Shinichi's consciousness followed Roshi's perspective through the memory, locking onto the figure standing atop the scaled Wood Dragon.
The man was dressed in a bulky black robe, his face hidden behind a pure white mask. But the moment Shinichi saw him, he immediately realized the truth.
The figure was far too familiar, like staring at his own reflection.
Even through Roshi's memories, and despite more than a decade separating them, Shinichi was absolutely certain. The mysterious masked man attacking the two Jinchūriki was him.
Or rather... a future version of himself. Taller, broader, and carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.
'My future self...' Shinichi suppressed the shock in his heart and focused entirely on the memory as the scene continued.
The scaled Wood Dragon hovered in the sky, its enormous shadow covering the ground below.
Roshi and Han stood side by side beneath it, their bodies tense and ready for battle. Roshi kept his eyes fixed on the black-robed figure atop the dragon, his throat tightening slightly as he spoke in a low voice.
"Be careful, Han. I don't know who this guy is... but his presence alone is terrifying."
Han didn't answer right away.
The danger was already obvious. No sensory ninjutsu was needed to feel it. An overwhelming pressure poured down from the figure above them, so oppressive that it made their instincts scream in warning.
Han had never felt anything like it before.
Not even from the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, the legendary shinobi who wielded Dust Release and stood at the peak of the ninja world, had he ever felt such suffocating pressure.
It was a suffocating pressure that made defeat feel inevitable before the battle had even begun.
"...Mm." Han finally let out a low grunt.
Roshi took a deep breath, forcing down the anxiety rising in his chest, then shouted toward the black-robed figure above.
"Who are you?! Why are you blocking our path?!"
Standing atop the scaled Wood Dragon, the future Shinichi looked down at them. His indifferent gaze swept across the pair before settling on Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Five-Tails, Kokuō... I've finally found you."
The atmosphere instantly turned cold. Roshi's expression changed as he sharply turned toward Han.
The target... was Han?
The Five-Tails?
But why? If this enemy was hunting Tailed Beasts, then why ignore the other Jinchūriki standing right beside him?
Beneath his bamboo hat, Han frowned deeply, both confusion and vigilance rising at the same time. He had no idea why such a terrifying existence had singled him out, but at this point, the reason no longer mattered.
"Roshi!" Han barked, snapping his partner out of his thoughts.
No further explanation was needed.
The two had fought together for years. Their coordination had long since become instinct.
The killing intent pouring from the enemy made one thing clear... words were meaningless now.
There was only battle.
"Understood!" Roshi roared, all hesitation vanishing from his eyes.
Roar!
Screech!
Violent chakra exploded into the sky.
Dark red and milky-white pillars of energy erupted from the two Jinchūriki, instantly swallowing their bodies. The ground shattered beneath the overwhelming force as enormous shadows rapidly expanded within the chakra.
In the blink of an eye, their fifty-meter Tailed Beast forms fully appeared: the dark red, ape-like Four-Tails, Son Goku, and the steam-covered Five-Tails, Kokuō.
There was no probing, no attempt to test the enemy first.
The pressure radiating from the future Shinichi was simply too overwhelming for them to hold anything back.
"I don't know who you are!" Son Goku roared as a dense sphere of black-and-red chakra condensed inside his mouth. "But if you think you can take both of us down, then let's see if you have the strength to back it up!"
Beside him, Kokuō let out a thunderous roar as a black-and-white sphere of energy rapidly spun within its jaws. Reflected in the beasts' crimson eyes was the tiny figure standing high in the sky.
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
The two attacks blasted forward at the same time, tearing through the air toward the Wood Dragon and the black-robed figure atop it. Before they even struck, the terrifying pressure they generated carved deep trenches across the earth below.
Facing the incoming Tailed Beast Balls, the future Shinichi simply muttered,
"Boring."
Before the word had even fully faded, he lightly tapped his right foot against the dragon's head.
Bang!
A ring of compressed air exploded beneath his foot as the black-robed figure vanished instantly.
A split second later, the space between Son Goku and Kokuō distorted slightly. The future Shinichi appeared out of nowhere.
'What?!'
'He's too fast!'
Warning bells exploded in Roshi and Han's minds, but their thoughts couldn't keep up with the enemy's speed. Having just fired their Tailed Beast Balls, their massive bodies were still caught in the recoil, leaving them completely exposed.
Future Shinichi drew back his right arm and threw a devastating punch into the left side of Son Goku's chest.
Boom!
A deafening shockwave erupted outward.
A huge circular dent instantly caved into the Four-Tails' thick armored hide at the point of impact.
"Arghhh!" Son Goku let out a piercing roar of pain as his fifty-meter body was blasted off the ground and hurled backward.
Almost at the same moment, before Shinichi had even pulled back his fist, his left leg whipped around like a silent battle axe. His heel crashed into the point where Kokuō's neck met its right shoulder.
Crack!
Han didn't even have time to scream before the enormous body of the Five-Tails was smashed straight into the earth.
Crash!
Crash!
Two deafening impacts echoed across the battlefield.
Far away, Son Goku tore through the ground, carving out a massive trench hundreds of meters long.
Nearby, Kokuō was buried deep in shattered bedrock, the impact leaving behind a gigantic crater as towering clouds of dust rose into the sky.
From the moment the future Shinichi disappeared to the instant both Tailed Beasts were sent flying, less than a second had passed.
Only now were the two Tailed Beast Balls reaching the spot where he had originally stood, streaking past harmlessly before exploding on the distant horizon.
"Cough... huff..."
At the end of the ruined trench, Roshi lay buried in rubble.
His Tailed Beast Mode had been forcibly broken apart, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth with every cough.
One hand pressed tightly against his abdomen as waves of agonizing pain spread through his body, each breath feeling like his organs were being torn apart.
His blurry vision trembled as he slowly lifted his head.
In the distance, the black-robed figure stood calmly atop the unconscious Kokuō.
"How... how is this possible...?"
Roshi's face twisted with horror as his mind struggled to accept what he had just witnessed.
One hit.
It had only taken one hit.
The gap in strength between them was so overwhelming that it drove Roshi into despair, a crushing terror he knew he would never forget for the rest of his life.
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