Just Kidding!

When Uzumaki Gamu had thought about getting more power just now, the underground Dragon Vein had come to mind-wasn't that a perfect power source?

As long as he could draw on the Dragon Vein's Power, Uzumaki Gamu would have practically unlimited chakra-even more than the Nine-Tails!

Which raised the question: could Uzumaki Gamu actually tap into it?

Treat it as natural energy, then guide it out with my powerful chakra control... With that thought, Uzumaki Gamu returned to Rōran and successfully harnessed the Dragon Vein's Power!

He finally had an invincible mana bar. Was it time to spam skills without limits? No, it was time to brute-force everything! Time to experience what being Hashirama felt like!

And so, he unleashed the Wood Human Technique. (Will we ever meet again? I've begged before the Buddha for thousands of years~)

Of course, the Dragon Vein's Power should have been enough to unleash an even higher-level technique-Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.

But that move required extremely high proficiency in Wood Release. Uzumaki Gamu had barely practiced it, so he couldn't use it yet. Besides, he couldn't convert the Dragon Vein's Power into senjutsu chakra, which also kept the technique out of reach. In short, he finally had the stats, but couldn't use the skill. What a shame!

Still, one Wood Golem was enough to deal with Shukaku!

And with this invincible power at his command, Uzumaki Gamu finally launched into a wild, spiraling cackle. "Berserker! Invincible! The strongest! Crush! Shatter! Thunderous applause! Hahahahaha!!!"

Hearing that laughter, Shukaku felt a little unnerved. He hesitated over whether to keep attacking-or just... run?

Uzumaki Gamu, meanwhile, intended to take the initiative. I'm stronger now, so I'll kill the enemy while I have the advantage! He wasn't going to get cocky just because he was winning. If he could kill his opponent, he'd finish him in one burst, without leaving him any room to breathe!

The Wood Golem advanced toward Shukaku. Yet... after just two steps, it stopped. And Uzumaki Gamu, who had been so arrogant moments earlier... began sweating buckets!

"What's wrong, Second Brother?" Mito, standing beside Uzumaki Gamu, noticed something was off and hurriedly asked.

"...This is bad. The Wood Golem can't leave Rōran," Uzumaki Gamu said, his eyes widening. The Dragon Vein powered this Wood Golem. Once it left the Dragon Vein's territory, it would lose its chakra supply and promptly wilt. Couldn't this thing function independently?

Holy shit, invincibility that only works while channeling? They actually made something this shameless? Do the devs want their mothers dead?

There was nothing Uzumaki Gamu could do about it. His proficiency in Wood Release really was too low to make the Wood Golem operate without its power supply!

So what could he do if the Wood Golem couldn't leave Rōran? What if Shukaku noticed and only launched ranged attacks at the city? They'd become sitting ducks for him!

So... shh~ Just kidding. I got carried away earlier. Can we pretend nothing happened and start over? Just kidding about that, too. Uzumaki Gamu could never say something so embarrassing!

Mito hurriedly offered, "How about... I lure him over?"

"No need. I've got a brilliant move!" Uzumaki Gamu was about to deploy his ultimate secret technique-the One Yang Finger!

Under Uzumaki Gamu's control, the Wood Golem raised its right hand, extended its index finger, and beckoned to Shukaku. At the same time, Uzumaki Gamu bellowed, "You... get over here!!" (Shen Teng version.)

The blatantly provocative words echoed across the desert.

That obnoxious tone, coupled with his contemptuous look... made people want to punch Uzumaki Gamu!

Reto, who had come back with them, also felt an urge to hit Uzumaki Gamu upon seeing this. Weird. All he did was shout one sentence. Why is it so infuriating? Is this genjutsu?

"Human, you're dead!!!" Shukaku flew into another rage, transformed straight into Aatrox, activated World Ender (a sandstorm), and charged at Uzumaki Gamu!

"Just what I wanted!" Uzumaki Gamu controlled the Wood Golem as it began trading blows with Shukaku. A left hook, a right hook-anyone who pissed him off was in danger! The Wood Golem's Military Boxing left Shukaku utterly dazed!

Then Uzumaki Gamu used the Wood Dragon Technique!

This technique fed chakra into tree seeds to create a massive dragon. The giant tree's coils exerted such powerful restraint that even the Nine-Tails screamed when bound, and anything caught in them had its chakra absorbed. Hashirama had used this very technique to suppress the Nine-Tails' movements.

