Chapter 159: Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki
"This idea is great!"
As Rin listened to Shiromo's explanation, her eyes gradually lit up.
The only real difficulty with this method was how she would come back to life.
But since Shiromo had already said it wasn't a difficult matter, she chose to believe him.
"But wouldn't that basically mean using Rin's life as a bargaining chip?"
Kushina's face was full of hesitation.
"It's fine, Kushina-nee. I was already dead anyway. I just have one more idea and request…"
Rin waved her hand, indicating she didn't mind: "That is, when the time comes, could a technique formula be set inside my body? If the tailed beast is extracted, that formula could be activated…"
Uh.
Hearing Rin say this, Kushina, Shiromo, and even Sakura and Ino, who were massaging Shiromo's back and waist, were all stunned.
Rin looked cute and gentle, yet she was this extreme.
As expected of someone who had rammed herself into a Chidori with her own body.
Earlier she had already said that if there was no solution, then Obito should be killed.
Now she was even proposing that if Obito really remained "firm in his will" and insisted on extracting the tailed beast to activate Infinite Tsukuyomi, she would blow herself up with him at the final moment.
That way, she could still help one last time.
Shiromo suspected that the reason Rin hadn't mentioned what to do with Obito if things succeeded was because she understood that if they succeeded, the Obito who reclaimed his past self would voluntarily choose atonement.
In other words, in Rin's mind, no matter what happened, Obito's ending was death either way.
Viego was jokingly called the "Ruined Clown," and it turned out the masked man who shared his affliction was no less tragic.
However…
"Techniques like self-destruction seals naturally exist. Things like the Four Symbols Seal, or if that doesn't work, sticking a couple of heat packs on yourself would have a similar effect, and they'd activate even faster."
"But his Mangekyō ability is intangibility. The damage wouldn't be able to hit him at all."
Shiromo explained.
"Then… I see."
Rin looked slightly disappointed: "In that case, I'll have to trouble you all again when the time comes."
"Rin, when that time comes, it'll be hard on you. I'll pass on my experience as a jinchūriki to you, so you'll be affected as little as possible by the tailed beast…"
Kushina gently stroked Rin's head and sighed softly.
"Um, forgive me for being blunt, but it's probably better if you don't pass on your jinchūriki experience."
Hearing Kushina say that, Shiromo interjected.
The Nine-Tails' hatred had been layered on, one layer after another.
Starting from being beaten up by Senju Hashirama, who said, "Your power is too strong."
Then to the previous jinchūriki, Kushina herself, who bound the Nine-Tails and said, "You can suppress the world, and I can suppress you."
The Nine-Tails felt like it had truly been wronged. Suppress the world my ass. When did I ever suppress the world?
You're just making things up, right? It's slander, pure slander.
"Uh… alright then. When the time comes, you teach Rin."
Kushina thought about it and realized it made sense.
If what Shiromo had said earlier at Tsunade's house was true, that tailed beasts weren't that terrifying and that they needed understanding, then her own approach really had been problematic.
"Ah, if that's the case, then back then, if I had properly communicated with the Three-Tails, wouldn't I not have had to die?"
Rin suddenly slapped her forehead, having followed the line of thought to a realization.
"No. At that time, the Three-Tails should have been under control. It wasn't unwilling to communicate with you; it was probably unable to."
Shiromo had already inferred that the Three-Tails and Yagura had been controlled by Madara even before Obito. Following that logic, when Rin became the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, the Three-Tails was also in a restrained state.
"I see. That's good, then. I thought I'd died for nothing."
Rin patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
A planted plot hole resolved.
"Since that's decided, then later come with us to the Land of Water. The resurrection can wait for now. First, we'll put the Three-Tails into your body so you can get familiar with it and reconcile."
"Huh? The Three-Tails doesn't have a jinchūriki right now?"
Rin asked curiously.
"No. The Three-Tails is currently the only one that's wild."
"…Alright. I'll do my best."
Rin clenched her fists.
"Actually, you don't need to deliberately do anything. Just communicate normally with Isobu, the Three-Tails."
Shiromo knew very well that earning a tailed beast's acknowledgement was both difficult and simple.
Among past generations of jinchūriki, aside from a very few exceptions, most only had a slight chance of reconciling with their tailed beast after death.
This was the result of a vicious cycle.
To break that cycle, one needed a bit of a "saintly heart."
Naruto was one of the best examples.
The Nine-Tails had skewered his parents like kebabs with a single claw, yet Naruto could still easily forgive it and treat it as a companion who was part of himself.
Aside from him, there was Rin.
Rin's saintliness was different from Naruto's, and the Three-Tails she faced was also different from the Nine-Tails.
The Three-Tails didn't have any deep blood feud with her. After Shiromo reminded her, she naturally no longer held prejudice against tailed beasts.
Then there were people like Fū, with an innately optimistic personality.
As for Himawari in Boruto, who was used to surpass and overshadow previous jinchūriki, one could only say that this was perhaps due to her abilities, or perhaps her bloodline, but definitely not her personality.
The claim that "compared to past jinchūriki, Himawari truly treats the tailed beasts as friends" was nothing more than an empty castle in the air.
Himawari indeed had good relationships with Shukaku and Kurama.
But compared to Gaara and Naruto, there was still a gap.
Let Shukaku kill a few people in front of Himawari to spice things up. Let Kurama skewer Hinata to death with a single claw. If at that point Himawari could forgive Shukaku and Kurama and continue to "truly treat the tailed beasts as friends," then she could barely be considered on par with Gaara and Naruto, let alone surpass them.
Shiromo couldn't even imagine what "surpassing" would look like.
After Shukaku and Kurama finish killing people, Himawari drags Boruto and Naruto out and asks whether they've killed enough, and if they want to kill a couple more?
As for bloodline arguments, saying Himawari is closer to being a pure tailed beast leaves little to discuss.
Either it's atavism.
Or the "real" Nine-Tails did something as well.
After all, the underlying rules of the ninja world aren't consistent with reality. Orochimaru and Kabuto's research doesn't have to worry about rejection, so maybe reproductive isolation doesn't exist either?
For example, the Sage of Six Paths and the native people of the ninja world were completely different species.
The gap between the Sage of Six Paths and the native people of the ninja world was even greater than the gap between him and Gamamaru.
And yet, he could still have children.
—
"Alright, that's enough massaging. I should leave now. You two go soak in the hot spring."
Shiromo stood up.
"Oh."
Ino and Sakura stopped, but their gazes remained fixed on the hot spring entrance.
Tsunade-sama had clearly told them she would come in to replace them after ten minutes, but she still hadn't arrived. Strange.
Shiromo left the hot spring area, and Kushina and Rin followed him out.
"Huh?"
In the outer lounge area, Shiromo saw Tsunade.
Opposite Tsunade, Uchiha Hikari was wearing a bathrobe, drinking red tea, and had her Sharingan activated.
"I'm treating her."
Seeing Shiromo appear, Uchiha Hikari pointed at Tsunade and smiled slightly.
(End of this chapter)