Gyūki was especially good at escaping by cutting off a tail.
When it faced an enemy it could not handle, it could abandon a tentacle and use it to create a near-perfect fake body, complete with its aura and condition.
It was costly, but it worked.
Even in Jie's original timeline, Gyūki had used this trick to escape more than once. And just now, it had nearly fooled Jie as well.
Unfortunately for Gyūki, Jie's instincts were sharp enough to notice something wrong.
Although Shukaku was also a tailed beast, even it had not known Gyūki could do something like this. Seeing Jie speak toward a patch of seawater, Shukaku was confused.
Then Gyūki's real body slowly appeared from the sea.
Shukaku's eyes widened.
If that was Gyūki, then what was lying at the bottom of the crater?
Since its true body had already been discovered, Gyūki gave up hiding and rose from the water.
"How did you know that one wasn't me?"
"Strength," Jie said casually.
To Jie, instinct was part of strength, so the answer was not wrong.
But to Gyūki, it sounded as if Jie had seen through its escape with overwhelming perception alone.
Gyūki fell silent.
Its best escape method had failed.
Cutting off its tail had saved it from the worst of the attack, but the shockwave alone had left it badly weakened. Fighting or running again was impossible.
Gyūki steadied itself and stared at Jie.
"Why are you collecting the tailed beasts?"
"Are you doing all this just for yourself?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Jie looked at it calmly. "Other than that thing, what about you tailed beasts is worth my attention?"
"With my strength, do you think I need your power?"
His tone was casual, but Gyūki and Shukaku both understood what it meant.
The worst possibility had been confirmed.
This human really knew about the Gedo Statue.
He also knew how to revive the Ten-Tails.
At that moment, Gyūki's eyes met Shukaku's in the teapot. Their gazes crossed for only an instant.
Warn Kurama.
The meaning in Gyūki's eyes was clear.
Kurama had to run.
With Jie's strength, Gyūki could not imagine anyone in this era stopping him. If Kurama was captured as well, the ninja world would truly be doomed.
Shukaku understood Gyūki's meaning, and it agreed.
But with Jie's summoning mark on its body and the Rinnegan watching it, even escaping was impossible.
Gyūki seemed about to say something else, but then its body suddenly went still.
Ripples appeared in its eyes.
Shukaku immediately understood.
Jie had controlled Gyūki's mind.
At the same time, Jie's hand settled on Shukaku's head and rubbed it lightly.
The gesture should have been harmless, but Shukaku went stiff.
"Don't worry," Jie said, as if he already knew what Shukaku was thinking. "Reviving the Ten-Tails only requires part of each tailed beast's chakra."
"I already have half of yours. I do not need the rest."
"So just behave and do your job as a pet."
Shukaku went cold.
Jie smiled faintly.
"I already know where the Nine-Tails is."
"Soon, you tailed beasts will be reunited inside the Gedo Statue."
"Of course, once that happens, only you will remain outside."
Jie looked down at Shukaku.
"How does it feel to become the only tailed beast left in the ninja world?"
Jie had noticed.
The words sounded gentle, but to Shukaku, they were nothing more than a warning.
Who would tolerate a traitor beside them?
But Jie's next move caught Shukaku off guard.
He lowered his hand and ignored the controlled Gyūki for the moment. Instead, he returned to the crater and pulled up the fake Eight-Tails from the seabed.
Shukaku stared, trying to guess what Jie was planning.
Then it heard Jie mutter to himself.
"I haven't eaten grilled squid in a long time."
"Should I try charcoal-grilled Eight-Tails today?"
Shukaku stared at him in horror.
He had beaten Gyūki half to death, controlled its mind, and was about to seal it away.
And before sealing it, he wanted to eat its tentacle.
That was too vicious.
Jie did not know what Shukaku was thinking. Even if he did, he would not care. Gyūki was already under the control of his Rinnegan, so Jie was not worried about it escaping.
Jie pulled the severed tentacle over with the Rinnegan.
The next moment, a huge tentacle appeared in front of him.
One tentacle from the Eight-Tails was enough to feed hundreds of people. Unfortunately, Jie was in the middle of the ocean, far from land. No one else was here to enjoy it.
Carrying the enormous tentacle, Jie soon returned to Turtle Island.
The giant turtle had only been pushed away by the earlier waves and was still intact, which surprised him a little, but he did not dwell on it.
Jie used Fire Release to build a huge fire and roasted the tentacle himself.
Under the fierce flames, a rich smell soon spread through the air.
The smell was good enough to raise Jie's expectations.
Unfortunately, reality was disappointing.
Gyūki might look like a mix of an octopus and an ox, but it was still condensed chakra. The smell was convincing, yet the tentacle had almost no texture and no real taste.
His rare attempt at eating grilled Eight-Tails had failed.
Disappointed, he caught a few real squids from the surrounding sea and grilled them instead. After filling his stomach with actual food, Jie finally sealed Gyūki completely.
Now, among the nine tailed beasts of this era, only the Nine-Tails remained.
And Jie already knew its exact location.
His tailed-beast hunt was almost over.
Thinking of that, Jie felt a little excited.
The Ten-Tails was close.
Just as Jie was about to head toward Kurama's location, he suddenly remembered something.
He had almost forgotten Turtle Island's greatest secret.
The turtle carrying the island was nothing special aside from its size, and the Eight-Tails had already been captured.
But Turtle Island still had the Waterfall of Truth.
The Waterfall of Truth could reflect a person's darkness.
A jinchūriki had to face that darkness before they could truly control their tailed beast.
Jie's tailed-beast chakra came from the system and had no consciousness, so it could not fight him for control.
Still, Jie was curious.
What would his own darkness look like?
Once that thought appeared, Jie temporarily gave up on chasing the Nine-Tails.
He already knew Kurama's location, so he could capture it later.
But Turtle Island was always moving.
If he missed the Waterfall of Truth now, finding it again might be troublesome.
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