Damn Brat
Outside Konoha, flames burn and the wind howls in the wilderness.
Taiichi's question at this moment, combined with the surrounding environment, inexplicably carried a threatening connotation.
This caused the Nine-Tails's enormous body to tremble almost imperceptibly, and a complex emotion flashed in its scarlet beast eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.
It didn't refute, but simply snorted heavily through its nose, which was taken as Taiichi's statement about "shrinking".
Minato observed everyone's reactions, especially noticing that Utatane Koharu seemed to want to voice her objections.
He knew the opportunity was fleeting, and he understood that with the Third Kazekage and Mitokado Homura present, this overly "radical" plan would likely be rejected. As the Fourth Hokage, he had to make a decisive decision!
"Alright!" Minato's voice suddenly rose, filled with the unquestionable authority of Hokage. He looked around at everyone, and finally his gaze fell on Nine-Tails.
"Risks and opportunities coexist! Taiichi's solution is currently the most constructive option that best balances the demands of all parties!"
In the name of the Fourth Hokage, I have decided to adopt this plan! Nine-Tails, do you agree to cooperate? This is your last chance to choose: will you choose to trust the limited freedom Konoha grants you, or will you choose—an eternal prison of darkness?
His gaze swept over Taiichi, and he deliberately emphasized the last phrase, "An eternal dark prison."
The Nine-Tails Fox's enormous beastly eyes swept back and forth across Minato and Taiichi's faces. Finally, its bristling fur slowly calmed down, and it closed its eyes resignedly, squeezing out a low, hoarse syllable from deep within its throat. "----Okay."
That single "good" seemed to have exhausted all its strength and pride.
"No time to lose! Taiichi, begin immediately!" Minato gave the order decisively, without any hesitation.
"Understood!" Taiichi perked up, took a deep breath, and his eyes instantly became incredibly focused.
He formed a hand Hand Seals in front of his chest, entering Sage Mode once more, and golden light emerged deep within his pupils.
"Minato, come on!"
Minato didn't hesitate and immediately lifted the clothes covering his abdomen. He trusted Taiichi's abilities and knew he wouldn't do anything he wasn't sure of.
Sage Art: Eight Trigrams Sealing.
Buzz!
A massive and profound Eight Trigrams Sealing array took shape in the void, circle by circle, following Taiichi's Chakra.
It slowly rotated, emitting a powerful suction force that enveloped the Nine-Tails bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
This time, Chakra did not resist. Nine-Tails, it actively cooperated by restraining its rampaging chakra, allowing the sealing power to begin pulling its massive Chakra Minato, who was standing at the center of the formation.
Minato's expression was solemn as he opened his mind and body, preparing to accept this heavy and powerful force.
The light of the Eight Trigrams Sealing grew brighter and brighter, and the Nine-Tails' enormous body began to become illusory. A massive amount of orange-red Chakra surged into Minato's abdomen like a flood.
Utatane Koharu and Jiraiya watched nervously, their palms sweating.
Just as the Eight Trigrams Sealing was about to close completely, and the last massive Chakra was about to be fully absorbed into Minato's body!
"Now!" Taiichi called out, both to remind Nine-Tails to prepare to separate its consciousness and to remind Minato to prepare for the impact.
"The Dyad Rebirth, Yin-Yang Division!"
Taiichi let out a sudden low shout, and his hand Hand Seals abruptly changed! The absorption and suppression of the Eight Trigrams Sealing instantly transformed into the balance and harmony of the Dyad Seal!
A yin-yang symbol, visible to the naked eye, appeared, precisely blocking the connection between the last torrent of Chakra and the core of the Nine-Tails' consciousness!
Laugh!
To everyone's astonishment, a ball of Chakra, about the size of a water vat and shimmering with a rich orange-red light, was forcibly peeled off from the array!
The vast Nine-Tails of Chakra, accompanied by a final, low roar, transformed into a stream of light and completely disappeared into Minato's abdomen.
Minato's body trembled, and a complete Eight Trigrams Sealing technique instantly appeared on his abdomen. Powerful Chakra fluctuations emanated from his body, but were quickly suppressed by the sealing power and stabilized.
His face was slightly pale, but his eyes were unusually bright. The seal was successful, and he could feel that although the Nine-Tails Chakra within him was vast and boundless, it carried a strange "calmness," which was obviously the Nine-Tails restricting its own Chakra.
Everyone's attention immediately focused on the isolated, orange-red Chakra cluster.
