Endless sea of sand, the scorching sun burned in the sky.
Sayo stood alone atop the scorching sand dune, his black robe flapping violently in the hot wind. Before him lay the massive depression designated as a restricted zone—the entrance to the Sealing Technique shrine. Master Bunpuku's faint presence lay beneath it, like a candle flickering in the wind.
He took a deep breath, his hands quickly forming Seals, and his steady voice carried into the depths: "Shukaku, come out and meet me. I have come as promised."
After a brief silence, the earth began to tremble slightly. The sand beneath his feet rolled as if boiling, and a massive, violent, and ancient Chakra presence surged out from the sealed ground like a fountain!
"Awooo——!!!" Accompanied by a deafening roar, a massive cloud of dust mixed with a Sandstorm shot into the sky. Yellow sand converged, instantly condensing into a behemoth the size of a mountain. Deep purple curse mark tattoos covered its earthen-yellow body, and a thick, long tail slapped the ground impatiently, kicking up waves of sand. A pair of dark yellow eyes, as large as brass bells, flickered with cunning, violence, and a hint of ecstasy at obtaining temporary freedom, staring fixedly at the ant-sized Sayo below.
"You stinking brat! You are the one who said you would grant this lord freedom?" Shukaku's voice was like thunder, carrying mockery and an unquestionable sense of oppression. "Where is that old monk Bunpuku? Hurry up and tell him to release the Seal! this lord has had enough of this damn cage!"
Sayo looked up at the terrifying Tailed Beast, his expression calm and unruffled, as if he were not facing a monster capable of causing natural disasters, but merely a bad-tempered neighbor. "Master Bunpuku does not have much time left; this is his final wish. I can grant you freedom. However, it is not without conditions."
"Conditions?!" Shukaku seemed to have heard a massive joke, laughing wildly at the sky as the Sandstorm intensified. "Hahaha! Why should this lord agree to your conditions? As long as that old monk dies, the Seal will naturally weaken, and this lord will be able to break free all the same! It will just take a little more time! You, a mere pipsqueak, think you are qualified to negotiate with this lord? You Magnet Release brat, don't think you can be arrogant just because you have some skill!"
It still remembered this human brat, who dared to run over and chat with it fearlessly when he was a child, and later acquired the troublesome Magnet Release. But the pride of a Tailed Beast made it impossible for it to bow its head to a human.
Sayo paid no mind to its mockery and simply raised his right hand slowly. "Because of this."
Hum—! Without forming Seals or any warning, an invisible force field suddenly expanded from Sayo as the center! The entire sea of sand beneath his feet trembled violently, not boiling as it did under Shukaku's control, but as if it were being smoothed and suppressed by an invisible giant hand! Countless tiny metal particles contained within the sand were instantly extracted and gathered, forming a massive cloud of iron sand behind Sayo that resembled a black cloud, blotting out the sky.
What made Shukaku's pupils constrict even more was that it felt the sand it controlled around its body becoming sluggish, as if subjected to some extremely strong interference and suppression! Magnet Release had a natural restraint over the sand it controlled!
"Do you think I am still that child from back then who could only listen to you tell stories? Shukaku." Sayo's voice remained calm, but beneath that calmness lay absolute confidence and power capable of shaking mountains. "Master Bunpuku is compassionate and wishes to return your freedom. I respect his wishes, but I must also be responsible for the Land of Wind that raised me. Letting you roam free and unrestrained is no different from a natural disaster."
He paused and continued: "I am not asking you; I am informing you of the rules for our coexistence. If you agree, you will gain limited freedom and become a guardian of the Land of Wind, rather than a prisoner. If you do not agree..."
The iron sand cloud behind Sayo began to churn violently, emitting a thunderous hum that was highly threatening. "...Then I will have no choice but to uphold the 'tradition' of my predecessors and find a way to give you a 'new home.' Believe me, it will definitely not be more comfortable than it is now."
