Deep within the vast and boundless primeval dense forest at the border of the Land of Fire, several figures were sprinting rapidly, treading upon tree branches.
The figure of the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata, was currently like a bird startled by the twang of a bow, shuttling at high speed through the woods.
However, the pursuers, like maggots attached to bones, remained firmly biting tightly behind him.
That was a group of ninjas, but they did not have any forehead protectors symbolizing identity, leaving behind only the naked greed in their eyes, like a pack of jackals smelling blood.
"Hoo..." Utakata let out a heavy lament in his heart.
When exactly would this displaced and wandering life come to an end?
The source of everything had to be traced back to that news which shook the entire ninja world—the Collector single-handedly crushing Iwagakure!
This news completely overturned his original life.
Once upon a time, those hunting him down were merely the Anbu of a single village, Kirigakure.
Relying on experience and caution, he was still able to travel everywhere and savor the customs and local culture of this ninja world during the intervals of breaking free from pursuit.
However, the Collector's "great feat" was like an invisible key, opening Pandora's box.
The Collector's purpose was Tailed Beast chakra; no one would think that the Collector's strength had nothing to do with Tailed Beast chakra, and so...
Countless careerists, speculators, and desperadoes lurking in the shadows all cast their scorching gazes toward the Tailed Beasts, toward the Jinchūriki carrying this power.
And he, Utakata, unfortunately became one of the targets.
Who leaked his identity as the Six-Tails Jinchūriki? And who even circulated his portrait? This was already impossible to investigate.
He only knew that that former leisure mood of watching clouds roll and unfold had already vanished without a trace, replaced by endless, life-risking running and fleeing.
"If I can escape this time..." Utakata bit his teeth tightly, accelerating once more, a determination already secretly made in his heart, "I must find a completely uninhabited place of absolute isolation to go into thorough hiding!"
In fact, the pursuers behind him were not impossible to match in force.
If he were willing to completely release the shackles on that monster inside his body and pour out the power of the Six-Tails, wiping them all out would not be a difficult matter.
But the problem lay in the fact that the follow-up would be very troublesome!
His strength as a ninja itself was not top-tier; to eliminate this pack of hyenas, he would bound to need to borrow the power of the Six-Tails.
And once that iconic, destruction-breath-filled crimson chakra erupted, it would be just like igniting the brightest beacon fire in the pitch-black night sky, only drawing in more, stronger, and greedier peepers.
This was a lesson exchanged with blood and tears in his flight career; even if forced by circumstances to borrow the power of the Six-Tails, he had to choose an absolute no-man's land to reduce the impact to the minimum.
This primeval dense forest before his eyes, deep as if having no end and sparsely populated, was precisely an ideal place.
But to be safe, Utakata was still surging forward with all his might, intending to draw this group of pursuers into the deeper, more desolate hinterland.
Finally, at a glade within the forest embraced by giant ancient trees with vines hanging down like giant pythons, Utakata's figure stopped.
He slowly turned around, backing against a giant tree that required several people to encircle, looking at these pursuers.
The pursuers also ground to a sudden halt, surrounding him faintly in a fan shape, cold faint light reflecting off their weapons.
"Hand over the power of the Tailed Beast!"
The face of the leading person appeared exceptionally hideous under the tree shadows, that greed for power in his eyes almost about to materialize and spout forth as he let out a hoarse low growl.
Utakata let out a light sigh, that sigh fully contained with endless fatigue and a trace of difficult-to-notice pity.
He looked at this group of people whose eyes were blinded by desire, his voice calm yet carrying piercing power.
"Since you know that is the power of a Tailed Beast... why do you still dare to so recklessly hunt down me, who am the Six-Tails Jinchūriki?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone, "Do you truly think that is something that can be mastered relying on you guys?"
"Hump! Less bluffing here!" Another voice rang out carrying a tone of putting on a brave front.
"No matter how strong the Tailed Beast is, you are also merely a single person! With so many of us, we can wear you to death just by exhausting you!"
Utakata shook his head helplessly, the corners of his mouth pulling up a bitter arc; this world never lacked fools who completely lacked self-knowledge.
Could they have not thought that if it were a power that even a motley crowd like them could easily seize, how could it draw an existence of the Collector's tier to strike, and how could it make the Five Great Ninja Villages all view it as a strategic weapon?
Perhaps deep within their hearts they understood, it was merely that greed for power and that one-in-a-ten-thousand fluke.
"What if" they themselves were that lucky one? The greed for power completely overrode reason.
Seeing Utakata respond with silence, the pursuers exchanged a glance with each other, greed ultimately overriding the trace of unease that had just arisen in their hearts.
They were like a pack of hunting wolves, beginning to move forward with extreme caution, the kunai, shuriken, and ninja swords in their hands flashing with deadly cold light, thick killing intent permeating the air.
The distance grew closer and closer... the atmosphere at this moment was tense to the extreme!
Precisely at the flash of a second when several ninjas at the absolute front could contain themselves no longer, exerting force under their feet and turning into several black shadows to fiercely pounce and kill toward Utakata.
Utakata, who had all along appeared calm, abruptly raised his head!
