Chapter 108: Four-Tails, You're Too Weak! [Bonus Chapter]

Shūichi Hoshita, eyes closed, bit into the meat, chewing a couple of times before swallowing—devouring it ravenously.

Anyone unaware might think what he was eating was some kind of delicacy.

Before long, the head-sized chunk of Four-Tails meat was completely finished by Shūichi.

Wiping his mouth, Shūichi was puzzled, "There doesn't seem to be any reac—hmm?"

"It's happening!"

His expression shifted as he felt heat rise in his stomach, followed by gurgling sounds, and then a surge of powerful and malevolent chakra.

"So strong!"

Shūichi was startled. The chakra of the Four-Tails wasn't just abundant; in terms of pure quality, it surpassed his own.

To put it simply, even with the same Fire Release technique and the same amount of chakra, the Fire Release cast using the Four-Tails' chakra would be much stronger than his own!

As the vast amounts of the Four-Tails' chakra began to flow through his body, Shūichi realized that just from this chunk of flesh alone, the amount of chakra generated had already surpassed his current physical limits.

In the blink of an eye, starting from his abdomen, crimson chakra rapidly spread across Shūichi's body.

He could clearly feel the Four-Tails' chakra seeping into every one of his cells, carrying with it intense malice and a strong will to invade and conquer.

If his mental fortitude were to collapse, this chakra would quickly take over his body, transforming his cells and causing him to undergo a "Four-Tails Transformation."

"Well now!"

"As expected, fighting against a Tailed Beast's chakra isn't just about physical strength—it's a battle of wills!"

Shūichi's spirit surged with excitement.

The next moment, the Tailed Beast's chakra enveloped his head, bringing with it an even more terrifying wave of malice. Illusions and tempting thoughts flooded his mind.

Then, a mental world unfolded. Shūichi's consciousness found itself standing on the surface of a dark, evil chakra-infested lake.

In that instant, Shūichi focused all his attention.

"Come, embrace me. I can make you stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world!"

Shūichi scoffed, "Sorry, but the last Jinchūriki you had was beaten nearly to death by me!"

Four-Tails: o((⊙﹏⊙))o???

The Four-Tails roared, "That was a weakling who could only use a fraction of my power!"

Shūichi calmly asked, "Then, with all your power, could you make me surpass Hashirama Senju, who sealed the Nine-Tails?"

Four-Tails: o((⊙﹏⊙))o???

Shūichi pressed further, "Could your power make me equal to the Sage of Six Paths?"

"Could you help me defeat Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"

Four-Tails: (￣△￣;)!!!

Shūichi sneered, "If you can't even do that, what good are you?"

The Four-Tails, enraged, shouted, "I can help you persuade the other Tailed Beasts, and you could gain all of their powers! Then you'd become another Sage of Six Paths!"

Surprisingly, it had some brains?

But Shūichi remained unimpressed. "Can you defeat the Nine-Tails?"

Four-Tails: o((⊙﹏⊙))o???

Shūichi continued, "If you can't even beat the Nine-Tails Fox, how are you going to persuade it?"

"With your words?"

The Four-Tails grew even more furious, its malice surging as it roared, "Don't you want to take down that Danzō, who threatens you?"

"With my power, killing him would be a piece of cake!"

Shūichi shook his head. "I don't need your power to kill him."

"The real question is—can your power help me destroy Konoha?"

The Four-Tails fumed, "Why would you want to destroy Konoha?"

Shūichi looked at it like it was an idiot. "If you don't destroy Konoha, how are you going to kill Danzō?"

The Four-Tails snorted, "You find an opportunity to secretly kill him and frame Iwagakure's Roshi for it, of course!"

Hah, a little cunning, huh?

But Shūichi grew even more disdainful. "So, you're saying I can't kill him now and have to wait… then what use are you?"

"If I have to wait, I could kill him myself without your help!"

Damn brat!

The Four-Tails growled in frustration, then tried to tempt him, "Don't you want to have control over Nono Yakushi, Asuka, Shizune, and even Tsunade?"

"Or perhaps, Pakura from the Sand Village…"

"As long as you wield my power, you can use it to erode their wills and control them."

