Tailed Beasts and Sealing Techniques (Seeking Reads)

The Jinchuriki of Iwagakure were different from those of Konoha; having perfected their sealing techniques, both men had already mastered the majority of their Tailed Beast's power.

The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, was in his prime, but due to irreconcilable differences with the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, he had moved out to a valley on the outskirts of the village.

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, was actively contributing to Iwagakure. After unlocking the power of his Tailed Beast, he fully embraced the village's policies and had spent this period actively "Talk no Jutsu-ing" his comrades.

At dusk, Han, known as the "Steam Ninja," wore his red armor for a routine visit to Roshi. Just as he was about to complain about the recently famous AB Duo, Roshi suddenly stood up.

"You've grown lax, Han. We have visitors!"

"It seems the scouts on the perimeter have already been dealt with. This is no time for idle chatter."

Locking his hollowed-out mask over his chin, Roshi signaled his companion to prepare for battle with a grave expression. After sensing the area carefully, Han narrowed his eyes, pulled his red mask back over his face, and said:

"We're being looked down upon! Are these Kumogakure ninjas? What are those guys plotting now?"

"..."

After a brief exchange, the two took the initiative to strike. As Jinchuriki, they made no effort to conceal their chakra; as they sprinted, a tail manifested behind each of them.

On the other side, within the rapidly advancing Jiraiya squad, Minato Namikaze suddenly warned with a serious expression:

"Two powerful chakra signatures are moving toward us, and they are very fast."

Because the valley floor was flat and offered almost no cover, Jiraiya thought for a moment before shouting his orders:

"Take the initiative! Provide me cover!"

"Needle Jizo!"

The two team members in the rear responded immediately. Just as the two sides were about to collide head-on, Jiraiya's white hair suddenly elongated, the front portion transforming into a giant maw that lunged directly at his opponents.

Though bound by the white hair, Roshi made no wasted movements. His chakra suddenly turned scorching hot, and wisps of flame began to emerge from his body.

"Bang..."

Han, suddenly erupting in white steam, accelerated instantly. He charged in front of the three-man squad and kicked the dark-skinned man away in a single exchange. Just as he was about to pursue, Minato Namikaze immediately intervened with a kunai.

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

Jiraiya unleashed a large-scale ninjutsu to alter the terrain, forcing both sides to distance themselves. Minato Namikaze moved behind his teacher and whispered a warning:

"This is very troublesome. They must have already unlocked the power of their Tailed Beasts."

Seeing the swaying chakra tails behind the Jinchuriki, Jiraiya frowned slightly; a single tail was clearly not their limit.

"Konoha ninjas, one of the Sannin, Jiraiya! You've finally started taking the initiative!"

"It seems Ōnoki has put immense pressure on Konoha to have sent you here."

Arms crossed, Han provoked them calmly, seemingly not taking his opponents seriously at all. Conversely, Roshi stood to the side with a grave expression, cutting off his companion's "Talk no Jutsu" to speak for himself:

"Is it war again? It seems I need to teach you a lesson!"

"Han, stop the chatter! End this battle immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Tailed Beast chakra on both men erupted fully. To the shock of Jiraiya and his team, the massive, monstrous silhouettes and swaying tails appeared one after another.

From within the mouth of the red giant ape, Roshi crossed his arms and looked at his opponents, saying in a deep voice:

"Stop these meaningless probes. The only ones who can stand against us are the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

From the maw of the white, dolphin-faced beast, Han glared and roared:

"Die, Konoha scum!"

Pitch-black energy rapidly formed into a massive sphere. The Tailed Beast chakra erupting from the two men caused cold sweat to break out on the foreheads of Jiraiya and his team.

"Tailed Beast Bomb! It's already reached this level! Minato, we're retreating!"

Hearing Jiraiya's command, Minato Namikaze immediately alerted his two teammates. Facing the overwhelming, all-encompassing attack of the Tailed Beast Bomb, he rapidly flared his chakra to execute the Flying Thunder God technique.

"BOOM!"

A flash of white light was followed by a deafening roar in the valley. The shockwave spread rapidly, leveling every nearby outpost; the Tailed Beast Bomb had demonstrated its immense destructive power to the Konoha ninjas.

