Rasa's actions were not in vain.
Although Sunagakure had avoided complete annihilation—unlike the devastation that struck Konohagakure during its own Tailed Beast incident—the damage was still grave. The entire ordeal left a heavy and lingering shadow on the hearts of the people.
At a time like this, when fear and uncertainty were thick in the air, medicine and rebuilding were not enough. Something even more critical was needed—hope.
As expected, when the villagers saw grass and flowers blossoming once again across the ravaged landscape, the crushing pressure that had taken root in their hearts finally began to lift. Children who had been too terrified to speak began to smile again. Their fear faded as they watched the miracle unfold before their eyes.
After overseeing the renewal of the village, Rasa left quietly with Baki, making his way toward another part of Sunagakure.
They arrived at the ANBU prison.
This was the facility now holding the two surviving Jinchūriki, whose unexpected rampage had nearly destroyed the village.
Having learned from their previous mistakes and determined not to give Madara Uchiha a second chance to exploit their weakness, Rasa had personally assigned two elite guards to the prison. Bunpuku, the Jinchūriki of Shukaku, was stationed here alongside Honoka, a kunoichi whose sensory perception rivaled the best in the village.
Hana, whose sensory abilities surpassed even Honoka's due to her special constitution, was currently dedicated to healing the severely wounded and was temporarily unavailable for guard duty.
When Rasa entered the dimly lit interior of the prison, the two captives sat before him. They were restrained with heavy chakra-suppressing chains and layered sealing techniques. The weight of the bindings alone would have crushed an ordinary shinobi.
In front of the prisoners sat Bunpuku, calm and watchful, his eyes closed in silent concentration. Honoka stood nearby, observing everything from a small monitoring chamber with her chakra spread out like a web, ready to detect even the slightest fluctuation.
"Kazekage-sama, you have arrived."
Bunpuku said, his voice quiet but composed.
Rasa nodded and spoke evenly,
"You have done well, Bunpuku-dono. You too, Honoka. I am here to personally interrogate them. We need to find out the truth behind the Tailed Beast rampage that occurred in Sunagakure. Please wait outside the chamber."
Without hesitation, the two obeyed his order and stepped out, leaving only Rasa and the two Jinchūriki within the sealed room.
On the surface, the incident looked like a joint assault by Iwagakure and Kirigakure. However, Rasa had already concluded that a far greater force had been manipulating events behind the scenes. Ever since he mentioned this possibility, Sunagakure's upper ranks had sensed that something did not add up.
The enemy had caught them off guard and caused serious damage, but even so, neither Iwagakure nor Kirigakure had gained much from the assault. In fact, Kirigakure's involvement could still be explained, but Iwagakure's actions were suspicious. Given Ōnoki's cautious and pragmatic nature, it made no sense for him to sacrifice two tailed beasts just to inflict some damage on Sunagakure. That kind of self-destructive strategy had never been Ōnoki's style.
More importantly, there was Rasa's own observation. In the current shinobi world, there should not be anyone who could control three tailed beasts simultaneously through sheer will.
Even if the evidence pointed toward Iwagakure and Kirigakure, Sunagakure would not allow the incident to pass without retribution. Neither the village nor Rasa himself could ignore it.
However, for now, the priority was to rebuild and recover. Only once Sunagakure had healed and stood tall again would the time come to answer this attack.
Once Bunpuku, Baki, and Honoka had taken their positions outside the chamber, Rasa turned back to the two restrained Jinchūriki. His expression darkened as he formed a seal with his hands.
"Summoning Jutsu."
With a sudden shimmer of light, Tagitsuhime appeared before him, her presence gentle but firm.
"Rasa-sama," she said, bowing slightly.
"I am counting on you," Rasa replied.
"Of course," she answered with a smile.
The reason Rasa had summoned Tagitsuhime was simple. He needed to communicate with the tailed beasts inside the Jinchūriki. Without the use of the Sharingan or any spiritual genjutsu techniques, he had no means to enter the beasts' mental space directly.
However, Tagitsuhime did.
As one of the high-ranking serpents of Ryūchi Cave, Tagitsuhime possessed the ability to communicate through a mental wavelength that resembled telepathic transmission. That power allowed her to guide others into the mental realm of tailed beasts, bypassing traditional genjutsu or visual dojutsu.
