The next second, a crimson chakra light screen suddenly burst open, and Nine-Tails' irritable roar broke through the light before anything else.
"Damn you, Shukaku! Why are you shouting in the middle of the night?!", Nine-Tails roared.
Although he was annoyed at being woken up, he still chose to answer.
Nine-Tails' unruly figure appeared in the light screen, his golden fur bristling, looking like he wanted to rush over and beat someone up.
Right after that, Gyuki, Seven-Tails Chomei, Six-Tails Saiken, Five-Tails Kokuo, Four-Tails Son Goku...
One after another, the tailed beasts appeared in the light screen of the Link Technique, instantly filling the screen with a gathering of tailed beasts.
Just when all the tailed beasts were about to bombard Shukaku with angry greetings...
A miserable figure suddenly squeezed into the screen.
Two-Tails Matatabi's fur was completely disheveled, deep wounds that exposed bone seeped with blood droplets, and thick yellowish chains were still tightly bound around its body. Its aura was weak to the extreme.
The previously noisy light screen instantly fell silent. Every tailed beast's gaze locked onto Matatabi at the same time, shock surging in their eyes.
"Matatabi!? What happened?!", Urgency appeared in Gyuki's steady voice.
Matatabi coughed up blood foam and struggled to raise her eyes toward her brothers and sisters.
"Cough… everyone… I was captured by the Uchiha clan leader Uchiha Izumichi and the Senju clan leader Senju Shuichi working together… From their conversation, I could tell they want to capture me and force Teacher to show himself…"
As soon as those words fell, another storm erupted within the light screen.
"What!? In this era there are still people who know about Teacher's existence?!"
Shukaku suddenly jumped up, sand scattering all over his body, his face full of disbelief.
"Idiot! Teacher is the Sage of Six Paths. Who in the ninja world doesn't know the name of the Sage of Six Paths now?", Nine-Tails rolled his eyes and scolded him irritably.
"But… how did those two know about the connection between us tailed beasts and Teacher? They shouldn't know the origin of our relationship with him…", Gyuki's brows twisted into a knot, unable to figure it out no matter how he thought about it.
Four-Tails Son Goku spoke in a deep voice, "I guess it's because of that incident with Nine-Tails."
"At that time Teacher appeared in the identity of an old man. That kid Uchiha Izumichi suffered a huge loss, so he must have held a grudge and been determined to take revenge on Teacher."
"If Uchiha Izumichi knew the Sage of Six Paths was Teacher, he definitely wouldn't dare."
As soon as these words were spoken, the tailed beasts in the light screen nodded one after another, all agreeing.
"Damn it! If they knew Teacher's true identity was the Sage of Six Paths, even if you gave them ten times the courage they wouldn't dare act recklessly!"
Six-Tails Saiken's body slime surged with anger.
"Hah! I used to think Ashura's reincarnation was pretty well-behaved. I didn't expect him to be this kind of person!", Nine-Tails sneered angrily.
"Alright, stop arguing."
Gyuki spoke in time to interrupt them and said in a deep voice, "The most urgent matter is rescuing Matatabi. Who is closest to her location right now?"
"I have wings and can fly through the air. My speed surpasses all tailed beasts. If I travel through the night, I can arrive very quickly!"
Seven-Tails Chomei flapped its colorful wings and immediately answered.
———
At this moment, Arisu, who was leisurely wandering through the mountains and rivers of the ninja world, moved his finger slightly and had already heard the tailed beasts' entire conversation clearly.
"The reincarnations of Indra and Ashura actually joined forces and dared to capture a tailed beast to force me to appear?", Arisu frowned slightly, and a faint emotion flickered in his eyes.
Arisu had always lived calmly and hadn't lost his temper for over a hundred years.
But Uchiha Izumichi had gone too far, joining forces with Senju Shuichi to attack the tailed beasts under his command. They truly did not know the immensity of heaven and earth.
"Two little brats who really don't know what's good for them.", Arisu snorted faintly.
Before the tailed beasts could finalize the rescue details, a gentle yet supremely imposing stream of light suddenly appeared in the center of the Link Technique's light screen, and Arisu's figure abruptly appeared in the sight of all the tailed beasts.
"You don't need to worry about it. I'll go myself.", Arisu said calmly.
After leaving those words, his figure directly dispersed into the void, leaving the tailed beasts staring at the now-empty center of the light screen, all falling silent.
———
Inside the deep pit in the valley, chains were tightly wrapped around Two-Tails Matatabi's body.
Blood still seeped from the wounds all over her body, staining her messy black fur. But in Matatabi's eyes there was no longer the earlier shock or panic, only a cold certainty.
"Speak! Are you tailed beasts connected to that old man or not?!", Uchiha Izumichi glared with his Sharingan and said coldly.
Beside him, Senju Shuichi rubbed his forehead and finally couldn't help persuading, "Alright, alright, Izumichi. I think we should just go find the Nine-Tails directly instead of wasting time here with this Two-Tails…"
"Shut up, Shuichi!", Uchiha Izumichi suddenly turned his head back and cut him off sharply.
"The tailed beasts all come from the same source as one family. Since the Nine-Tails is connected to that old man, it's impossible for the other tailed beasts to stay uninvolved!"
After saying that, Izumichi turned his head back again, staring fiercely at Matatabi, waiting for her to reveal even the slightest piece of information about that old man.
But at that very moment, the bound Two-Tails Matatabi suddenly opened her strange vertical pupils, and her previously weak voice suddenly became clear and cold.
"If you have the ability, then keep slashing me with your blade!"
"It's still not too late to apologize now. Otherwise… hmph!"
A strange smile curled at the corner of Matatabi's mouth.
This sudden show of defiance caught Uchiha Izumichi and Senju Shuichi completely off guard, and both of them showed shocked expressions.
The next second, Uchiha Izumichi was stunned for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! A clown jumping around! You're about to die and you still dare talk tough!"
Izumichi pulled out the tachi hanging at his waist with a backhand motion, the cold gleam of the blade pointing directly at Matatabi's neck.
Senju Shuichi frowned slightly, wanting to stop him, but ultimately held back.
However, at that lightning-fast moment, the hand holding the tachi suddenly froze for no apparent reason.
He stared fixedly at the Matatabi in front of him. This tailed beast was clearly heavily injured, bound by chains, completely unable to resist, looking like prey ready to be slaughtered.
Yet his heart suddenly began pounding wildly without warning. A strange sense of dread swept through his entire body, spreading madly through his limbs and bones.
"This feeling…"
Uchiha Izumichi's pupils shrank slightly. His crimson Sharingan trembled faintly, and his fingers holding the tachi unconsciously tightened. Hesitation surged in his heart like a tide, preventing him from bringing the blade down.
The next second, the wind between heaven and earth suddenly froze.
The air across the entire valley seemed to be tightly gripped by an invisible giant hand. Chakra sank with a terrifying force, pressing until the rocks cracked and the grass and trees bent.
Even the earth-style chains wrapped around Matatabi began trembling and showing cracks.
"Why did the wind suddenly start blowing!?"
Uchiha Izumichi's Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly, yet he could not see through the source of this pressure. He only felt his soul trembling.
This was absolutely not a power humans could contend with. It was more vast and more sacred than any ninjutsu or eye technique he had ever seen.