The world still swam with a riot of overwhelming chakra. Every nerve ending in Miria's body screamed from the brutal activation, the sudden, cataclysmic influx of Isobu's power. Yet, amidst the agony, her mind seized upon a single, urgent directive: stabilize. She couldn't fight. She couldn't flee. Not like this. Not while her very existence was a chaotic storm.
She gasped, not for air, but for control. It wasn't a conscious jutsu or a hand seal; it was a desperate, primal act of will. Her mind, honed by years of pushing limits, instinctively tried to compartmentalize the overwhelming sensory input, to impose order on the raging green ocean within.
Isobu's presence in her core was a vast, irritated consciousness, a low rumble of discomfort. Unstable... small... the impression brushed her mind. It was as if the Bijuu, too, was struggling to adapt to this unprecedented, minuscule prison, inadvertently aiding in her struggle for containment.
Miria focused on the constant, violent tremor deep inside her. She tried to push against it, not to unleash it, but to contain it, to force it into a less destructive flow. The burning sensation in her veins intensified, then, mercifully, began to recede, settling into a deep, pervasive ache. The frantic twitching of her muscles lessened, replaced by a rigid tension.
Her [System] blared internal diagnostics, adjusting wildly:
BIJUU CHAKRA CONTROL (UNTRAINED) - ADAPTATION PROTOCOLS ACTIVE...
STABILITY: 15%... 20%... 25%...
USER'S CHAKRA NETWORK: UNDERGOING RAPID EXPANSION & INTEGRATION... PAIN INDEX: HIGH.
WARNING: PROLONGED CHAKRA OVERLOAD MAY RESULT IN CELLULAR DEGRADATION.
The green glow in her eyes softened slightly, becoming less volatile, more contained. She was still radiating a powerful aura, but it no longer felt like she was on the verge of exploding. Her senses remained hyper-acute, but the overwhelming cacophony of chakra signatures began to organize into discernible patterns, allowing her to discern individual presences.
Above, Deidara and Tobi watched. Deidara, perched on a surviving fragment of his clay bird, narrowed his eyes. "What's it doing, yeah? Just... settling?"
Tobi, a chilling presence directly above her grotto, said nothing, but Miria felt the subtle shift in his aura. His masked head tilted, and she could almost feel the calculating intensity of his single Sharingan eye, dissecting her unprecedented stabilization. He wouldn't allow her much time. The momentary shock was fading, replaced by renewed determination.
Miria knew she was still critically vulnerable, a novice wielding a god's power. But she had bought herself seconds. And in this world, seconds could mean everything.
The world narrowed to a single, burning point: stability. Miria ignored the searing agony in her veins, ignored the furious glares from above. Tobi was a threat, yes, but one she understood. Her [Observer's Log] had provided the blueprints for his abilities, and with Isobu's power now thrumming within her, she felt a dangerous surge of confidence. If he dared to touch her, to pull her into that terrifying vortex, she knew, with a certainty born of impossible knowledge and primal instinct, that she could counter.
She sank deeper into herself, pushing against the overwhelming force that sought to rip her apart. It was like wrestling with a tempest, trying to guide a hurricane into a teacup. Her chakra network, violently awakened, pulsed erratically. Miria forced her will upon it, channeling the energy into the nascent pathways, attempting to create a semblance of flow. The green aura around her dimmed further, condensing, becoming less volatile and more like a contained inferno.
Stability: 30%... 35%... 40%... her [System] reported, its voice calm amidst the internal chaos. The pain, while still immense, transformed from a burning fire into a deep, constant ache. Her breathing, once ragged gasps, became more controlled, though still shallow. She could feel Isobu's vast consciousness within her, a turbulent ocean slowly beginning to align with the shore of her being. It was a grudging cooperation, born of shared survival.
Above, Tobi's masked gaze remained fixed on her. He sensed the diminishing chaos, the increasing coherence of the Bijuu's chakra within her. His unblinking eye seemed to weigh the odds, processing this unprecedented development. Deidara, meanwhile, grew impatient. "What are we waiting for, yeah?! She's just sitting there!"
