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Chapter 204 - Chapter 203: The Tailed Beasts' Memories

The imprisoned life was better than expected. There were no interrogations or torture. However, Hachibi told him that while he was unconscious, his blood was drawn for research. When he woke up, he noticed the needle marks on his arm. Some had even tried to read his memories, though while the blood extraction couldn't be stopped, Hachibi managed to block the memory reading.

Killer Bee wasn't overly bothered by this.

If they drew his blood, so be it. After all, he didn't have any special bloodline abilities, and everything he had achieved came from his own efforts, not his heritage. A little blood being drawn wasn't a big deal. However, it was impossible to say he wasn't at least a little troubled. Even though Konoha hadn't tortured him, living as a prisoner was still uncomfortable, with danger constantly lurking nearby.

Especially now that the war between Kumo and Konoha continued, he was deeply worried about the situation on the front lines.

Here, he didn't even feel like rapping!

He glanced down at the heavy shackles on his feet, which were chained to an iron ball, and at the handcuffs on his wrists, which were designed to seal and suppress chakra. But most importantly, there was a seal placed on his body that interfered with the stability of the original seal inside him. He didn't dare to use Hachibi's power carelessly. If the seal were broken, it would mean the release of Hachibi and his own death!

The Tailed Beast seal may seem like a shackle on the beast, but in reality, it also connects the jinchūriki and the tailed beast in a bond where their lives are intertwined. This is why killing a jinchūriki causes the temporary disappearance of a tailed beast. However, due to the immortality of the tailed beasts, they would eventually come back to life, while the jinchūriki would not.

Killer Bee knew he couldn't risk breaking the "Iron Seal" to use Hachibi's chakra to destroy the seals placed on him. Even Hachibi was deliberately suppressing its power, afraid that any leakage might disrupt the delicate balance of the seals. The last thing Hachibi wanted was to see Killer Bee die.

Since he couldn't use Hachibi's chakra, and his own was tightly sealed by Konoha's sealing techniques, he had no way to execute any of the escape plans running through his mind. He was trapped in this small space.

Without chakra, he couldn't even defeat the two young Konoha guards watching over him—one looked about twelve, and the other couldn't be more than ten.

At that moment, there was some commotion outside the tent.

"Lord Sougen."

"Itachi, Kimimaro, has he been behaving these past few days?"

"He's been quiet. We haven't noticed any unusual behavior during our shifts."

"Good. You've both been doing well on the battlefield too. But don't get cocky—keep up the good work!"

With that, Sougen lifted the tent flap and walked in.

"You're more cooperative than I expected, Killer Bee," Sougen remarked as he looked at Killer Bee, who was sitting on the small bed. The tent holding Killer Bee was only about ten meters from Sougen's own command tent, but after capturing him, Sougen had been swamped with other matters. His recent acquisition of the Bashōsen had consumed most of his time and energy, in addition to his regular military duties. Only today did he finally have time to deal with the issue of this perfect jinchūriki.

"Uchiha... Sougen?" Killer Bee twisted his neck slightly, taking a closer look at the newcomer.

This was his first time seeing Uchiha Sougen in person.

As young as the rumors said—around fifteen or sixteen—dressed in a black robe with the iconic Uchiha fan crest on his back. In person, he seemed more composed and mature than the pictures suggested. The moment he entered the tent, Killer Bee felt a pressure that was hard to describe, like the weight of a mountain pressing down on his chest. It reminded him of that deep crimson Susano'o from the other day, making his breathing shallow and labored.

There was another reason he hadn't attempted to escape. Hachibi had told him that Uchiha Sougen was never far away, almost always within range of Hachibi's sensory perception. Even if he wanted to make a desperate last stand, he'd have no chance. According to Hachibi, it wouldn't be able to withstand Sougen's Sharingan invasion, meaning the idea of releasing Hachibi to wreak havoc in the Konoha camp was futile.

"Right, I should say it's nice to meet you," Sougen said, standing with his hands behind his back, locking eyes with Killer Bee.

Killer Bee remained silent, his hands clenched into fists but then slowly relaxing. There was no point in resisting—under these circumstances, he couldn't even fend off a single finger of Sougen's.

"Interrogation... Is it about to begin?" Killer Bee asked.

"Of course. A valuable prisoner like you can't just be left sitting here indefinitely. I've been busy the past few days, but now I finally have time to deal with your situation. If I leave it much longer, it would be a dereliction of duty as Konoha's advisor."

Killer Bee's eyebrow twitched. Sougen's "deal with" didn't seem to imply killing him. If they wanted him dead, there would have been no need to keep him alive in the first place. But whatever awaited him, it wouldn't be pleasant. Maybe death would be a mercy. 

But he couldn't afford to die.

As the jinchūriki of Hachibi, his life wasn't entirely his own. He believed his brother would find a way to rescue him. He had to hold on until help arrived, rather than taking his own life in a moment of despair. Sometimes, living was harder than dying, but for Killer Bee, dying would be the easy way out.

"Before the interrogation starts, can I ask how the war is going?" Killer Bee asked.

"A prisoner like you still worrying about that? Well, it won't hurt to tell you. After the battle a week ago, there hasn't been another large-scale conflict. It's mostly been small skirmishes, and we've been gaining the upper hand."

It was the truth.

Though Kumo had more troops, without a large-scale battle, they couldn't bring their numbers to bear all at once. Konoha's ninja had superior individual abilities, and in smaller skirmishes, Kumo was losing more than it was winning.

Killer Bee let out a soft sigh.

It was good news in a way, though it didn't mean much in the grand scheme. Another major battle was inevitable, but having more time to prepare wasn't a bad thing. He didn't know what his brother was planning, but he was well aware of the deep reserves of strength Kumo had accumulated.

