Shukaku's sudden appearance caught Rasa completely off guard.
And it wasn't just Rasa. Even the Four Tails and Six Tails were visibly stunned when the One Tail emerged before them. Their expressions shifted to seriousness, tinged with something resembling nostalgia.
"It's been a long time, Shukaku."
"What's this? Have you ended up bowing to humans too, just like Son?"
Having stepped out of the seal and seen daylight again for the first time in ages, Shukaku did not display the irritable demeanor he was known for. Instead, his voice carried a rare calm.
"Son, Kokuō, I didn't come here for small talk. There's only one thing I want to say."
As he spoke, his cross shaped pupils locked onto Rasa.
"Even though this human is just as unpleasant as the rest, if we Tailed Beasts have to choose one to trust, then right now, this one is our best bet."
The Six Tails let out a shrill, mocking laugh.
"Shukaku, you've really surrendered to a human. You're a disgrace to all of us!"
The Four Tails, however, spoke with contemplation.
"Why?"
Shukaku shrugged his shoulders.
"It's simple. I understand this human better than you do. From the moment he first extracted my chakra, I've been watching him through my Jinchūriki. I've witnessed much of what he's done. Though I still loathe humans, there's one thing I know for certain. This human, and even Sunagakure, don't need to enslave us for power."
"Why?"
The Four Tails repeated the question with the same steady tone.
"You must've sensed it too. The energy within this human and all around this forest—it's not like our chakra, and it's not even like natural energy. They call it Senjutsu energy."
"I see."
The Four Tails wasn't ignorant. If the source of Rasa's power and that of the shinobi in Sunagakure was fundamentally different from chakra, then perhaps they truly had no reason to covet the Tailed Beasts' strength. Still, he hesitated.
The Six Tails voiced the doubt both of them shared.
"Then why do you still need our chakra?"
Rasa responded without hesitation.
"Because Senjutsu energy is produced by converting chakra and natural energy. I need your chakra as seeds to turn the trees here into ones that generate Senjutsu energy and enrich this world with it."
"And what will that do to us Tailed Beasts?"
Hearing this, Rasa scratched his cheek.
"I'm sorry. I don't know."
"!!!"
His blunt honesty left both the Four Tails and Six Tails momentarily silent.
"I haven't done it yet. Right now, the Senjutsu energy in this Dragon Oasis mainly comes from the Dragon Vein chakra of Rōran and the chakra of the demon Mōryō from the Land of Demons."
The Four Tails was taken aback.
"You mean to say, you didn't use Shukaku's chakra? But didn't he just say—"
"The amount of Tailed Beast chakra I need is massive. Given the condition Bunpuku was in at the time, it wasn't possible to extract that much chakra from him."
"I see."
For the first time, the Tailed Beasts present began forming a genuine impression of who Rasa truly was.
How could he be described? Not bad, actually. He cared deeply about the lives of his comrades, showed honesty, and wielded great power. Even though he needed their chakra, he had never resorted to coercion or forceful means. Perhaps that was the most important thing for Tailed Beasts. After all, they were living beings deserving of respect.
Yet the Tailed Beasts still carried one lingering worry. Could this so-called Senjutsu energy truly leave them unaffected?
Just as the Four Tails sank deeper into doubt, Shukaku suddenly spoke up.
"If you're still uneasy, then I'll be the first test subject!"
The moment he said this, not only were the other two Tailed Beasts stunned, but Rasa himself stared at Shukaku in disbelief. He couldn't understand why Shukaku had suddenly become so eager. For a moment, even Rasa found himself doubting the situation.
But soon, the reason became clear.
Shukaku glanced at the two Tailed Beasts and Rasa with a sly grin and let out a smug laugh.
"You haven't noticed it yet, have you?"
"My chakra..."
---
In the original story, when Naruto learned to control the Nine Tails' chakra, he had to undergo a special kind of training that involved confronting the dark side within himself.
Where did that dark side come from?
It wasn't just the hatred and resentment born from the discrimination Naruto faced as a Jinchūriki. There was also a malevolent will embedded in the Tailed Beast's chakra itself.
Take the Nine Tails, for example. It was once called the embodiment of hatred. But when the Sage of Six Paths first created it, the Nine Tails was nothing more than a cute little fox.
It was the emotions of hatred accumulated over a thousand years of being hunted, betrayed, and exploited by humans that twisted it into what it is today.
Emotion itself is a form of spiritual power. It is a kind of strength.
Karin of the Uzumaki clan possesses a Kagura Mind's Eye that allows her to sense these emotions.
The same applies to the other Tailed Beasts; they, too, have been influenced by this malevolent force. From a power perspective, this evil intent has little effect on them. However, mentally, it makes the Tailed Beasts extremely irritable.
Yet at this moment, both the Four Tails and Six Tails could feel the serenity in Shukaku's chakra. Even Rasa only realized it after Shukaku pointed it out.
Indeed, compared to the Shukaku sealed inside Gaara in the future, this Shukaku residing within Bunpuku was clearly much more peaceful. Even his chakra was far less violent.
It seemed that when Rasa had previously extracted Shukaku's chakra, although no Chakra Fruit had been produced, it had nonetheless affected Shukaku's temperament.
Of course, Bunpuku's influence played a significant role in that as well. With Shukaku stepping forward, everything that followed became much easier to manage.
---
Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
Minato and his team did not have to wait long. His personal escorts—Yamashiro Aoba, Genma Shiranui, and Raido Namiashi—returned with good news from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure respectively. The three current Kage from those villages had all expressed interest in the Five Kage Summit proposed by Konohagakure.
What caught Minato's attention most was the report from Iwagakure. It appeared that during the recent Tailed Beast Riot in Sunagakure, Iwagakure had also been manipulated by an unknown party. This was excellent news—nothing could have been better. It strengthened Minato's confidence in successfully organizing the upcoming Five Kage Summit. Now, his only remaining challenge was persuading the most troublesome participant—the Kazekage of Sunagakure.
As this news spread, the senior members of Konohagakure grew increasingly satisfied with their new Fourth Hokage. Everyone except one.
At Konohagakure's Root base, Danzo's expression was darker than ever. Once again, the position of Hokage had slipped through his fingers. Minato was too young. Unless an unforeseen accident occurred, Danzo, already sixty years old, had lost any realistic chance of becoming Hokage.
Would Danzo accept that? Of course not. If he did, he wouldn't be Danzo.
With that thought firmly in mind, he slowly rose and issued a command.
"Contact the so-called demigod of Amegakure. I'll be paying him a visit."