Six-Tails Saiken: Get Me a Deal Like That Too

"Mm! The effect is indeed astonishing!"

After entering Isobu's mental world, the colossal creature was unusually reasonable in its attitude toward Uchiha Yuan.

Isobu was indeed more attuned to Water-nature Chakra.

But when it fought humans in the past, it either created whirlpools or whipped up raging waves.

And when they really annoyed it, it would reward those humans with a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Its Water-nature Chakra manipulation, comparable to a natural disaster, was certainly devastating.

But it was nowhere near as shocking as that precise kill just now.

If Isobu knew that ninjutsu, it could slice the turtle-eating Mizukage, Genji, and Harusame into mincemeat. Why would it still need to fear never gaining freedom?

It was a revelation that changed its entire understanding. Precisely controlled Chakra held limitless possibilities.

But humans were still too cunning. In Isobu's experience, it had rarely encountered humans willing to make a fair deal with it, let alone one who was after its Chakra.

"The ninjutsu is certainly good, but I need to think about it."

"Of course. But I should remind you that I do not have much time left here."

"And the price of dragging this out is my death. By then, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to find another ninja willing to teach you ninjutsu."

Uchiha Yuan's attitude was sincere.

That was the truth.

His soul had already been separated from his body for over an hour. Three hours was his limit.

He also had to account for the time needed to return to his body. After all, his method of temporarily returning through the Contract Seal had stopped working for the moment.

"Wait here."

As Isobu closed its eyes, a shrunken version of its soul appeared in a mysterious space.

"Saiken, it has been a long time. If your Jinchuriki hadn't gone berserk, our Chakras would never have crossed paths, and we would never have been able to meet."

Six-Tails Saiken's true form was a gigantic slug with six tails. Beneath his kind nature hid a faintly mischievous streak.

"Yes. Perhaps that old man of the Six Paths foresaw this day long ago."

Within that mysterious space, utterly silent and filled with radiant light, Isobu and Saiken lay facing one another.

"Today, both of us are here. Perhaps we can work together and escape."

Isobu spoke in a muffled voice.

"Isobu, have you changed? Why are you being so proactive?"

"But I'm afraid I can't do it. My Jinchuriki, Utakata, is a good kid. I don't want him to die yet."

"You bastard, when I'm interested, you're the one who isn't eager. Weren't you always the one egging me on before?"

Isobu's voice rumbled. The ninjutsu demonstrated by the human had truly let him glimpse the dawn of freedom.

Using human ways of thinking and human methods to fight humans.

"No, I still desire freedom more than you do, but killing Utakata is not an option."

"Fine. I met an interesting human. He's willing to teach me ninjutsu. I think highly of it. That little fellow borrowed my Chakra and nearly killed a human twenty kilometers away."

"According to him, that human was as strong as the Mizukage."

"Ninjutsu? Shukaku and Kurama have tried it before. It really is interesting."

"The Third Mizukage is very powerful, even stronger than that rotten old man Harusame. If we can really kill them, we'll be much closer to freedom!"

Saiken grew slightly excited.

The enemies of the tailed beasts were the entire ninja village system that wanted to turn them into weapons.

The ability to precisely assassinate Kage-level experts meant no ninja could stand against them.

"Saiken, trading with him means giving him Chakra."

"Isobu, we tailed beasts have nearly inexhaustible Chakra."

"No, I'm worried he'll be like those humans before him..."

"Sorry to interrupt, but by those humans before him, you mean the humans who betrayed you, right?"

Uchiha Yuan silently appeared in the mysterious space. After integrating the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's genes, he had become especially sensitive to tailed beast Chakra.

Vaguely, he could sense Isobu and Saiken talking.

He had tried touching them with his soul and appeared here—yeah, right.

In truth, Uchiha Yuan had been hiding nearby and eavesdropping for quite a while.

"Saiken, since you also want freedom, I'm willing to make a deal with you as well."

"Trade your Chakra for freedom."

Having stumbled upon the two tailed beasts' private conversation, Uchiha Yuan simply spoke openly about a deal.

It had to be said, tailed beasts were truly thick-skinned. Even after he caught them conspiring, they were not flustered in the slightest.

"This is the guy who wants to make a deal with you, right, Isobu?"

Isobu even enthusiastically acted as a salesman.

"That's right. Let me show you his ninjutsu."

"An assassination of a Kage-level expert? Come to think of it, Kirigakure has grown accustomed to our straightforward methods of resistance. Using ninjutsu would indeed catch them off guard."

