Mangekyō Sharingan

Naruto then said to them, "I'll slowly find a way to release each of you from your Jinchūriki, but it'll take time, so please be patient a little longer."

The Tailed Beasts all said they didn't mind. They'd been sealed away for so long that they didn't care about waiting.

Naruto could have taken Jiraiya with him to find every Jinchūriki and forcibly undo the seals, but he didn't want to do that.

He knew full well that the Jinchūriki were all unfortunate people. If their seals were forcibly undone and the Tailed Beasts released, the Jinchūriki would die. Naruto, Isobu, Chomei, and Gyuki didn't want that to happen.

They all had pretty good relationships with their Jinchūriki and weren't willing to sacrifice their lives just to gain freedom.

Naruto hoped to find a way to release the Tailed Beasts without affecting their Jinchūriki, but it would take a long time. Besides, he'd have more and more things to deal with in the future, so all he could do was ask the Tailed Beasts to wait patiently.

The Tailed Beasts understood Naruto's situation, so they understood and told him it was fine. They weren't in a hurry.

Naruto didn't bring up anything else. Instead, he chatted with the Tailed Beasts about their past lives and the amusing things they'd done.

Naruto learned a lot from their conversation. As they teased one another, he heard many stories about their childhoods.

For example, when Kurama was young, he stole Son Gokū's bananas and tried to frame Chomei, hoping to make them fight.

But Shukaku exposed him, and then he got into a fight with Son Gokū, Chomei, and Shukaku.

Gyuki, for instance, had loved singing since he was little. Unfortunately, he had no talent for it, so he always hid away and sang to himself.

Then there was Isobu. Though he looked fierce, he was the gentlest of them all and loved playing with children.

Matatabi had a soft voice and was quite innocent, yet she liked pretending to be mature.

Saiken and Kokuō, meanwhile, liked playing house...

And so on. Naruto listened to them tease one another, occasionally chiming in, and time passed amid their cheerful laughter.

When they'd talked enough, Naruto stood, bowed to the Tailed Beasts, and said, "I'd like to ask for your help."

The Tailed Beasts told him there was no need for that. Even if Naruto hadn't asked, they'd already made up their minds.

All the Tailed Beasts extended their right paws and stacked them together. Naruto grinned, raised his hand, and placed it on top of theirs.

Then a portion of the chakra inside each Tailed Beast flowed toward Naruto, and flames ignited atop the eight tails behind Kurama.

The flames were all different colors, each representing the abilities of a different Tailed Beast.

This meant that, from then on, Kurama—or Naruto—would be able to use all the other Tailed Beasts' abilities.

Afterward, Naruto said to Kurama, "Kurama, teach them the Beast King Technique."

He then turned to the other Tailed Beasts and said, "Make sure you train hard in the technique Kurama gives you. It'll make you stronger, but you must keep it from your Jinchūriki. Don't let them find out."

The Beast King Technique was the most powerful cultivation method for demons in Naruto's memories, and it had no elemental affinity. That meant the other Tailed Beasts could learn it, too.

The Tailed Beasts all nodded to show they understood. When Kurama had connected with them, they'd seen how he'd changed. He'd told them about the technique, but they hadn't asked him to teach it to them back then. After all, they knew their place.

Kurama liked bullying the other Tailed Beasts, but that was just his way of showing how attached he was to them. He'd wanted to teach them the technique, too. After Naruto finished speaking, Kurama sent a thought, and the Beast King Technique appeared in each of the other Tailed Beasts' minds.

That settled everything Naruto needed to discuss with the Tailed Beasts. He was ready to leave the Mental Space. After they said their goodbyes, Gyuki's voice sounded in Naruto's mind. "Naruto, thank you. We all know Kurama is usually very lonely. I hope you'll always treat him well."

"Don't worry. He's my partner, and our lives are bound together," Naruto replied telepathically.

Gyuki smiled, ran over to Kurama, and spat a huge glob of ink onto his face. Before Kurama could react, Gyuki laughed and vanished.

The other Tailed Beasts laughed and left the Mental Space, too. Kurama suddenly let out an angry roar. "Damn you, Gyuki! Just you wait. If I don't beat you up good and proper next time, I'm not Kurama!"

Although he sounded furious, Naruto saw the reluctance in Kurama's eyes and hurried over to comfort him.

It took Naruto a lot of effort to cheer Kurama up. He also promised that he'd help him beat up Gyuki next time.

Then the two of them returned to the Sealing Space. Once they were back, Naruto didn't linger there. He said goodbye and left.

Naruto's consciousness returned to his body, and he opened his eyes. It was already late, so he quickly used the Flying Thunder God to reach the area near the Uchiha Clan Compound.

