Arisu hesitated slightly, but in the end still chose to answer.
The next second, Arisu was pulled into the video space.
Arisu's phantom appeared within the space.
Nine vast phantoms also appeared one after another.
From One-Tail Shukaku to Nine-Tails Kurama, the nine great tailed beasts stood neatly in front of Arisu.
Arisu slowly raised his eyes.
Alright, before it was only Kurama who came alone.
'Now, they've all come.'
"What is it you all came to find me for?", Arisu spoke in a calm, steady tone.
Swept by his gaze, the nine tailed beast phantoms all froze for a moment, the aura around them dimming slightly. They looked at each other, full of hesitation.
In the end, Kurama's phantom stepped forward resolutely.
"Teacher! You haven't forgotten what you promised me before, right?", The Nine-Tails spoke with urgency and a hint of grievance.
Some time ago, it had sensed the teacher's power and thought the teacher was going to come out and sweep away evil...
But the result was all thunder and no rain, as if nothing had happened in the human world.
"Kurama, why do you keep clinging to this matter? How many times have I said it, the affairs of the human world... I have my own arrangements."
Hearing this, Arisu pressed his forehead slightly and shook his head helplessly.
Then his tone shifted, and his gaze swept across the other tailed beasts, carrying a trace of reprimand.
"It would have been fine if you came alone before, but this time you even brought your brothers and sisters along?"
"And you all, why are you following Kurama in making trouble?"
As Arisu spoke, he pointed at them.
"Matatabi, Gyuki, Saiken... Kurama acting up is one thing, but you three are usually the most sensible."
"Son and Isobu, you two barely interact with the human world, so why did you come as well?"
The tailed beasts who were called out all lowered their heads one after another. Their massive phantoms shrank slightly, yet in their eyes there was a stubborn refusal to yield.
It seemed they had discussed things before coming.
"Teacher, it's not that we're making trouble, it's that the human world has become too chaotic. Even from the Water Curtain Cave, I couldn't stand watching it anymore.", The Four-Tails Son Goku spoke first.
"Teacher, Son is right. Not only is the center of ninjutsu in chaos, but where I live in the northern part of the ninja world, barely one in ten living beings remain!", Gyuki's dark blue phantom stepped forward, speaking in a deep voice.
"Teacher, although I live in the sea and hardly interact with humans, seeing the tragic state of the human world, I can't help but feel distressed.", Isobu immediately followed, his tone gentle.
"Teacher, forgive me for speaking bluntly, if you continue to stand by and let the chaos of war spread, the ninja world will sooner or later return to the Stone Age.", Shukaku's sand-yellow phantom swayed with grains of sand around it as it spoke frankly.
Even Matatabi...
"Teacher, although I've always listened to you, I can't stand seeing the human world in such a mess…", Matatabi's pink-purple phantom shrank slightly, speaking in a low voice.
After everyone had spoken, Kurama suddenly raised its voice, filled with questioning and urgency, "Teacher! Look!"
"All of us brothers and sisters have come to persuade you... what exactly are you hesitating for? Do you have to wait until everyone in the human world is dead before you're willing to act?"
"..."
Arisu looked at the tailed beasts offering advice one by one. His fingers paused slightly, and he felt a bit helpless inside.
He understood these tailed beasts too well.
According to the original story, the tailed beasts were constantly captured and used by humans, so they should have thought humans deserved their suffering.
But after his earlier manipulation, they had instead all become legendary lovers of humanity.
"It's not that I won't act, but when it's time to act, I will naturally act.", Arisu spoke calmly.
To be honest, having lived for thousands of years and having seen the ending of the original Naruto story, he was already used to the cruelty of this world.
The strong devouring the weak had always been the norm here. Outside the villages, assassinations and bandits ran rampant.
The daimyos only cared about power struggles. Rogue ninjas and bounty hunters were everywhere. The suffering of the human world had always been the norm.
Seeing Arisu still deflecting, Kurama frowned tightly and spoke with a heavy threat, "Teacher! Please step in and control things, otherwise, we'll personally go to Mount Myoboku to ask you about it!"
The other tailed beasts did not speak, but they all nodded silently together, their stance firm.
"Oh? You want to challenge me?", Arisu was first slightly stunned, then spoke lightly.
Kurama really is adorable.
After living so long, this was the first time he had been threatened by a tailed beast.
Arisu wasn't angry. They were all his own people. Kurama was just anxious. Although it was going against him, its intentions were good.
"Teacher, we don't intend to challenge you."
Kurama stepped forward, its voice suddenly lowering. "We just want to question you, to ask whether you're going to take care of the human world or not."
"If you won't, then we'll step in and take care of it for you!"
"When that time comes, don't blame us for disrupting your grand plan!"
As Kurama's last sentence fell, the air in the hall seemed to freeze into ice. Arisu slowly raised his eyes, his calm gaze sweeping across the other tailed beasts in the hall.
"Do you all think the same?"
Arisu's voice remained flat, but carried a faint trace of helplessness.
The other tailed beasts did not hesitate in the slightest. They all nodded heavily, not a single one backing down.
Seeing this, Arisu's shoulders relaxed slightly. Looking at the group of tailed beasts before him, he let out a small sigh inwardly.
Seeing that all the tailed beasts were firm in their stance, Arisu pondered for a moment,
Then suddenly spoke slowly, "How about this."
He looked up at the tailed beasts surrounding him. His tone remained calm, yet carried an unquestionable certainty.
"After this round of Asura and Indra's reincarnations finishes determining the winner, I will take action."
"At this moment, Asura and Indra are still competing. If I rashly make a large move, it will definitely disrupt the progress of their contest."
Hearing Arisu take the initiative to step back, all the tailed beasts were slightly stunned. A trace of hesitation flashed in their beastly eyes as they looked at each other, unable to decide for a moment.
Kurama, being naturally impatient, couldn't endure such waiting. It immediately stepped forward like its fur had bristled, a low growl rolling from its throat as it was just about to speak in rebuttal.
But Gyuki, the Eight-Tails beside it, reacted quickly and immediately shot it a warning look.
"Uh."
The words at Kurama's lips suddenly stopped. Its large fox eyes widened, and in the end it could only press its lips together, holding back what it wanted to say.
Seeing this, Gyuki immediately stepped forward and agreed on behalf of all the tailed beasts, "Teacher, we agree. You must keep your promise."
"Mm."
Arisu nodded faintly, saying nothing more.
Ripples spread faintly through the surrounding space. In the next second, he turned and left directly, disappearing from the tailed beasts' sight.
After Arisu completely left, Kurama could no longer hold back. It suddenly turned its head and roared at Gyuki, "Gyuki, you guy, why did you stop me?"
Gyuki shook its huge octopus head helplessly and let out a long sigh. "Teacher already making this kind of concession is quite good. If you keep pressing step by step, you might completely anger him."
"Know when to stop. Besides, judging by the current situation, Indra and Asura will soon decide the winner."
"Sigh!"
Hearing this, Kurama lowered its large eyes, and in the end could only let out a muffled sigh. "Alright."