Chapter 359: 303. Chapter 300: The Toy Men Cannot Resist

303. Chapter 300: The Toy Men Cannot Resist

"Is this... armor?"

Hozuki Gengetsu's barren brain could not comprehend what the magnificent armor that had suddenly appeared on Kinkaku's body actually was.

The other two beside him wore grave expressions; they could clearly sense a tyrannical killing intent emanating from Kinkaku, and they couldn't help but wonder if the Hidden Cloud Village had discovered the correct way to use Tailed Beasts.

"Hahahaha!"

Having completed his transformation, Kinkaku first raised his head and let out a long roar toward the sky, then slowly lowered his head to stare at the three vigilant men before him, tilting his head stiffly before gently pressing his palm against the box at his waist.

"Watch out!"

Mu, who had the strongest sensory perception among the three, was the first to notice that the opponent was about to strike. After shouting a warning, he spiraled into the sky, while Shamon and Hozuki Gengetsu stood ready, eyes wide and fixed on the silver-and-blue Kinkaku.

"Freeze Vent!"

The three, who were in the middle of refining chakra, suddenly felt a violent blockage in their internal meridians; their chakra seemed to have been frozen. Because Mu could not maintain his Light-Weight Rock Technique, he fell from the sky and landed face-first in the dirt.

"A sealing jutsu?"

With their chakra frozen, the word "sealing jutsu" flashed through the minds of the three, and their hearts sank. Without the reinforcement of chakra, they were nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered in Kinkaku's hands.

"Hmph~"

Kinkaku, having successfully executed a knight-exclusive skill, snorted coldly, then assumed a sprinting stance and vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.

"Bang!"

The bewildered Mu was closed in on by Kinkaku and sent flying into the air with an uppercut.

"Thud!"

Hozuki Gengetsu, who had crossed his arms in defense and attempted to use the Hydrification Technique, took an elbow strike to his back from Kinkaku. He flew horizontally and slammed heavily into a large rock, spitting out blood.

"Smack!"

Finally, there was Shamon, who was slapped on his bald head by Kinkaku; he felt a intense wave of dizziness sweep through his entire brain.

Kinkaku had taken less than ten seconds to instantly defeat the three. He clapped his hands with some disappointment, and the killing intent in his heart surfaced involuntarily.

"Is this all there is to it?"

"What... exactly are you?"

The three, who had not yet completely lost consciousness, looked at Kinkaku's eyes filled with killing intent and asked with trembling voices, their eyes full of despair.

"Hahaha, who am I?"

Hearing this question, Kinkaku grinned hideously and said slowly,

"I am... the Tailed Beast Knight!"

As expected!

Kakuzu, who was watching the battle from the side, examined Kinkaku, who had transformed into the Tailed Beast Knight. From the moment the opponent took out the transformation device, he confirmed that the opponent was just like him—a knight possessing the power of a Tailed Beast.

"Matatabi is crying."

Just as Kakuzu was feeling moved, the voice of Gyuki suddenly echoed in his mind again.

"Crying? Is he different from me?"

Kakuzu was stunned upon hearing this and immediately asked for clarification.

"Human, I advise you to leave here quickly; Matatabi is about to go mad."

Gyuki did not answer Kakuzu's question, but instead, contrary to his usual behavior, urged him to run away quickly.

"Understood!"

Kakuzu, who also knew that this place was not a good place to stay, immediately held his breath and focused, lowering his presence to the minimum, and moved his feet to slip away in a safe direction.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A dull voice came from behind; it was Ginkaku, who had just escaped from the Swamp of the Underworld. The brothers were switching shifts, and now it was his turn to keep an eye on Kakuzu.

"Tailed Beast Knight?"

The defeated trio looked at each other; they truly had no intelligence regarding this.

"That's right! I am the only Tailed Beast Knight in this ninja world!"

Kinkaku, transformed into the Tailed Beast Knight, showed none of the calmness from before; his emotions were extremely unstable, and his manic tone made one's entire body go cold.

No, you are not~

"Gin, you don't seem very surprised?"

Uchiha Hikari, sitting in the spectator seats, looked at the calm Uchiha Gin beside her and couldn't help but feel suspicious. Logically speaking, he should be the most appreciative of such flashy things; how could he be so composed this time?

"Huh? I'm very shocked, okay? Didn't you see that I even dropped my melon seeds?"

