Land of Fire, those who had previously thought them exaggerated now unanimously agreed that the legends were too conservative and the stories had held back.

"Wow! Hashirama Senju has sent out his final trump card, the boss of the Tailed Beasts, the most notorious disaster beast in the Land of Fire, the Nine-Tailed Fox~~~"

Coming into close contact with the Nine-Tails for the first time, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel a little excited. As the Tailed Beast with the most screen time in the future, Kurama's presence in the early stages was quite substantial—starting off by sacrificing the Hokage.

"Isobu, for the sake of our past relationship, I advise you to surrender now to avoid physical pain."

Glancing at the wonderful expressions of the audience below, the Nine-Tails shook his body with satisfaction. His yellow beast pupils turned toward the silent Three-Tails, and he hypocritically offered advice.

Good grief, knowing full well that the other party was being controlled by the Sharingan, he was still putting on this fake act of being a 'good beast.' It was just not very 'city' of him~

"ROAR!!!"

Because the Three-Tails' will was being manipulated by Uchiha Madara, he displayed unprecedented courage in the face of the Nine-Tails, whom he had once feared. With a loud roar, the earth-shaking sound acted like a bugle call for battle.

"Fifth round, Nine-Tails versus Three-Tails, the battle begins!"

Uchiha Gin, quick-witted, waved the flag in his hand and loudly announced the start of the match.

The fearless Three-Tails arched his entire body, wrapping his massive, thick shell around himself, and rolled forward rapidly like a wheel, crashing straight toward the Nine-Tails.

"It's here! It's the Three-Tails' signature skill, 'Shadow Stroke'! The Nine-Tails is in for a rough time~"

Commentator Uchiha Gin, holding a large megaphone, watched the Three-Tails transformed into a rolling wheel and professionally explained it to the audience present.

"Uh... Mr. Gin, how did you know about this move?"

Uchiha Jiri frowned and asked the question in her heart in a low voice.

"Don't worry about it, I just looked it up~"

"Hmph~"

The Nine-Tails, who considered himself the 'big brother' of the Tailed Beasts, showed no signs of panic in the face of the fierce Isobu. Instead, he snorted in disdain, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly as scorching smoke rose from his mouth.

"ROAR!!!"

The Nine-Tails opened his mouth wide, and a black Tailed Beast Ball condensed rapidly. Its speed was so fast that the other Tailed Beasts couldn't even catch up.

In the blink of an eye, the Tailed Beast Ball containing the power of destruction was swallowed into the Nine-Tails' mouth. Then, he glared with his fox eyes, and the manic energy poured out from his mouth.

A beam of light, several times more terrifying than the Tailed Beast Balls released by the previous beasts, instantly engulfed Isobu's massive figure. The brilliant light of the Tailed Beast Ball made everyone present subconsciously raise their hands to shield their eyes.

"Sizzle, sizzle~"

A moment later, the blinding light slowly faded. A sizzling sound reached the ears of the crowd who were covering their faces. After looking up, they were surprised to find that the Three-Tails' massive body was actually embedded in the golden barrier.

"Gulp~"

The charred Isobu was actually emitting the aroma of grilled seafood. The sound of someone swallowing saliva in the silent audience was particularly jarring.

"Sorry, it just smells too good~"

As the culprit behind the sound, Shinji Akimichi turned slightly red, pressed his palms together, and apologized to everyone.

The appetite of their Akimichi clan was naturally large; they couldn't maintain basic consumption without eating seven or eight meals a day. Coming to watch the match today, he hadn't brought any snacks, and after so long, he was already starving.

Smelling such a delicious scent, how could he possibly resist!

Sasuke Sarutobi patted Shinji Akimichi's broad shoulder and pointed to Uchiha Madara's only remaining Tailed Beast, saying:

"Shinji, hold on a little longer, it will be over soon."

"The Three-Tails has lost the ability to fight. This round, the Nine-Tails wins!"

Uchiha Gin, acting as referee, looked at the black turtle embedded in the barrier, sighed, and shook his head. He didn't even bother to check and directly announced the result of the match.

"Hmph! Simple."

