With a crisp metallic clinking, Shukaku's body was tightly bound by several loops of chakra chains.
Occasionally, small bursts of lightning crackled across the chains, causing Shukaku's tail to twitch involuntarily. This sensation was all too familiar to the One-Tailed Beast.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?!"
"Sōmi!"
"Did you make a mistake? Why are you tying me up when you're supposed to be sealing the Seven-Tails?!"
"Let me go!"
Shukaku shouted in a sharp, piercing voice.
But Sōmi remained unmoved, as if he couldn't hear a word Shukaku was saying. This left the beast with some rather unsettling thoughts.
Could this guy be planning to kill me and then become a Perfect Jinchūriki with Chōmei instead?
I'm the leader of the Tailed Beasts!
What does Chōmei have besides the ability to fly?
I've been diligently "leveling the desert" every night for years. Even if I occasionally slack off or nap, I've worked hard!
Sure, I complain sometimes, but does that really warrant killing the donkey after it's done its work?
As Shukaku's thoughts raced, spiraling into wild speculation, something new suddenly occurred.
From the void, a purple dragon abruptly "swam" into view. The dragon was covered in fine scales, had five claws, and exuded an air of majesty with its prominent horns and flowing whiskers.
The dragon seemed highly intelligent. Upon entering the sealing space, it cast a faint glance at Sōmi before turning its gaze to the rotund Shukaku.
Roar!
With a loud, resonant dragon's cry, the purple dragon stretched its long body and lunged forward, attaching itself directly to Shukaku's rounded belly.
In an instant, Shukaku's voice was cut off. Its eyes widened in shock as it sensed the dragon transferring chakra into its body!
Moreover, the amount of chakra being transmitted was immense, rivaling Shukaku's own reserves.
"This... is Chōmei's chakra?!"
Shukaku immediately recognized the source of the chakra, which shared the same origin as itself.
What shocked Shukaku even more was that this chakra was pure, attribute-less Tailed Beast chakra!
After the Sage of Six Paths divided the Ten-Tails into the nine Tailed Beasts, each beast retained unique attributes. For Shukaku, these included Magnet Release, Wind Release, and Cursed Seals.
Normally, sealing two Tailed Beasts together would result in their differing chakra attributes clashing and interfering with one another, potentially leading to uncontrollable Jinchūriki and catastrophic chakra outbursts.
Furthermore, achieving harmony with two Tailed Beasts simultaneously was incredibly challenging—akin to a man marrying two strong-willed wives and trying to maintain a peaceful and harmonious household.
In such cases, a triangular relationship was often more a source of chaos than stability.
For this reason, finding even one suitable Jinchūriki was already a daunting task for most villages. It was unthinkable to risk destabilizing a Jinchūriki by sealing multiple Tailed Beasts within them.
Additionally, the immense power of a Jinchūriki posed potential risks to the village itself, further solidifying the notion that a Jinchūriki should only host one Tailed Beast.
However, Sōmi had studied and mastered nearly every advanced sealing technique in the ninja world. With his top-tier sealing skills and three years of dedicated research, he had finally perfected his own sealing formula.
As the attribute-less chakra continued to flow into Shukaku, its body began to expand subtly. Its tail, though still singular, grew significantly thicker, exuding an imposing aura of dominance.
At this moment, the chakra chains binding Shukaku began to radiate purple lightning, which surged directly into its body.
The lightning refined and tempered the chakra within Shukaku, akin to forging steel through repeated hammering.
"Ahhh!"
The excruciating pain of lightning coursing through every inch of its body caused Shukaku to cry out in agony.
The silver lightning grew increasingly intense.
From a distance, Shukaku appeared to be enveloped in a dense sphere of lightning, as if undergoing a celestial tribulation.
"Ahhh!"
"Oooohhhhhh~!"
Shukaku's cries gradually shifted from anguished howls to something far more... euphoric. The sound resembled that of a primate engaged in particularly vigorous activity.
After what felt like an eternity, the lightning surrounding Shukaku finally subsided, and the chakra chains vanished. Its body returned to its usual size, but upon closer inspection, its once round belly seemed significantly more compact.
However, this wasn't the deflated, hollow kind of shrinking seen when its chakra was drained. Instead, it resembled the taut, refined musculature of someone who had undergone intense physical conditioning.
On Shukaku's belly, a purple dragon coiled from its back to its chest. The dragon's head was raised high, its claws extended menacingly, as if ready to devour any enemy's chakra at a moment's notice.
"This... this power?!"
When Shukaku regained its senses, it could clearly feel that its chakra reserves had doubled!
"Shukaku!"
"How do you feel now?"
"Do you believe me now?"
"With this, beating the Nine-Tails and claiming the title of Number One Tailed Beast is just around the corner!"
Sōmi, now standing before Shukaku, looked at it with a cheerful smile.
As a Perfect Jinchūriki, Sōmi could also sense Shukaku's newfound strength almost immediately.
"You mastered this sealing technique... and didn't tell me earlier?"
"You scared the hell out of me..."
Shukaku's face still bore traces of lingering fear.
"Well, I thought you'd be afraid of the pain. If I told you beforehand, you'd have been worried sick. Isn't this better?"
Sōmi shamelessly justified his actions.
"Well... I guess that's true..."
Shukaku muttered, still somewhat dazed, but ultimately nodded in agreement.
"Oh, right!"
"What about Chōmei?"
"Sōmi, no matter what, it's still part of the Tailed Beast family. You didn't... do anything to it, did you?"
Suddenly, as if recalling something important, Shukaku questioned Sōmi.
"Don't worry!"
Sōmi formed a hand seal.
A section of space to Shukaku's front-right suddenly "flipped open," revealing the imprisoned Seven-Tails.
With a wave of Sōmi's hand, the cage holding Chōmei floated toward Shukaku.
"This..."
Shukaku stared at Chōmei in astonishment.
The Seven-Tails had been reduced to a green cocoon-like form, resembling a small, doll-sized insect chrysalis.
Its flattened body had seven short, white tails fanned out behind it, and its small red eyes were filled with fear and confusion.
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