Rasa wanted to scold Yashamaru.
But Chiyo stopped him. The deep sibling affection between Karura and Yashamaru reminded Chiyo of herself and Ebizo.
For so many years, her husband had passed away, her son and daughter-in-law had died in battle, and her grandson had defected.
It had always been this old man, Ebizo, by her side.
If it weren't for Ebizo, Chiyo didn't know if she would still be so strong?
They had relied on each other since childhood, and no matter how strong the sandstorm, it couldn't blow away their mutual concern.
The elder sister always gave warmth to her younger brother, and the younger brother also regarded his elder sister as his only reliance. A single word, a single glance, was worth a thousand words.
Chiyo and Ebizo both saw their past selves in Karura and Yashamaru.
Mornings in the desert always brought back old memories.
"Why does my sister have to bear it?"
Karura said gently to Yashamaru, "Because I am the Kazekage's wife, and even more, a member of this Village."
...
Rasa's browless eyes silently watched Karura, his fists clenching and unclenching, unclenching and clenching again.
Is it really okay?
Chiyo said, "Alright, let's finish quickly! We need to seal Shukaku inside Karura's belly before noon, and then transfer her as soon as possible to prevent Uchiha Madara from sending people to seize it."
Karura released Yashamaru's hand and slowly walked towards the Shukaku Altar.
Chiyo followed, had Karura lie on the altar, retrieved the Bunpuku Chagama, and prepared to perform the Jutsu to unseal the Bunpuku Chagama, then seal Shukaku into the fetus within Karura's womb.
Chiyo said to Karura, "Karura, after Shukaku enters your body, use your chakra to suppress it into the fetus."
"Yes!"
"Good, sealing begins!"
Candy and Snowy were hidden in a sand dune, using Ryou's spore' perception Jutsu to detect the situation at the Shukaku Altar.
Snowy swung his scythe and exhaled, "What is Ryou constructing? Shukaku is about to be sealed inside Karura."
"A Jinchuriki and a Tailed Beast are linked by life; after the Jinchuriki dies, the Tailed Beast will also perish with them."
There is such a saying, but Tailed Beasts will revive after death.
In the original work, the Akatsuki always demanded to capture Jinchuriki alive, precisely fearing that if the Tailed Beast died, they would have to wait for its revival.
In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto's Baryon Mode caused the Nine-Tails to die, but just three years later, the Nine-Tails revived inside Uzumaki Himawari.
Candy's face also looked unwell, but he calmed down nonetheless.
"Why do we care so much? Maybe the death of the Tailed Beast can greatly delay Madara's plan."
Snowy also calmed down, "That makes sense!"
Chiyo unsealed the Bunpuku Chagama, used the seal of the Shukaku Altar to suppress Shukaku to a low point, and then activated a Sealing Jutsu to seal Shukaku inside Karura's belly.
Shukaku let out a sharp cry, "You, you want to seal me inside a fetus?"
"Haha... foolish, even adult Shinobi cannot withstand my chakra, let alone an unborn fetus."
Chiyo reminded Karura, "Karura, now! Use your chakra."
"Yes!"
Karura released her protective chakra.
Shukaku's shriek suddenly stopped, "This chakra, the same power as that stinky monk, who exactly are you?"
Karura said, "Lord Shukaku, I once trained under Master Bunpuku."
"Oh! So you're the stinky monk's disciple!"
Chiyo knew that Monk Bunpuku had once tamed Shukaku and befriended it.
So she tried to persuade Shukaku, "Shukaku, Karura has inherited Monk Bunpuku's power, so she is his disciple."
Shukaku didn't buy it at all, "Don't try to get close to me. The stinky monk is the stinky monk, and others are others."
"All you people from Sunagakure are the same; you all want to control my power."
"Roar—"
Shukaku went berserk.
Karura instantly couldn't bear the intense pain caused by Shukaku's rampage.
The pain felt like it was exploding from her bone marrow, sweeping through her entire body, each wave more violent than the last.
"Aaaah—"
Karura screamed in agony, each breath a fractured tremor, her fingertips clutching desperately at the padding beneath her.
Rasa and Yashamaru stepped forward anxiously.
Rasa was frantic, "Grandma, what's wrong? Did the sealing fail?"
Yashamaru was very concerned about Karura, "Lady Chiyo, stop quickly! If this continues, my sister is at risk of miscarriage."
Chiyo shouted at them, "Step back, this old woman can still hold on."
Rasa and Yashamaru retreated.
Chiyo wiped the sweat from her forehead, took a special military ration pill she had made herself, and then released more chakra to reinforce the Sealing Jutsu.
With this, Karura's intense pain lessened somewhat, but it was still beyond her endurance.
"Karura, hold on, you must hold on."
Shukaku cackled, "Little girl, you're far too inferior to that stinky monk. Your chakra can't bind me at all."
Shukaku violently thrashed inside Karura's belly.
A tearing, twisting pain came from Karura's abdomen, making even breathing an ordeal.
Her consciousness repeatedly wavered between blurriness and clarity, her vision darkening in waves. Everyone could only hear Karura's uncontrollable groans of pain.
Many Sunagakure Anbu couldn't bear to watch; the pain was so intense that just hearing it felt like a shared agony.
Yashamaru's fingernails dug into his fingers, and he drew his Kunai and charged forward.
"Enough! You can't continue this!"
"Presumptuous!"
Rasa summoned Gold Dust, forming a large hand that flung Yashamaru dozens of meters away, like kicking a stray dog on the street.
After knocking the unstable Yashamaru away, Rasa immediately looked at Karura with concern.
He was also very worried about Karura, but as the Kazekage, he couldn't act as impulsively as Yashamaru.
Chiyo's face grew increasingly grim. She had overestimated her Sealing Jutsu and underestimated Shukaku's hatred for Sunagakure.
It was true that Shukaku could coexist peacefully with Monk Bunpuku, but that was because Monk Bunpuku had never thought of exploiting Shukaku's power.
Sunagakure's attitude was to treat Shukaku like a dog, to make it a weapon of war for Sunagakure.
How could such a proud Tailed Beast become someone else's puppet?
The way you treat me is the way I will treat you!
Shukaku cackled, "Gahahaha... Old hag, how much chakra can you still have at your age?"
Chiyo snorted coldly, "Shukaku, don't be arrogant. Though I am old, I am still enough to deal with you."
Chiyo completed the Sealing Jutsu formula, and a powerful restrictive force suppressed Shukaku into the fetus.
Shukaku let out a long cry of anguish and was fiercely suppressed by Chiyo's Sealing Jutsu.
Karura cried out in pain, "Grandma, I can't hold on any longer!"
Ebizo exclaimed in alarm, "Not good, Shukaku's rampage will cause Karura's fetus to be born prematurely."
The pain of premature birth combined with the stimulation of the Tailed Beast's chakra—with these two intense pains, even if Karura was strong, she couldn't endure it any longer.
Chiyo looked at Rasa, "The sealing must continue, but Karura will die as a result."
"Rasa, save the mother or save the child?"