"Kill you, kill you..."
Gaara's expression was frantic, constantly repeating this phrase, making people feel afraid.
"This level is about enough. If I make any more of a fuss, it will draw people over."
Jokichi smiled, his hands forming seals.
"Wood Release: Binding Technique."
The ground beneath Gaara cracked. Three tender shoots grew at a visible rate, forming vines the thickness of a bowl that bound him tightly.
Gaara struggled with all his might, but could never break free. These plants, which looked no different from ordinary vines, were absorbing his chakra.
Seeing this, Jokichi slowly walked towards him.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Suddenly, dark shadows flashed in front of him.
Kankuro and Temari stood in front of Gaara holding weapons.
"Don't take another step forward."
The two had tense bodies, staring intently at Jokichi, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
Jokichi smiled slightly. He brought the index and middle fingers of his left hand together and held them vertically in front of him. Invisible airwaves spread out from his body.
"What's going on?"
Kankuro and Temari were surprised to find their bodies unable to move.
"It's a curse binding technique." Jokichi chuckled lightly. "When I was behind you earlier, I already planted the seed of the curse binding."
"Relax, I won't do anything to you, nor will I hurt you."
Jokichi kept his left hand in the seal position, walking indifferently between the two. He arrived in front of Gaara, then reached out his right hand towards the broken wound on his forehead.
Suddenly, a handful of sand flew off Gaara's body, tightly wrapping around Jokichi's right hand.
"Die!" Gaara grinned and laughed wildly.
"Sand Binding Coffin."
As the words fell, the sand suddenly tightened. Just as Gaara thought the sand would crush Jokichi's arm, a few tree roots and branches burst out from inside, instantly blowing the sand away.
"To still have the ability to counterattack while having your chakra absorbed by Wood Release. The power of a Tailed Beast truly cannot be underestimated!" Jokichi smiled and added a few vines to Gaara's body using Wood Release.
The chakra absorption increased greatly, and Gaara no longer had the ability to counterattack.
Seeing this, Jokichi reached out and wiped Gaara's head, getting some blood.
[Ding! Detected special material "Blood of Solitude", can forge special items "Desert Crystal", "Lonely Heart", "Surprise Gourd", "National Treasure", "Absolute Defense", "Magnetic Crystal". Do you wish to forge?]
No power of Shukaku?
Is the level of stimulation not enough?
Jokichi frowned slightly, turning to look at Gaara. When he saw the sand with violet patterns on his body, his eyes couldn't help but light up. He immediately reached out and grabbed a handful.
[Ding! Detected special material "Sand Containing Shukaku's Chakra", can forge special item "Ring of Shukaku". Do you wish to forge?]
"No."
Chanting silently in his mind, Jokichi refocused his attention on Gaara.
This guy had already fallen into a state of madness. If he released him, he might just release Shukaku directly.
After a moment's thought, Jokichi put the blood and sand into containers and stored them away, then—
"Let me help you reinforce your seal!"
Jokichi formed a seal with one hand. Then, five clumps of chakra flames appeared on his five fingers, labeled Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth respectively.
Jokichi had the vines lift Gaara's clothes, revealing the seal formula on his body, then pressed down hard.
"Five Elements Seal!"
Chakra was injected into Gaara's seal, forming another layer of shackles.
This layer of shackles would disrupt the chakra connection between Shukaku and Gaara, making it difficult for him to control his chakra.
That's right, this was the sealing jutsu Orochimaru used to reinforce Naruto's seal in the second Chunin Exam, an A-rank forbidden jutsu.
After doing all this, Jokichi released all bindings.
As soon as Kankuro and Temari were released from their bindings, their first reaction was to attack Jokichi.
But Gaara fainted straight away.
A massive amount of his chakra had been absorbed by Wood Release, making his body weak. Now he no longer had the support of Shukaku's chakra, plus he hadn't slept for over ten years, so his mind was already exhausted.
Therefore, he just fainted directly.
Temari hurriedly supported Gaara, while Kankuro stood in front of the two, guarding them closely.
Jokichi smiled uncaringly, "Hurry up and find a place for him to get a good sleep. This guy's mental state is too poor. I reckon this sleep will take several days before he wakes up."
Kankuro hesitated. He looked back at Temari, and seeing her nod, he put away the bandage-wrapped puppet and retreated.
"We will truthfully report what happened today to Lord Kazekage." The two left this sentence behind, then supported Gaara and left using the Body Flicker Jutsu.
"Eh, wait..."
Sakura hurriedly tried to stop them, but was a step too late. The three from Sunagakure had already gone far.
"What's wrong, Sakura?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"We haven't asked their purpose for coming to Konoha." Sakura explained, "Although Sunagakure and Konoha are allies, without permission, their ninjas are not allowed to enter each other's territory without authorization."
"It should be for the Chunin Exams in a few days!" Jokichi spoke up.
"Yamato leaving this morning might also be because of this. I guess he'll get the Chunin Exam application forms and come find us tomorrow."
"Eh, is that so?" The two gasped in amazement.
"It should be." Jokichi said uncertainly.
"I'm a bit tired, so I'll go back first. You guys should also think carefully about whether you want to participate in the Chunin Exams. It's not a mandatory requirement."
"Mhm!"
...
After saying goodbye to Naruto and Sakura, Jokichi returned home with a feeling of urgency.
Entering the dojo, he closed the door, turned on the lights, and took out the blood and sand.
The system's prompt sounded in his mind once again.
Jokichi didn't even think, directly choosing to forge.
Instantly, seven items appeared in his hand.
Jokichi didn't look closely, aiming directly at the gray ring with violet patterns on it.
"Ring of Shukaku: The ring contains all of Shukaku's chakra and attributes, and the wearer can use them at will."
[Ding! Detected that the Ring of Shukaku and the Ring of Kurama belong to the same origin, possessing the potential for fusion. Do you wish to fuse?]
[Friendly reminder: Detected that the shared origin of the Ring of Shukaku and the Ring of Kurama has a massive amount of defects. Direct fusion and upgrading may cause the item to be incomplete. It is recommended to gather all identical origins before forging.]
"Of course I won't fuse them!"
Jokichi smiled and put the Ring of Shukaku on his left index finger, feeling the power contained within Shukaku.
In terms of chakra alone, the gap between Shukaku and the Nine-Tails was simply too huge, just like Kakashi and Naruto.
However, Shukaku's chakra contained special attributes, able to freely control sand and use the Kekkei Genkai 'Magnet Release'.
Perhaps it was inferior to the Ring of Kurama in power, but its functionality was not something the former could compare with.
As for the other identical origins mentioned by the system, they should be the other seven Tailed Beasts.
Jokichi prepared to go look for them after the Chunin Exams ended and he had gathered the body tissues of Orochimaru and the First and Second Hokage.