"So, Lin is now the Three Tails' Jinchūriki?!"
In Obito's Kamui space, Kakashi and Obito were explaining everything that had transpired over the past few days to Minato. When Minato heard that the Three Tails—originally belonging to Kirigakure—had been sealed inside Lin, he couldn't contain his shock.
"The Three Tails, sealed in Lin?" Minato exclaimed, his eyes wide.
The weight of this news hit him just as hard as when Obito awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. His brows furrowed deeply as he processed the implications.
"If that's the case, Mist Shinobi won't let this go easily," he muttered, concern creeping into his voice.
Killing a Kage was one thing—he'd done it before—but stealing a tailed beast was a different matter altogether. Tailed beasts were the ultimate military assets of any hidden village. If Kirigakure lost one, they would surely retaliate, possibly blaming Konoha even if the incident was Obito's doing.
Konoha wouldn't easily bend to pressure, especially given Mist's current weakened state. Still, if Lin remained the Three Tails' host, she would become a constant target for assassination attempts by Mist-nin.
He sighed, his mind already calculating precautions. "When Lin returns to the village, she probably won't be allowed to go on missions anymore... just like Kushina."
Though Kushina never openly complained, Minato knew how much she longed to travel and explore. It was only her lively nature and strong will that kept her from feeling caged.
Kushina, being from the Uzumaki Clan, possessed a special constitution that allowed her to suppress a tailed beast's chakra. Lin, however, was just an ordinary girl—at least, she used to be. The village elders, always fearful of a rampaging beast, would likely confine her to the village, just as they had done to Kushina.
Minato frowned deeper.
"If Lin can't fully suppress the Three Tails, they'll put her under strict surveillance, maybe even house arrest..."
But before he could voice these thoughts, Kakashi interjected.
"Minato-sensei, Lin is... she's already a perfect Jinchūriki."
Minato blinked. "What?"
He thought he had misheard. "Did you say... perfect Jinchūriki?"
His voice rose in disbelief. Even Kushina, with all her strength, had never managed to become one.
A perfect Jinchūriki—one who fully synchronized with their tailed beast and could access their power at will—was rare. It required mutual trust, emotional harmony, and years of co-existence. For Lin, who had only recently become the host, this sounded impossible.
"Rin, summon Isobu. Let Teacher Minato see for himself," Kakashi said, sensing Minato's disbelief.
Lin nodded obediently. "Come out, Isobu."
A puff of chakra appeared, and suddenly, a small turtle about the size of Lin's head materialized above her. It blinked sleepily and glanced around, eventually looking toward Kakashi.
"Sorry, I was asleep. Is there something I can help you with?" Isobu yawned lazily, his three tails gently swaying.
Minato stared, stunned. Was this... really the Three Tails?
Kakashi smirked inwardly. "As expected of a turtle—always either napping or confused."
"Oh, it's nothing urgent," Kakashi said aloud. "We just wanted you to greet our teacher."
Isobu floated closer, looking at Minato with calm eyes. "So, you're Kakashi's teacher? Hello, human."
Minato was speechless.
This was Isobu? This polite, sleepy-eyed turtle? The same beast that once laid waste to half of Kirigakure?
It felt surreal. Compared to the feral Nine Tails he helped Kushina suppress during her most volatile moments, Isobu was... gentle. Back then, Nine Tails had cursed him every time he interfered: "Damn human!" "Stupid human!" "I'll kill you!"—rage embodied.
Yet here stood the Three Tails, making polite conversation.
Just then, Obito leaned closer, eyeing the small turtle. "Wow! Lin, when did you adopt such a cute little guy?"
He reached out to touch the shell, but before he could make contact, one of Isobu's massive tails suddenly surged out of nowhere and smacked Obito away with a blast of chakra.
Obito went flying, tumbling in the air before crashing into the ground with a groan.
Minato's eyes widened.
That chakra—there was no mistaking it. This was no genjutsu. This really was the Three Tails.
He looked at Lin in astonishment. She had truly become a perfect Jinchūriki.
From the sidelines, Obito groaned but sat up with a sheepish grin. "Okay, he's got some temper!"
Rather than being angry, Obito looked even more fascinated, studying Isobu up close. He'd never seen a tailed beast from this perspective before. Just this little turtle—and eight others like him—combined to form the fearsome Ten Tails, the creature responsible for reshaping the world in ancient legends.
He let out a low whistle. "It's hard to believe this little guy was once part of something so terrifying."
At that moment, A Fei—White Zetsu's eccentric clone—popped up out of nowhere, curiosity shining in his eyeholes.
"Whoa! This is the Three Tails? Hey, hey! Do you know what poop is?"
Obito's face turned red in an instant.
"A Fei, shut up!"
He was mortified. To ask something so childish in front of Minato-sensei—and about a tailed beast, no less!
Minato already knew A Fei was Obito's companion. Now he might think Obito raised him to be... this ridiculous.
Trying to change the subject, Minato turned to A Fei, observing him closely.
"Obito, so this is the White Zetsu you mentioned? Created by Uchiha Madara using the Divine Tree, and enhanced with Hashirama's cells?"
Obito nodded. "Yeah. Strange guy, but he's helpful in a fight."
Minato's eyes narrowed. The idea of someone using the cells of the First Hokage to mass-produce humanoid weapons deeply disturbed him. If Madara truly had a way to churn out more of these... an entire army of White Zetsu could be devastating. It could very well exceed the scale of the current Ninja World War.
His expression turned grim.
"Obito, do you remember where Madara is? I have to confirm something immediately."
"Uh... I think I came up from underground somewhere. I don't know the exact spot," Obito said, scratching his head. "But A Fei should be able to take us back there."
"Good," Minato said, already planning. "I'll report to Chief Fugaku first, and then we'll head out."
Though the threat of Mist Shinobi hadn't been completely ruled out, it was diminishing. Given the recent intelligence and the state of Kirigakure, Minato doubted they'd continue the war—especially now that Rock Shinobi had retreated and Hyuga Hizashi's reinforcements were arriving tomorrow.
Still, Madara was a different matter.
The man once known as the Shura of the Ninja World—who had fought the First Hokage to a standstill—was no ordinary threat. If he was truly plotting something in the shadows, it could plunge the entire ninja world into chaos once more.
Minato clenched his fists.
He couldn't allow history to repeat itself.
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