Araki did not dodge at all until this point.
boom!!!
The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded immediately, raising clouds of dust like an atomic bomb. A huge crater was blasted into the desert where Araki was located, and even the newly planted trees were completely destroyed. This reduced the already small, miraculous desert grove to only half its original size.
After the Tailed Beast Bomb exploded, Nine-Tails's eyes flashed with a hint of triumph. It knew the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb all too well, and it was certain that the Tailed Beast Bomb had hit its mark.
After a few seconds of smug satisfaction, the Nine-Tails Fox's expression turned serious again, because it realized that the large wooden hands controlling it showed no sign of letting go, still gripping its limbs firmly like pincers.
This illustrates an extremely dangerous problem...
Araki is still alive!
Nine-Tails stared intently at the area in front of it, which had been reduced to a deep crater. There wasn't a trace of Araki, and at this distance, there was no possibility of him escaping.
But...
Why does that aura that it finds repulsive and frightening still linger?
Chapter 38 Don't push your luck!
On the other side.
Inside the tents at the Konoha camp.
Araki's pupils contracted slightly.
In that brief moment, he received memories from the Wood Clone —the events that had just occurred, and the remaining Chakra that hadn't been fully used.
"It really is the Nine-Tails!"
Araki suddenly understood. He sensed the commotion outside from inside the tent and had a vague guess that the matter might be related to the Nine-Tails. However, he couldn't be completely sure. In addition, the concentration of the Redbud Poison here wasn't particularly high, so the time everyone was unconscious wasn't that extreme. After experiencing such a shock, they were almost back to a semi-conscious state.
Under such circumstances, he cannot move around casually. Otherwise, his absence would easily arouse suspicion, and he might even be mistaken for a traitor within Sunagakure. In either case, it would be a loss for him, and there is absolutely no need for such a thing.
For this reason, Araki did not move, but silently waited for the information to be transmitted back by the Wood Clone. No information was also good information, which meant that the Wood Clone was fine.
Now that he had received this news, a hint of worry flashed in his eyes, followed by a resolute look.
Now, he understands a truth more deeply: the Nine-Tails is simply too powerful. It can spit out Tailed Beast Bomb with world-destroying power with a mere opening of its mouth. The Tailed Beast Bomb that was just spat out was the result of him forcibly pressing down on its neck and mouth with his wooden hand. If it had undergone a full charge, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"It must be sealed!"
"Keeping the Nine-Tails alive poses a huge threat!"
"Now I understand what the Lord First Hokage meant!"
Araki clapped his hands together, and a piece of wood immediately appeared behind him, quickly transforming into shape—his Wood Clone.
Araki still chose to use the Wood Clone, primarily for safety. In situations like the one just now, he could simply create another Wood Clone. Moreover, both his main body and the Wood Clone could activate green Chakra through his heartbeat, which wouldn't significantly impact his strength.
However, if his physical body had been hit by the Tailed Beast Bomb just now, even if he reacted quickly and used Wood Release Ninjutsu to defend himself, he might still have suffered great damage, a price he simply could not afford.
The moment the Wood Clone appeared, it vanished in a flash, restoring the tent to its original state without any change, as if the Wood Clone had never existed.
Araki's Wood Clone quickly left the area of the camp and rushed towards the direction of Nine-Tails. He didn't know what would happen to his previous Wood Clone after it was destroyed. If Nine-Tails got away, it would be difficult to catch up with it again.
soon.
Araki's Wood Clone swept across the forest again, and before him appeared an endless desert.
In the desert, there is a particularly conspicuous piece of land, covered with lush trees and a deep, enormous pit.
That's where the battle just took place.
"Call..."
Araki's Wood Clone slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing this scene, he understood that Wood Release Ninjutsu was indeed different from other Ninjutsu. Even without a continuous supply of Chakra, it could maintain its existence for a period of time, or even permanently, instead of disappearing directly.
This is a significant difference from Ninjutsu of other attributes.
Not long after, Araki returned to the forest in the desert. The Nine-Tails was still lying on the ground, with large hands pressing down on its body, completely controlling it.