The ball of Chakra tumbled, twisted, and deformed violently in the air, its light flickering, before finally stabilizing and taking shape.
A fox, about the size of an adult, covered in beautiful orange-red fur and with a large, bushy tail swaying behind it, landed on the ground!
Its eyes were lively and full of complex human emotions: anger, humiliation, vigilance, and a hint of bewilderment and novelty after gaining "freedom".
"This... this is the separated consciousness?" Jiraiya stared in astonishment at the "big fox."
Taiichi frowned, seemingly dissatisfied. "No! It's too big! Walking down the street like that would scare people to death! Nine-Tails, you should try to get smaller too!"
Nine-Tails was also curious about its current form. It looked back and around, then chased its own tail around a few times like a cat.
After hearing Taiichi's words, it glared at Taiichi angrily, its eyes seeming to say, "Human, don't go too far!"
But under Taiichi's "gentle" gaze, it finally closed its eyes reluctantly.
Its orange-red light flickered again, and its size began to shrink visibly, like a deflated balloon!
One meter ---- One meter ---- ··---- Three fen ----
As the light faded, a tiny fox, only about thirty centimeters tall, landed lightly on the scorched ground.
It has the same beautiful orange-red fur as its original body, pointed ears, and its bright, lively eyes are now filled with intense shame, anger, and displeasure. Its fluffy tail looks especially cute due to its smaller size, even a bit fluffy and adorable.
"So annoying!" A clear, childlike voice (or perhaps a young fox's voice) filled with resentment tugged out of the little fox's mouth. It rolled its eyes in a remarkably human manner, seemingly extremely ashamed of its "cute" appearance.
Looking at the tiny, adorable, and utterly harmless little red fox on the ground, and recalling the devastating Nine-Tailed Demon Fox from before, the stark contrast finally made Jiraiya burst out laughing.
Utatane Koharu's tense face relaxed slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
Minato looked at the peaceful seal within his body, then at the sulking little fox on the ground, and a relieved smile appeared on his lips.
Taiichi squatted down, stretched out his finger, and gently touched the head of the Little Nine-Tails (which immediately turned its head away in disgust).
He stood up and nodded to Minato: "Senior Disciple Brother, I have not failed you. Most of the Nine-Tails' power has been safely sealed within you. With its main body's cooperation, the seal will be exceptionally stable. As for this ' Little Nine- Tails'—"
He pointed to the little fox with its fur standing on end on the ground, "The Chakra it retains is only at the level of an ordinary Kage Level ninja, which is the minimum it needs to maintain its existence."
As for how to deal with it, that's up to you, Senior Disciple Brother. However, I suggest giving it a reasonable "identity," such as—a special Summoning Animal of a certain ninja?
Upon hearing the words "Summoning Animal," the Little Nine-Tails flew into a rage again. "You're the Summoning Animal! Your whole family are Summoning Animal!"
Unfortunately, its childish protests were completely ineffective and only added to the absurdity of the situation.
Looking at the incredible yet perfectly resolved situation before him, Minato finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.
He looked up towards the direction of Konoha, where lights twinkled, contrasting sharply with the darkness of this wasteland, and he could faintly hear the clamor carried on the wind.
That was the sound of rescue and reconstruction, filled with the busyness and hope of survivors.
"Let's go," Minato's voice carried a hint of weariness, but more so, determination. "We should go back. Konoha is still waiting for us."
He bent down, wanting to pick up the Nine-Tails who was still sulking.
Even the "Little Nine-Tails" has a temper. It has never fought with Minato and is not convinced of his Minato at all.
It darted onto Taiichi's right shoulder in a few steps and said to Taiichi in a childish voice, "I believe you, so you have to take responsibility for me. I'll follow you from now on."
This tiny body, yet he kept calling himself "this old man," which made the others' mouths twitch incessantly.
Minato, seeing this, didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he nodded solemnly and said, "Taiichi, since the Nine-Tails- Senior has chosen you, I'll have to keep a close eye on things from now on."
Taiichi turned his head and glanced at the little guy on his shoulder. He also found it quite interesting. He was skilled and bold, so he nodded and agreed immediately.
With the matter resolved, Jiraiya stretched his limbs, and Utatane Koharu took a deep breath. The four of them (plus a miniature fox) then strode quickly toward Konoha.
The Natsuhi wind, carrying ashes and blood, swept heavily across the Konoha.
The once bustling streets now resemble those ravaged by a giant beast, leaving behind ruins and charred wounds.
