163Shukaku's strange thoughtsAI Model: gemini-2.5-flashChapter 163 Shukaku's Strange Thoughts
"What questions?"
Shukaku rubbed his hands, chuckled, and pointed at the Gedo Statue that Naruto had thrown into the space, carefully asking, "Is this the shell of the Divine Tree?"
"What's up? It should be classified as the Ten-Tails' shell, but if you insist on calling it the Divine Tree's shell, I guess that works too."
"Then~"
Shukaku looked at the space, somewhat confused, and asked, "Since this thing is considered a tree, can it be planted in the space?"
Naruto: "???"
Naruto: "..."
He was shocked!
The Nine-Tailed also stared at Shukaku, dumbfounded.
That thought process, it's unbeatable.
That's right.
It should be able to be planted, right?
The Nine-Tailed looked at Naruto with shining eyes, and Naruto was also silenced by this wild idea.
After thinking carefully, he said with some uncertainty, "I've never actually tried that, and even if it grows, I'm not sure what kind of weird stuff it would produce."
"Hey!"
The Nine-Tailed waved his hand dismissively and said with a smile, "I have an idea."
"Speak!"
The Nine-Tailed: "..."
Taking a deep breath, the Nine-Tailed said seriously, "The Ten-Tails split into nine, and we certainly don't want to die, but Naruto, this space of yours is amazing. What it grows can make us slowly stronger too."
"So, I have a suggestion: collect the Tailed Beasts, then inject our Chakra into them, just leaving us a life."
The Nine-Tailed clapped his hands, getting more excited the more he thought about it: "Wouldn't you then possess all the Tailed Beasts from Ichibito Ten-Tails?"
"Although we'll be temporarily weakened, in the end, we can still grow stronger through these vegetables, fruits, and meats."
Moreover, the Nine-Tailed felt that this space was so miraculous that his brothers and sisters should not be able to refuse.
Shukaku looked at the Nine-Tailed strangely.
Good heavens, you're really not afraid of being ganged up on by them, this kind of suggestion…
Shukaku silently retreated.
He actually thought this suggestion made sense.
"That makes sense!"
Naruto sighed, "Speaking of which, am I inheriting Obito and Nagato's ideas here?"
"No, they wanted to kill us."
The Nine-Tailed shook his head.
With those people's plans, they would definitely disappear.
"Collect the Tailed Beasts, huh?"
Naruto stood tall on the Hokage Rock, and after a long time, he finally chuckled, "It's a goal, I can try it."
Perhaps by then, he could enter the Six Paths realm.
"How do you plan to do it?"
The Nine-Tailed rubbed his fists, ready for a big fight.
"Courtesy before force!"
Naruto ambled down the Hokage Rock, smiling as he walked, "After all, these Jinchuriki aren't enemies right now, and I can't be too ruthless."
"Got it!"
The Nine-Tailed instantly understood, chuckling eerily.
Would they agree to hand over their Tailed Beasts?
In other words, would they believe Naruto could guarantee their safety?
Clearly, they wouldn't believe him!
So, the so-called 'courtesy before force' was just a gimmick.
Naruto would definitely suppress them directly later on.
Probably!
The Nine-Tailed didn't dare to speak too confidently; Naruto was too unpredictable, and he had been surprised countless times over the years.
Stay calm!
Things would only become clear after the dust settled with Naruto's actions.
…
"Shikaku!"
"Lord Hokage, do you have any more instructions?"
They had just fought a major battle, and even though Naruto had swept the battlefield with his absolute power, the Land of Fire had suffered significant losses.
It just seemed insignificant because all the attention was on Naruto and his group.
But in fact, the Land of Fire's losses in this conflict were not small.
He was as busy as a spinning top now.
"Investigate the locations of those Jinchuriki for me."
Nara Shikaku looked at Naruto with a serious expression, somewhat not understanding Naruto's intentions.
Why would Naruto suddenly want to collect these things?
He pondered for a moment but couldn't grasp it.
They were in a critical period now, and he didn't want the current favorable situation to worsen.
So he got straight to the point and asked, "May I know what you intend to do?"
"To deal with future enemies."
Naruto pulled over a chair and sat down, smiling as he reassured Nara Shikaku, "Don't be nervous. I won't act recklessly like Nagato and Obito, but I do need the power of these Tailed Beasts."
"So, we'll use courtesy before force!"
Courtesy before force!
Nara Shikaku's mouth twitched. Are you serious?
Wait!
"Enemies? Who?"
"Perhaps the Six Paths Sage, perhaps Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, or perhaps both."
Naruto shrugged, "Who knows."
Hiss!
Nara Shikaku gasped, his scalp tingling.
Those two names were legendary.
Especially the Six Paths Sage, he was the progenitor of Chakra, a very high-ranking figure.
If he was an enemy, Nara Shikaku couldn't even imagine the horror of it.
"I understand!"
After a long pause, Nara Shikaku nodded seriously.
Naruto naturally had his reasons for saying this, especially Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who was a truly terrifying existence.
This was indeed an enemy that could not be ignored.
Since that was the case…
Nara Shikaku nodded, "I will collect the Tailed Beast information as quickly as possible and, by the way, make them face reality."
"If they don't agree, then they can't blame us for being ruthless."
Nara Shikaku was never a softie. The reason he asked earlier was simply because he was afraid Naruto, being young, would get carried away after achieving such success.
It proved that Naruto was still Naruto; he hadn't gotten carried away. On the contrary, he was even more cautious.
This was excellent.
"I'll leave this matter to you. I have something else I need to confirm."
"Go ahead."
Nara Shikaku waved his hand; he also had a lot of things to do, working tirelessly all day.
Naruto left the Hokage Office, thought for a moment, and then walked towards the Uchiha Clan compound.
"Naruto?"
Uchiha Fugaku was just about to go out for a visit when he ran into Naruto, and he couldn't help but be surprised, "A rare guest. Is something the matter?"
"You're quite idle."
"Hahaha!"
Uchiha Fugaku laughed, "Yes, the life I have now is something I never dared to imagine before."
"But I'm just taking a rare break. Tomorrow, I'll be back to working on the Land of Fire's reconstruction."
Alas!
It's tough!
What could they do with such a hands-off Hokage?
Spoil him, then.
If he wants to play, let him play. They would handle these trivial matters for him.
"I came to find Sasuke. Is he home?"
"He is. He's training with Itachi."
Speaking of Sasuke, Uchiha Fugaku had a bit of a headache.
Why pick Naruto to compete with, of all people?
Uzumaki Naruto was a prodigy born once in a millennium. What kind of talent do you have? It's truly strange, where does such intense competitiveness come from?
And it's only directed at Uzumaki Naruto.
It's baffling.
You should find someone on your level.
They had already tried to reason with him many times.
No use!
He's stubborn.
He just won't change.
What a headache…