As Orochimaru activated the seal, the Four-Tails was pulled and stretched by the jutsu's force, its body distorting before being sucked into Hajime's abdomen.
In the blink of an eye, the entire Four-Tails had been sealed inside Hajime's body.
Hiss—
A wave of steam rose as the clothing on Hajime's stomach vanished, leaving a large hole.
C
The skin around the entry point was scorched by the immense Tailed Beast chakra—but the burns quickly healed, leaving behind only the sealing pattern of the Four Symbols Seal.
Regeneration!
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with renewed interest.
Hajime felt his body grow significantly heavier—but it was within his limits.
However, with the seal complete, the Four-Tails was no longer under the effect of the Dreamwalker's Technique.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru's Four Symbols Seal wasn't strong enough to fully suppress it. The Four-Tails, now sealed, thrashed all four of its tails and burst forth with chakra, trying to break free.
Even before it could shatter the seal, its chakra had already started seeping out—flooding Hajime with overwhelming malice that sought to corrupt his mind. A dense layer of crimson Tailed Beast chakra began to coat his body.
Jiraiya and the others turned grim, preparing to act immediately.
At that moment, Hajime's consciousness entered the inner sealing space.
The Four-Tails roared, "You damned brat—!"
"Calm down," Hajime said flatly, forming a hand seal.
Sage Art: Shinsenju - Myōjinmon!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One by one, massive red torii gates descended from above—first slamming down on the Four-Tails' tails, then smashing straight onto its back, pinning it to the ground.
"This is… Hashirama Senju's sealing jutsu," the Four-Tails muttered in shock. "You've even mastered this?"
Hajime lowered his hands. "As I thought—discussions only work when you bring a big enough fist."
The Four-Tails snorted coldly. "If you're thinking of making me submit, don't waste your time."
"I'll never cooperate with someone like you."
Hajime chuckled. "Your attitude doesn't matter to me."
"Even if you won't work with me, I can still forcibly extract your chakra."
"You know very well—you can't resist me."
The Four-Tails replied indifferently, "It makes no difference to me."
He couldn't fight Hajime's powerful sealing jutsu, just as Iwa's previous seals had once kept him suppressed.
"Listen, brat—being a Jinchūriki isn't some glorious blessing."
The Four-Tails looked at Hajime calmly. "You may have inherited Hashirama's power, but even Hashirama was just a small speck in the vast lifespan of a Tailed Beast."
Tailed Beasts cannot die permanently. Even when killed, they will revive.
Though being forcibly sealed was a humiliation, the Four-Tails wasn't too disturbed.
After all, Hajime would die one day—just like Hashirama.
To a Tailed Beast, human lives are nothing but fleeting moments.
The Four-Tails slowly closed his eyes, ignoring Hajime completely.
But Hajime didn't care. Being a "Perfect Jinchūriki" was optional.
Whether the Four-Tails cooperated or not, Hajime could still draw out its chakra.
And besides, this was just the Four-Tails—not the Nine-Tails.
Moreover…
His goal was to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki.
There would never be true harmony between him and the Tailed Beasts.
They were only meant to be his batteries.
...
When Hajime opened his eyes again, he saw Jiraiya and the others staring at him in concern.
"Don't worry. It's under control."
He stood up with a smile, then turned toward the Iwagakure side. "Iwa reinforcements are coming. Jiraiya, you should withdraw for now."
Jiraiya nodded without hesitation.
Konoha claiming the Four-Tails would undoubtedly cause massive unrest. The village had to be informed as soon as possible to prepare a response.
Once Jiraiya and the others were gone, Hajime picked up Rōshi's corpse and flickered several times toward the edge of the forest.
"With Sage Mode, I count as a high-level sensory ninja now," he murmured.
"Natural energy-based sensing… really is convenient."
"Clear, vast range."
After a moment, the Iwa-nin appeared in the distance.
"There—!"
"Rōshi!"
"Damn it! I can't sense his chakra at all!"
"Did he… did he really take the Four-Tails?!"
Shock swept through the Iwagakure squad.
About fifty meters away, the Iwa-nin stopped, and a middle-aged man stepped forward.
"Wood Release user—return the Jinchūriki," he said coldly. "Or this means all-out war."
A threat?
Even without his [Never Yield] status, Hajime despised threats—and feared them the least.
Casually tossing Rōshi's body aside, Hajime replied flatly, "There. Your Jinchūriki's returned. If you want to start a war, at least come up with a better excuse. Otherwise, I'm going to get pissed."
An Iwa-nin leapt over and retrieved the corpse.
"…He's dead!"
"Bastard! He actually killed the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki!"
"Then what about the Four-Tails?!"
"Is it sealed along with the Jinchūriki, or has Konoha already taken it?!"
Panic erupted among the Iwa-nin.
Their leading jōnin's face turned ashen with grim determination.
After taking a deep breath, he issued a command: "Retreat!"
"Report everything to Lord Third Tsuchikage—immediately!"
The Four-Tails' Jinchūriki was dead.
And this man—the one who had always been incredibly difficult to deal with—had only grown stronger.
After all, with only their group of thirty, there was no way they could subdue the rampaging Four-Tails Jinchūriki.
