The ground erupted.
Rōshi's hands slammed down, and the earth itself seemed to scream in protest. Magma surged upward like a volcano coming to life, the temperature spiking so violently that the air itself shimmered and warped.
"Lava Release: Flower-Fruit Mountain!"
The seawater Hanekawa had created moments before evaporated in an instant, transforming into thick clouds of steam that obscured everything. Tsunade and the Hidden Stone ninjas retreated hastily, forced back by the sheer heat radiating from the molten rock.
The magma rose nearly thirty meters into the air—a tidal wave of destruction threatening to consume everything in its path.
"Careful!" Tsunade's warning cut through the chaos.
Hanekawa didn't move. Instead, he formed hand seals with practiced precision.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bite Explosion!"
The sea surrounding him responded instantly. Water surged upward, spiraling into a massive vortex. The condensed chakra twisted it into the form of a colossal dragon, scales gleaming as it rose to meet the descending magma.
The collision was catastrophic.
When water met lava, the sound was deafening. Steam exploded outward in a violent cloud, and where the two forces clashed, the magma cooled rapidly, solidifying into jagged black rock.
The Hidden Stone ninjas stared in stunned silence.
"Where did Konoha find such a powerful water-style user?" one of them muttered.
"That's Hanekawa," another replied, his voice tight. "The one who killed Jūzō Biwa."
"But he's just a kid..."
Tsunade's lips curved into a satisfied smirk. Her student was performing beautifully.
Rōshi pulled himself upright, his expression darkening. He'd faced countless water-style users before—all of them had fallen to his Lava Release. Yet this child was suppressing him.
"How much chakra do you have?" he snarled.
The magma around his body intensified, burning brighter. He charged forward, his right arm wreathed in superheated lava that turned the very air around it black.
"Water Style: Heaven's Cry!"
Hanekawa didn't bother with hand seals. Four water needles shot from his mouth with lethal precision.
Rōshi didn't dodge. His magma-covered body was defense enough—or so he thought.
The needles struck true, piercing through his defenses. Pain lanced through his chest, sharp and unexpected. His momentum faltered.
"Water Style: Water Flash Technique!"
Hanekawa's form dissolved into liquid, vanishing into the mist before Rōshi could react.
Where—?
Rōshi spun, searching. His perception as a jinchūriki was sharp, but the fog was thick, disorienting. He wrapped his body in a protective layer of chakra and waited.
The sound of rushing water.
A water dragon materialized from the mist, charging directly at him.
Rōshi smirked. He'd faced this technique before. "Lava Release: Burning River Rock!"
Magma balls erupted from his mouth, slamming into the dragon. But instead of evaporating, the water dragon pushed through, scattering the lava and bearing down on him.
That's not right—
"Lava Release: Granite Armor!"
Chakra exploded outward, forming a thick layer of stone across his body. The water dragon hit him like a battering ram, and for a moment, nothing happened.
Then electricity spread through the impact zone.
Lightning. Everywhere.
His body seized, muscles locking as the current ravaged his nervous system. For a crucial second, he was paralyzed.
That was all Hanekawa needed.
The boy appeared directly in front of him, fist already cocked back.
"Strength of a Hundred!"
The punch came like a meteor. Rōshi's granite armor shattered under the impact. His body flew backward, crashing through tents and finally slamming into an earthen wall hard enough to crack it.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Every Hidden Stone ninja stared in disbelief. Their Four-Tails jinchūriki—a being of nearly limitless power—had been sent flying by a child.
"What kind of water-style combination was that?" someone whispered.
"Thunder and water? That's... that's advanced compound ninjutsu."
The commander, Dōshin, felt his stomach drop. This wasn't supposed to happen. Rōshi was supposed to be overwhelming. The plan was supposed to be simple.
Tsunade's expression had shifted from satisfaction to genuine surprise. Compound ninjutsu? And he executed it flawlessly?
Rōshi struggled to his feet, blood streaming from his shoulder. His breathing was ragged, his movements unsteady. But his eyes burned with fury.
"You little bastard!"
Chakra erupted from his body in a violent wave. His form began to shift, becoming less human. Four tails materialized, whipping through the air. The vague shape of a massive ape overlaid his silhouette.
"Lava Release: Burning River Eruption!"
He slammed both fists into the ground.
The earth convulsed. A volcano rose from the ground itself, shaking like a cannon barrel. Magma spewed forth in a catastrophic torrent, spreading across the entire stronghold.
"Retreat! Now!" Dōshin screamed.