The ninjas, dragging their exhausted bodies, moved through the ruins like silent worker ants, shoving away heavy rubble in search of any glimmer of hope.
Each time a heavy stone slab is lifted, it's like a gamble with fate, the stakes being the lives of compatriots beneath the ruins.
Sweat mixed with dust etched muddy furrows on their faces, but could not wash away the solemnity and sorrow.
Against this somber backdrop, Minato and his companions finally returned to Konoha.
The arrival of the Fourth Hokage was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the exhausted ninjas, especially seeing the Hokage personally involved in the rescue, which was even more encouraging.
Their formidable strength and precise Chakra Control make these experts far more efficient at rescues than ordinary ninjas, not to mention Taiichi among them.
However, the one who truly brought about a disruptive change was Taiichi, who followed closely behind Minato.
His arrival was not spectacular, but he used his unique Medical Ninjutsu to provide a safety net for all the rescued wounded.
Summoning Jutsu.
A giant Katsuyu, several stories high, appeared, followed by a massive split in the Katsuyu. Countless smaller Katsuyu, no bigger than a palm, emerged from the giant Katsuyu's body, scattered, and searched for the wounded.
Ninja Technique: Katsuyu Net Healing
A pale green light rose from each Katsuyu, and pure life force was injected into the injured. Although it could not cure them, it could keep them alive.
"Quickly! Bring all the seriously wounded here!" Taiichi ordered without looking up, his voice steady.
With the Katsuyu's help, he didn't need to worry Taiichi about the moderate injuries; he only needed to take care of the critically injured ones who were on the verge of death.
A miracle happened.
From the moment Taiichi arrived and began treatment, apart from those who had already lost their breath when they were dug out from deep within the rubble, no new deaths were recorded at the entire rescue site!
This remarkable record of zero deaths is undoubtedly the greatest encouragement to the rescue workers.
But against this backdrop of solemnity and busyness, there exists an extremely incongruous focal point—a small animal perched on Taiichi's shoulder.
It was small in size, only slightly larger than a house cat. Its fluffy, thick orange-red fur stood out vividly against the gray ruins, especially its large, fluffy tail, which was bigger than its body and was swaying gently with some restlessness and unease.
It had a fox-like face, and its golden, vertical pupils, which should have been sharp and intimidating, now seemed somewhat bewildered and lost due to its surroundings, even carrying a hint of—embarrassment?
This unusual combination attracted countless eyes. Exhausted ninjas couldn't help but glance at it during breaks in their transport, and the rescued wounded, in the brief respite of their excruciating pain, would unconsciously be drawn to that warm, orange-red mass.
"Look! Look at that! What an adorable little fox!"
A little girl, her face still streaked with tears and dirt, was held in her mother's arms. She pointed her dirty little finger at Taiichi's shoulder, and her originally fearful eyes now held a hint of childlike joy.
"Mommy, I want to touch its big tail!"
The other, slightly older boy, had just had his leg wound bandaged by Medical Ninja. The pain made his little face scrunch up, but his eyes were filled with pure longing as he looked at the fluffy tail.
Soon, a few of the bolder children, under the hesitant gazes of their parents, timidly gathered around. Their little hands tentatively reached out, their target fixed on the incredibly soft and warm orange-red fur.
"Insolence! You foolish human brat! Stay away from me!"
A childish yet angry voice rang out, coming from the "little fox" perched on Taiichi's shoulder.
However, the way he referred to himself as "this old man," combined with that "whining" voice, created such a huge contrast that it was so endearing that it wasn't scary at all.
Nine-Tails Fox's fur stood on end slightly, and its vertical pupils revealed a fierce light (or so it thought), attempting to intimidate these arrogant brats with its gaze.
"Wow! Its voice is so cute!" A little boy was not scared away at all; instead, his eyes widened in surprise, and he reached out his hand even faster.
"It's so fluffy, I want to hug it!" The little girl's longing overcame that insignificant "threat."
Seeing those "evil" little hands about to touch its sacred (self-proclaimed) fur, the Nine-Tails became utterly enraged.
It arched its back suddenly, a low growl coming from its throat, and sharp claws emerged from its paw pads, ready to teach these ignorant brats a lesson they would never forget.
"Little Nine." Taiichi's cold voice rang out. He didn't even turn around to look at the "little fox," his hands still steadily maintaining the output of the Mystical Palm Technique, healing the wounded on the ground.