The Nine-Tailed Boar Discussion

The scorching sun of midsummer dipped below the horizon, yet the lingering rays dodged the shade of the trees, still proudly baking the earth.

Uzumaki Kaimi controlled the chakra chains extending from his back with an excited expression. The chains interlaced in the air, playing a melody belonging to the Uzumaki Clan as he and his clansmen bound the slumbering Nine-Tails tight. The trussed-up beast looked exactly like the wild boars lying beside the young ninjas behind them.

They were truly far too cautious.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Nine-Tails had already been drained of its chakra by the Hokage's Wood Golem and had fallen into a deep sleep. Yet, the people of the Uzumaki Clan continued to squander their chakra, using the Adamantine Sealing to lash the Nine-Tails down to the ground, both lengthwise and crosswise.

The chains ceased their clatter, and Rikusei stopped his work on the wild boar to look toward the Nine-Tails. He saw a golden, chain-wrapped rice dumpling; it was likely Nine-Tailed Fox flavored. He wondered if one might gain some peculiar ability after consuming it.

Uzumaki Ashina gazed at their masterpiece with indifference. Far from finding it inappropriate, he stood with his hands on his hips, feeling quite satisfied—no treatment was too harsh for the Nine-Tails.

In his long life, he had frequently assisted other ninja clans, sealing countless monsters that possessed strange abilities. For those capable of verbal communication, most had eventually become summoning beasts with the help of the Uzumaki Clan—though, of course, a fee was required for such services.

He couldn't help but want to ask the two men atop the Wood Golem if they had any such ideas, but he quickly dismissed the thought in his heart; given their strength, they likely had no need for such things.

He had, after all, witnessed the scene of the Nine-Tails being beaten to a pulp with his own eyes.

At the very beginning of the mission, Hashirama had shared his idea of sealing Tailed Beasts to sell to other hidden villages, using the power of the beasts to maintain a balance of strength in the ninja world so that the major nations would not dare to start wars at will.

Having nearly reached the end of his long life, Uzumaki Ashina had seen far too much. At first, he had felt it was somewhat naive; human greed could not be restrained. Just like the various monsters they were commissioned to seal, many were only invited because the ninja clans themselves could no longer handle the power they had sought to obtain.

Yet, when peace truly arrived, he, having experienced all manner of war, cherished it immensely. He felt nothing but admiration for any exploration that dared to extend that peace. If he were younger, he would certainly have joined Hashirama in maintaining this hard-won tranquility.

After all, this was Hashirama's contemplation on peace, his own personal insight on how to prolong it, given his existing experience.

He was now considering whether to use the commission fee provided by Konoha to purchase some; he didn't require a large amount of Tailed Beast chakra, just enough to be usable.

Given the location of Uzushio Village, they had to be wary of the newly established Kirigakure across the ocean. It was rumored that many clans with bloodline limits had joined them. Although Konoha was behind them, they still needed to strengthen their own power.

The white hair blowing in the wind interfered with his vision, pulling his thoughts back. Fortunately, his foolish son wasn't truly stupid; he still understood a few things.

For instance, clinging tightly to Konoha's leg.

"Father, how should we handle this next?"

A vibrant voice reached his ears. The face, no longer young beneath the graying hair, smiled. Ashina sighed that it was easy for a man of his age to let his mind wander, then straightened his face and said in a deep voice, "You must call me Clan Leader!"

"Right, Father, how should we handle this next?" Kaimi, who had run over dragging long chains across the ground, asked again with excitement.

With complex emotions, Ashina calmed his slightly heaving chest and recited in his heart, He is my own flesh and blood, three times like a mantra. Once calm, he directed the ninjas of the Uzumaki Clan to gather and release their chakra.

The concentrated chakra formed a massive blue hand that grabbed the Nine-Tails, suddenly dragging the beast's signature red chakra out of its body. The Nine-Tails visibly shriveled, and the chains coiled around its gaunt frame like golden pythons, binding it tight.

The red chakra and blue chakra connected in the air like a long thread. The slumbering Nine-Tails suddenly opened its eyes, fury burning in its red fox pupils as it realized the situation in an instant.

The red hair and the golden chains that no beast could break free from—its groggy brain gradually cleared, telling it that this was the Uzumaki Clan, masters of sealing.

The despicable humans had defeated it, yet they were not satisfied and wanted to seal it away completely. Unable to move, the Nine-Tails could only open its abyss-like maw, filled with fangs, and roar wantonly to vent its overflowing rage.

The roar that shook the heavens carried despair and fury, the sound waves forming tangible ripples in the air as they spread outward.

The Yin-Yang Hot Pot bubbling atop the Wood Golem trembled incessantly, as if resonating with the sound waves. Unable to spare much attention, Uchiha Madara hurriedly steadied the iron pot to prevent the entire meal from spilling out.

"Indeed, the Nine-Tails is truly strong." Feeling his scalded fingers returning to their original state, Madara agreed with Hashirama's previous conclusion with a serious expression, then stood up decisively and activated his Sharingan.

"Wait a moment, Madara." After using Wood Release to reinforce the hot pot, Hashirama hurriedly wiped the red, oily stains from the corners of his mouth and stopped him. "The Uzumaki Clan is connected to the Nine-Tails' chakra; the effects of your ocular jutsu will be greatly weakened. Let me use Wood Release once more."

Heart-dead, the Nine-Tails gazed listlessly at the approaching Wood Golem. The familiar sensation of being stroked returned to its head, and its lusterless vertical pupils slowly closed. A fatigue that reached its soul finally plunged it into a deep sleep.

The turmoil caused by the roar fell into silence along with the Nine-Tails' slumber. Rikusei, who had dropped all his kunai onto the ground, gazed at the bustling sealing site, his eyes turning as he pondered in his heart: Was this a painless sealing surgery?

"Are there any other ninja tools not made of special metal?" Tobirama looked at the mountain of shuriken and kunai with a beaming face, continuing to entice the children. "This is a trade-in; once we return to the village, the teacher will provide extra compensation to everyone. Nao, have you recorded the quantities?"

"I have, Teacher."

The little girl with the golden ponytail nodded in response; this level of mental arithmetic was quite simple.

"Very good." Tobirama nodded, signaling them to move away from him. He channeled the chakra within his body and began a display of forging prowess. After using Shadow Clones, five Tobiramas performed hand seals in unison, casting five types of elemental jutsu to successfully forge the largest pot in the ninja world.

The massive pot lay quietly on the ground, its entire body radiating a cold, black light after being tempered by Lightning Release.

Rikusei glanced nonchalantly at the excited Danzo, wondering in his heart if anyone would want to test their strength by trying to carry the pot.

Baru took the lead, running to the side of the massive pot and touching it with great surprise, indicating he wanted to test his strength to see if he could carry it.

Sure enough, Baru sparked a trend of pot-carrying, and Danzo, his excitement plain to see, also wanted to participate actively.

The blades sliced easily through the pre-targeted areas, and the severed portions were instantly loaded into pre-prepared containers, stored, and placed where they belonged.

The massive body was filled with all sorts of wonders; the deeper one went, the more one couldn't help but be amazed by the greatness of life.

The two groups of people, each on their own side, used different knives to slice the wild boar into pieces and pack the Nine-Tails into the sphere at the same time.

Rikusei and Kaimi raised their knives in unison, the distinct blades flashing with the last of the sunset's rays, and exclaimed, "Truly a fine blade."