Chapter 369: Kokuō's Choice
The communication between Ishiro and the little Saiken went very smoothly. Just like the children he had brainwashed, every word the little Saiken heard from Ishiro's mouth was true, but every sentence was carefully selected, with the crucial details omitted, before being told to it.
Before long, the little Saiken had formed a magical worldview. It was as if the entire ninja world was a cold, dark place, and Iwagakure was the only place that radiated light and heat. Unconsciously, the little Saiken came to regard Iwagakure as its home and Ishiro as its family, as if it was always meant to be in Iwagakure.
After finishing his chat with the little Saiken, Ishiro withdrew from the sealing space and then partially undid the seal on the Gedo Statue fragment. The little Saiken was no longer imprisoned, and its chakra could now seep out from the sealing space.
Sure enough, a moment later, a large amount of red chakra gushed out of the seal within the Gedo Statue fragment, forming a little Saiken outside that was about the same size as the one in the sealing space.
Seeing this, Ishiro picked up the Gedo Statue fragment, gave a call to the little Saiken, and then started walking towards the village. The little Saiken followed, nuzzling against Ishiro's side as it crawled forward.
The little Saiken's gaze towards its surroundings was filled with curiosity, like a child who knew nothing. As he walked, Ishiro would turn his head to look at it, occasionally introducing it to the things it saw. It felt like he was raising a pet.
Originally, Ishiro had wanted to take the little Saiken to meet the village's high command first and explain its origins. But after some thought, he decided to go to the residence of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, first.
Han could now barely be considered a perfect Jinchuriki, so the village no longer restricted his freedom as much. The village's high command would not interfere with where Han wanted to go, though a team of Anbu always followed him.
Han used to often take his three disciples out of the village for missions. But recently, because Han had become a Quasi-Kage, he was under orders from Ishiro and the others to remain in the village. Just like Ishiro himself when he had just become a Quasi-Kage, though the restless Ishiro of back then had still found excuses to go out and roam.
When Ishiro arrived at Han's residence, he was training with his three disciples. In the years after becoming a Jinchuriki, Han had lived almost entirely alone. Ever since he had taken on disciples, he had immediately devoted his whole heart and soul to them.
With Han's current strength, guiding his disciples was already a smooth process. Ishiro watched from a distance, feeling very gratified.
The three disciples, including Yui Yoda, had all become jonin. When Ishiro had chosen disciples for Han back then, he had picked three with good talent. And with Ishiro's help, the resources Han's three disciples received from him were even more plentiful than what Ishiro's own disciples received. When Han first took them on, he was already an elite jonin, and he was one of the few ninja among elite jonin with experience fighting against Kage-level opponents. So, in terms of both strength and vision, Han was a qualified teacher.
Moreover, unlike Ishiro's semi-hands-off attitude, Han's care for his three disciples could be described as meticulous. In addition, Han's relationship with Kokuō had been getting better and better recently, and Kokuō often helped Han guide his disciples. So, Han's three disciples' strength had also improved very quickly.
Having not seen them for a while, Ishiro realized that the three had also made great progress. Even without considering their status as a Jinchuriki's disciples, they were worthy of the village's investment.
Han, who was focused on guiding his disciples, did not notice Ishiro's arrival, but the Five-Tails within his body quickly detected the little Saiken's chakra.
"Han, I sense the Six-Tails' chakra. He is approaching," Kokuō said to Han.
Han was taken aback, turned his head to look around, and immediately saw Ishiro and the little Saiken beside him. Han looked at the little Saiken in surprise, then quickly walked up to Ishiro, bowed, and said, "Lord Tsuchikage, is this the Six-Tails?"
Ishiro nodded, crouched down to pat the little Saiken's head, and then said to Han, "Little Saiken, this is Han. Inside Han is a companion of yours. See if you recognize it."
The little Saiken was a bit shy. It moved closer to Ishiro and, hearing his words, instinctively sensed Han's chakra aura. Then, the little Saiken blurted out, "Kokuō?"
When it sensed Kokuō's chakra, the little Saiken very naturally recalled some things.
Hearing the little Saiken's words, Kokuō quickly communicated with Han. Then, with Han's cooperation, it surged its own chakra out from the seal. It then mimicked the little Saiken's appearance, also condensing a body with its chakra. It was about the same size as the little Saiken, a mini version of Kokuō. However, Ishiro sensed that there was a difference between the two; the little Saiken was more like a solid entity, while Kokuō's form was at most a clone.
Kokuō was a little puzzled when it saw the little Saiken's appearance. "Saiken, what happened to you?"
The little Saiken looked at Kokuō and felt a sense of familiarity, so it edged a little closer. It said, "I don't remember what happened before. It was Ishiro who rescued me from Kirigakure. Kokuō, why are you here too?"
Kokuō said, "I have always been in Iwagakure. I've even become friends with Han." Kokuō was also very happy to see the little Saiken. It couldn't wait to introduce its good friend.
Hearing this, the little Saiken looked at Han, then back at Ishiro. "Good friends? Like me and Ishiro?"
