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Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, raised his head and unleashed a massive magma ball from his mouth toward the incoming "Iron Monkey." The Iron Monkey swung its black iron staff, shattering the magma ball into countless fiery fragments. Sparks scattered everywhere as both combatants retreated a step, cautiously observing each other in defensive stances.
Jinghang glanced at the iron staff in his hand, now faintly glowing red from the heat, and felt a pang of alarm. He quickly activated the flow of iron sand throughout the Iron Monkey's body, redistributing the heated portions to dissipate the heat evenly.
"All Sunagakure shinobi, retreat one kilometer to avoid collateral damage!"
Jinghang's commanding voice echoed across the battlefield. The massive Iron Monkey cooperated by waving its hand in a leader-like gesture, signaling the retreat.
The battlefield, now littered with magma and flying embers, had become a deadly arena. Molten lava wasn't something to take lightly—it wasn't like accidentally burning yourself with a cigarette, which at most reaches 600-700 degrees Celsius and leaves a blister or scar. Lava, however, could reach temperatures as high as 1,300 degrees Celsius. A single drop on human flesh would continue to burn through muscle and bone until its heat was fully dissipated. If a larger chunk landed, it could burn straight through a person's torso. The excruciating pain would make death seem like a mercy.
On the other side, Son Gokū mimicked Jinghang's gesture and waved his hand, signaling the Iwagakure shinobi to retreat as well. In moments, a massive two-kilometer battlefield was cleared, leaving only three Tailed Beasts and one "pseudo-beast" to face off.
Jinghang, having worked with metals and crafted ninja tools before, knew that pure iron had a melting point of approximately 1,500 degrees Celsius. The iron sand he used was not raw iron ore but rather recycled materials—scraps of broken kunai and shuriken collected from the battlefield and villages, ground and refined through his Magnet Release. (In essence, he was a scavenger.) As a result, the iron sand contained few impurities and had a melting point of no less than 1,400 degrees Celsius.
This ensured that Jinghang's iron sand wouldn't melt under Son Gokū's Lava Release, but it couldn't prevent the iron sand from heating up and glowing red. Iron only needed to reach 700 degrees Celsius to begin glowing red, and at 900 degrees, it would soften to the point where it could be hammered into shape. With Son Gokū's Lava Release, reaching such temperatures was merely a matter of moments.
This posed a significant problem: prolonged combat with Son Gokū would cause the Iron Monkey's body to heat up due to thermal conduction. While the iron sand wouldn't melt, it would glow red-hot, effectively turning the inside of the Iron Monkey into a furnace. Jinghang himself, operating inside, would be subjected to a torturous "branding" effect.
Moreover, as the Iron Monkey's body softened, its structure would weaken, making it difficult to continue fighting effectively.
"This won't do! I need a way to dissipate the heat, or I'll end up as grilled meat—and useless in battle!" Jinghang thought.
He recalled that in the original manga, Rōshi, Son Gokū's jinchūriki, was defeated by Kisame Hoshigaki. While the fight wasn't depicted in detail, two critical points were mentioned: Kisame's Samehada drained a large amount of Rōshi's chakra, and Kisame's Water Release countered Rōshi's Lava Release. The combination of these factors led to Rōshi's defeat.
"But I don't have Samehada, nor do I know Water Release," Jinghang mused. "I'll have to think of another approach. If I can't use 'water cooling,' I'll have to settle for 'air cooling.' It's not ideal, but it should suffice. If Kisame relied on draining chakra, I'll rely on Sage Mode to outlast him. Let's see who can endure the longest!"
With a sudden transformation, the Iron Monkey underwent a dramatic change. Two long "iron feathers" sprouted from its head, four large "flags" appeared on its back, and its entire body was covered in heat-dissipating, fin-like "armor plates." The additional components made the Iron Monkey noticeably smaller, resembling the compact and dark version of Sun Wukong from Stephen Chow's Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons. (A nod to the legendary filmmaker.)
Son Gokū was momentarily stunned by this sudden transformation. "What... is this? Are you planning to perform an opera for me?"
Before he could react further, Son Gokū let out a furious roar and unleashed a massive torrent of magma, surging forward like a flood. The Iron Monkey, instead of dodging, leapt high into the air and charged straight through the magma curtain. Its iron staff spun like a windmill, dispersing the magma as it advanced, and landed a heavy blow on Son Gokū's collarbone.
However, the iron staff, now glowing red-hot from the magma's heat, had softened and lost much of its impact. Son Gokū, being a lava-wielding Tailed Beast, was entirely unbothered by the scorching heat.
At this close range, the staff became a liability. Jinghang quickly retracted it into the Iron Monkey's body for cooling, leaving a small, glowing red "flag" on its back.
Son Gokū roared and swung a massive fist toward the Iron Monkey. The Iron Monkey, undeterred, returned the favor with a punch aimed at Son Gokū's face.
Son Gokū, known for his immense strength, landed a solid hit on the Iron Monkey's shoulder, scattering the iron sand at the impact site. Meanwhile, the Iron Monkey's punch connected squarely with Son Gokū's jaw, forcing the Tailed Beast to stagger back two steps.
In an instant, the Iron Monkey's damaged shoulder reformed, while Son Gokū's jaw showed slight swelling. Inside the Iron Monkey, Jinghang smirked. "Trading punches with me? My body is made of iron—I don't feel pain! I can reform instantly, but you're made of flesh and blood. Let's see how many hits you can take!"
Enraged, Son Gokū let out a series of furious roars and lunged at the Iron Monkey. His massive fists rained down like a storm, but the Iron Monkey met them head-on.
The two clashed ferociously, red and black blurs colliding in a chaotic dance of raw power. At first, their movements were clear, but soon it devolved into a pure contest of strength.
Jinghang had initially hoped to use the iron sand to infiltrate Son Gokū's body, but the Tailed Beast's thick hide rendered it ineffective. It seemed that only the special black rods used by Pain could pierce a Tailed Beast's flesh. Jinghang made a mental note to have the Red Sand Research Institute investigate this after the battle.
Back on the battlefield, Son Gokū and the Iron Monkey locked hands, fingers interlaced, in a test of wrist strength. Son Gokū, clearly stronger, twisted the Iron Monkey's wrists backward, attempting to break its joints—only to realize that the Iron Monkey had no joints to break. Its form was purely aesthetic, unaffected by such tactics.
Furious, Son Gokū opened his massive mouth to unleash a point-blank magma blast at the Iron Monkey. At such close range, dodging was nearly impossible.
In the critical moment, Jinghang acted swiftly. Two of the glowing red "flags" on the Iron Monkey's back retracted, and a thick, muscular arm emerged from its chest. The arm swung with incredible force, landing a thunderous slap across Son Gokū's face.
"SMACK!"
The sound was like a thunderclap, echoing across the battlefield.
Both the Iwagakure and Sunagakure shinobi watching from afar let out collective gasps. "Did… did that thing just slap a Tailed Beast?!"
Son Gokū slowly turned his head, stunned. For centuries, since his creation by the Sage of Six Paths, he had fought countless battles. But never—never—had he been slapped.
"SMACK!"
Another slap landed.
"What are you staring at? I'm hitting you, that's what!" Jinghang's voice echoed from within the Iron Monkey, brimming with arrogance.
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