'Your current size... can you get a bit smaller?' Makiya turned to look at the doorway behind him, mentally noting his mistake. He had only thought about digging a space large enough for the Two-Tails and hadn't considered how to get her out.
'I can, I can! Just a moment,' Matatabi nodded quickly, her voice sounding honest and docile.
Under Makiya's gaze, the blue-black chakra on Matatabi's body surged violently, gradually condensing toward the center as her size rapidly shrank.
Energy beings were convenient in this regard; their physical forms weren't fixed, allowing for a sort of custom-made skin.
Finally, the Two-Tails transformed into the size of a normal house cat and nimbly leaped onto Makiya's shoulder.
At the same time, the unconscious Yugito Nii slowly began to wake up. The genjutsu on her had dissipated, and her original consciousness had returned.
A flood of memories from while she was under control rushed into her mind, causing her to clutch her head. As she did, she immediately noticed that the sensation against her skin felt wrong.
'This is...'
Yugito tried to speak, only to find her mouth occupied by a transparent soft tube. She hurriedly pulled the long, thin tube out while retching, spitting out a large amount of the vital essence.
'Ugh...'
She looked at the substance on her body and cupped some to her nose to sniff it. Although Yugito was still a virgin, she had learned enough through picture books and novels to recognize the texture.
'Gulp... Is all of this yours?' For reasons known only to her, Yugito looked at Makiya with a complicated expression. She tried to wipe the liquid from her lips, but it only smeared further.
Makiya nodded, intentionally teasing her, 'That's right. I've been saving it up for a long time. This stuff is very precious, so I suggest you drink a bit more.'
Each clone cost a fortune to produce. Some medicinal herbs couldn't even be bought with money; Makiya had to fly to deep mountain forests to harvest them himself. It was no exaggeration to say he'd poured his heart and soul into it.
Yugito's eyes went blank with despair. 'Guh... just kill me!'
'For the sake of the Cloud Village... for my purity... it's all over. I can never go back now!'
The wail of a defeated loser echoed in Yugito's heart.
Makiya chuckled. Not just to tease her, he tossed the experimental data onto a nearby table. 'Don't get the wrong idea. It's not what you think. There's a shower in the corner over there. Go wash up, then press the button to call me when you're done.'
With that, Makiya turned and left the underground space.
Yugito's future attitude was still uncertain. Makiya's own sense of morality kept him from killing her, but he couldn't just release her either. Her fate would depend on her own attitude and thoughts moving forward.
Locking the door and leaving a clone to stand guard, Makiya took the Two-Tails and left the underground, walking through the capital of the Land of Fire.
Pretending to be a kitten, the Two-Tails lay obediently on Makiya's shoulder. Even though she was seeing the sun again and felt the wind of freedom on her face, she didn't dare make any unnecessary movements for fear of Makiya misunderstanding.
'Matatabi, I plan to give you your freedom, but we're going to set three conditions. First, you cannot proactively harm humans. Second, if someone with ill intent tries to harm you, I allow you to fight back. Third, your range of activity is restricted to the Land of Demons. If you want to move around in your original size, you cannot appear within cities or a certain distance around them.'
Makiya turned his head to look at Matatabi.
Matatabi blinked, momentarily doubting her own hearing. 'You... you... you mean I'm free?'
Makiya nodded. 'A limited freedom. You must follow my rules.'
Matatabi's whiskers twitched a few times as she mumbled something. After a long while, she asked uncertainly, 'You aren't just playing with me, are you? You're truly willing to give me freedom?'
It wasn't that Matatabi was being overly skeptical; since ancient times, shinobi had always viewed Tailed Beasts as weapons of war and omens of ill luck. Even Hashirama had been no different. Given the chance, everyone would rack their brains to bring the Tailed Beasts under their control. Matatabi had never seen someone like Makiya who would proactively release one.
'Not interested? Then forget it.'
'I'm interested! I'm very interested! You can't take it back!'
Makiya grinned. 'You aren't worth the effort of lying. Come on, let's go see your new home.'
Makiya directly released his golden flames in the middle of the street, soaring into the sky. The nearby commoners immediately stopped and bowed to this State Preceptor who had just been appointed by the Priestess.
In the western mountains of the Land of Demons, Makiya dropped Matatabi from the sky. The blue-black kitten did a mid-air somersault, her body swelling in the wind until she transformed into a fifty-meter-tall beast that crushed the boulders beneath her paws with a thunderous boom.
Because this was the home where she would be living for a long time, Matatabi consciously avoided the trees, doing her best not to destroy the natural environment.
'The entire country is covered in barriers, Matatabi. I expect you to strictly follow my rules, or the consequences will be severe.'
Matatabi bowed her head submissively. 'Yes, Lord Makiya... you can rest assured.'
Makiya turned and vanished into the thick layers of clouds.
Matatabi bounced in place for a moment, and once she was sure Makiya really wasn't coming back, she began to frolic like a fifty-meter-tall child, running around and enjoying the joy of freedom.
