"Still as obnoxious as ever, Nine-Tails!"
At those words, the Nine-Tails turned its head. The moment it saw him, its enormous face took on an almost human look of terror and shock.
"It's you!!!"
It could never forget how he had toyed with it, leaving it as helpless as a pet.
Even a Jinchūriki in Tailed Beast Transformation was no more than a pitiful chick before him, utterly unable to fight back.
"You used to be inside this child's mother."
"You were trouble even then."
Xia Le spoke evenly.
"And you're still the same now."
"What a headache!"
The Nine-Tails' expression changed sharply. All nine tails shot skyward as it tensed to the limit. "What do you want?"
"If we fight here, this little runt's body will suffer too!"
Xia Le chuckled at its wary stance.
"Let's make a deal. How about it?"
Suspicion crossed the Nine-Tails' face. "What deal?"
"You and I have nothing to discuss!"
Yet as it stared at Xia Le, fear and hatred filled its eyes.
It would never forget what it felt like to be utterly under his control, unable to command even its own body.
"Withdraw the Chakra you're using to interfere with this child."
Xia Le's voice was calm.
"That's all?"
The Nine-Tails froze, incredulous.
Xia Le's face remained blank. He said nothing more.
But a chill ran through the Nine-Tails, followed by a crushing sense of humiliation. Almost by instinct, it had already withdrawn the power it was using to disrupt Naruto's Chakra.
It was proof of just how deeply it feared the man before it.
"Damn you! I'm not afraid of you!"
It roared and jerked its head up.
But when it looked again, the two people outside the cage had vanished.
For reasons it could not explain, the Nine-Tails let