"Mito, don't speak!"
"Kurama, let me see your limit!"
"You're a tailed beast with nine tails. Keep challenging your limits!"
Uchiha Ren watched the excitement without fearing the matter getting bigger, cheering Kurama on from the side without looking worried that Kurama might drop dead.
After all, this chakra extraction was completely led by Kurama.
Uzumaki Mito was merely a decoration.
Uchiha Ren believed Kurama definitely knew its own limits.
It wouldn't really throw its life away over a matter of pride…
Probably.
Perhaps encouraged by Uchiha Ren, the Nine-Tails continued supplying a massive amount of chakra.
For one moment—
Uchiha Ren even felt the intensity of Kurama's chakra output suddenly increase.
As expected of the tailed beast with nine tails.
Truly terrifying.
Time passed bit by bit.
In the blink of an eye, more than half an hour passed.
Uchiha Ren stared closely at the number on the large screen.
The number had already broken past 3,700, but it was clearly running out of momentum.
Kurama probably couldn't continue.
If this went on, it really would drop dead.
"Nine-Tails, stop supplying chakra."
"If this continues, I'm really afraid something will happen."
Uzumaki Mito felt somewhat unable to bear it.
Kurama's cheeks were deeply sunken, and the yellow fur across its body had completely withered.
Its once mighty and domineering body had shrunk by at least half.
It was so thin that even its ribs were protruding.
Uchiha Ren remained silent.
He had realized something incredibly tragic.
So Kurama's true limit was actually this terrifying!
Over the past few years, the chakra lost and wasted during each Nine-Tails extraction had accumulated continuously.
If all of that had been converted into coal-fired electricity, the losses would absolutely be an astronomical number.
How much money had he lost?!
He had lost big!
This was a loss all the way to grandmother's house!
"Uchiha Ren, why are you still standing there in a daze?"
"Help me persuade the Nine-Tails!"
Seeing Uchiha Ren still lost in thought, Uzumaki Mito immediately spoke and interrupted his regretful state.
"I know, I know."
Uchiha Ren looked at Uzumaki Mito with a somewhat resentful expression.
This smelly old woman had lived with Kurama for decades, yet she didn't know Kurama's limit at all!
All the Nine-Tails chakra wasted over the years had to be counted on Uzumaki Mito's head.
If she had become a perfect jinchūriki just a little earlier, then he—
Cough, cough.
Then Konoha definitely could have earned much more money!
"Kurama, stop forcing yourself."
"You're already very impressive."
"Next, let the cat perform."
"Don't really…"
Before Uchiha Ren could say much, Kurama completely collapsed, gasping heavily in the sealed space.
Electrical buzzing sounds kept ringing in its fox ears.
Its vision blurred, and in a daze, it actually saw the old Sage of Six Paths.
It also saw its other tailed beast siblings.
Memories from its childhood appeared in its mind.
Was this what humans called one's life flashing before their eyes?
Afterward, Kurama struggled to sit cross-legged and recover its chakra.
After resting for a few minutes, it finally regained a little strength and spoke in an extremely weak voice.
"Two-Tails…"
"It's your turn!"
"This still wasn't my limit."
"I only… cough, cough… wanted to leave you some face this time."
"So you wouldn't lose too badly."
The Nine-Tails was still being stubborn.
But Matatabi did not refute it.
Deep down, it was truly afraid.
What kind of place was this?
It had actually harmed Kurama to this extent?
Even after squeezing Kurama like this, it still couldn't fill the chakra shortage here?
Industrial Cthulhu's thirst for energy was endless!
"Two-Tails, it's your turn!"
Uchiha Ren looked at the cat with a kind smile, urging it to hurry up and offer its chakra.
It was already midnight.
He still had to go back and sleep.
"Watch me, Boss!"
Matatabi was still stubborn.
It could not play the coward now.
"Cat, put your paw on that round platform's handle and send your chakra into it."
"Cat, you have to make me proud."
"I've always believed that you aren't inferior to Kurama."
"Just like you said, a tailed beast's strength can't be measured by the number of tails."
Uchiha Ren poured a thick, white bowl of motivational chicken soup into Matatabi, hoping he could squeeze just a little more chakra from it.
"Boss, I won't disappoint you!"
Facing Uchiha Ren's expectant gaze, Matatabi naturally couldn't say anything that would weaken its own momentum.
It hardened its head, entered the chakra extraction device, and placed its paw on the handle.
"Charge forward, Cat! Show the Nine-Tails your limit!"
"Oh!"
Matatabi continuously supplied chakra.
Uchiha Ren cheered for it from the side.
The number on the screen began rising rapidly again.
The cat kept pouring in chakra.
Time passed slowly.
A sense of emptiness and weakness swept through Matatabi's entire body.
The blue flames that had wrapped around it vanished, becoming only small blue embers.
"Boss, how much is it?"
