*Chapter 289: Sasuke, You’re So Weak!*

The Uzumaki Clan's ability to capture tailed beasts was practically second nature!

There wasn’t a single tailed beast that could resist once the Uzumaki Clan made a move.

The Uzumaki Clan's bloodline limit was specifically designed for capturing tailed beasts.

This is why most people in the ninja world wanted members of the Uzumaki Clan to serve as jinchūriki.

After all, with an Uzumaki as the jinchūriki, things would be far more stable.

As long as nothing crazy happened, a tailed beast could be sealed inside for decades without issue.

Even the most powerful of the nine-tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails, was no exception.

“They’re coming up!”

The red hair behind Kushina Uzumaki flew wildly as the chains on her body clattered.

While sealing a tailed beast was usually easy, this one had a peculiar situation.

At the moment, Kushina was purely relying on her own chakra to fight against the Three-Tails' chakra.

Kushina’s chakra level was unmatched by anyone present.

However, a tailed beast is a natural chakra aggregate, and besides chakra, they were essentially made up of nothing else.

That’s why Kushina was struggling so much!

“Let me handle this!”

Standing on the water’s surface, Zephyr grinned widely.

Such a monstrous being, yet its behavior was so cautious.

If they let someone else handle it, something might go wrong.

If they allowed the beast to escape again, they might never be able to catch up.

Zephyr believed that only by taking action himself could he subdue the beast.

“It’s all yours, Instructor Zephyr!”

Kushina nodded, releasing a sudden burst of chakra.

In an instant, the chains behind her started retracting, and the chakra explosion from her body became even more terrifying.

In just a split second, the shockwave from her chakra blast shook the nearby Hyuga clan ninja.

He was filled with disbelief as he watched through his Byakugan. Is this even human?

Such an enormous amount of chakra.

Her chakra was now nearly on par with that of a tailed beast.

This monster...

Boom!

A huge splash erupted from the water's surface.

Zephyr smirked, his muscles bulging.

With a fierce expression, he threw all of his power into his fist.

Boom!

The moment his fist made contact with the turtle’s shell, a terrifying force rippled through the Three-Tails.

In just a short moment—

Crack!

The cracks on the turtle shell spread rapidly, visible to the naked eye.

Countless fractures extended until they covered the entire shell.

Snap!

A loud crack.

The shell shattered completely.

“Humans...”

The Three-Tails’ eyes were filled with disbelief.

Never had he expected humans to be capable of such a feat.

He could recall that only the savages of the Cloud Village had ever fought tailed beasts in hand-to-hand combat.

As for the rest, they didn’t stand a chance.

But now, Zephyr's display of power had left the Three-Tails utterly shocked.

The Three-Tails no longer had the strength to resist.

Its body was sealed in chains, and its shell was smashed to pieces.

“Excellent! Now it’s your turn.”

Zephyr nodded in satisfaction, signaling to the people on the shore.

Several individuals hurriedly pushed forward a machine.

This was a robot designed by Orochimaru to capture the chakra of tailed beasts.

With improvements by the AI-controlled Sasori, the robot could now temporarily seal a tailed beast.

As long as the tailed beast wasn’t too aggressive, like the Nine-Tails, it could be sealed for one or two months.

But they didn’t need it sealed for that long; once the Three-Tails was captured, they’d take it to the airborne fortress.

The fortress had sealing techniques, and once the beast was thrown in, it could be used to power the floating fortress.

It could even fire chakra cannons that were as powerful as the tailed beast bombs.

The strength of the cannon depended on how much chakra they gathered.

If they managed to combine the chakra of all nine tailed beasts, one shot could easily wipe out an island!

And this was before Sasori had fully developed the technology.

It was rumored that Sasori was also planning to create peacekeepers similar to the Navy's.

At that point, they would wield lasers like Kizaru’s, and potentially even the powerful tailed beast bombs.

With simple artificial intelligence, they would be able to contend with opponents as powerful as those with a 300-million-ryō bounty.

However, they would be defenseless against Haki, crumbling like paper in the face of such power.

