At the end of the previous chapter, after thoroughly enjoying his moment of showing off, Uzumaki Gamu thought, Hehehe, I finally got a chance to use that badass line~~ I have to say, Obito's lines really do feel good to say~ Well, Uchiha dialogue is generally pretty badass. I should compile a quote collection someday!
Once he put together a collection of badass quotes, he could make little Uchiha Sasuke stand in the street and recite it every day. Surely such a humiliating dark chapter in his life would cure his Show-off Release. Then the grown-up Uchiha Sasuke would be a lively, lovable heartthrob.
Well, that was a long, long way off. Uzumaki Gamu would probably have forgotten the idea by then, so he didn't give it much more thought.
Hearing Uzumaki Gamu's boast, Reto merely spaced out for a moment. The Sage of Six Paths? Isn't he some legendary figure...? Is he bragging? That was how a normal person would think.
But Shukaku, opposite him, thought otherwise-he had been raised by the Sage of Six Paths. Hagoromo was like a father to him.
In the past, if Uzumaki Gamu had said something like that, Shukaku would most likely have blasted him with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
But after hearing what Uzumaki Gamu had just said, and seeing how he treated tailed beasts-Uzumaki Gamu was the first human in all these years willing to treat them as equals-the hazy image of the Sage of Six Paths began to overlap with him.
Shukaku also remembered what the Sage of Six Paths had said before his death-you would meet the right person, receive the right guidance, and understand what true power was. Until then... wait patiently!
Old man, is he the one? At that thought, Shukaku made a decision, then told Uzumaki Gamu, "I can agree to those terms, but I have one condition."
"What condition?" Uzumaki Gamu asked without suspicion.
"Give me some of your chakra. I want to see whether you're sincere!" Shukaku answered.
"You can do that?" Uzumaki Gamu scratched his head. Was he about to hear something like, "This taste... is the taste of a liar!"?
Of course, Uzumaki Gamu wasn't afraid in the slightest. Everything he did came one hundred percent from the heart-My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do is justice! He had the confidence to say that openly and proudly, so he agreed without hesitation. "Sure!"
Mito hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, Second Brother! Couldn't that be dangerous?"
"It's fine... I trust him!" Uzumaki Gamu smiled faintly-a smile filled with confidence, joy, success, and... the unmistakable scent of an impending disaster!
Uzumaki Gamu walked up to Shukaku, touched his body with his fist, and transferred his chakra over. Just like that, the chakra channel connected.
Yet the expected transfer of chakra never happened. Instead, Shukaku's chakra surged toward him like water from a pressurized hose.
Before Uzumaki Gamu could figure out what was happening, an extra mass of chakra appeared inside him... Shukaku's chakra!
Uzumaki Gamu hastily severed the connection, but it was already too late.
A part of Shukaku was already inside him.
Uzumaki Gamu plopped down on the Wood Golem's head and stared at Shukaku in astonishment. "You... what did you do?"
Neither Mito nor Reto beside him knew what had happened. After all, the chakra transfer had taken place in an instant.
Outside, Shukaku burst out laughing. "I gave you some of my chakra, of course! Without leaving part of myself to watch you, who knows whether you'd turn around and forget all about me? With a part of me inside you keeping an eye on things, at least I can relax~"
"Hahaha, that's right~" Shukaku's voice also sounded from inside Uzumaki Gamu.
Uzumaki Gamu immediately shifted his attention into his mental world, where he found an extra tanuki inside him.
With dead-fish eyes, Uzumaki Gamu said, "...You tricked me?"
"Hahaha, don't make it sound so nasty~ Plenty of people want my chakra, and I won't give it to them~" Shukaku said gleefully. Seeing Uzumaki Gamu's defeated expression made him laugh with delight, wiping away all the frustration of having just been beaten senseless by him.
In short, it felt absolutely fantastic!
Uzumaki Gamu dropped to his knees in his mental space and pounded the floor. "Damn it! My Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!!!" He had imagined someday showing off in style with Nine-Tails Link Mode like Naruto, only for Shukaku to move in and steal the spot... Could Shukaku give him a mode that cool? Probably not!
The thought that his Tailed Beast Transformation would only turn him into a tanuki made entirely of sand shattered the cool Nine-Tails show-off scenes in his head, one after another-I hate sand!
Since he was already inside Uzumaki Gamu's mental world, Shukaku sensed his thoughts too and immediately voiced his displeasure. "Hold on! Why are you thinking about that stinking fox? What's so great about him?!"
"...Strong. Cool!" Uzumaki Gamu answered simply-powerful and stylish, the true tailed beast of his dreams!
"Damn it, my power is no worse than his! And how am I ugly?!" Shukaku grew even more annoyed.
