Resonance of the One-Tail and the Ideological Rift Among Sunagakure's Leadership

Land of Wind, Sunagakure.

Deep beneath the ground, in the innermost prison cell, the air was dry and murky. Only the torches burning along the walls cast flickering shadows.

There were no sounds here, nor any sense of time passing—only eternal solitude.

The old monk sitting cross-legged in the center of the sand, Bunpuku, slowly opened his eyes.

It had been a long time since he had sensed the "outside world" so clearly.

It was not through the footsteps of the guards, nor the scraping of the Iron Door when meals were delivered. It was a violent summons originating from the depths of his soul.

The "monster" inside him—the Raccoon Dog he had spent his entire life calming and conversing with—was now restless at an unprecedented frequency.

"Grr... roar..."

A deep, inhuman growl was forced from Bunpuku's withered throat, and his emaciated body began trembling uncontrollably.

The enormous gourd beside him had sealing incantations engraved across its surface, which flickered with an unstable red light. Sand at the mouth of the gourd surged outward and swelled as though it were alive.

Boom!

A thick sand arm suddenly thrust out of the gourd and slammed into the prison wall.

The wall, reinforced with special alloy and Sealing Jutsu, was actually smashed into a huge dent, while spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread across it.

"Not good! The Jinchuriki has gone berserk!"

"Quick! Activate the highest-level Barrier!"

In the passage outside the prison, the Sunagakure shinobi responsible for guarding the area turned deathly pale. Their frightened shouts echoed through the empty underground space.

Several Barrier Team shinobi rushed over. Their hands blurred through seals before pressing against the formation's core on the prison door.

Humm—

Even more complex purple incantations surfaced on the door, forming a curtain of light that attempted to suppress the