The one who answered Kazuma's summons was a young ninja monk about the same age as Uchiha Yuan.
With his palms pressed together, he wore a compassionate expression of lofty virtue despite his youth. The screams and bloodshed around him seemed like an illusion to him.
He walked over to the enormous wooden fish and locked eyes with the miniature fox. Only then did a trace of greed flash through his eyes.
At that moment, the ninja monks who had gone berserk earlier suddenly stood frozen in place like wooden carvings.
Influenced by the Nine-Tails Chakra, their mental strength had long since been exhausted, leaving behind nothing but empty shells.
Surrounded by more than a dozen corpses, Kudo, the reserve Jinchuriki, remained perfectly composed.
Clearly, this ninja monk named Kudo was far stronger than the chanting monks.
"Sealing just a strand of Nine-Tails Chakra is already this dangerous. Sealing a Tailed Beast is simply a fantasy."
Kurama Shion sighed. She had experienced Nine-Tails Night not long ago, and the horrific scene before her was practically a reenactment of that day.
"This is only the beginning. Teacher Orochimaru hasn't even made a move yet."
Mitaraishi Anko watched with great interest. Blood and death only made her more excited.
Uchiha Yuan quietly rubbed his nose. The scene before him truly broadened his horizons.
Fortunately, the Demonic Statue Fragment had already been fed its fill and showed no reaction to this remaining strand of Nine-Tails Chakra.
Otherwise, if the Nine-Tails Chakra affected by the Demonic Statue Fragment became so listless, it would definitely arouse Orochimaru and Kazuma's suspicions.
To avoid exposing himself, Uchiha Yuan felt that he needed to be even more cautious.
Just as he was considering how to hide the Demonic Statue Fragment, his left arm was firmly grabbed.
When he turned around, he met Hyuga Ryo's pure, harmless white eyes.
"Yuan-kun is a real man! You'll protect girls at a time like this, right!?"
Uchiha Yuan lowered his gaze. Hyuga Ryo's surging curves blocked his view, and this Hyuga Clan ninja had actually hidden half her body behind his back.
Considering the terrible situation before them, she was obviously using him as a human shield.
"I'm just an ordinary ninja. I'm not married, and I certainly don't have a daughter. Ling, there's really no need for you to treat me like this."
Just as Uchiha Yuan was about to shake off Hyuga Ryo, his right arm was wrapped around by another cool, soft arm.
"Ling is right. Yuan-kun counts as a man too."
Kurama Shion matter-of-factly hid half her body behind Uchiha Yuan's back.
"Protecting one more person won't make a difference, right!"
The veins on Uchiha Yuan's forehead throbbed.
Just that single strand of Nine-Tails Chakra had instantly killed more than a dozen Fire Temple monks.
These two women clearly knew it was dangerous, yet they still used him as a human shield. They were far too sinister and vicious!
Then, dragging along two burdens, Uchiha Yuan silently moved behind Anko.
His junior apprentice sister was intently observing Teacher Orochimaru's sealing methods and did not notice what was behind her at all.
Uchiha Yuan casually looked up at the sky. Kurama Shion looked around, pretending to admire the scenery. Only Hyuga Ryo maintained a serene smile the entire time.
Just as the three unscrupulous people were victimizing the squad's junior apprentice sister, the sealing officially began.
In the center of the courtyard, the corpses of more than a dozen Fire Temple monks lay scattered across the ground.
Orochimaru calmly examined Kudo, the candidate Jinchuriki. His physique was far inferior to that of the Uzumaki Clan, and he did not even possess the qualifications to become a Fake Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
"Kazuma, the person you found lacks the necessary aptitude. However, I will still help you complete the sealing as agreed, and I will even teach you the sealing method."
"As for what comes after that, you'll need to deal with it yourself."
Kazuma could only silently accept this.
Although Kudo, the candidate Jinchuriki, was focused on confronting the miniature fox, the glance he cast toward Orochimaru carried a flicker of disdain and malice.
