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"Sigh... boy. What do you think I am?" The White Snake Sage looked seriously at Kagaya as she inquired.
Kagaya thought for a moment, then answered. "You are the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave."
The White Snake Sage continued her line of questioning.
"And what kind of place is Ryuchi Cave?"
Kagaya wasn't sure how to answer for a moment. After thinking again, he cautiously replied.
"One of the Three Great Sacred Lands?"
The White Snake Sage nodded.
"That's also correct. But in truth... this place is ultimately just the home of a group of snakes. And I... am merely the leader of these snakes. Nothing particularly grand. So... could you please stop coming to me with every single matter? How would I know how to seal a Tailed Beast?"
Kagaya scratched his head.
"Um... I just thought you might have some knowledge about this kind of thing."
The White Snake Sage sighed.
"This old one may have lived a very long time, but I don't know everything either."
Kagaya spoke awkwardly. "So... regarding the matter of sealing a Tailed Beast... does the White Snake Sage truly not know anything at all?"
The White Snake Sage fell silent for a moment, then sighed once more.
"Fine. I do know a little. But only a little. Remember this: don't come to me casually for just any matter in the future. I recall telling you before—disturbing an old lady's sleep is hardly a good habit."
Kagaya hurriedly responded.
"Right, right."
To Kagaya, it might have been several months since he last sought out the White Snake Sage. The interval wasn't short at all. But to the White Snake Sage, such a short span of time was truly far too brief. It was like a child coming to disturb your sleep today, then coming again to disturb your sleep tomorrow. Although the White Snake Sage quite appreciated Kagaya, being constantly disturbed like this was beginning to irritate her.
The White Snake Sage lifted her head and lit the smoking pipe in her mouth using a method unknown to Kagaya, then began puffing out clouds of smoke.
"Alright, let's get to the main topic. You want to seal that Five-Tails outside into your body?"
Kagaya nodded.
The White Snake Sage carefully scrutinized Kagaya.
"Although I don't want to interfere with your decisions, I can't help but ask—have you lost your mind? With your strength, why on earth would you want to become some Jinchuriki? Becoming a Jinchuriki right now won't be of much help to you. Sure, you could use your Sharingan to forcibly control the Tailed Beast within you, but there's still no need for it. If you want to wield the power of a Tailed Beast, you could just directly control it with your Sharingan. There's no need to seal it inside you. You should be even more aware of these principles than I am."
The corner of Kagaya's mouth twitched. Helplessly, he began explaining to the White Snake Sage about what had transpired between him and the Five-Tails.
A long while later.
After the White Snake Sage had learned the full course of events between Kagaya and the Five-Tails, her earlier skepticism vanished, replaced by a hint of a smile.
"Oh? So, you want to become the kind of Jinchuriki who is of one heart and mind with the Tailed Beast? Let me think... what do you humans call it again? Mm... it's a term that only emerged in the last hundred years or so. I can't quite recall it clearly. Is it called... a Perfect Jinchuriki? Is that right? If it's what you humans call a Perfect Jinchuriki, then it would indeed be of considerable help to you."
The difference between an ordinary Jinchuriki and a Perfect Jinchuriki was enormous. In the original story, whenever the Akatsuki captured ordinary Jinchuriki, they basically succeeded every single time. But when it came to capturing Killer B, they failed repeatedly. It couldn't simply be blamed on Sasuke being weak. At the time, Sasuke, who could already use his Mangekyo with relative proficiency, was actually quite formidable within the Akatsuki. The only conclusion was that Killer B, as a Perfect Jinchuriki, was simply far too powerful. Sasuke and his group had nearly been killed by him.
Later, when Kisame was sent to capture Killer B, he also failed to succeed. The disparity was evident right there. In the original story, when Kisame captured the Four-Tails, he did so with absolute, effortless ease. He hadn't suffered any major injuries, his clothes hadn't even been torn. He had merely expended a bit more chakra. But when it came to capturing Killer B, he had fought with everything he had and still failed, ultimately losing his life in the process.
A Perfect Jinchuriki was simply incomparable to an ordinary Jinchuriki. Becoming an ordinary Jinchuriki right now would bring Kagaya no benefits whatsoever. It would only be a detriment. But becoming a Perfect Jinchuriki was entirely different. That kind of thing would provide a significant boost even to a Six Paths-level figure. Let alone Kagaya, who was not yet at the Six Paths level.
The reason Kagaya had initially been unwilling to agree to the Five-Tails' proposal to become its Jinchuriki was, first, because Kagaya truly wanted the Five-Tails to be free. And second, because an ordinary Jinchuriki would be genuinely useless to him. If the Five-Tails couldn't truly trust Kagaya and couldn't allow him to become a Perfect Jinchuriki, then it would be entirely meaningless to Kagaya.
