"Brat... who exactly are you?!" the Nine-Tails growled low.
Aside from the nine Tailed Beasts, no one else knew its name.
How could this Uchiha brat know its name?
"That's not important!"
Yao waved his hand. "Kurama, what I want to tell you is that time is running out for you!"
"Time? Uchiha brat, what exactly are you trying to say?"
The Nine-Tails growled, its crimson vertical pupils locked dead on Yao.
"Uchiha Madara... awakened the Rinnegan before he died!"
Yao said calmly, "With those eyes, he summoned the Ten-Tails' husk from the moon: the Gedo Statue."
"And now, his successor is active in the ninja world, having formed an organization called 'Akatsuki'."
"One of the Akatsuki's goals is to collect the nine Tailed Beasts and revive the former... Ten-Tails!"
The Nine-Tails' pupils instantly constricted to pinpoints, its muscles tensed, and its fur stood on end.
Yao spoke slowly, "Kurama, you should know better than I do... what this means, right?"
"Impossible!!"
The Nine-Tails roared violently, trying to mask the shock in its heart with volume:
"That bastard Uchiha Madara died a long time ago! He's been dead for decades! Brat, you dare lie to me!!"
As chakra aggregates split from the Ten-Tails, the nine Tailed Beasts were themselves parts of the Ten-Tails.
The Nine-Tails knew better than any living creature that once resealed into the Gedo Statue to revive the Ten-Tails...
Their independent consciousnesses would be completely wiped out and merged, returning to that chaotic beast.
That was billions of times more terrifying than being sealed inside a Jinchūriki or imprisoned in a dark place!
That was a true annihilation of existence!
"Uchiha Madara is dead!"
Yao continued, "But his Rinnegan still exists!"
"The current leader of the Akatsuki possesses those eyes."
"This is no secret among the higher-ups of the ninja world!"
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Jiraiya, or Tsunade, or even Orochimaru!"
"They all know about the Akatsuki and the existence of the Rinnegan."
The Nine-Tails finally fell silent. Its crimson beast eyes flickered wildly, revealing the intense turmoil within.
The Rinnegan...
Those were the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths! They really could control the Gedo Statue!
And to them, the Tailed Beasts, the Gedo Statue was a natural predator, a cage, a nemesis!
No matter how strong the Tailed Beasts were, once they encountered the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue, they were practically powerless to resist.
"Brat..."
After a long while, the Nine-Tails' low voice sounded again. Gone was the previous rage, replaced by a heavy solemnity:
"telling this old man all of this... what point are you trying to make?"
"My point is very clear!"
Yao took half a step forward. "Time is running out for you."
"Once the Akatsuki gathers all nine Tailed Beasts and revives the Ten-Tails... everyone will die!"
"You, me, Naruto, Konoha, and even the entire ninja world will likely not be spared."
Yao asked, articulating every word, "Kurama, you... don't want to return to the inside of the Ten-Tails either, right?"
The Nine-Tails snorted a jet of hot air from its nose, a tacit agreement.
Nonsense!
How could it be willing?
No Tailed Beast wanted to return to the Ten-Tails' body!
"Since you don't want to, then face reality and stop running away!"
Yao spread his hands. "Given your sealed state, if the Akatsuki targets you, what are your odds of winning?"
The Nine-Tails fell silent again.
Forget about its current sealed state; even if its true body were out...
Once faced with the Mangekyō Sharingan, it would likely be defeated instantly, let alone facing the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue!
"So..."
Yao looked at the Nine-Tails and said, "Just cooperate obediently with Naruto and let him become... a Perfect Jinchūriki as soon as possible!"
"Only when your powers are truly combined and you work together can you unleash enough power to counter the threat!"
"Only then can you gain some power to protect yourselves!"
"Instead of sitting and waiting for death, waiting to be extracted, sealed, and used as fodder to revive the Ten-Tails."
The Nine-Tails lowered its head, its crimson eyes flickering uncertainly in the shadows.
It was weighing the options, struggling!
With its pride, ask it to actively cooperate with a "brat" Jinchūriki it had always loathed and viewed as a cage?
But being controlled by the Rinnegan, swallowed by the Gedo Statue, and disappearing completely into the Ten-Tails... terrified it even more!
"Brat, how do I know you're not lying to me?" the Nine-Tails said.
"Do I need to lie to you?"
Yao scoffed. "I've said what I needed to say, and I've made the stakes clear to you."
"What you do next—whether to continue causing trouble or consider my proposal—is up to you."
"You can reach an understanding with Naruto and become his partner!"
"Or you can continue causing trouble, wasting time in internal conflict with him!"
"The choice is yours!"
"I just hope that when the butcher's knife is at your neck, you'll still have the opportunity to continue causing trouble here!"
"Hmph!"
The Nine-Tails let out a cold snort. It didn't explicitly agree, but neither did it reject with the same violence as before.
This snort might be the maximum consideration its arrogant personality allowed.
"Goodbye, Nine-Tails!"
The corners of Yao's mouth lifted slightly as he vanished from the dark sewer space.
Outside.
On the training ground.
"Naruto, try again!"
Yao said.
Naruto took a deep breath and began condensing chakra again.
This time.
The process was unexpectedly smooth. Chakra rapidly gathered and rotated in his palm, forming a Rasengan.
Then, injecting more chakra... the Rasengan expanded steadily, becoming larger, stable, and dazzling.
In the blink of an eye.
A Big Ball Rasengan, several times larger than a normal Rasengan, hovered steadily in Naruto's palm.
"Su... success?!"
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Naruto was both surprised and delighted, almost unable to believe it: "Yao! What on earth did you do? Just now it was..."
Sasuke also wore a surprised expression, his Sharingan rotating slightly.
He could see that the flow of Naruto's chakra this time was much smoother and more coordinated than before; the subtle stagnation and sense of conflict had disappeared.
What exactly did Yao do?
"Nothing much!"
Yao waved his hand. "I just helped you tidy up your chakra a bit, making it more obedient!"
"Now, maintain this feeling and practice more!"
Although Naruto felt it was more than just a simple "tidy up," he trusted Yao's words completely.
Immediately, he threw himself into a new round of practice with full enthusiasm.
...
Having resolved Naruto and Sasuke's training issues, Yao also began his own training.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
After a puff of white smoke cleared, the massive Aoda appeared in the clearing.
"Lord Yao, what are your orders?" Aoda lowered his head respectfully.
"Take me to Ryūchi Cave!"
"Understood!"
Aoda returned to Ryūchi Cave, immediately activating the Reverse Summoning Technique.