Uchiha Gin, whose expression management was lacking, pointed at the melon seeds on the ground and defended himself repeatedly.

"Mr. Gin, what kind of method is this? Is it a sealing jutsu?"

If it were the untransformed Kinkaku, Uchiha Jiri believed she could take him down, but after the transformation, the young lady had no confidence, so she immediately asked her master.

"Uh... it has a bit of sealing jutsu mixed in."

Uchiha Gin, with an unreadable expression, answered with some hesitation.

Mixed in?

Hearing this answer, the three women beside him turned their gazes toward Uchiha Gin in unison, their eyes full of inquiry.

"Curly-haired baboon, what do you mean by that? Do you recognize that box?"

As long as the three women weren't blind, they could all see that the gray box was the key prop for Kinkaku's transformation, and Uchiha Gin seemed to know some inside information.

"More than just recognize it, that thing was crafted by me."

Knowing that the matter of the transformation device would be exposed sooner or later, Uchiha Gin simply laid his cards on the table, directly and generously admitting that he was the Father of Knights.

"Hahahaha!!!"

After a brief moment of silence, Senju Itama was the first to laugh out loud, while Uchiha Hikari and Uchiha Jiri also wore teasing smiles, shaking their heads repeatedly to tell Uchiha Gin to stop spouting nonsense.

"Damn it, that thing really was crafted by me! Believe me!"

"Fine, fine, we know~"

"No, that is definitely not the look of trust!"

"ROAR!!!"

Just as Uchiha Gin was trying hard to prove his title as the Father of Knights, Kinkaku, who had been relatively stable just a moment ago, suddenly let out a roar like a wild beast, drawing everyone's attention.

"Not good!"

Ginkaku, who was staring down Kakuzu, heard this roar and shouted that it was bad.

"What is the situation?"

Kakuzu, who also sensed that the roar was ominous, couldn't help but ask.

"Rampage."

A trace of fear flashed in Ginkaku's tiger-like eyes, and he said to Kakuzu with a heavy expression,

"Don't think about running. In a rampage state, Kinkaku will indiscriminately attack all targets within his sight, especially those who try to flee; they will die a miserable death."

"What happened to him?"

Because Kinkaku had fallen into a rampage state, the frozen chakra of Hozuki Gengetsu and the other two began to flow slowly. Having regained their combat strength, they looked at Kinkaku, who was emitting black energy, with furrowed brows.

"Roar!"

Before they could think further, the rampaging Kinkaku had already locked his gaze onto them. With a single roar, the three felt a blur before their eyes, and blood splattered from their chests.

"He's even faster!"

The three, who had been sent flying, landed on the ground and looked at the claw marks on their chests that were deep enough to see bone; their hearts sank. They might actually die.

"Hey! You guys, if you want to live, help me subdue him."

Just then, a rough voice sounded behind them, and they saw Ginkaku walking over with a reluctant Kakuzu.

"Why should we? Such a dangerous thing, I don't want to do it!"

Hozuki Gengetsu, who had just been beaten up by the brothers in turns, immediately jumped in anger. He scoffed at Ginkaku's words and, while speaking, started to walk away, wanting to exit the scene first.

Since they couldn't win by force, it was better to slip away first; as long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood~

"I advise you not to run."

"Only a fool wouldn't run!"

"Swish~"

The moment Hozuki Gengetsu turned around, Kinkaku's sharp claws arrived, aiming straight for his heart from behind.

"Holy crap!"

Fortunately, Hozuki Gengetsu's Hydrification Technique was excellent; the moment before the claws touched his skin, he turned into a puddle of liquid, dodging the fatal blow.

"Believe me now?"

Ginkaku, who had retreated to the side, shook his head with a sigh.

"Damn it!"

Hozuki Gengetsu, who transformed from liquid back into human form, climbed up resentfully. Seeing this, Mu and Shamon wisely joined Ginkaku's camp.

"Let me explain the situation to you: my brother has not yet fully mastered the power of the Tailed Beast. After transforming, there is a certain chance he will fall into a rampage state. Only by subduing him and stripping off his transformation device can he be restored to sanity."

Ginkaku's eyes flickered. Kinkaku's rampages had happened more than once or twice. Fortunately, in the past, it had been within the Hidden Cloud Village, and the A brothers and the village's experts could help suppress his rampaging brother. Now that the incident was sudden, he could only rely on these small-fry to assist him.