Thus, it was only later, when Kagaya felt that the Five-Tails genuinely wanted to become his Tailed Beast, that he had agreed.
The White Snake Sage exhaled a smoke ring.
"If that Tailed Beast is voluntarily willing to become the Tailed Beast within you, then it's simple. Since it's voluntary, all you need is to have that red-haired little girl who's been following you use her clan's unique sealing technique to seal the Tailed Beast into your body. It's voluntary anyway, so you don't even need to consider follow-up sealing formulas. You just need to seal it inside you."
Kagaya paused slightly.
"Red-haired little girl? Are you referring to Karin?"
The White Snake Sage spoke irritably.
"I don't concern myself with her; how would I know her name? But I can sense it. That little girl is from the Uzumaki clan, isn't she? And her bloodline is quite pure. If I'm not mistaken, she should be able to use the Uzumaki clan's unique sealing technique."
Kagaya inquired.
"You mean...?"
The White Snake Sage lifted her head and looked toward the ceiling.
"Let me recall. I think it's called the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Its outward appearance is simply several chains radiating golden light. This sealing technique has a very powerful sealing force and exerts strong suppressive power over Tailed Beasts. However, this seal can't contain a Tailed Beast for very long; it consumes far too much chakra. But that point doesn't matter to you. Since that Tailed Beast is willing, as long as you seal it into your body, there won't be any problems even without a sealing formula. From that perspective... that red-haired little girl's ability is truly far too suitable."
After hearing the White Snake Sage out, Kagaya instantly remembered. In the original story, he couldn't recall whether Karin had ever used the Adamantine Sealing Chains. But he remembered very, very clearly—Naruto's mother, Kushina, had used this very technique to repeatedly suppress the Nine-Tails.
Could it be... that Karin also knew this technique?
A short while later, Kagaya bid farewell to the White Snake Sage and walked out of Ryuchi Cave.
This trip to Ryuchi Cave, Kagaya had made alone. Karin and the others didn't seem too keen on encountering many snakes, so they hadn't followed.
Very soon, Kagaya returned to where he had been before and found Karin.
"Karin, I want to ask you something. Do you know your Uzumaki clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains?"
Karin looked at him blankly. "Adamantine Sealing Chains? What's that?"
Kagaya spoke with a hint of disappointment.
"I see... so you don't know it."
At that moment, the Five-Tails lowered its head and spoke from the side.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains? I've heard the shinobi of the Hidden Stone Village talk about this. It's an ability unique to the Uzumaki clan—a kind of golden, glowing chain, right? Are you planning to use that to seal me into your body?"
Kagaya nodded. "Yes. But it seems Karin doesn't know how."
The Five-Tails looked toward Karin.
Karin, however, suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Golden, glowing chains? Kagaya, are you talking about that? I don't know what Adamantine Sealing Chains are, but I can indeed, when my emotions are running high, produce a kind of golden, glowing chain. But I can't control it very well yet."
Kagaya instantly understood. "Oh, I see. Sorry, I should have just described what the Adamantine Sealing Chains look like right from the start."
Karin had been orphaned and left homeless since childhood, wandering alone in the world. How could she possibly know the proper names of the Uzumaki clan's abilities? No one had ever taught her. All of Karin's abilities had been developed through her own exploration and research.
If Kagaya had simply used a term like "Adamantine Sealing Chains" with Karin, she naturally wouldn't have known what he was talking about. She had lost her family and home before ever having the chance to receive the Uzumaki clan's teachings.
A short while later, several chains radiating golden light emerged from the lumbar region just above Karin's hips, floating in the air behind her like tails.
Kagaya couldn't help but marvel.
"Incredible... such powerful chakra. As expected of the Uzumaki clan's ability."
Karin's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said nothing.
The Five-Tails also spoke up. "No wonder it can seal Tailed Beasts. Even without touching it, I can already faintly feel its powerful suppressive force."
These several golden chains were indeed no simple matter. Because they belonged to the Uzumaki clan, one could very clearly sense the immense chakra emanating from them. That chakra alone already surpassed that of any normal individual below the Kage level (exceptions not counted).
"But... how exactly are we going to use this to seal me into Kagaya's body?"
The Five-Tails tilted its head and spoke. Over this period of time, it had also come to learn Kagaya's name.
Kagaya spoke with some uncertainty.
"How about... Karin binds you with the chains and tries to drag you into my body? Shall we try that?"
The Five-Tails nodded.
"Alright."
Kagaya looked at Karin.
"Karin!"
Karin nodded and focused all her attention on her golden chains. She still couldn't control this ability well; she had to be completely, absolutely focused.
As Karin continuously output her chakra, the golden chains began extending indefinitely. Starting from the Five-Tails' four limbs, they slowly bound the Five-Tails.