Since they couldn't take down the Wood Release user in front of them, there was no need for unnecessary sacrifice.
Carrying Rōshi's corpse, the Iwa-nin quickly retreated.
Hajime didn't attack. These guys had kept a relatively safe distance—a pity.
He withdrew from Sage Mode and turned to leave.
…
"What? He killed the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, took the Four-Tails, and made himself the Jinchūriki?!"
Mitokado Homura stood up abruptly, staring at Jiraiya and Orochimaru in disbelief.
He immediately asked, "Was this ordered by Hiruzen or Danzō?"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru fell silent.
Homura's expression turned grim. "This is outrageous—how could he act on his own like this?"
"Iwagakure will definitely have an intense reaction to losing the Four-Tails. This puts us in a passive position."
The mission was just to contain the Four-Tails Jinchūriki—not to kill him.
Jiraiya said, "What's done is done. We need to prepare for all-out war and send intel back to Konoha immediately."
Orochimaru added, "An intense reaction from Iwagakure is inevitable, but it doesn't mean we'll be at a disadvantage."
"With 'Alpha's' current strength, I believe he's enough to change the tide of an entire battlefield."
From what he'd seen, Orochimaru felt that Hajime's power had already surpassed the level of an elite jōnin.
Wood Release techniques were incredibly effective against large groups.
And in one-on-one combat…
His Wind Style: Rasenshuriken could clash with a Tailed Beast Ball.
As of now, only someone like the Third Tsuchikage could truly suppress Hajime.
Mitokado Homura rubbed his brow, clearly troubled. "Then send word to the village right away, and notify all units to brace for a possible full-scale assault from Iwa-nin."
Outside the tent, a ninja left immediately to deliver orders.
…
Konoha, evening.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had been planning to go home for dinner when an urgent report arrived from the Land of Rain.
After reading just a few lines, his expression darkened, and he immediately summoned Root.
Before long, Danzō arrived at the Hokage's office. After reading the report, his face also changed.
I knew you were aggressive—but not this aggressive!
Danzō's first reaction mirrored Homura's: this was going to be a major problem.
Their original plans would be thrown into chaos.
But then, Danzō began to think of the benefits.
Benefits for him.
His expression quickly returned to calm.
Noticing this shift, Hiruzen grew suspicious. "Danzō, was it you who ordered the capture of the Four-Tails?"
Danzō shook his head. "He didn't even know his mission target was the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki."
"Besides, even I wasn't confident in capturing a Tailed Beast."
"It seems we've underestimated the power of Wood Release—even if Alpha has only inherited part of it."
Hiruzen nodded.
What surprised him the most wasn't the capture, but that Hajime had become a Jinchūriki—with Jiraiya and Orochimaru's assistance in the sealing.
Return the Four-Tails to Iwagakure?
That would also mean losing a precious Wood Release user.
Not to mention, it would damage his authority.
But if they kept it, Iwagakure would not let this go—and the direction of the war would become even more unpredictable.
Danzō looked at Hiruzen seriously and said, "Hiruzen, we have to be decisive now. Even if we return the Four-Tails, it can't be now. We must wait until Alpha dies."
That was the bottom line.
Right now, Hajime was not only a powerful subordinate—he was becoming indispensable.
With the Four-Tails inside him, Danzō's influence in Konoha would also grow.
There was no way he would allow Hajime to be sacrificed.
Hiruzen nodded. "I understand."
"You'll go in person. I suspect Ōnoki will appear on the battlefield again."
After a pause, he added, "Once arrangements are made, I'll go to the Land of Rain myself."
Danzō's expression changed. "If the Cloud-nin seize the opportunity…"
Hiruzen said, "I'll have Torifu hold the northern front. You go to the Land of Rain, and I'll summon Sakumo back to prepare for a potential strike from Kumogakure."
"Also, I won't stay long in the Land of Rain. Neither will Ōnoki—don't worry."
Danzō nodded. "Then I'll depart at once."
Almost at the same time, Ōnoki of Iwagakure received the frontline report.
To him, this was as bad as it could possibly get.
He had originally sent out the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki to counter the possibility of another Wood Release user. But he hadn't expected that in their first encounter, Rōshi would be defeated and captured.
Rōshi was dead. The Four-Tails was lost.
He couldn't accept it.
"Damn it!"
"This time, I'll make sure to grind that brat into dust!"
Ōnoki gritted his teeth, regretting not eliminating the Wood Release user when he'd had the chance.
He didn't hesitate. Without even calling a council meeting, he gave a direct order.
Half an hour later, Ōnoki flew out of Iwagakure with two bodyguards, heading straight for the Land of Rain battlefield.
…
Hajime had barely returned to the rear before Mitokado Homura summoned him.
But Homura hesitated the moment he saw Hajime.
What was he supposed to do now—kill Hajime and give the Four-Tails back?
He didn't dare.
Scold him?
It seemed pointless now—Hajime was clearly going to be a major force on the battlefield.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Homura said, "Ōnoki will almost certainly arrive at the frontlines as soon as possible. Be ready."
He was well aware—he was no match for the Third Tsuchikage.
(End of Chapter)
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