Although I was able to cut through the left side of the Nine Tails, and for that I definitely felt proud of my current strength, I wasn't happy in the slightest. No matter how impressive that attack had looked, I was still nowhere near actually harming the Nine Tails in any meaningful way, and I was even farther from the possibility of winning.
Because the left side of the Nine Tails, the entire section from its shoulder down to its stomach that I had just severed, would soon enough reattach and heal completely, making my powerful cut almost totally useless.
And as soon as this thought crossed my mind, the separated left side of the Nine Tails suddenly began wobbling. Its massive form started to distort, breaking apart into bubbles and chunks of glowing orange chakra. Slowly, those pieces began to rise from the ground, drifting back toward the enormous body of the Nine Tails.
The scattered chakra gathered around the severed area, wrapping itself around the exposed shoulder-to-stomach wound. Before long, the orange mass began rebuilding what had been cut away.
That part was healing once again.
I narrowed my eyes at the sight.
But of course, it would take some time. The wound wasn't instantly disappearing, which meant there was still something I could exploit. I just needed to think of a way to permanently inflict some substantial damage on the Nine Tails instead of repeatedly cutting it apart only to watch it recover.
There has to be a better way.
For that, I already had an idea.
Without hesitation, I turned toward the location where Hiruzen was standing. Raising my voice enough for everyone around us to hear, I called out, "Lord Third, please come here. I have something to discuss."
As soon as I said that, Hiruzen almost instantly came to my side in a single leap, moving so quickly that it was almost as if he had teleported.
As soon as he appeared in front of me, I pointed the sword held in my left hand toward the healing wound of the Nine Tails and said, "Well, this can't go on like this. With my strength, even if I am able to cut the Nine Tails multiple times, in the end, it will just heal within a few moments."
I kept my attention toward the Nine Tails as its flesh and chakra continued to gather.
"Although the healing itself might definitely cause the Nine Tails to use its chakra, I don't know just how vast its chakra reserves are or how much chakra it is actually using to heal its wounds."
I paused for a moment before continuing.
"Not to mention, I can probably use attacks like the one I just used to sever its left side, from the shoulder to the stomach, only around three or four times. Not more than that. So we need to do something. We need to come up with some better plan to deal with the Nine Tails."
Hiruzen listened to my words very patiently. He didn't interject even once, allowing me to finish everything I had to say without interruption.
And finally, when I finished speaking, he looked at me and said, "Well, you have called for me. It seems that you have a plan for this."
After hearing his words, I immediately nodded.
"Well, yes, and that is sealing."
I pointed toward the Nine Tails with my sword again.
"Just like how the younger generation of the ninjas have been trapped inside a barrier, we can use a more powerful barrier-type sealing technique to seal it… seal the Nine Tails."
As soon as I said this, Hiruzen shook his head.
"It is not possible. Although sealing is the optimal solution, using a barrier-type sealing technique isn't almost instant. It would take around a minute or two, and during that time, the Nine Tails won't remain stable. It will retaliate."
His expression became more serious as he continued.
"Not to mention, even if we are able to use the sealing technique to create a barrier, it is highly unlikely that the Nine Tails will remain trapped. With its strength, it is highly possible that it will simply break free from that barrier."
After hearing Hiruzen's words, I nodded while looking toward the Nine Tails and said, "Well, I understand that much, but what if I cut the Nine Tails in half from its stomach area, separating the front half and the rear half?
Then, after that, if you use the sealing technique, more specifically, using two different barriers to seal those two separated parts, then the strength of the Nine Tails will reduce drastically, and it won't be able to break free from the barriers, I presume.
And the time it will take for it to gather itself back together and the time it will take for you to raise the barriers is kind of similar, so I think it can be done."
After I finished speaking, I was clearly able to see surprise appear on Hiruzen's face. He turned toward me, looking me directly in the eyes, and asked seriously, "Can you really do it?"
I immediately replied, "Yes."
There was no other explanation, no hesitation, and no need to elaborate. Just a confident yes.
After hearing that confident answer, I was able to feel and see from Hiruzen's expression that he no longer had any doubt about whether I could accomplish it. This much I would definitely expect. After all, the performance I had shown while fighting the Nine Tails until now was the best proof of my abilities. I had already managed to cut through the Nine Tails once, despite its overwhelming size and strength, so doubting whether I could do it again was pointless.
Hiruzen did not take long to think about the matter either. We didn't have that much time to waste, especially while the Nine Tails was already recovering in front of us. Every passing moment brought it closer to returning to its original state.
So, Hiruzen immediately said, "Well, let's do it. Is there some sort of help that you will require from me?"
After hearing Hiruzen's question, I immediately replied, "Well, to cut the Nine Tails in half, I will definitely need huge momentum for my attack, and for that, I will have to take a very large run-up. That will definitely waste time, and we don't have that much time before the Nine Tails fully heals.
"So, if you can somehow throw me toward the Nine Tails at a very fast speed, then it would be best for me. I will definitely be able to cut the Nine Tails more confidently that way."
The idea was simple. I needed to put as much force as possible into a single attack, but with the Nine Tails already recovering, running a long distance to build up that momentum myself would simply take too much time. Being launched directly toward it would allow me to use that momentum immediately.
After hearing my words, Hiruzen nodded. He thought for a few moments, seemingly considering the fastest and most reliable way to accomplish it, before finally saying, "Well, I can definitely help you with that. Or, to be precise, Torifu Akimichi can help you with this."
As soon as I heard the Akimichi surname, I immediately understood what Hiruzen meant.
With the ability of the Akimichi clan to use gigantification, they would definitely be able to generate immense physical strength and size to throw me. That made Torifu perfectly suited for what I needed. If he could launch me toward the Nine Tails at a very fast speed, then I would be able to obtain the momentum required for my attack without wasting precious time building up speed myself.
And with the Nine Tails already in the process of healing, that extra momentum could very well be the difference between merely cutting it again and actually severing its entire body in half.
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