As the Wood Dragon restrained Shukaku, Mito unleashed her Adamantine Sealing Chains to suppress him as well. Together, they completely subdued him. Now... it was time to seal him!

"Leave it to me!" Mito said. Her mastery of Sealing Jutsu was greater, so she began tightening the Adamantine Sealing Chains, preparing to seal Shukaku back inside the pot.

As the pot drew closer, the immobilized Shukaku could only rage helplessly. "Damn it! You damned humans! What right do you have to lock us up? I don't want this! I just want to live a normal life..."

"...Stop!!" Uzumaki Gamu froze for a second at those words, then immediately called a halt.

Mito listened and stopped using her Sealing Jutsu!

Down below, Reto was baffled. "Why did you stop?"

Uzumaki Gamu thought for a moment, then looked at Shukaku. "He's right. Do humans have the right to lock him up? Has he done anything wrong? None of the tailed beasts did anything wrong. They were locked up simply because they possessed great power... That's clearly wrong!"

Both Reto and Shukaku froze at those words.

It had been a long time since Shukaku had heard a human speak up for them.

Reto, meanwhile, couldn't wrap his head around it. Wasn't capturing beasts like these and putting them to use perfectly natural? What was there to reflect on?

"They're intelligent beings, too. There's no justification for humans enslaving them!" Uzumaki Gamu shook his head. These tailed beasts were actually far kinder by nature than most humans. They had become embodiments of hatred entirely because of how humans had treated them over the years!

As long as they could genuinely accept each other, there was no distinction between humans and tailed beasts. The future jinchūriki had already proved that if humans treated tailed beasts kindly, they wouldn't hurt people. On the contrary, they would become humanity's greatest allies!

In that case... Uzumaki Gamu no longer wanted to help Sunagakure's people hurt Shukaku!

So Uzumaki Gamu said to Shukaku, "Hey... Shukaku, how about a deal?"

"...Huh? Is there something wrong with your head, human?!" This was the first time anyone had spoken to Shukaku like this.

"Well... there's always been plenty wrong with my head! But it's precisely because I'm not normal that I'm saying this to you," Uzumaki Gamu said.

"...A deal? Let's hear it!" Shukaku also wanted to know what deal Uzumaki Gamu had in mind.

"As long as you promise not to hurt humans, I won't seal you!" Uzumaki Gamu said.

"...Are you sure there's nothing wrong with your head?" Shukaku asked back.

Reto grew anxious down below. "Wait, have you lost your mind? Why are you negotiating with a beast? Hurry up and seal him!"

Uzumaki Gamu looked at Reto. "You make it sound like tailed beasts are nothing but inferior animals beneath humans."

"Of course they are!" Reto said haughtily. "Unless we keep dangerous things like these under control, they'll only threaten humanity. They must be sealed and placed under human control!"

Shukaku said nothing. His anger began rising again.

"Threaten humanity? Don't talk like you have such respect for human life~" Uzumaki Gamu said, exasperated.

"What do you mean by that?" Reto asked with a frown.

"Have you killed so few people yourself? Your own hands are stained with plenty of blood, so don't act like tailed beasts are the dangerous ones~" In this era, it was impossible for a ninja to have bloodless hands. Everyone had killed people, yet they still complained about tailed beasts threatening human safety.

Reto wanted to argue, but he was a thoughtful man. After considering it carefully, he really couldn't find a rebuttal. After all, he had indeed killed plenty of people to achieve his own goals.

Uzumaki Gamu continued, "You're always going on about how dangerous tailed beasts are, but humans are the ones who hurt other humans the most. The tailed beasts were quietly staying in their own lairs. Stupid humans insisted on seeking them out, then turning them into weapons to hurt even more people... That's just hopelessly idiotic! Rather than persecuting tailed beasts, you'd be better off beating up those stupid humans~"

Uzumaki Gamu's words lit up Shukaku's heart. Listening to him was like watching the clouds part to reveal the sun; everything suddenly made sense! Shukaku had wandered for half his life, regretting only that he had never met a worthy lord. If this gentleman would have him, Shukaku would gladly become his adopted clothing... What was this, Lü Bu in the Hokage World?

Well, that was a joke. Shukaku wasn't quite that shameless! Still, in all the years since his birth, this was the first time a human had spoken so strongly in his favor. It left him a little dazed as memories of the past surfaced before his eyes!

After thinking for a while, Reto asked, "...Are you really human? Why are you siding with the tailed beasts?" Disdaining double standards, Reto could only play the traitor-to-humanity card!