"What's in it for us if we help you?"

Shamon, who was calculating, was the first to raise his hand and ask.

"Staying alive."

"That doesn't count. We're dead either way, so we might as well just give up."

Shamon indicated that if there was no reward, he would just slack off.

"Fine, if the deed is done, I will share the Tailed Beast intelligence with you."

After weighing the options repeatedly, Kinkaku spoke slowly.

"That won't do. We also want the intelligence regarding the Tailed Beast knight!"

Mu looked at the menacing Ginkaku and demanded coldly.

"Hmph! Survive first, then we'll talk!"

Kinkaku did not agree, but he did not refuse either.

"Hey, hey, hey, what about me?"

Kakuzu, who had been left on the sidelines, pointed at himself and reminded them with a bewildered expression.

"Cover us. If you dare to run away, I will kill you before Ginkaku makes a move."

In Kinkaku's view, Kakuzu, as a rogue ninja, had no qualifications to participate in this battle. The only reason he could stand here was because he held intelligence on the Seven-Tails; otherwise, he would have already become a corpse.

"I..."

Kakuzu was speechless upon hearing this, and Kinkaku no longer had the time to pay him any mind. Ginkaku was sinking deeper into a berserk state, and his human consciousness was about to be devoured by the power of the Tailed Beast.

"Ahem!"

Kinkaku waved his hand, his entire body transforming into a bolt of lightning as he vanished from the spot. The remaining few exchanged glances, then braced themselves and gave chase.

"Ginkaku! Snap out of it!"

Kinkaku, having activated his Lightning Armor mode, landed a heavy elbow strike on Ginkaku's chest and shouted loudly.

"Roar!"

Having lost his reason, Ginkaku could not understand human speech. He raised his arms, knocking Kinkaku aside, and then, with eyes glowing red beneath his faceplate, his sharp claws swiped at his brother without mercy.

"Boom!"

At this critical moment, a white light descended from the sky; it was the Dust Release technique Mu had unleashed from mid-air. Ginkaku, with his keen senses, caught the scent of danger and immediately abandoned his pursuit of Kinkaku, dodging the Dust Release with a flash.

Amidst the stirred-up dust and smoke, Ginkaku locked his target onto the panting Mu, his violent killing intent feeling almost tangible.

"Bandage man, get out of the way!"

Mu, gasping for air in mid-air, suddenly heard the warning from below. He turned his head in confusion, only to be met by a heavy fist wrapped in ghostly blue flames.

"Ah!"

Unable to dodge in time, Mu was struck in the back by the fist. The searing, stinging pain made him unable to hold back a cry of agony. He screamed as he fell from the sky, slamming heavily into the ground with his eyes rolling back, becoming the first to lose his combat capability.

"What an idiot!"

Hozuki Gengetsu, seeing his old rival taken out in one move, mocked him with disdain, but the worry in his eyes deepened. He immediately raised his hands, and countless Water Gun bullets shot toward Ginkaku.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

Shamon, standing to the side, also unleashed his signature ninjutsu. Countless wind bullets sprayed from his mouth, aimed directly at Ginkaku.

"Roar~"

Facing the incoming water and wind bullets, Ginkaku appeared exceptionally calm. He let out a low growl and vanished from the spot once again.

"Where did he go?"

Seeing Ginkaku suddenly disappear, Shamon and the other looked around in shock.

"Watch out behind you!"

Kinkaku's voice made the two jump. Hozuki Gengetsu, having had a previous experience, used the Hydrification Technique to save his life, but Shamon was not so lucky. He took a solid hit from Ginkaku's cat-like claws and lost his combat capability on the spot.

"Sigh."

Watching his temporary allies get taken out the moment the battle started, Kinkaku sighed inwardly, his eyes filled with deep gravity.

Back when Ginkaku went berserk before, it had taken the perfect coordination of the A brothers, combined with the elite forces of the Hidden Cloud Village, to take him down.

Now, although these guys had decent combat power, they had zero coordination and were being picked off by Ginkaku one by one in minutes.

If he didn't help Ginkaku break the transformation, his life would be burned away by this armor.

While he was thinking, Hozuki Gengetsu, who had just escaped disaster, was targeted by Ginkaku again.

"Ah!"