Tobi, however, held up a hand, silencing his partner. There was no direct attack. The masked man was observing, assessing the full implications of this spontaneous Jinchuriki. He understood that a wild, uncontrolled Bijuu was one thing; a Jinchuriki, even an untrained one, was a far more complex and potentially dangerous variable. He needed to see her capabilities, her limits, now that she was deliberately trying to harness the power.
Miria, eyes still blazing with a contained green light, maintained her focus. Every ounce of her being was dedicated to molding the raw power, to forcing it into a stable conduit. The understanding of how to counter Tobi's Kamui was a beacon in the storm, a promise that if she could just gain a modicum of control, she would no longer be a helpless victim. She was still in immense pain, but a fierce determination, cold and sharp, ignited within her. She was a Jinchuriki now, and she would survive.
The external world, the screaming Akatsuki, the roiling lake, faded into a dull hum. Miria, with a newfound, terrifying focus, plunged inward. Her consciousness detached from her pain-racked body, diving deep into the churning chaos that was now her internal landscape. This was the mindscape, the inner world of a Jinchuriki, a place she knew from a different life, but had never truly experienced.
It was a vast, dark, watery expanse. Jagged, coral-like structures rose from an endless indigo depth, mirroring the desolate lake above. And in the center, immense and undeniable, floated Isobu. Its single, reptilian eye, the size of a mountain peak, opened slowly, fixing on Miria's tiny, ethereal form. The air was thick with the sheer, unbridled force of its chakra, a primal energy that resonated with ancient weariness and deep, abiding resentment.
You seek control, human? Isobu's mental voice resonated directly in her mind, not a sound, but a vast, crushing pressure. You forced yourself upon me. My power tears at your fragile form. You have no right.
Miria, however, stood firm in the face of the Bijuu's anger. Her own consciousness, though small, radiated a fierce, unwavering resolve. She had no time for pleasantries, no capacity for prolonged internal debate.
"I need to stabilize us, Isobu!" Miria projected her thoughts directly back, her voice firm, resolute. "Your power is too chaotic, my body too weak! If we don't, they'll rip you out, and you'll be sealed again! Perhaps even worse than before!" She projected images of Tobi's void, of Deidara's endless explosions, of the chilling extraction ritual she knew awaited Bijuu at the Akatsuki's hands. "I know their methods! I know the pain that comes next! I offer you freedom, Isobu, but only if we survive this! Give me the minimal cooperation to stabilize this form now, or we both fall!"
Her plea, imbued with the desperate sincerity of her self-preservation and the chilling truths of her meta-knowledge, seemed to penetrate Isobu's ancient consciousness. The immense eye of the Three-Tails narrowed, its vast presence scrutinizing her, weighing her impossible claims against the undeniable external threat. The mental pressure it exerted fluctuated, a mix of grudging acknowledgement and profound irritation.
Survival, then... Isobu's thought echoed, heavy and reluctant. A torrent of raw, green chakra, previously a wild storm, began to flow, no longer simply overwhelming her, but subtly aligning, finding nascent pathways within her mindscape. It was the barest hint of cooperation, a temporary truce born of necessity.
Miria seized on it, focusing intently. In her mind's eye, she willed the swirling energies to coalesce, to form stable conduits. Her [System] was now operating exclusively within her mindscape, its diagnostics flashing.
BIJUU CHAKRA CONTROL (UNTRAINED) - ADAPTATION PROTOCOLS ACTIVE...
STABILITY: 45%... 50%... 55%...
USER'S CHAKRA NETWORK: INTEGRATION PROGRESSING... PAIN INDEX: MODERATE (INTERNAL).
ISOBU COOPERATION LEVEL: LOW (FORCED)
ESTIMATED STABILIZATION TIME: 60 SECONDS.
Outside, in the real world, Miria's body remained outwardly still, her green-glowing eyes closed. Tobi, having momentarily paused his attack, watched with intense scrutiny. He could sense the internal shifts, the sudden, albeit raw, coherence forming within the Jinchuriki. The raw power emanating from her was dimming, consolidating, becoming something more dangerous than just an overloaded vessel.