Under her guidance, the world before Rasa's eyes shifted dramatically.
The dim prison cell dissolved from view, replaced by a vast and endless spiritual plane. In this place of consciousness, two colossal creatures appeared before him—Son Gokū, the Four Tails, and Saiken, the Six Tails. Both were chained down with heavy spiritual bindings, interlaced with layers of sealing jutsu that pulsed faintly in the air like molten script.
Though restrained, they were far from unaware. Despite being sealed inside human Jinchūriki, both tailed beasts had sensed what was happening in the outside world.
Still, their ancient resentment toward humans had not faded. Their eyes burned with fury as they stared down at Rasa, radiating the same primal intensity they once showed in battle.
"You, you damn human, caused that pain. It really hurt,"
Saiken screeched with a high-pitched tone, thrashing about like an angry child.
Rasa regarded the Six Tails calmly, without flinching. His voice remained steady.
"But did I not save you? If I hadn't stopped you, you would've ended up just like the Five Tails. Though I'm well aware that tailed beasts never truly die."
"Bastard!"
Saiken screamed again.
Son Gokū, in contrast, maintained the composed tone of a gruff old warrior. His deep voice echoed like thunder.
"What do you want from us, human?"
Rasa met their eyes without fear or hesitation.
"I came here to ask you one thing. I want to know who it was that controlled you and made you attack Sunagakure."
"You think I'd tell a human anything?"
Saiken spat venomously, still flailing in his chains. But Son Gokū did not shout. He stared at Rasa intently, measuring his intentions. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"And?"
"Oh? You sensed there was more?"
Rasa responded with a slight smile, genuinely impressed.
"Don't underestimate us tailed beasts."
Son Gokū said, his tone grim.
"After being sealed for so long in this man's body, I've come to understand how humans think. If you were only here to ask that question, you wouldn't have spared our Jinchūriki. You want something else."
Rasa gave him a quiet nod of acknowledgment, his respect for the Four Tails deepening.
"You are right. Besides uncovering the mastermind, I need one more thing. I need you to give me at least half of your chakra—voluntarily."
The two tailed beasts froze.
Son Gokū's eyes narrowed in surprise, while Saiken instantly erupted into another tantrum.
"Are you insane? That will never happen. You humans never change!"
Son Gokū ignored the Six Tails this time and instead focused solely on Rasa, contemplating his request. After a pause, he spoke again.
"And what if I refuse?"
"If you refuse?"
Rasa repeated with a light chuckle, his expression relaxed.
"Well, I suppose there's nothing I can do."
That smile of his was calm, but behind it lay an aura so dangerous that even Son Gokū's breath caught for a moment. He understood the meaning well enough—Rasa might not have been bluffing.
After several moments of silence, the Four Tails finally made his decision.
"I'll answer you. But I have one condition."
The words triggered an immediate shriek from Saiken.
"Are you serious? You're going to compromise with a human?"
Son Gokū turned to him sharply.
"Shut up, Saiken. You felt it too. That presence that hijacked our minds—its power, its familiarity. That control wasn't natural. And if we deny this human, what do you think he'll do? You saw what he did to the Five Tails. He could take our chakra by force."
That blunt statement made the Six Tails visibly recoil. The rebellious tone melted away. Saiken curled in on himself, embarrassed and quiet.
Rasa, watching this silent exchange, understood the shift immediately.
"Tell me your condition."
"It's simple. You said it yourself. We tailed beasts never truly die. Still, between death and survival, I will always choose survival. I want you to guarantee the life of this Jinchūriki. Keep Roshi alive."
Rasa looked directly into the eyes of Son Gokū, seeing the firm resolve in them. He nodded slowly with understanding.
It all made sense now. No wonder the Four Tails had been able to achieve full transformation. His bond with Roshi must have reached an uncommon level of mutual respect.
At that moment, Saiken finally spoke again, his tone quiet but defiant.
"Fine. I'll give you what you want too. But I don't care about humans. I don't care about your village or your war. I want one thing only. When all this is over... I want my freedom."
Rasa turned his gaze to the Six Tails, then gave him the same nod of recognition.
"Then I will give you that chance."
And so, beneath the pale sky of the mental plane, two ancient beasts, born of hatred and chaos, agreed, if only temporarily, to place a fragment of their power in human hands once more.