"How close are you to the Nine-Tails?"
Renjiro blinked several times, trying to process what she had just asked. His brows furrowed as confusion flooded his mind.
'How is that even related to what we are doing?' he thought, his gaze hardening as he considered the strange question.
Yes, it had caught him off guard, but the real puzzle was how it connected to the ritual or his compatibility with Senjutsu.
"Why?" Renjiro asked, his voice carrying the weight of both suspicion and curiosity.
He wasn't used to people suddenly bringing up the Nine-Tails, and certainly not in a place like this, where Senjutsu and spiritual energy were the focus.
Lady Momo's eyes softened, but there was a gravity in her expression. She sighed softly, her massive wings fluttering lightly as she perched on a nearby rock, her purple eyes dimming to their usual golden hue.
"During the test, I sensed some sinister chakra inside of you. Once I probed deeper, I realized it belonged to the Nine-Tails."
Renjiro's eyes widened in shock.
'I have the Nine-Tails' chakra in me?' he thought in disbelief, his mind racing as he tried to remember anything that would have connected him to the Tailed Beast. There had been no formal seal, no ceremony binding him to Kurama. He wasn't the Jinchūriki; Kushina was.
Memories flickered to life, and suddenly, it clicked. His lips parted as he thought aloud,
"Is this because Kushina accidentally used the Nine-Tails' chakra during the Magatama process?"
Momo tilted her head slightly, her beady eyes narrowing with curiosity.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, her tone cautious but clearly intrigued.
Renjiro took a deep breath, knowing there was no point in keeping secrets from these majestic creatures. They were powerful and wise, their understanding of chakra far deeper than most shinobi.
"The Magatama process is a ritual used by the Uzumaki clan to awaken our hidden chakra abilities," Renjiro began to explain.
"It's meant to unlock the full potential of our chakra, enhancing our physical abilities and allowing us to tap into rare abilities like the Adamantine Chains."
He motioned to his body and manifested a large chain.
"These chains, for example, are one of the chakra abilities I unlocked through that process."
Momo nodded, her feathers bristling slightly in thought. "Go on," she urged softly.
Renjiro continued, his voice steady. "During my Magatama ritual, Kushina, the current Nine-tails jinchuriki and the person who was overseeing the process, accidentally used some of Kurama's chakra. It wasn't intentional, but during that time, her chakra mixed with mine, including the chakra of the Nine-Tails."
He paused, gauging Momo's reaction before finishing, "I didn't think much of it back then. The process enhanced my physical abilities, but I didn't feel any real connection to Kurama's chakra, so I assumed it wasn't that significant."
The two eagles exchanged glances. Tenjin, who had been silent up to this point, finally spoke. His deep voice was like the rumble of distant thunder. "So, once Kushina used the Nine-Tails' chakra during the process, did it change your body in any way?"
Renjiro shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "Like I said, the Magatama process enhanced my strength and my chakra reserves, but other than that... I don't think it had any noticeable impact."
Still, as he spoke, a thought formed in his mind.
'Kinkaku and Ginkaku also became superhumans after they were exposed to the Nine-Tails' chakra. Maybe the same thing happened to me, even if it's subtle.' He frowned slightly.
'But Kushina always said my growth was normal for an Uzumaki. So maybe it didn't affect me that much after all.'
Momo sat quietly for a moment, her sharp eyes focused on Renjiro. She sighed again, a low, almost imperceptible sound that came from deep within her chest.
'So that's why he has the Nine-Tails' chakra,' she thought to herself, trying to make sense of the situation.
'I guess it can't be helped.' Even eagles, it seemed, could express exasperation, and she performed a gesture that was the avian equivalent of a sigh.
Renjiro caught the strange movement and frowned. "Why did you ask about the chakra?" he questioned. "Does it have anything to do with my compatibility with Senjutsu?"
Momo's eyes met his, and the solemn expression she wore deepened. "Unfortunately, yes," she said, her tone now carrying a weight that Renjiro hadn't expected.
"You are not compatible with Senjutsu."
Renjiro's heart sank at her words. He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling up inside him.
"But why?" he asked, though he already dreaded the answer.
He had always prided himself on his versatility, on his ability to master different techniques and forms of chakra. To be told he was incompatible with Senjutsu was a bitter pill to swallow.
Momo's expression softened slightly, but the truth was unavoidable. "It's because of the Nine-Tails' chakra in your system," she explained.
"The chakra inside of you isn't filtered. It contains some of Kurama's will, and that makes it... difficult. Senjutsu is about balance, about perfect harmony between natural energy and your own chakra. But the chakra of the Nine-Tails disrupts that balance. It introduces chaos where there should be order."
Renjiro stared at the ground, his mind racing. "If the chakra entered my system through Kushina, would that have changed things?" he asked, his voice strained as he grasped at any hope that this situation could be reversed.
Momo shook her head. "The Magatama process, although I don't fully understand it, seems to have reversed the natural filtration that a Jinchūriki's chakra undergoes when they share their tailed beast's chakra."
"Usually, when a Jinchūriki shares chakra, the will of the beast is suppressed. But in your case, it was the opposite. Instead of being filtered, Kurama's chakra entered your system directly, carrying with it his influence."
Hearing this, Renjiro felt anger flare within him. 'That damned fox!' he thought bitterly. 'I can't believe he screwed me over before I even had the chance to do something to him.'
There was a long silence as Renjiro processed this revelation. His fists clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms. The frustration gnawed at him. He had come here expecting to unlock a new path, to gain mastery over Senjutsu and expand his abilities. But instead, he had been blindsided by a truth he wasn't prepared for.
Momo watched him quietly, her eyes softening as she saw the conflict playing out in Renjiro's mind. She knew how devastating it was to hear this news, but she also understood that there was more to this situation than Renjiro realized.
After a few moments of tense silence, Renjiro finally spoke, his voice low and tense. "So, there's no way I can ever learn Senjutsu?"
Momo shook her head gently. "Not necessarily," she said, her tone more comforting now. "While you're not compatible with our form of Senjutsu, there may be other forms of Senjutsu out there that you are compatible with."
Renjiro's head snapped up at her words, his eyes narrowing with interest. "Other forms?"
Momo nodded. "Each species or clan that practices Senjutsu has a different way of harnessing natural energy. Our method focuses on balance and precision, something that the Nine-Tails' chakra inherently disrupts. But there are other forms of Senjutsu that might be more forgiving or adaptable to your situation."
Renjiro considered her words carefully, his mind already racing with possibilities. "So, there's still hope," he muttered under his breath, though the frustration hadn't fully left him.
"Yes," Momo said softly.
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