The events that had just transpired were truly bizarre. A series of accidents had led to Daigo regaining "life" in an unimaginable way… Regardless, her consciousness had awakened.
If one were to delve into the fundamental reason why Daigo was able to return to the world, the most crucial factor was likely the concentrated, high-density Tailed Beast chakra. After all, the only "chakra life forms" in this world were the nine Tailed Beasts. Perhaps only the chakra of a Tailed Beast could serve as such a "revival vector."
The question then arose: could the circumstances surrounding Daigo's revival be replicated? The answer was, basically, no. Who knew how Habara had extracted Daigo's spiritual energy entity at the time? Even if he were to repeat the process, he probably couldn't do it. And if even one link in the chain of "accidents" had been different, no one could guarantee the same outcome.
Moreover, now wasn't the time to dwell on whether this situation could be replicated. The focus should be on whether Daigo could continue her "reincarnation." Being a sphere was ultimately unbecoming. If she could be reincarnated again, then Daigo might have a chance to regain a human form.
Kushina Uzumaki circled around the Three-Tails, while Habara followed alongside, asking, "Kushina-sama, do you think there's any possibility of Daigo reincarnating again and regaining a human body?"
Kushina thought for a moment, then said, "Honestly, I think it's very difficult. Although I don't understand the details of the reincarnation forbidden jutsu you used, I imagine it's essentially transferring a person's spirit into another person's body. However, she has now become a kind of Tailed Beast-like creature. In a sense, this is a higher form of life. Think about it, how could a Tailed Beast possibly reincarnate as a human?"
Kushina's answer wasn't very encouraging, and unfortunately, Habara believed this assessment was likely correct.
Kushina then offered a not-so-helpful suggestion: "If she wants to regain a human body, perhaps the only way is to seal her into a 'Jinchuriki' like a Tailed Beast. If the 'Jinchuriki's' spirit is destroyed while maintaining the body's vitality, then Daigo might be able to control that body. But this must be done with extreme caution, because she's not a complete chakra life form, and she probably doesn't possess the immortality of a Tailed Beast."
Taking over a body didn't pose any ethical problems. If they couldn't occupy the body of their own people, couldn't they just capture an enemy? The problem was that even if Daigo obtained a new body, she could probably only control it indirectly.
Habara thought for a moment. If that's the case, he mused, it might be better to put Daigo back into her original body. But that would require modifying her body into a more easily controlled puppet form, since her flesh was long dead… Physical suffering, mechanical ascension. It seems Daigo must join the glorious evolution.
"Kakashi."
Kushina and Habara came to the back of the Three-Tails. Kushina then called out to Kakashi. When Kakashi arrived, she said, "You two, break off a tail."
Habara & Kakashi: "…"
Wouldn't this be considered animal cruelty? Wouldn't some animal rights group come after them?
Seeing their confusion, Kushina explained, "Essentially, a Tailed Beast's limbs are also made of chakra. If we seal the Three-Tails' tail inside Daigo…um, inside her, then as long as this tail doesn't disappear, it means she won't disappear either."
Kushina had already extracted most of the Three-Tails' chakra, and now she wanted to chop off one of its tails. How cruel! However…Habara quite liked it.
He tapped the "sword case" on his back and pulled out a large iron saw. Then, he and Kakashi each held one end, ready to start sawing.
But before they began, Habara hesitantly asked, "Kushina-sama, won't this commotion wake up the Three-Tails?"
Kushina waved her hand and said, "Don't worry. It's extremely weak right now, basically just an empty shell. It definitely won't wake up."
"That's a relief."
And so, for a time, the saw flew up and down behind the Three-Tails, sparks flying everywhere. Although the Three-Tails' armor was thick, even the thickest armor couldn't withstand this kind of continuous cutting. After a while, the Three-Tails suddenly became the Two-Tails.
As the massive tail fell to the ground, Kushina nodded. "Originally, our priority was to seal the Three-Tails. Now, it seems our priority should be to find a suitable container for Daigo."
"I have a container," Habara said. He then took out another sealing scroll and successively unsealed the "rope" and "gourd" seals on it. The Crimson Gourd and the Kōkinjō (Golden Canopy Rope) appeared before everyone.
"These are ninja tools possessed by the rogue ninja Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure many years ago. It's said that they were originally crafted by the legendary Sage of Six Paths," Habara explained.
This claim was surprising. Kushina curiously examined the Crimson Gourd and the Kōkinjō, finding that these two items were indeed extraordinary.
"How did you get these?" she asked.