It took a very long time for the golden chains to completely bind the Five-Tails. Although part of this was due to the Five-Tails' enormous size, the primary reason was still Karin's extremely poor control over this ability.
Sensing the almost negligible remnants of chakra within its body, the Five-Tails couldn't help but marvel once more.
"Truly impressive... my vast chakra reserves... have been suppressed to almost nothing. Under these conditions, even condensing a single Tailed Beast Bomb would be exceedingly difficult, wouldn't it? To break free from this seal... I'm afraid only brute force could work. But..."
The Five-Tails shifted its limbs slightly.
"But these chains are far too sturdy. I feel like even brute force couldn't break them. Its greatest weakness... is still Karin herself."
Kagaya hurriedly spoke.
"Kokuō, don't do anything reckless."
The Adamantine Sealing Chains were immensely powerful. A Tailed Beast would find it nearly impossible to break free from this technique. But Karin's mastery over this ability was far too poor. If the Five-Tails attempted to break free right now, the chains might be able to withstand the Five-Tails' power, but Karin herself definitely couldn't. She had, after all, only just begun trying to grasp this power.
The Five-Tails—Kokuō—spoke as if it were obvious. "Of course. No need for you to remind me. How could I possibly move recklessly at a time like this? Karin, do your best. I'll also cooperate and suppress my own chakra as much as possible, to make it easier for you to drag me into Kagaya's body."
Karin smiled.
"Mm!"
A human sealing a Tailed Beast, and the Tailed Beast cooperating with all its might—since ancient times, this was surely a first.
What followed was very simple. With Kokuō's voluntary cooperation, Karin easily suppressed all of Kokuō's chakra. Then, after dozens of failures, she finally succeeded once. She sealed Kokuō into a mass of chakra and slowly drew it into Kagaya's body.
And then... it was all over.
Kagaya touched his stomach. There, no sealing formula like Naruto's had appeared. This was only natural. All Kagaya needed was the process of using a sealing technique to seal the Five-Tails into his body. Once the Five-Tails was inside, there was naturally no need for a sealing technique anymore.
An immense, overwhelmingly powerful wave of chakra instantly surged forth. It was Kokuō's chakra. It had transferred its own chakra to Kagaya, just like the Nine-Tails in the original story—refining chakra itself, then transmitting that chakra to its Jinchuriki.
"This..."
Kagaya was stunned. Truly stunned. This chakra... was this for real?! It was far, far too vast!
So vast that Kagaya could scarcely believe it.
Sensing it from the outside versus experiencing it firsthand—the difference was truly like heaven and earth.
"How is it? Not bad, right?! Kagaya, becoming my Jinchuriki is absolutely beneficial to you. Mm-hmm!" Kokuō's voice rang out from the depths of his heart.
Kagaya smiled knowingly. "Indeed. I have to admit... I'm utterly shocked."
In the past, when sensing a Tailed Beast's chakra, he could only feel that it was immensely, enormously vast. But just how vast a Tailed Beast's chakra truly was—he could never fully perceive it. Only now, when Kagaya truly possessed a Tailed Beast's chakra, did he finally understand—a Tailed Beast's chakra... was just how absurdly, incomprehensibly immense!
Nearly infinite!
Those four words were probably the best description for a Tailed Beast's chakra reserves.
"This much chakra..."
Kagaya couldn't help but laugh. With this much chakra... he was now truly invincible.
This degree of chakra was more than enough to support Kagaya casually activating his fully formed Susanoo without suffering any consequences whatsoever!
"Although I probably still can't compare to Hashirama... my chakra reserves... should have caught up to Madara's, right?" Kagaya murmured to himself.
Even for a Tailed Beast, comparing chakra reserves with Hashirama was simply out of the question. But if comparing with Madara... Kagaya's current chakra reserves should have caught up to Madara's, perhaps even slightly exceeded them!
"So this... is what it means to be a Perfect Jinchuriki?"
Kagaya couldn't help but laugh.
However, Kokuō mercilessly poured a bucket of cold water over him.
"Alright, stop laughing. I've only just entered your body. The link between us isn't stable yet. I can't transmit chakra to you continuously for long periods."
As soon as these words were spoken, that sensation of boundless, infinite chakra that had just surged up rapidly receded from Kagaya's body. The Five-Tails' chakra was withdrawn.
Kagaya rolled his eyes. "Fine. Looks like there's another thing added to my to-do list. I need to work on stabilizing the link between you and me."
Kokuō encouraged him. "Good. Do your best. If there's nothing else, I'm going to sleep."
Kagaya couldn't help but grumble. "Do all you Tailed Beasts like sleeping that much?"
Kokuō immediately shot back.
"Well, what else is there to do?"