Kaimi was shocked. He knew Tailed Beasts could talk, but he hadn't expected one to be so talkative. Its chatter was like the incessant buzzing of summer cicadas, enough to drive anyone crazy.
He plopped down on the sand, frantically slammed the lid shut on the wooden box, then stared blankly at Rikusei, who had gone to fetch help.
Enduring the ear-splitting cacophony, Kaimi hurriedly took the tea kettle out of the box and reinforced its seals with Sealing Jutsu. At last, the maddening one-man show stopped, and the world returned to its former quiet.
"What's wrong, Rikusei?" Taiichi, wearing sunglasses, heard the call and hurried over. The people singing and dancing around the bonfire followed right behind him.
"First, summon your Agu Kikaichu." Rikusei held the tea kettle out toward them. The firelight fell unevenly across his face, and an inscrutable glint flashed in his eyes, reflecting the bonfire.
Aburame Taiichi shifted his gaze from the Sealing Talisman pasted on the tea kettle to Rikusei. He didn't know what had happened, but judging from Rikusei's resolute expression, it had to be important.
The buzz of beating wings came from his sleeves. Swarms of Kikaichū poured into the sky, gathering into a thick black cloud that blotted out some of the summer stars.
The shadow fell over them. Several people in the crowd came to their senses and stared at the insects massed like storm clouds. Back in the cave, few had paid attention to how many Kikaichū were crawling around their feet.
Rikusei gazed with satisfaction at the dark cloud overhead and held the tea kettle steady in his hands. "Try having the Kikaichū cover this."
"Is that a ninja tool for sealing the Nine-Tails?" Danzo asked uncertainly over the buzzing above them. "But why would you do that?"
Kaimi and his clansmen carried the wooden box over and explained to the puzzled crowd, "While Rikusei and I were talking just now, the Nine-Tails suddenly started arguing with itself."
"If it woke up and found itself split into twenty pieces, anyone would be furious," added Uzumaki Ashina, the white-bearded old man who'd been dancing the wildest by the bonfire. "Rikusei wants to fight noise with noise, using the insects' buzzing to give them a taste of how irritating it is."
Rikusei nodded to the crowd to confirm that was the idea. Hearing the same voice come from twenty mouths, arguing and accusing each other without pause, was even worse than the quacking of hundreds of ducks.
Taiichi tried to make the Kikaichū cover the tea kettle, but the swarm seemed to sense a pressure bearing down on them from the very depths of their souls. They hovered timidly in the air, afraid to approach.
Tension spread through the air. Taiichi, still wearing his sunglasses, calmly increased his chakra output. The swarm gathered into a black chain and wrapped around the tea kettle in an instant, hoisting it into the air.
"None of us wants to go to sleep at night with the Nine-Tails arguing nonstop beside us, right?"
The bonfire flames swayed in the wind, making the crowd's shadows flicker. As the shifting light and shadow crossed over one another, everyone agreed that Rikusei had a point.
"Should we ask Lord Hokage?" Hiruzen called from the front of the crowd, where he'd been watching the spectacle.
"Of cou—" Rikusei began, but a figure appeared out of nowhere and interrupted him.
"Keeping the Nine-Tails quiet is a good idea too." Tobirama suddenly appeared beside the wooden box and gave his verdict on the black sesame ball floating in the air.
Behind the iron gate inside the sealing space, the Nine-Tails' ears drooped. He pressed both hands tightly over them, trying to block out the irritating noise from outside. He had lived for so many years and had never suffered such indignity. Eyes squeezed shut, he whimpered softly.
They might as well just kill him. He'd come back to life in a decade or two anyway.
He'd woken up to find that, with the Uzumaki Clan's help, he'd been forced to learn the Shadow Clone Technique and split himself into twenty pieces. And that jutsu seemed to have been invented by the white-haired man outside.
He was so furious that he wanted to smash the ground of the sealing space with his fists. But the maddening buzz of insects kept him from freeing his hands, so all he could do was lash the ground with his tails to vent his frustration.
How infuriating!
So what if he'd argued with himself? Was there any need to target him like this? He was clearly weak. He wasn't nearly as powerful as Hashirama claimed—hadn't the Wood Buddha grabbed him in one hand?
The racket gradually faded into the distance. The sphere containing him descended toward the little Uchiha. Hiding behind the gate, he knew all too well that this was the calm before the storm.
His crimson fox eyes saw everything outside the sealing space clearly. The children gazed at the wooden box, beaming with excitement, their eyes full of anticipation—especially one purple-haired girl who came running over, ready to poke him.
Damn human brats. Just let me out. You'll be sorry when I get free.
"Is this the Nine-Tails?"
Naori, brought there by the Flying Thunder God, hurried over to Rikusei and steadied the short blade at her waist before clasping her hands behind her back.
She leaned slightly closer, sensing his slow, steady breathing. Surprise filled her shimmering eyes as she carefully examined the tea kettle in the boy's hands. The strongest Tailed Beast, capable of shaking heaven and earth, was sealed inside such a tiny jar. It felt like a dream.
She wanted to reach out and poke it, but worried it might bite her, so she quietly put her hand behind her back again.
After all, the Nine-Tails was a ferocious fox.
Rikusei, who had been holding the tea kettle the whole time, didn't think much of it. He just thought Naori looked adorable in the bonfire light, her cheeks puffed out.
Dragon Balls—no, Nine-Tails Balls.
At Tobirama and Ashina's direction, the little kettles lay quietly in their hands, no longer showing any of their earlier defiance. Their black, jade-like surfaces reflected the soft glow of the night.
Under the bright moon, twenty people stood in a circle, each holding a tea kettle containing part of the Nine-Tails. The solemn ceremony made them all look serious. The Uzumaki Clan had even thoughtfully drawn fake sealing arrays where they stood.
Rikusei, the one who'd come up with this ridiculous idea, stayed out of sight and basked in the clear moonlight as he began chanting silently to himself.
Chosen children!
At last, you've gathered all twenty Nine-Tails Balls. With the Uzumaki Clan's help, you can summon the incredibly powerful Nine-Tails and have any wish in your hearts granted.
But reality was quite the opposite. After the brave and fearless Nine-Tails was defeated by the evil Uchiha and Senju, the opportunistic Uzumaki split him into twenty pieces. His power to grant wishes had become a distant dream.
Rikusei took a few steps forward and set the tea kettle on the ground. His classmates followed his example, stacking theirs together one by one. The Kikaichū came swarming over and completely surrounded them.
Today was destined to be the most unforgettable day of the Nine-Tails' life. For Rikusei and the others, though, it was the day they would remember most fondly.
With Madara egging things on, the Bonfire Party reached its climax. The flames of Majestic Destroyer Flame, fanned by the Gunbai, set the Wood Golem and Great Buddha ablaze. Reborn in the flames, the Great Buddha continued to radiate its light across the earth beneath the starry sky, its face expressionless.
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