Shukaku's huge eyes narrowed, its violent Chakra fluctuating, showing the intense struggle within. It felt an oppressive sensation emanating from Sayo that far exceeded any Kazekage it had ever seen. It was not just the restraint of Magnet Release, but a subtle deterrence at the level of life itself (a pseudo-Sage Body nurtured by the long-term nourishment of the natural energy body tempering furnace). It realized that this human brat truly possessed the power to threaten it.
A hard fight might result in mutual destruction, but freedom would be completely hopeless.
Silence permeated the desert, with only the wind howling.
After a long while, Shukaku snorted coldly, its tail slamming heavily onto the ground, which counted as temporarily restraining its arrogance: "...Hmph! Cunning human! Speak then, what kind of bullshit conditions!"
Sayo knew it had compromised; he dispersed the iron sand cloud behind him and said loudly: "Three chapters of agreement!"
"First: Protect the territory of the Land of Wind! You will return to the desert, and your range of activity will be limited to within the Land of Wind. You must not actively attack villages or towns, or harm the citizens. But at the same time, if any foreign enemy invades the Land of Wind from the desert direction, you have the obligation to repel them or sound the alarm."
"Second: Do not stir up large-scale Sandstorms unless summoned! You may manipulate quicksand and play around on a small scale, but you are strictly forbidden from wantonly stirring up destructive Sandstorms that damage trade routes, oases, and the climate. This is the bottom line."
"Third: Answer the call in wartime! If Sunagakure faces a war of survival, or if the Land of Wind faces a large-scale foreign invasion, you must respond to my summons and go to battle to defend against the enemy! You may not shirk this duty for any reason!"
With every point Sayo stated, Shukaku's expression grew uglier, but it did not immediately refute him, simply listening.
"In return," Sayo's tone softened, "Sunagakure acknowledges your status as the 'guardian beast' of the Land of Wind, rather than a 'weapon.' As long as you abide by the agreement, we will no longer view you as a threat, nor will we actively disturb your life. This vast desert will be your true home, not a prison. At the same time, if you encounter threats from outside the village directed at you (implying the Akatsuki Organization), Sunagakure will also be your backer."
Shukaku's huge eyes rolled, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Freedom, limited freedom, plus an impossibly powerful "guardian" and potential trouble... It seemed, not entirely unacceptable? It was certainly better than being locked in a pitch-black Seal forever.
"...Hmph! You talk a good game! 'Guardian beast'? Isn't that just watching your house and guarding your yard!" Shukaku muttered, but its tone had softened. "...Fine, fine! this lord agrees! How annoying! Just these three points, right? Hurry up and tell that old monk to let me out!"
"Words alone are not proof." Sayo formed Seals with his hands again. This time, the Seal sequence was complex and ancient, integrating the essence of the Sealing Technique he had learned from Bunpuku and Shukaku, and further incorporating his own understanding of energy circuits. "Let this contract be the proof! If there is any violation, the power of the contract will backlash, and you will suffer the pain of being forsaken by the sea of sand!"
A complex light array composed of a mixture of Chakra and faint Natural Energy lit up between Sayo and Shukaku. The three agreements turned into clear runes branded within the light array, then immediately split into two, shooting toward the foreheads of Sayo and Shukaku respectively, slowly fading away.
The contract was established!
Feeling the binding force contained within the contract and Sayo's unfathomable power, Shukaku's last bit of scheming was extinguished. It snorted, which counted as formal recognition.
Sayo lowered his hands and nodded: "Then, Shukaku. Remember your promise. Now, I will go to see Master Bunpuku for the last time. After that... you will be free."
Having said that, he no longer looked at the huge Tailed Beast, turned around, and walked step by step toward the deep entrance of the shrine.
Shukaku watched Sayo's disappearing back, then looked at the boundless sea of sand around it. The emotions in its huge eyes were complex, eventually turning into a muffled low roar as its massive body slowly sank into the sea of sand, waiting for the moment of true freedom to arrive.
The desert returned to silence once again, as if nothing had happened. But an important contract concerning the future of the Land of Wind had already been quietly concluded in this scorching sun and yellow sand.