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Night fell, and Mujin and Karin took shelter beneath a large rock, where they lit a small fire. A gentle breeze rustled through the air, brushing against Karin's hair as she leaned her head on Mujin's shoulder. The two sat in silence, gazing up at the stars twinkling in the night sky.
After a long while, Mujin spoke. "I'll leave the watch to you. I'm going to have a chat with that troublesome Shukaku."
"Mm," Karin replied, then tilted her head to look at him. "Is it really that noisy? Can't you just reinforce the seal so it behaves?"
"It's possible, but reinforcing the seal would also reduce the amount of chakra it leaks out. For now, I'll try talking to it. If that doesn't work, we can consider other options."
"Mm." Karin smiled and snuggled closer to Mujin.
Mujin slowly closed his eyes, and in an instant, he appeared within the sealing space inside his mind.
BANG!!!
Shukaku leapt to its feet, slamming violently against the thick prison bars. It glared at Mujin with ferocious eyes, roaring, "You brat! How dare you do this to me! I won't forgive you! I'll kill you!! Kill you!!!"
To Shukaku, its current state felt akin to being castrated and sent to live as a eunuch in a palace—after all, a part of its essence had been severed.
The part associated with 'yang.'
Anger was inevitable.
But Mujin didn't mind Shukaku's foul attitude. After all, considering what he had done to it… well, it was understandable.
"Shukaku, let's talk."
"I've got nothing to say to you!!!"
BANG!!!
Shukaku slammed into the sealing gate once more.
Mujin thought for a moment, then opened the black pupil on his forehead, materializing the Yin Staff in his hand. With a tap on the ground, ripples spread outward, and the dark cage and gate vanished instantly. The power of the Idō Eye transformed their surroundings into an endless desert.
Shukaku froze momentarily, then lunged toward Mujin with a roar!
However, Mujin raised his staff, and a massive 'Seal' character appeared before him.
BOOM!!!
Shukaku collided with it head-on, leaving it disoriented. Despite the change in scenery, this was still the sealing space.
"Shukaku, let's talk," Mujin repeated calmly.
"You bastard! Don't think you can fool—" Shukaku began ranting but stopped abruptly when it noticed the black pupil on Mujin's forehead and the Yin Staff in his hand. "Eh? O-Old Man!?"
Mujin glanced at the staff in his hand and realized why Shukaku was confused. The Yin Staff, constructed from Yin Release energy, was modeled after the Rinnegan Staff used by the Sage of Six Paths. Combined with the black eye on his forehead, it was no wonder Shukaku mistook him for the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths.
After some consideration, though pretending to be the Sage's reincarnation might make things easier, Mujin decided against it. "No, Shukaku, you're mistaken. I am not the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths."
Shukaku immediately jumped up, pointing accusingly at Mujin. "If you're not the Sage, then how could you possibly know who I'm talking about when I say 'Old Man'?! There's only one truth!"
Ah…
Shukaku truly lived up to its reputation as the cultured beast among tailed beasts.
Logically speaking, there was no flaw in its reasoning…
Mujin sighed and tried to explain. "Regardless, I assure you, I am not the Sage. His chakra has yet to reincarnate and remains in the Pure Land. The reason I know these things is because… well, the Uzumaki clan are descendants of Asura, and I learned about it from our clan records."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shukaku plopped down onto the ground, crossing its arms smugly. "And did those records tell you the Sage's chakra is in the Pure Land? Besides, the Uzumaki clan has evolved over thousands of years—they don't even know their origins anymore. Have you ever seen any Uzumaki claiming to be descendants of the Sage?"
Mujin was stunned. He never expected a situation where telling the truth wouldn't be believed!
Taking a deep breath, he spoke again with utmost seriousness. "Shukaku, deceiving others' feelings is something I detest deeply. While I do possess knowledge of certain secrets in the shinobi world, I assure you, I have no connection to the Sage of Six Paths."
Seeing Mujin's earnest expression, Shukaku finally wavered. Hesitantly, it asked, "You're really not the Old Man?"
"I'm really not."
A moment of silence passed between them.
"An illegitimate child?" Shukaku ventured.
"No!"
Careful—not even the Sage himself jumping out of the Pure Land could fix your logic here!
After this exchange, Shukaku seemed less agitated. After another pause, it sighed dejectedly and looked at Mujin with a lackluster expression. "Fine, then what do you want to discuss?"
Finally back on topic, Mujin's demeanor grew calm. "I need your strength for my revenge. In return, I'll grant you certain privileges. This environment is part of the deal. Additionally, if I succeed in my revenge, I may release you from the seal entirely. And rest assured, this won't take long."
"But if a tailed beast leaves, the jinchūriki dies. How can you release me?"
"Yin Release techniques, or perhaps capturing another tailed beast. I've heard the Three-Tails acts like a wild animal—it might not distinguish between reality and illusion."
"Isobu…" Shukaku's expression turned distant, and it chuckled. "That guy really is dumb. We're all made of chakra energy, yet it insists on taking physical form. Because of that, it struggles to regenerate and ends up weaker than everyone else. Such a fool."
At this, Mujin understood.
In the future, when Akatsuki captured the Three-Tails, Deidara had simply bombed it into submission. Normally, tailed beasts shouldn't suffer such injuries since they're composed of pure chakra. Like Shukaku, it had been dispersed countless times in Konoha by Jiraiya but always regenerated instantly. But Isobu, struck once, was defeated because it had taken on a physical form.
Shukaku laughed heartily for a bit, then grew serious. "Who knows how many years it will take for something like that to happen. Fine, I'll cooperate, but on one condition. If you can't meet it, then see if you can completely seal me away instead!"
---
Back in reality, Mujin slowly opened his eyes.
Karin looked at him with concern. "How did it go?"
Mujin nodded, about to speak, when suddenly a whirlwind kicked up before them. With a pop, a tiny version of Shukaku materialized.
"Well," Mujin said, gesturing to the miniature tanuki, "as you can see, it agreed to cooperate. The price? Letting it out occasionally for fresh air. It also promised to help in battle when needed. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen—I'm not sure what it's plotting."
"Rest assured, I'm not some untrustworthy tailed beast!" Tiny Shukaku waddled around proudly, sniffing the air. "Ohhh, this is fresh air! It's been ages since I smelled anything like this!"
Mujin chuckled softly. "Are you getting senile? Didn't you just rampage through Konoha a couple days ago?"
"That's different! That place reeked of war. These scents of earth and grass are entirely unique. Do you know how long it's been since I smelled something like this? Decades!"
Tiny Shukaku jumped up excitedly, only to be scooped into Karin's arms.
Karin stared at Mujin with wide, sparkling eyes. "Mujin-niisan! Can you give it to me?"
"What?! Are you treating me like some kind of toy?! Let go of me, you wretch!" Shukaku squirmed furiously, but the limited chakra it was allowed to manifest rendered it powerless against Karin. In its struggle, one of its arms was accidentally torn off.
Karin held the detached arm, looking startled. "Ah, it broke…"
Mujin laughed. "Just reattach it. It's tough—you don't need to feed it or take it to the bathroom. Pretty easy to take care of."
"What?! Are you treating me like a pet?! I never agreed to this!"
Then again, you never said no either, right?
Mujin had initially found the situation troublesome, but seeing how much Karin liked it, he decided to let it slide—for now.
After all, throughout his life, he hadn't given Karin many proper gifts.
Because everything Karin cherished… inevitably ended up broken for no reason.
In that cursed village…