Selected at close range by that vast wave of energy, Roy was fearless thanks to [Blood-Drop Rebirth], but even so, he was shocked by the combat power the Nine-Tails could display while sealed.
An A-rank creature.
Even if it wasn't as ferocious as the colossal sandworm Netero, Linne, and Grandpa Zigg had encountered at the Uzuki Forest port when they first landed on the Dark Continent, the Nine-Tails was still being suppressed to the absolute limit—and yet it could still launch a strike no weaker than Father Silva's full-power Nen bullet.
Roy stood on top of the cage and looked down at the Nine-Tails from above.
Inside him, the Flesh Bud twisted and shrieked restlessly, already so ravenous that it was almost crazed.
"Shh... quiet..."
The boy raised a finger to his lips. No one could tell whether he was soothing the Flesh Bud, or the furious, violent Nine-Tails beneath his feet.
Then, brushing past the Tailed Beast Ball that was right in front of him, he looked down at the Nine-Tails.
At some point, a smear of blood-red had slowly crawled into those clear, bright eyes of his...
In the blink of an eye, it filled his entire eye sockets.
Then the linked tomoe, shaped like blades, began slowly rotating.
Roy whispered, "Sleep..."
A genjutsu in no way weaker than Tsukuyomi roared forth.
The [Forced Slumber] born from the Dream Demon instantly landed in the Nine-Tails' bell-sized eyes. Its expression immediately distorted, and the chakra inside its body fell into chaos in an instant. It could no longer supply power to the Tailed Beast Ball in its mouth.
"Sharingan... damn Uchiha! Why is it you again?!"
Its mind grew heavy and muddled. The Nine-Tails' mountain-sized body staggered. It had only just broken free of the gravity lines, yet now it swayed dizzily again and fell toward the lake surface.
And with that...
the terrifying Tailed Beast Ball could no longer be maintained. It was choked back into its throat and silently fizzled out.
Clink, clink, clink...
Boundless drowsiness poured into the Nine-Tails' ears, nostrils, eyes, and mouth like strands of fine rain. Hazy and half-conscious, it seemed to return to the past, remembering the terror of once being dominated by another Uchiha.
Bang.
The proud Kurama finally lowered its head.
The final trace of clarity faded from the demon fox's eyes. Its limbs went weak, and it collapsed to the ground like a falling mountain.
The sudden change seemed to take a long time, but in reality, it ended in a single instant.
Tsunade, who had been rushing over, and Minato, who had already drawn a kunai and prepared to use Body Flicker, both stopped halfway.
They stared blankly as the Nine-Tails slept as peacefully as an infant.
The two looked at each other, momentarily speechless.
"Legend says the Sharingan can control tailed beasts. I didn't expect it to be true." Minato put away his kunai with a bitter smile and said to Tsunade beside him, "Looks like there's nothing for us to do."
"Indeed. I can feel the Nine-Tails' power rapidly fading..."
"Hah... hah..."
Uzumaki Kushina leaned on her knees, gasping for breath. Her expression relaxed, and her legs went weak. She dropped to her knees on the calm surface of the mind-lake.
Cough.
The mind-lake trembled, sending ripples outward.
With her back to Minato and Kushina, Tsunade said nothing. She simply looked at Roy's blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan, her emotions surging.
She couldn't help thinking of one thing—
If Grandfather were still alive, and saw someone like Roy, someone who gathered the bloodlines of Senju and Uchiha into one body, what would he think?
He would definitely put his hands on his hips and laugh, thinking it was interesting.
Hss...
The Nine-Tails' snoring sounded like wind and thunder, exploding beside everyone's ears.
Before Minato and Kushina could stay happy for too long, Roy silently summoned the Flesh Bud. With his hands behind his back, using his body to hide the motion, he flicked a finger and sent it into the Nine-Tails' body.
At the same time, the boy felt his aura being consumed at a terrifying pace from maintaining the hypnosis on the Nine-Tails.
He spoke calmly and glanced at the two of them.
"Now isn't the time to celebrate. I can only restrain it temporarily. While you have the chance, you should reinforce the seal first."
Minato and Kushina looked at each other, then nodded. Acting in perfect understanding, one extended the Adamantine Sealing Chains, commanding the chains to bind the Nine-Tails' limbs and prevent it from suddenly waking, adding another layer of protection over Roy's hypnosis.
