"Little Reto grew up well"

"Roar!!" "Roar!!"

The roar of the beast was so fierce that it created a shock wave that rippled through the air, sending people stumbling backwards in surprise.

As for others, the ground trembled beneath their feet causing them to lose their balance and fall to the ground.

The sound was so loud that it seemed to reverberate through every cell in their bodies, making their hearts race and their ears ring

"It's the one tail!!" "The one-tailed monster has come for us!" "Run!"

Panic set in as people scrambled to get away from the beast. The streets became chaotic as they rushed to gather their families and belongings, the doors creaked open, and screams filled the air.

They have heard the tales of the One-Tailed Beast's destructive power and its ability to level entire villages.

Some of the braver Shinobis gathered their wits and went towards the tailed beast, but most were too terrified and went towards the opposite direction

But just as all hope seemed lost, two figures burst forth from the crowd, their eyes blazing with determination.

The Kazekage and his second in command Shamon charged forward towards Shukaku the one-tailed beast

20 shinobis all wearing white masks and black clothing, swiftly arrived beside the Kazekage and Shamon and ran beside them

"Lord forgive us for being late"

"What happened!? How did the one-tailed beast remove the seal? And what happened to my Uncle?"

"Lord, take a look over there"

The Anbu in the leading position pointed below the one-tailed beast. The Kazekage saw an old man looking at them, someone he knew very well.

"W-what?" His eyes are wide with incredulity, his mouth agape, and his mind reeling in disbelief unable to process what he was witnessing.

"Why is he with the one-tail? Did my uncle betray our village?"

The Kazekage looked at Shamon running beside him seemingly asking for his opinion, only to see that Shamon as shocked as him

"Shamon!"

"Y-yes?"

"Let's split into two groups and split those two up"

 "The wind users will help me in attacking the one-tailed beast while you lead the puppet users and the other shinobis and deal with my uncle"

"Wait lord, let's not be hasty. Look at them, they are not doing anything that harms the villa-"

Shamon wasn't able to finish what he was about to say as the towering sand dome started to materialise. The once-clear night sky was now shrouded in a thick, yellowish haze, and the moon's gentle light was reduced to a faint glow, casting an eerie orange hue over the village

"Wind users, Formation C!"

"Yes lord!"

The Kazekage, an experienced shinobi who battled throughout the warring era, responded immediately and jumped into the air; 15 Anbus joined him, making a straight line.

 "Wind Style: Wind wall"

The group of shinobi expertly executed a well-coordinated wind-style technique, summoning a swirling vortex of air that condensed into a thick, impenetrable wall of wind. The sandy storm raging towards them was halted in its tracks as if frozen in mid-air, as the shinobi's manipulation of the atmosphere effectively blocked the torrent of golden grains.

The wall of wind held strong, preventing the sands from enveloping the entire village

"Formation D!"

7 Shinobis went towards the centre in a V-line formation

"Wind Style: Great Wind Barrage"

After bringing their hands to their mouth, the Shinobis blow a large blast of wind, slicing and dicing the dome of sand in front of them

Despite their best efforts, the dome continued to form, a seemingly endless cycle of destruction and reconstruction that had become a never-ending battle

While the Kazekage and the 15 Anbu are halting the advance of the sand dome. Shamon, the other Anbus and the Shinobis that saw and joined them charged towards the tailed beast

"Lord Shamon, what should we do?"

"Let's go behind them and try to keep their attention away from the village, use everything you got"

The group of shinobi led by Shamon, sneak up behind the one-tailed beast. As they reached the perfect position, Shamon gave a silent signal and the shinobis simultaneously released a barrage of smoke bombs, and Kunai with paper bombs

Upon contact, it momentarily blinded the beast and diverted its attention away from the village.

The plan was to give the villagers enough time to evacuate safely, but as the beast's roar echoed through the valley, it became clear that their work was far from over.

The shinobi's cunning plan to distract the beast was foiled as the creature, made entirely of shifting sands, remained unhurt as the sands simply flowed and shifted

"Dammit, nothing is working!"

The group of shinobis continued to throw kunai with paper bombs at the one-tailed beast but it just disregarded them as it focused on trying to cover the village with its sands

"Roar!!"

The one-tailed beast roared with all its might creating a shock wave that rippled through the air

The ground shook beneath their feet as a massive, fiery blast of chakra energy erupted from the beast, sending the group of shinobi flying in all directions.

Only one managed to hold his ground against the shockwave. The lone shinobi used the puppets he summoned from a scroll to block the brunt of the shockwave coming towards him

"Little kid, how about we fight, just you and me?"

The old man and the former Jinjuriki of the one-tailed beast said while looking at Shamon who is surrounded by 4 humanoid puppets he's controlling using his chakra.

Shamon's eyes widened in surprise and a mix of emotions as he gazed at the old man who is a master of Dharma power, the art of draining one's chakra upon contact

He had never backed down from a challenge before, and yet, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt

The old man's eyes seemed to bore into his very soul. Despite his strength and skill, Shamon couldn't help but wonder if he was truly prepared to face this formidable foe alone

"Hahaha! Little kid Shamon, don't tell me you're afraid to face this old man alone?"

"How can the next Kazekage be that cowardly? Don't tell me you can't defeat this old man without the help of the other Shinobis?"

The old man looked at the Kazekage who was still busy stopping the sandy dome from advancing towards the village together with the other Anbus.

The old man's eyes shone with a warm, admiring light as he gazed at the Kazekage, his face aglow with a sense of pride and admiration

"Little Reto grew up well"

(Chapter End)

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