Chapter 173 : Completely Suppress Three Tails, The Name Will Spread
After using the Flying Thunder God Technique once, Riku had consumed one percent of his chakra.
Including his earlier expenditure, that brought his total chakra consumption to twenty percent.
Seeing even the Tailed Beast Bomb redirected by Riku, the Three-Tails suddenly realized this human was more troublesome than expected.
The distance between them was barely over a hundred meters now, and the Three-Tails decided it was time to engage Riku in close combat.
With a deafening roar, the Three-Tails charged toward Riku.
Standing atop Shinya’s head, Riku shouted seriously, "Go, Shinya!"
Shinya gazed at the charging Three-Tails. As long as the Tailed Beast Bomb was neutralized, everything else would be manageable.
Samui stood next to Riku, unsure what to do. She felt like a spectator in a battle far beyond her power, completely unable to intervene.
At the same time, she still felt the lingering terror from that earlier Tailed Beast Bomb. Even though the explosion had occurred tens of kilometers away, its impact was still felt here. She could only imagine how devastating it would be up close.
Shinya, far faster than the Three-Tails, darted through the water effortlessly.
In moments, he was already coiling himself around the Three-Tails’ massive head.
Just as Shinya was about to sink his fangs into the Three-Tails, countless miniature clones of the beast suddenly burst from its body.
These tiny Three-Tails immediately began biting into Shinya’s scales and flesh.
"Hiss! That hurts like hell!"
At that moment, a surge of Lightning Style chakra exploded from Riku’s body.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Net!"
Boom!
A massive web of lightning erupted outward, instantly engulfing the entire Three-Tails. The crackling arcs of electricity fried the small clones, reducing many of them to smoldering cinders. The power behind the jutsu was staggering.
Seeing the small Three-Tails charred black, Shinya flinched slightly. "Your Lightning Style’s gotten ridiculously strong..."
As he spoke, he lunged again at the Three-Tails’ head.
Roar!
After Shinya bit into its face, the Three-Tails howled in pain. Its three tails whipped around furiously, aiming to strike at Shinya’s neck.
Riku’s hands formed seals at lightning speed. "Lightning Style: Thunder Binding!"
In an instant, countless chains of electricity shot out from the surrounding thunder net, wrapping tightly around the Three-Tails’ three tails.
The intense lightning caused smoke to billow from the beast’s tails, blackening them on contact.
ROAR!
Being constantly electrocuted drove the Three-Tails into a frenzy. It now understood that this opponent was not someone it could deal with easily.
It turned and began retreating toward the open sea.
Seeing the Three-Tails back down, Shinya refused to let the opportunity slip away. After all, chances to beat up a Tailed Beast were rare.
He opened his jaws and sprayed a stream of petrifying venom straight at the Three-Tails’ head.
ROAR!
Upon contact with the venom, part of the Three-Tails’ head began to harden into stone.
But as a Tailed Beast, the Three-Tails instinctively knew how to manipulate chakra, and it quickly dispelled the petrification from most of its body.
Watching the beast, Riku smirked. "Shinya, let it go. It knows now it’s not our match."
At Riku’s command, Shinya released the Three-Tails and slid off of it with Riku still on his head.
Even then, arcs of lightning continued to snake around the Three-Tails’ tails, electrocuting it mercilessly—even as it submerged into the sea.
Only after it had swum nearly a kilometer away did Riku dispel the Thunder Binding technique.
With the battle concluded, Shinya grumbled, "That was disappointing. It would’ve been great if I could’ve killed it."
Riku chuckled and scolded him, "Kill a Tailed Beast? If they were that easy to kill, they’d all be long gone by now."
It was impossible to truly kill a Tailed Beast. After all, they were ultimately just living masses of chakra given form and consciousness.
Watching the Three-Tails vanish into the horizon, Samui asked anxiously, "It won’t come back, will it?"
Riku shook his head. "No. It’s fully aware of the gap between us now. Even its strongest attack didn’t work on us. It’s not stupid—Tailed Beasts may be beasts, but they think like humans."
Riku glanced at Shinya, who replied with a sigh, "Guess I’m done here, then."
Riku smiled. "Thanks to you."
With that, Shinya vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Samui looked at Riku, a bit conflicted.
On one hand, Riku had just saved her life—and their entire team. On the other hand, he was a shinobi from Konoha. As a kunoichi of the Hidden Cloud, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Noticing the uncertainty in her gaze, Riku smiled and said, "What’s with that look? Come on, the mission’s done."
Samui nodded, her usual cold expression unchanged.
Her personality matched her name—cool and aloof.
But this time, she had fought alongside Riku and witnessed his power firsthand.
To be more accurate, she had accompanied Riku as he defeated the Three-Tails.
She looked at him, brows slightly furrowed. "I didn’t expect you to take down a Tailed Beast. That’s... incredible."
Riku shrugged casually. "Looks like there might be some trouble, though. Akita’s body was reduced to ashes, so I doubt you’ll be able to bring it back to report completion."
Samui didn’t seem too concerned. "It’s fine. As long as Karui and Omoi know the truth."
At that moment, Riku dispelled the Shadow Clone guarding the cave entrance.
Hinata and the others burst out from the cave, rushing toward them after hearing the tremors and sounds of battle outside.
The roars, explosions, and chakra surges had terrified them—they’d feared the worst.
Seeing Riku and Samui safe, all five of them ran over. Ino immediately threw her arms around Riku.
Hinata stood back, wringing her hands nervously. "Riku-sensei... I’m so glad you’re okay..."
She looked at Ino hugging him with barely concealed envy.
Shino, meanwhile, stared at Riku with quiet reverence.
Riku had already displayed overwhelming power during his earlier battle with Akita. Though they hadn’t seen the fight against the Three-Tails, the sheer destruction visible outside said enough.
To fight a Tailed Beast—and win—was no ordinary feat.
It meant that Riku’s power was now on a level capable of repelling a Tailed Beast.
Riku patted Ino’s shoulder and smiled. "Why are you crying? I’m fine, see? Get ready. We’re heading back."
Ino let go, wiping her eyes and nodding.
Omoi and Karui stared at Riku, awe written all over their faces.
Truthfully, they had already come to respect him after the battle with Akita. But now, that respect had turned into something deeper—an acknowledgment of power that demanded reverence.
Riku knew that after today, his name would spread through the Hidden Cloud—and likely the entire ninja world.
It was simply too unbelievable. A single jōnin defeating a Tailed Beast, and using the Flying Thunder God Technique no less.
That was the legendary jutsu of the Fourth Hokage.
For the Hidden Cloud—or more specifically, for the Fourth Raikage—Riku’s existence was bound to be a source of concern.
And since Samui was a kunoichi of a different village, there was no way Riku could expect her to keep quiet about it.
At least they hadn’t fought against him. They had fought alongside him. That, at least, was something.
Before the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the five great nations didn’t exactly trust each other.
Their cooperation today? A rare exception in an otherwise fragmented world.
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