Orochimaru paid it no mind and instructed Kudo to remove his upper garments.
"Sealing Technique: Five Elements Seal!"
With a sharp shout, five masses of Chakra with different attributes quietly appeared at his fingertips.
The miniature fox, which had slaughtered more than a dozen Fire Temple monks moments earlier, sensed the danger. But Orochimaru had already seized it entirely within his hand.
The fanaticism in Kudo's eyes grew even stronger.
"To become a Jinchuriki, your will must be firm!"
As Orochimaru gave his reminder, worm-like sealing patterns appeared across Kudo's abdomen.
Orochimaru pressed the Nine-Tails Chakra into him. The sealing patterns closed, and within a few breaths, the seal was complete.
Having become a Fake Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kudo incredulously felt the changes in his body.
He was nervous and terrified, yet the corners of his mouth still rose uncontrollably.
He felt wonderful. Boundless power surged through every part of his body!
Kudo felt that he could smash through the Fire Temple's gates with a single punch! Even breaking free from Kazuma and Orochimaru's control would be effortless.
But before he could make a move, a pale hand pressed against Kudo's abdomen once more.
"Five Elements Unseal!"
The power throughout his body rapidly drained away. Kudo wanted to resist and break free, to use these hands filled with strength to seek his own freedom.
But when he looked down, he could only see two shriveled claws, swollen several times larger, weakly grasping toward the Hidden Leaf Village ninja beside him.
His vision and eyelids grew heavy at the same time. The last things Kudo felt were his head drooping limply and the air trapped in his lungs, unable to escape.
Nearby, Uchiha Yuan raised his brows. The Fake Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had only shown a slight mutation before Orochimaru ruthlessly killed him.
In Uchiha Yuan's view, Teacher Orochimaru's mastery of Sealing Techniques was impressive. Perhaps he really could obtain a solution to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal from him.
"Lord Orochimaru! Did Kudo fail!?"
Kazuma looked anxious. The change before him had come too suddenly, and he had not been prepared at all.
This Fake Jinchuriki experiment had failed completely. Kudo simply could not bear the Nine-Tails Chakra.
"You've already seen the situation. There is no need for me to waste words explaining it."
Orochimaru casually sealed the extracted Nine-Tails Chakra back into the wooden fish and spoke indifferently.
"Perhaps the time is not right yet. I've given you the Sealing Technique, the solution, and the Nine-Tails Chakra. You can find your own way forward from here."
After handing the wooden fish to Kazuma, Orochimaru turned and left.
"You lot, haven't you seen enough? Follow me. More important matters await us."
Led by Uchiha Yuan, Orochimaru Squad quickly followed.
In the hollow courtyard, only Kazuma remained, standing there in a daze.
Originally, he had planned to trade with Hidden Grass Village. But not only had most of the Nine-Tails Chakra intended for the transaction been stolen along the way, the remainder was not even enough to create a Fake Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Because of this failed operation, more than half of the Fire Temple ninja monks who stood in the same camp as him had been killed or wounded.
Kazuma naturally knew that someone was plotting against him from the shadows. Yet apart from knowing that the other party was interested in the Nine-Tails Chakra, he did not possess even a scrap of further information.
On the mountain path, Uchiha Yuan slowly walked behind Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was not discouraged by this failure. On the contrary, he seemed to be in a rather good mood.
"Teacher, was helping the Fire Temple with this matter our mission?"
Mitaraishi Anko asked.
"No. That was merely a personal research interest of mine. As for this mission, we can set out to carry it out now."
Uchiha Yuan sighed inwardly.
Carrying out a mission with Orochimaru was bound to be fraught with danger.
Hyuga Ryo and Kurama Shion felt the same way.
"Then Teacher, what is our mission this time?"
Mitaraishi Anko asked excitedly.
"We're going to Sea Country to seal Isobu, the Three-Tails."
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