The birth of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki

The battle was over.

A light drizzle fell from the sky, landing on Madara and Hashirama and wetting their faces. The damp seemed to drain the warmth from Madara's body, his temperature dropping rapidly. Yet the true cause was not the sudden rain, but the blade protruding from his chest.

"How foolish... Hashirama," Madara murmured as he lay dying. "Sooner or later... this will become the village's darkness."

After leaving those final words, Madara fell onto the surface of the water, all signs of life gone. Hashirama stood beside him, silently gazing at his corpse.

Hashirama had no regrets. He would protect the village no matter what. If someone sought to destroy Konoha, he would show no mercy, even if that person was his brother or his child. Still, Madara's final words made his heart sink a little. They seemed to foretell something.

Just then, Hashirama sensed a faint presence. He raised his head toward the towering cliff, but could no longer sense anything. He dismissed it as an illusion brought on by his frayed nerves. The battle had dragged on far too long. His Chakra was nearly depleted, and an unprecedented exhaustion spread through his entire body.

Hashirama could not help dropping to his knees and coughing a few times. His gaze shifted slightly toward the Nine-Tails nearby. Twisting trees bound it tightly, its eyes closed as though it were asleep.

Madara's idea of cloaking the Nine-Tails in Susanoo had undoubtedly been brilliant. Even Hashirama's ultimate Sage Art technique, True Several Thousand Hands, had only fought it to a standstill. The Susanoo covering the Nine-Tails had indeed been smashed apart, but every arm of Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands had also broken off, leaving it unusable.

Hashirama had gathered the last of his senjutsu Chakra and used a Secret Technique to suppress the Nine-Tails, putting it to sleep. Only then had he averted the crisis and fought his final battle with Madara. With both of them utterly exhausted, he had won by the narrowest of margins.

As Hashirama stared at the Nine-Tails, a sudden flicker of alarm stirred in his heart. Bright red chakra slowly emerged from its body, scorching the trees around it. His senjutsu chakra had long since run out, leaving him unable to sustain Kakuan Entering the Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands. Given enough time, the Nine-Tails would awaken.

Hashirama tried to gather senjutsu chakra again, but his injuries were too severe and his chakra almost exhausted. He had no strength left to gather more. Instead, the forced attempt sent waves of excruciating pain through his body. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the water.

"Brother!"

"Hashirama!"

Hearing their voices, Hashirama struggled up from the water and turned around. Tobirama and Mito were hurrying toward him, though neither looked to be in particularly good shape.

"Tobirama, what happened to you?" Hashirama asked urgently.

"During your battle with Madara, quite a few attacks flew toward the village. Even after you weakened and redirected them, it still took considerable effort to stop them," Tobirama quickly explained. Then he spotted Madara lying nearby and asked, "Brother, is Madara dead?"

"Yes. He's dead," Hashirama replied softly.

Tobirama glanced at his brother. Hashirama's tone was flat, leaving him unable to tell how his brother truly felt. All he knew was that Madara was dead and the threat to Konoha had passed.

Hashirama asked, "Where are the others?"

"I sent them back. Now that the threat to the village is gone, someone needs to handle matters there. I've left that to Sasuke for the time being," Tobirama said, shifting his gaze toward the Nine-Tails.

Tobirama had read about tailed beasts in the Clan Records, and the Nine-Tails' immense power had shocked him. Judging by Hashirama's injuries, he would need time to recuperate. But what would happen if this Monster Beast woke up?

Staring at the still-sleeping Nine-Tails, Hashirama said to his worried wife, "I don't have much strength left. Mito, please help me seal the Nine-Tails."

The Uzumaki Clan, into which Mito had been born, passed down Sealing Jutsu as its legacy, unrivaled throughout the shinobi world. Their Chakra also had suppressive properties, and they possessed a unique ability called Adamantine Sealing Chains. Although their combat abilities were not particularly strong, their Sealing Jutsu alone had earned the Uzumaki Clan renown throughout the shinobi world.

Mito nodded and said gently, "Hashirama, leave the rest to me. Get some proper rest."

"The question is, where do we seal this thing?" Hashirama trusted his wife's skill in Sealing Jutsu. His only concern was where to put the Nine-Tails. According to the Clan Records, tailed beasts had been subdued before, with Sealing Tools serving as sealing vessels. The better the Sealing Tools, the more effective the seal would be. Even so, it needed regular supervision to prevent the seal from breaking.