The other flew straight to the cage, pressed close to it, released chakra, formed seals, and began reinforcing the Four Symbols Seal.
In that gap, Roy left a thread of attention on the Flesh Bud. He watched it break through the Nine-Tails' fur, burrow into its bones and flesh, and cling to it like barnacles on a baleen whale, frantically drawing in its chakra.
Then a series of prompts fell into Roy's ears like rain hitting banana leaves.
[Detection: Flesh Bud parasitism successful... beginning to absorb "Life Energy."
(Note: "Chakra" is not the same as "Nen." Absorption requires further purification. Purification ratio — 1 point of chakra corresponds to 0.8 points of Life Energy.)]
[Notice: Life Energy +0.8 +0.8 +0.8...]
Invisible strands of Life Energy flowed into Roy's body like thin streams.
The boy's body trembled lightly beyond his control. He lowered his eyes and suppressed his excitement and joy.
This time, placing himself in the Flesh Bud's position, he felt like a dried, cracked land suddenly meeting rain. His whole body felt indescribably refreshed and free.
"You don't seem very happy?"
With a soft ripple, Tsunade stepped lightly on the mind-lake and leapt to Roy's side. She raised her fist and lightly punched the boy's shoulder.
"Cheer up!"
"Among your peers, you're already more than outstanding, Ren..."
Bang.
Before her fist could touch Roy's shoulder, a crimson aura film surfaced and stopped it in midair.
Tsunade froze. Looking closely, she felt that crimson color resembled the Nine-Tails locked in the cage below.
Just as she frowned, Roy lifted his eyes and smiled at her.
"Lady Tsunade, believe me. I have never been as energetic as I am right now."
[Notice: Life Energy +0.8 +0.8 +0.8...]
Screech—
The Flesh Bud took root, digging deep into the Nine-Tails' flesh. More invisible strands of Life Energy surged madly toward Roy.
The boy straightened, spread both arms, and suddenly let out a sharp howl.
The soundwaves rippled outward and raised a hurricane, blowing Tsunade's hair beside him, Minato's below him, and Kushina's ahead of him all into motion.
In their eyes—
the boy's body clearly wasn't large, yet when he spread his arms, it was as if he had embraced an entire world.
Strange, yet harmonious.
It made them unable to help feeling astonished.
This child...
Tsunade turned her head to look at Roy.
In that instant, she recalled an afternoon long ago. Her tiny self had been led by her grandfather to Hokage Rock to feel the wind. She had watched him point to Konoha beneath their feet, a land full of life, and heard him say:
"Watch closely, Tsunade. Grandpa will teach you how to jump off a cliff."
Then he had held her in his arms and leapt down toward the cliff below.
The freedom and fear of that moment was like gambling. Every time the cards were revealed, adrenaline surged, bringing an indescribable thrill.
Buzz...
Chakra rippled.
As the Four Symbols Seal was reinforced again, Minato and Kushina quietly let out a breath of relief.
The man and woman flew side by side onto the cage, arrived before Roy, and bowed to him.
"Ren, thank you."
Roy waved a hand, and two spiraling winds rose, gently lifting them upright.
"Wind Release?"
Minato's eyes flashed.
Ever since their first meeting in the southern forest, he had seen Roy use many different release techniques.
Leaving aside Light Release, there was Water, Fire, and now Wind...
Minato straightened and looked deeply at Roy.
He strongly suspected that the boy possessed all attributes—Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning, Yin, and Yang.
Perhaps only that could explain how Roy had creatively developed such an extremely rare release technique as gravity.
"This isn't the place to talk," Roy said gently, smiling at them. "We've already delayed a little. Mom should have finished cooking by now. Why don't we eat and talk?"
"Ren, when you get serious, you're even cooler than Minato..."
Uzumaki Kushina threw an arm directly around Roy's shoulders and said with bold gratitude, "We'll do as you say. Let's eat and talk!"
"Hey, hey~ I'm still right here..."
Is it really appropriate to say that in front of me?
Minato spread his hands in helpless pretense, only to be hit by Kushina's eye-roll in return. The "young couple" had let down their guard and began openly flirting.
Seeing this, Tsunade's mouth twitched. Whether because it struck a sore spot and made her think of the deceased Dan Kato, or because she was older and couldn't stand this kind of sweetness, the two ponytails behind her swung as she became the first to connect her chakra and leave Kushina's inner world.