Wood Release Ninjutsu is very strong, but what truly sets it apart from other Ninjutsu is its control over the Tailed Beast.
What do we do now?
Araki scratched the back of his head, standing on a tree branch, looking down at Nine-Tails, unsure how to continue. After all, his Wood Release Ninjutsu had reached its limit at this point, and he didn't understand the advanced techniques that followed.
He verbally claimed he would forcefully shove the Nine-Tails back in, but in reality, he couldn't do it at all.
Let's talk...
Araki thought about it and decided that the best way was to take advantage of the information gap he had and try to persuade Nine-Tails to give up its resistance.
Subduing the enemy without fighting is the best strategy.
certainly...
This is also a choice made out of necessity.
If he could just stuff the Nine-Tails inside, he wouldn't bother with all this nonsense; it would be a waste of breath and carry even greater risks.
Whoosh!
Araki's figure flashed by, then quickly appeared in front of the Nine-Tails Fox's head, his tiny body contrasting sharply with the enormous fox head.
"You..."
Upon seeing Nine-Tails, a hint of fear flickered in the fox's eyes. It wasn't the first time it had been held down Araki the large hand of the Wood Release: Hotei Technique, but this was the first time it had been held down so thoroughly.
In the past, if it was simply held down, it would have room to move and struggle, but all of that was in vain and a waste of effort.
Now, there was absolutely no room for struggle. Even its nine tails and back were held down by the large hand. This feeling of restraint was even stronger than a seal, giving it a suffocating sense of oppression.
Especially during the few minutes that Araki "disappeared," it felt like an eternity. From his way of doing things, it sensed that this boy was different from the previous ones, seemingly having a stronger desire for control, which was not a good thing.
Of course, Nine-Tails didn't know that the reason Araki used so many wooden hands was actually because he was worried that Kurama could break free of these restraints.
" Nine-Tails, let's talk."
As Araki spoke, streams of green Chakra surged from his feet, and behind him, logs appeared, intersecting to form a simple chair.
Immediately afterwards, Araki sat down in the chair, crossed his legs, and looked quite relaxed, as if the wooden chair were his throne.
After Araki sat down, the logs suddenly rose up, like an elevator, lifting Araki to a height of about three stories. Visually, this subtly overshadowed Nine-Tails, creating a bird's-eye view.
This seemingly simple change actually represents a shift in status. If Araki were standing on the ground, no matter how tall he was, he would have to look up at Nine-Tails, while Nine-Tails would naturally look down at him, this tiny human.
However, as its height increased, Nine-Tails now had to look up to see Araki, but with a little effort, it found that its neck and head were being held down and it couldn't lift them at all. It could only strain its eyes to look upwards, which was extremely difficult, and the feeling of being suppressed became even stronger.
This person has an extremely strong desire for control!
The same thought resurfaced in Nine-Tails's mind. Judging from Araki's behavior just now, he had no intention of being on equal footing with it. This made Kurama feel like it was being forced to submit, which greatly impacted its pride as Tailed Beast.
"Lower it, it's too high, it's tiring for me to look at," Nine-Tails said irritably.
"I see!"
Araki's lips curled into a meaningful smile. He had been observing Nine-Tails's eyes and sensing Nine-Tails aura. Now, seeing Nine-Tails's reaction, he was even more certain of his guess: this old fox still cared about the so-called dignity of the Tailed Beast.
Then we must intensify our efforts!
Miracles happen with great effort!
Instantly.
Araki's chair became even higher, and with his legs crossed, Nine-Tails could barely see his face; all that could be seen were the dark soles of his feet.
at the same time.
The wooden hand on the Nine-Tails' neck grew heavier, pressing Nine-Tails head down, causing the ground beneath it to dent slightly.
"You..."
The Nine-Tails ' eyes grew even angrier. It felt intense humiliation, or rather, shame. It had only ever felt this way before with Madara Uchiha, a feeling of being treated like a pet, or rather, not even a pet, but a servant.
