"You insolent human brat! I'm going to rip you apart!"
The One-Tails was absolutely livid. It knew exactly what had happened. It had been sealed inside yet another fleshy prison, stripped of its freedom just so these pathetic humans could weaponize its power.
Its mountain-like body lunged forward, intending to crush Chisuke's consciousness into dust.
Chisuke didn't panic. He glanced around the mindscape. It was entirely pitch-black, and noticeably, there were no giant iron gates or locking mechanisms restraining the beast.
Compared to the sophisticated Hakke no Fūin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style) used to imprison the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, Sunagakure's sealing technology was incredibly primitive.
No wonder Gaara had such horrific side effects growing up, Chisuke realized. The security in here is a joke.
However, Chisuke had a trump card. Last night, Ooka Shin had tutored him in the dreamscape on how to utilize the Rinnegan's presence.
While Chisuke couldn't use the Rinnegan's physical Jutsu in the real world, here in the spiritual plane, he could channel its overwhelming, passive psychic pressure.
Chisuke focused, forcefully drawing on his own Chakra to fuel the connection to Ooka Shin.
Instantly, his left eye morphed, the rippling purple rings of the Rinnegan snapping into existence.
An illusory, invisible shockwave carrying an ancient, unmatched aura swept across the mental space, causing the very foundations of the mindscape to violently tremble.
The One-Tails, already significantly weakened by the physical seal, slammed into that psychic pressure like a bird hitting a glass window. It felt as if an entire mountain range had been dropped on its shoulders.
With a deafening thud, the colossal beast collapsed onto its stomach, pinned to the floor.
Deep within its soul, a primal, forgotten terror bubbled up. Its sandy body trembled uncontrollably. It strained to lift its massive head, staring at Chisuke's left eye with absolute dread.
"The... the Rinnegan?!" the beast gasped. "How is this possible?! How can a brat like you possess those eyes?!"
"Shukaku."
Chisuke spoke calmly, uttering a name the beast hadn't heard in centuries.
Ever since the death of the Sage of the Six Paths, humans had only ever referred to it as a weapon, a monster, or simply the "One-Tails." Hearing its true name stunned Shukaku into immediate silence. It waited, desperate to hear what this Rinnegan-wielding boy had to say.
"There are beings in this world far older and far more dangerous than you Tailed Beasts," Chisuke lied smoothly, weaving facts with intimidation. "They are currently plotting to hunt down all nine of you, revive the Ten-Tails, and ultimately resurrect Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
"What?! Impossible! How do you know about her?!"
The shock of seeing the Rinnegan hadn't even faded, and now Chisuke was dropping ancient, cosmic secrets. Shukaku found this human increasingly terrifying and incomprehensible.
Damn it, the Chakra drain of manifesting the Rinnegan is insane! Chisuke panicked internally.
Knowing he only had seconds left before the connection dropped, Chisuke doubled down on acting cool.
"You have two choices," Chisuke declared coldly. "Either you lend me your power to fight them, or I will absorb your Chakra right here, right now, to prematurely revive the Ten-Tails husk myself!"
As he spoke, he channeled the last dregs of the connection. A massive, towering silhouette faintly materialized in the darkness behind him. It was a grotesque, humanoid husk with nine tightly closed eyes on its face.
"That... that's... there's no mistake..."
Even as a mere phantom projection, Shukaku reacted as if it were staring at its natural predator. Its booming voice cracked with terror. If it had fur, every strand would have been standing on end.
"Behold the husk of the Ten-Tails," Chisuke bluffed flawlessly. "I have already summoned the Gedo Statue down from the moon. Make your choice, Shukaku. Because I will not allow Kaguya to return."
Chisuke maintained a cold, unbothered expression. As the terrifying phantom of the Gedo Statue slowly faded back into the dark, Shukaku finally dared to take a ragged breath.
It couldn't be helped. Against the Ten-Tails, Shukaku possessed zero courage to resist. It wasn't just a matter of power; the Ten-Tails was a higher, absolute tier of existence. Even a hollow husk could crush a Tailed Beast.
Shukaku had no idea Chisuke was entirely full of it. Just projecting the Gedo Statue's image for three seconds had nearly drained Chisuke dry. His left eye reverted back to its normal color as the Rinnegan vanished.
This illusion was only possible thanks to Nagato's direct guidance and Chakra support. Left to his own devices, Chisuke wouldn't have been able to conjure a spark, let alone the Gedo Statue.
With the terrifying visuals gone, Shukaku gradually regained its composure. It slowly pushed itself up into a sitting position, glaring down at the tiny human.
