"Tap, tap, tap..."
The two walked forward along the way. Finally, after turning a few corners, they saw the prison cell at the very end.
It was a cage with thick metal bars, and a sealing tag was pasted right in the center.
The inside of the cell was pitch black. Only two beastly eyes the size of water vats, glowing with an eerie red light, could be seen.
"Come here, closer, come closer..."
A seductive voice echoed nearby.
Naruto swallowed hard as he looked at those beastly eyes. His legs involuntarily stepped forward, walking toward the cage.
When he got close, extremely sharp claws reached out from the gap in the prison door, trying to kill Naruto. But just on the verge of succeeding, they were firmly stuck by the metal bars.
Naruto was startled and fell flat on his butt.
Because of this, he also clearly saw the true face of the Nine-Tails.
It was a massive fox covered in orange fur, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. Nine tails danced wildly behind it.
It looked very fierce, but it wasn't as terrifying as he had imagined.
Compared to the terrifying scenes he had pictured in his head before seeing its true face, it was simply much more docile.
"Hey, you bastard actually scared me!"
Naruto stood up, pointing at the Nine-Tails and scolding it with an arrogant attitude.
"Detestable Uzumaki Naruto..."
The Nine-Tails also gritted its teeth while looking at him. Its claws firmly pressed against the door, wanting to rush out and kill him.
Naruto was initially scared into taking a few steps back. However, seeing that the Nine-Tails couldn't break through the prison door, he instantly felt relieved.
He wore a proud look on his face.
"You stinky fox, living in someone else's body and still being so arrogant. Serves you right!"
"Living in?"
The Nine-Tails widened its eyes. Then, as if discovering something hilarious, it laughed loudly.
"Speak, what are you doing here?"
"To lend your power to Naruto."
Jokichi walked slowly from a distance.
"I mean your pure chakra, the kind without negative will."
The Nine-Tails looked over at the sound. Seeing Jokichi, it sneered.
"I was wondering how Naruto got in. So you were helping him. However..."
The corners of the Nine-Tails' mouth curled up slightly, mocking him.
"Why should I listen to you?"
As the words fell, a torii gate suddenly dropped from the sky. It firmly caught the Nine-Tails' neck and pinned it to the ground.
Next, nine more torii gates fell from the sky in succession, suppressing its nine tails respectively.
"Speak politely to me, Nine-Tails!"
Jokichi's eyes turned very cold as he looked at the giant fox, full of killing intent.
"Although it wasn't your fault, it is a fact that my parents died by your hands. Seeing you, it's already very difficult for me to suppress my killing intent. Don't provoke me again."
"Damn it, you even learned the Gate of the Great God, you detestable brat."
The Nine-Tails stared indignantly at Jokichi in front of it.
"Clearly a brat like Naruto, yet you've grown to this extent."
"Nine-Tails, humans and Tailed Beasts are different."
Jokichi said indifferently.
"You should be able to see the situation outside from inside Naruto's body. Then you should also know that I only recently mastered Wood Release, and you understand even more what this means."
"That's right, I reckon it won't be long before you can catch up to Senju Hashirama."
The Nine-Tails glared fiercely at Jokichi, baring its fangs as it spoke.
"And with that level of Wood Release, it's a breeze for you to help Naruto snatch my chakra."
"As long as you understand. Then lend your chakra to Naruto!"
"Stop joking around."
The Nine-Tails roared furiously.
The high-decibel volume whipped up a gale, causing the entire sealing space to vibrate.
Jokichi frowned and clapped his hands together.
An even larger torii gate fell from the sky, pinning the Nine-Tails' waist down as well.
Instantly, the sealing space quieted down.
But the Nine-Tails continued to glare fiercely at Jokichi. The ferocity in its beastly eyes stared at him unyieldingly.
"Do you think you can make me submit with just power?"
The Nine-Tails said disdainfully.
"Kid, even if you have the ability to help Naruto snatch my chakra in the future, you can't do it now. That kid Naruto is too weak."
"He can only accept a tiny bit of my power. Even if it's chakra without malice, he can't control much. You want to bluff me into helping him control the chakra output? How could such a petty trick deceive me."
Jokichi lowered his head, replying in a cold voice.
"My patience is limited."
"Then kill this old man!"
The Nine-Tails provoked loudly.
"Saying it wasn't my fault so you suppressed your killing intent when you saw this old man. You're just afraid that if you kill me, Naruto will die too! Humans are just hypocrites!"
"Eh!"
Naruto, who had been in a state of confusion because he couldn't understand the conversation between the Nine-Tails and Jokichi, finally recovered his senses.
He looked at the proudly laughing Nine-Tails, then at Jokichi, who stood with his head lowered without saying a word.
He asked carefully.
"This stinky fox isn't trying to scare you, is it?"
"No."
Jokichi shook his head slightly.
"After a Tailed Beast is sealed in a person's body, it becomes one with the human. It is an existence as important as the heart."
"Once the Tailed Beast is lost, the host will die. Conversely, if the host dies, and the Tailed Beast cannot be released beforehand, it will also die."
"Eh, eh, eh!"
Naruto was startled.
Jokichi looked up at Naruto, his face completely calm.
"Naruto, are you willing to trust me?"
"Eh?"
Naruto froze for a moment.
He stared blankly at Jokichi. The other party had a calm face, but the gaze in his eyes was incredibly serious.
He realized something, and a free and easy smile appeared on his face.
"You are the first friend I made, and the one who brought me light during the darkest time of my life."
"Even if you hold a kunai to pierce my throat, I would think you are doing it for my sake. I asked you to help me train, so go ahead and do it!"
You idiot!
The Nine-Tails cursed silently, looking up at Jokichi.
The other party revealed a gratified smile.
"Rest assured, Naruto, even if you really die, I will resurrect you. What's more, I will absolutely not let you die."
Jokichi made a sincere promise, then walked step by step toward the sealed gate.
"Nine-Tails, haven't you always wanted to escape the seal?"
"This Eight Trigrams Sealing Style combined from the Four Symbols Seal and the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, although I didn't know it before, but now..."
Jokichi smiled lightly. A touch of yellow eyeshadow appeared on his eyes, and a tiny pinhole formed in his pupils.
"You, who can extract natural energy, should understand chakra control in Sage Mode, right! Now, even without the unlocking key, I can undo the seal."
"At that time, I will help Naruto snatch the chakra from your body. If he loses control because he can't handle that massive chakra, I will kill you."
"Come and try it then. This old man will absolutely not lend chakra to Naruto."
The Nine-Tails was completely unafraid.
"Is that so?"
Jokichi arrived in front of the large gate and stopped. His hands began to form seals.
The Mobile Library recorded the Four Symbols Sealing technique. A single one was an S-rank forbidden jutsu.
Trying to use them in a forward and reverse combination was harder than climbing to heaven. Even with Kakashi's talent, it would be difficult to learn in a short time.
However, in Sage Mode, Jokichi's chakra control had reached an unprecedented height.
Using this level of sealing jutsu was no longer a difficult task.