Theoretically, Habara should have been a ninja with a shallow foundation. Yet, he seemed like the heir to a great ninja clan, always pulling out all sorts of strange things.
"Kushina-sama, I was once Orochimaru's subordinate. Orochimaru-sama once ordered me to explore the ancient battlefields of the Land of Rice Fields. And I'm not a very loyal subordinate to Orochimaru-sama…"
Orochimaru again… Kushina glanced at Habara. So, this guy had swiped Orochimaru's equipment.
Swiping equipment was unethical, but Kushina didn't have any particular thoughts about it. She knew Habara's history and understood that it would be strange for a "subordinate" like him to be completely loyal to Orochimaru. He wasn't some kind of masochist.
Kushina studied the gourd for a while, then said, "This gourd has a summoning mark on it. If you're not careful, it could easily be stolen. I'll remove it first."
Hearing her say this, Habara immediately took out the Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword) and the Bashōsen (Banana Palm Fan) and silently placed them beside her… The implication was clear.
Remove them. Remove them all.
Kushina: "…"
At this moment, she seemed to finally understand the meaning of a certain word: "labor."
After a while, Habara took back the Shichiseiken and the Bashōsen, while Kushina, holding the Crimson Gourd and the Kōkinjō, went to the center of the Three-Tails' carapace. She stood there, directly beneath the chakra sphere, which was Daigo.
Kushina first unfurled the Kōkinjō. It seemed to extend, circling the chakra sphere several times and forming a knot, as if binding the sphere.
Then, Kushina took control of the "Water Erosion Binding Seal Array" and solidified its formula onto the Kōkinjō. Thus, the chakra sphere was stabilized.
Next, Kushina unsealed the Crimson Gourd. All sorts of random things came spilling out, seemingly clumps of chakra that had been sealed for a long time. Kushina shook her head and tipped the gourd, pouring out a pile of skeletons… What the heck? Sage of Six Paths tools? This is clearly a trash can.
After emptying the "trash can," Kushina placed the Crimson Gourd on the Three-Tails' shell and began to draw a complex jutsu formula around it.
By this time, Habara and Kakashi had carried over the severed tail. Kushina nodded, indicating for them to place the tail to the side.
"Daigo, you're going to have to move."
Then, Kushina began to form hand seals. She then sealed Daigo and the Three-Tails' tail together into the Crimson Gourd.
However, the seal Kushina used wasn't a completely closed seal, but a restrictive one. She left ample openings, so that if Daigo wished, her chakra could seep out of the Crimson Gourd at any time… They couldn't really seal her the way they would seal a Tailed Beast, could they?
After completing the sealing, Kushina handed the Crimson Gourd to Habara.
Habara held the meter-tall, oversized ornament, and then tried to speak, "Daigo, can we still communicate? How do you feel?"
"Yes, I can. I feel like this space is more comforting than before."
Of course it was. Before, she was just a mass of chakra forcibly restrained by a jutsu. Now, she was inside the Crimson Gourd; at least she had a fixed dwelling.
"I'll explain your situation to you later…"
"…Okay."
Daigo was certainly aware that her current state was very strange, but she also knew that this probably wasn't the time to discuss it.
After Habara slung the Crimson Gourd onto his back, Kushina finally spoke again, "Alright, we're back to square one… What should we do with the Three-Tails?"
Everyone had been busy scrambling around just now, but that was just dealing with unexpected circumstances. The actual work hadn't even begun.
But Habara only had one Crimson Gourd. Now that it contained Daigo, it couldn't be used to contain the Three-Tails.
The Three-Tails ultimately had to be returned to Kiri, otherwise Kushina wouldn't have bothered cutting off its tail. But before returning it, Konoha could keep the Three-Tails for a while, at least as a "charging station" for Daigo.
As for what to do with the Three-Tails now, the others discussed it for a while but couldn't come up with any good ideas. After some time, Kushina could only say, "Let's find a suitable place and bury it for now."
"Burying" didn't mean actually burying it. It meant finding a suitable location and setting up a sealing array on the spot. After all, no one could just take the Three-Tails back to Konoha. It was a huge security risk.
It was generally difficult to seal a Tailed Beast solely with a sealing array, but the current situation was special. The Three-Tails was in a weakened, unconscious state, and during the period it was under Konoha's control, it probably wouldn't be able to wake up… However much chakra the Three-Tails recovered, Kushina intended to extract that much.
One could only say that the Three-Tails had chosen the wrong place to revive. Falling into the hands of this group from Konoha, it was truly out of luck. A special note from the author at the end, in appreciation of a reader who has spent money on his work.
________________
patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls