"Hey, where are we going?"
"To let the Eight-Tails out and talk," Yagyū Souma explained calmly. "If we can't reach an agreement, we'll seal him again. Keeping him sealed forever isn't a solution."
The Nine-Tails chuckled. "The way you dragged him here, Gyūki definitely won't cooperate. But dealing with him? I'm happy to help."
"You've got a grudge against him?"
"Not really."
The Nine-Tails replied lazily, then suddenly froze mid-sentence. Its posture snapped upright, gaze locking sharply onto Souma.
An unusual presence.
This aura—
"That bastard Shukaku," the Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes. Then it tilted its head. "Souma, you're not planning to help him, are you?"
"Of course not." Yagyū Souma shook his head lightly. "You and I are allies. Shukaku is an outsider—he's not comparable to us. Besides, your main body wasn't very cooperative before. I only got about twenty percent of your chakra."
He lowered his voice. "Confident?"
The Nine-Tails sneered. "As long as you don't help him, even with just twenty percent I can crush that guy."
"He knows sealing techniques."
"..."
Sealing techniques were the Nine-Tails' greatest pain point.
Among the nine tailed beasts, its chakra was the most overwhelming. For a long time, it even believed the number of tails directly represented strength. But both the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, and the One-Tail, Shukaku, had mastered sealing techniques.
The Nine-Tails hadn't.
That alone put it at a disadvantage.
Of course, in a straight one-on-one, the Nine-Tails could still beat Shukaku like a child. Calling Shukaku the weakest wasn't entirely fair—but this was their biggest point of contention.
Since Souma brought it up, the Nine-Tails couldn't stay calm.
It snorted coldly. "Even with sealing techniques, I can still beat him. And don't try to stir things up—tailed beast grudges are between tailed beasts."
Yagyū Souma smiled. "I'm trying to help you."
"Help me?"
"Yes. You don't want to lose to Shukaku, do you? I have an idea—not fully mature yet. Interested in cooperating?"
"..."
The Nine-Tails squinted suspiciously.
This guy, being this nice?
It didn't buy it.
But thinking of its own idea, the Nine-Tails' interest stirred.
"If you really want to help, give me a bit of that chakra from before."
"Sage chakra?"
"Exactly."
The Nine-Tails grinned. "Just a little."
Souma narrowed his eyes.
What was this fox planning now?
"Alright."
A short while later, Yagyū Souma brought the Nine-Tails to the deepest region of the Forest of Death—where some of Konoha's most terrifying existences gathered.
Kimimaro of the Shikotsumyaku.
Shukaku, the One-Tail.
The Aburame insect king.
And on the outskirts, the Giant Ant Clan patrolled—
Those ants now occasionally received traces of sage chakra from the Aburame and Fire Temple monks, making them far stronger than before.
And occasionally, toads appeared here as well.
Frankly speaking, this was the most dangerous place in all of Konoha. Even a jōnin would be lucky to leave alive—if they left at all.
As Souma and the Nine-Tails approached, swarms of kikaichū instantly surrounded them.
But they didn't dare get close.
"Bzzz—"
A sharp hiss echoed from the forest. The insects scattered immediately.
螯 flew out, surveying the area arrogantly before disappearing back into the forest.
"Heh, stinking fox—we finally meet again!"
Shukaku laughed wildly, leaping onto a tree branch.
Looking down from above, it tried to project dominance.
The Nine-Tails lazily scratched its ear.
"Stinking tanuki, standing that high with that pitiful chakra. If you fall and die, don't expect me to save you."
"I spit on that!"
Shukaku jumped down. "We're both clones now—don't act like it's your real body! I've held this in for a long time. I'm clearing my name today! Without chakra, you're nothing!"
The Nine-Tails didn't even bother responding.
Shukaku did have more chakra.
After all, this Nine-Tails was only a fifth of its full self, and the original chakra had already been split by the Fourth Hokage. It was far from its peak.
But—
The Nine-Tails felt this was more than enough.
After all—
It had that bit of sage chakra from Yagyū Souma.
It lifted its head proudly.
"Come down. Watch how I defeat you. And when you lose, don't say I bullied you with chakra."
"Bullshit!"
Shukaku roared. "Me? Lose?"
Both of them adjusted their size to a manageable scale.
Just as the fight was about to begin—
"Wait!"
"??"
Shukaku and the Nine-Tails both looked over, eyes filled with hostility.
You're not helping him, are you?
Souma coughed lightly. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not stopping you. But this is the center of the forest—if you go all out, the entire area will be destroyed. The commotion will be too big."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"I'll set up a barrier. Kimimaro, help me. And… I need to send a message first."
Souma wrote a note and sent it to Tenten using Flying Thunder God.
Kimimaro silently stepped forward.
A moment later, Tenten rushed over from the research division.
"Souma, what's going on—uh… what is this?"