This Tailed Beast Ball didn't even count as a warm-up exercise for him. The Nine-Tails bared his teeth and said, disdainfully twitching his massive fox eyebrows.

"Madara~ Hurry up! Tohka is waiting for me to go home for dinner~"

Hashirama Senju, his eyes shining, paused for a brief moment before provocatively shouting at the silent Uchiha Madara not far away.

"Damn it!"

He hadn't expected that Hashirama Senju's last Tailed Beast would be so powerful. Uchiha Madara raised his cold eyes, imprinting the Nine-Tails' arrogant figure firmly in his mind.

"Can you win?"

Lowering his eyelids, Uchiha Madara asked the Eight-Tails beneath his feet in a voice as cold as a winter wind.

"I'll try my b... yes, definitely no problem!"

Gyuki widened his bull eyes and looked at the Nine-Tails in the arena with some difficulty. Isobu's miserable appearance was still fresh in his mind. Although it was just one tail less, he still lacked a bit of confidence in his own strength.

However, upon seeing Uchiha Madara's bone-chilling gaze, he immediately stood at attention, patted his sturdy pectoral muscles, struck a bodybuilding pose, and guaranteed it with certainty.

"If you lose, I'll turn you into steak and takoyaki."

Uchiha Madara said something that made Gyuki's hair stand on end in an extremely flat voice.

"ROAR!!!"

Since he was going to die either way, as a Tailed Beast with dignity, Gyuki chose to give it a shot. Gritting his teeth, he exerted force with all eight tentacles, and his massive body vanished from the spot. The next moment, he was already standing opposite the Nine-Tails.

Win and go home in style, lose and end up in the pot as a dish~

"Sixth round, Nine-Tails versus Eight-Tails, the final battle, begins now!"

Finally, this long and tedious battle for the Hokage title was coming to an end. Uchiha Gin, who announced the start of the match, felt a sense of melancholy in his heart.

From this point on, it was one step closer to the content in the summary.

"Octopus-guy, are you sure you want to fight?"

Sticking out its tongue to lick its own sharp teeth, the Nine-Tails wore a human-like, teasing smile on its face as it looked at the tense Gyuki and asked aloud.

"No choice, forced by life."

Gyuki knew well that this would be a tough battle, so it didn't waste any extra breath; it opened its massive ox mouth and went for the ultimate move right from the start.

"Looks like you didn't get beaten enough when you were little~"

Not shaken by the opponent's Tailed Beast Bomb, the Nine-Tails couldn't help but recall its childhood as it watched Gyuki struggling to charge up.

Back then, the Nine-Tails liked to single-handedly challenge all the other Tailed Beasts for no reason; among them, the Eight-Tails was quite skilled at escape techniques, slipping away far off every time before it could really get beaten up.

"Roar~ Consider this making up for the regrets of your childhood."

Unable to bear the thought of the Eight-Tails having a missing childhood, the kind-hearted Nine-Tails decided to let Gyuki taste the good stuff it didn't get to eat when it was young.

"BOOM!!!"

The massive Tailed Beast Bomb was swallowed into the Nine-Tails' belly, and accompanied by a secondary compression, a nearly materialized beam of light was blasted toward Gyuki.

Its pupils shrinking, the Eight-Tails knew this shot could not be taken head-on; it immediately swallowed the Tailed Beast Bomb it had condensed in front of its mouth into its belly, then used its tentacles to push off, disappearing from the spot at a speed inconsistent with its size.

The next second, the scorching beam of light smashed into the spot where Gyuki had just been standing; as the smoke cleared, a charred, massive crater appeared in its place.

"Heh, still so good at dodging, but here, where else can you run to?"

Sensing that Gyuki had hidden, the Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes slightly, turned its head to one side, and said with a smile.

"ROAR!!!"

Lurking in that direction, Gyuki knew it had been exposed, so it stopped hiding and controlled its massive body to rise from the ground.

Taking advantage of the moment the Nine-Tails let its guard down, it vomited several Tailed Beast Bombs of equal size from its mouth; the breadth of the firepower coverage left everyone watching below astonished.

"Huh? This Tailed Beast Bomb thing, can you really fire so many in a row?"