"Do you have any other questions?"

Sougen walked slowly closer.

"If you have nothing else to say, then settle in and prepare to be a prisoner here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sougen reached out and pressed his hand against Killer Bee's forehead. Killer Bee's upward gaze was forced to meet a pair of crimson eyes. In that instant, the world spun, and his consciousness plummeted into the space where the Eight-Tails was sealed. But this time, it wasn't just him and the Eight-Tails present.

"Uchiha, those are truly disgusting eyes."

The Eight-Tails, crouching inside the sealed cage, lowered its head and looked at Sougen, who appeared as tiny as an insect outside the cage. Despite the enormous difference in size, the beast could clearly see those unsettling crimson eyes.

"It seems none of you tailed beasts like the Uchiha clan!"

Sougen, unfazed by the Eight-Tails' harsh words, brushed them off as though they were nothing more than a breeze.

"Whether human or tailed beast, no one enjoys being manipulated by illusions."

"That's true," Sougen nodded in agreement.

It made sense. Any intelligent being would detest being controlled. And the Uchiha clan, experts in the field of illusions, had long held a strong control over the tailed beasts, likely because both the Sharingan and the tailed beasts' power originated from the God Tree. High-level Sharingan abilities had immense control over the tailed beasts!

For centuries, the Uchiha clan's ancestors had wreaked havoc on the tailed beasts, and Sougen had no intention of breaking this well-established tradition!

"But I'm sorry. To make things easier for my research, I'm going to have to keep you sealed for a while longer." Sougen's consciousness met the Eight-Tails' gaze mid-air. In a flash, an overwhelming force surged from his eyes, crushing the Eight-Tails' resistance effortlessly!

"Damn you, Uchi—"

The Eight-Tails' furious roar was abruptly cut off.

Killer Bee stood powerlessly outside the cage, his body pinned in place by metal stakes. He was unable to move, as though he were made of wood. Even though they were in his own mental space, Sougen had taken over. Killer Bee couldn't even open his mouth, forced to watch helplessly as Sougen did whatever he pleased!

"I still can't access the memories… sigh!"

In the mental space, Sougen looked at the motionless Eight-Tails, sighing with both regret and resignation.

He had already used his Sharingan to control the Eight-Tails. However, when he tried to read the beast's memories, he encountered the same obstacle he had faced with the Three-Tails. He couldn't access the past memories of the Eight-Tails. Failing twice, he now suspected all tailed beasts were similarly protected.

But it made sense. If the memories of tailed beasts were so easily read, then the secrets of the Ten-Tails and the Sage of Six Paths would have been common knowledge by now. Even Uchiha Madara, who controlled the Nine-Tails like a mere dog, hadn't been able to uncover those hidden truths. Sougen didn't believe Madara hadn't tried to read the Nine-Tails' memories, especially considering that all the tailed beasts seemed to remember their time with the Sage of Six Paths.

As for why he couldn't read the memories, Sougen had two theories:

First, the tailed beasts possessed unique properties. Though they could be controlled by the Sharingan, as immortal beings and parts of the God Tree, they had unfathomable special qualities. Just like their immortality remained a mystery, perhaps their memories were similarly protected.

Second, the Sage of Six Paths might have left behind safeguards after splitting the Ten-Tails, ensuring that no one could access certain memories he wished to bury in history. Either way, it didn't really matter. Whether Sougen's guesses were correct was irrelevant for now. Since he couldn't extract useful information from the Eight-Tails' memories, he would have to shift his focus to its chakra and Killer Bee himself.

The Eight-Tails' chakra could be compared to the information stored in Sougen's fan, while Killer Bee's memories would surely interest the intelligence and sealing teams. The methods for training a perfect Jinchuriki were extremely valuable, and Sougen wasn't an expert in memory extraction. The Yamanaka clan, who specialized in such things, would be more adept in this area.

If Sougen remembered correctly, the Cloud Village's process for creating perfect Jinchuriki involved the 'Waterfall of Truth' on Turtle Island. He didn't know what that was, but maybe he'd check it out one day.

Outside, Sougen blinked as his consciousness withdrew from Killer Bee's sealed space. He removed his hand from Killer Bee's forehead, but the man remained unconscious, his mind still trapped in Sougen's mental binding technique.

"Someone, come."

"Yes, Lord Sougen, what are your orders?"

Uchiha Itachi entered the room.

"Tell the intelligence and sealing teams that they can start their research on the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Yes, Lord Sougen."

Itachi glanced curiously at Killer Bee, sitting motionless by the bed, before swiftly leaving to carry out the order. Soon, the intelligence and sealing teams arrived, buzzing with excitement as they examined the unconscious Eight-Tails Jinchuriki like some rare specimen.

"The tailed beast inside him has already been subdued. As long as you don't act recklessly, it won't interfere with your work." Sougen gestured to Killer Bee. "He's all yours now. I expect to hear good news soon."

"Don't worry, Lord Advisor. Without the Eight-Tails in the way, we'll get every last detail, right down to whether the Jinchuriki wet the bed as a child."

A Jonin from the Yamanaka clan confidently replied.

A week ago, he had been humiliated by Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails, and now he was eager to redeem himself in front of his subordinates.

"I don't care about that. I want to know how the Cloud Village trains perfect Jinchuriki. Of course, report any other important information you find on the Cloud Village as well... Alright, that's enough. I'll leave this to you."

As the bustling conversation continued, Sougen walked out of the tent. Just before the flap fell shut, Kimimaro caught a glimpse of the group of people swarming Killer Bee like hungry beasts pouncing on their prey.

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