Chapter 35: Sukuna, You're Too Loud
"By the way... care to explain your Tailed Beast transformation now?"
Minato's tone was calm, but the curiosity in his voice was unmistakable. After all, who else would know better than him? The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was his girlfriend, not his younger brother-in-arms.
"I absorbed chakra from the Four-Tails."
"You can do that?"
Minato furrowed his brow. "Does that mean you've already taken control of the Four-Tails?"
"No," Kagami shook his head. "Holding a Tailed Beast in your body is exhausting—you know that better than anyone."
To Kagami, the correct way to wield a Tailed Beast's power was demonstrated by Sasuke Uchiha—binding them within the Susano'o as a container for their chakra.
Following Naruto's approach? The whiskers on his daughter's face were evidence enough of that.
And besides, he already had one unruly entity sealed inside him. Introducing another could weaken the seal—a risk he wasn't willing to take.
Minato sighed, his thoughts drifting to Kushina, confined within her barrier.
"Kagami… I want to be Hokage. I want Kushina to live a normal life."
"She's carried that burden for so long... what am I supposed to do?"
Both Minato and Kagami had witnessed the sheer destructive power of the Nine-Tails firsthand. Having such a calamity sealed within her was akin to carrying a ticking time bomb.
Kagami remained silent for a moment before asking, "What do you think about the First Hokage distributing the Tailed Beasts?"
Minato pondered this question for a long time.
"Given the circumstances, it was the right decision."
"Hashirama-sama sought peace. The ninja world wasn't capable of global domination. Using the Tailed Beasts as a balance of power was logical."
"And it worked, didn't it? During his lifetime, the world experienced its longest period of peace in a thousand years."
Kagami chuckled. "But he failed to consider that it wasn't the Tailed Beasts suppressing the world—it was him."
"Perhaps he knew," Minato sighed, "but humans eventually die. The Tailed Beasts, however, do not."
"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
"What would you do with the Tailed Beasts, Minato?"
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"The Tailed Beasts are necessary strategic deterrents. Since they've been bound, unless another like Hashirama-sama emerges..."
"Maintaining the status quo is essential. Take the Nine-Tails, for example. Freeing it would only bring endless disaster to Konoha."
As he spoke, Minato's expression grew wistful.
"War... it never ends, does it?"
"Of course not."
"Land, wealth, power, culture, beliefs... Konoha itself can't escape conflict. How can you expect an entire world to?"
"Hashirama was right—only overwhelming deterrence can keep the villages from waging war."
"But the Tailed Beasts alone aren't enough."
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Minato looked at Kagami with a mixture of curiosity and unease.
He understood that his choice to stay had led his younger brother-in-arms to finally open up about his ideals.
Through the bandages, Kagami's deep, contemplative eyes met Minato's.
"Human life is finite, and the Tailed Beasts' power is insufficient."
"Clan."
"Legacy."
"There's no group better suited to be the world's deterrent than the Uchiha."
"I will become the strongest in the world!"
"The Uchiha will evolve from being Konoha's police force to patrolling the entire ninja world."
"I know my clan isn't suited for politics. We'll exist solely as a force to suppress war."
"And all of this begins with one indomitable Uchiha, whose strength is passed down unbroken."
Minato felt as if Kagami's words had gripped his heart, suffocating him.
"My life will end someday. Before that, I'll use my Mangekyō to pass on all my accumulated power to my successor."
"Only the Uchiha have this capability. Only the Uchiha can bear the malice of the world!"
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"People's minds can change, Kagami," Minato said after a long pause.
"Even if you keep your successors out of politics, how could they resist the allure of ruling the world?"
"And besides... carrying all that hatred alone would be far too painful."
Kagami chuckled softly.
"Minato, your dream is to become Hokage. Have you thought about what you'll do after you achieve it?"
"Uh... well, that's something to figure out when the time comes."
"Exactly."
Kagami shifted his gaze toward the distant horizon, visible through the tent's window.
"This is my dream. Whether my successors are worthy of it is a question for the future."
"Besides... who's to say I won't live forever?"
"Haha, there's no such thing as immortality," Minato laughed, brushing it off as a joke.
But there was.
The Ōtsutsuki clan—they were immortal.
Minato stood up, smiling warmly. "Thank you for sharing this with me. You should get some rest now."
Just as he reached the tent's exit, he turned back with a grin.
"I'll support you, Kagami. I look forward to seeing you sever the world's chains of hatred."
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"Kid, that blonde guy is really something special to you, huh?" Sukuna's voice was a mix of curiosity and mockery.
"He's a good man with talent," Kagami replied calmly. "Good people are rare in this world, even villains enjoy befriending them."
"After all, he won't constantly think about killing me like you do."
"How cruel, kid~" Sukuna's voice grew raspy and sinister. "I'm not thinking about killing you."
"I'm thinking about eating you!"
"Your blood, your flesh, every bone in your body—I'll savor it all!"
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"You must be suffering, Sukuna," Kagami said with a hint of mockery in his tone.
"Being trapped in a human body, viewing humans as mere food."
"You were human once, and you chose to become a curse."
"But you don't understand true human malice."
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In Sukuna's mental domain, he suddenly felt a powerful force pulling him toward the seal.
"What... what are you doing?!"
The recent battles with Roshi and Ōnoki had given Kagami insight into handling tailed beast chakra and a new approach to extracting power.
A blazing blade of flames materialized within the seal.
Sukuna struggled with all his might against the pull, but it was futile. He was dragged to the edge of the barrier.
One of his arms was forcibly yanked outside.
Realizing Kagami's intentions, Sukuna began to laugh maniacally.
"Hahaha!"
"You can't resist taking my power, can you?"
"Take it all! Take everything!"
The blade descended, severing Sukuna's arm, black blood oozing from the wound.
Kagami's figure hovered outside the seal, his gaze cold and unyielding.
The severed arm twitched violently, attempting to attack Kagami.
Boom!!
An overwhelming surge of ocular power pinned the arm down.
"Step by step—that's my principle. Don't worry, Sukuna. I'll savor your power piece by piece."
A faint smile tugged at Kagami's lips as a crimson curtain fell over the seal.
In the pitch-black void that remained, Sukuna's roar of anger echoed endlessly.
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