Ginkaku's fists, stained with ghostly blue flames, beat the partially hydrated Hozuki Gengetsu until he was howling. Within a few breaths, he lay on the ground, spiritless, becoming the third person eliminated.

"That... do you need my help?"

Watching the three fall one after another, Kakuzu, who had been watching from the side, suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?"

Kinkaku, who was preparing for a desperate fight, was stunned after hearing Kakuzu's words.

"But it will cost you. My appearance fee isn't low."

Even at a time like this, Kakuzu still had the leisure to pitch himself to Kinkaku.

"Nonsense. If you can help me suppress Ginkaku, name your price."

Kinkaku took it as a joke and shook his head, speechless as he looked at the serious-looking Kakuzu.

Having said that, he ignored Kakuzu, activated his strongest Lightning Armor mode, and charged at the roaring Ginkaku with both fists.

Rushing to Ginkaku's side with lightning speed, Kinkaku grabbed his brother and lifted him high before he could react. Violent Lightning Release erupted from his palms, and with the force of ten thousand tons, he slammed Ginkaku hard into the ground.

"Lightning Duck Neck!"

"Boom!"

The super-heavyweight impact blasted a crater several meters wide into the ground. Kinkaku retreated a few steps, looking at his trembling hands with deep emotion.

Although he was still a bit inferior to the Raikage, he wondered if Ginkaku could handle that.

"Roar!"

He had expected Ginkaku to faint from that move, but to his surprise, Ginkaku wobbled as he crawled out of the crater. The killing intent in his eyes made Kinkaku's heart skip a beat.

"Thud!"

The next moment, Ginkaku's claws were already before Kinkaku's eyes. Frightened, he hurriedly raised his hands to defend, but he was still sent flying several meters away.

"Cough, cough!"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Kinkaku looked at his brother with a complex expression. Then, as if he had made a decision, he opened his mouth wide and spat out a gourd.

"It has come to this; I have no choice but to use this."

Holding the red gourd, Kinkaku flashed in front of Ginkaku and held the gourd high, waiting for Ginkaku to speak.

"..."

However, as time ticked by, Ginkaku suddenly became very quiet, not making a single sound. From the look in his eyes beneath the faceplate, Kinkaku could actually see a hint of human-like mockery.

"Don't waste your effort, human."

The female voice that suddenly came from Ginkaku's mouth truly gave Kinkaku a shock. When did his brother become a sister?

"Who are you?"

Not daring to be careless, Kinkaku frowned and asked.

"Who am I? This human ambushed me and sealed me in this strange card, and now you're asking me who I am?"

The female voice grew more agitated as she spoke, and the tyrannical aura in her words made Kinkaku realize the truth.

"You are the Two-Tails! Give me back my brother!"

"Hmph~ Self-righteous. This is the punishment for attempting to manipulate my power. His life is about to come to an end~"

Hearing the Two-Tails' explanation, Kinkaku was instantly in a state of panic. He didn't care about using the red gourd anymore; he flared his Lightning Armor and charged again.

"Although I hate this human, I must admit, a human body is truly easy to use."

Seeing Kinkaku charging at him, the Two-Tails calmly extended a hand. A pitch-black light sphere condensed in her palm, and in a short while, it expanded to the size of half a person.

A mini version of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Boom!"

With nowhere to hide, Kinkaku had no choice but to face the Tailed Beast Bomb head-on. Following a violent explosion, Kinkaku's burly body slowly collapsed.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Fortunately, his body, tempered by years of training, saved his life. But Kinkaku, having lost his combat capability, could only watch helplessly as Ginkaku turned and walked away. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before his brother's vitality was drained dry by it.

"Gin, should we make our move now?"

Uchiha Hikari, who had been patient for a long time, watched Ginkaku with glowing eyes. Such a rare opponent was not common; if they missed this, who knew how long they would have to wait.

"No rush. Aren't there still people standing?"

Casting his gaze toward the silent Kakuzu, Uchiha Gin spoke slowly.

"Where is anyone still standing? Aren't they all lying on the ground with their mouths open and eyes closed?"

Now, the only person left standing on the battlefield was Kakuzu. Watching Ginkaku's retreating back, he walked over to the blood-coughing Kinkaku and spoke.

"One hundred million, and I'll take him down for you."

"Huh?"