"...Well, you'll do!" Uzumaki Gamu said, staring at the ceiling. Shukaku wasn't bad, really... but he couldn't compare to the Nine-Tails!
Shukaku: "..." I feel like I've boarded a pirate ship. What's so noble and righteous about this brat?!
"Forget it. Since you're here, I might as well make the best of it. It's not like there aren't any cool tanuki... When I get back, I'll forge a set of Warrior God Blades and use them to slash my way through the entire shinobi world!" Uzumaki Gamu tried to console himself. Shukaku was still quite powerful, and having him would boost his strength... At the very least, he could now use Magnet Release sealing jutsu. Combined with Uzumaki Gamu's own sealing jutsu, his combat ability would skyrocket!
As for looking cool... he would have to find his own way around that!
Shukaku was deeply unhappy that Uzumaki Gamu thought he was ugly, but he also sensed the Warrior God Blades Uzumaki Gamu had just pictured. Holy crap, those look pretty cool! I want them!
And so, just like that, Uzumaki Gamu inexplicably became a jinchūriki!
Mito ran over and asked worriedly, "Second Brother, are you all right?"
"I'm fine~ He just played a prank on me." Uzumaki Gamu waved a hand, then said, "All right, you can release the Adamantine Sealing Chains holding him down. He won't cause trouble!"
"...Okay." After a moment's hesitation, Mito obediently released the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
And Shukaku really did stand obediently in place!
Uzumaki Gamu told Shukaku, "We'll let that little prank of yours slide. Let's talk about what happens next!" He took out the pot that had previously sealed Shukaku.
Shukaku asked, "What are you doing? Going back on your word?"
"No, I mean this thing can be your home from now on," Uzumaki Gamu explained. "You're too big to move around in human society without frightening people. Use this pot as a container and get around in it~ When you're tired, just sleep inside."
"...I don't like cramped spaces!" Shukaku protested.
Uzumaki Gamu said, "Put up with it for a while. Once he's made something of himself, he'll set aside a big open space for you to call home."
"...Fine!" Though reluctant, Shukaku grudgingly agreed. It was better than being sealed inside the pot forever. Besides, using the pot as a body would let him run around everywhere. That sounded pretty interesting.
So Shukaku began shrinking and slipped into the pot. Then his head, hands, and feet poked out-as though he had turned into a little tanuki.
Reto exclaimed in surprise, "He can shrink? Tailed beasts can do that?"
"They're masses of chakra, after all. They can actually change their size however they like!" Uzumaki Gamu dispelled the Wood Golem Technique, and everyone landed on the ground.
Uzumaki Gamu picked Shukaku up from the ground and handed him to Reto, reminding him, "Take good care of him. Tailed beasts live forever. If you treat him well and give him a sense of belonging in the village you'll create, your village will have an eternal guardian even after you die!"
Reto's eyes lit up. "You can think of it that way? That never occurred to me... Gamu, you really are amazing!" This time, his admiration was heartfelt!
Uzumaki Gamu's strength wasn't merely physical. His heart was strong too-entirely without selfish desires, able to put himself in other people's shoes. In this shinobi world consumed by greed, he was practically a freak!
A genuinely good man whose actions matched his beliefs-if every shinobi were like him, perhaps there would be no more wars in the shinobi world. (Uzumaki Gamu: Exactly. A bunch of slackers would have trouble starting a war. If everyone's busy slacking off, who's going to fight?!)
Perhaps... he could become this world's Savior! (Uzumaki Gamu: ...Am I really that great?)
At this point, Reto truly accepted this sworn brother of his!
Uzumaki Gamu said modestly, "Amazing? Well, naturally. I'm one of the Land of Fire's three outstanding young men!" This guy wasn't modest at all!
Reto was instantly speechless. Suddenly, Uzumaki Gamu didn't seem quite so great.
Uzumaki Gamu smiled and said, "Well, it might take a very long time. Maybe it won't happen until our descendants' descendants are around. But I sincerely hope the day will come when the people of the Five Great Nations can live in peace and share drinks together!"
"...Everyone living together peacefully? What a fanciful idea." In the past, Reto might have thought Uzumaki Gamu was daydreaming. But now... perhaps Uzumaki Gamu could pull it off?
Who knew whether it could be done? One thing was right, though-at least he probably wouldn't live to see it!
Uzumaki Gamu waved a hand. "All right, that fight was pretty tiring. You two can take your time talking!"
With that, Uzumaki Gamu left Reto and Shukaku alone and took Mito to find the evacuated townspeople of Rōran. Those two were the partners now. For the sake of their shared future, they needed to have a proper talk first!
Reto didn't say anything more to Uzumaki Gamu either. He focused all his attention on Shukaku. "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Reto... and I have a dream! (To become a Yangge Star-just kidding~)" Reto had learned this approach from Uzumaki Gamu... When communicating with a tailed beast, sincerity was the way to earn their trust.
