Chapter 277: Shukaku's Bright Future
Pitch-black sealing runes began rapidly spreading and constructing a new cage throughout this consciousness space. However, Shukaku's entire head was firmly pressed beneath the water surface by the Nine-Tails' irresistible giant claw. It couldn't lift its head, couldn't see any expression that might exist on Naruto or the Nine-Tails' faces right now, much less sense changes in the outside world.
All it could feel was that familiar, despairing sealing power closing in step by step, along with that profound sorrow of about to lose freedom again and be imprisoned in boundless darkness. This became its final memory before consciousness sank...
Like sleeping, consciousness slowly floated up from darkness.
When Shukaku "opened" its eyes again, the anticipated seal's gloom and oppression didn't appear. What entered those giant eyes was a completely different scene that even made it instantly hold its breath—
Before it stretched an incomparably vast, boundless golden desert! In the sky was a sun radiating warm light, beneath its feet were fine and scorching sand grains, and in the distance were continuous rolling massive sand dunes like golden ocean waves.
It could even see several stubbornly growing cacti dotting the landscape, forming the most familiar, most longed-for homeland scene in its memory!
"!!!"
Shukaku's bit of remaining drowsiness was instantly shocked away! It even raised its massive claw in disbelief to vigorously rub its eyes, suspecting it was hallucinating or still in some unrealistic dream.
However, the real sensation from its claws, the warmth brought by sunlight, and the dry atmosphere unique to deserts permeating the air all clearly told it—this wasn't a dream!
"Wuaaoh?!"
Shukaku looked around in disbelief at this beautiful scenery that delighted its heart, its brain nearly stopping thought. Wasn't this great me just pressed down by that stupid fox about to be resealed? What exactly was happening? Could it be... could it be this great me really... really returned to the desert?!
Rational thought had already been thrown to the heavens!
"Wuaaoh—!!!"
Shukaku could no longer suppress the surging emotions in its heart, releasing a venting strange cry. Its massive body suddenly lunged forward, diving headfirst into the nearest soft sand dune!
It frantically rolled and floundered in those fine sand grains, letting the long-missed free atmosphere wrap its entire body. It used its claws to scoop up large amounts of sand and toss them skyward, watching golden sand rain fall down, excitedly rolling continuously on that massive sand dune, leaving winding trails.
This incomparably real, incomparably exhilarating feeling finally let it confirm—this wasn't a hallucination! It truly... truly left that narrow dark seal space!
"Wu... wuuu..."
Under extreme excitement, a drop of crystalline giant teardrop actually seeped from its eye corner, sliding down its sand-grain cheek before being absorbed by the dry sand.
Immediately after, the brief sentimentality brought by that teardrop was replaced by even more surging wild joy.
"WAHAHAHAHA!!! This great me... this great me is finally free!!!"
Shukaku's deafening wild laughter and excited howls that went off-key violently echoed and spread through this boundless desert sky.
Shukaku was excited like an unleashed husky, jumping and bouncing without any image between sand dunes, kicking up clouds of sand and dust, fully venting the suppression of who knows how many years of imprisonment and the endless wild joy of regaining "freedom" at this moment.
So pleasant... so wonderful... how many years has it been... my mood feels this wonderful for the first time!
The beautiful sensation of regaining freedom even made Shukaku running wildly in the sand sea feel that even if it saw that stupid fox's stupid face right now, it could magnanimously not hold grudges!
Then...
BANG—!
Shukaku closing its eyes and only caring about running wildly hadn't been pleased long before its entire face solidly crashed into an invisible barrier!
The impact made its massive body spread its limbs exaggeratedly like a cartoon character, slowly sliding down from the barrier to collapse limply on the sandy ground.
"Wu..."
Shukaku shook its massive head dizzy from the collision, groggily standing up again, eyes full of confusion and anger. What dared block this great me's path?!
It puzzledly extended its claw forward to grope—"...What is... this thing?!"
The sensation from its claw tips was unmistakable—ahead was clearly a boundless sand sea with unobstructed vision, yet there truly existed an invisible, smooth and hard wall completely blocking its path!
Shukaku's heart immediately "thumped," an ominous premonition pouring down like ice water.
"Damn it... don't try pretending to be mysterious before this great me!" It forced composure, trying to use roaring to cover inner panic. The next moment, it instinctively wanted to mobilize chakra, condense an Air Bullet to viciously blast this damned barrier!
