Chapter 16: The Contract with the Six-Tails

From the current situation, it seemed that the Six-Tails, Saiken, might be left for some time. Eventually, it would be hunted down—either by Konoha or Kirigakure would likely make a move. Capturing a tailed beast wasn't easy, it required preparation. However, if Akira could form a summoning contract with the Six-Tails, making it his own summoning beast, then this situation could be handled differently.

After some quick preparations, Akira could summon the Six-Tails directly and capture it. There was a chance he could secure the Six-Tails for himself before Konoha or Kirigakure acted.

Creating a summoning contract scroll wasn't difficult, and he happened to have a blank scroll with him. In less than a minute, he completed the contract, drawing up a summoning scroll. He used the blood of the Six-Tails, taking materials on the spot to finalize the contract.

Once the summoning contract was ready, Akira activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, compelling the Six-Tails to inscribe its name on the large scroll. Then, Akira wrote his own name beside it, finalizing the pact.

After all this, two and a half minutes had passed. As time ticked by, the Six-Tails grew increasingly restless, making it harder for Akira to maintain control. Even the power of a fully developed Mangekyo Sharingan struggled to keep the beast in check for long, as tailed beasts were beings made purely of chakra.

"It looks like I'll have to retreat for now and hope Konoha and Kirigakure take their time," Akira thought. He intensified the chakra in his left eye. Instantly, the struggling Six-Tails went silent, as still as death.

In the next second, a flash of blue lightning coursed over Akira's body, and he vanished. In the blink of an eye, he had traveled a hundred meters away, pushing himself to his top speed as he dashed into the distance.

As Akira left, the Six-Tails shook off the Mangekyo Sharingan's hold, and twenty seconds later, it let out a furious roar. Chakra erupted from it, and the sheer force raised a cloud of dust that spread through the area.

By this time, Akira was already over a kilometer away. The Six-Tails watched him retreat with a hint of wariness in its eyes, clearly shaken. Even in its illusionary nightmare, it had realized that the Uchiha didn't use his full strength against it. As an ancient and wise beast, the Six-Tails knew much, including the terrifying power of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Not wanting to risk another capture, it turned and dashed into the depths of the forest. It had finally broken free of a Jinchuriki and regained its autonomy. Now, it was determined to protect its hard-won freedom and avoid another imprisonment.

When Akira sensed that the Six-Tails hadn't followed, he let out a sigh of relief. Though he still had chakra reserves, conventional ninjutsu was nearly useless against tailed beasts. If the Six-Tails had pursued, he might have had to resort to using Kamui to put it down.

After sprinting a few kilometers, Akira returned to Konoha's group.

"Uchiha, are you alright?" Duy asked, coming forward as soon as he saw him. At the same time, Kakashi and the others on guard turned to look at Akira.

Seeing only a few scorch marks on his body, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"I'm fine," Akira assured them with a shake of his head. "The Six-Tails has left the area, though I have no idea where it might go."

Relieved that the Six-Tails was no longer nearby, the group visibly relaxed. The sheer pressure of a tailed beast's presence was overwhelming. One Tailed Beast Bomb could wipe them out in an instant.

"Thank goodness it's gone," muttered Hyuga Homon, releasing a deep breath.

"This incident happened so suddenly. Should we report back to the front lines?" Duy asked the jonins present. "After all, a completely free tailed beast could change the course of the battle."

"Perhaps we're overthinking it," said a jonin who wore an ordinary vest and had an unassuming appearance. "Tailed beasts are no fools, they have intelligence rivaling ours and probably won't rush toward a battlefield on a whim."

"Still, it's worth reporting," Homon nodded, looking at Kakashi. "What do you think, Kakashi?"

"We should alert the front lines," Kakashi replied solemnly. Though young, he had just taken down a Kirigakure jonin on his own without relying on Duy, so the others respected his opinion.

"I'll go," Duy volunteered. "Akira just fought the Six-Tails and could use a break."

The others agreed. Duy's speed, especially with the Eighth Gate active, was unmatched by anyone except Akira. At full pace, he could reach the front lines in half a day.

"Thank you," Akira replied, welcoming the chance to rest. The battle with the Six-Tails Jinchuriki had drained most of his chakra.

With Duy gone, the group resumed escorting their injured back to Konoha. As they moved closer to the village, the journey became uneventful.

Meanwhile, after half a day of swift travel, Duy reached the front lines. When the commanders received the news, they looked grim. Kirigakure's audacity was beyond their expectations, to send a Jinchuriki into battle so quietly was madness.

"The Land of Fire's border is far too vast for us to guard every point," sighed Minato. "Kirigakure's infiltration is almost effortless."

"They've gone completely unhinged," Minato muttered, then looked at Fugaku, the commander of their contingent. "Luckily, Fugaku, you suggested having Akira accompany the team. Otherwise, things could have gone terribly wrong."

Fugaku waved his hand dismissively. "Minato, I was only being cautious. I didn't expect Kirigakure to go this far."

Looking at Minato, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and the other high-ranking ninja, Fugaku asked,

"As for the Six-Tails, it's still somewhere in the Land of Fire. How should we handle it?"

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