Shūichi was surprised, "You have illusion abilities too?"

The Four-Tails was about to lose it. "It's not illusions, it's chakra erosion! I can control them through my chakra!"

Shūichi, still unimpressed, retorted, "Then what do I need you for?"

"Can't I just use Genjutsu to control them myself?"

"If you're the one controlling them... am I playing with you, or with them?"

Shaking his head, Shūichi concluded, "Four-Tails will always just be Four-Tails—you're too weak!"

"Brat!"

"You damn brat!"

"I'm going to tear you apart!"

In the mental realm, the Four-Tails roared furiously, unleashing a massive surge of malice that rushed toward Shūichi like a tidal wave.

In an instant, Shūichi entered his Fire Release Chakra Mode, drawing the Totsuka Blade and slashing in one smooth motion. The blue sword light instantly cleaved the wave of malice in two.

"Four-Tails, your power is far too weak."

"At best, you're worth just one tail..."

Leaping into the air, Shūichi sheathed his sword, and in his right hand, a massive glowing disc appeared. It rapidly expanded, creating a deafening sound as it cut through the air.

Wind-Fire Rasenshuriken!

"You're only worth one tail, so why are you acting up?"

With that, Shūichi hurled the Rasenshuriken at the Four-Tails.

The Four-Tails swung its lone tail, roaring angrily, "Don't underestimate me!"

However, even though it opened its mouth, it couldn't form a Tailed Beast Bomb.

BOOM!!!

The Rasenshuriken struck the Four-Tails precisely, slicing through its body. The expanding light sphere completely engulfed the beast, and soon it couldn't withstand the overwhelming power. Its body disintegrated, turning into a massive surge of Tailed Beast chakra.

At that moment, surrounded by the crimson chakra, Shūichi opened his eyes, clapped his hands together, and said, "Seal!"

Under his clothes, at the position of his abdomen, the markings of the Eight Trigrams Seal appeared, spinning like a vortex. The seal fully opened and then swiftly closed again, drawing in the Tailed Beast chakra from Shūichi's body and pulling it into the Eight Trigrams Seal.

Next, this Tailed Beast chakra flowed into the Yin Seal that was shielded by the Eight Trigrams Seal.

As all the Tailed Beast chakra converged, a miniature version of the Four-Tails reformed, floating in the lake of chakra stored within Shūichi's Yin Seal.

On the outside, the Four-Tails was now trapped within the prison created by the Eight Trigrams Seal.

BOOM!

The lake exploded as the Four-Tails roared in defiance, attempting to break free from the seal.

But in the next instant, within the lake of the Yin Seal, five different types of chakra appeared, forming chains that bound the raging Four-Tails.

With a thud, the Four-Tails fell back into the lake.

Five-Element Seal!

This was a sealing technique using the five elements—wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning—designed to disrupt an enemy's chakra and prevent them from using it.

This particular seal had been taught to Shūichi by Kushina Uzumaki.

Once sealed, the Four-Tails, now reduced to a mere One-Tail state, could no longer exert its chakra. It could only sit in the lake, watching as its power slowly merged into the lake beneath it, becoming Shūichi's own strength.

"You little brat… You even know sealing techniques…" the Four-Tails muttered, glaring at Shūichi outside the prison before grudgingly closing its eyes to rest.

After all, it couldn't win anyway...

Outside.

Shūichi lowered his hands, releasing his intense focus. "Is that it?"

"Seems kinda weak!"

"Then again, it's just the power from a chunk of meat."

Shūichi carefully observed the situation, and then discovered that the source of the Tailed Beast's power was actually natural energy.

"A Tailed Beast is a collection of chakra, and even after their Jinchūriki dies, they will eventually resurrect after some time."

"If a person dies, their body decays and their soul goes to the Pure Land."

"But Tailed Beasts are different. Their souls wander the world of the living, absorbing natural energy to manifest again."

"That's why even a small piece of flesh can contain such a massive amount of chakra."

"For Tailed Beasts, it's not their bodies that limit them—it's their spirit!"

Shūichi's expression became serious. "The reason the Four-Tails' power is only at the One-Tail level is because the spiritual will contained in the chunk of meat I ate can only control that much power."

