The Nine-Tails, bound by layer upon layer of sealing formulas, slowly opened its demon fox eyes and looked toward Hyuga Kagami as he entered the sealing chamber.
"Hokage!?"
Its gaze was quickly drawn to the Hokage's ceremonial robe draped over Hyuga Kagami's shoulders, and a flicker of surprise crossed its face.
Having been sealed inside the Reaper's stomach together with Minato, then immediately sealed away by Shion after escaping, this half of the Nine-Tails did not know much about the Ninja World's situation over the past decade or so. Nor did it know of the God Organization. However, it still recognized the conspicuous Hokage's ceremonial robe on Hyuga Kagami.
Then, it noticed the cracks on Hyuga Kagami's face and grew suspicious. Impure World Reincarnation?
Hyuga Kagami did not stop walking and went straight to the Nine-Tails. "I was originally planning to continue punishing you, but the situation has changed. You sensed it too, didn't you?"
On the way here, he had deliberately changed into the Hokage's robe.
"Hmph!"
The Nine-Tails snorted heavily and turned its head away.
In the past, if some mere ninja had spoken to it in that tone, it would have attacked long ago. At the very least, it would have unleashed a torrent of curses. But after suffering the combined beating from Shion and Karin, it had learned how to properly adjust its attitude around Hyuga Kagami.
After all, both the fully matured Miko and Karin, who possessed the Rinnegan, had shown it through actual combat whose fists were harder here.
And those two women, each as powerful in its eyes as the First Hokage, were actually subordinates of the man before it. Not to mention that he wore the Hokage's ceremonial robe, clearly marking him as Konoha's Fifth Hokage.
When facing such a powerful opponent,