After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 232

Chapter 232: I Wasn’t Speaking That Loud Before, Was I?

The Hero Water seemed to undergo a chemical reaction with Hiruko’s Chimera Technique.

The result was the colossal monster now before them, seventy to eighty meters tall.

It's chaotic, mismatched limbs flailed wildly. Hiruko’s face appeared across the body in multiple places—some no bigger than a head, others as large as a house.

"Uuuu—"

Hiruko had completely lost control. He could only utter these meaningless sounds while the Chimera-constructed body began instinctively “devouring” anything containing chakra.

And to it, nothing looked more delicious than the Jinchūriki.

Except for Fu, the remaining three had already entered complete tailed beast transformation.

Because of compatibility limits, the Two-Tails and Four-Tails were only around twenty to thirty meters, far smaller than the original Fifty-plus-meter Gyūki.

Even so, Jinchūriki at this level were not to be underestimated.

Their earlier three-shot volley of Tailed Beast Bombs had not finished the job, but that was fine—they could fire again at any time.

"This still isn’t enough!"

Matatabi and Yugito’s voices blended together, reaching the other two Jinchūriki.

"I can still go on."

“I’m good too, ya fool—keep it cool, yo!”

The Jinchūriki were fine—but the others on the field were not.

"No way! We at least have to wait for Karin to get the villagers clear, or they’ll be caught in it!"

Hands together as he gathered natural energy, Jiraiya shouted across the field.

"Then we brawl to stall it."

As Yugito spoke, Sasuke was already the first to charge.

At the same time, the fully monstrous Hiruko brought a serpent-like limb down with a howl, the slicing wind stinging their ears.

"Now!"

Sasuke’s Sharingan spun. Observation Haki flared wide as he caught the opening amid the descending tentacle and slipped through the gap.

Black-red flames and lightning coiled simultaneously around Sasuke’s transformed form limbs.

Secret Taijutsu Art: Thunder-Flame Flow.

Chakra surged, forcibly fortifying Sasuke’s body until the muscles in his limbs swelled from the strain.

He dropped to all fours and then launched like an over-wound spring, vanishing in a blink.

Boom!

The ground he had stomped cratered five or six meters wide from the recoil.

To everyone’s eyes, Sasuke was a streak of fire, and the hulking mass of Hiruko split in half.

When his form reappeared behind the target, heat-smoke rose from his limbs from friction at extreme speeds.

"Haa—"

With his exhale, lightning, calamity flame, and Haki flashed together across the cut surface of his claws.

"Graaaah!"

The face on the severed section howled in pain.

A moment later, the mountain-sized body tipped to the side.

The enraged Hiruko swiped malformed beast claws at Sasuke, but a sudden octopus limb lashed around and held them fast.

"Idiot and moron! Hogging the spotlight! I do not approve!"

More octopus limbs whipped in. Killer Bee drove the transformed body with the seafaring swordplay he learned from Naruto.

And it worked—the power-over-technique style fit a tailed beast better than chakra-blade forms used in the ninja world.

Even without any ‘Haki’, Bee unleashed his seven-sword style, Lightning Release: Chakra Flow, humming along the steel. ‘Acrobat!’

‘Tailed Beast Eight Twists—Bijū Hachimaki!’

Gyūki spun like a top, the tips of its tails hardening with chakra as they sheared through Hiruko’s bone plating.”

At the same time, Matatabi and Son Goku’s blue hellfire and molten lava arrived.

Their jutsu, in both power and coverage, far outstripped the “discount versions” Jinchūriki typically used in human form.

The adhesive nature of both flame and magma meant that once they clung to Hiruko’s body, no amount of rolling could put them out. That part of the body simply burned away.

At full tilt, it took only one exchange to leave Hiruko shredded and smoking.

But while the fight looked one-sided, the effect was limited.

The burned and severed limbs regenerated in seconds.

Worse, they copied the two-headed serpent’s trait. The new limbs were more numerous, larger, and even more grotesque.

"This won’t do. We need to end it in one blow!"

At Gyūki’s shout, Jiraiya finally moved.

"You two, that technique!"

"Right!"

Fukasaku and Shima inhaled deeply, their throats swelling as a harmonized croak rose into a binding chant.

“Genjutsu: Toad Confrontation Chant

Under the sound field, Hiruko finally reacted differently.

His dulled mind was guided into illusion.

Dimly, Hiruko floated in human form again. Around him stood enormous frog deities with swords in hand.

The frogs extended their hands and enclosed Hiruko’s spirit, sealing him entirely.

"No—no!"

Hiruko struggled, but his mental fortitude had never been that strong.

Perhaps only after completing his so-called immortality ritual could he withstand such a supreme genjutsu.

As Hiruko’s “human” mind was sealed, the “chakra beast” instincts seized control of the body.

The battlefield, calm for only an instant, roared back to life.

Serpent trunk, beast claws, tail whip, fangs—the Chimera’s instinctive assault looked even more dangerous than Hiruko’s direct control.

"Sage Art: Goemon!"

At some point, the Toad Sages had stopped singing. They stood at Jiraiya’s sides, one breathing fire and the other hurricanes. With Jiraiya’s oil jet, a tidal firestorm returned.

Not this time—no Preta Path would be absorbing sage-enhanced ninjutsu.

The firestorm seemed to have a will. Under Jiraiya’s control, it wrapped the Chimera, without spreading outward.

"Incredible."

The three Jinchūriki stood aside, watching the torch-like monstrosity burn, their respect for Jiraiya rising again.

It was their first time seeing him cut loose.

The sage flames lasted several minutes, finally guttering only when Jiraiya had to drop Sage Mode.

When the flames cleared, charred bone plating was all that remained.

Before anyone relaxed, tenacious mucus flowed out from inside the shell and swept outward again.

"What!?"

Anything the mucus touched, living or not, was forcibly assimilated.

If not for the fast reactions of the three Jinchūriki and Sasuke, they too would have been swallowed.

"What a terrifying vitality."

Seeing the body swell anew, they braced for another round.

By now, Karin had flown the villagers far enough away. No more holding back.

Clatter—chains rattled. Jiraiya’s face relaxed instinctively.

So did Killer Bee and Yugito.

"Looks like Naruto is done on his end."

Adamantine Sealing Chains lanced into the Chimera and locked it in place, holding its form at that size.

But the monster’s chakra kept surging. If it were only chains, it would break free eventually.

Unfortunately for it, Naruto did not intend to give it the chance.

Under the stunned gazes of the newer members, Naruto opened his mouth and performed another live devouring of a giant beast.

The chains drew the monster toward Naruto’s maw.

As it neared, a force distorted and shrank the body until Naruto swallowed it down.

They watched, speechless, as the creature, larger than most tailed beasts, was eaten bit by bit.

No one spoke.

"Urp—eating that much at once is a bit—urp—much."

Producing a handkerchief from somewhere, Naruto dabbed his mouth, then rubbed his round, swollen stomach and ambled over.

"Hey—my voice wasn’t that loud earlier, was it?"

Watching Naruto approach, Rōshi felt fear for the first time in his life.

Not just his fear—the Four-Tails inside him felt the same.

If this kid can gulp down a monster that big, can he eat us, too?

The tailed beasts present shared the same thought, including Seven-Tails Chomei inside Fu.