Chapter 181: Sincerity is the Ultimate Move!

"Release!"

With a single hand raised, Kushina Uzumaki unlocked the Nine-Tails' seal.

Instantly, the chains binding the Nine-Tails snapped and vanished.

In that moment, the Nine-Tails let out a powerful roar, unleashing its enormous chakra. The crimson chakra, like molten lava, swiftly engulfed the remaining remnants of the seal, corroding it with intense energy.

The Nine-Tails freed one of its claws from the wooden stakes, then pulled out the stakes lodged in its abdomen and tails.

Boom! 

The massive form of the Nine-Tails landed on the ground, its fierce gaze locking onto Shūichi and his two allies. A moment later, the air crackled as its tails lunged toward the three like giant spears.

But in an instant, a series of adamantine chains shot up from the ground, binding the Nine-Tails' tails, limbs, and body tightly.

Gritting her teeth, Kushina Uzumaki exerted all her strength to restrain the beast, the adamantine chains pulling taut with a sharp, creaking sound.

"Kushina, your strength is still not enough!" the Nine-Tails snarled.

Kushina scoffed, "Nine-Tails, I'm not afraid of you anymore!"

At that moment, Shūichi shouted, "Minato-sensei!"

"Understood!"

Having prepared himself, Minato Namikaze entered Sage Mode, his form flickering and reappearing above the Nine-Tails. In his hand, a colossal Rasengan began to expand.

The Nine-Tails looked up, opening its mouth to gather a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Reacting instantly, a set of fiery chains shot from Shūichi's back, coiling around the Nine-Tails' body and snapping shut over its mouth, forcibly halting the Tailed Beast Bomb from forming.

In the next moment, the massive Rasengan crashed down.

Boom! 

The Nine-Tails collapsed under Minato's strike, pinned to the ground.

At the same time, a thick chain surged from Shūichi's abdomen, piercing into the Nine-Tails.

"You…"

The Nine-Tails looked at Shūichi in shock.

Its chakra was severely disrupted, preventing it from gathering energy, and an unshakable feeling of dread overcame it.

Grasping the chain extending from his abdomen, Shūichi gave it a powerful pull.

"A soul-sealing technique…" the Nine-Tails growled, struggling. "You won't succeed!"

"Behave yourself!" Kushina commanded sharply, pulling with all her strength against the Nine-Tails.

Meanwhile, a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken took form in Minato's hand.

The instant he released it, Minato disappeared from the Nine-Tails' back.

Boom! 

The Rasenshuriken expanded upon impact, its powerful attack leaving the Nine-Tails unable to resist Shūichi and Kushina any longer.

The Nine-Tails was astounded.

The young brat it had once injured severely now possessed such power.

"Curse it…"

Caught in the Rasenshuriken's assault, the Nine-Tails was immobilized.

Seizing the moment, Shūichi extracted the Nine-Tails' soul, dividing it into two halves.

With the Nine-Tails now split, Shūichi's Fire Nether chains released its Yang half and wrapped firmly around the Yin half instead.

"Sensei, prepare for the re-seal!" Shūichi called out immediately.

Minato nodded beside Kushina. "Don't worry, everything's ready."

Shūichi nodded back, then with a puff, vanished.

However, the fire nether chains did not disappear; instead, they tightened further, dragging the Yin half of the Nine-Tails away.

Outside Kushina's body.

Shūichi leaped up, the fire nether chains pulling taut, forcibly extracting the Yin half of the Nine-Tails from Kushina's body. The beast's form rapidly expanded, its mouth opening in a furious roar, "You wretched brat, how dare you…!"

"Calm down!" Shūichi replied firmly, his body glowing with the Eight-Tails' chakra. Six tails appeared, extending quickly to bind the Yin half of the Nine-Tails even tighter.

"The Eight-Tails…"

The Nine-Tails was shocked once more.

At the same time, Shūichi himself was amazed at the unique nature of the tailed beasts.

He extracted the Nine-Tails' soul, splitting it into two halves.

However, when the Yin half of the Nine-Tails was pulled from Kushina Uzumaki's body, it spontaneously regenerated into a tangible form with flesh and blood.

Immediately, Shūichi created a shadow clone.

The clone drew its sword, leaping into the air with the sealing scroll that Shūichi had prepared. With a fierce slash, empowered by the shining Bijuu Mark, the clone's Blue Flame Vacuum SLash severed one of the Nine-Tails' tails.

"You bastard..." the Yin Nine-Tails growled, filled with rage.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, who had just completed the re-sealing, were equally stunned by the sight.