Seeing this scene, the few members of the Ninja Clan Alliance couldn't help but look at each other; they had been watching the battle intently the whole time, and those Tailed Beasts had all used their signature Tailed Beast Bombs, but none had been able to fire them continuously like the Eight-Tails.

"Boom~ Boom~ Boom~"

A series of violent explosions rang out, and the shockwaves generated by the Tailed Beast Bombs covered the Nine-Tails' massive body.

"Hmph~"

Just when everyone thought the Nine-Tails would at least lose a layer of skin if not die this time, a disdainful cold snort came from the area covered by the firepower, the sound so loud it drowned out the explosions.

"Nani, actually unscathed?"

Before the dust and smoke had even cleared, everyone saw the Nine-Tails stepping out with an elegant gait, its smooth fur not damaged in the slightest, its yellow fox eyes full of disdain, as if it scoffed at the Eight-Tails' attack just now.

"Sure enough, a Tailed Beast Bomb of this level can't cause you any harm."

Although it was realistic, this result was within the Eight-Tails' expectations; looking at the thick cloak wrapped around the Nine-Tails, it shook its massive ox head helplessly, its tone not showing much disappointment.

"It's not too late to admit defeat now."

"Sorry, look at my eyes, I have no choice~"

For this final battle, Uchiha Madara chose to relax his control and grant the Eight-Tails a certain degree of self-awareness, allowing it to better exert its combat power rather than fighting blindly like the Three-Tails.

"Indeed, then let's continue~"

Looking at the familiar pattern in Gyuki's eyes, the Nine-Tails expressed understanding, then set its stance, preparing to send the Eight-Tails on its way, while slandering in its heart:

These guys are just too weak, to actually be easily controlled by a descendant of Indra.

If it were them, they would definitely break free at the first opportunity; after all, humans nowadays don't have the terrifying strength of Indra.

"Roar!"

Just like that, as if by tacit agreement, both beasts simultaneously abandoned the mindless operation of bombarding each other with Tailed Beast Bombs and switched to physical collisions.

"THUD!!"

"SLAP! ~"

The two hundred-foot giant beasts staged the most primitive battle within the barrier; the Nine-Tails' sharp giant claws tore open several wounds deep enough to see bone on Gyuki's sturdy chest.

The Eight-Tails' heavy fist also landed squarely on the Nine-Tails' massive beast head; the powerful impact left even the Nine-Tails, which prided itself on being the strongest Tailed Beast, feeling somewhat dizzy.

"Eight-Tails Spin!"

Covered in claw marks, Gyuki seized the opening of the Nine-Tails' dizziness and immediately used its signature skill; it was seen waving its eight tentacles to wrap itself up, then using high-speed rotation.

The massive storm formed by the Eight-Tails Spin dragged the still-dazed Nine-Tails into it.

As if sucked into a tornado, the Nine-Tails felt a sense of spinning, and its stomach churned, almost causing it to vomit.

"POOF!"

After a long period of rotation, the Nine-Tails' figure had disappeared from the spot; the people below curiously raised their heads, trying to find its trail.

"It's up there!"

Someone shouted, and everyone looked up in unison to see the Nine-Tails' massive body actually blown into the sky a hundred meters up by the hurricane whipped up by the Eight-Tails.

"Is it going to lose?"

Seeing this scene, everyone thought the Nine-Tails was about to be defeated and shifted their gaze toward Uchiha Madara, who was standing with his arms crossed, wanting to see what posture he, as the victor, would use to welcome his victory.

"Heh heh~ Hashirama, this time, I ultimately win..."

No matter how cold the expression, it couldn't suppress the upturned corners of Uchiha Madara's mouth; he held his head high and said to Hashirama Senju, who was looking dejected not far away.

However, before he could finish his sentence, a voice interrupted his victory declaration.

"It's still too early to talk about winning, look carefully!"

Tobirama Senju, who had been hiding for a long time, had no look of disappointment on his face at this moment; instead, he wore a look of joy and pointed at the Nine-Tails high in the sky, reminding them.

Hearing this, everyone immediately widened their eyes, wanting to see what kind of trick the Nine-Tails was pulling a hundred meters in the sky; among them, the Uchiha, who had the strongest dynamic vision, were the first to discover the clue.

