Using the same method as before, Haseo had previously contained the Sage form within himself. The nature of fusing with the Nine-Tails' power through the Sage form now was roughly the same — in fact, fusing with the Nine-Tails' power through the Sage form was actually easier than containing the Sage's will.
Although the Nine-Tails possessed resistance capabilities, by the time it realized what was happening, Haseo had already quietly isolated its consciousness beforehand.
The Nine-Tails found itself trapped within Haseo's "Zero Light and Fragments."
After falling from a high altitude, it crashed onto the rooftop of a tall building. Strangely enough, the impact seemed to jolt it into greater awareness.
"Genjutsu?"
While extremely powerful, the Nine-Tails had plenty of experience being controlled through genjutsu. Those responsible for such heinous acts against it were none other than Uchiha, Uchiha, and again Uchiha.
"Not exactly. Strictly speaking, it's Consciousness Sealing," Haseo replied, reappearing beside the Nine-Tails to explain.
"You can think of this place as an imaginary city, with an imaginary world outside of it. Of course, it's not indestructible — you're free to try breaking through the seal if you want."
He truly treated the seal as a proper containment technique, avoiding the use of overwhelming information shockwaves that could directly assault the fox's consciousness.
Even under these circumstances, the Nine-Tails would have immediately chosen to attack Haseo if possible. However, Haseo had positioned himself just beyond its attack range.
Truth be told, Haseo had no intention of toying with the beast at this moment. The fact that he immediately headed for Kagenami upon learning that Sunagakure had lost the One-Tail Shukaku revealed that he wasn't nearly as calm on the inside as he appeared.
"There's no need to panic — I'm only borrowing your power temporarily. Once everything is over, I'll naturally return it all to you..."
"Therefore, I suggest you conserve your energy and try to maintain your own consciousness while waiting for me to release you... Once separated from physical support, spirit and mind become like water without a source — eventually, they'll dry up and vanish, whether used or not."
For once, it almost sounded like something a human would say. But... could those words really be trusted?
Actually, in the moment of decision, Haseo ultimately refrained from fully claiming the Nine-Tails' power permanently. Fusing with the Nine-Tails' power the same way he fused with the Six Paths Sage — how chaotic would his consciousness become if he kept mixing them together?
Given that risk — a state too uncertain — he cautiously decided against proceeding further. Thus, he took a major step back, merely sealing his chakra within his consciousness body. To put it simply — he just got cold feet.
Even for someone like him, the Ten-Tails was still an enigma — too unpredictable to mess with lightly. Would deeply integrating himself with Ten-Tails' power lead to his own "Ten-Tails transformation"?
After all, at their core, both the Nine-Tails and the One-Tail were originally parts of the Ten-Tails.
Still, Haseo's approach did differ from that of an average jinchuriki. What he did equated to sealing the Nine-Tails inside the Shinigami. At least this was a movable knot, not a permanent one — and theoretically speaking, Haseo absolutely had the ability to return the Nine-Tails' chakra back to it someday.
Haseo exchanged a final word with the Nine-Tails before his figure abruptly vanished, leaving the sealed space behind.
With Haseo's departure, the once motionless city—frozen in silence like a painted canvas—suddenly surged with life.
Crowds bustled through the streets, vehicles of every kind moved about, and lights flickered on in layered brilliance both near and far... For reasons it couldn't quite explain, a sudden wave of loneliness and unease washed over the Nine-Tails.
But such fleeting thoughts quickly faded. The Nine-Tails was certainly no fragile little girl heading to kindergarten for the first time without her parents—it immediately began wreaking havoc across the area.
Of course, it paid no heed to Haseo's "well-intentioned advice." Naturally, trying to break free from the seal was only expected.
Haseo pulled his spiritual form back into his body and let out a faint laugh. He had noticed every move the Nine-Tails made, but all those "efforts" were ultimately meaningless.
"This thing just doesn't listen. Can't tell good advice from bad?"
Well, this wasn't entirely the Nine-Tails' fault either. One reason was that Tailed Beasts naturally held little trust in Ninja. And another… if you wanted someone to distinguish good words from bad, at the very least the speaker should be someone capable of speaking kindly in the first place?
Haseo took a deep breath. Although he felt one Nine-Tails probably wouldn't be enough, he was no longer the Hokage and couldn't simply take all the Nine-Tails here at once. Removing one could be concealed, but taking all five hidden within the underground space would be like treating Konoha as fools.
"It looks like I'll have to wait for another opportunity. If things really come down to it… I guess I won't be able to worry about the dignity of the ninja villages anymore," he thought. With that, Haseo turned and walked away.
That was enough for today. His actions hadn't been overly aggressive—he still needed to observe how events would develop next.
...
Even while leveraging Konoha's pressure or support, internal matters of Sunagakure still required resolution from within Sunagakure itself. Although the death of the Fourth Kazekage was a major event that greatly shook the village, the sole piece of good news was that Chiyo and Ebizō were still alive.
This brother-and-sister duo were undoubtedly Sunagakure's "stabilizing force." Their experience and prestige surpassed even the standing of Konoha's two advisors—they were battle-hardened veterans, especially Chiyo, who had remained active on the battlefield from the era of the Second Hokage straight through until the time of the Fifth Hokage.
Konoha also offered support to Sunagakure, mainly assisting in the search for the One-Tail Shukaku's whereabouts. During this period, many Uzumaki Shinobi were dispatched beyond the village.
With so many incidents occurring in succession, a vague sense of dread silently settled into the hearts of many. Though the sensation remained unclear, the storm was clearly about to break.
However, no one had anticipated how quickly the situation would deteriorate.
In the Land of Earth, near Iwagakure,
An old man and his grandson were making their way toward Iwagakure.
[Four-Tails] and [Five-Tails] are both in the village right now. The [Four-Tails] still has freedom of movement, but there seem to be some issues with the [Five-Tails]... It was said that the [Five-Tails] intended to defect from the village, but not long ago, some kind soul captured it and quietly left it at the village entrance.
Because of this, Old Man Third flew into a rage. If we can't guarantee the safety of the village and its Jinchuriki, what kind of Iwagakure are we... I'm sure he's ranting about this again.
So we should strike at the [Four-Tails] when it's outside the village first. As for the [Five-Tails]… Well, we might have to storm the village itself to take him.
Priority is the [Four-Tails], deal with the [Five-Tails] later depending on circumstances... Our approach must adapt to the situation. Regardless, our mission must be completed.
The younger generation ninja? None other than Deidara—the prodigy from Iwagakure, nearly fourteen years old. These days, what village doesn't have a few double agents?
As for the older generation ninja… Well, within the newly formed Organization "Pain," he had been the most awkward one ever since Hashirama Senju's resurrection.
What made him awkward was that Hashirama Senju didn't even know who the heck he was.
Even worse? He'd gone around boasting about himself quite a bit before this.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>