"Shūichi, what are you doing?" Kushina asked curiously.

Clasping his hands together, Shūichi smiled, "Researching the Nine-Tails' cells."

With that, he tugged the chains, pulling the Nine-Tails back into his body.

Sizzle 

The powerful chakra of the Nine-Tails began to corrode his flesh, making Shūichi frown as a numbness spread across his abdomen.

Fortunately, his strong constitution allowed him to re-lock the Eight Trigrams Seal quickly, causing the discomfort to fade.

Exhaling, Shūichi grinned, "Perfectly done!"

Kushina smiled, "With only half of the Nine-Tails left, it's much easier on me now!"

With only half of the Nine-Tails' power, she could fully restrain it, meaning she wouldn't have to worry about it causing trouble inside her anymore.

Receiving the sealing scroll from his clone, Shūichi dispelled the shadow clone and said, "Next up is mastering the Nine-Tails' chakra."

"When the time comes, we'll work just like we did today."

"I'll handle restraining the Nine-Tails, Minato-sensei will attack, and Kushina-san, you can seize its chakra."

"With our combined strength, this step should be manageable."

"The main issue is the malice within the Nine-Tails' chakra; that part is up to you, Kushina-san."

Kushina nodded firmly, raising her fist. "Don't worry, I won't let you down!"

Shūichi added with a grin, "Minato-sensei's support is crucial as well."

Minato nodded, understanding exactly what Shūichi meant. In the process of extracting the Nine-Tails' chakra, he would be responsible for the offensive, and when confronting the chakra's malice, he'd provide Kushina with mental support.

"Shūichi, what about you?" Minato asked, "Will you need our help?"

Shūichi grinned, baring his teeth, "I can handle it myself. Compared to the Nine-Tails, I'm much more ferocious!"

"No way!" Kushina laughed, wrapping an arm around Shūichi's shoulders. "Our Shūichi is the best; how else could he have so many girls interested in him?"

Shūichi's face flushed with embarrassment, quickly glancing to Minato for help.

Scratching his head, Minato laughed awkwardly, "We've been at it for so long, everyone must be tired. Let's head back for dinner and pick up training tomorrow."

Shūichi raised his hand eagerly, "Agreed! I'm starving. That Nine-Tails sure is exhausting!"

With her attention redirected, Kushina released Shūichi and immediately began planning what dishes to make.

…

Back home, Shūichi, Minato, and Kushina prepared dinner together, while Sarutobi Shinnosuke handled the mission report.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in relief upon hearing the news.

Dividing the Nine-Tails not only reduced its threat but also prevented unexpected mishaps.

Even if one Jinchuriki encountered trouble, the other would still be there.

Based on Shūichi's previous performance, even if he didn't achieve perfect control as a Jinchuriki, mastering the Nine-Tails' power shouldn't be a problem.

This way, Konoha would gain genuine tailed-beast combat strength.

If Kushina also mastered the Nine-Tails' power with Shūichi's help, Konoha would face no fear from challenges by other ninja villages.

At that moment, Hiruzen felt a heavy weight lift off his shoulders, the pressure from the mysterious Mangekyo Sharingan user easing significantly.

Everything was progressing in a positive direction.

Reflecting on this, Hiruzen resolved to send Minato to the frontlines once Kushina had control over the Nine-Tails' power.

Iwa has been unpredictable and resentful, and he didn't want a prolonged standoff.

The war needed to end swiftly.

The decision was not out of weakness.

Konoha's current strategic gains were already substantial. Capturing the Land of Rivers had been enough.

Further expansion would provoke a life-or-death struggle with Iwagakure and Kumogakure.

But Konoha's strength wasn't sufficient for that yet.

"It's time to leave things to Minato..." Hiruzen mused quietly.

With age came more considerations, and his own ambitions had become difficult to pursue.

...

After lunch, Shūichi left the Namikaze household and headed directly to the secluded training chamber in the experimental base where Kakashi had previously trained.

Sitting cross-legged, Shūichi lowered his gaze.

In the next moment, his spiritual chakra form appeared within the Eight Trigrams Seal.

Inside were three iron cages, each housing a different tailed beast: the Yin Nine-Tails, the One-Tail, and the Four-Tails.

The three tailed beasts, who had been bickering, immediately stopped and looked over at Shūichi.

Shukaku and the Four-Tails were already accustomed to him and looked at him with calm eyes. However, the Yin Nine-Tails, recently imprisoned, glared menacingly, his tails lashing about as if poised to strike at any moment.

