Chapter 215: An Artificial Ten-Tails? Kotoamatsukami!
Hidden Cloud Village
After receiving the intelligence from Konoha, the Fourth Raikage, A, immediately went to the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. He found his brother, Killer Bee, in his full Eight-Tails form, obliterating a small mountain with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
A smile of satisfaction spread across the Raikage's face. "Madara Uchiha… if he dares to come, we'll show him the power of the A-B Combo!"
"Yo, Brother! You're here to let me out, ain't that right? Oh yeah!" Killer Bee rapped, reverting to his human form.
"Quite the opposite," A said grimly. "We've received intel from the Leaf. Madara Uchiha has been resurrected."
"Madara Uchiha?" Bee tilted his head. "The one and only, you know it's true! Bakayarō! Konoyarō!"
A punched his brother on the head. "Yes, him. The Akatsuki have taken control of the Hidden Rain, and Madara is their leader. His goal is to collect the Tailed Beasts and revive the Ten-Tails."
Inside Bee, the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, was stunned. "Bee, you must be extremely careful with this Madara!" he warned. "And the Ten-Tails… we cannot allow it to be revived!"
"You know about the Ten-Tails, Eight-o'?" Bee asked.
"Yes. The nine of us are all fragments of the Ten-Tails. Its power is world-destroying, far beyond anything we possess."
"He's that strong?" Bee asked, his usual playful demeanor gone.
"We just need to stop Madara from gathering us all," Gyūki said, rapping Bee on the head with a tentacle.
"Don't worry, Eight-o'!" Bee declared, striking a pose. "Me and my bro will protect you! We're the perfect A-B Combo! If Madara comes, we'll feed him a Tailed Beast Bomb, ya fool, ya fool! Oh yeah!"
Gyūki sighed at his host's overconfidence. "The Rinnegan is not to be trifled with, Bee. It was the dōjutsu of the old Sage of Six Paths. You must be cautious."
"I know!" Bee said, turning to his brother. "So, why did the Leaf send us this info?"
"They probably want to gather all the jinchuriki in one place," A snorted. "Don't worry, Bee. I would never hand you over to another village. This village can protect you. But you must train harder than ever. You are not to leave this valley without my permission!"
Bee's face fell.
The other villages reacted with similar suspicion and pride. Ōnoki of the Hidden Stone, having recently employed the Akatsuki for some clandestine operations, was particularly wary of Konoha's motives. The Hidden Mist, under the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura—himself a jinchuriki who had once been controlled by the Sharingan—doubled down on their isolationist policies. None of them were willing to entrust their greatest weapons to their rivals, even in the face of a common, world-ending threat.
Hokage's Office
Tsunade sighed in relief after hearing Kakashi's report on his mission to the Sand. "You've done well. Go and rest."
"Lady Hokage," Kakashi said, producing a letter, "the Fifth Kazekage asked me to deliver this to Genichi. What are your orders?"
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. She suppressed the urge to snatch the letter and tear it open. "Just give it to him," she said with a casual wave of her hand.
Kakashi found Genichi at his home. "A letter for you, from the Fifth Kazekage," he said, handing it over. "I did report this to the Fourth, as per mission protocol."
"Understood," Genichi said with a smile, taking the letter. He opened it and read, his own eyebrows raising in surprise. Pakura was asking him to personally oversee Gaara's training. The gall of this woman, he thought with an inward shake of his head. Asking me to train the son of the man I killed.
He casually tossed the letter onto a table, knowing Tsunade and the others would want to read it.
"Is there a problem?" Kakashi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Here, see for yourself," Genichi said, tossing the letter to him.
Kakashi quickly scanned the contents. "This could be awkward. The Fourth Kazekage was, after all…"
A mischievous idea sparked in Genichi's mind. "Then perhaps you should train him, Kakashi."
"Absolutely not," Kakashi said, shaking his head vehemently. "Besides, a Magnet Release user would be a more suitable teacher. And I have no way of dealing with the One-Tails if it goes on a rampage."
"Then just master Magnet Release," Genichi said with a shrug.
"Don't project your own genius onto others," Kakashi sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "My focus is on evolving my Storm Release into a Kekkei Tōta by incorporating Yin Release."