'That Makiya is actually a good person!' Matatabi's impression of Makiya had shifted significantly. 'He's a bit fierce and hits hard... but he really is a good person!'
Matatabi thought of her other Tailed Beast brothers. Compared to them, she was truly lucky.
'I wonder when they'll be able to regain their freedom...'
Yugito took her time before calling for Makiya. With a clone and a barrier standing guard, Makiya wasn't worried about her digging a hole to escape. There were many matters to attend to in the Land of Demons, and Priestess Miroku liked to call on Makiya for everything. Thus, after a short break, Makiya was back to being busy.
There were no natural hot springs in the Land of Demons. Having grown used to them during his time with Tsunade, Makiya had built an artificial one right next to the Priestess's palace.
Miroku seemed to want to experience the hot spring as well. While Makiya was enjoying himself, she quietly slipped into the water, holding her breath and playing around beneath the surface.
The power of the Priestess had to be passed down after all!
(Since the readers don't like it, a million words are omitted here...)
Time in the ninja world waited for no one. The news of the Land of Fire's capital and its nobility being wiped out finally spread to other nations, sending a wave of panic throughout the entire ninja world.
The Daimyos of small nations felt like the sky was falling. Makiya had set a precedent for a shinobi assassinating a Daimyo, and he had actually succeeded while remaining perfectly fine afterward.
Once a door like this was opened, the consequences were unimaginable.
Within just a few days, several assassination attempts occurred in succession. Shinobi who were dissatisfied with the rule of their Daimyos were not uncommon; Makiya had set the example, and others began to follow suit.
The Daimyos and nobles of small nations dug into their coffers, desperately seeking help from the great nations they were allied with. The Daimyos of the great nations were also terrified; the moment they received the news, they summoned the Kage of their respective countries for closed-door consultations.
Fearing a rebellion from the hidden villages, the meetings were held in the capitals, and the Kage were not allowed to bring more than three escort shinobi. It was clear the Daimyos had lost their composure, constantly feeling as though 'there's always someone out to get me.'
Konoha's reaction was also swift. Although Minato was shocked by Makiya's grand move, he did nothing more than issue a wanted poster. Using the village's heavy losses as an excuse, he invested all funds into education and livelihood, focusing on the next generation.
Meanwhile, three old fossils were operating in the shadows. They pooled their private savings to issue a mission in the underground black market, raising the bounty on Makiya's head higher and higher until it reached two billion Ryo.
Countless bounty hunters were stirred to action, but only a few powerful individuals dared to actually move. Among them was an old monster who claimed to have fought with Hashirama.
A week later, the Daimyos of the Land of Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth issued a joint statement, declaring Makiya Uchiha the most heinous criminal in the history of the ninja world. They raised the bounty to ten billion Ryo while simultaneously pouring out vast amounts of wealth to recruit shinobi for their cause, including former rogue ninjas whose past crimes would be pardoned.
Meetings continued without interruption. The Daimyos and nobles left their estates to hide in secret locations, remotely ordering the hidden villages to deploy troops and form a Shinobi Allied Force to attack the Land of Demons and bring Makiya to justice. However, every nation had its own difficulties; having just finished a war, none of the Kage wanted to deploy troops, and they kept delaying.
One organization was particularly vocal: the Fire Temple of the Land of Fire. They claimed they wanted to protect the 'King' in their hearts, but since the one they were supposed to protect had already been killed, it felt like Makiya had slapped them hard across the face. They had completely lost their reputation.
The Head Monk of the Fire Temple put out word to gather all monks within the Land of Fire to form an army. Among them was a very special, young figure: the son of Lord Third, Asuma Sarutobi.
The army marched out in a grand procession, heading toward the Land of Demons to crusade against Makiya!
Then, they got stuck at the border.
No country was willing to let this force pass through their territory, as no one knew what their true intentions were.
The journey from the Land of Fire to the Land of Demons was long, with several countries in between. The monks of the Fire Temple were negotiating with various nations, but a result was unlikely anytime soon.
While the world was in an uproar, Makiya, who had been busy all night, fell peacefully asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the mysterious space, where a group of Makiyas were excitedly discussing something.
'The one just now was a total simp.'
'If I were him, I'd simp too. It's about survival, nothing to be ashamed of. Esdeath is amazing.'
'Pah! Disgusting! I'm ashamed to be in your company!'
'Wipe your drool before you speak.'
The Wuxia Fusion World Makiya, who had just rebuked the others, wiped the corner of his mouth and flew into a rage. 'This drool... the Husky ruined me!'
Ninja World Makiya approached Soul Reaper Makiya, looking curious. 'What happened? What Husky?'
Soul Reaper Makiya had a strange expression, smacking his lips and frowning. 'A newcomer arrived today. Or rather, a new dog... he calls himself the Lone Wolf of the North. You logged on just a second after he left.'
As he spoke, the newcomer who had just gone offline reappeared. Ninja World Makiya looked closely and couldn't help but exclaim, 'That's a huge Husky!'
'What Husky? I told you, I'm a wolf! A wolf!'