"She's... trying to stabilize it," Tobi murmured, his voice laced with dawning realization and a hint of concern. He recognized the shift in chakra signature, the transformation from chaotic overflow to nascent control. "Deidara, she's gaining control! Don't let her! Attack! Now!"
Deidara, invigorated by the command, let out a maniacal laugh. "Finally, yeah! My art will blow her to bits!" He molded several large, explosive clay birds, sending them diving towards the still, vulnerable figure in the grotto.
The first explosions detonated on the cliff face just above Miria, shaking the very earth. But within her mindscape, Miria remained focused, pouring every ounce of will into the agonizing process of becoming stable. The clock was ticking.
The world outside erupted in a thunderous cacophony of explosions as Deidara's clay birds slammed into the cliff around Miria's grotto. The shockwaves rippled through her mindscape, threatening to shatter the fragile stability she was desperately trying to forge. Isobu's vast presence within her stirred with fresh irritation and a flicker of fear.
Die? Ten-Tails? What nonsense is this, human?! The mental impression was a furious, confused roar. Isobu was aware of the concept of death, but the idea of becoming part of the abhorrent, primordial Ten-Tails was clearly a deep-seated, terrifying primal dread for any Bijuu.
"Please cooperate, I don't wish to die nor see you become the Ten-Tails!" Miria projected, pouring every ounce of her will and conviction into the mental plea. She pushed forth images from her [Observer's Log]—the horrifying, incomplete husk of the Gedo Statue, the merging of the Bijuu's chakra into a single, monstrous entity, the ultimate fate of those who resisted Akatsuki. She showed it the crushing, absolute control that Madara and Obito sought, a true death of individuality for every Tailed Beast.
The internal resistance from Isobu faltered. The furious roar subsided into a low, resonant hum of profound unease. The images she forced into its ancient mind—the chilling truth of its future, the ultimate obliteration of its very being—struck a deep, primal chord of terror and rage. It had known pain, sealed by humans, but this... this was an entirely different magnitude of threat. The idea of losing its very essence, its individuality as a Bijuu, was an absolute horror.
...The masked one seeks... that?! Isobu's mental voice, though still tinged with suspicion, was now laced with an undeniable, ancient horror. The chaotic green chakra within Miria's mindscape, previously resisting her every command, began to flow, guided by a desperate, newfound alignment. It wasn't full submission, but a desperate, self-preserving cooperation.
Miria seized the moment, pulling the vast energy into coherent pathways. The internal storm raging within her began to abate with astonishing speed. Her [System] flashed wildly:
ISOBU COOPERATION LEVEL: MODERATE (DESPERATION-DRIVEN)
BIJUU CHAKRA CONTROL (UNTRAINED) - ADAPTATION PROTOCOLS CRITICAL ACCELERATION!
STABILITY: 60%... 75%... 90%... STABILIZATION COMPLETE!
USER'S CHAKRA NETWORK: OPTIMIZED FOR JINCHURIKI STATUS.
NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: BIJUU CHAKRA MODE (LIMITED ACCESS).
Outside, in the real world, as the final explosions from Deidara's assault rocked the cliff, Miria's body went rigid. The green light in her eyes, which had flickered precariously, now flared with a stable, intense brilliance. The raw agony subsided, replaced by a dull, throbbing ache and an overwhelming sense of contained power. She was no longer just a vessel; she was a true, if utterly untrained, Jinchuriki.
She pushed herself to her feet, her movements still stiff, but imbued with a strange, nascent grace. The air around her shimmered with a subtle green aura, no longer chaotic, but tightly controlled.
Tobi, witnessing the abrupt stabilization, felt a chill run down his spine despite his mask. This was not normal. This level of rapid adaptation was unheard of, especially from a chakra-less human. "She's stabilized... faster than anything I've seen," he muttered, his voice cold. "Deidara! Forget the general area! Focus fire! Target her directly! She's too dangerous!"
Deidara, seeing the stable green glow, snarled. "Fine, yeah! Time for some proper art!" He molded a handful of smaller, more precise explosive spiders, preparing to launch a concentrated volley directly at Miria.
Miria met their hostile gazes, her mind now clear, focused, and utterly resolute. She had achieved stability. She had Isobu's grudging cooperation. Now, she needed to survive.