"Even the Sage of Six Paths, who's long dead, is essentially in the same state as the Tailed Beasts—his soul free to roam, capable of absorbing natural energy through Sage Arts."

"Though the Sage of Six Paths has died, in a way, he's freed himself from the limitations of his physical body..."

Undoubtedly, Shūichi had come to a shocking realization by studying the Tailed Beasts.

If anyone was the ultimate survivor, it was the Sage of Six Paths!

Shūichi couldn't help but marvel at the thought, then turned his attention back to himself. "Looks like I've underestimated myself..."

"My mental willpower is much stronger than I expected."

"It's not just the Tag System that has enhanced my will and body—my long-term self-discipline has also forged a powerful spirit."

"Plus, there's my ability to focus..."

After some thought, Shūichi had formulated a plan in his mind.

The Four-Tails' chakra in its One-Tail state was at best like a small backup battery—it wasn't nearly enough.

He needed to further cultivate the Four-Tails' cells, similar to how Orochimaru cultivated the Eight-Tails, eventually growing a complete Four-Tails' tail.

When the time came to eliminate one tail, it would likely increase the chakra capacity of the mini Four-Tails within him.

The same applied to the Eight-Tails as well...

"Moreover, I can now use the Four-Tails' chakra to gain insight into Lava Release..."

Shūichi Hoshita smiled as he stood up, dismantled the barrier, and headed home.

He couldn't let Yakushi Nono and the others find out.

Humming a little tune, Shūichi happily returned home, dispelled his Shadow Clones, and went to sleep.

The next day, after completing his usual morning training and breakfast, Shūichi went to his study, took out a blank scroll, and began writing.

Since he had already tested his theory, his previous assumptions could now be considered as "truth."

However, he couldn't hand this over to Kushina Uzumaki directly.

That would be a huge mistake!

So, after finishing his writing, Shūichi first sought out Sarutobi Shinnosuke, asking him to arrange a meeting with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Inside the Hokage's office, upon hearing Shin'nosuke's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes sharpened. "Let Shūichi in!"

"Yes!"

Shinnosuke obeyed immediately.

A moment later, Shūichi entered alone, handing the scroll he had prepared to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen unfurled the scroll, his expression turning serious.

The title read: Theories on Tailed Beast Chakra and Experiments with the Four-Tails' Chakra.

Hiruzen took a deep drag on his pipe and continued reading.

What he saw next wasn't the theory itself but references to chakra theory.

The scroll began by citing theories from the ninja academy textbooks, with detailed footnotes providing sources for each reference.

Then came explanations and insights on chakra theory from various individuals.

The list included Yakushi Nono, Tsunade, Minato, Kushina, Orochimaru, Shinnosuke, Shisui, Sakumo, and Kakashi...

Hiruzen couldn't help but take another deep puff of smoke.

The format... was rather unique.

The content that followed made Hiruzen's eyes narrow.

It discussed the decisive role that mental willpower played in subduing Tailed Beast chakra.

Further on was the experiment Shūichi had conducted on himself, successfully proving his own theory.

Although it was just one experiment with a single success...

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a surprising sense of conviction in the report.

However...

"Orochimaru, that guy..."

Even without thinking too deeply, Hiruzen could guess that Orochimaru must have used Minato and Kushina's wedding as an opportunity to leak the secret of Kushina being the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki to Shūichi, luring him into experimenting on himself.

Hiruzen slowly raised his head, looking warmly at Shūichi. "So, Shūichi, did you learn about the Nine-Tails from Orochimaru?"

Shūichi went along with it. "Yes, Lord Third Hokage!"

Hiruzen sighed, "Though you succeeded, it was extremely dangerous to do this alone."

The result was satisfactory, but the method needed discussion.

Shūichi immediately understood. "Don't worry, Lord Third Hokage. Next time I conduct an experiment, I'll make sure to involve Minato-sensei, Lady Tsunade, or even Jiraiya-sama."

Hiruzen was momentarily speechless.

That wasn't exactly what he meant!

But then again, the allure of the Nine-Tails was difficult to resist, even for Hiruzen himself.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to the research on Hashirama's cells back in the day.

