"So the true form is finally revealed? Nibi!"
Karin smiled. This time, she could finally complete the Star Lord's mission. This time, she definitely wouldn't fail the Star Lord's expectations. She could definitely help the Star Lord and no longer be just a vase by his side.
"Raiton, Raikōken!"
Karin concentrated almost all her chakra onto her right fist, determined to finish the Two-Tails Jinchuriki with this one punch. The charge-up was instantaneous. Her fist, laced with countless streaks of lightning, swung out.
With a roar, the entire riverbed was dried up by Karin's punch. The immense pressure of the blow shattered the canyon behind Yugito, a destructive power that only a cheat could wield to casually shatter mountains.
After the punch, Karin knelt on one knee, gasping for breath. The previous strike had nearly depleted her chakra. Even with the Uzumaki clan's heritage and her body modified by Li Xing, she felt a surge of fatigue.
"What astonishing destructive power! I admire your strength. It seems luring you out of Kumogakure was the right decision."
As the smoke cleared, Yugito's voice echoed from in front of Karin, causing her pupils to contract in shock.
"To take a direct hit from my punch and not sustain significant damage? I see. The tailed beast cloak blocked most of the damage. I underestimated you. I should have engaged in close combat before throwing that punch. Diedara catches Jinchuriki so easily, yet I'm struggling this much."
Just as Karin was pondering, the smoke completely dissipated. Seeing Yugito's current state, she instantly understood why her punch hadn't taken Yugito down.
At this moment, Yugito had only half of her tailed beast cloak remaining, revealing half of her body. However, Yugito wasn't completely unscathed. That punch had severely injured her internal organs due to the immense pressure, and she couldn't help but cough up blood.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate a Jinchuriki! Your chakra is almost depleted now, and you can't unleash an attack like that again."
Hearing Yugito's words, Karin chuckled, "That's not necessarily true. Most of my chakra is gone, but the remaining amount is enough to deal with you in your current state."
"What!"
Yugito immediately realized this was no time for pleasantries. Ignoring the searing pain, she forcefully maintained her Tailed Beast transformation and began to gather chakra in front of her mouth.
Yes, Yugito was about to fire a Tailed Beast Bomb. The massive commotion from the previous attack would surely alert the people of Kumogakure. Regardless of what other trump cards Karin had, Yugito only needed to hold on a little longer to await reinforcements from Kumogakure. To be safe, Yugito intended to fire a Tailed Beast Bomb directly.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
While Yugito was still gathering chakra for the Tailed Beast Bomb, Karin launched her attack. Four chains shot out from behind Karin, heading straight for Yugito.
Upon contact with the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Yugito simultaneously fired the Tailed Beast Bomb. The situation was dire, and she couldn't continue gathering chakra. Although the Tailed Beast Bomb was smaller, it was enough to interrupt Karin's attack, unless Karin possessed some powerful defensive measure.
Subsequently, Yugito was tightly bound by the four chains. These chains also absorbed Yugito's chakra, preventing her from maintaining her Tailed Beast transformation. While bound, Yugito also lost consciousness.
On the other hand, seeing Yugito fire the Tailed Beast Bomb prematurely, Karin's mind flashed to the Susanoo that Li Xing had used. Li Xing had told her it was the third power, accessible only by awakening a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan, a technique that offered both offense and defense but also inflicted intense pain on the body. And she, at this moment, possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan with dual Kamui.
"Susanoo!"
Karin used the last of her chakra, forcing the activation of Susanoo in her time of crisis. A single skeletal layer was not enough, so Karin continued to strengthen the Susanoo. Similarly, her body felt that deep, bone-chilling pain.
"Boom! Boom!"
A violent explosion erupted, illuminating the entire canyon as bright as day. Karin's red Susanoo vanished in the aftermath of this blast. In the very end, Karin also fainted due to the pain.
"I... I won... Star Lord, I didn't... disappoint you. I helped you..."
"Yes, yes, you little fool. You found a Jinchuriki and didn't inform me, fighting alone."
Li Xing, who was far away, heard Karin's last words before she fainted. While searching for Jinchuriki in Kumogakure, Li Xing had sensed movement outside the village. He had initially assumed Karin would follow the plan and notify him, so he hadn't paid attention to the commotion outside.
However, after a while, Li Xing realized that Karin might indeed choose to fight alone to avoid disappointing him. He immediately rushed over and happened to witness Karin fainting.
"Really, fighting alone is one thing, but running so far away. Without an exact direction, even I can't arrive instantly. I had to use Kamui twice to get here. Do you think my Heavenly Dao perception can scan the entire planet? Silly girl."
Li Xing glanced at the unconscious Yugito beside him, her hair disheveled, her body suffering severe internal injuries. If she couldn't receive timely treatment, she likely wouldn't survive for long.
"Sigh, forget it. I'll save your life, to prevent the Tailed Beast from going berserk if you die."
Li Xing immediately picked up Karin with one arm and Yugito with the other, opened a Kamui portal, and vanished from the scene.
...
The battle here had alerted the people of Kumogakure. After Li Xing left, the Raikage, along with a group of ninjas, arrived at the scene. They were all astonished to see the once-canyon transformed into a massive crater. It was evident to anyone with keen eyes that a great battle had taken place here.
"Raikage-sama, residual chakra from Lady Yugito has been found at the scene, as well as the Two-Tails' chakra. It appears Lady Yugito was fighting just now. The enemy's aura is unknown; I've never encountered such chakra before." As a sensory ninja of Kumo, Shi instantly understood who had been fighting and reported to the Raikage.
The Raikage, upon hearing this, was enraged. "What! Why didn't any of you sense anyone fighting here! If Yugito was fighting here, where is she? Why is she missing? Shi, can you sense which direction the enemy fled?"
Shi's face was filled with apologies. "My deepest apologies, Raikage-sama. I cannot sense where the enemy went; it's as if they vanished from here. There is one possibility: that they were eliminated by Lady Yugito. However, Lady Yugito's aura has also disappeared."
"What did you say! How could they suddenly disappear? Are you suggesting that Yugito and the enemy perished in the explosion just now! Then where are the bodies? It's impossible for not even a speck to remain. Search! You must find both Yugito and this mysterious person!"
The Raikage was furious. How could Yugito have fought an enemy alone and not notified the village?
At this moment, Mabui stepped forward and said, "Raikage-sama, please calm down. Perhaps there is another possibility."
"What possibility? Speak quickly!"
"That the enemy used a space-time ninjutsu and took Lady Yugito away. The most famous space-time ninjutsu is perhaps Konoha's Yellow Flash, the Fourth Hokage. His Flying Thunder God Technique would likely not find it difficult to achieve this."
"What are you saying? Yellow Flash? Are you suggesting a dead person suddenly appeared in Kumogakure and took Yugito away, and then fought with Yugito?"
The Raikage, being a brute, still hadn't grasped Mabui's point and was currently angered, his mind unable to process it.
"No, Raikage-sama, think calmly. That Fourth Hokage is dead. Therefore, it's possible someone learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the most likely candidate would be a ninja from Konoha."
Upon hearing that it might be a Konoha ninja, the Raikage's hair stood on end. "Samui, Omoi, Karui, prepare yourselves immediately. You will go to Konoha and meet with the Hokage. You must ascertain whether a Konoha ninja captured Yugito!"
"Yes!" x3
...