As Isobu grew weaker and weaker, a flood of complex emotions flickered in its single eye.
By now, even if it wanted to resist, it was already too late.
Had it truly misjudged another human again?
Was it really impossible for Tailed Beasts and humans to ever coexist in peace…?
Ah, whatever. It doesn't matter anymore.
It had already experienced being sealed away and facing death many times before.
If there's a next time, I'll never trust anyone again—
Wait… what?
Just as Isobu, the Three‑Tails, had shrunk down to the size of a person's palm, Shinji suddenly cut off the technique.
"All right, this should work. I've sealed the vast majority of your chakra inside this egg, while leaving you with just enough remaining power and keeping your consciousness intact. From now on, you can stay in this small form if you like, go wherever you want, and hide out in any lake or ocean you choose."
"But you've probably already felt it — in this state, you'll be extremely weak. It would be easy for someone to kill you, or even for wild animals to prey on you. And if you die while in this form, it's permanent — though it might take a few years before you could reform somewhere else."
"You can choose to hide this egg or carry it with you. If you break it, all your original power will flow back into your body instantly. So choose carefully. If it falls into the hands of someone with bad intentions, you might be stuck this size forever."
Shinji didn't hold anything back; he laid out all the pros and cons clearly, leaving the decision entirely to the now‑tiny turtle‑like Isobu.
He had no desire or greed toward Tailed Beasts whatsoever, so he could afford to be completely open and honest.
Isobu was stunned. It had never expected things to turn out this way.
It felt a twinge of shame for having doubted him earlier.
Still, this feeling of utter weakness was something entirely new.
Even when the Sage of Six Paths had separated it from the Ten‑Tails long ago, it had never been reduced to this level of power.
The egg holding almost all its chakra was, naturally, of immense importance.
Freedom… or strength?
Right now, it wanted freedom more than anything, so it was willing to set its power aside for the time being.
But what to do with the egg was a huge decision.
If it hid it somewhere, there was always the risk of losing it. If someone stole it, it could remain trapped in this tiny form forever, helpless even if it needed its full strength one day. And just as Shinji had said, it could be exploited by others.
On the other hand, keeping it close by meant it could regain its full size whenever it wanted. And since Shinji had done this once, he could do it again.
In this small state, it couldn't offer much help — but once it returned to its true form, it could repay the favor and not let Shinji's efforts go to waste.
When it thought about it that way, carrying the egg seemed like the better choice.
All it had to do was protect it well, making sure it wasn't stolen or accidentally broken.
While Isobu was deep in thought, Shinji ended their merged state, allowing Moxi to step back out into the open.
Isobu first glanced up at the egg, which was already bigger than it was, then turned to look at Moxi. "Will you take me with you?"
"If you want, I can bring you along wherever we go. And whenever you find a place you'd like to stay, just tell me."
That was the best possible outcome it could have hoped for.
Isobu nodded immediately, then spoke to Shinji: "For now, keep this egg safe with you. When the day comes that I decide to leave, give it back to me then."
"Sure, whatever you prefer."
Shinji casually slipped the egg into his Shadow Pocket, where it would be completely secure.
"Human… you are the second most unusual person I have ever met. You have helped me, and I promise I will repay you. If you ever need anything from me, you have only to ask."
If those words had come from the mighty Three‑Tails in its original form, they would have carried great weight.
But coming from a tiny turtle…
Hmmmmmm…
It just sounded downright comical!
Before Shinji could even reply, Moxi couldn't help but tease: "Repay us? What exactly can you do? Look cute? If we hadn't saved you just now, you'd have been captured and turned into soup!"
"I'll say it again! That was just me letting my guard down! Those humans have no honor — they attacked me out of nowhere!"
Furious, the little turtle charged forward and butted its head against Moxi's… toe.
Moxi just flicked it over with her foot, leaving it lying on its back, flailing its tiny legs wildly but unable to flip itself upright.
"That's all you've got? Hahaha!"
Moxi doubled over laughing, tears streaming down her face.
Shinji could only shake his head in disbelief — this creature really was here just to provide comic relief.
But oh well… he'd just treat it like a new pet.
Seeing the little turtle struggling helplessly, Shinji took pity on it, picked it up gently, and set it down on his shoulder.
"So… what kind of turtle are you anyway? Do I need to buy a tank to keep you in?"
Enraged, the tiny creature flicked its tail hard, smacking the back of Shinji's head.
It had zero force behind it — Shinji barely even felt it.
"I am a TAILED BEAST! I don't need water to survive! Don't you dare compare me to some ordinary pet turtle!"
"All right, all right. Then what do you eat?"
"…We don't need to eat anything at all."
"Perfect. Even better — saves me more money."
A pet that didn't eat, drink, excrete, or shed hair? That was the best kind of pet there was!
It wouldn't cost him a single coin to keep.
Shinji was thoroughly pleased.
With everything settled, Shinji introduced his new turtle‑pet to the rest of the group so everyone could get acquainted.
"Wait… you mean this little turtle is the same giant beast we saw just a moment ago?"
Tamamo Hikaru stared in utter disbelief.
Can it really shrink and grow at will? Isn't that a bloodline ability exclusive to the Moonlight Fox clan?
Shinji simply nodded, offering no further explanation.
After all, this technique had originally been Moxi's last‑resort survival spell — one that allowed her to seal her consciousness, soul, and remaining power into a special egg, so she could escape pursuit and later "hatch" back into her original form completely unharmed.
Once they had merged, Shinji had adapted the technique to work on Tailed Beasts — and only Tailed Beasts, besides themselves.
He had just tweaked it slightly: instead of putting the whole being into the egg, he left Isobu's mind and body intact while drawing almost all its chakra into the shell.
In a way, it was similar to what the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had done when he split the Nine‑Tails' chakra in two.
Once the Nine‑Tails lost half its power, its size had shrunk dramatically.
So the amount of chakra a being possessed directly determined its physical scale.
That was exactly the principle Shinji had used to make this possible.
Over on the side, Tobi was completely stunned. One moment it was the massive Three‑Tails, and the next it was a tiny pet turtle.
But there was still hope. Better that it ended up in Shinji's hands than being captured by the Five Great Nations.
That was the only thought he could hold onto to comfort himself for now.
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