His pair of eyes that originally carried fatigue and helplessness suddenly stared wide at this moment! Deep within the pupils, it was as though lava was rolling!
"Boom!!!"
An indescribable, violent-to-the-extreme chakra explosively erupted with Utakata as the center!
It was no longer a patient, suppressed trickle, but rather a torrential flood bursting its dam!
Deep red, materialized chakra like surging lava completely wrapped and engulfed his entire form in an instant!
This bloody, violent, primitive-destruction-breath-filled energy like a wildly rushing hurricane madly swept out toward all directions with the momentum of overturning mountains and seas!
"Ugh-ah!"
"What?!"
"This... this is?!"
The several people rushing at the absolute front bore the brunt of it, fiercely slapped by this chakra wave; as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, their rushing momentum was instantly checked, their bodies uncontrollably staggering backward, the blood color completely draining from their faces, leaving behind only extreme horror.
That terrifying oppressive feeling caused even their breathing to halt for it, their hearts as if clutched tightly by a cold hand!
That crimson chakra clump wrapping Utakata was like a throbbing, ominous-breath-filled blood cocoon, radiating a pressure that made the soul shudder.
"This... this is... the real Tailed Beast power?!"
Someone cried out in alarm, their voice trembling due to fear, but deep within their gaze, that greed became increasingly scorching and frenzied under the stimulation of fear.
Of course, there were also people completely deterred by this terrifying power that far exceeded imagination, conceiving a strong retreat intention.
Looking at that clump of blood-colored energy, in front of the shadow of death, their reason finally triumphed over greed.
Such power, did they truly have the life to take it, the life to use it?
That did not originate from the repentance of conscience, but rather originated from the naked fear of death!
In other words, it wasn't that they knew they were wrong, but rather they knew they were probably going to die!
Precisely at the flash of a second when they resolved to pull away and flee, a world-tearing agonizing pain fiercely seized their entire bodies; their bodies were as if confined by invisible cold ice, difficult to move a single fraction anymore.
Their shocked-to-the-extreme eyeballs almost about to burst out from their sockets, they lowered their heads stiffly and with difficulty to look in disbelief.
Between the chest and abdomen, it had impressively already been completely pierced through!
What penetrated this fatal wound was actually a tail flowing with ominous blood light and appearing solid-like... a chakra tail?!
As it turned out, from that blood-colored light sphere containing destructive power, six thick-as-giant-python chakra tails had already shot out noiselessly.
Their targets were precisely all the coveters in the field!
Its momentum was like rapid lightning breaking through space, swift to the point of transcending the limits of these people's reactions; the slaughter was only between the snapping of fingers.
The survivors who were lucky enough not to be stabbed by the first wave of tails witnessed this purgatory-on-earth-like scene, their pupils abruptly shrinking to the size of needle tips.
The previously overflowing greed and fanaticism crashed and shattered, leaving behind only the most primitive, deep-into-the-marrow terror.
Screaming wails cut through the dead silence of the forest canopy; they scampered like rats and dashed like wolves toward the deep part of the dense forest, merely wishing to flee this place.
However, Utakata, whose killing intent was resolved and whose Tailed Beast power was fully displayed, how could he allow any single eyewitness to leave?
Those six chakra tails stained with fresh blood and internal organ fragments did not even shake off the dead bodies of the deceased that were pierced and suspended upon them, still twitching, before they had already carried an ear-piercing wind-breaking sound, shooting out ruthlessly once more like the tentacles of the Grim Reaper!
In an instant, the deep part of the dark dense forest turned into a despairing slaughterhouse.
Screaming cries, heart-tearing and lung-splitting pleas for mercy, the muffled sound of bones being crushed, the squelching sound of flesh being torn apart...
All kinds of hair-raising sounds madly interwove, playing a symphony of death.
But this chaotic and despairing movement did not last too long before grinding to a sudden halt.
The clamor dissipated, leaving behind only a sheet of dead silence.
Thick blood scent that could not be parted drifted and steamed in the damp and cold air, dyeing even the earth an eye-stabbing crimson.
The originally vibrant tree shade at this moment left behind only broken limbs and severed remains.
In the center of this area soaked through with fresh blood, the semi-tailed-beastified Utakata stood silently there.
His entire body was enveloped in a violent and oppressive dark-red chakra cloak, those six tails symbolizing destructive power swinging and swaying slowly behind him of their own accord.
Utakata was concentrating his mind and gathering his energy, attempting to re-incorporate the escaping Tailed Beast chakra back into the seal.
Precisely at that flash of an instant when the power was about to flow back and the seal outline first appeared.
"Clap, clap!"
An abrupt sound of clapping, without any warning, rang out by his ear.
Utakata's heart abruptly tightened! His pupils shrunk like needle tips in an instant, the muscles of his entire body instantly tensing up, entering the highest level of alert state.
How could it be possible? He was clearly at the peak state of semi-tailed-beastification at this moment, his perception capability amplified to the absolute limit by the power of the Six-Tails!
However, until this sound of clapping rang out, he had actually been completely oblivious to the comer's existence!
