Chapter 28: The Two-Tails Jinchūriki  

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''Location:'' Kumogakure, Cloud Thunder Gorge.

This is the designated training ground for the Jinchūriki of Kumogakure. The area is surrounded by a powerful barrier to protect the Jinchūriki.

At the moment, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, was practicing in the training field, while Killer Bee, the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, was off in a corner, rapping and dancing.

Suddenly, the space within Cloud Thunder Gorge began to tear and twist, and two figures emerged from the distortion. They wore the iconic red cloud cloaks of the Akatsuki organization.

One figure had a tiger-patterned mask, and the other had two deep tear marks running down his face. It was Obito Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.

The two had donned the Akatsuki cloaks to conceal their identities.

Yugito instantly sensed danger from the intruders. Without hesitation, her body was enveloped in the fiery blue flames of the Two-Tails. She crouched low to the ground, her eyes fixed on the intruders like a cat ready to pounce.

Opening her mouth, she gathered the dark, blue-red chakra of the Two-Tails, forming a Tailed Beast Ball.

"Boom!"

The Tailed Beast Ball shot forward but passed right through Obito and Itachi as if they were mere illusions. The destructive sphere continued on its path, obliterating a distant mountain with a massive explosion.

Realizing they needed to act quickly, Itachi's eyes morphed into the Mangekyō Sharingan, and in an instant, black flames engulfed Yugito.

"Amaterasu!"

The black flames of Amaterasu clung to Yugito, burning her intensely.

Obito, using his Kamui, phased behind Yugito, completely unfazed by the flames. He grabbed her, and in the next moment, both Yugito and the flames vanished.

Obito reappeared beside Itachi, and the two disappeared from the scene as if they had never been there. Only the traces of the battle remained as evidence.

Inside the Kamui dimension, Itachi watched as the black flames continued to burn on Obito's right hand. Just as Itachi was about to say something, Obito grabbed his burning right arm with his left hand and tore it off completely.

Surprised, Itachi watched as Obito casually discarded his burning limb.

Obito spoke slowly, "This arm was never real... just like half of me."

The black flames on Yugito were beginning to die down as the fiery blue chakra cloak of the Two-Tails had been burned away by Amaterasu. Now, Yugito lay in the Kamui space, barely clinging to life.

With their mission accomplished, Obito and Itachi returned to Konoha, satisfied.

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''Location:'' Uchiha Clan Compound, Konoha.

Sasuke Uchiha had been thinking for a long time before he finally approached his father, Fugaku Uchiha.

"Father, I want to become a Jinchūriki," Sasuke declared.

Fugaku immediately opposed the idea. "No, Sasuke. It's too dangerous to become a Jinchūriki, especially of the Two-Tails! We've never encountered it before; we don't know its temperament."

But Sasuke was determined. "Father, I believe I can tame the Two-Tails! It only has two tails; I can handle it."

Fugaku still refused. He knew that if Sasuke continued on his current path, his future achievements would be limitless. There was no need to take such a risk. But Sasuke was resolute in his desire to grow stronger, to do whatever it took.

Although the Two-Tails might not be the strongest among the Tailed Beasts, its black and blue flames were incredibly striking, a powerful and visually stunning chakra.

Despite Fugaku's disapproval, Sasuke had made up his mind. He was confident that he could control the Two-Tails.

Firstly, he had the Mangekyō Sharingan, and while his specific powers were not illusion-based, his skill with genjutsu was still formidable.

Secondly, with Obito's Kamui space and Itachi's help, Sasuke believed there was no reason for failure.

Obito appeared suddenly behind Sasuke and transported him into the Kamui dimension. Inside, the dry and skeletal Outer Path Golem stood ominously, its single eye open. From its mouth, it spat out a purple chain that shot directly into Yugito's body, still unconscious from the battle.

This chain was designed specifically for extracting Tailed Beasts. As the chain tightened, Sasuke watched as the Two-Tails was slowly pulled out of Yugito's body, inch by inch, until the giant, flame-covered cat was fully extracted.

It was the first time Sasuke had seen a Tailed Beast in person. The Two-Tails was enormous, its body blazing with blue and black flames. Through his Sharingan, Sasuke could see that the creature was made almost entirely of chakra, overflowing with energy.

But despite its power, the Two-Tails was in a pitiful state, chained and being dragged toward the mouth of the Golem. Fear filled its eyes.

Sasuke stepped forward and spoke directly to the beast. "Matatabi, I give you two choices: become my Tailed Beast, or die here."

The Two-Tails, Matatabi, was taken aback when Sasuke called it by name. The familiarity and respect in the way Sasuke addressed it caused Matatabi's opinion of the boy to improve immediately.

Tailed Beasts longed to be recognized, to be seen as more than just weapons of war. Matatabi didn't want to be called "Two-Tails" as if it was just a number. It had a name, and it appreciated being addressed by it.

Although Matatabi didn't know how this child knew its name, the terror of the Outer Path Golem overpowered any other concern. The Two-Tails chose to become Sasuke's Tailed Beast.

Matatabi transformed into a mass of black and blue flames and surged into Sasuke's body.

Immediately, Sasuke felt an overwhelming surge of chakra, his entire being enveloped in the black and blue flames of the Two-Tails. As he absorbed the flames into his body, Sasuke officially became the Jinchūriki of Matatabi.

The power was immense, far greater than anything Sasuke had experienced before. He could feel the Two-Tails inside him, a source of nearly limitless chakra.

If Matatabi was this powerful, Sasuke could only imagine what the Nine-Tails, Kurama, must be like.

Sasuke's consciousness entered his inner world, where he confronted Matatabi directly.

"Matatabi," Sasuke began, "I know your name. I admit, I desire your power, and that's why I wanted to become your Jinchūriki. But I don't see you as a tool. We are equals... friends."

With those words, Sasuke left his inner world, leaving Matatabi to ponder his sincerity.

Matatabi was stunned. The moment Sasuke called it by name, Matatabi had already started to warm to him. Though it had lived harmoniously with Yugito, her death didn't leave Matatabi feeling sorrowful.

Perhaps it was because the Tailed Beast had seen too many humans die over its long life, or maybe it never truly connected with Yugito, who had always referred to it as "Two-Tails."

But there was something different about Sasuke. Matatabi had encountered humans like him before. If it remembered correctly, they belonged to the Uchiha clan. They had spoken of friendship, not weapons.

Matatabi had never fully believed in the words of humans, but Sasuke... he might be different.

With a small spark of hope, Matatabi lay down quietly in Sasuke's inner world. As a Tailed Beast, it had always known it would eventually be captured and used as a weapon. But perhaps this time, with this boy, things could be different.

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