"Kaede, answer this. As a tailed beast Jinchuriki, you should still remember how you earned your tailed beast's recognition, right?"
Yugito Nii looked the same as usual today, dressed in a fitted light-blue outfit patterned with cloud motifs. Her long hair was wrapped with bandages at the end into a long ponytail, resembling a little tail.
"Ah, ah, I know this one. I had a tug-of-war match with Chōmei, and I won in the end!"
Kaede jumped up from where she stood. Back then, she had suffered quite a bit in order to gain her tailed beast's recognition and use its power.
The two sides had been locked in a stalemate, fighting to seize Chakra from each other. By the end, it was no longer a simple contest of strength—it had become a pure battle of willpower. If she endured, she could use the tailed beast's power and make it her own.
If she failed to endure, the outcome was even simpler. The Eight-Tails Rampage and the Nine-Tails Rampage were the consequences.
It had been a tug-of-war for her life. She could not afford to lose.
"A tug-of-war? That's really impressive..." Ando, who was practicing sword swings nearby, quietly cracked a joke while taking the chance to relax for a moment. Unfortunately, Yugito Nii noticed immediately.
"Keep your posture straight. Don't loosen your grip on the sword."
Kazeki, who was learning a new Wind Release ninjutsu nearby, had not been slacking off. She was staring intently at the scroll in her hands, occasionally forming hand seals, though she too had been somewhat distracted earlier.
Yugito Nii shook her head. She could guess what Kazeki was thinking, but she did not expose her and continued teaching Kaede about matters requiring attention when using a tailed beast's power.
She leaned forward, pressing