Cold sweat noiselessly soaked through his back spine.
The newcomer's strength was actually able to so perfectly evade his super perception under semi-tailed-beastification; its powerful degree was afraid already far overriding him at this moment.
His heart gradually sank down.
Very quickly, Utakata's vision locked dead onto the source of the clapping, which was not the deep part of the dark dense forest, but rather... that piece of empty sky!
He saw that beneath the firmament, a figure was levitating, carrying an invisible sense of oppression.
The iconic fox mask covered his countenance, leaving only a pair of deep and hard-to-fathom eyes; a suit of black robes rustled loudly in the wind;
And what was most impossible to ignore was that pair of giant and exaggerated wings condensed from pure chakra slowly fanning behind his back, every single light vibration bringing about minute energy ripples.
"The Collector..." Utakata's Adam's apple rolled for a moment, spitting out this name with difficulty.
Those in the ninja world attempting to imitate this mask were not few in number, but an existence capable of possessing such a majestic chakra wingspan and capable of appearing noiselessly before him, under all of heaven, only the true Collector!
The moment he confirmed the other party's identity, Utakata's tense nerves strangely relaxed down.
Under Takuno's gaze, he actively deactivated the state of semi-tailed-beastification.
The violent chakra rapidly retracted like an ebbing tide, returning once more within the seal.
"Oh?" Takuno's voice came through the mask, carrying a trace of playful curiosity, "Not going to attempt to resist a bit?"
Utakata shrugged his shoulders, his movement carrying a kind of resignation to fate.
"Resist? That is too troublesome." His tone was exceptionally calm.
"You are an existence who with one person's power suppressed the entire Iwagakure; even Iwagakure, which possesses two great Tailed Beasts and that Tsuchikage claimed to be even stronger than a Tailed Beast, was powerless to contend. I am merely the Jinchūriki of a single Tailed Beast, what do I have to fight against you?"
Of course, most importantly, Utakata also knew the Collector's purpose was merely a portion of Tailed Beast chakra, while having no interest in the Jinchūriki's life.
"Smart." Takuno nodded slightly, appearing as if praising, and also appearing as if terminating the pointless dialogue.
Before the sound of his voice fell, the chakra wings behind his back merely trembled extremely minutely, space appearing to be instantly folded.
The previous moment he was still in the air; the next moment, that masked figure had already like a ghost, without any warning, appeared in front of Utakata, close at hand!
Utakata's pupils once again violently shrunk due to shock!
Even having long given up resistance, the other party's terrifying speed that was close to teleportation still caused him to feel a shudder from the depths of his soul.
That was a swiftness that transcended the limit of visual capture!
His heart beat wildly in his chest cavity, a column of coldness rushing straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head; at this moment, he was incomparably glad for his seemingly cowardly, yet in reality incomparably wise choice just now.
Takuno did not have superfluous words, pressing one hand upon the seal core of Utakata's abdomen.
In a split second, countless profound seal spell writings flashing with faint light emerged like living things, permeating into Utakata's body gently yet tolerating no resistance.
Different from his thunderous methods when invading the Five-Tails' Tailed Beast space, facing Utakata's discretion, Takuno obviously chose a more soft and precise method.
Tailed Beast space, the sea of consciousness.
The massive body of the Six-Tails, Saiken, was crouched; its giant compound eyes gazed at Takuno who appeared in the form of a consciousness body before its eyes.
In a trance, it seemed to see that grand figure who once suppressed all Tailed Beasts with absolute power, that legendary God of the Shinobi World.
It had never thought that in this era, there could actually still be born a powerhouse so close, and even in certain aspects similarly causing people to despair!
Facing this situation and scene, it similarly did not have the thought of resisting.
Saiken let out a low buzz of unclear meaning, its massive body lowering slightly, giving up any form of resistance.
It allowed Takuno's sealing power to probe into its core, cutting away a portion of its origin chakra.
After Takuno unhurriedly incorporated that light sphere of Six-Tails chakra containing surging vitality into his body.
He took a look at Utakata before his eyes whose aura appeared slightly lethargic, tossing out a refined porcelain bottle with a casual hand.
"Take it."
And then, Takuno's figure disappeared from Utakata's line of sight.
Utakata caught it subconsciously; it was food pills, but it appeared a bit different again.
He silently put it away, subsequently carefully feeling the changes in his body.
Other than the Tailed Beast chakra indeed being weakened by a portion, his organs, meridians, and even the seal itself were all completely undamaged, and even...
Because of the reduction of the Tailed Beast's power, he felt that his control over the remaining chakra was instead a bit more relaxed and comfortable than before.
However, none of these were important anymore.
Having gone through this matter, the last trace of attachment in Utakata's heart was also thoroughly severed.
He raised his head, his gaze penetrating the dense tree canopy, looking toward the unknown depths in the distance.
This ninja world full of strife and chasing was already not worth his staying any longer.
Carrying unprecedented calm and decisiveness, Utakata took a final look at the direction Takuno disappeared in, turned around, took his strides, and entered alone, without turning his head, into that piece of dense forest that seemed capable of engulfing all of the past.