Next came the Cursed Seal, never one to stay quiet. The power of the Cursed Seal had once been regarded by Mizuki as his ultimate hidden card, a trump card to be used in critical moments. But in reality, Mizuki had never actually used it even once. In fact, during an unexpected breakout back in the Land of Waves, it nearly cost him his life. Now its activation was merely a reaction stimulated by Natural Energy. With Sage Chakra beads already in play, this so-called "Sage Transformation" version of the Cursed Seal was clearly inferior from any angle. Although its effects did activate, it only enhanced physical strength and speed. Once the Sage Chakra suppressed the extraction of bodily potential, the previously common distortions caused by the seal no longer occurred. Until the Sage Mode was released, the Cursed Seal should pose little danger.
The real problem for Mizuki, however, was Shukaku's chakra. Though the smallest in quantity, it possessed the most astonishing destructive power. Highly aggressive and extremely difficult to control, this chakra greatly increased the difficulty for Mizuki in maintaining internal balance. It also dulled his senses, leading him into one dangerous situation after another. Even more importantly, the risk brought by this resonance went far beyond just possibly ending Sage Mode.
Inside all this lay a hypothesis that Mizuki had previously considered but initially dismissed. Unexpectedly, a low-probability event had become real. That is—were tailed beasts truly unique beings capable of endless rebirth? Or to put it another way, after dying and being resurrected, was the beast still the same one as before?
Mizuki hadn't thought deeply about this before, but now, having experienced chakra resonance with Shukaku—including actual chakra exchange—it confirmed some of Mizuki's suspicions.
In the original anime storyline there was a famous scene: in the Fire Temple of the Land of Fire, there was a boy injected with Nine-Tails chakra. When this boy, known as "Kara," fought against Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails chakra within him became active and resonated with the tailed beast inside Naruto. As a result, this boy Kara almost became the medium and sacrificial vessel for the Nine-Tails' rebirth.
When Mizuki first obtained Shukaku's clone, he hadn't thought much about this. But while practicing Sage Mode using tailed beast chakra, and contemplating the possible risks involved, this memory resurfaced. For this reason, Mizuki even specifically investigated the Fire Temple. What he found was that yes, the temple existed in the Land of Fire. There was indeed a highly respected monk called Chiriku residing there, and the ninja monks of the Fire Temple practiced an advanced technique known as [Blessed by the Sage's Bloodline]. However, there wasn't a gloomy young boy named Kara anywhere to be found.
But at one point, Mizuki believed all of this was nothing but nonsense. Reality, however, had given Mizuki a harsh lesson—not the absence of such a person, but the flawed principle behind its existence. The occurrence of resonance proved that the concerns Mizuki had originally harbored were now materializing into facts.
Tailed beasts—creatures forged from human will—are able to resurrect themselves after death. They may inherit all previous memories and experiences—in other words, they could achieve perfect resurrection. But there might be exceptions capable of breaking this established rule, such as when Mizuki siphoned off one of Shukaku's shadow clones.
Actually, in terms of existence principles, the difference between Shukaku's shadow clone and its original body lies in the fact that the original possesses higher authority, can channel more chakra, and wields greater power—something a mere shadow clone lacks.
However, if Mizuki succeeded here in killing Shukaku, would the Shukaku reborn three years later still be the same one standing before Mizuki now? Would it even return at all after this? Based on current circumstances, it seemed unlikely. If Shukaku died, then the "Sand Storm Naruto" Mizuki created would truly become an official jinchūriki rather than just a vessel holding tailed beast chakra. The tailed beast shadow clone within his body would eventually develop into a fully complete Shukaku—but definitely not the exact same one present right now.
"So, does this make me and Shukaku sworn, irreconcilable enemies now?"
Separating a tailed beast wasn't unprecedented—The Fourth Hokage once split the Nine-Tails into Yin and Yang forms. That was merely an attribute-based division, but fundamentally, it remained the same fox. Yet Mizuki's method of separation differed completely—a tailed beast shadow clone possessing independent willpower would unquestionably evolve into a genuinely complete tailed beast upon the original's death.
Now, the danger from resonance lay immediately before them. Shukaku's chakra had absorbed vast quantities of natural energy, but inside Mizuki's body, it was suppressed by Sage Chakra and the cursed seal, unable to further develop. However, the absorption of natural energy didn't stop—it soon condensed into a thick shield completely surrounding Mizuki. With Shukaku's wild chakra leaking outward, the shield gradually turned an ominous shade of red. Its appearance slowly transformed into a monstrous, crimson creature—a grotesque head baring fangs and claws on all four limbs, with a disproportionately large tail, crouching like a weasel. Except for its eerie coloring and non-sandy composition, it looked exactly like a miniature version of Shukaku.
Witnessing Mizuki's current form, Shukaku—who had just caught its breath—erupted in fury. Angered at Mizuki's brazen mimicry of its image, it furiously raised both claws and slammed them down onto the ground near him, kicking up a massive cloud of dust, as though determined never to rest until he'd crushed Mizuki into paste. Still unsatisfied, it lifted its powerful tail high again, preparing to smash it down forcefully.
Right at that moment, a giant crimson hand suddenly burst through the thickening smoke, grabbing hold of the tail about to descend. Once the plume of dust settled, everyone saw Mizuki standing below, his right arm extended forward, connected to the giant hand by a thick limb of scarlet energy clearly under his control.
"This is tailed-beast transformation? No, something's off… It doesn't look like tailed beast coat either. What exactly are you using?" Now taking Mizuki's abilities seriously, Shukaku attempted to speak with him.
"Scared of techniques you've never seen before? I've heard rumors saying you're the weakest, most cowardly tailed beast who only bullies weaker shinobi."
"Weakling? What gives you the confidence to talk so big? Is it really because of that strange fighting pose of yours?"
"Shukaku," said Shukaku as he tried to shift his constrained body and tail, but to no avail. Mizuki's stamina was just too overwhelming to break free from.
"Arrogance? You could call it that," Mizuki replied confidently, his stamina temporarily pushed to the extreme by this bizarre state. "I don't know what'll happen to me after this, but right now, I've got power—and the right to talk big!"
With those words, Mizuki channeled all his strength through the massive energy arm connected to him, and swung the tailed beast in a wide arc, sending it flying backward through the air, flipping once before slamming hard into the ground.
"At least right now, I fear nothing..."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>