"Nine-Tails? Is there any problem? Although my chakra has started to decline, I can still keep that fox suppressed for a few more years in my current state."
Mito Uzumaki wasn't quite sure why Haseo had suddenly brought up the Nine-Tails. Was he here just to warn her about its dangers? Mito couldn't help but smile inwardly. Kids these days, always rushing ahead without thinking. She'd been dealing with the Nine-Tails for years now—no one understood this better than her.
You've gotta admit, everyone who helped build the Hidden Leaf was tough as nails. Back then, Mito wasn't some "perfect jinchuriki." There was no understanding or bond between her and the Nine-Tails at all—it hated her, but she hated it even more. Still, through sheer chakra alone, she managed to pin the Nine-Tails down so it couldn't move an inch.
Plus, unlike later secrecy around jinchuriki identities, back then it was common knowledge that the First Hokage's wife was the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. That's exactly why Haseo coming to talk about the Nine-Tails didn't seem unusual to Mito…
But what did it matter if so many people knew she was a jinchuriki? Anyone trying to steal the tailed beast could just come straight for her. Before, they might have gone through her husband first. Now, though, only she remained—definitely worth a shot.
After all, the worst that could happen is "try and die," right?
As far as Mito Uzumaki was concerned, aside from one guy playing dead, there wasn't a single fighter worth mentioning left in this world.
Haseo, however, shook his head. "I'm not doubting Lady Mito's abilities. I'm simply discussing how the village will treat the Nine-Tails going forward. Suppose… after you, Lady Mito, can Konoha still control the tailed beasts so effortlessly?"
Even if they could continue relying on the Uzumaki Clan's power, one fundamental truth couldn't be changed… The Third Hokage, along with today's Konoha elders, weren't as calm toward the Nine-Tails as the First Hokage had been. They treated the Nine-Tails with extreme caution, and beneath this vigilance lurked something deeper—an actual fear.
It all came down to strength. During the First's time, saying the Nine-Tails was nothing more dangerous to him than a house mouse would be a slight exaggeration. At most, it was like a wild fox.
The First Hokage could twist and shape the Nine-Tails however he liked, manipulating it freely. But could the Third Hokage do anything like that?
Why did future generations of Konoha treat their jinchuriki the way they did? In the end, it was all because the ruling powers lacked capability.
The First Hokage was practically divine, so to him, the Nine-Tails was nothing more than a temperamental pet. However, since the Third Hokage and Konoha's current leadership were just ordinary humans, to them, the Nine-Tails represented an unstoppable catastrophe.
Watchful, evasive, fearful, spreading rumors—that's what they call controlling the Nine-Tails? Aren't all those extra measures happening solely because they can't actually control it?
"I believe Lady Mito should be able to sense this change," Haseo said, though it was merely a guess. He continued, "Moreover, even for the Uzumaki clan, ninja possessing abilities like Lady Mito's are extremely rare—one in several decades at least."
Mito Uzumaki's chakra was very special; her chakra exerted an extraordinarily strong inhibitory effect upon Tailed Beasts. Kushina Uzumaki, who later became the new host of the Nine-Tails, was chosen precisely because her chakra bore a certain resemblance to Mito's.
"Your concern isn't groundless... So, Haseo, what exactly are you getting at?"
Haseo did not directly answer but instead began telling an ancient myth.
"Legend has it that during the primordial era when the Ninja World was first established, the Sage of Six Paths defeated the most powerful monster in the world—the Ten-Tails. The sage then sealed its physical body and divided its chakra into nine parts… thus giving birth to the nine Tailed Beasts.
The Ten-Tails was a calamity only a deity could confront. After being split into nine separate Tailed Beasts, however, they became monstrous creatures humans could potentially defeat—even though it still remained highly difficult.
In other words, dividing power to weaken it, and then controlling it, is the safest approach, rather than waiting for a once-in-a-generation genius to show up."
Mito Uzumaki understood what Haseo meant, so she fell silent. After quite a while, she spoke again.
"Strategically speaking, yes, but practically speaking, it's completely unfeasible. Dividing Tailed Beasts was something only the legendary Sage of Six Paths supposedly could do. Besides, the entire legend surrounding the origin of the Tailed Beasts itself is vague and uncertain."
"Not necessarily," Haseo said, his gaze fixed deeply on Lady Mito. "You know this already—whatever the Sage of Six Paths could accomplish, the Uzumaki clan can too.
[Dead Demon Consuming Seal]… capable of splitting tailed beast chakra; [Four Symbols Seal]… isolating, sealing, and preventing recombination. As long as a ninja uses both sealing techniques simultaneously, the Nine-Tails could indeed be divided back into the nine individual Tailed Beasts again.
The Uzumaki clan's Sealing Technique is unparalleled in the world. Whatever a god could accomplish, your clan can too."
It's just a question of whether they're willing to do it or not.
Chakra was an incredibly mysterious substance—a fusion of physical energy and spiritual strength. In a way, as long as chakra remains intact, it's like having an immortal soul.
Tailed Beasts were particularly unique in this regard. Therefore, even if one sliced the Nine-Tails into pieces, there would be no need to worry about its consciousness breaking down or its power dispersing. Just like Katsuyu, the giant slug, when she splits, every fragment of the Nine-Tails would still share the same consciousness. Of course, the method of slicing must be precise; otherwise, it would simply die and revive instead of achieving separation.
The difference between the Uzumaki clan's technique and the Sage of Six Paths' was that when the Uzumaki split the Nine-Tails, each fragment retained the Nine-Tails' identical consciousness and chakra type. Whereas the Sage managed to create nine entirely distinct consciousnesses—only together would their chakra constitute the complete power of the Ten-Tails.
Later, the Fourth Hokage used this method to split the Nine-Tails into two separate entities—male and female. But in Haseo's eyes, there was no real distinction between these two individual Nine-Tails. It was like the poles of a magnet—one could break it apart, but each piece would still have both north and south poles. Therefore, if the Nine-Tails could be split into two, theoretically, it could also be split into four, then eight.
"It seems… Sansho left *you*, Haseo, with far too much."
Haseo, do you even realize what kind of sacrifice this would bring to the Uzumaki clan?
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal can indeed achieve what you're suggesting. However, the user would be devoured by the Shinigami along with the Nine-Tails sealed within. Even though this might allow control over the Nine-Tails' chakra remaining in the living world, the Hokage would never accept the truth that his power has been greatly weakened.
"The Dead Demon Consuming Seal is an eternal seal. Your approach is pointless."
But Mito Uzumaki knew better than anyone—the Dead Demon Consuming Seal wasn't truly an eternal seal.
"But from what I know, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal can be undone. Although undoing a deceased person's seal sounds utterly meaningless, there exists another forbidden technique within Konoha village—
[Impure World Reincarnation: The Return of the Deceased.]
Fallen ninja cannot be brought back to life, but the Nine-Tails' chakra can be reclaimed. The Nine-Tails' power will not weaken—it simply becomes scattered."
Haseo knew more than Mito Uzumaki could ever imagine.
Unlike what he told the Third Hokage, part of the reason Kagenami was created was actually to control the Tailed Beasts. In fact, the first steps toward this plan wouldn't begin until more than ten years later. Regardless, he needed Mito Uzumaki's approval.
It wasn't only because she was a jinchuriki, but rather because she represented the Uzumaki clan itself.
"The Nine-Tails Divided into Eight"... isn't that quite a suitable name for the plan?
Sacrificing one for the happiness of countless others—if Kurama within Mito Uzumaki could somehow hear this conversation now, he'd probably find it amusing as well.
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