“This beast is so weak. I barely threw one punch, and it couldn't handle it.”

Zephyr rotated his shoulders as he walked toward Kushina.

Initially, he had some expectations for these monsters.

But now, seeing how easily they crumbled, Zephyr felt he might have to call Kakashi over.

After all, Kakashi's Devil Fruit ability would be ideal for pursuing these creatures.

“Instructor Zephyr, it’s because you’re too strong! No one can withstand your punch,” said a nearby ninja.

Zephyr’s strength was beyond question.

In Dressrosa, few could go toe-to-toe with Zephyr.

Ever since he recovered from his injuries, his body had grown even stronger than before—so much so that even Kaido would avoid crossing paths with him.

Such strength!

To be honest, fighting a tailed beast felt like bullying.

With that level of power, even the resurrected Sage of the Six Paths would struggle against him.

“Hahaha! That just means I haven’t gotten old yet! Next up, we’re catching the Seven-Tails. Let’s hope it gives me some excitement.”

“You youngsters were trembling when facing these tailed beasts. Next time, I want all of you to fight one directly!”

“No matter if it’s a group attack or whatever, just capture the tailed beast. Don’t embarrass me!”

Zephyr burst out laughing, feeling the endless power flowing through his body. It was almost absurd how strong he’d become.

At this point, if he opened the Eight Gates, even Garp might not be able to withstand a punch.

Against tailed beasts, to be honest, they were just slightly larger giants in his eyes.

Even the Giant Clan might be more useful than these creatures!

“Yes, Instructor Zephyr!”

The surrounding ninjas nodded in agreement, all looking at him with admiration.

Kushina, on the other hand, could only sigh helplessly, planning to find some fun after the tailed beast was captured.

“They should be nearby.”

Fugaku Uchiha looked down at a White Zetsu and asked.

His heart was calm. Uchiha Madara surely knew they had been infiltrated, which was why he had relocated.

So Fugaku didn’t bother to warn Madara, since he was just an ancestor anyway.

Who even knew if Madara was truly still alive?

“Yes, Sasuke is waiting for you,”

White Zetsu confirmed with a nod.

“Don’t worry, there’s no one else here. It’s just you and Sasuke.”

“This is your duel. We won’t interfere.”

White Zetsu smiled.

“That’s good to know.”

Fugaku didn’t ask about Raijin Uchiha.

His mind was entirely focused on Sasuke.

As for his wife, Fugaku had long since forgotten about her.

After all this time, who knew what had happened to her?

She might have even fallen under Raijin Uchiha's control.

Fugaku calmly walked forward, carefully regulating his breathing.

He wanted to make sure he was composed when he finally saw Sasuke.

At last, Fugaku arrived in front of a massive skeleton.

It looked like the remains of a large animal that had died long ago.

Without hesitation, Fugaku stepped inside.

“Fugaku Uchiha! You’ve finally come!”

At this moment, an angry roar echoed!

A man wielding lightning charged straight at Uchiha Fugaku.

A burst of thunder appeared, aiming directly at Fugaku's eyes.

“Bang!”

Though Fugaku had lost an arm, his ninja instincts were still sharp.

His Sharingan immediately detected the attack’s trajectory, and with a swift turn of his head, he kicked out.

The terrifying force sent Sasuke crashing into the wall.

“Looks like Uchiha Raijin didn’t teach you well!”

Standing firm, Uchiha Fugaku slowly turned towards the figure climbing out of the rubble.

His eyes, once full of warmth, now held only cold indifference as they gazed at Uchiha Sasuke.

Disappointment was visible in his eyes, as though seeing his toy had been broken.

But deep down, Fugaku was utterly shocked by Sasuke’s power and his sudden use of that jutsu.

If he hadn’t activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, he might have been killed by Sasuke’s strike.

It could be said now that Sasuke already possessed the strength of a Jonin.

This realization left Fugaku momentarily stunned.

At what age had he achieved Jonin-level power?

After all, not every Uchiha was born a prodigy.

Although awakening the Sharingan greatly enhanced one's abilities, it didn’t negate the limitations of age.

