Chapter 107: Luring Away the Tiger
Chapter 107: Luring Away the Tiger
"Before leaving, I should toss out some bait for them," Baishi murmured.
With that thought, he deactivated the Spiritualization Technique.
As his soul returned to his body, Baishi immediately formed a series of seals, reopening the Eight Trigrams Seal on his abdomen.
In an instant, Kurama's chakra surged out, forming a Tailed Beast Cloak over Baishi's body. However, as the number of tails grew to two, it stopped increasing.
Clearly, Kurama was still holding back its chakra.
Baishi frowned, curling his lip, and widened the opening in the Eight Trigrams Seal.
Despite this, only a small increase in chakra emerged, and Kurama remained restrained.
"Still holding back?"
Growing impatient, Baishi widened the seal to nearly a third of its total capacity. "Let's see if you can resist now!"
Kurama, driven by its longing for freedom, could no longer suppress itself. Sensing the large breach in the seal, it surged with full force, attempting to break free.
In the blink of an eye, Baishi's tails shot from two to six.
At the same time, an overwhelming surge of hatred flooded Baishi's mind. If not for his mental preparation, his will might have shattered immediately.
Despite his precautions, his pupils transformed into crimson slits resembling Kurama's. His sharpened claws and fangs grew rapidly, giving his features an increasingly fox-like appearance.
Baishi's skin repeatedly tore and regenerated as his body verged on a half-Tailed Beast state.
Suddenly, he threw his head back, letting out a deafening roar. The number of tails behind him increased to seven, far exceeding his previous limit of five tails in a controlled state.
Kurama's savage and chaotic aura surged, spreading in every direction. The earth, sea, and sky were all painted in an ominous shade of red.
A massive fox-like apparition appeared in the night sky, its tails thrashing violently, producing loud, whip-like cracks that echoed for miles.
This scene was visible from over a dozen kilometers away, and the oppressive aura of the Nine-Tails traveled even farther, jolting awake countless people.
Within the affected radius, villagers huddled in fear, shivering under their blankets.
As the eighth tail began to form, Baishi roared, "Enough!"
Gathering all his remaining chakra, he temporarily suppressed Kurama's power.
Seizing the moment, Baishi hastily performed seals to close the Eight Trigrams Seal. However, Kurama's rampage had created significant resistance, slowing his progress.
Fortunately, Baishi had anticipated this. Activating Absorption Skin at full capacity, he began converting Kurama's chakra into his own.
The process was steady yet effective. The surge of refined chakra not only replenished his reserves but also swelled them to near-capacity, leaving his body feeling taut and brimming with power.
Without hesitation, Baishi summoned the system, directing it to channel this surplus chakra into advancing his Absorption Skin.
Time ticked by as Kurama, constrained by the Eight Trigrams Seal, found its resistance gradually diminishing. Finally, the beast was subdued and sealed once more.
Breathing heavily, Baishi collapsed to one knee, drenched in sweat. His labored breaths echoed in the now-silent area.
After a brief rest, he steadied himself, his clothes soaked and clinging to his body. A flash of lightning enveloped him, drying his garments instantly.
Baishi surveyed the surrounding devastation, his brows furrowing. He had little recollection of causing such widespread destruction.
Though his will had held firm, the chaos Kurama unleashed had drawn his focus away. Without his Level VII Mental Resistance, he wasn't sure he could've maintained control.
"At least the worst didn't happen," Baishi muttered, exhaling in relief.
He shifted his thoughts to the next step.
"Let's see if the bait worked," he said, activating the Spiritualization Technique once more.
Moments later, Baishi deactivated the technique, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Perfect, they took the bait. I can move freely now."
He locked onto one of his chakra markers, and with a flicker of the Flying Thunder God Technique, disappeared.
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Elsewhere
Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya sprinted through the forest, heading straight toward Baishi's earlier location.
This was precisely Baishi's intent.
The spectacle he created wasn't an idle show of power but a carefully crafted distraction meant to draw Minato and Jiraiya's attention.
Though they were kilometers away and unable to see the coastline, the overwhelming presence of Kurama's chakra was impossible to ignore.
They would inevitably investigate, and upon arriving at the scene, they would confirm their suspicions—that Baishi intended to return to Moon Island.
While they might not understand why Kurama's chakra had flared up, there would be no doubt that Baishi had been there.
Guided by this line of thinking, Minato and Jiraiya would most likely head toward Moon Island. At worst, they'd spend time thoroughly scouring the area.
This bought Baishi the crucial time he needed.
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Inside Konoha
In a shadowed corner of the village, Baishi's figure materialized silently.
"Who's—"
Thunk!
A shuriken flew through the air, piercing a Konoha ninja's throat. The man collapsed with a strangled cry, silenced instantly.
Baishi glanced at the lifeless body, his expression tinged with exasperation. "Seriously? Even in such an obscure spot, there's someone around?"
Shaking his head, Baishi moved forward, but his sharp hearing caught faint footsteps approaching. Without hesitation, he vanished.
Seconds later, a team of Konoha patrol ninjas led by Inuzuka Tsume arrived at the scene.
Spotting the corpse, the group's faces darkened.
One ninja crouched down to inspect the body and reported, "Captain, it's one of our own. Just killed."
Inuzuka Tsume turned to her tracking dog, Kuromaru, and asked, "Kuromaru, can you catch the trail?"
"Woof!"
Kuromaru barked twice, then sniffed the air. The group watched expectantly, but Inuzuka Tsume's expression turned grim.
It was clear Kuromaru hadn't found anything.
Of course it hadn't.
At Level VII, Baishi's Enhanced Senses—especially his sense of smell—was superior even to the Inuzuka clan's dogs. He'd made sure to eliminate any trace of his scent before infiltrating the village.
No matter how skilled Kuromaru was, it couldn't track something that wasn't there.
(End of Chapter)
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