Rashomon

Utakata suddenly raised his head. A Tailed Beast Bomb gathered in his mouth.

"Mangetsu, run!"

Harusame knew how dangerous Utakata's Tailed Beast Transformation was. He hurried into the middle of the clearing and formed Hand Seals,

muttering a few incantations.

Several sealing formulas appeared on Utakata's hands and feet.

He was Utakata's master, and he had the power to seal the Six-Tails.

There was no time!

Before the Sealing Jutsu could be completed, Utakata had already unleashed his Tailed Beast Bomb.

This was bad!

Harusame gave it everything he had, but he was still too late.

Hozuki Mangetsu!

He shouted, "Get out of the way! If you get hit, you'll be killed!"

Mangetsu could naturally dodge it, but if he did, the Six-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb would

be powerful enough to destroy most of the village.

Summoning Technique: Rashomon!

Mangetsu bit his finger and quickly summoned the First's defensive technique.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three layers of Rashomon appeared out of thin air in front of him.

The Tailed Beast Bomb slammed into Rashomon with a deafening crash, and thick clouds of smoke

engulfed the area.

What...

Harusame stared at the scene before him in shock.

Three demonic gates stood in front of Mangetsu. They had been battered by the Tailed Beast Bomb,

reduced to a wreck.

By now, Utakata had been subdued by the Sealing Jutsu and had collapsed on the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Triple Rashomon disappeared.

Mangetsu collapsed to the ground, panting.

He had given it everything he had and managed to summon only three layers. And each additional layer was harder

to summon than the last. The more gates there were, the more Chakra he used, growing exponentially.

In other words, summoning a fourth or fifth layer would require several times as much Chakra.

No wonder even Orochimaru could summon only three layers. Mangetsu had always thought he could summon four, but now it seemed

three was his limit.

Thinking of how Hashirama, the First, had summoned five layers of Rashomon with ease, Mangetsu couldn't help

letting out a bitter laugh.

What a freaking monster!

"Is that the Rashomon of Konoha's First? Mangetsu, how did you get your hands on

that technique?"

Harusame asked excitedly.

He recognized the technique.

Mangetsu nodded. Now that he'd exposed it, there was no way to keep it a secret.

So it really was Rashomon!

Harusame was visibly moved.

He glanced at his student, then let out a long sigh.

Hozuki Mangetsu really was impressive. He'd managed to hold out until Utakata had grown a fifth tail,

and he had a powerful defensive technique like Rashomon. Perhaps he really could become the great hero who saved

the village.

"Utakata lost!"

Harusame said calmly. He didn't ask how Mangetsu had gotten Rashomon.

Mangetsu's face was slightly pale, a sign that he had run out of Chakra.

"Can't the Six-Tails be controlled yet?"

he asked quietly.

Harusame nodded helplessly.

Kirigakure had jinchūriki for both the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails. The Three-Tails' jinchūriki was Mizukage Yagura, who

could control a Tailed Beast and even achieve Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.

But Utakata couldn't.

No matter how hard Harusame tried, Utakata could only manage to grow five tails.

He had nearly lost control just now. If Mangetsu hadn't summoned Rashomon,

the village might have been done for.

"Thank you, Mangetsu. Thank you for protecting the village!"

Harusame said sincerely.

He realized he might have found the right person.

When danger struck, Mangetsu had thought first of protecting the village, not his own safety.

This Hozuki Mangetsu was the person the Neutral Faction had been looking for.

"Teacher Harusame, Hozuki Mangetsu, what just happened?"

The village's Anbu appeared before them.

To test Hozuki Mangetsu's strength, Harusame had instructed his student to leave the village and spar with him.

Even so, the Six-Tails had nearly gone berserk and destroyed the village.

Harusame said calmly, "We were testing the Six-Tails' limits. Everything was under control."

The Anbu nodded, looked around the battlefield, then turned and left.

Harusame was the Six-Tails' guardian, and the Six-Tails was the village's secret weapon. It was only natural for master and student to train together.

Harusame suddenly picked up his student and said to Hozuki Mangetsu, "Mangetsu, come with me!"

Then he started walking.

Mangetsu took a deep breath and limped after Harusame.

This battle had taught Mangetsu a lesson.

Jinchūriki were all monsters. If he ever saw one again, he'd better run as fast as he could. As for monsters among monsters like Hashirama and Madara,

all he could do was pray for divine protection.

Harusame led the two of them to a small cave, his secret hideout.

He laid Utakata on the altar inside, wiped the sweat from his face, then

said to Mangetsu, "You saw for yourself, Mangetsu. Utakata can't control the Six-Tails properly, and the Six-Tails makes him suffer. I've been researching

how to extract the Six-Tails from his body and let him live a normal life again."

His eyes flashed with excitement. He continued, "I used to worry that the Six-Tails would lose control

and cause some kind of disaster. But with your Rashomon technique, our chances are better. This time, you have to help me."

Mangetsu shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Mr. Harusame, a jinchūriki who loses their Tailed Beast has only one fate: death. So,

you should stop wasting your time."

What a joke. In the original story, this was exactly what caused the master and student to suffer one tragedy after another.

Harusame's face fell. After a long while, he said, "Perhaps choosing Utakata in the first place was

a mistake."

He had been the one who chose to seal the Six-Tails inside Utakata.

So whenever he saw Utakata in pain, Harusame's heart ached.

All these years, he had been researching ways to extract a Tailed Beast, hoping it would ease his guilt.

Mangetsu took a deep breath and said, "There's no need to blame yourself, Mr. Harusame. Getting the Six-Tails

might even turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Utakata. Besides, he's still young. Just because he can't control it now

doesn't mean he never will. Once he can fully control the Tailed Beast,

he'll become an important asset to our Kirigakure."

Indeed, a jinchūriki was a strategic weapon for the village, an indispensable presence.

But...

Harusame was about to say something, but Mangetsu cut him off.

Actually...

Mangetsu said earnestly, "This is Utakata's choice, too!"

Utakata's choice!

Harusame's body trembled as he stared at Mangetsu in shock.

All these years, he had regretted the decision he'd made back then.

It was his choice that had robbed a child of his happiness.

Mangetsu smiled faintly. As someone who had crossed over from another world, he understood the knot between them very well.

Mr. Harusame!

Mangetsu said quietly, "Utakata did this not only for the village, but more importantly,

for you, Mr. Harusame. He wanted your approval and didn't want you to be sad. That's why

he took all of this on by himself."

For me!

Harusame's body trembled. He finally began to understand, and tears streamed down his face.

Utakata!

He couldn't hold back anymore. He collapsed over his student and burst into tears.