After that brief moment of distraction, Mito chose not to delve deeper. Although Ren carried many secrets, he had never done anything to harm Konoha, so she let the matter rest.
Ren and Nawaki felt their vision blur, and in the next instant, their consciousness arrived in a dazzling, surreal world.
A fox, dozens of stories tall and baring its fangs, glared at them with blood-red vertical pupils. A terrifying killing intent, almost physical, pressed down on them, bringing a bone-chilling cold.
"So this is Konoha's Tailed Beast... the legendary strongest and most vicious, the Nine-Tails!" Nawaki stared blankly at the colossal creature held in place by layers of wooden stakes, his eyes actually showing a hint of fanaticism.
"To be honest, I don't know what it will look like once the seal is opened. Whether the Jinchuriki will survive after the re-sealing is also an unknown," Mito said calmly. "What we are doing now is actually a hypothesis of Minato's. He believes a Jinchuriki's life is tied to the Tailed Beast. Even if the beast leaves temporarily, as long as it is sealed back before the host draws their last breath, their life can be sustained."
Ren was stunned. Those were the words he had told Minato a long time ago—likely shortly after returning from the Sunagakure front. He was worried that if Kushina ever had her beast extracted while he wasn't around, Minato might do something rash like following her to the grave. He'd given Minato that "preventative medicine" to let him know life could be extended by stuffing the beast back in.
He just hadn't expected that Mito would be the first test subject.
Nawaki snapped out of his shock and looked at Mito. "Don't worry, Grandma! If Minato said it, it'll definitely work!"
Seeing the smile on her grandson's face, Mito let out a small smile of her own. But when she opened her eyes again, they were sharp and piercing!
"In that case, give this stinking fox a thorough beating for me. Understood?!"
"Leave it to me!" Nawaki thumped his chest.
"I'll provide the support," Ren added.
The next moment, the pillars anchoring the Nine-Tails began to dissolve. The violent, berserk chakra of the strongest Tailed Beast slammed into them like a physical gale!
"ROAR!! HUMANS! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"
Boom!
The Nine-Tails dropped to all fours, its nine orange tails thrashing wildly. Since being sealed inside Mito, it hadn't been able to move like this for decades. Its gaze swept over the three, lingering warily on Mito before turning determined.
It didn't know what tricks these humans were playing, but this seemed to be its only chance to escape! Otherwise, once the two outside finished the new seal, it truly wouldn't have a prayer of fleeing.
As the Nine-Tails plotted, Nawaki charged first. Countless vines erupted from the ground, lashing out at the beast like extensions of Nawaki's own limbs!
"Wood Style!" The Nine-Tails instinctively shuddered. Decades ago, it had been pummeled into submission by Hashirama's Wood Style and locked away in this hellhole.
But then!
"Hashirama Senju is dead! That kind of Wood Style no longer exists! Kid! Let me show you the true power of the strongest Tailed Beast!"
The Nine-Tails opened its maw wide. A black energy sphere larger than its own head formed instantly. Before anyone could react, the sphere turned blindingly bright and streaked toward Nawaki!
"Hmph! Mere parlor tricks! Wood Style: Vine Rail!"
Thick vines burst from the earth, coiling around the Tailed Beast Ball. With a violent heave, they flung the projectile off to the side.
Rumble—!
An explosion that seemed capable of annihilating everything echoed from the distance. Even Ren felt a wave of searing heat wash over him!
"My turn! Wood Style: Entanglement!"
The ground beneath the Nine-Tails' paws shattered. Vines surged upward, wrapping tightly around the fox's body!
The Nine-Tails wasn't a pushover. It thrashed its nine tails, unleashing torrents of chakra without regard for the cost. The resulting chakra storm pulverized the vines in an instant.
Breaking free, the Nine-Tails gathered chakra once more, firing multiple energy orbs at Nawaki!
"You think you're the only one who can spam orbs?!" Seeing this, Nawaki instantly entered an emergency Sage Mode. Dark green markings appeared on his face, and his chakra levels skyrocketed!
"Sage Art: Thousand-Hand Rasengan Barrage!"
Rumble—!
Countless wooden arms erupted from the ground, forming a forest of limbs. Each wooden hand held a Rasengan over a meter in diameter. At a glance, the entire horizon was dominated by wooden hands. Seeing this, even the mighty Nine-Tails felt a tremor of fear.
Is this kid... even human?
The thought flashed by, and the next second, the infinite Rasengans slammed into the Nine-Tails' body. A soul-shattering howl erupted from its throat, loud enough to drown out even the roaring explosions of the jutsu.
Seeing this, Mito nodded with a look of gratified relief. "Nawaki likely has half of Hashirama's strength now!"
Ren, standing nearby, nearly tripped over his own feet. If the Third Hokage and the others outside saw Nawaki brutalizing the Nine-Tails like this, they'd be in shock for days. Yet, to Mito, this was "only half of Hashirama."
Ren couldn't help but wonder: exactly how terrifying was Hashirama at full power? Could his current self go toe-to-toe with the God of Shinobi?
As he was spacing out, the Nine-Tails' furious roar erupted from the settling dust: "Don't get cocky, brat! I'll finish you right now!"
Ren felt a terrifying concentration of energy gathering. The dust cleared to reveal a Super Tailed Beast Ball—three times larger than the Nine-Tails itself!
"Holy... the Nine-Tails is 'Red-Warmed'! Making it that big, is this guy a sore loser or what?"
Faced with this horrific scene, Nawaki immediately retreated. Sensing the sheer mass of energy within that orb, he couldn't help but swallow hard. He turned and shouted to Ren: "Master! It's your turn!"
"Turn my foot! We should be telling Minato and the others to hurry up!"
At the same time, Ren thought that if Mito couldn't block this, he'd have to use a Cero to counter-blast the Nine-Tails.
Clank-clank-clank!
Golden chains erupted from Mito's abdomen, binding the Nine-Tails tightly in a split second! With a violent pull from Mito, the fox lost its balance and slammed heavily into the ground. The massive Tailed Beast Ball detonated right next to the fox.
"DAMN YOU!"
BOOM!!!
Blinding fire swallowed everything. Ren quickly constructed a barrier using Reishi to shield the three of them, preventing them from being swept away by the aftershock.
Outside, Minato and Kushina were fully prepared. Sensing the evil power within Mito weaken, they simultaneously wove hand signs. The black runes on the floor came to life, covering Mito's body before sinking into her navel.
As the explosion cleared in the mental space, a ragged-looking Nine-Tails appeared. Nawaki was about to start mocking it when Mito's gaze sharpened. "Minato and the others are starting!"
Black runes manifested in the mental world, transforming into giant iron gates that slammed down around the Nine-Tails.
"Eight Trigrams Seal!"
Minato and Kushina's voices echoed in the space. The locks on the iron gates surrounding the fox clicked shut. In seconds, the violent chakra was cut off completely.
"It worked!" Nawaki cheered. He turned to Mito. "Grandma, how does your body feel?"
Mito closed her eyes to check. "Mhm. Much better than before!"
Previously, most of her chakra was spent suppressing the fox. Now, it wasn't necessary. The Eight Trigrams Seal was far superior to any previous seal; not a drop of the Nine-Tails' chakra leaked out. Mito no longer had to engage in a constant tug-of-war. She felt she could easily live another ten years!
By then, Kushina would be an adult, and she could pass the beast on with peace of mind.
Inside the cage, the Nine-Tails glared at the group chatting and laughing in the distance, gnashing its teeth in rage. "Filthy humans! I'll... I'll...!"