Contracting the Six-Tails

Given the current situation, the Six-Tails Saiken would likely remain a wild tailed beast for some time.

It was bound to be captured sooner or later. Both Konoha and Kirigakure would definitely make a move.

Capturing a wild tailed beast wouldn't be easy. It would take preparation.

If Uchiha Akira forcibly contracted the Six-Tails and made it his Summoning Beast, there would be room to work things out.

With a little preparation, Uchiha Akira could summon the Six-Tails directly and then capture it.

He might be able to claim the Six-Tails for himself before Konoha or Kirigakure made a move.

Making a Summoning Contract scroll wasn't difficult, and Uchiha Akira happened to have a blank scroll on him.

It took him only a minute to write out the complete Summoning Contract on the blank scroll, creating a Summoning Contract scroll.

Uchiha Akira used whatever materials were at hand to draw up the contract, using the blood of the Six-Tails Saiken.

Once he had made the Summoning Contract, Uchiha Akira forcibly used his Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Six-Tails Saiken and make it write its name on the enormous scroll.

Then Uchiha Akira wrote his own name on the scroll, officially completing the contract.

By the time he had finished, two and a half minutes had passed.

As time went on, the Six-Tails Saiken struggled harder and harder, making it increasingly difficult for Uchiha Akira to keep it under control.

Tailed beasts were chakra creatures, made of chakra themselves. Even a fully developed Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't keep one under control indefinitely.

"Looks like all I can do now is retreat and hope Konoha and Kirigakure don't act too quickly." Uchiha Akira considered.

At the same time, the power in his left eye erupted.

In an instant, the Six-Tails Saiken, which had been struggling moments earlier, fell completely still, like a lifeless object.

The next moment, blue lightning flashed across Uchiha Akira's body, and he vanished.

In the blink of an eye, he had dashed a hundred meters away, moving at full speed as he raced into the distance.

Once Uchiha Akira left, the genjutsu cast by his Mangekyō Sharingan on the Six-Tails Saiken lost its source of chakra and ocular power.

Twenty seconds later, the Six-Tails Saiken threw back his head and let out an enraged roar.

Vast amounts of chakra erupted from his body. With a single roar, the shock wave sent clouds of dust billowing into the sky.

By then, Uchiha Akira had already raced more than a thousand meters away.

The Six-Tails Saiken looked in the direction Uchiha Akira had fled, fear flickering across his face.

Clearly, the Six-Tails Saiken hadn't fared well inside the genjutsu Uchiha Akira had used to trap him.

Tailed beasts were no less intelligent than humans. Saiken, who had lived for countless years, knew that the Uchiha Clan ninja hadn't used all his power.

As an intelligent being who had lived for ages, he knew many secrets, including the ocular techniques of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

So he had no intention of chasing after Uchiha Akira. After figuring out which way to go, he raced into the depths of the forest at full speed.

At long last, his Jinchuriki had broken the seal, and he had regained his freedom.

Saiken never wanted to return to that dark seal again. All he wanted now was to protect his freedom.

When he sensed that Saiken wasn't following him, Uchiha Akira breathed a sigh of relief.

He still had chakra to spare, but ordinary ninjutsu wouldn't do much against a tailed beast.

If Saiken had really chased after him, Uchiha Akira figured he would have had no choice but to use Kamui to send him on his way after a drawn-out struggle.

After racing several kilometers, Uchiha Akira rejoined the Konoha group.

"Hey, Uchiha, are you all right?" Might Duy asked at once.

Kakashi and the others, who had been keeping watch, also turned their attention to Uchiha Akira.

Seeing that Uchiha Akira had only a few charred marks on him, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine." Uchiha Akira shook his head. "The Six-Tails Saiken has left the area. Who knows where he'll go."

Hearing that the Six-Tails had gone far away, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure the tailed beast had put on them was simply immense. A creature that powerful and uncontrollable was terrifying.

One Tailed Beast Bomb would have been enough to send everyone there straight to the Pure Land.

"It's good that he left," Hyuga Homura murmured, greatly relieved.

"Since this happened so suddenly, shouldn't we send someone back to the front lines to report it?" Might Duy looked at the three Jonin present. "A tailed beast has completely gained its freedom. If it shows up on the battlefield, it could change the situation."

"Duy, you're worrying too much." Chiba Ryu, an unremarkable-looking man in a Jonin vest, spoke up. "Tailed beasts aren't ordinary creatures. They're no less intelligent than we are, so they probably won't do something foolish like run onto the battlefield."

"We still need to send word." Hyuga Homura shook his head and looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi, what do you think?"

"I think we should notify the front lines. We can't afford to leave a free tailed beast unaccounted for," Kakashi said gravely.

Though he was young, he hadn't relied on Might Duy when they fought Kirigakure earlier. He had killed a Kirigakure Jonin on his own.

So Hyuga Homura and Chiba Ryu didn't regard Kakashi as a mere child. He was a Jonin whose strength might even surpass theirs.

"I'll go," Might Duy offered. "Uchiha Akira just fought the Six-Tails, so he should rest."

He looked at them, his expression solemn. "Once I open the Gate of View with the Eight Inner Gates, I can move very fast. At my current speed, I'll reach the front lines in half a day."

"Sorry for the trouble, Duy." Uchiha Akira didn't volunteer for the job. He really did need to rest.

His fight against the Six-Tails Jinchuriki had taken a lot out of him. He had used up more than half his chakra.

Seeing Might Duy volunteer, Hyuga Homura and the others all nodded in agreement.

Might Duy really was faster than everyone present except Uchiha Akira, so he was well suited to the task.

After Might Duy disappeared, Uchiha Akira and the others continued escorting the village's injured back to Konoha.

As they drew closer to Konoha, nothing else happened for a while.

Meanwhile, after racing at full speed for most of the day, Might Duy returned to the front lines.

When the battlefield commanders received the news, their expressions darkened.

Kirigakure had acted even more recklessly than they'd imagined, secretly sending a Jinchuriki onto the battlefield.

The Land of Fire's border was far too long for them to defend every inch. Infiltrating across it was practically effortless.

"I can't believe Kirigakure would go this far." Minato Namikaze sighed, then looked at Uchiha Fugaku and said with some relief, "Fugaku, good thing you suggested sending Uchiha Akira along. Otherwise, things might have gone terribly."

Uchiha Fugaku waved a hand. "Minato, I only wanted to be prepared. I never imagined Kirigakure would go this far."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Minato Namikaze, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choza, and the other senior battlefield commanders present, then asked:

"By the way, what should we do about the Six-Tails? That tailed beast is still in the Land of Fire."