Kokuō looked at the relationship between Ishiro and the little Saiken, thought for a moment, and said, "Yes, our relationship is similar to yours with Ishiro."
The little Saiken was very happy to hear this. "That's great! This way, you won't be lonely either."
Kokuō, perhaps thinking of the decades of silence in the past, also nodded in agreement with the little Saiken's words. Indeed, in the past, being locked in the sealing space with no one to talk to was a bit lonely. All it thought about day in and day out was escaping Iwagakure's control, until it met Han. No, that's not right. It was until Han began to reach out to it under the influence of the Tsuchikage standing beside them.
The two Tailed Beasts, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, started chatting and forgot all about Ishiro and Han.
Han scratched his head and asked Ishiro, "Lord Tsuchikage, have you also become a Jinchuriki? It doesn't feel like it."
Ishiro said, "Me? I'm a pseudo-Jinchuriki for now. I extracted the little Saiken from the Mist ninja. I originally wanted to do an experiment to see if I could form a new life outside of the Tailed Beast's main body. It seems the result is quite good."
Han said, "You really managed to split a Tailed Beast?" Han was shocked. He knew about the village's plan to split the Tailed Beasts. He also knew that if he hadn't performed well and had never let Kokuō go on a rampage, the village might have already tried to split Kokuō long ago.
Ishiro shook his head. "It's not that easy. My Yin-Yang Release level is too low; I can't achieve it. The formation of the little Saiken was just an accident."
Ishiro beckoned to the three disciples of Han, who were watching from a distance. Seeing this, the three quickly ran over. "Lord Tsuchikage."
"Mm," Ishiro sized up the three at close range and then said, "You have all done well. You haven't disappointed your teacher."
The three were very excited to receive the affirmation of the Tsuchikage.
Ishiro added, "Do you want to join the Anbu, or be stationed at the border? Taking on a few disciples as a jonin instructor is also an option."
The three hesitated. They wanted to contribute to the village and realize their own value in life, but they didn't want to leave Han.
Instead, it was Han who said, "Go ahead. I still have Kokuō. I'm not so lonely anymore. You have grown up and learned so much. It's time for you to go and fulfill your dreams."
The three all looked at Han, reluctant to part. After chatting for a while, the three were finally persuaded by Han. All three expressed their desire to take on disciples.
Ishiro was speechless upon hearing this. He was the one who had started this trend. Now, when the village's jonin chose a profession, more than half of them would choose to be instructors.
At this moment, Kokuō and the little Saiken finished their chat and came back. Kokuō looked at the Gedo Statue fragment that Ishiro was holding and said, "Tsuchikage, is this the body of the Ten-Tails? How do you have this?"
Ishiro said, "Someone has already obtained the body of the Ten-Tails and is preparing to collect all nine of you Tailed Beasts. I obtained this small part of the Ten-Tails' body from that person."
Kokuō was shocked. "How is that possible?"
Ishiro thought for a moment. "For some reason, that person has obtained the Rinnegan. I'm sure you are well aware of the relationship between the Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails."
"The Rinnegan?" Kokuō was even more astonished. "So it's the Rinnegan. No wonder he could obtain the body of the Ten-Tails."
"I have been trying to find a way to deal with that person in the shadows all these years, but my strength is insufficient. Han has actually been in constant danger. I hope you will help him well. Helping him is equivalent to helping yourself. I assume you don't want to be reabsorbed by the Ten-Tails either," Ishiro said, taking the opportunity.
Kokuō thought for a moment, then suddenly said to Han, "Han, release my seal."
Han was taken aback, not understanding Kokuō's meaning. He hadn't understood the conversation between Ishiro and Kokuō just now. What Ten-Tails? Weren't there only one to nine Tailed Beasts?
But Ishiro was overjoyed. "Kokuō, you are going to entrust your power to Han?"
Kokuō nodded. "That's right. The Rinnegan has appeared. I have no ability to resist the Rinnegan. Only by relying on Han do I have a hope of increasing my strength."
Ishiro agreed. Indeed, a Tailed Beast and a Jinchuriki are one in certain aspects; they can compensate for each other's shortcomings.
Looking around, Ishiro said, "Let's do it right here. I will be your guard."
Kokuō nodded, while Han had a look of bewilderment.
"Your teacher and I are about to conduct an experiment. You three, stand guard in the surroundings. Don't let anyone else approach. Also, be careful. The commotion we make might be a bit big; don't get caught up in it," Ishiro said to Han's three disciples.
"Yes," the three replied. Although they were curious, Ishiro spoke with such gravity that they didn't dare to ask more questions and went directly to the perimeter to stand guard.
Then, Ishiro said, "Alright, Han, sit down first. I'm going to release your seal."
Han sat down blankly. Although he didn't understand what was happening, he knew that Ishiro would not harm him, so he obediently did as he was told.
Seeing Han sit down, Kokuō's body immediately dispersed back into chakra and entered Han's body.
Ishiro stepped forward, his hands quickly forming seals. He then pressed a palm on Han's abdomen and shouted, "Release!"
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