"Who exactly are you?" Shukaku demanded suspiciously. "The Rinnegan was real, and the aura of the Statue was real... but I can smell a liar. You just want to use my power for yourself."
Oh, the big guy's intuition is actually pretty sharp, Chisuke noted.
He offered a faint, relaxed smile. "My name is Tasaka Chisuke. I am currently a Chunin of the Hidden Sand Village, and my primary goal is to become the next Kazekage."
Shukaku froze. It stared at Chisuke for a long, agonizing moment before throwing its head back and bursting into thunderous, booming laughter.
"Bwahahaha! A Chunin?! The Kazekage?! Ahahaha! You're killing me!" Shukaku wheezed, slamming a giant paw against the floor. "If the Old Man Six Paths knew that his successor with the Rinnegan only wanted to be the mayor of some backwater sandbox, he'd die of sheer disappointment all over again!"
Chisuke simply sat down cross-legged, watching the giant tanuki laugh itself into a fit without interrupting. He looked like an unimpressed audience member watching a bad stand-up routine.
Shukaku laughed for a solid minute, but met with absolute silence from Chisuke, the laughter became increasingly awkward. It trailed off into a few uncomfortable coughs.
"Heh... heh... seriously, though," Shukaku muttered, looking annoyed. "I'm asking for your real identity and your grand master plan."
Sitting cross-legged was uncomfortable, so Chisuke casually leaned over, propping himself up on one elbow like a lounging Buddha.
"I told you, this is my identity," Chisuke smiled, waving a hand dismissively. "Listen, Shukaku. Work with me, and I promise to completely set you free in twenty years. Not only that... I'll even help you beat the living daylights out of Kurama."
Shukaku immediately crossed its massive arms, trying to look proud. "Twenty years? Hmph. It seems this 'enemy' of yours is quite strong. Well, since you're just a squishy brat right now, and your Rinnegan is clearly restricted, I suppose this Great Lord will have to protect you properly."
Shukaku had already resigned itself to its fate. The seal was complete; it was trapped regardless. Normally, it would spend the next decade torturing its host by keeping them awake until they went insane.
But dealing with a kid who could magically summon the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue? Shukaku decided cooperation was infinitely safer than risking true death.
Chisuke sat up, his face deadly serious. "In twenty years, either Kaguya's agents die, or I do!"
"So basically, as long as you survive, it doesn't matter what happens to me?" Shukaku grumbled. This kid was incredibly shameless. How did a brat like this inherit the Sage's eyes?
However, the tanuki had one non-negotiable demand.
"I want to beat up Kurama five times—no, wait—ten times!!"
In ancient times, the belligerent, loud-mouthed Shukaku had the absolute worst relationship with the arrogant, tsundere Nine-Tails, Kurama. They had fought countless times, and Shukaku had usually ended up on the losing end of those brawls.
Now that its new Jinchuriki seemingly possessed the ultimate dojutsu, Shukaku saw a golden opportunity to flex on the stupid fox and punch its ugly face in!
Ah, such a loving, brotherly bond between the Tailed Beasts, Chisuke thought sarcastically.
Naturally, he had no intention of refusing.
"Don't worry," Chisuke promised smoothly. "I'll need to gather the Chakra of all the Tailed Beasts to face the enemy anyway. If the Nine-Tails doesn't behave, I'll build a special prison just for him. You can be the head warden and supervise his punishment."
"Hehehe... BWAHAHAHAHA! It's a deal!!!"
Hearing Chisuke's brilliant plan, Shukaku's yellow eyes lit up like spotlights.
The stupid fox locked in a cage, and me holding the keys! Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I can just walk over and smack him around! The mental image was so incredibly beautiful that Shukaku actually started doing a little happy dance, eager for that glorious day to arrive.
Chisuke shook his head, utterly speechless. Just how deep is this grudge? If the fox is in a cell and you're the warden watching him 24/7, doesn't that mean you're essentially locked in prison with him? Idiot.
Back in the real world, the Kazekage, Pakura, and the rest of the elite guard were sweating bullets, watching Chisuke's unresponsive body nervously.
Suddenly, Chisuke gasped and opened his eyes.
Pakura rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside the altar. "Chisuke! Are you okay? How does your body feel?"
The Kazekage stepped up, his expression tense. "Did the beast try to seize control? Is it rampaging in your mind?"
Hearing their questions, Chisuke couldn't help but notice the contrast. His teacher genuinely cared about his well-being, while the Kazekage only cared about the village's weapon.
Chisuke sat up, offering Pakura a playful wink.
"Sensei, honestly, the One-Tails is just like a giant, grumpy tanuki. It's actually quite cute! How about I let him out for a bit to get some fresh air?"