"I'm siding with justice!" Uzumaki Gamu declared righteously. "The world as it stands is clearly wrong! It needs to change! I'm going to fight everything unreasonable about it! Tailed beasts are intelligent life, too. In my eyes, they're no different from ordinary humans, so they should be treated like ordinary humans-as equals. Of course, humans should be treated that way, too! If we can communicate through words, then we should, instead of constantly thinking about solving everything through force!"

Uzumaki Gamu raised his clenched fist and said earnestly, "Humans are absolutely not just monkeys that attack other living beings with weapons! The intelligence we worked so hard to evolve isn't meant solely for attacking enemies, either. Distrusting each other and thinking only of solving problems through force-that's the mountain called prejudice weighing on our hearts! If we want everyone to live better lives, we must break those old, rigid ways of thinking and welcome a new era with new ideas. Otherwise, even if we resolve the internal conflicts of the Five Great Nations, those nations will still fight each other. In the end, we'll only be repeating the mistakes of the past!"

After listening to Uzumaki Gamu, Reto fell into thought. He felt as though someone had opened his eyes.

Shukaku was silent for a while, then asked, "You said you wouldn't seal me if I didn't hurt humans. But what if humans hurt me? There's no way I won't fight back!"

"True... it takes two to tango. If the humans won't cooperate, that'll put you in a tough position. In that case..." Uzumaki Gamu turned to Reto. "Hey, bargain-bin sworn brother, interested in making a deal with Shukaku?"

"You're saying 'bargain-bin' to my face now?" Reto rolled his eyes in exasperation, then asked, "What deal?"

"You want to unite the ninja factions of the Land of Wind and establish a single ninja village, right? To end the chaos of the Land of Wind being divided among warlords. And what Shukaku wants is recognition from others, along with a home where he can live... In that case, Shukaku can lend you his power to unify the Land of Wind, while you treat him as an equal and give him a place to belong. Both sides benefit, and everyone wins. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Everyone would get what they needed and achieve a win-win outcome. Surely that beat fighting to the death and leaving both sides ruined?

Of course, human greed was endless. Some people would rather ruin both sides than give up even part of their vested interests. Shortsighted idiots like those still deserved the stick!

Shukaku didn't immediately respond to Uzumaki Gamu's proposal.

Reto, however, answered at once. "Agreed!"

"Oh~ Just like that? That was a little quick!" Uzumaki Gamu asked curiously.

Reto replied, "I strongly agree with some of what you said. Besides, communicating with Shukaku as an equal costs me nothing, so naturally I can accept this proposal! What's more, it'll help me realize my dream sooner. Why wouldn't I?" That was the good thing about practical people: as long as something benefited them, they accepted it remarkably quickly!

Reto had agreed. Now it was up to Shukaku.

Uzumaki Gamu asked, "So... what do you think?"

"...What if the humans go back on their word?" Shukaku voiced his concern. He had lived for thousands of years and seen humans betray their promises countless times! Trusting a human's word so easily would be like an old man swallowing arsenic-he might as well be asking to die.

"I'll be the guarantor!!" Uzumaki Gamu stepped forward. "If Reto breaks his oath, I'll bring my friends and strike the Land of Wind like thunder, rescuing you from your suffering!" Uzumaki Gamu himself might not be capable of taking on an entire country alone. But with his two friends, things would be different... Susanoo-Clad Kurama-two men wiping out four nations!!

With Hashirama and Madara around, the two of them could wipe out the other four great nations together without much trouble, let alone the vast Land of Wind. (As the largest of the Five Great Nations by land area, it deserved a little respect.)

Huh? Wait a minute. If those two wiped out four nations... what would Uzumaki Gamu do?

Well, he'd still wave a flag and cheer them on~

Hearing this, Reto couldn't help griping, "So in the end, you're still going to use force!"

"Well, not everyone can understand profound Buddhist teachings. At times like that, you need to serve up some punches and kicks~" Until all humanity evolved enough to restrain its selfish desires, force remained necessary!

Shukaku asked in confusion, "Who exactly are you? Why are you doing all this?"

"Me?" The question left Uzumaki Gamu stunned for a second. He really didn't know how to answer. After all, he'd only said all this on a whim.

Still, Uzumaki Gamu had to sound impressive. So he told Shukaku, "I'm the second Six Paths, and the only one in existence today. I will bring true peace to this world!!"