Saiken considered it.

"Then, little one, do you have a way for me to gain freedom without killing my Jinchuriki?"

Uchiha Yuan nodded.

Eight-Tails Gyuki had left one of his tails behind for his Jinchuriki, Killer B, allowing the Jinchuriki to survive having a tailed beast extracted.

Saiken might be able to do the same.

But he would need a sealing ninja's help to release the seal.

"I know a method. However, the seal must be released, and I'm not particularly skilled in Sealing Technique."

Uchiha Yuan told the truth. By now, he had already figured out how to deal with Isobu and Saiken.

It was simple: sincerity.

"As a gift, I can tell you this much. Leaving behind part of your body along with Chakra can prevent a Jinchuriki from dying after the tailed beast is extracted."

"But do you know any sealing ninja willing to help you?"

Seeing Saiken's gloomy expression,

Uchiha Yuan secretly laughed.

For one thing, Danzo's eye for talent was sharp enough. Harusame's Sealing Technique was merely a superficial imitation of the Uzumaki Sealing Technique.

But Hidden Leaf Village possessed the authentic Uzumaki Sealing Technique.

Uchiha Yuan did not know about the others, but Minato Namikaze was a master of Sealing Technique.

Right now, his soul was inside Hidden Leaf Village's Mask Storage Temple. After returning to the village, Uchiha Yuan planned to work on the Yin Nine-Tails.

Then, he could naturally make a deal with Minato Namikaze's soul.

"I do have a way to learn Sealing Technique, and I'm willing to help."

"But as I said, it's a deal."

Isobu and Saiken looked at each other for a long while.

An opportunity to trade their own Chakra for freedom... it was worth it.

Only after confirming that the two tailed beasts would not go back on their word did Uchiha Yuan tell Isobu everything about the Hand Seals and execution techniques for Water Style: Water Severing Wave.

He also specifically instructed him to find the right opportunity to launch a sneak attack, and to aim for the head no matter what.

Afterward, his soul received Chakra from Isobu and Saiken.

Using a ninjutsu he had swiped from Old Madara, plus one promise, he had gained a further unlocking of the Demonic Statue Fragment's functions and a boost to his own ninjutsu attributes.

It was practically a free ride. It could not have been a better deal.

Still, it was a case of giving them what they wanted. The two tailed beasts had seen the possibility of freedom through learning ninjutsu.

Uchiha Yuan felt this was a win-win, except he was the only one getting something for nothing.

Thus, after Isobu released Uchiha Yuan's soul, the tailed beast that had always been content to slack off eagerly began sharing the ninjutsu with Saiken.

The two tailed beasts were innately endowed with Water-nature Chakra. After carefully studying the Hand Seals and the key points of execution, they quickly mastered this assassination ninjutsu.

As for how much trouble they might cause Kirigakure in the future through sneak attacks, that was not something Uchiha Yuan could know now.

In any case, he still had to complete his deal with Saiken later. He would find out when they met again.

For now, taking advantage of the chaos, Uchiha Yuan's soul swiftly drifted over the battlefield where Kirigakure was fighting itself.

After Six-Tails Utakata confirmed that his master, Harusame, was unharmed, the Tailed Beast Cloak covering his body dispersed.

This elderly Hidden Mist Sealing Master had been poisoned by Orochimaru and could only watch helplessly as the soul disrupting the seal departed.

Uchiha Yuan had no time to kill him. According to his senses,

his body, Orochimaru Squad, Orochimaru, and Danzo were rapidly approaching the harbor.

Apparently, they had given up on the Three-Tails and intended to return to Hidden Leaf Village.

Uchiha Yuan was utterly miserable over that.

The sealing formula that Isobu had helped bear earlier was spreading over his left arm.

The quick method of using the Contract Seal on himself to swiftly return to his body was still ineffective.

Uchiha Yuan could only drift toward his body as fast as he could.

With dozens of kilometers between them, even though he could drift faster than the Body Flicker Technique, Uchiha Yuan was having an exceptionally hard time catching up.

Come to think of it, his body had been separated from his soul for two hours already!

He only had one hour left, and the Sealing Technique was still running rampant across his arm.

Uchiha Yuan could only abandon all concern for appearances, letting his black hair stream behind him as he sped desperately onward.

Thus, after enduring tsunamis and landslides one after another that morning, the harbor residents of Strange Island in Sea Country witnessed an even stranger sight.

A young ghost flew over the sea, chasing after a departing cargo ship.