But... where was the chakra?!
Shukaku discovered in horror that though it could clearly sense the massive chakra within still existed, it completely couldn't mobilize even a bit! All power was imprisoned within!
"You're even stupider than I imagined, stupid tanuki."
A voice it most hated, full of mocking meaning lazily rang out. "Though you really got off cheap. How is it—this desert's not bad, right? This was specially simulated for you by that Naruto kid using Eight Trigrams Seal. That kid's heart is too kind—I advised him he didn't need to be so good to you, but he didn't listen."
Shukaku jumped in alarm, looking toward the sound. It saw the air ahead suddenly emit a familiar, infuriating red chakra. That chakra rapidly condensed and transformed, ultimately becoming a...
Mini Nine-Tails only as big as its claw?!
But that little Nine-Tails still used that tone that made Shukaku's fists harden to continue speaking.
"Don't know why, but Naruto particularly cares about your jinchuriki. I heard these years you've been quite restless in the seal? Therefore, I left a wisp of my chakra in this brat's body as this seal space's... mm, 'administrator.'"
"Wuuuu... go die, stupid fox!!!"
The tremendous sense of disparity viciously crashed on Shukaku's heart, nearly making it faint from choking! So... so it was still in the seal space?! This vast desert was just illusion simulated by sealing jutsu?! That stinking brat simulated it too realistically!
This was unavoidable—after all, to let the Nine-Tails live more comfortably, Naruto had long thoroughly researched Eight Trigrams Seal. Now the Nine-Tails in his seal space could already run freely on grasslands and even fish.
Moreover... the stupid fox even left a wisp of chakra consciousness here?! Thinking of how in the past when Tailed Beasts hadn't been sealed yet and lived freely, this bastard had always suppressed it... now even after being sealed it couldn't escape its "clutches"?
"ROAR—!" Rage and frustration made Shukaku lose reason. It raised its massive claw, viciously slapping toward that mini Nine-Tails!
The little Nine-Tails watched that mountain-like claw pressing down, its eyes showing not the slightest fear but instead even more intense disdain.
....
About several minutes later.
The mini Nine-Tails wore an expression of refreshed satisfaction, leisurely crouching on Shukaku's massive body below covered in... psychological wounds and bruises from one-sided beating.
Though neither side could use ninjutsu, Shukaku's defeat process and posture remained as countless times over thousands of years—without suspense.
"Really impatient, stupid tanuki." The little Nine-Tails picked its teeth with a claw, saying leisurely, "Though you still look that big now, your chakra essence is still in sealed state. Not to mention... tsk tsk, you only have one tail."
Hearing the Nine-Tails again use tail count to define strength with this tired cliché, Shukaku was so angry its entire sand-grain body trembled, yet didn't even have strength left to protest, only able to release unwilling "wuu wuu" sounds from its throat.
"What's wrong? Did you go mute, you bastard?" The little Nine-Tails deliberately moved closer, asking in an infuriating tone. "Forget it, this old one won't stoop to your level. Time to return to Naruto's side to rest. After all, that kid solemnly 'requested' me—if you don't behave and still dare make noise so the jinchuriki can't sleep... hehehe."
That meaningful, fully threatening laugh made Shukaku's massive body involuntarily shudder.
The satisfied mini Nine-Tails consciousness body transformed into red light and vanished.
In the spacious "desert," only the One-Tail Shukaku lying on the ground with wounded body and spirit remained. The more it thought the more wronged it felt, wanting to cry loudly, yet afraid that damned fox would suddenly return and see such an embarrassing scene.
Please... please... it was ninety percent certain this rotten idea of "leaving a wisp of consciousness to supervise" was absolutely that stupid fox's own suggestion!
Thinking of having to live under that bastard's shadow through long sealed years ahead, Shukaku felt despair.
Why... why even after being sealed could it not escape being bullied by it?!
The more Shukaku thought the more wronged it felt, couldn't help burying its massive face deeply in the sand, releasing muffled and sad "wuu wuu" sounds, its huge tail also listlessly slapping the sandy ground.
However, this seal space carefully constructed by Naruto was truly too comfortable for Shukaku—warm "sunlight," fine "sand grains," familiar dry atmosphere... crying and crying, exhausted in body and spirit, Shukaku's wuu wuu sounds gradually became even snoring.
It actually just like this... collapsed on the messy sandy ground, falling deeply asleep.