"Kurama, watch closely. I'm only going to do this once!"
"Oh! No problem. This old man can learn Konoha-Style Swordsmanship at a glance!"
The girl with fox ears rested a hand on them and drew Futsu-no-Mitama from her waist. The gleaming blade tip danced with the motion of her wrist, gracefully disturbing the air in front of her.
"Is this right?"
Nine tails, as tall as mountains, churned the wind and clouds, perfectly replicating the technique she had just demonstrated. They pierced the freshly tilled earth, leaving nine sword scars that plunged deep underground and thoroughly prepared the ground for planting.
The Tailed Beasts' ability to learn was on par with what people called genius.
Seated on a bench, Naori watched Mao teach the Tailed Beast. She took a sip of juice made at a Rōran factory and marveled at the Tailed Beast's learning ability.
The reason behind this was simple. After draining her juice in one go, Naori looked at the empty tin can and reflected on the conclusion she had reached from her recent observations.
The large-scale separation of the Tailed Beasts had left the chakra within them far less abundant than it had been when they were whole.
It was like people in the age of the Ninjutsu Sect, who used Hand Seals to make rational use of the chakra in their bodies through the concept of "techniques," compensating for the combat strength lost through division.
"Rumble—"
A harsh, grinding buzz came from the path through the woods. Unlike the sounds of carriages or airships, it caught Naori's attention. She turned her face toward the blur streaking past at high speed.
It was a wheelchair.
Its wooden wheels raced faster than a galloping carriage. The blazing wheels roared and spat sparks as they sped toward her.
"Skrrt—"