Han did not enter a partial Tailed Beast transformation. Instead, he fully displayed the power of his Boil Release Kekkei Genkai. He threw a punch at the miniature Tailed Beast attacking him, colliding with it head-on.
With the enhancement of Boil Release and steam, Han's attack power at this moment was no weaker than Tsunade's monstrous strength in her normal state.
Right now, he was like a red-armored brute, unleashing a rapid and ferocious barrage of attacks that shattered the chakra forming the miniature Tailed Beast.
As the shadows tried to mend it, the scattered Tailed Beast chakra constantly gathered, attempting to reform.
However, Han, reacting swiftly, used his destructive strength to shake the ground, flipping the terrain and burying the chakra remnants beneath solid earth.
Some fragments that escaped reassembled into even smaller Tailed Beasts, but with their power spread thin, they were no longer a major threat to Han in his Boil Release mode.
After dealing with the miniature Tailed Beasts, Han's armor vents blasted out another wave of steam. His entire body resembled a whistling locomotive as he charged forward with the force of thunder, launching a powerful kick at Kagetsu.
With the power of Boil Release, even a giant summoning beast would stagger and take serious damage from this kick.
For ordinary ninjas—even the Kage of the Five Great Villages—aside from the Third Raikage, who had trained his body to monstrous levels, taking this kick head-on would result in severe injury.
Only someone like Namikaze Minato, with exceptional dynamic reflexes, or those with advanced visual perception like the Sharingan or Byakugan, could effortlessly track Han's high-speed movements and react accordingly.
If someone could see Han's actions but their body couldn't keep up, they would be struck down instantly.
Fortunately, Kagetsu's spiritual perception was extremely sharp. With the enhanced vision of the Rinnegan, Han's speed appeared to him as if it were moving frame by frame, like a slideshow.
A massive black box suddenly rose from the ground, sealing Han inside just as he lunged forward, making it seem as if he had willingly thrown himself into the trap.
The box stood upright like a black coffin, its surface covered in countless swords, blades, and axes.
Shadow Secret Technique: Shadow Coffin!
Boom!
The Shadow Coffin was shattered from within by a tremendous force, revealing Han, his entire body engulfed in steam. His red armor was covered in wounds, with blood seeping through the cracks in the plating.
However, despite the terrifying injuries, they healed rapidly under the influence of the Tailed Beast's chakra.
To prevent their host from dying, Tailed Beasts would instinctively seize control of the Jinchūriki's body when faced with severe or fatal injuries, spreading their power throughout the host to heal their wounds and provide them with strength.
Han was met with a wooden sword.
Boil Release: Steam Burst!
Han's power surged dramatically as steam exploded from his body like a locomotive whistle, spreading scorching heat indiscriminately in all directions.
Yet, facing the deadly heat, Kagetsu's wooden sword did not waver. There was no hesitation—he swung it down without a second thought.
Under Han's astonished gaze, the wooden blade cut through the steam and struck him.
It truly cut through the steam!
Within the range of the wooden sword, the steam was forcibly repelled as if pushed away by an invisible force, causing no harm to Kagetsu whatsoever.
At the same time, Han felt himself losing another portion of his power.
This time, it was Boil Release!
The roaring steam whistle came to an abrupt halt. The high-temperature steam rapidly contracted, forming a smoky mist around the armored figure.
"Sorry, I'm still not fully proficient in using this sword," Kagetsu murmured softly. "Since it's only a half-finished product, sometimes I have to cut a few more times."
With that, he swung the blade horizontally toward Han.
Han reacted swiftly, tilting his head back to dodge the edge of the blade, but he couldn't completely avoid it—his body was still grazed by the wooden sword.
Now, he could no longer feel the power of Boil Release.
Han had never been so shocked and helpless in battle before. Even the Third Raikage had only used his strength to forcefully crush him.
But Kagetsu, however, was like an opponent with an eerie ability. Before understanding his true powers, even Han, who was among the top tier of Iwagakure, was completely suppressed by Kagetsu's methods.
Severing part of the Tailed Beast's chakra wasn't beyond comprehension. Though not many ninjas could do this, it wasn't something only Kagetsu could achieve.
But to sever a ninja's Kekkei Genkai?! That was beyond the conventional understanding of ninjas.
"Is it that sword?"
Han dodged Kagetsu's shadow and blade while frantically guessing about Kagetsu, or rather, the power of the sword in his hand.
A sword with sealing powers?
Han shook his head. If it was a sword with sealing powers, being struck would not just cause him to lose some of his strength, but the entire person, along with the Tailed Beast inside, would be sealed by a sealing technique.
After speculating several possibilities in his mind, Han, still unsure, focused as Kagetsu kept closing in. His eyes darkened, and he began to counterattack.
If he couldn't understand the sword's power, at least avoiding being hit by it would suffice.
Without the power of Boil Release, his chakra was still there, the ninjutsu he mastered remained, and most importantly, the Five-Tails inside him was still intact.
He excelled in prolonged and exhausting battles.
"Are you afraid of this sword?"
Kagetsu quickly noticed Han's shift in mindset. His toes tapped lightly on the ground, and his shadow, under his control, moved like an octopus, twisting his body in a bizarre way as it moved without a set pattern.
Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!
Han ignored Kagetsu's question, his eyes shifting back and forth in his sockets as they tracked Kagetsu's unpredictable movements.
In an instant, it seemed he caught onto Kagetsu's trajectory, and Han's fist was immediately enveloped by a mass of stone.
With the enhancement of ninjutsu, it collided with Kagetsu, who appeared to be avoiding the hit.
Hmm?
The crushing impact he expected didn't occur. Instead, there was a familiar counterforce, pushing back against his fist. The force came from the blade that Kagetsu had raised to block, matching his strength blow for blow.
A burst of steam exploded from Kagetsu's body, rapidly spreading outward. Most notably, steam shot out from her mouth, solidifying into a dense mass that pierced toward Han's mask like an arrow.
The scalding pain from the burn struck Han instantly, forcing him to leap backward. The tailed beast chakra coating his body was corroded by the steam, leaving only a thin layer. Though it quickly replenished, Han was no longer focused on it.
Boil Release!
Han still hadn't figured out the capabilities of Kagetsu's wooden blade when this sudden turn of events completely silenced him.
Was the Boil Release from his Kekkei Genkai like his own, or was the Boil Release coming from him now?
****
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