Back then, Konoha had suffered heavy losses, which is why the order was given to seal away this research.

However, now that there was a successful case—a perfect Jinchūriki... no, even just a Jinchūriki like Roshi of Iwagakure, who could control part of the Nine-Tails' power—Hiruzen would be satisfied with that.

So, instead of stopping Shūichi, Hiruzen cautiously advised, "Be careful, don't push yourself too hard. Your safety is the most important thing."

Shūichi readily agreed, "Yes, Lord Third Hokage!"

Hiruzen nodded, closed the scroll, and handed it back to Shūichi with a smile. "Is this meant to be a wedding gift for Minato and Kushina?"

Shūichi took it with a grin. "Yes, I thought it might be a bit unique!"

"Hmm... it certainly is unique."

Hiruzen said, "In that case, you should go give it to Minato."

Shūichi bowed respectfully and left.

After leaving the Hokage building, Shūichi headed straight to his teacher, Minato Namikaze's house.

Normally, a wedding gift should be given the next day.

But this one was special, and naturally, he needed to let Minato see it first.

Minato, who had been pulled aside by Shūichi, looked curious. "Shūichi, what's so secretive?"

Shūichi simply pulled out the scroll.

Minato took it with a smile, asking, "A newly developed jutsu?"

"What kind?"

Shūichi remained mysterious and smiled without saying anything.

Minato chuckled as he opened the scroll, but soon, his expression turned serious.

When he saw the experimental section, his eyes widened with emotion. "Shūichi, you..."

Shūichi smiled. "The power of the Four-Tails is not as overwhelming as one might think, or rather, it's just a portion of its power."

Even so, having witnessed the terrifying and malevolent power of a Tailed Beast, Minato was deeply moved. "Thank you, Shūichi!"

Shūichi smiled and said, "I'll leave this gift with you, Sensei. I've also obtained some of the Eight-Tails' cells from Orochimaru-sama, and I'm currently researching them."

"No need to rush with Kushina-san. After all, among the Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails is likely the strongest."

Minato nodded gravely. "That's true."

He had personally experienced the power of the Nine-Tails, and it had been the only time he had ever suffered serious injury.

He then cautioned, "The Eight-Tails' power should be even stronger than the Four-Tails', Shūichi. Be cautious."

Shūichi nodded. "Don't worry, Sensei. Next time, I'll make sure to have you all by my side."

Minato nodded, feeling reassured.

...

After leaving Minato's home, Shūichi went to Orochimaru's lab.

When Orochimaru saw him, he immediately smiled. "Congratulations, Shūichi-kun, for proving your theory!"

Shūichi grinned. "Maybe it has something to do with my physique as well."

"It's still just an isolated case for now."

Orochimaru chuckled. "That may be so, but I have great confidence in you, Shūichi-kun."

Hearing this, Shūichi asked in return, "Does that mean you plan to do the same, Orochimaru-sama? Or... are you willing to let me try out the horn of the Eight-Tails?"

He had originally intended to cultivate the horn himself, but it seemed he might not need to waste so much time. Orochimaru's horn had already grown significantly.

Orochimaru laughed. "If you need it, Shūichi-kun, of course, there's no problem."

"As long as I keep a sample, I can continue to research it."

To him, giving up a piece of the Eight-Tails' horn wasn't a big deal—just a matter of time and money.

But compared to the certainty of results, it was nothing.

Hearing this, Shūichi pondered for a moment, then smiled. "Then I thank you, Orochimaru-sama."

"However, we should wait a bit longer for the experiment with the Eight-Tails, and it would be best if it's more fully developed."

Orochimaru nodded. "Of course, that's no problem."

"So, will you continue your experiments with the Four-Tails?"

Shūichi nodded and revealed, "The upper limit of Tailed Beast chakra depends on the control of its mental consciousness."

"The consciousness stored in a piece of flesh is limited; compared to the original body, it's far too weak."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "Is that so?"

"Shūichi-kun, you never fail to surprise."

"I didn't expect that the chakra of a Tailed Beast isn't limited by its physical form, unlike humans."

Shūichi had gained a bit of an omniscient perspective, but Orochimaru's understanding came solely from his research.

(End of Chapter)

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