The clock had long struck midnight.
Outside the Homura Hidden Village, across the silent plains.
Two figures walked side by side.
"Yueji-nee, how are your injuries?"
"Dean Nonou's healing techniques were very effective. I'm nearly fully recovered."
Yueji nodded slightly in response.
Three nights ago, it was Yueji Uchiha—who had already mastered the Lightning Release Chakra Mode—who disguised herself as a Kumogakure ninja and abducted Hinata Hyuga.
And she was the one injured by Hiashi Hyuga in return.
Of course, it was all staged on purpose, so her injuries weren't serious at all.
"That's good. Also, are you still worried about Riyō?"
"Yes."
Yueji Uchiha gave a slight nod.
Though naturally reserved, he was still her own flesh and blood—her younger brother.
She couldn't help but feel uneasy about him going alone to Kumogakure to complete the mission involving the trade for Byakugan.
After all, not every ninja
was cut from the same cloth as their Young Master!
"Don't worry. This afternoon, I went to [Kumogakure] again."
"The deal orchestrated by Riyō went smoothly. The Kumo side has already accepted and taken possession of the pair of Byakugan."
"He's probably enjoying the high-end hospitality of Kumogakure right about now!"
"He needs to stay there for a few more days until Kumo finishes preparing the exchange goods—then they'll return together."
Shimoku replied with clenched teeth.
If it hadn't been necessary to retrieve those stolen remains and return early to study sealing techniques,
he himself would be indulging in the luxuries of [Kumogakure] right now.
Tsk!
Well, whatever.
This time he'd let Riyō have his way!
At the same time, hearing that her younger brother was safe eased Yueji's worries.
And only then did she begin to wonder what the Young Master wanted from her tonight—why had he called her out so urgently?
In the middle of the night, surely not to privately teach her some advanced taijutsu?
Though it wouldn't be bad... but something just felt off about it.
"Young Master, where exactly are we…?"
"Yueji-nee, do you remember what I told you before about the [Pseudo-Jinchuriki]?"
Upon hearing this, Yueji Uchiha—who was no fool—immediately understood.
So that was it—the Young Master had brought her out tonight to discuss matters regarding the [Pseudo-Jinchuriki]!
In short, the [Pseudo-Jinchuriki] technique meant sealing a portion of a Tailed Beast's chakra into a ninja.
This fragment of power was smaller than that of the original Tailed Beast itself.
Thus, after becoming a [Pseudo-Jinchuriki], although one could channel chakra from the Tailed Beast like a regular Jinchuriki—even achieving Partial Tailed Beast Transformation—
Complete Tailed Beast Transformation became impossible.
Moreover, separated from the conscious control of the original Tailed Beast, this chakra fragment became extremely difficult to manage—it could even corrode the host themselves.
It was highly dangerous!
Still, it did grant tremendous chakra reserves and strength in exchange—like most things, there were both pros and cons.
"Yueji-nee, becoming a [Pseudo-Jinchuriki] comes with risks..."
"I accept!"
Without waiting for Shimoku to finish speaking, Yueji Uchiha decisively voiced her decision without hesitation.
As a ninja, she knew all too well—
power and danger always came hand in hand.
Wanting to gain great power without taking any risk is pure nonsense!
It's just a [Pseudo-Jinchuriki].
She actually longed for this herself.
Once it succeeds, the amplification of massive Tailed Beast chakra will significantly enhance her physical condition and taijutsu power.
At that point, during training sessions.
Although she wouldn't be able to rival Shimoku, she should at least withstand a few rounds of attacks from Young Master.
Without being immediately disarmed and utterly defeated.
Besides, she was still an Uchiha ninja after all.
She couldn't always hide behind Young Master whenever facing strong enemies.
The Young Master was barely over ten years old, yet already bearing so much pressure for the clan.
It was time others like her started contributing!
Moreover, she was convinced that despite the risks involved, there was no way that brat — the Young Master with his sharp tongue but soft heart — would let her die.
If death wasn't a concern, then there was nothing to fear.
"Okay!"
Seeing Yueji make a decisive move so promptly, Shimoku didn't waste time with unnecessary words either.
As ninjas, they both knew how brutal the Ninja World could be.
Saying pointless comforting words now would only lower their dignity.
What he needed to do was ensure the sealing went smoothly as much as possible, making Yueji the perfect [Pseudo-Jinchuriki]!
...
Shimoku chose Orochimaru's underground facility as the test location.
Firstly: Orochimaru would probably figure out that he was preparing to use Tailed Beast chakra to create a [Pseudo-Jinchuriki], so there was no need to hide anything anyway.