How old was Sasuke now? Eleven?

This guy!

He really had developed into a Jonin at such a young age.

His mastery of ninjutsu and taijutsu was exceptional, relieving Fugaku’s concern—at least his son wasn’t a disappointment.

He had always hoped for his son to succeed, and Itachi’s failure weighed heavily on him as a father.

After all, Itachi had turned his back on the Uchiha and sided with the Hokage. Fugaku had no control over that.

Even if Itachi had succeeded, it would’ve only added another general to the Hokage’s ranks.

But Sasuke...

Now, he had only one son left.

There was no one else to pin his hopes on.

“Uchiha Fugaku! I’ve been waiting for this moment, to cleanse the shame you brought to the Uchiha clan!”

“Because you and Itachi betrayed the honor of the Uchiha! It’s because of you two…”

“All the suffering I’ve endured, I’ll make sure you experience it too!”

Sasuke stood up, glaring at Fugaku with gritted teeth.

Though he knew he might not be able to defeat this man, the flames of revenge burned ever stronger in his heart.

It even pushed his power beyond its limits.

“Suffering? You enjoyed the privileges I gave you within the Uchiha clan! You bear the burden of being the son of the clan head.”

“The honor of the Uchiha clan? I don’t care. I once held those naive beliefs too.”

“But long ago, I gave up on that. The so-called honor you speak of is laughable.”

“What is Uchiha but a dog of the Leaf Village?”

“No matter how powerful Uchiha Raijin was, he could not resist the Leaf.”

“So, everything Uchiha Raijin did was wrong. What I did was right.”

“By bowing to the Leaf and allowing them to handle us, that was the only way to truly preserve the Uchiha.”

“And what could Raijin have done? He would’ve only led us into a mutual destruction with the Leaf.”

“How many of the Uchiha are even left now? Sasuke, I didn’t think you were so short-sighted.”

Fugaku looked at Sasuke with deep disappointment.

But the words coming from his mouth carried a sense of bitterness.

Of course Fugaku had wanted to strengthen the Uchiha.

But with attacks from the Leaf on the outside and internal strife within the Uchiha, he was caught between two forces.

His abilities were limited—there was nothing more he could have done.

“That’s why you’re so foolish. Under Uchiha Raijin, the Uchiha have founded their own nation, and in a short time, their population has already exceeded a thousand.”

“There are even more newborn Uchiha, and the clans that followed Raijin are obedient.”

“Over there, the Uchiha have real power. Meanwhile, you’ve wallowed here in the Leaf. Your vision is just as narrow as Itachi’s.”

“As I thought! Killing you is the best choice!”

Sasuke flipped his wrist, summoning a long blade.

Lightning surged into the blade, causing it to glow white.

The light continuously flickered, stabbing at Fugaku’s eyes.

But at that moment, Fugaku wasn’t listening to Sasuke’s words anymore.

What?

The Uchiha population had surpassed a thousand?

Ever since joining the Leaf, the Uchiha’s numbers had been in constant decline.

After all, many Uchiha had only one child, and most adults died on the battlefield.

Some of their children didn’t even live long enough to have their own.

That’s why the Uchiha population had always been dropping.

“You have no right to judge Itachi! Itachi was a genius of the Uchiha clan, and what about you?”

Fugaku’s sharp words continued.

“Then let me show you how much I’ve improved.”

“And after I’m done, I’ll pry every last bit of information about the Leaf from your mouth.”

“After washing away your insults to the Uchiha, I’ll personally avenge the clan.”

Sasuke wasted no more words, charging at Fugaku with his blade.

The blade sliced through the air, leaving a silver arc in its wake.

Enhanced by the speed of Lightning Release and bolstered by Lightning Armor, Sasuke’s figure transformed into a blur of lightning.

It was impossible to follow his movements with the naked eye.

“Then show me how much you’ve grown.”

Fugaku flipped out a kunai, his Mangekyo Sharingan fully activated.

Every move Sasuke made was captured by his eyes!

(Chapter ends)