Shukaku

**Attacks** | * Sand Manipulation
* Tailed Beast Bomb
* Magnet Release
* Wind Release
 **Vessels** | Bolt Uzumaki

Shukaku more commonly known as the **One-Tail,**is one of the nine Tailed Beasts. It is currently sealed within Bolt Uzumaki after already being sealed into it's previous Jinchurikis; Zero, Gaara and Bunpuku.

## **History**

Shukaku and the tailed beasts first came into being in the waning days of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, who used his Creation of All Things Technique to divide the Ten-Tails' chakra into nine separate bodies and giving each a name. Some time after being created, the Sage explained to the young tailed beasts that a link existed between them despite their separation. He also foretold of a day when they would be brought together again - though not as they were - and that at that time someone would emerge to show them what true power is. After Hagoromo's death, the tailed beasts drifted apart, apparently due to Kurama's belief that their number of tails was an indication of their strength.

Shukaku would eventually be captured and kept by The Hidden Sand Villafe, to which the First Kazekage, who was invited along with other first Kage by Hashirama Senju into the first Five Kage Summit, attempted to use his possession of the beast as leverage to gain wealth for his nation, as opposed to gaining another tailed beast.

Shukaku's first jinchūriki was a Suna priest named Bunpuku, who was locked away in a dungeon with the giant tea kettle, and was kept under constant guard. Over time, the citizens of The Hidden Sand Village came to believe that Shukaku itself was a living ghost of a corrupted priest sealed inside a tea kettle. Despite the animosity the village showed for Shukaku and its host, the elderly priest held no ill-will towards the beast nor the villagers, viewing it as an equal and was content as long as Shukaku hadn't forgotten his name. Shukaku eventually came to appreciate Bunpuku and would later remember the words he imparted to it: that someday someone would appear in the world to teach it about the heart and acceptance.[11] Shukaku had another jinchūriki who inspired the Third Kazekage to create his Iron Sand fighting style. Shukaku was eventually removed from their bodies, resulting in their respective deaths.

When Karura became pregnant with Gaara, her husband, the Fourth Kazekage, had Chiyo seal Shukaku into Gaara while he was still in the womb because, out of his three children, Gaara was the only one compatible with the tailed beast. Before Karura died after giving birth, she passionately told her son that she would protect him, and, according to her husband, her love seeped into the sand and was noted to form his automatic defence. However, Gaara couldn't properly control Shukaku's powers, killing or injuring several of Suna's shinobi and citizens by accident. Shukaku would even cite its hatred toward humans, warning Gaara not to sleep too long if he didn't want to give Shukaku an opening. Deemed a failure, the Fourth Kazekage chose to test his son one last time, ordering Yashamaru to assassinate him and also tell him that his mother never loved him, and that she was used as a human sacrifice for the sealing process. Gaara failed the test, fully releasing the rampaging Shukaku, to which the Fourth eventually used his Gold Dust to subdue the beast. As the years went on Shukaku went through another jinchuriki by the name of Zero who was eventually killed when Bolt was 16. Finally the tailed beast's final and current jinchuriki is now Bolt Uzumaki who he, much like the other tailed beasts, trusts with the most respect for Bolt treasures each of his tailed beasts as family.

## **Personality**

Shukaku is characterised as a wild and short-tempered individual, and often speaks in a bombastic and incoherent manner, giving it the demeanour of a drunken madman. It also expresses pride as it uses "ore-sama"  when referring to itself, and holds great confidence in its own abilities, especially its absolute defence. According to Gaara, prior to its introduction, Shukaku relishes the opportunity to kill anyone in sight, even more so during a full moon. Like all tailed beasts, Shukaku has shown a strong desire to preserve its own life, granting its jinchūriki the power to control sand as well as allowing them to transform into it in a state of need and blood-lust.

Shukaku harbours a bitter grudge towards Kurama due to the latter's beliefs that the tailed beasts' strength is measured by the number of tails, and thus Kurama views Shukaku as the weakest. Because of this, Shukaku will find any opportunity to surpass its arrogant rival.

Shukaku's hatred towards humans led it to spark fear in Gaara, reminding him that if he goes into a deep sleep, the beast would possess his body and murder all humans, resulting in Gaara's developing insomnia. Shukaku once had that similar attitude toward Bunpuku, but when its jinchūriki treated the beast as an equal, an impressed Shukaku complimented him by comparing him to the Sage of the Six Paths. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Shukaku eventually saw Gaara in a similar light, being reminded of Bunpuku.

## **Abilities**

As a tailed beast, Shukaku possesses a large quantity of chakra and can perform the Tailed Beast Ball. As a precaution to if its jinchūriki lost control and fully transformed into Shukaku inside of The Hidden Sand Village, the villagers were to either evacuate beforehand or seek shelter due to the risk of mass casualty from its rampage. Shukaku has the ability to control its jinchūriki whenever they sleep, leading to its host to develop insomnia. Shukaku has great physical strength while using its tail, as seen when overlapping it with the other tailed beasts to shatter and even obliterate a senjutsu-enhanced humanoid Susanoo.

### **Ninjutsu- Sand Manipulation**

Shukaku's most notable ability is its sand manipulation, using it as an effective weapon and shield. Since its whole body is completely made of sand, the beast can ignore most damage that would otherwise be detrimental, as shown when it had one of its arms chopped off by Gamabunta and was still able to keep on fighting. Taking pride in its motto of absolute defence, Shukaku's sand is durable enough to block a senjutsu-enhanced Susanoo sword with ease. It is capable of performing fūinjutsu by using its natural cursed seal markings across its own sand body, which gives off a magnetic field to bind its targets. One of its techniques, the Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal, is strong enough to temporarily restrain and withstand powerful techniques, like the Susanoo.

#### **Nature Transformation**

Shukaku can use Wind and Earth Release nature transformations. It can rapidly fire wind bullets with enough force to level entire forests. Likewise, it can combine its wind abilities with Gaara's sand in order to produce a mass of fast-moving sand bullets. Shukaku can combine wind and earth elements to use Magnet Release, and is the only tailed beast which can use cursed seals from its markings and infuse them into the Rasengan to create the Sage Art: Magnet Release Rasengan, which was powerful enough to restrain Madara Uchiha's shadow.