"Negotiations?"
The Two-Tails grew quiet.
It lay on the ground, staring intently at Uchiha Kin. As one of the more level-headed tailed beasts, it wasn't prone to mindless rage.
"Speak, Uchiha brat."
The Two-Tails was intrigued. It was well aware of the ongoing war between the villages.
In Kumogakure, jinchūriki were feared by the villagers, but the village elders never mistreated them and never hid information from them.
Naturally, it knew.
This Uchiha brat was a shinobi from that damned Konohagakure—currently an enemy of Kumogakure.
Perhaps.
It might even let him go.
Even if he was a shinobi from that accursed Konoha, the Two-Tails could spare him.
"How about I become your jinchūriki? I'm a cat lover, you know."
Kin grinned as he pitched himself. In the shinobi world, the fastest paths to power were either through bloodlines or tailed beasts.
Plenty of people coveted the power of a jinchūriki.
But this only angered the Two-Tails.
"Brat, what nonsense are you spouting!?"
It wanted freedom!
Not to be trapped inside another human.
"The shinobi world is what it is. Even if you escape, you'll just be captured again. Why struggle so hard?"
Kin tried to reason with the Two-Tails. Their massive size made them easy to spot, and they'd inevitably be sealed away again.
They were immortal beings, resurrecting after death, yet never truly free.
This was all Hashirama Senju's fault. Before him, people feared the tailed beasts and kept their distance.
But after he captured and sealed them inside humans, people realized their power could be harnessed.
The result was predictable.
As long as shinobi existed, there would always be those who sought the tailed beasts' power.
No matter how ferocious they were, a strong enough shinobi would always come for them.
The Two-Tails fell silent.
It knew Kin was right.
But hope was a stubborn thing, especially for intelligent beings like the tailed beasts.
As it pondered what life in Konoha might be like, the Two-Tails suddenly stood, its tail lashing behind it, flames erupting violently from its body.
"Brat!! What are you doing!?"
"Oops, caught me."
Kin smiled, but his eyes held no warmth—only malice.
The surrounding darkness deepened.
Before, the Two-Tails' flames had cast some light in the darkness.
Now, the darkness swallowed even that light.
"Being a jinchūriki? I never really wanted that. Having someone always watching your every move is terrifying."
"You vile Uchiha brat!!"
The Two-Tails roared, slamming its body against the cage. It could feel something corrupting this space.
"Too late."
A profound darkness emanated from Kin's body.
"Soul Illumination Technique! Sharingan!"
"Soul Manipulation!"
The Soul Illumination Technique, which already tampered with souls, amplified the Sharingan's power.
From the start, Kin had no intention of becoming a jinchūriki—he was only buying time.
He was still a novice with the Soul Illumination Technique. Without the Sharingan's boost, it was barely potent enough to skim memories.
This made the process of corrupting the jinchūriki's mind slow.
Had the Two-Tails realized earlier and struggled fiercely, the jinchūriki might have broken free.
But there were no "what ifs."
In the darkness, a pair of gigantic Sharingan eyes materialized behind Kin, locking onto the Two-Tails.
"I can't be...!"
The Two-Tails' voice cut off mid-sentence. Its eyes glowed with the unmistakable pattern of the Sharingan before fading.
"Success."
Kin averted his gaze, and the dazed Yugito regained consciousness.
What felt like an eternity had lasted less than a second.
In the next instant, Kin's blade was at Yugito's throat.
A look of relief crossed her face, puzzling Kin.
Could being despised by others really strip someone of their will to live?
But before he could act, a furious roar echoed.
"Brat! What are you doing to my people!?"
A crushing kick descended from above.
"Boom!"
The ground cratered violently.
Kin instantly used the Shunshin to retreat, but his attacker's fist followed like a shadow, matching his speed.
"So fast!"
"Thud!"
Kin's body was replaced by a log as he reappeared nearby.
Yet his opponent was faster, as if waiting for him. The moment Kin materialized, a fist was already hurtling toward him.
"Clang!"
A gleaming white short sword intercepted the blow.
The collision of fist and blade produced a dull impact, followed by a shockwave that rippled outward.
White Fang stood protectively in front of Kin.
Only then did Kin see his attacker—the Third Raikage.
"Raikage-sama, you gave your word."
White Fang's voice was stern.
The Raikage's face darkened. He glanced at Yugito, who stood listlessly, and snorted.
This brat's reaction had been too sharp.
From the start, he'd intended to kill Kin. A prodigy like him was terrible news for Kumogakure.
But with White Fang here, the opportunity was lost.
"Get out of the Land of Lightning. Now."
The Raikage's wariness of White Fang was palpable.
White Fang nodded without another word, swiftly leading Kin down the mountain.
"Why let White Fang go, Raikage-sama?"
Yugito's lifeless voice carried a hint of resentment.
She had been so close.
"White Fang isn't someone you kill easily."
The Raikage's expression was grim. He would've loved to eliminate White Fang, but the cost was too high—far beyond what Kumogakure could bear.
"I didn't expect you to defeat a tailed beast."
As they descended, White Fang regarded Kin as if seeing him for the first time.
Kin shot him a sidelong glance.
This guy had no self-awareness.
If that stupid cat hadn't messed up and blown itself up with a Tailed Beast Bomb, they'd be holding a funeral right now.
All this danger was White Fang's fault.
No way was Kin giving him a friendly look.
White Fang scratched his head awkwardly.
"I was busy fighting the Raikage, you know."
Facing both the Raikage and a jinchūriki alone was overwhelming, and Kin was strong enough to handle himself.
So he hadn't worried too much.
"Enough of that." White Fang's expression turned serious.
"How did you defeat the Two-Tails?"
This was crucial. White Fang knew Kin's limits—escaping a jinchūriki was one thing, but defeating one was another.
"It screwed up. I interfered when it fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, and it blew itself up."
White Fang studied Kin intently, as if searching for something.
But Kin had already walked ahead.
From beginning to end.
He never mentioned.
That he had taken control of the Two-Tails.
...
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(End of Chapter)