"We're doomed… Hidden Falls Village is finished…"
As the Seven-Tails broke free before his eyes, Mizuhashi Shintarō's face went slack.
Just as Kakuzu had said earlier, the leader of Hidden Falls had never actually planned to release the Seven-Tails.
This thing was a world-ending monster!
If it truly broke free, the entire village would be wiped off the map!
Even if Yuto hadn't stolen the sealing pot earlier, under Kakuzu's relentless pressure, Shintarō would've handed it over anyway.
'It was the better the lesser of two evils.'
Better to let the village scrape by than be reduced to rubble. But now? This lunatic kid had ruined everything!
'What kind of deranged maniac was this?!'
Did he seriously think a Tailed Beast was some kind of reasonable, chatty creature?!
*BOOM.*
A deafening explosion rocked the village as the Seven-Tails' massive form burst through the hall, revealing itself to every villager below.
"Th-that's—"
"No way… the Seven-Tails escaped?!"
"RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!"
Civilians and shinobi alike scrambled to flee, with only a handful of loyal bodyguards rushing forward to save their beloved leader.
But before they could get close—
*ROAR!*
A furious bellow from the Seven-Tails sent a gale-force wind hurling them all backward.
"Damn it!" Shintarō's face turned green as he cowered in a corner, trembling.
His position was… awkward.
He was face-to-face with the Seven-Tails' grotesque insectoid visage. Fighting was out of the question, and running? Yeah, right.
This was just… painful.
"Hayashi Yuto, you IDIOT!"** Kakuzu, equally miserable, snarled through gritted teeth. "Do you have ANY idea what you've done?!"
His whole plan had relied on Shintarō being too terrified to actually unseal the beast.
But no—
He'd read the village leader perfectly… and completely misread his own teammate!
He'd thought the whole "recruit the Tailed Beast as a new ally" thing was a joke.
'Turns out, the kid was dead serious.'
Facing an enraged Tailed Beast in the flesh? Even he was rattled.
And with a teammate who was more interested in chaos and shenanigans than survival?
How the hell were they supposed to win this?!
"Like I said, Kakuzu," Yuto stood calmly before the Seven-Tails. "I'm recruiting a new ally."
"You're INSANE! I'm OUT!" Kakuzu turned to bolt.
In all his decades of life, he'd never met someone this deranged. Who in their right mind thought a Tailed Beast could be negotiated with?!
*THUD.*
The Seven-Tails' massive limb slammed down, blocking his escape.
Kakuzu's eye twitched as he slowly turned back.
"The Queen of the Swarm greets you," Yuto said with a faint smile. "As her new ally, shouldn't you respond… enthusiastically?"
"???"
Kakuzu's brain short-circuited.
'Queen of the Swarm?! Since when did Tailed Beasts have genders?!'
And "respond enthusiastically"?!
Was he supposed to… wave and smile at it?!
He'd rather be eaten alive.
"Don't mind him, Your Majesty. He's just shy." Yuto turned back to the Seven-Tails. "Now that you're free, shall we depart?"
Kakuzu stared, wondering—could this thing actually be reasoned with?
…Probably not.
In all of history, no one had ever tamed a wild Tailed Beast.
Was this kid about to pull off a miracle?
*ROAR!*
The Seven-Tails' furious screech shattered his thoughts.
Kakuzu's face darkened.
For a second there, he'd actually believed the brat's nonsense.
'What the hell was wrong with him?!'
*BZZZT—*
A swirling mass of chakra gathered before the beast's maw, condensing into a sphere of pure destruction.
"A Tailed Beast Bomb."
And it was aimed straight at the village.
"Ah-ah-ah." Yuto suddenly stood atop the Seven-Tails' head, resting a hand on its skull. "I understand your anger, but the innocent don't deserve to suffer."
"You're seriously LECTURING IT?!" Kakuzu's eye twitched violently. "Get the hell out of there, you MORON!"
"Relax. The Queen and I are friends." Yuto smiled warmly. "She won't hurt me."
*WHOOSH!*
The Seven-Tails' spiked limb speared straight toward him.
"SUCH GREAT FRIENDSHIP!" Kakuzu's face went deadpan. "Yeah, I'm out."
This kid had a death wish. No saving him now. Even if Nagato and Konan chewed him out later, he had plenty of excuses.
But just as he took a step—
*CRACK.*
An overwhelming pressure crushed down on him.
Kakuzu's knees buckled, forcing him to the ground.
Every cell in his body trembled under the weight, as if the sky itself had collapsed. Even the four Earth Grudge entities inside him curled up in terror, refusing to respond.
"H-how…?" Sweat dripped from Kakuzu's brow as he struggled to lift his head. "What… is this?!"
Then he saw it.
The source of the pressure.
Hayashi Yuto.
The boy's smile was still there—but the warmth was gone. Behind him loomed an abyss of darkness, tendrils of shadow stretching out like skeletal hands, choking the life from Kakuzu's lungs.
This… was despair.
Even Hashirma Senju, the so-called "God of Shinobi," had never made him feel so utterly powerless.
*THUD.*
Even the mighty Seven-Tails bowed under the pressure, its earlier fury reduced to trembling submission.
"Glad you've calmed down, Your Majesty." Yuto's voice was soft again. "So… are we friends now?"
"…Yes." A deep, feminine voice rumbled from the beast's maw.
'The Tailed Beast could talk.'
Kakuzu's jaw dropped.
A miracle. An actual, honest-to-god miracle.
But then again…
Given that Yuto was the one who'd pulled it off, maybe it wasn't so surprising.
If he could intimidate a Tailed Beast into submission, he'd probably get it to chat too.
"Good." Yuto withdrew his spiritual pressure, satisfied. "Now then—"
Before he could finish, a golden prompt flickered before him:
[CHOOSE.]
[1. Use Transformation Jutsu to gift your new friend a low-cut maid dress, so she may better showcase her majesty as the Queen of the Swarm.]
[2. Use Transformation Jutsu to gift Kakuzu a lacy frilly dress, then compliment his beauty to his face.]
[3. Strip off your shirt, stand atop your new friend's head, and belt out a rendition of "Where Does the Road Lead?"]
"…"
Yuto glanced down at the insectoid queen beneath him, then at Kakuzu.
After a long silence, he took a deep breath.
"To celebrate our new friendship… I have a gift for you, Your Majesty."
"A… gift?" The Seven-Tails sounded puzzled.
Yuto didn't explain. He just raised a hand.
"Super Transformation Jutsu."
*POOF!*
A flash of light engulfed the Seven-Tails, drawing the stunned gazes of every villager.
When it faded…
The colossal, six-winged monstrosity still stood there.
But now?
Its horrifying insect head was adorned with a frilly white headband.
And its armored body?
Clad in a pristine black-and-white maid dress.
Silence.
Absolute, brain-breaking silence.
Kakuzu's soul left his body.
The villagers questioned reality.
And the Seven-Tails…
Was now a maid.
[Congratulations! You have unlocked "The Hand of Enlightenment."]
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