Secondly: With experience in the [Five Elements Seal] and deep knowledge of sealing techniques, Orochimaru had rich expertise in these matters.
Having him provide guidance and assistance could greatly increase the success rate.
And even if failure occurred, effective remedial measures could be taken more easily, protecting Yueji better.
As for Orochimaru's side.
Orochimaru readily agreed and was very cooperative.
After all, how could Orochimaru, Konoha's chief scientist, not be interested in such an experiment on sealing a [Pseudo-Jinchuriki]?
If it weren't for insufficient Tailed Beast chakra, his current body's lack of durability, and the absence of a suitable perfect vessel,
Orochimaru himself would have eagerly volunteered to become a [Pseudo-Jinchuriki]!
Therefore, given this rare opportunity to experiment and gather invaluable data, Orochimaru was naturally eager to help.
Thus.
For the next three days.
Shimoku and Yueji spent their time within Orochimaru's underground base.
Shimoku kept practicing [Four Symbols Seal] and [Eight Trigrams Sealing Style] using animals, corpses, and test subjects.
Meanwhile, Yueji focused on adjusting her physical condition and reading through the notes titled "How a Jinchuriki Controls Tailed Beast Chakra", drawing lessons from predecessors' experiences.
Soon, on the evening of the third day.
Everything had been fully prepared.
The sealing ritual officially began.
Led by Shimoku, assisted by Orochimaru, with Yueji as the sealing recipient.
Soon, Yueji lay upon the ritual altar, pulling up her top to reveal her bare stomach.
Considering the size of the Eight Trigrams seal's incantation, the lower abdomen remained the most suitable spot for sealing.
Though the 'upper' and 'back' areas could work too.
But after all, since it involved the forbidden zones of the human body, it was still a bit inconvenient.
"Ready?"
Shimoku asked calmly, doing his best to remain composed.
"Yeah!"
"This is a pill that can heal injuries. If during the sealing process, you feel your life force being excessively overwhelmed by the tailed beast's chakra; or if something just feels off, take this immediately!"
"Your life comes first—everything else can wait!"
"As for the rest, even if we fail, it doesn't matter!"
Shimoku pulled out that high-grade healing 'pill' he had previously exchanged for 500 coins.
He earnestly gave his instructions.
Even in the worst-case scenario, this pill could still save Yueji's life.
After all, when it came to family, Shimoku never hesitated to spend.
Besides, with Yueji's talent and grace, she was worth far more than 500 coins!
"Thank you, Young Master!"
Yueji accepted the pill, feeling warmth in her heart.
Indeed, compared to that former Great Clan Leader Fugaku who only cared about favoring his own followers, the Young Master was simply irreplaceable!
...
Meanwhile, not far away.
Orochimaru watched with growing curiosity as Shimoku still had such a curious 'pill' hidden in his hands.
But he also clearly understood that now wasn't the time to investigate such matters.
The sealing ceremony was the most important thing right now.
Next moment,
Shimoku, having completed all preparations, unfurled the sealing scroll.
He released four severed tails of Eight-Tails Gyuki, which he had previously cut off.
Because they had been separated from Eight-Tails' main body for a long time, these four tails no longer appeared as actual tails, but instead transformed into a large mass of dense, crimson tailed beast chakra—roughly one-third of Eight-Tails at its peak.
It was already extremely immense.
Logically speaking, such a massive amount of tailed beast chakra,
once freed from the scroll's seal, should instantly erupt, sweeping everything away,
and rapidly return to Eight-Tails' original body.
However,
right here, right now, an even vaster and stronger chakra directly suppressed this enormous surge of Eight-Tails' chakra, preventing it from escaping or exploding.
Left with no choice, the chakra was gradually compressed...
At the same time, sensing the powerful tailed beast chakra of Eight-Tails,
then perceiving the overwhelmingly greater chakra power radiating from this young brat, Shimoku,
Orochimaru, standing nearby, became ecstatic, his eyes shining with wild excitement, greed clearly visible on his face.
"So that's it! That's why!"
"This is why you dared to seal tailed beast chakra barehanded! Such an enormous quantity of chakra! What a wonderful sensation indeed!"
"Wonderful!"
"Without becoming a jinchūriki, where did you get such abundant chakra from?"
"I understand now—it's Hashirama's cells! The Sage Body!"
"Shimoku Uchiha, you've actually obtained the perfect [Sage Body]!"
Right now, Shimoku had absolutely no time to deal with Orochimaru's mad rantings.
Instead, he fully devoted himself to sealing the tailed beast chakra.
Swiftly forming a series of hand seals, he began chanting:
[Eight Trigrams Sealing Style]—Begin!
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