Of course, Shukaku wasn't the only one Reto had told this to. Almost all his subordinates had heard him explain his dream. Nowadays, we generally called that... selling empty promises! (Remember your boss painting a rosy future for you? That was what Reto was doing... He was a born entrepreneur! A master of selling dreams!)
-Preparing ninja tools-
"A second Six Paths, and the only one alive today... Even the tailed beasts trust him so much. Just as I thought, he's Hagoromo's man!" Black Zetsu thought bitterly!
Black Zetsu had been responsible for Shukaku's release!
First, he had infiltrated the temple where Shukaku was sealed and possessed the monk guarding the seal. Then he used the monk's body to steal Shukaku and head toward Rōran. Well, getting intercepted by Reto halfway there had been an accident, but it didn't matter. They were already close to Rōran. Once Shukaku got out, he would inevitably attack it!
If Uzumaki Gamu really was Hagoromo's man, he surely wouldn't stand by and let people die! After all, Hagoromo cared deeply about those weak humans. He had even sealed his own mother to protect them! Whoever he chose ought to be cut from the same cloth.
After releasing Shukaku, Black Zetsu separated from that unlucky monk and ran off to watch events from a distance with the Telescope Technique. (This was a ninjutsu Black Zetsu had recently worked hard to develop to monitor Uzumaki Gamu. Normally, he had no such ability, but the invisible pressure Uzumaki Gamu placed on him unlocked his potential, producing this specialized spying technique. Incidentally, it had no sound. Black Zetsu followed the conversations by reading lips-yes, he even taught himself lip reading to spy on Uzumaki Gamu... Aren't you working a little too hard?)
The final result had been something of a lucky accident. Uzumaki Gamu had spent his entire previous life being a good person. Even if he wanted to live for himself and become selfish in this life, he was still a good person at heart. If he didn't see it, fine, but he couldn't completely ignore a tragedy happening right before his eyes!
Shukaku fighting Uzumaki Gamu was exactly what Black Zetsu had wanted to see. Uzumaki Gamu's current strength couldn't possibly match a tailed beast's-he was only fifteen, after all. Nothing could be better than getting rid of him while he was still weak!
Yet Uzumaki Gamu had actually used the power of the ley lines to completely suppress the tailed beast. That was not what Black Zetsu wanted to see!
I picked the wrong battlefield. I should have waited until he left Rōran, then controlled someone to deliver Shukaku to him. But... if I get too close, he might notice me... Black Zetsu regretted choosing the wrong battlefield. Somewhere else, Uzumaki Gamu really might not have beaten Shukaku. However, somewhere else, Uzumaki Gamu would simply have dusted off his hands and left!
That was Black Zetsu's dilemma!
After Shukaku lost, Black Zetsu also learned by reading Uzumaki Gamu's lips that he really was Hagoromo's man. (Hagoromo, watching the livestream from the Impure World: "...") This deepened Black Zetsu's hatred of Uzumaki Gamu. Black Zetsu loathed Hagoromo for sealing his mother, and that hatred naturally extended to Uzumaki Gamu. (Uzumaki Gamu: What the hell does that have to do with me?! You hate me just like that? What an absolute moron!!)
Heads could roll and blood could spill, but Hagoromo could never be allowed to remain! His remnants had to be eliminated as soon as possible!
"I have to find a way to kill him, or Mother won't have any hope of resurrection. He should be heading to the Land of Earth next. In that case..." Black Zetsu sank underground again and began preparing a new evil plan.
-Preparing ninja tools-
After leaving Reto and Shukaku, Mito hurriedly asked, "Second Brother, what did that Shukaku do to you?"
"He transferred his chakra to me and made me his jinchūriki... Anyway, talk to him yourself!" Uzumaki Gamu cupped his hands in front of him, and a little tanuki appeared in them-well, a mini Shukaku.
The extracted Shukaku was rather bewildered. "Brat, how did you pull me out on my own?"
Uzumaki Gamu answered, "Don't underestimate my atomic-level chakra control! Moving a portion of your chakra out of my body and shaping it into your likeness is no trouble at all! Well, the only problem is that you can't go too far away. If you do, you'll disperse and return to my body!"
"...Is that something a human can do?" Shukaku asked in astonishment. Of course, that wasn't all that surprised him. After entering Uzumaki Gamu's body, he had discovered many things he hadn't noticed outside. Now he really wanted to know just what was going on with this human.
But... he felt that many of those things shouldn't be mentioned in front of outsiders. At least, this little sister of his probably didn't know about them, so Shukaku said nothing. He would ask once he returned to Uzumaki Gamu's body!
