Obtained Hakimi · Shukaku

"You have gained the recognition of the Will of the Overlord!"

"Your words helped Crocodile understand his emotional barriers toward Whitebeard and realize that everything he had done was an act of avoidance. At the same time, your hydrotherapy and electrotherapy eased Crocodile's body and helped him fall asleep."

"You have obtained the Tailed Beast · One-Tail · Shukaku!"

As recognition from the villagers came, so did the reward.

A massive tanuki fifty meters tall appeared out of thin air in this deserted desert.

"?"

Brando looked up at the huge creature, his face equally filled with shock.

This time, he had actually been given a living Tailed Beast?

"Huh?"

"Why am I out here? I'm free!"

"Hee hee hee!"

Shukaku regained consciousness as well. Finding himself no longer inside Gaara's body, he let out an excited, ear-piercing laugh.

And this environment was simply too comfortable.

In his excitement, Shukaku slapped the ground with his tail, wanting to indulge himself properly.

Of course, he had noticed Brando beneath his feet, but he did not care in the slightest about such a weak human. He was preparing to find a place to bask in the sun.

"Hey, tanuki!"

"I'm your master now!"

Seeing Shukaku about to leave, Brando immediately shouted.

He could not let this thing get away. It was even rarer than Devil Fruits, the only one of its kind in this world.

"Huh?"

"Who are you calling a tanuki?!"

The moment Shukaku heard himself being called that, he immediately bared his teeth.

He then prepared to control the sand and crush this blind human into pulp.

"Then I'll call you a beast. Did you hear me?!"

Brando dropped the act as well.

He directly activated the Mangekyo Sharingan, which was especially effective against Tailed Beasts.

Just as Shukaku controlled the sand and prepared to crush Brando to death with a move like Sand Binding Coffin, his body immediately stiffened, subdued by the Mangekyo Sharingan.

He had no power to resist at all. The Mangekyo Sharingan was the stern father of the Tailed Beasts, while the Rinnegan was on the level of a grandfather.

"Sharingan!"

Shukaku said in shock.

Had Konoha invaded Sunagakure?

He knew it. The people of Sunagakure were all useless.

"Can you behave now?"

Brando entered Shukaku's mental space and faced him directly.

"Damn it, I just got out for some fresh air. Why did this happen?!"

Shukaku could only bare his teeth.

He was already used to being sealed away. It was just that this time, he had not even gotten the chance to enjoy himself before this happened, which made him extremely dissatisfied.

"Hey, behave yourself and be my mea... I'll become your Jinchuriki!"

Brando nearly misspoke and quickly changed his words.

Shukaku's greatest use to him was as a source of Chakra, so becoming the One-Tail's Jinchuriki was the most suitable choice.

Moreover, he had obtained the physique of an elder of the Uzumaki clan, enough to withstand the negative effects brought by Tailed Beast Chakra. With the Mangekyo Sharingan suppressing him as well, even if the One-Tail refused to cooperate and Brando could not become a perfect Jinchuriki—

He would still be able to obtain an endless supply of Chakra.

When he had fought Crocodile, he had thought that if he had enough Chakra, he could have blasted that guy to death with Rasenshuriken. He had not expected limitless energy to arrive now!

This was exactly what he wanted!

"Who would be willing to get sealed up?!"

"Hmph, you cunning Uchiha. I'm not an idiot like the Nine-Tails!"

Shukaku mocked him directly.

And took the opportunity to take a jab at Kurama.

Brando frowned as well, because he did not know any sealing techniques and could not seal a Tailed Beast.

"Right, Shukaku, I know you're the smartest of the nine Tailed Beasts, aren't you?"

Brando suddenly asked Shukaku.

"Of course! I'm smarter than all eight of the others, especially the Nine-Tails!"

Shukaku proudly raised his head.

However, when speaking with humans, he would not reveal the names of the other Tailed Beasts.

The one he looked down on the most was the Nine-Tails. If Hagoromo Otsutsuki had given him more Chakra back then, he would definitely be beating Kurama down now.

Hagoromo was just playing favorites!

"Then you definitely know sealing techniques. Among the Tailed Beasts, you're probably the only one capable of such an advanced technique."

Brando began flattering Shukaku.

He remembered that this was indeed the case. When they fought Reanimated Madara, Shukaku had even helped Gaara seal him.

"Hee hee hee, of course!"

"Though the Eight-Tails can only barely be considered to know a little. That doesn't count as a sealing technique at all."

Hearing him put down the other Tailed Beasts, Shukaku was extremely pleased.

The other Tailed Beasts were all brainless. Shukaku believed that he had the highest intelligence among them.

"Then how about this? Use a sealing technique to seal yourself inside my body."

Seeing Shukaku admit that he knew sealing techniques, Brando said happily.

"?"

"Huh?"

"You're saying you want me to seal myself inside your body?"

Shukaku suspected that he had misheard.

Did someone really have the nerve to make such a demand?

"Mm."

"If you refuse, then I'll use my eye power to control you and make you swim in the sea every day until your entire body is soaked in water."

Brando nodded, making it clear that those were indeed his words.

At the same time, he threatened him.

"Hmph, who is afraid of a threat like that? It's just water."

Though Shukaku said that, an uncomfortable expression had already appeared on his face.

Just thinking about his dry body being soaked completely in seawater, then drying off and having salt stick all over him, leaving his entire body smelling salty, made Shukaku feel miserable.

"Oh?"

"You're not afraid of water?"

"Then I'll use my eye power to control you and make you roll around in piles of shit every day, covering your entire body in it. Whenever you see the other Tailed Beasts, I'll tell them about it."

Looking like he had no other choice, Brando proposed an even more sinister method.

Shukaku's expression changed drastically.

"You... are you really human?!"

Shukaku had never seen anyone so vicious.

That was too shameless.

Was that something a person could do?

Did he have even the slightest bottom line?!

"If that still doesn't work, then I'll make you use your sand-controlling ability to build a sand sculpture of the Nine-Tails. Then you'll kowtow to it a hundred times every day. After twenty years of kowtowing, I'll set you free."

Brando revealed his trump card.

If even this did not work, there was nothing else he could do. He could only use the Mangekyo Sharingan to control Shukaku for a long time and make him travel around, but keeping the Mangekyo active for too long put too much strain on him. He would probably go blind soon enough.

"No, not that!"

Shukaku panicked.

He could not endure something like that.

Making him kowtow to Kurama was the one thing he could never accept!

Not even if it was fake.

"Then be good and enter my body so I can become your Jinchuriki."

Brando said directly.

If he knew sealing techniques, why would he be wasting time arguing with Shukaku here?

"No."

Shukaku was just about to shake his head.

Brando fiercely controlled him, using his eye power to force him to manipulate the sand and begin making a sand sculpture of Kurama.

Seeing the Nine-Tails gradually take shape, Shukaku could not hold back any longer.

"Fine, I'll agree, all right?!"

Shukaku was frantic.

In the end, he could only relent and agree.

It was not as if he had never been a Jinchuriki's Tailed Beast before. But if he kowtowed to the Nine-Tails, he would spend the rest of his life beneath Kurama.

That was the one thing he could not accept!