The moment the Gedo Statue appeared, its nine eyes remained tightly shut. Even so, it seemed to sense the chakra of the One-Tail and Nine-Tails at once.
Then it let out a furious roar.
The sound exploded outward, sweeping away the dust left behind by the Rasengan. A violent wind rushed past Jie, making his robes snap loudly, but he did not move.
As the one who had summoned the Gedo Statue, Jie could faintly sense its instincts.
It was restless.
Hungry.
The empty shell of the Ten-Tails wanted its chakra back.
Feeling that hunger, Jie smiled faintly and looked down at Kurama.
"The Sage of Six Paths stripped the Ten-Tails of its chakra and left behind only this shell."
"Now it seems the shell is eager to take everything back."
Jie's eyes settled on Kurama.
"So, are you ready, Nine-Tails?"
"Ready to fight the thing you were born from?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jie gave the Gedo Statue its order.
The statue let out another strange roar and charged down into the crater, rushing straight toward Kurama.
The Gedo Statue had lost the Ten-Tails' chakra, but its body alone was still terrifyingly tough. Jie knew that better than anyone. Even his Kusanagi Sword had failed to cut through it, and he had needed Susanoo's massive blade to sever one of its arms.
Kurama's chakra was powerful, but against the shell it had once been separated from, that power was heavily resisted. Whether it was a Tailed Beast Ball or another chakra attack, the effect would be limited.
As for physical attacks, Kurama had even less of a chance.
Two giant monsters crashed together at the bottom of the crater, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
Jie watched for a moment, then lost interest.
Whether the Gedo Statue suppressed Kurama by itself or Jie had to step in later, the result would be the same. As long as the statue was not damaged, Kurama alone could not escape his control.
Since the fight no longer needed his attention, Jie turned his focus to the Rinnegan's sealing technique.
Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals.
This was the proper method to seal the tailed beasts back into the Gedo Statue. Even Jie could not replace it with an ordinary sealing technique, but that did not mean he had to use it exactly as it was.
With his chakra, his Rinnegan, and his understanding of seals, Jie made a few small adjustments.
Akatsuki had needed three days and nights to seal even the One-Tail. After Jie's improvements, even working alone, he could finish sealing Shukaku's chakra in one day at most.
The remaining tailed beasts would only become faster.
While Jie worked on the technique, Shukaku carefully poked its head out from the teapot and looked toward the crater.
Kurama attacked wildly, but the Gedo Statue barely reacted. It simply pushed forward, forcing the Nine-Tails back step by step.
The contrast made Shukaku feel cold.
The Gedo Statue was only a shell, yet it was already suppressing Kurama. And beside it stood Jie, who was even more terrifying.
Was the ninja world already finished before the real fight had even begun?
The battle between Kurama and the Gedo Statue ended faster than Jie had expected.
Not long after he finished adjusting the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals, the noise inside the crater gradually died down.
The Gedo Statue had one hand clamped around Kurama's head, pressing the Nine-Tails hard into the ground.
Kurama struggled fiercely, but the situation was already beyond saving.
"How could I fall like this?"
With a roar, Kurama spat out another Tailed Beast Ball at close range.
The blast struck the Gedo Statue directly, forcing it back several steps. But when the dust settled, its body was still unharmed.
The next moment, the Gedo Statue raised its fist and smashed it down onto Kurama's head.
Kurama's body was made of chakra, but after forcing out a close-range Tailed Beast Ball and taking another heavy blow, even its resistance finally weakened.
The Gedo Statue pressed down again, pinning Kurama before it could struggle free.
"Looks like a piece still can't beat the whole."
Jie shook his head as he watched.
"Even after losing all its chakra, the Ten-Tails' shell still isn't something one fragment can defeat."
Since Kurama had been defeated and pinned by the Gedo Statue, the sealing could finally begin.
Still, Kurama's recovery was too strong. To prevent it from breaking free and interrupting the ritual, Jie controlled the Gedo Statue and sent several thick chains shooting from its body.
The chains wrapped around Kurama and locked it firmly against the ground.
Adamantine Sealing Chains.
This was an Uzumaki sealing technique, and it was especially effective against tailed beasts.
Once Kurama was fully restrained, Jie raised his hand and swept it forward.
A spatial vortex opened in front of him.
Eight sealing scrolls slowly floated out and lined up in the air.
Inside them was the chakra Jie had taken from the One-Tail through Eight-Tails.
Even through the seals, the Gedo Statue seemed to sense their chakra and let out an excited roar.
When Kurama saw the eight scrolls, regret finally hit it.
It should have listened to the others and run. Instead, it had tried to prove itself, only to be pinned beneath the very shell it had come from.
Now, the ninja world might really fall into the hands of something even the Sage of Six Paths had feared.
But Jie did not care what Kurama was thinking.
He glanced across the scrolls and casually touched the first one.
The sealing formula shattered.
Shukaku's chakra immediately surged out.
The moment it sensed its stolen chakra, Shukaku's eyes grew wet. By instinct, it almost tried to pull the chakra back.
But before it could move, Jie formed a seal.
"Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals."
There was no elaborate setup, and no one was helping him.
Even so, under Jie's Rinnegan and sealing control, Shukaku's chakra turned into a thin stream and flowed into the Gedo Statue's mouth.
As the One-Tail's chakra entered, the Gedo Statue finally calmed down.
On its forehead, among the nine tightly closed eyes, one eyelid began to tremble.
Jie had not stripped Kurama of its consciousness or sealed it away first. Instead, he was sealing the other tailed beasts right in front of it.
Part of that was to save time.
Kurama was too large for an ordinary scroll to hold. Leaving it suppressed under the Gedo Statue was simpler.
Besides, Jie wanted it to watch.
If he was going to teach Kurama a lesson, then he might as well make sure it remembered.
Kurama could also be useful in another way. Even after losing the ability to fight back, it would still react if another ninja came close.
It was not a perfect method, but it was enough.
As for Shukaku, Jie was not worried.
That tanuki did not have the courage to try anything.
And so, under Shukaku's grief-stricken gaze, time slowly passed.
One full day and night.
When the last trace of the One-Tail's chakra entered the Gedo Statue, the trembling eyelid on its forehead finally stilled.
Then the first eye slowly opened.
Jie's eyes lit slightly.
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