Naruto approached Gaara, raising Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand.
"Why isn't Gaara's sand reacting?" Temari and Kankuro, in the distance, stared nervously at this scene, blurting out their shock.
Gaara was an extremely important war weapon for Sunagakure and also the most crucial part of this Konoha Crush plan; things couldn't go wrong here.
They immediately wanted to intervene but suddenly found their vision blurring.
When they looked again, Gaara seemed to have regained his sanity and appeared to be saying something to Naruto.
The pervasive sand lay dormant in this area; if they approached, the sand would arm itself into giant hands, ready to crush them at any moment.
They dismissed the thought of getting closer and could only watch from afar.
Naruto could even control Sasuke; Temari and Kankuro were even less of a concern.
At this moment, Shukaku was gradually taking form, letting out a long howl towards the sky, "Hahaha, I'm finally out!!"
"Hmm?" The next moment, Shukaku saw the refined and courteous Naruto before it, wearing that gentle smile it found so detestable.
Strangely, its own sand hadn't launched an attack.
"You fellow?"
"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto introduced himself politely. "I am also the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails."
"You're actually the Jinchuriki of that stinking fox?!" Shukaku was taken aback. Looking at Naruto's handsome face, it suddenly felt a bit disgruntled.
Damn it, why does my Jinchuriki look like a panda with no class at all?
This Uzumaki Naruto looks very elegant, very formidable.
"Where's that stinking fox? Tell him to come out and talk to me! I've been bored for ages, it's a good chance to thrash him," Shukaku said, tilting its head up smugly.
For a moment, it bore a striking resemblance to a certain someone whose name evoked pillars.
"Damn it! This fat Shukaku is so arrogant! Let me out, I need to teach him a lesson!" The Nine-Tails within Naruto instantly flew into a rage.
In terms of strength, Shukaku wasn't even worthy of carrying the Nine-Tails' shoes, but Shukaku was banking on the Nine-Tails being firmly sealed, which was why it was acting so brazenly.
"Hehehe, want to hit me? Come on, you can't hit me, hehe!! You can't get out!" Shukaku taunted gleefully.
"Damn you, just you wait, old fox!" the Nine-Tails retorted fiercely.
"Oh, you can't get out."
"You motherf—…"
"Can't get ouuuut~~~~"
"Aaargh! Damn it all, Naruto, let me out! I need to thrash him!" The Nine-Tails was bristling with anger.
Minato, at the side, fanned the flames.
"My, my, I've known you for so long, this is the first time I've seen you bullied like this by a tanuki. Sigh, if Kushina were here, she'd definitely be laughing~"
"Calm down, watch me handle him," Naruto soothed the Nine-Tails, then turned his gaze to Shukaku.
This childish Tailed Beast looked as if it had conquered the world, its tail practically sticking up to the heavens.
"Shukaku, I've come to discuss a deal with you this time," Naruto said warmly.
"A deal? I'll deal with your grandpa! Die for me!" Shukaku laughed maniacally. With a smug wave of its cute, chubby paw, a torrent of sand instantly enveloped Naruto, continuously constricting.
"Hahaha, your Jinchuriki is too pathetic! Better let you out instead!" Shukaku wagged its tail, laughing wildly.
"Attacking directly like this… it's not very gentlemanly, is it?" Naruto's gentle, magnetic voice sounded from within the sandstorm.
Then, under Shukaku's shocked gaze, the sand actually dispersed on its own, revealing Naruto, completely unharmed, within.
The vast expanse of sand fell to the ground like headless flies with a great rustling sound, while Naruto hovered above the sand, stepping on air as he approached.
Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand reflected a dazzling light.
"Is this some kind of Kekkei Genkai?" Shukaku suddenly felt like it had lost control of its sand and was overcome with panic.
Buzz. Ripples continuously appeared in its vision, and Shukaku's control over Gaara's body grew weaker and weaker.
Finally, it panicked.
It shouted, fierce in appearance but cowardly at heart, "What did you do?!"
"Nothing much, just controlling your five senses," Naruto replied, his expression still gentle, but his words made Shukaku's hackles rise.
It shrieked, "Impossible! How could the five senses be controlled so easily?!"
"Is that so?" Naruto revealed a meaningful smile and slashed towards Shukaku with his sword.
"Hmph!" Shukaku snorted, attempting to control the sand. But bizarrely, it could no longer sense its sand at all. In the end, it could only brace itself and take the hit.
Schlick! The blade flashed. Pain assaulted it, but strangely, its body was completely unharmed.
"Do you believe me now?" Naruto chuckled softly.
Gulp. Shukaku swallowed hard, its head nodding as fast as if it were pounding garlic.
They're both Jinchuriki, why is the gap so huge?
It had chickened out.
"Very good. Then let's discuss our cooperation." Naruto sheathed his sword.
"Hahaha, all's fair in war, you stinking brat!" Shukaku's chubby little paw swiped fiercely at Naruto's head.
Its vision blurred. Naruto was unharmed, but two new wounds appeared on Shukaku's body, making it howl in pain.
"When did you get the impression that I had stopped controlling your five senses?" Naruto remained gentle, not a trace of anger on his face.
Shukaku shrank its head, a feeling of fear rising in its heart.
The last person who had made it feel such fear was that person with the evil eyes.
It felt somewhat unwilling; if that Gaara fellow hadn't restricted it, it wouldn't have been controlled by a mere Kekkei Genkai.
But given the current situation, it had no choice but to bow its head.
"Speak. How do you want to cooperate?" it said in a muffled, booming voice.
"I want you to cooperate with Gaara, help him to continuously grow stronger," Naruto said with a beaming smile.
"Who are you to this brat? Why are you helping him?" Shukaku looked bewildered, even angry.
"That brat has kept me trapped for over a decade, and you still want me to cooperate with him? You're not taking me, Shukaku, seriously at all!"
"Sssshahaha, who the hell do you think you are, to be taken seriously?" the Nine-Tails cackled, rolling around in the seal space with laughter.
"My reason is simple. As long as Gaara becomes strong, I can give you your freedom in the future."
Naruto's answer made Shukaku's eyes widen, its breathing becoming ragged.
Freedom.
What an incredibly desirable word.
But it was precisely this promise that painfully poked at Shukaku's old wounds.
I've struggled for decades without any result, what right does a brat in his teens have to make such a promise?
Shukaku instantly flew into a rage, directly breaking through Kyoka Suigetsu's control. It threw its head back and roared, and endless sand billowed out, completely enveloping the area.
"Brat, if you like boasting so much, you'll get yourself killed!"
Naruto's expression didn't change. The next moment, a golden figure streaked past, slamming a Rasengan directly onto Shukaku's body.
BOOM! A violent explosion, accompanied by Shukaku's scream, directly blasted away the surrounding sand, revealing a heavily injured Shukaku, its eyes wild with madness.
"This is my leverage," Naruto said softly.
"This is the deceased Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Naruto strolled leisurely, slowly approaching Shukaku.
"My Kekkei Genkai is a power originating from the Pure Land. I can revive souls, control souls, and at the same time, I can also grant you and the Nine-Tails new forms, allowing you, like the Fourth Hokage, to freely enter and exit this world."