"Holy crap, such a huge lump!"

Izuna Uchiha was seen staring with scarlet eyes at the black ball of light in the sky, which was comparable in size to a Tailed Beast, his mouth hanging open in surprise.

Following his reminder, everyone finally noticed that there were actually two suns in the clear sky; besides the usual scorching red sun, there was a black sun directly above the barrier, and it was becoming larger and larger as it fell.

"Nani! How the hell are we supposed to fight this?"

Below, Gyuki swallowed hard and wore a bitter expression; that super-massive Tailed Beast Bomb had covered the entire barrier with no blind spots, and even if it cut off its tail to survive, there was nowhere to hide.

"Sorry, Gyuki, having a lot of chakra just means you can do whatever you want~"

The Nine-Tails, having condensed the super-massive Tailed Beast Bomb, shook its head at the Eight-Tails, which was about to be defeated, and poured the Tailed Beast Bomb from its mouth down upon it amidst the other's desperate expression.

"Old man, you're biased!"

Watching the massive Tailed Beast Bomb fall, Gyuki could only attribute everything to the Sage of Six Paths; who told him to give more than half of the chakra to the Nine-Tails when he divided it back then, while they little guys could only eat the leftovers.

"Wood Style: Wood Human Technique!"

However, there were other people in this barrier besides the Tailed Beasts; facing the Nine-Tails' indiscriminate Tailed Beast Bomb, Hashirama Senju's expression tightened, and he immediately pressed his palms together, using the Wood Human Technique with maxed-out defensive power.

A ferocious ghost-god mask was seen rising from the ground; taking advantage of the time before the mask closed, he turned his head and shouted anxiously at the two people in the field—the Nine-Tails' move was not to be trifled with.

"Madara, Brother Gin, come here quickly!"

"It's fine, don't worry, my cousin can handle it."

Unexpectedly, Uchiha Gin actually refused Hashirama Senju's invitation for shelter.

He was seen waving his hand at Hashirama Senju, then leaped up and stood behind Uchiha Madara; looking at his cousin with a gloomy face, he sighed slightly in his heart, reached out to pat the other's shoulder, and said in consolation:

"Don't be discouraged, if you lose this time, there's always a next time, Second Hokage~"

"..."

Uchiha Madara's heart stalled; this guy really was good at adding fuel to the fire.

"Don't look at me with that kind of gaze, I am an impartial Uchiha Captain!"

Facing Uchiha Madara's dead-silent gaze, Uchiha Gin immediately stated that he was definitely not the kind of rotten person who would engage in favoritism, and even if they were relatives, he couldn't blow a biased whistle.

"Hmph~"

Having no mood to bicker with Uchiha Gin anymore, the unhappy Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes; a blue giant rose abruptly behind him, its massive body clad in heavy armor wrapping the two of them inside.

"Heh heh, being able to watch a Tailed Beast Bomb explosion from such close range can also be considered a special experience."

Knowing that he had entered an absolute safe zone, Uchiha Gin smiled and looked up at the falling Tailed Beast Bomb, his smile becoming increasingly bright.

Truly, not a moment of sadness for Uchiha Madara's defeat~

"Cousin, why did I lose?"

Appearing somewhat dejected, Uchiha Madara slowly lowered his head and asked Uchiha Gin; his cousin was one of the few people he could confide in.

"Phew~ how should I put it..."

Not expecting Uchiha Madara to ask him this question, Uchiha Gin, who was admiring the rare super-massive Tailed Beast Bomb at close range, rubbed his messy curly hair, his lifeless fish-eyes filled with a bit of contemplation.

The position of Hokage is just like this; you, Uchiha Madara, only need to consider victory or defeat, while I, Uchiha Gin, have many things to consider~

"I know!"

Then, as if he had figured something out, Uchiha Gin slammed his palm, revealing an expression of sudden realization, and said to his dejected cousin:

"You must not have read the intelligence carefully; it should have marked the rarity of the Tailed Beasts. If you catch them according to that, you'll definitely win!"

The battle for Hokage ended, and next is the Five Kage Summit.

Heh heh, this round is a game among acquaintances~

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(End of chapter)