Not expecting Kakuzu to still have the heart to joke at a time like this, Kinkaku suppressed the blood rising in his throat and replied.

"Are you choosing money over your life?"

"No, only children make choices. I want it all!"

"Fine, fine, fine! If you can really do it, I'll give you one billion!"

Kinkaku, laughed in anger, couldn't help but shout. In his view, all of them had been beaten down by Ginkaku, and a rogue ninja from a small village dared to spout such nonsense—he clearly didn't want to live.

"It's a deal! Write me a contract first~"

Kakuzu's eyes lit up. He quickly pulled paper and a pen from his bag and began to write. In no time, the contract was finished.

"Sign it~"

"Are you crazy? You're serious?"

The bewildered Kinkaku signed the contract in a daze; Kakuzu looked at the document with the ink still wet in his hands with satisfaction, smiled as he tucked it away, then stood up, pulled out a shuriken weathered by the wind and frost, and flicked it toward Ginkaku.

"Cling~"

It was evident that the quality of this shuriken was not particularly good; it flew in a wobbly arc, grazed Ginkaku's shoulder, and stuck into an innocent tree trunk.

"Human, do you want to die?"

Facing this blatant provocation, Ginkaku slowly turned his head and asked with a cold, sinister gaze.

"Taking people's money, I resolve their disasters."

Facing the violent killing intent of the Two-Tails, Kakuzu's expression showed no fear.

Does this brat not want to live anymore?

The trio, who had already slowly regained consciousness, watched Kakuzu flick the shuriken at Ginkaku, and the same thought flashed through their minds.

"Strange, that is why I cannot understand humans."

The Two-Tails controlled Ginkaku to turn around, eerie blue flames erupting from its hands.

Facing the scorching blue flames, Kakuzu showed no fear on his face; he was seen slowly reaching into the bag behind his waist and, to the horrified gazes of everyone, pulling out a box with the same design as Ginkaku's, immediately causing a commotion.

"Ah! How does he have that strange box too?"

"Get one for me too~"

"Post the link! Post the link quickly!"

Sure enough, belts are toys that no man can resist.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I am..."

Kakuzu, who had just wanted to answer, suddenly felt a burning pain on his face and immediately shut his mouth; he then pulled a glittering gold card from his inner clothing.

"That is... Chomei?"

The Two-Tails looked at Kakuzu's actions with a solemn expression; when it saw him pull out a card radiating the aura of the Seven-Tails, the Two-Tails nearly dropped its jaw, never expecting that besides itself, there were other Tailed Beasts trapped in such a plight.

"Lord Divine Beast, please lend me your power!"

Holding the card in his hand high, Kakuzu wore a look of determination; he placed the card in front of himself and requested with a very sincere attitude.

The card immediately flashed with a dazzling light, as if responding to his request.

This sequence of actions left the Two-Tails stunned; why was his method different from its own?

"Thank you, Lord Divine Beast!"

Having obtained the permission of the Seven-Tails, Kakuzu immediately set his stance, one hand supporting the transformation device while the other held the card, slowly inserting it into the card slot on the side.

"Chomei! Seven-Tails Chomei! The invincible rhinoceros beetle!"

Accompanied by the electronic sound from the belt, Kakuzu, with a profound look in his eyes, pushed the belt and whispered,

"Henshin!"

"Turn Up!"

A wall engraved with a rhinoceros beetle appeared in the void and slowly collided with Kakuzu; he did not dodge but bravely faced it head-on. As the human body shattered the barrier, a silver-white rhinoceros beetle knight appeared before everyone.

"He is actually a Tailed Beast Knight too!"

Gengetsu Hozuki, lying on the ground, had his pupils dilate in shock; he never expected that this rogue ninja he had looked down upon was actually a warrior possessing the power of a Tailed Beast.

"No wonder the Seven-Tails went missing; it was on him all along."

Kinkaku, who knew the origin of the Tailed Beast Knights, looked at the Tailed Beast Knight Kakuzu had transformed into with a complex expression; while sighing, he also felt a bit of relief—his brother might be saved.

"Come and fight!"

Slowly drawing the short blade at his waist, Kakuzu, transformed into the Tailed Beast Knight, felt an inexplicable sense of destiny arise within him; looking at the stealthy tiger before him that was gradually falling into a frenzy, he said coldly,

"Those who become knights will bear the fate of being unable to escape battle." (End of chapter)