"Inka!"
Renya's icy voice seemed to explode directly inside Rōshi's mind.
Rōshi, who had just been preparing to fight back with all his strength, suddenly froze in place.
His pair of crimson, beast-like eyes instantly lost focus as a powerful spiritual torrent invaded his consciousness.
"Ugh—aaahhhh—!"
Countless extreme negative emotions surged through his mind again and again. Rōshi clutched his head and let out a shrill, miserable scream.
Before his eyes the battlefield vanished, the lava disappeared—everything disappeared.
Replacing it were endless twisted, painful, despair-filled illusions.
Renya violently poured the tragic experiences of his second personality in the spiritual space straight into Rōshi's mind.
And with several times the emotional intensity.
Even worse, this mental shock didn't affect only Rōshi.
As a perfect Jinchūriki, Rōshi had long been spiritually intertwined with the Four-Tails, Son Gokū.
"ROAR!!!"
Inside the sealed space, Son Gokū never expected himself to be hit by the genjutsu as well.
"What is this?! A human's… pain… disgusting!"
Son Gokū grabbed his head with both hands, violently shaking as he tried to rid himself of the mental contamination.
Tailed Beast chakra lost control and overflowed from the sealed space, coating Rōshi in a heavy cloak of chakra. The two lava tails behind him became three.
The Jinchūriki was on the verge of going berserk.
The tailed beast chakra cloak around Rōshi's body grew extremely unstable, swelling and shrinking unpredictably. The three lava tails slammed wildly against the ground.
He clutched his head, kneeling with a face twisted in agony, letting out incomprehensible roars.
He couldn't even distinguish which emotions were his and which were forced onto him by Renya.
Renya didn't allow Rōshi to continue suffering—he was afraid the man would fully transform into the Tailed Beast at any moment…
He didn't hesitate. He knew the terrifying consequences of a complete Tailed Beast rampage.
His chakra-coated hand strike landed precisely on the neural center at the back of Rōshi's neck.
Rōshi's screams stopped abruptly.
The madness and agony in his eyes were instantly replaced by emptiness. The raging Tailed Beast chakra receded rapidly like a tide.
The molten armor across his body cracked and fell apart.
His body went limp and collapsed forward.
Renya reached out smoothly, grabbed Rōshi by the collar, and disappeared from the battlefield.
Got him!
Uchiha Madara-sama, I'm coming!
The surrounding ninja who noticed the battle fell into dead silence.
A moment ago the Four-Tails Jinchūriki had been rampaging like a natural disaster—yet in the next instant he was subdued?
The Iwagakure shinobi were stunned, barely believing their eyes.
The invincible Rōshi-sama who dominated the battlefield… was defeated just like that?
And he wasn't just defeated—he was knocked unconscious, unable to fight.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
…
Dozens of meters underground.
"Madara-sama, I captured the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi."
Renya carried the unconscious Rōshi on his shoulder, pretending to be excited.
He knew Madara had White Zetsu following him—this wasn't the time to break with him.
Rōshi could only be sacrificed.
They were enemies on the battlefield anyway. If he died, he died.
A Jinchūriki was far too dangerous. It was better for other villages to have fewer of them.
If the commander asked, he would just say Rōshi regained consciousness mid-capture and he killed him.
Dead men couldn't testify—no one could say otherwise.
Nor would anyone dare.
Renya casually placed Rōshi's unconscious body on the ground.
Uchiha Madara slowly stepped out from the shadows, still relying on the Gedo Statue to sustain his life.
But the power contained in those Rinnegan eyes was enough to suppress any thought of resistance.
Of course, Renya didn't fear him. His heart burned with desire for those very eyes.
Just like Orochimaru when he first saw Pain's Rinnegan.
Truly… master and student were alike.
"Well done, Renya." Uchiha Madara looked down at Rōshi and said calmly, "It's time for the Four-Tails to return to where it belongs."
He slowly lifted his withered hand and formed several complex hand seals.
Behind him, the massive Gedo Statue stirred, letting out a deep, resonant hum.
Several chakra chains shot from the statue's mouth, piercing through Rōshi's body and wrapping around the Four-Tails inside the sealed space…
"ROAR!"
Even in deep unconsciousness, Rōshi's body convulsed violently.
His face twisted with extreme pain, and guttural noises escaped from his throat.
A scorching, overwhelming chakra was forcibly torn from his body.
The Four-Tails, Son Gokū, stared at the Gedo Statue before him, unable to hide the terror on his face.
Especially when he saw Madara's calm, lifeless eyes.
His fear reached its peak.
Why did this guy have the same eyes as the old man?!
But no matter how he struggled, it was useless.
The Gedo Statue absorbed the massive Tailed Beast chakra greedily as though finding water after a long drought.
Its body seemed to swell slightly, its aura becoming even more terrifying.
The Gedo Statue was essentially the husk of the Ten-Tails after the chakra had been extracted. Once the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts was gathered, the Ten-Tails could be revived.
And once someone became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, they would step into the realm of the Sage of Six Paths.
As the Four-Tails' chakra was continuously pulled out, Rōshi's life force weakened at a speed visible to the naked eye. His skin turned gray and his body withered.
Soon, the final trace of Four-Tails chakra was sucked into the Gedo Statue.
…
One of the statue's previously closed nine eyes slowly opened.
At the same time, Rōshi on the ground turned completely into a cold corpse.
Once a Tailed Beast is extracted, the Jinchūriki inevitably dies.
Uchiha Madara swept his Rinnegan over the corpse without a flicker of emotion.
Exchanging a few human lives for peace in the shinobi world—it was an exceptionally good bargain.
One could even say… an honorable death.
His gaze shifted to the Gedo Statue, now bearing one open eye, and satisfaction glimmered in his eyes.
"Four-Tails, reclaimed."
"Madara-sama, if there's nothing else, I'll return."
Seeing the matter finished, Renya prepared to leave—he still needed to explain Rōshi's fate afterwards.
"Mm. Remember to bring me the Eight-Tails as well."
Madara looked at Renya with clear approval.
He had captured the Four-Tails—clearly this boy hadn't betrayed him.
"I'll try. If I encounter it, I'll bring it to you."
Renya didn't dare guarantee he could capture the Eight-Tails in the middle of the battlefield.
Once news spread of the Four-Tails Jinchūriki's death, Kumogakure would definitely tighten security around the Eight-Tails.
Capturing one person among tens of thousands of troops? Easier said than done.
"No matter what, you must bring it. Time is running out." Madara looked at Renya seriously.
"I understand, Madara-sama."
Renya knew Madara was deliberately misleading him—claiming that his time was running out…
But in truth, he was trying to lure Renya into crime!
It seemed Madara-sama had indeed noticed something…
...
I recommend checking out my new Pokémon fanfic, "Pokémon System: Me, the Strongest Champion of the League"! It features a system that isn't overpowered, keeping the story balanced and engaging. The main character isn't Ash, but an original, cool MC, which makes it even more enjoyable to read. I'd love to hear your feedback!