Unless you belong to the Uchiha or Uzumaki clans—descendants of the Sage of Six Paths—possessing specialized methods to suppress Tailed Beasts, dealing with such monsters is an absolute nightmare. This is especially true when they begin mindlessly spamming Tailed Beast Balls.
Matatabi, the Two-Tails, was currently on a rampage. In a fair one-on-one duel, Jiraiya alone could have fought it to a standstill, but on a crowded battlefield where he had to protect his subordinates, the Sannin was looking incredibly ragged.
Initially, Yugito Nii had managed to maintain a semi-tailed state, but she wasn't a Perfect Jinchuriki like Killer Bee. It hadn't taken long for the beast's malevolent chakra to consume her, triggering a full transformation into the Two-Tails.
The beast's loss of control was the very reason Dodai hadn't played this card from the start. He had waited for the Leaf's main force to charge before unleashing the "cannon" to break their ranks.
Fortunately for Saiki's conscience, he didn't realize that Yugito was even younger than he was—at this point in the war, she was barely seven years old!
In this chaotic era of the Shinobi World, geniuses like the Uchiha were sent to the front at four or five, but for a Jinchuriki to be deployed at age seven was still a testament to the Cloud's desperation.
Minato Namikaze, the future "Yellow Flash," hadn't earned his title yet. He hadn't faced the Five or Six-Tails on the Stone front, and more importantly, he hadn't perfected the Rasengan. He currently lacked the raw offensive power to break a Tailed Beast's defense; he could only flicker around the perimeter, dealing superficial damage.
Just as Matatabi began condensing another Tailed Beast Ball and the Leaf ninja began to feel the cold grip of despair...
The despair wasn't limited to the Leaf. The Cloud were also terrified that if their Jinchuriki was suppressed and sealed by the Leaf, the Land of Lightning would lose a strategic asset forever.
Fortunately, a "savior" arrived to help them all.
A blinding, razor-sharp arc of white light bisected the battlefield. The massive blade-qi, looking like a ribbon of moonlight, tore through the air and pierced directly through Matatabi's abdomen. Had the beast not sensed the lethal danger and twisted its body at the last microsecond, the strike would have cored its heart.
MEOOOOW!
The Two-Tails, previously a majestic avatar of blue spectral flames, let out a pathetic, high-pitched shriek that sounded like a wounded house cat.
BOOM!
The massive beast collapsed, its mountain-sized frame causing the earth to shudder violently. The Tailed Beast Ball in its maw, deprived of focus, dissolved into a harmless cloud of unstable chakra.
"Who did that?!"
Every eye on the field turned toward the source of the strike. They saw a lone boy, sword in hand, charging toward the center of the carnage.
Because the Cloud had nearly vaporized Tsume and the others earlier, Saiki had stopped holding back. He had ruthlessly burned his precious Senjutsu chakra to deliver that single, devastating blow to Matatabi.
A strike infused with Senjutsu didn't just cut flesh; it shredded the spiritual essence and the soul itself. The pain was so absolute that the Two-Tails forgot its rage. Like a kitten that had just escaped its cage only to be hit with a heavy club, the beast submissively retreated back into Yugito's subconscious.
Looking at the receding blue flames and the boy holding the shimmering blade, the combatants were frozen in disbelief.
But shock didn't stop Dodai. He moved instantly, lunging toward the spot where the beast had vanished.
Regardless of the boy's power, the transformation had ended. Given Yugito's young age and the strain of the rampage, she was undoubtedly unconscious. Dodai could not allow the Leaf to capture her.
What was supposed to be a grand melee had instantly transformed into a desperate "capture the flag" match for the small girl.
"Don't let them take her!" Seeing Dodai move, Jiraiya and the others snapped out of their trance.
Watching a group of grown men and hulking brutes scramble over a little girl made Saiki feel a flash of genuine disgust. He kicked his speed into a higher gear.