In the Mental Space, Naruto had gained the power of all the Tailed Beasts. Among them, the Seven-Tails, Chomei, had the special ability to turn invisible.

Naruto went to the spot where he'd left a Flying Thunder God Mark last time and had Kurama help him use the invisibility ability.

After absorbing the other Tailed Beasts' chakra, Kurama quickly converted it into spiritual energy. He then transmitted to Naruto the property that allowed the spiritual energy to render him invisible.

As the spiritual energy carrying the invisibility property entered Naruto's body, he immediately sent it throughout himself.

Slowly, Naruto's figure vanished from sight. Of course, this was only a disappearance from the perspective of eyesight and sensory perception.

Naruto went to the Uchiha Clan's main gate and saw guards stationed there. Unable to get inside, he circled around the area.

Before long, he found a section of wall. After sensing that there was nothing unusual inside, Naruto jumped over it.

He headed toward the center of the compound. Along the way, he passed several Uchiha shinobi on patrol, but none of them noticed him.

At last, Naruto reached the center of the Uchiha Clan Compound. This was where the clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, lived.

Once he found the place, Naruto left a Flying Thunder God Mark at the entrance, then wandered around the Uchiha Clan Compound.

While roaming aimlessly, Naruto came to a place that looked like a council hall. Hearing a commotion inside, he went over and listened from outside.

Inside the Council Hall, the Uchiha Clan's great elder said to Fugaku Uchiha, "The village's oppression of our clan is getting worse. Most of our people are thinking about rebelling, and I support that idea, of course. What do you think, clan head?"

Fugaku Uchiha had a stern face that made him seem imposing even when he wasn't angry. Hearing the great elder's words, he replied coldly, "The village has gone too far. Our Uchiha Clan was here from the very beginning of Konoha. Our clan played a major role in establishing the village. And what did they do? They drove us out to this remote area and removed our people from every position in Konoha's institutions. They're clearly bullying our clan, so I think the time has come."

The great elder laughed heartily. "It should've happened long ago. We'll overthrow Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule, and then you can become Hokage. You should've had the Hokage Position in the first place."

The Uchiha standing below him all voiced their agreement. Fugaku Uchiha then turned to Itachi Uchiha beside him and asked, "Itachi, have you still not made up your mind?"

By the time the Uchiha Clan decided to rebel, Itachi Uchiha had already become a shinobi and displayed exceptional talent. That was why Fugaku Uchiha brought him along to clan meetings.

But after attending his first meeting and learning that the Uchiha Clan intended to rebel, Itachi had tried to stop them ever since. He hoped the village and the clan could find a way to resolve their conflict.

That had made Fugaku Uchiha wonder whether it had been right to let him join the Anbu.

At first, Fugaku Uchiha had sent Itachi to the Anbu so he could get better training and make good use of his talent. Later, when the clan planned to rebel, he'd hoped Itachi could pass information about the village to the clan.

But Fugaku Uchiha hadn't expected Itachi to inherit that so-called Will of Fire after joining the Anbu and come to believe that the village was more important than the clan.

Not only did he refuse to share the information he learned with his clan, but he kept trying to stop them.

Hearing this, Itachi Uchiha lowered his head and said, "Father, I still need time to think. I truly hope the clan can secure its interests peacefully, rather than through rebellion."

After leaving the meeting room, Shimura Danzō had found Itachi Uchiha, told him the village's decision, and threatened him with his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. "If you carry out this plan, your brother can live. Otherwise—"

Hearing Shimura Danzō threaten his younger brother, Itachi immediately agreed to carry out the mission himself. Otherwise, his brother might not be spared.

Even now, he was making one last attempt to change things. He still hoped the clan would abandon its rebellion, so he could ask the Third Hokage to cancel the Uchiha Clan Downfall Plan.

But it seemed his efforts were futile. Seeing how indignant the clan members were, he gave up, his heart aching terribly.

Thinking that in just a few days, he would kill all these people, he closed his eyes and tears slipped down his face.

Just then, his Sharingan activated on its own. The three Tomoe spun rapidly and joined together in a pattern resembling a three-bladed pinwheel, with a circle in the center.

In the grip of his intense grief, he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Fugaku Uchiha had been watching Itachi Uchiha closely. Seeing his son's eyes evolve into the same Mangekyō Sharingan as his own, he said sternly, "Itachi, I hope you'll make the right choice. Don't waste such a fine talent."

Itachi Uchiha was still in tears. He said nothing and only nodded.

Fugaku Uchiha then dismissed everyone and headed outside. Itachi was the only one left in the Council Hall.

Itachi stood there, watching the clan members leave one by one, and couldn't help sighing several times.