"A wise choice," Genichi said, genuinely impressed. "Focusing on one area is more likely to yield results." He then retrieved a scroll from his study. "Here are some of my notes on Yin Release. They might be helpful. Make a copy and return the original."
Later that day, Minato was dispatched to the Hidden Sand to escort their jinchuriki back to Konoha. Meanwhile, in the Hidden Rain, the Akatsuki finalized their plans. They would wait for the One-Tails to arrive in Konoha, then launch a surprise attack to capture both jinchuriki at once.
That night, after a great deal of effort, Genichi finally succeeded. He had mastered the Wood Release Kekkei Tōta, a fusion of Yang, Yin, Earth, and Water. The breakthrough was more profound than he had anticipated. The addition of Yin Release had not just strengthened the jutsu; it had fundamentally changed it, giving him a deeper understanding of Yin-Yang Release itself.
A Wood Release Kekkei Mōra… the Yin-Yang Release to create life… and the chakra of the Tailed Beasts… he thought, a thrilling, dangerous idea forming in his mind. Could I create my own artificial Ten-Tails? A personal God Tree?
The impulse to pursue this new path was even stronger than his desire to perfect the Heaven's Eye. But he forced it down. He knew that the path to a Bloodline Culmination was fraught with peril. One misstep could lead to disaster.
Yin-Yang Release is the key, he realized. It is the core of it all.
He slipped out of his study and quietly made his way to Tsunade's home. She was fast asleep. He slid into bed beside her.
"You missed out last night," he whispered into her ear the next morning as his hands began to wander. "I had a major breakthrough with Wood Release. I'd be happy to give you a… hands-on demonstration."
Tsunade just snorted, flipping him onto his back and pinning him down. "In this house," she declared, "I'm in charge."
The next afternoon, Genichi was in the Hokage's office, where he met Karura and her son, Gaara.
"Lord Genichi," Karura said, her voice tight with nervousness.
"Gaara," she prompted her son, "this is Lord Kinoshita Genichi, the strongest shinobi in the world, and a friend of Lady Kazekage. You will address him as Lord Genichi."
"Lord Genichi," Gaara said, bowing politely. "I am Gaara."
Genichi crouched down to the boy's level, ruffling his red hair. "I know who you are, Gaara."
The boy looked up at him, his turquoise eyes unblinking. "You're the one who killed my father, aren't you?"
"Gaara!" Karura gasped, horrified.
Genichi held up a hand to stop her. "It's the truth," he said, his voice gentle. "There is no need to hide it. He will find out eventually. And he was born to carry a heavy burden." He then looked back at Gaara, his expression serious. "I will allow you to challenge me one day, Gaara. But you will have to train very hard."
The boy nodded solemnly.
Genichi then turned to Karura. "As for his training, I have a better teacher in mind." He pointed at Gaara's stomach. "The One-Tails. I will help you tame it, and help Gaara become a perfect jinchuriki."
Karura stared at him, a mix of shock, hope, and suspicion in her eyes. "You would do that for us?"
Genichi nodded and formed a hand sign. A clone wearing an Anbu mask appeared beside him. The clone looked down at Gaara, and the Mangekyō Sharingan in its eye—Shisui's eye—began to spin.
Deep within the seal, the One-Tails, Shukaku, awoke with a start. "Who's there?"
The Mangekyō pattern was the last thing it saw.
Kotoamatsukami!
In an instant, Shukaku's will was rewritten. Be loyal to Kinoshita Genichi. Obey his commands. The immense power of the jutsu was expended, and the Mangekyō reverted to a three-tomoe Sharingan. The clone then vanished.
"It is done," Genichi said to Karura. "You will now be able to communicate with it through your chakra."
Later that day, in the apartment Konoha had provided for them, Karura and Gaara entered the seal and came face to face with the sand tanuki.
"Yo! You can call me Shukaku!" the Tailed Beast said, its voice surprisingly high-pitched. It then shrank down to the size of a housecat and leaped onto Gaara's shoulder.
"You can get smaller!" Gaara exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Of course I can!" Shukaku declared haughtily. "I'm the great Lord Shukaku, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts!"