Dodai was the first to reach her. With a "Lava Style" (Rubber) release, he spat a thick, viscous glob of rubber from his mouth, forming a protective orb around the girl before yanking her back toward his lines.
Dodai knew the Leaf. Jiraiya, Minato, and the rest might look like heroes, but they were black-hearted shinobi. If they couldn't capture the Two-Tails for themselves, they would prioritize killing the Jinchuriki right then and there.
Predictably, a tidal wave of lethal Ninjutsu was already screaming toward the rubber orb.
In the original story, Dodai had used a clever bait-and-switch to save Naruto from the Raikage. Today, he displayed that same tactical brilliance.
He might have fooled Jiraiya's eyes, but Saiki's Divine Sense tracked every microscopic movement in Dodai's muscles. He adjusted his trajectory mid-air.
"What?!"
Dodai thought he had misdirected the pursuit, but seeing Saiki ignore the decoys and charge directly for him, he panicked.
Ignoring his own safety, Dodai prioritized the girl. He swung his right arm behind him, using the rubber cord to sling Yugito toward the retreating Cloud units.
Realizing he couldn't bridge the gap to catch the girl in time, Saiki turned his fury on the man in front of him. He swung 'Thunderstorm' in a horizontal arc.
The Leaf ninja caught up, and the Cloud responded in kind, dumping every Ninjutsu in their arsenal to force Saiki and Jiraiya back.
Facing a Tailed Beast user, Saiki wasn't taking chances. Protected by his Auspicious Cloud, he tanked the incoming elemental barrage and delivered his strike to Dodai.
SHRED!
There was no suspense. One of Dodai's arms fell into the dirt.
The Cloud's desperate cover fire had bought him just enough time to flinch. The blade that was meant for his throat had only taken his left arm at the shoulder.
"LORD DODAI!" The Cloud ninja swarmed their commander, forming a human shield around him.
Dodai gripped the stump of his left arm with his right hand, his knuckles white as he tried to stem the arterial spray. Despite the cold sweat pouring down his face from the agony, he didn't make a sound. He barked the order through gritted teeth, "The enemy is too strong! We cannot hold! RETREAT!"
This engagement was a disaster. They had lost too many elites, and with Saiki on the field, victory was a fantasy. Their only goal now was to escape while the A-B brothers finished their raid on the Leaf's rear.
Dodai heard the distant rumble of explosions and guessed the raid had succeeded.
If the raid was a success, releasing the Two-Tails had been a calculated risk to slaughter the Leaf's vanguard and buy A and Bee time to withdraw.
Another horn blast echoed. The Cloud's steady retreat turned into an all-out flight.
If Saiki wanted to, he could have waded into the ranks and finished Dodai off. But seeing that Jiraiya and the others were content to let them run, Saiki stayed his hand and took a moment to breathe.
He had been dominant from the start, but his chakra consumption was massive. He had been facing A-B and now a Tailed Beast; even his deep reserves were starting to feel the strain of his high-output Senjutsu slashes.
"Minato, what is the status of the rear camp?"
Despite being wounded, Jiraiya prioritized the mission. He turned to Minato immediately.
Minato shot a glance at Saiki before replying, "We managed to suppress the strike team temporarily. When the Tailed Beast Ball detonated here, Saiki sensed the danger and had me teleport him directly to this sector."
Jiraiya looked at Saiki. He knew the boy had left a Shadow Clone with the squad; the boy's omniscience on the battlefield was no longer a surprise.
He couldn't find it in himself to scold Saiki for abandoning the rear to come here. If Saiki hadn't clubbed the Two-Tails back into its human form, the Leaf's main army would have been turned into a crater.
After catching his breath, Saiki walked toward the command group. "Can you take us back? I can sense Tsunade and the others have engaged the survivors of the Cloud raid."
"I can," Minato nodded.
The assembled ninja—especially the arrogant heads of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans—watched Saiki with newfound gravity. He was young, yes, but his power was undeniable.
Saiki sighed. It was time to go back and play firefighter again.