She stared blankly.
The Nine-Tails and Shukaku were clearly about to throw down.
Was she supposed to stop them?
These were tailed beast clones—even convincing them felt impossible.
"Tenten, have you mastered Flying Thunder God yet?"
"Huh? Sorry, not yet. I'm still learning the formulas and spatial stabilization."
"It's fine."
Souma waved his hand. "I need your help. Since you haven't learned it yet, work with Kimimaro to maintain the barrier. I'll handle the other function."
"What barrier?"
Kimimaro hesitated. "If it's a new technique, I might not grasp it. My talent with barrier techniques is… average."
"You'll know this one."
Souma opened his notebook, revealing a technique he devised during his travels—
A modified barrier combining the Flame Formation series with Flying Thunder God.
"The Four Violet Flames Formation—Orochimaru taught you that, right?"
"..."
Kimimaro fell silent.
That technique was originally meant to trap the Third Hokage during the Chūnin Exams.
That plan had failed completely.
Because he was captured.
"Do you know it?"
"Yes."
"Good. My shadow clones will assist you. Tenten, I'll set it up—you just maintain it."
"Yes!"
Soon, a circular barrier expanded around the Nine-Tails and Shukaku.
A purple flame dome formed, beneath which flowed nearly invisible special chakra—
Souma's modified Flying Thunder God conduction array.
In theory, any chakra or ninjutsu striking the barrier would be transferred away—to coordinates over the sea near the Land of Lightning.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Souma nodded.
He didn't know what the Nine-Tails' new move was—but it was likely a Sage Chakra–based variant of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Without protection, the forest would be erased.
The insects were evacuated.
They hovered above the barrier, watching.
"Stinking tanuki," the Nine-Tails sneered, "you always say I bully you with chakra. Now I have less than you. Let's prove real strength."
"One move!"
It raised a claw.
"If I don't defeat you in one move, I'll kneel and call you big brother!"
"Hahaha! Fox, you're calling me big brother today!"
Shukaku exploded with rage.
One move?
Even the real body couldn't do that!
"You'll see."
The Nine-Tails began gathering chakra, condensing it rapidly in its mouth.
An eerie chakra took shape.
Shukaku's pupils shrank.
Straight to a finisher?!
Damn it!
But—
Tailed Beast Bombs required time to charge. There was a window!
Shukaku slapped its belly.
Boom!
A massive wind projectile erupted—
Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!
The attack shot forward at blinding speed, sand forming around it to envelop the Nine-Tails.
This Nine-Tails was only a clone. If Shukaku disrupted its rhythm and sealed it first, victory was secured.
That was the plan.
But—
Before the Drilling Air Bullet reached its target, the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb finished charging.
Silently.
A small, condensed sphere launched forward—cleanly smashing through the air bullet mid-flight.
That chakra—
Dense beyond belief.
Shukaku panicked, altering its chakra flow and firing another air bullet.
It didn't matter.
Both attacks were obliterated instantly.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion filled the barrier.
Kimimaro immediately poured in more chakra.
Tenten turned pale, barely holding the barrier together.
Souma was shocked.
The Nine-Tails had already realized that technique—
A special fusion of Sage Chakra and Tailed Beast Chakra.
Not as catastrophic as Yin-Yang detonation—but far stronger than a standard Tailed Beast Bomb.
Kurama.
You say you don't innovate?
I walk in and you're already blowing Shukaku up!
Souma inhaled sharply, excitement rising.
Splitting off the Nine-Tails was absolutely the right choice.
Among all tailed beasts, its power and intellect stood on another level.
Even if it wasn't fully cooperative yet—that could change.
Souma had entered Sage Mode already.
He continuously transferred the explosive chakra away through the Flying Thunder God barrier.
A second later—
"Yagyū Souma! What experiment are you running now?!"
A furious shout came from behind.
Tsunade?!
Why was she here?!
Souma didn't dare turn around, focusing on diverting the energy.
Moments passed.
The smoke cleared.
Shukaku lay half-dead on the ground, badly injured.
The Nine-Tails wasn't unscathed either—but it was still standing.
"Ha! Stinking tanuki—what excuses do you have now?!"
"You… you cheated!"
Shukaku growled weakly.
It had been at the blast center. If not for Souma secretly mitigating the damage, the clone would've dispersed.
Shukaku didn't know why—but something felt off.
The Nine-Tails lifted its head arrogantly.
"This is my new Tailed Beast Bomb."
"What era do you think this is—still using old-school bombs?"
"You thought being a tailed beast meant no innovation?"
"Oh, right—you didn't even use one just now. With your chakra control, if you had, you'd already be dead."
"..."
Shukaku was furious.
And utterly unable to refute it.
So it lay there, staring at the sky, questioning existence.
Why.
Why was the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb so fast—and so strong?!
It made no sense.
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