On the outskirts of the valley, the four men suddenly appeared, stumbling. The dark-skinned man fell to the ground, whispering in terror:

"Are we dead?"

"Open your eyes. Minato used the Flying Thunder God to get us out."

The effeminate teammate replied, his body still limp. Jiraiya, standing in front of them, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and whispered to his student:

"That was dangerous! We almost didn't make it out. I never expected them to have developed their Tailed Beasts to this extent."

At the thought of the world-shattering power he had just witnessed, Minato Namikaze felt a tightness in his chest. He began to worry about Kushina being forced onto the battlefield once the war broke out.

"Whoosh..."

Shu Furukawa and the Anbu captain appeared before the four of them instantly. Jiraiya was slightly taken aback when he saw the scars on their armor.

Before he could ask, Shu Furukawa warned:

"With that level of chakra, we need to evacuate as soon as possible. Minato-kun, do you need to replenish your stamina?"

Sensing the two Jinchuriki moving at high speed, Minato Namikaze didn't bother asking what had happened during the "cleanup" and spoke decisively:

"Teacher, we have to go! Hold onto me!"

As Minato Namikaze once again utilized the Flying Thunder God, the group began their rapid withdrawal.

Along the way, Shu Furukawa replenished Minato's chakra once, and with the aid of secret medicine, the two Jinchuriki soon lost track of their movements.

Stopping at the perimeter of the valley, Roshi and Han looked at their slaughtered companions in silence, until Han finally said in a low voice:

"Is that the ninjutsu mentioned in the intelligence? It's even more troublesome than anticipated."

"Ōnoki was right; Konoha always manages to produce genius ninja. They are the greatest threat."

Roshi remained silent, having only displayed the Tailed Beast Bomb as a warning for the others not to act rashly; he had no interest in serving as a tool in this war.

By the end of October, as the group entered the Land of Fire and neared the outskirts of Konoha, they finally relaxed, with Minato Namikaze even enthusiastically sharing his insights on sealing jutsu along the way:

"Sealing jutsu and Summoning Jutsu share some commonalities, as both involve space."

"The purpose of a sealing jutsu is to lock Tailed Beast chakra within a space to be drawn upon at will; if the formula is precise enough, it can even function independently of the meridian system."

"..."

After the explanation, Shu Furukawa, who had removed his mask, nodded. Seeing that Minato still had more to say, he continued to ask:

"Does controlling the chakra within a sealed space require immense mental energy? Or does the Tailed Beast control this power itself?"

Minato Namikaze scratched his head in embarrassment. Seeing his student's expression, Jiraiya laughed heartily and took over the conversation:

"That's a question Minato would find hard to answer definitively, Shu. Although he is gifted in sealing jutsu, he is not a Jinchuriki, after all."

"I am more proficient in Summoning Jutsu; advanced sealing techniques are extremely difficult to learn. You two should exchange ideas more often in the future."

"..."

When the group arrived at the village gates, they finally let their guard down completely. Minato Namikaze's two teammates even cheered aloud; following Jiraiya on missions was simply too dangerous.

No one asked about the "sacrificed" Root members. Jiraiya joked around with the gate-guarding Chunin, and Minato wore his signature radiant smile.

The Anbu captain had remained silent throughout the journey, but as they were about to part ways, he patted Shu Furukawa on the shoulder and said:

"Shu, your talent is even more outstanding than everyone expected. Give my regards to Lady Tsunade!"

The mask concealed the captain's expression, but Shu Furukawa understood that by recruiting him for this mission, the captain had made a political stance; within the direct-controlled Anbu, there were those who wished to continue serving the "Hokage."

"Thanks to the captain's guidance, I have learned a great deal along the way!"

Shu Furukawa responded modestly. Having joined forces to kill the Root ninja, the two now shared a "bond forged in life and death," which left the Anbu captain very satisfied.

Minato Namikaze, walking in front, keenly sensed the "unforeseen events" of the mission, but he did not want to dwell on them now. After witnessing the Tailed Beast Bomb, he grew increasingly worried about his beloved:

"Kushina, so that is the power possessed by the monster inside you."

"..."