The Hidden Stone ninjas scattered like leaves before a storm. Even Tsunade was forced to fall back, her expression tight with concern as she watched Hanekawa.
Can he handle this?
"Water Style: Great Explosive Water Wave!"
Hanekawa's hand moved to his seal. Chakra poured out—not from his normal reserves, but from the Strength of a Hundred stored in his forehead. An ocean materialized, vast and immediate, meeting the magma head-on.
Where they collided, the air itself seemed to scream. Steam rose in thick clouds, obscuring everything.
"Instant Body Technique: Mist Instant Body!"
Hanekawa's form dissolved into the mist, becoming one with it.
Rōshi's perception swept the battlefield, searching. The magma continued to burn away the seawater, but there was too much of it. The sheer volume was overwhelming.
Where is he?
Then—a sound. The cry of a bird, sharp and piercing.
Rōshi's eyes snapped open. He moved instantly, his body becoming a blur.
Hanekawa stood waiting, his entire form wreathed in lightning. The Chidori Style crackled around him, electricity dancing across his skin.
Rōshi's face darkened. He remembered the paralysis. The helplessness. Without hesitation, he charged.
But Hanekawa was already moving through the final hand seal.
The entries of "Rain God" and "Water Style Special Jonin" granted him a 200% boost to water-style power. The Thunder Body added another 100%. He was operating at full capacity now.
"Water Style: Water Cutting Wave!"
A thin stream of water erupted from Hanekawa's mouth—impossibly compressed, moving with the speed and force of a pressurized lance. It looked fragile, almost delicate.
It was anything but.
Rōshi's heart seized. The killing intent radiating from that technique was unmistakable.
He stopped mid-charge and formed seals desperately.
"Lava Release: Granite Armor!"
Stone erupted across his body, thick and layered. But there was no time for a second defense.
The water cutting wave struck him like a spear.
The granite lasted two seconds before shattering. The technique punched through, and Rōshi's scream tore through the air as it carved across his shoulder, blood spraying in a crimson arc.
He managed to twist at the last instant—a desperate dodge that saved his life but cost him his shoulder. The wound was deep, severe, bleeding profusely.
Using the last of his momentum, Rōshi activated the Body Flicker Technique, disappearing from the impact zone.
"Master Rōshi!" The Hidden Stone ninjas rushed forward in panic.
"Stay back!" Rōshi's roar stopped them cold.
He staggered upright, one hand pressed against his bleeding shoulder. His breathing was ragged, his movements unsteady. But his eyes were wild now—desperate.
He'd been forced into a corner. And cornered jinchūriki had only one option left.
Chakra began to compress around him, swirling faster and faster. The ape form became more distinct, more real. Its mouth opened wide, and the chakra inside began to condense, turning black as midnight.
"Run!" Dōshin screamed. "The farther the better! He's forming a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
The Hidden Stone ninjas didn't need to be told twice. They fled in panic, understanding the devastation that technique could unleash.
"Hanekawa!"
Tsunade's voice cut through the chaos as she sprinted toward him.
Hanekawa's mind raced. He couldn't tank a Tailed Beast Bomb. Not yet. Not at this level.
"Master Slug!" he called out desperately.
The slug's form materialized beside him, her massive body providing reassurance. "Hanekawa, what's—"
"Tailed Beast Bomb! We need to go to Shikkotsu Forest!"
"Understood!"
But before the slug could act, another figure appeared.
Minato Namikaze materialized in a flash of yellow, his expression shifting from confusion to understanding in an instant. He'd followed the Flying Thunder God kunai he'd given Hanekawa, expecting to find his student in mortal danger.
What he found instead was a Four-Tails jinchūriki forced to use his ultimate technique.
"Go!" Minato grabbed both Tsunade and Hanekawa, his hands firm.
The slug cancelled her summoning just as—
BOOM.
The Tailed Beast Bomb detonated.
The world became fire and destruction. The stronghold simply ceased to exist, obliterated in an instant. The shockwave spread outward like a tsunami of pure force, leveling everything in its path.
When the dust settled, there was nothing left but a crater.
---
Hanekawa took a shaky breath as they materialized several kilometers away. His legs felt unsteady, his chakra reserves depleted.
"How did you force a jinchūriki to use a Tailed Beast Bomb?" Minato asked, genuine bewilderment in his voice.
Tsunade answered before Hanekawa could. "His water-style combinations. They were overwhelming."
Minato looked at Hanekawa—this boy who was somehow younger than himself yet capable of feats that defied explanation. "What kind of monster are you?" he asked quietly.
Hanekawa managed a tired smile. If only you knew.