"You damn tanuki, lookin' like a fool, I'll hit you with one Tailed Beast Bomb, make you spit curses, meow."
Hearing the Nine-Tails' incessant taunts, Naruto looked completely helpless.
Ever since the Nine-Tails had discovered something called "rap music" a month ago, he had become a complete weirdo.
When he wasn't playing video games, he was in the sealed space, constantly practicing his lyrics.
It was very, very strange.
"Bastard! Scoundrel! You stinking fox!" Shukaku's fur stood on end with rage, but he could only cycle through the same few curses.
The Nine-Tails, in contrast, could curse for several minutes without repeating himself.
The difference in skill was immediately obvious.
Only after the war of words between the Nine-Tails and Shukaku had ended did Naruto slowly hand the potion to Gaara.
"Shukaku, after Gaara drinks the potion, you have to absorb it with all your might."
"Hmph, piece of cake. I'll lick the plate clean. Hey?! Wait a minute, is this potion even reliable?" Shukaku suddenly thought of something and asked uneasily.
"Of course it's reliable. This potion was developed by the number one scientific researcher in the ninja world, Orochimaru," Naruto answered gently.
"If it's so great, why isn't that stinking fox, the Nine-Tails, taking it?" Shukaku asked, confused.
"Hiss, this tanuki isn't completely hopeless after all," the Nine-Tails couldn't help but mutter.
"Because I promised you that I would free you from the seal as soon as possible," Naruto answered, unhurried.
"I am a man who always keeps his promises, so the moment the first vial was successfully developed, I brought it straight to you. The Nine-Tails originally wanted it, but I refused him."
"Dammit!!! I want it!! You stinking tanuki, don't you dare take it from me!" The Nine-Tails' eyes darted around, and he immediately roared.
The man and the fox worked together in perfect harmony, instantly dispelling Shukaku's suspicions.
"Hehehe, you stinking fox. This time, the great me is one step ahead of you," he said smugly, urging Gaara to drink the potion.
The moment it entered his mouth, an unbearable stench filled his senses, mixed with the texture of various muscle tissues. The mouthfeel was bizarre.
Gaara drank it all with a frown. A warmth immediately spread from his lower abdomen, and a powerful Reiatsu began to permeate his body.
Under Naruto's direction, Shukaku immediately absorbed all of the Reiatsu.
Not a single trace of it could be left behind, otherwise it would affect Gaara's physical body.
Shukaku didn't dare to be careless and absorbed the Reiatsu with all his might.
As he absorbed it, he found that his own body was also undergoing a change.
Originally, he was composed of chakra. After the Reiatsu was added, his body felt as if it were bathed in fire, a searing, burning pain.
Naruto quietly watched Shukaku's transformation, a sharp glint in his eyes.
This was a Tailed Beast experiment, and the result was crucial.
If it succeeded, he would gain a Shinigami with the power of a Tailed Beast.
If it failed, he might have to stop a rampaging Shukaku, and even Gaara could die from the potion.
Since this was the first vial produced by Orochimaru, the uncertainty was too high. There was no way Naruto would use it on himself.
Gaara never would have imagined that the kindred spirit he trusted was merely treating him as a test subject.
"Gurgle, gurgle." At that moment, a strange sound came from within Gaara's body. Shukaku's form separated from Gaara and appeared before everyone.
Then, a rolling white mist spewed from Shukaku's mouth, spreading over his entire body like a swarm of parasites.
Seeing this, Naruto's expression darkened.
This was a sign of Hollowfication.
"Naruto, that Shukaku fellow isn't going to turn into a Hollow, is he?" the Nine-Tails within him asked, his face grave.
"This feels great!! The great me feels amazing!!!" From within the white mist, however, Shukaku let out a joyous roar.
"So much power!!! An endless stream of power!!"
Clank. With the sound of moving chains, the white mist around Shukaku's body gradually solidified. A chain pierced through his chest, and the flesh there disappeared, gradually replaced by a deep, black hole.
And Shukaku himself gradually transformed into a humanoid figure less than 1.4 meters tall.
He wore a tan-colored Shihakusho and a pair of yellow wooden geta. He had a stylish, spiky yellow hedgehog-like haircut and looked like a young, spoiled nobleman.
"Is he a Shinigami? No, a Hollow? It seems he hasn't lost his mind," Naruto frowned, staring intently at Shukaku.
The now-shota-fied Shukaku had an expression of pure bliss on his face.
The chakra in his body was abundant, and with the addition of Reiatsu, Shukaku's presence continued to rise.
Gaara took a shocked step back. The sand from the gourd on his back subconsciously surged out, wrapping around him for protection.
Gaara's sand had inherited his mother's will and would constantly protect him.
"Hiss, how did that Shukaku fellow get so much stronger all of a sudden?" the Nine-Tails in the seal sucked in a cold breath and muttered.
But even though Shukaku had become stronger, the Nine-Tails still didn't see him as a threat.
"This Shinigamification looks pretty good. He can even take human form. It should be more convenient for using a computer," the Nine-Tails mused.
At this moment…
The rolling white mist had not yet dissipated. It gradually condensed on Shukaku's face, forming a partial, bone-white Hollow mask.
From behind the mask came Shukaku's childish, shota voice. "Hehehe!! I've obtained a new power!"
"Hey, you little brat, am I a Shinigami now?" Shukaku asked cockily, his hands on his hips.
"My connection with Shukaku… it's gone," Gaara said, standing to the side in a daze.
For the past dozen or so years, Shukaku had always existed within his seal.
In a way, Shukaku was the one who had accompanied him as he grew up.
And now, Shukaku had obtained his freedom.
While Gaara was happy for him, he also felt a deep sense of loss and worry.
Without Shukaku, Sunagakure had lost a Kage-level power, a significant weakening for the village.
"You're… an Arrancar!" Naruto stared at the shota Shukaku, stunned.
Just as a Shinigami could undergo Hollowfication, a Hollow could also possess the power of a Shinigami.
That was an Arrancar.
When a Great Hollow evolved into an Adjuchas, they would gain a human form and a bone mask would appear on their face.
When they broke their masks, they could obtain the power of a Shinigami.
Like a Shinigami, they would have their own Zanpakuto.
And Shukaku… was an Arrancar.
"Arrancar? What's that?" Hearing this unfamiliar term, Gaara and the others were all confused.
After Naruto's explanation, Shukaku became very excited.
"Wakaka!! The great me is already a super-advanced Hollow! You stinking fox, come out and fight me if you dare!" Shukaku began to show off smugly.
But in his heart, he knew that even now, he still couldn't defeat the Nine-Tails.
Now that Shukaku had evolved into an Arrancar, the question of where he would go became a problem.
Naruto immediately suggested that Shukaku go to Orochimaru's village, Otogakure.
He had thought everything would go smoothly, but to his surprise, Shukaku snorted with reluctance. "Hmph, you little brat, even though you helped me get my freedom, I'm not going to listen to you!! I'm free now, I can go wherever I want!"
Although he said this, his eyes kept darting toward Gaara, clearly thinking something different.
"I see. It seems you two have formed a bond," Naruto said with a slight smile.
"Then you should stay in Sunagakure. I believe Gaara can solve the problem of your identity. And with you here, Gaara's safety will be guaranteed."
Naruto turned to leave, but from behind him came Shukaku's flustered, childish voice:
"Hey, you stinking brat, what nonsense are you spouting! I, the great me, that's not what I was thinking at all!!"