An artifact capable of sealing a tailed beast as powerful as the Nine-Tails would have to be of exceptional quality, perhaps even a sage artifact like Madara's Gunbai. But where would they find a sage artifact now? The Gunbai could not serve as a sealing vessel.

Faced with that problem, Mito simply said, "We can seal it inside me."

Both Hashirama and Tobirama were startled. Mito then recounted a passage from the Uzumaki Clan's Clan Records. In ancient times, when tailed beasts wreaked havoc, people had sought ways to subdue them. An ancestor of the Uzumaki Clan had once been invited to help suppress a tailed beast. He had reportedly sealed it inside his own body. When that ancestor later died in an accident, the tailed beast inside him had died as well. But tailed beasts were immortal; even if they died, they would revive after some time.

"According to that ancestor, our Uzumaki Clan's constitution seems particularly suited to suppressing the power of tailed beasts. He used this method to keep the beast from emerging and causing havoc again," Mito said. "It is possible to use Sealing Jutsu to seal something inside a body. But this is only a passage in our Clan Records. I don't know whether it would truly work."

"Absolutely not! We can't attempt something based on a vague record," Hashirama refused at once.

Mito shook her head slightly. "Hashirama, can you find another way right now? Once the Nine-Tails wakes up, you won't be able to stop it with those injuries. At most, I can hold it back for a while, but there's no way you can find Sealing Tools capable of sealing it in such a short time."

Hashirama fell silent. He had to admit that Mito was right. Artifacts with sealing properties were already hard to find, let alone one capable of sealing the Nine-Tails. Yet he did not want his wife to take that risk.

"Hashirama, although the record is vague, I think it's very likely true. Our Uzumaki Clan's Chakra really can suppress other people's Chakra. Under the circumstances, we have no choice but to try," Mito said.

"Then let me try instead." Hashirama felt it would be better to take the risk himself.

"Can your Chakra suppress others the way mine can?" Mito demanded.

Hashirama was left speechless. Although the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan were distant relatives, their abilities were not entirely the same. Members of the Senju Clan did not possess the Uzumaki Clan's ability to suppress Chakra.

"So let me do it," Mito said.

Hashirama looked into Mito's eyes, moved by her resolve. She was already prepared. How could he keep wavering?

"All right." Hashirama gritted his teeth and finally agreed.

Tobirama was not about to simply stand by and watch. "If there's anything you need, let me help."

The three immediately began preparing to seal the Nine-Tails. Hashirama requested a secret medicine for restoring Chakra, temporarily replenishing some of his reserves before using a jutsu to strengthen the Wood Release restraints. At that moment, the Nine-Tails slowly opened its eyes. Upon seeing its predicament, it was instantly filled with rage, and its Chakra rapidly surged—

Hashirama did everything he could to stop the Nine-Tails from running wild, while Mito unleashed the unique ability passed down through her clan—Adamantine Sealing Chains. Countless chains burst from her body and wrapped around the Nine-Tails. Under the combined suppression of Wood Release and Adamantine Sealing Chains, it could no longer move.

"Damn humans!" The Nine-Tails was furious. It had been living freely and peacefully in the forest when an uninvited intruder suddenly appeared and stole its consciousness without a word. Now that it had awakened, other humans had restrained it. From the looks of things, they even intended to seal it away.

What a joke! I haven't been sealed once in the past thousand years. Am I now going to be subdued by these damned humans, just like the others?

The Nine-Tails unleashed its last burst of strength, but managed only to snap off a section of the wooden restraints. A fragment flew straight toward Hashirama, only for Tobirama to intercept it in time.

"Nine-Tails, your power is far too great... I can't let you do as you please!" Hashirama understood the Nine-Tails' anger, but he could not let a creature with such power go free.

The Nine-Tails roared furiously, but there was nothing it could do. Under the powerful Sealing Jutsu, it slowly merged into Mito's body, where the Uzumaki Clan's immense Chakra completely suppressed it. This was a shackle far stronger than any sage artifact.

Seeing that Mito showed no abnormalities and merely looked a little weak, Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief. Tobirama did the same. Suddenly, Tobirama sensed someone else approaching. He hurriedly turned and shouted, "Who's there!"

(End of chapter)