Buzz.
A gap opened in the inner world, and Tsunade vanished in an instant.
Roy, Minato, and Kushina looked at one another and smiled, then followed Tsunade out one after another.
Roy stayed at the back. After Kushina left and the inner world began to collapse into stillness, the boy watched that fiery red hair disappear into the outside world.
Then he turned and looked deeply at the cage behind him, and at the Nine-Tails sealed inside it.
He said calmly, "I'll leave it to you."
Screech—
The Flesh Bud stretched the two small shoots at its tip and bowed, continuing to steadily devour the Nine-Tails' chakra and feed it back to Roy.
A faint smile curved Roy's lips. He immediately withdrew his gaze and, with a thought, turned into a streak of light, leaving Kushina's inner world and returning to his body.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind stirred the curtains with a rustle.
It was noon, the hour when countless households were lighting stoves and cooking. Smoke curled upward from the Uchiha compound.
Roy's consciousness returned.
He opened his eyes again, his gaze becoming solid. He exchanged a knowing look with Tsunade, Minato, and Kushina.
Then the panel prompt rang through his mind.
[Detected: three "pending followers"...]
[Notice: Because you helped Uzumaki Kushina suppress the Nine-Tails, you have gained tremendous goodwill from Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina. They regard you as a loyal and reliable friend. You are one step away from "absolute loyalty" and "life-and-death friendship."]
[Notice: Because you promised Tsunade that you would revive Nawaki and Dan Kato, you have gained tremendous gratitude from Tsunade. She has placed great hopes and expectations on you. You are one step away from "absolute loyalty" and "life-and-death friendship."
(Note: once Nawaki and Dan Kato are revived, conversion will immediately complete.)]
The panel prompt faded.
Roy nodded slightly to the three of them. With a casual point of his finger, aura drew water and formed a stream, slowly flowing from his fingertip into the empty teacups in front of them.
Then the boy shouted toward the kitchen, "Is the food ready yet, Itachi?"
From the kitchen came the faint clatter of a spatula.
Then the kitchen curtain lifted, revealing a small head carrying a large tray.
"It's ready, Nii-san~"
Itachi carefully carried the food out. As he passed the two Anbu, he said, "Excuse me, please move aside."
The cat-masked and fox-masked Anbu's mouths twitched.
They felt deeply wronged.
The room is full of swords. Where are we supposed to move?
But after Roy woke, the heart-swords seemed to have found their master again. With a casual wave of Roy's hand, the sword-shadows filling the room howled together, gathered into one place, and disappeared into Roy's brow in an instant.
"Hah..."
A breath sounded.
The cat-masked and fox-masked Anbu looked at each other and both let out a sigh of relief.
Then the two turned to Roy, still shaken, and said, "Uchiha Ren, we will report what happened today truthfully to Lord Hokage."
Although Uzumaki Kushina looked back to normal now, aside from some fatigue, and seemed no different from usual, some things still had to be done just in case. Some words still had to be said.
"Do as you like," Roy said, lifting his tea and taking a sip.
With Minato and Tsunade present, he wasn't worried the two would exaggerate or twist the story.
As for the Nine-Tails, without Roy's suppression and the binding of his Sharingan, the strongest tailed beast in the ninja world finally broke free of its drowsiness and returned from hypnosis.
It slowly opened its eyes.
"ROAR!"
Its nine tails stretched out as it supported its weakened body and stood.
Its yellow-orange eyes stared through the causal line at Roy.
The Nine-Tails shook its head, then roared and glared at him in fury.
"Uchiha brat, don't pretend to be blind! This old man knows you can see me!"
Where there is cause, there must be effect. Reverse effect into cause, and cause into effect.
As the causal line linking the Nine-Tails and Roy trembled, a [Heart Worm], carrying a thin strand of aura and a sliver of Roy's consciousness, slowly entered the Nine-Tails' heart-field at his thought.
A moment later, the boy appeared beside the Nine-Tails in countless points of light.
He looked up at it indifferently and said, "So what if I can see you? So what if I can't? What exactly can you do to me?"
The Nine-Tails bared its sharp fangs, pulling against the chains and seal as if about to pounce.
Halfway through the motion, it heard the boy's cold voice again:
"Don't force me to slap you."
The fox eyes widened.
Deep in Roy's emotionless pupils, blood-red was about to surge out.