" Araki, don't go too far. Even Hashirama Senju speaks to me very politely."
The Nine-Tails gritted its teeth, hoping that its words would resonate with Araki's views on these matters. After all, Araki also used Wood Release Ninjutsu, which belonged to the same Kekkei Genkai. Although it didn't understand why Araki was able to use it, it felt that as Wood Release ninja, Araki should have great respect for Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage.
"Oh."
Araki responded with a faint sound, then said slowly, "Let's talk."
"You..."
Seeing Araki's completely absent-minded expression, Nine-Tails felt a surge of anger. It felt that the boy was deliberately pretending not to understand, but it was helpless and at his mercy. It then said irritably, "Is this how you talk to me? Let me go now, and I might be able to say a few words to you. Otherwise, I'm not in the mood!"
That's all.
Nine-Tails simply tilted its head slightly.
They were clearly indicating that they didn't want to pay any attention to Araki at all.
That's like a child throwing a tantrum.
That's right!
That's exactly how it feels!
Araki glanced at Nine-Tails silently and suddenly realized that dealing with Nine-Tails was even easier than dealing with humans.
The human world is full of deceit and intrigue. He had used his brain quite a bit in these matters in the Konoha Military Police Force, and did a lot of work to avoid being caught.
Now that we've come into contact with the Tailed Beast, we've discovered that these creatures have lived for quite a long time and have developed sentience, enabling them to communicate normally with humans. It's not that they have low intelligence, but rather that they are relatively simple-minded, much like children, unaware of the wickedness of human nature.
Araki immediately decided to let Nine-Tails experience the harsh realities of socialism.
"Who spoiled you like this? Hashirama, or Madara? You're just a little Tailed Beast. If you weren't inside Kushina, based on what you just said, I would have pulled you out and hung you up to beat you!" Araki said with a smile. His tone didn't fluctuate much, but every word contained Chakra and clearly entered Nine-Tails's ears.
"What did you say?!" The Nine-Tails ' pupils contracted sharply. It had never seen anyone speak to it like this before, not even Madara Uchiha.
" Kurama, you'd better be sensible. I haven't directly harmed you not because I couldn't, but because you're inside Kushina. You need to understand this fundamental reason." Araki emphasized Kushina again. He wanted to implant the concept of Kushina's importance into the Nine-Tails ' mind, so that the Nine-Tails would behave better inside Kushina. He then said, "Now go back on your own and behave yourself from now on. I'll give Kushina face and let this matter pass. If I forcibly put you back, you'll look very bad in front of Kushina."
"How do you know my name?!" Nine-Tails was shocked upon hearing Araki's address. If its fox head hadn't been formed from Chakra, it would have turned deathly pale. It then coldly asked, "Why did you put me back in?"
" Wood Human Technique." Araki uttered four words casually. He couldn't use the technique at all right now, but that didn't stop him from mentioning it to show off. After all, it was a powerful Ninjutsu that could grab Tailed Beast Bomb with one hand, forcefully send it back, achieving the effect of Rasengan, and even give Nine-Tails a head pat. He then said, "You don't want to lose face like this when Kushina regains consciousness, do you?"
"You, you, you..." Nine-Tails instantly recalled the fear of being dominated by the wooden puppet in the past, and the whole fox was in a bad mood. She had no mood to consider whether Araki really knew the Wood Human Technique, and just assumed that the other party cared more about Kushina's thoughts.
"Don't push your luck!"
The Nine-Tails' recently weakened aura suddenly surged again. It sneered and said, "Even if you can put me back, so what? My lifespan is endless. I'm only temporarily sealed. Even if Kushina dies, I won't die. That's how Mito is. If you anger me, and I'm determined not to cooperate with Kushina, then her life won't be easy in the future. So, you should beg me, beg me properly, and maybe I can treat Kushina better!"
After Nine-Tails finished speaking, he immediately became smug, as if he had grasped Araki's Achilles' heel.
"Your lifespan is endless, but you are not immortal. If you continue down this path of self-destruction, I will kill you," Araki said calmly.