Then Uzumaki Gamu handed mini Shukaku to his little sister for her to play with. (Shukaku: So I'm a toy for entertaining your sister now?)
Mito wasn't interested in playing. Right now, she simply felt as though her understanding of the world was collapsing. Since childhood, she had been taught that tailed beasts were terrifying beings. Now one had become something like a toy... She couldn't help marveling at how incredible her second brother was!
No matter how terrifying something was, once her second brother got involved, events would veer in a completely unpredictable direction. A few dozen minutes ago, they had been fighting Shukaku to the death. Now they were peacefully coexisting as one family. Who could possibly have imagined that?!
After that, things proceeded in a normal direction. With Shukaku dealt with, the people of Rōran returned to their town and began singing Uzumaki Gamu's praises, worshipping him like a savior!
Being admired felt pretty good, but being worshipped like some religious guru made Uzumaki Gamu feel awkward. Even though he had met Yama, reincarnated, become a shinobi, and turned into a superhuman, Uzumaki Gamu remained a staunch materialist~ Spare him the religious nonsense! (Of course, if Uzumaki Gamu wanted to scam people himself, that was another matter.)
But the townspeople's fanatical worship wasn't going to disappear just because Uzumaki Gamu said a few words. That left him even more speechless. Could you people listen to reason?! Read more books and newspapers, study hard, and improve every day! Stop worshipping some religious guru!
Well, talking did no good, so Uzumaki Gamu could only choose another method-Run away!!
Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing was best. If he couldn't talk them around, he would simply run! See you later~
And so Uzumaki Gamu fled with Mito and Lala!
Before leaving, Uzumaki Gamu asked the mayor, "Isn't it a little early for me to take your daughter away like this? Should I come back for her in a couple of years?" He was taking away someone's nine-year-old daughter. Her father might be reluctant to part with her!
"Not early at all!!" the mayor declared fanatically. "It is my daughter's good fortune to study under the God of Shinobi. Please, don't reject her!" The Rōran townspeople's fanaticism wasn't entirely incomprehensible. Although they had evacuated their town at the time, they could still see Shukaku fighting Uzumaki Gamu. That sun-like ninjutsu had already been terrifying enough, never mind the Wood Golem that came afterward, as large as Shukaku. That simply wasn't something a human could produce!
Uzumaki Gamu broke into a sweat. I could only do that using the Dragon Vein's Power. Don't treat it as my normal strength! Wait, now that I have Shukaku, maybe I could do it normally?
Because of all this, the people of Rōran regarded Uzumaki Gamu as a deity and even slapped the title of God of Shinobi on him. Come on, that was Hashirama's nickname. Don't shove it onto him!
"...Fine. If you don't mind, I'll take her with me. I should be able to let her come home to visit for holidays and such. That's that, then~ Goodbye!" Uzumaki Gamu waved and left with the others!
After leaving Rōran, Uzumaki Gamu saw Reto and Shukaku, who had just finished their discussion. Though he couldn't tell whether their relationship had improved much, they at least seemed to have reached an understanding!
Seeing the human and tailed beast, Uzumaki Gamu asked, "Finished talking?"
"Yes!" Reto nodded. "We can't trust each other yet, but we've at least reached an understanding. Now time will tell whether we can keep our promises!"
"Hmph, I certainly won't go back on my word~ It mainly depends on how you humans behave!" Shukaku said disdainfully. Then he addressed Uzumaki Gamu. "Brat, are you leaving?"
"Yeah. Everything I needed to do is done. Besides... the townspeople are too enthusiastic. I can't really stay, so I'm heading straight north to take a look at the Land of Earth!" Uzumaki Gamu answered.
"I see... There's something I need to tell you!" After some thought, Reto decided to share his suspicions with Uzumaki Gamu.
"Someone's targeting me?" Uzumaki Gamu asked in puzzlement.
Reto nodded. "Yes. When you arrived in the Land of Rivers, I received news of your bounty and that you were heading this way. Then, after Shukaku was stolen, he was brought straight here too. Clearly, someone wants to use outside forces to eliminate you!"
"...I see. Understood!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded. "Thanks for the warning. I'll keep an eye on that from now on and see whether I can drag out whoever's behind it!"
"Yes!" Reto nodded. "Have a safe journey!"
"Then I wish you success in founding your village soon... I hope that the next time I come to the Land of Wind, the shinobi village you want will already be built!" Uzumaki Gamu said.
"A shinobi village?" Reto, who hadn't yet decided what kind of organization he wanted to establish, brightened at the idea. "What a wonderful idea! In the next few years, I'll build a shinobi village of our own for the Land of Wind!"
Had Uzumaki Gamu's loose tongue caused Sunagakure to be founded ahead of schedule?
Uh... surely all Five Great Shinobi Villages wouldn't end up appearing early?
Before you continue