Zero-Tails

This was a diary, recording the life of a man from the Uji Clan.

The clan head acknowledged my abilities, describing me as calm yet crazy, the most capable young man in the clan. Crazy? I knew I wasn't crazy.

The clan head decided to groom me as his successor, and so I was given a secret technique.

Yin Release: Hashihime Technique

Compared to the Water-Shaped Companion Technique, there was no doubt this was a much more powerful Water Release secret technique.

But it was too cruel.

Before I could practice this technique, I needed to meet a prerequisite: a close blood relative, either my child or my sibling. A daughter or sister would be best.

I knew I wasn't crazy, but some things had to be done for the sake of power. I set my sights on a woman.

After ten months of pregnancy, that woman gave birth to my child. It was a boy. Though I felt inexplicably disappointed, I was also somewhat relieved...

The situation beyond our clan's borders was growing increasingly dire. There were rumors that the Senju and Uchiha Clans had produced two genius young clan leaders, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. They were said to be invincible on the battlefield, and every minor or major Shinobi Clan in their path fled in defeat. Their influence had spread, and the surrounding clans were building up their strength. Battles were becoming more frequent. To deal with the defeated clans driven from their territories, I had to prepare in advance.

Madmen, every last one of them! The Kaguya Clan are all madmen!!!

Aren't they afraid of dying!?

We were just passing through. Was it really necessary to fight us to the death!? How did Uchiha Madara manage to defeat these lunatics!?

Even dealing with the remnants of a defeated army was this difficult. That man was undoubtedly far stronger than me. It was time to make up my mind. With those two's strength, perhaps they could unify the warring states. Sooner or later, they would march here, and I would have to face their power. I absolutely refused to become a stray dog.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the child I had been waiting for was born. Cradled in my arms, she was so tiny and adorable. I named her Kyoko.

The child grew day by day, and we spent a relatively happy time together. Then, on the day she turned six, she learned to refine chakra. I knew the time had come.

The Hashihime Technique was an incredibly cruel jutsu.

That day, while she was asleep, I locked her in a water prison. During the preparations for the jutsu, I absolutely couldn't let her see my face. Only then would I have a chance of controlling her.

For seven days, I kept watch outside the water prison. At first, Kyoko only cried and called out for her dad. Her voice grew weaker and weaker, until it finally fell silent.

According to the jutsu's records, when animals—especially people—died while harboring intense negative emotions such as resentment, despair, and fear, their souls would linger in this world for a short time. Women were especially suited to serve as Yin Release vessels. At that moment, one could capture their souls and create true monsters, undying and immortal.

I entered the water prison. The last thing I saw was her tiny figure floating on the water. Then, following the records of the forbidden jutsu, I brought Kyoko back to life.

Just as I'd expected, Kyoko hadn't died. She'd merely changed into another form, one that would stay by my side forever. She still sweetly called me Dad and said she was happiest with me because I'd come to save her. I was glad.

The clan head was delighted when he saw Kyoko, too. He said he'd once tried the jutsu himself, but failed; his daughter had left him forever. My success proved beyond doubt that I could become a worthy clan head. That very day, I became the clan head. Wonderful. Everything was wonderful.

Recently, I'd begun to have a problem. The child had grown up and seemed to be getting rebellious. Kyoko didn't really obey me. She wouldn't eat properly, constantly crying out that she was hungry, hungry, hungry, and her temper was terrible.

I asked an elder for advice. He told me Kyoko couldn't eat human food. She needed to eat food meant specifically for her: fear, resentment, and hatred. At times like this, all I had to do was let her out to kill people.

I was worried, but there was no other way, so I could only follow the elder's instructions.

Kyoko was a born shinobi. No matter what kind of Water Release ninjutsu it was, she could perform it as she pleased without hand seals. She was incredibly powerful, and whenever she went into action, she could end a fight quickly. Gradually, I stopped worrying about her safety and began to let her hunt alone.

As Kyoko grew, her bloodlust grew stronger and stronger.

Until that day...

After my daughter went missing, my wife kept asking where Kyoko was, over and over, again and again. As the days passed, she became unreasonable and neurotic, constantly screaming at me hysterically. The love vanished from her gaze, replaced by murderous intent. After all, she'd once been an excellent shinobi. I couldn't hold back and let my own murderous intent show.

Then Kyoko noticed.

I couldn't stop her in time. She killed my wife.

I tried to bring her back, casting the resurrection secret technique over and over, but it had no effect.

That day, I lost the wife I loved most forever.

Then, another day, I lost my eldest son.

When had it begun?

I didn't understand. Was it because she was jealous that her older brother had my attention?

Just as I didn't know when Kyoko had developed a taste for eating people. When I discovered it, she was eating her brother.

From that moment on, I think I must have gone mad.

One day, someone told me the Warring States Era was over, and that an era of peace would follow. Led by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, they would bring everlasting peace to the Shinobi World.

What a joke... What a joke... What a joke!!!

I don't accept it! I don't accept it! I'll never accept it!

What peace!? What shinobi villages!? Do you think we're playing some childish make-believe game!?

God of Shinobi!? How arrogant!!!

I curse you! I curse all of you! I curse this Shinobi World!!!

Forever! Forever, it will be hell!!!

Yura closed the scroll, playing with a Summoning Scroll and a scarecrow in her hands.

The palm-sized scarecrow was the true form of the Hour of the Ox Worship, revered by the Uji Clan. Just as toads lived on Mount Myōboku, it needed a place to live. From Yura's shallow understanding of Sealing Jutsu, it seemed more like a seal. According to the vague references in the records, the Hour of the Ox Worship was Kyoko's final form after she matured: she completely abandoned her form made of Water Release chakra and became a vengeful spirit lingering in this world.

But...

"This method of using negative emotions feels familiar..." Yura rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Outside, the Hour of the Ox Worship was wreaking havoc. The cries of shinobi rang out again and again.

"Right." Yura remembered and muttered, "It's the Zero-Tails..."

It belonged to the Sky Ninja Village. The Sky Ninja Village was still a minor shinobi village in the Shinobi World, but the jutsu was a forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. Later, someone from the Sky Ninja Village stole it, along with the Eight Inner Gates.

This technique involved creating an artificial Tailed Beast. It could gather vast amounts of negative emotions, transform them into a living Tailed Beast, and draw upon the darkness in people's hearts to generate large amounts of Dark Chakra.

The difference between the two was that the former was made from one person's negative emotions, which had limits no matter how intense they were. The latter was made from the negative emotions of many people and could even reach the scale of a Tailed Beast.

Tobirama really was ruthless.

"Too bad..." Yura clicked her tongue and said, "There's no Hashihime Technique."

The technique had been passed down orally through generations of the Uji Clan, only between the previous and current clan heads. Nothing had ever been written down.

In that case, she'd have to find a way to sneak into Konoha and leech off the Second Hokage, the evil Tobirama Senju.

As for developing one herself, Yura had plenty of negative emotions but no way to use them. After seeing how shinobi worked, she finally had a few ideas.