Unfazed, Shūichi said calmly, "Kurama, welcome to your new home. I'm sure you'll come to like it here."

The Yin Nine-Tails' eyes narrowed. "You little brat, you actually know my name."

He turned to Shukaku and the Four-Tails. "Did one of you tell him my name?"

Shukaku, lounging lazily, snorted, "Stupid fox, as if we'd bother."

"But I'll say this—this guy knows a lot."

The Four-Tails looked at Shūichi and said, "You even captured this stupid fox. Looks like you're planning to gather all the tailed beasts ahead of time?"

The Yin Nine-Tails looked at him, shocked.

To this, Shūichi smiled, "I already mentioned last time, I only plan to keep half of each of you—to prepare for the Ten-Tails' return."

The Yin Nine-Tails looked stunned, turning to the One-Tail and Four-Tails, "Did you tell him about that, too?"

Shukaku snorted, "Shut up, you stupid fox. He figured it out himself."

The Nine-Tails glared at Shūichi. "Who...exactly are you?"

With a sly smile, Shūichi replied, "Someone who knows fate."

"And someone who resists fate."

All three tailed beasts frowned.

Then Shūichi asked, "Are you aware of the stone tablet left by the Sage of the Six Paths?"

The Four-Tails replied, "We don't know anything about a stone tablet."

Shūichi explained, "It's a stone tablet in the Uchiha clan, created by the Sage of the Six Paths himself."

"The Uchiha are descendants of the Sage's elder son, Indra."

"The tablet is kept with the Uchiha to this day, and only those with Sharingan can decipher its contents. The stronger the Dōjutsu power, the more one can see."

The Yin Nine-Tails grumbled, "So, you learned about the Ten-Tails from that tablet?"

Instead of answering, Shūichi continued, "The tablet says that by gathering all nine tailed beasts to form the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, one can cast the ultimate genjutsu, the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which traps everyone in a dream world, creating a world without war."

At this, all three tailed beasts bristled.

The Nine-Tails growled, "There's no way the old man would leave such a thing."

The Four-Tails added, gravely, "That's nothing like his ideals. Trapping everyone in a dream world? Ridiculous!"

People called the tailed beasts evil, but he felt that idea was far more sinister.

Shukaku sneered, "That tablet was definitely not left by the old man."

"The Uchiha... It must have been Indra, right? That guy was no easy character to deal with."

The Yin Nine-Tails thought of Madara Uchiha and snorted, "The Uchiha are inherently evil."

Looking at the three tailed beasts, Shūichi said, "Regardless of who left the tablet, the part about the Ten-Tails is accurate, and someone has already started to act on the tablet's instructions."

"Which makes all of you targets."

"Of course, I'm not capturing you to protect you out of pity—that would be hypocritical."

"The truth is, I can't counter the Rinnegan's power, and I don't want to be trapped in some illusion and live a fake life."

"So, in a way, we're on the same side… as long as you trust me."

"But if you don't trust me, that's fine too. Just stay here quietly and don't get in my way."

Sincerity was the ultimate weapon, and the three tailed beasts fell silent.

With a thought, Shūichi loosened the Fire Nether Chains binding them and said, "Shukaku, Son Goku, consider what I said."

"Sometimes, resisting may not change anything. But if we don't resist, then nothing will change for sure."

Neither Shukaku nor the Four-Tails responded.

The Nine-Tails, however, sneered, "Don't think that makes us willing to cooperate or lend you our power."

Shūichi chuckled, "Kurama, I don't need your cooperation or your permission to use your power—I'll just take it myself."

The Yin Nine-Tails' eyes burned with fury. "Without those two helping you, you're no match for me!"

Shūichi raised an eyebrow. "Then let's see."

With that, he waved his hand, opening the iron gate confining the Nine-Tails.

In the next moment, the Nine-Tails' chakra surged out like a tidal wave, crashing toward Shūichi.

Raising his hand, Shūichi enveloped his palm in a blue blade aura, which extended outward, cleaving the oncoming chakra wave with a resounding clash.

Boom, boom, boom! 

Three shadow clones appeared by Shūichi's side.

Meanwhile, in the other two cages, the Four-Tails chuckled, "Hey, Raccoon Dog, how long do you think the Nine-Tails can hold up?"

Shukaku scoffed, "One minute. If he lasts longer than that, I'll admit that stupid fox is stronger than me."

The Four-Tails laughed, "Thirty seconds—he's only got half his strength."

Hearing their wager, the Yin Nine-Tails roared in irritation, "You useless fools! You underestimate me just because I'm only half strength!"

(End of Chapter)