"Negotiate?"
The Nibi, Matatabi, quieted down.
It lay on the ground, staring intently at Uchiha Gin.
As one of the more composed tailed beasts, Matatabi wasn't easily enraged or provoked.
"Go ahead, Uchiha brat."
Matatabi was curious.
The Nibi was well aware of the shinobi village wars. Though the jinchūriki of Kumogakure were feared by the villagers, the higher-ups of the village never mistreated them, and never withheld important information from them.
Matatabi knew full well.
The Uchiha brat before it was from that damnable Konoha.
At present, Konoha and Kumogakure were in a state of conflict.
Perhaps...
Perhaps this Uchiha would even release Matatabi. Despite being from Konoha, he might just spare the tailed beast.
"How about making me your jinchūriki? I'm quite the cat lover," Gin grinned, trying to sell himself.
In the ninja world, one of the fastest ways to gain power, besides relying on bloodline abilities, was through tailed beasts.
There were plenty of people who coveted the power of a jinchūriki.
This, however, only served to anger Matatabi.
"Brat, what nonsense are you spouting!?"
Matatabi desired freedom, not to be passed on to another captor.
"Let's face it. Even if you somehow escape, you'll just be captured again. Why struggle in vain?"
Gin attempted to reason with the Nibi. Tailed beasts were massive, easily spotted entities in the ninja world.
Finding them wasn't hard, and they would inevitably be sealed away again.
Even though they were immortal beings, resurrecting after death, they had never known true freedom.
This predicament was largely due to Senju Hashirama. In the past, people had feared and avoided the tailed beasts.
But after Hashirama captured and sealed them into people, shinobi villages realized the potential use of tailed beasts.
The outcome was clear.
As long as shinobi existed, there would always be those who sought the power of the tailed beasts.
No matter how ferocious they were, there would always be a powerful shinobi capable of capturing them.
Matatabi fell silent.
The truth was undeniable.
However, just like humans, tailed beasts also held onto hope.
As Matatabi pondered its fate if it were taken to Konoha, it suddenly stood up. Its tails lashed out, and the flames on its body blazed more fiercely.
"Brat!! What are you doing!?"
"Oh dear, you've noticed."
Gin smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes, only a hint of malice.
The darkness around them deepened.
If the previous darkness had been dimly lit by the Nibi's flames, this new darkness absorbed even that light.
"To be honest, I never wanted to be a jinchūriki. It'd be too creepy having a pair of eyes watching my every move."
"You wicked Uchiha brat!!"
Matatabi roared, thrashing its body against the cage.
It could feel something was corrupting the space around them.
"It's too late."
Darkness began to emanate from Gin's body as well.
"Meikon no Jutsu! Sharingan!" (Dark Soul Technique! Sharingan!)
"Soul Control!"
The Meikon no Jutsu, a technique that toyed with souls, when amplified by the power of the Sharingan, greatly enhanced the Sharingan's abilities.
From the beginning, Gin never intended to become a jinchūriki. His plan was simply to buy time.
Gin had only just started learning the Meikon no Jutsu, and without the Sharingan, its effects would have been negligible, limited to reading memories.
This meant the process of eroding the jinchūriki's mind was slow.
Had Matatabi noticed earlier and resisted, it might have escaped the jinchūriki's mindscape.
But there were no "what ifs."
In the dark space, a massive pair of Sharingan appeared behind Gin.
The eyes locked onto Matatabi.
"I can't be…"
Matatabi could no longer speak. The Sharingan within its eyes grew more and more prominent before fading into the darkness.
"It worked."
Gin withdrew his gaze as Yugito, the jinchūriki, slowly came back to her senses.
Though it had felt like a long time, in reality, only a second had passed.
Gin's sword was already pressed against Yugito's neck.
Yugito's face lit up with a relieved smile.
Gin couldn't understand it.
Could being hated by others truly make someone lose the will to live?
But before he could make a move, a furious voice interrupted.
"Brat! What are you trying to do to one of my villagers!?"
A powerful kick descended from the sky.
Boom!
The ground exploded, leaving a massive crater.
Gin used Shunshin to retreat, but the Raikage's fist followed him, catching up to his movements.
"So fast!"
Bam!
Gin's form turned into a log, reappearing a short distance away.
But the Raikage, moving even faster, seemed to be waiting for him there.
As Gin materialized, the Raikage's fist was already incoming.
Thud!
A short sword glowing with white light appeared just in time.
The clash between fist and blade sent out a dull thud, followed by a powerful gust of wind.
Sakumo stepped in front of Gin, blocking the attack.
Only then did Gin realize that his attacker was the Third Raikage.
"Raikage-sama, you gave your word," Sakumo asked coldly.
A's expression darkened as he glanced at Yugito, who looked lost and defeated.
This brat was incredibly quick to react.
A's initial intent had been to kill the brat. He was a genius shinobi, and that was bad news for Kumogakure.
It was a shame he hadn't been able to kill him in one blow.
And now, Sakumo was here.
"You are to leave the Land of Lightning immediately," A growled, his tone filled with reluctance.
He now feared Sakumo more than ever.
Sakumo nodded, wasting no words. He led Gin swiftly down the mountain.
"Why didn't you kill White Fang, Raikage-sama?"
Yugito's voice was heavy with frustration, her deadened eyes glaring at the Raikage.
She wanted to vent her dissatisfaction.
They had been so close.
"White Fang isn't so easy to kill."
A's face was grim. Of course he wanted to take down Sakumo, but the price of doing so would be too high.
Far too high for Kumogakure to bear at the moment.
"I didn't expect you to defeat the Nibi."
As they descended the mountain, Sakumo gave Gin an impressed look, as though seeing him in a new light.
Gin shot him a glance.
This bastard didn't have the slightest bit of self-awareness.
If that stupid cat hadn't screwed up and given him the chance to disrupt its Bijūdama, Gin would be dead by now.
All the danger he faced was because of Sakumo.
There was no way Gin was going to be friendly about it.
Sakumo scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well, I was busy fighting the Raikage."
Fighting both the Raikage and a jinchūriki at the same time was tough, and Gin's skills weren't weak either.
Sakumo had trusted him enough to handle it.
"Let's drop it," Sakumo said seriously. "How did you manage to defeat the Nibi?"
This was crucial information. Sakumo knew Gin's abilities—escaping from a jinchūriki, sure, but defeating one was beyond him.
"It screwed up. While preparing its Bijūdama, I disrupted it, and it blew itself up."
Sakumo stared at Gin as though trying to figure something out.
Gin had already started walking ahead.
From the start...
He never intended to tell anyone...
That he had controlled the Nibi.
(End of Chapter)
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