"Already over one hundred!"
"Hold on, Cat!"
Uchiha Ren continued encouraging Matatabi, though a faint trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes.
In the end, the Two-Tails still could not compare to the Nine-Tails.
Based on the current situation, even if every scrap of the Two-Tails cat was shaved off and thrown in, it would only reach a little over three hundred.
Not even one-tenth of the Nine-Tails.
The Sage of Six Paths really was biased.
Kurama was still the fragrant one!
"The Two-Tails really is inferior!"
"Cough, cough, cough… it's only a little over one hundred now… cough, cough…"
"This great one… cough, cough… truly is the strongest tailed beast…"
The Nine-Tails supported its weak body.
Its first sentence was too loud and choked itself, causing endless coughing.
Even so, it did not forget to boast about its own strength.
Matatabi heard the Nine-Tails' mockery and looked up at the number just past one hundred.
For the first time, it deeply realized the gap between itself and the Nine-Tails.
It was like a heavenly chasm.
Sage of Six Paths, I curse your immortal ancestors!
You can't be this biased!
Unwillingness filled Matatabi's heart.
It fiercely increased its chakra output.
No matter what, it couldn't fail to reach even one-tenth of the Nine-Tails!
I'm going all in!
I'm the Two-Tails!
If I can't even reach one-tenth of the Nine-Tails, that fox will mock me for the rest of my life!
"Cat, keep going!"
Uchiha Ren sensed Matatabi's will.
The number on the screen suddenly accelerated, displaying the cat's unwillingness.
Time passed bit by bit.
The cat was very stubborn.
The small flames around its body became almost invisible, as though a single gust of wind could extinguish them.
Yet it still continued supplying chakra.
Soon, Matatabi developed the same symptoms as Kurama.
Electrical buzzing kept ringing in its ears.
Then its vision doubled.
In a daze, the figure of the Sage of Six Paths appeared before its eyes.
"Boss… what's the number now?"
Matatabi no longer had the strength to lift its head and look at the screen.
"Two hundred eighty-six!"
"Cat, you're already very strong!"
Uchiha Ren comforted Matatabi.
The cat had contributed its chakra.
He provided it with emotional value.
This was very reasonable.
"Still… not one-tenth?"
Matatabi looked somewhat dazed.
Seeing the benevolent smile of the Sage of Six Paths before it, it roared unwillingly.
"Sage of Six Paths, you stinking old man!"
"You biased stinking old man!"
After that shout, Matatabi fainted.
It fainted?
Seeing Matatabi collapse, Uchiha Ren hurried forward and held the cat in his arms, pity appearing in his eyes.
From now on, Cat only needed to supply two hundred bottles each time.
The remaining eighty would be waived.
If Matatabi was squeezed unconscious every time chakra was extracted, even Uchiha Ren would feel bad.
My poor cat.
"Biased…"
Even unconscious, Matatabi was still mumbling unclearly.
Uchiha Ren leaned closer and finally heard what the cat was saying.
Biased.
"Yes, the Sage of Six Paths truly was biased."
Uchiha Ren sincerely agreed with Matatabi's words.
The Sage of Six Paths really was biased.
Even after giving everything it had, Cat still couldn't reach one-tenth of Kurama.
"Hahaha!!!"
"This old man won!"
"The Two-Tails, that lower-class tailed beast, doesn't even have one-tenth of this old man's strength!"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough… cough, cough…"
The Nine-Tails was overjoyed.
Matatabi had pushed itself to unconsciousness, yet the chakra extracted from it was still not even one-tenth of Kurama's.
But after saying only a few words of victory speech, it used too much force and began coughing endlessly.
While the Nine-Tails was immersed in the joy of victory, Uchiha Ren had unknowingly entered the sealed space again.
With a kind smile, he said,
"Nine-Tails, from now on, every chakra supply cannot be lower than 3,500 bottles."
Uchiha Ren thoughtfully waived two hundred bottles from Kurama's quota.
That was an entire Two-Tails worth.
He was already kind enough!
"What?!"
"Cough, cough, cough…"
The Nine-Tails couldn't help coughing again.
Every time, it had to be squeezed to 3,500 bottles?
On what basis?!
"I refuse!"
"You naturally evil Uchiha brat!"
The Two-Tails, that smelly cat, would not even provide one-tenth of its amount each time, yet its living treatment was far better.
That was unfair!
The Nine-Tails immediately rejected Uchiha Ren's demand.
It was squeezed for so much chakra every time, but its living conditions weren't even as good as the Two-Tails, that lower-class tailed beast.
Why should it work?
Hmm.
Uchiha Ren fell silent.
If he wanted to extract this much chakra every time, Kurama had to fully cooperate with Uzumaki Mito during the extraction.
Otherwise, too much chakra would be wasted and worn away.
"Kurama, you need to think long-term."
"This is only temporary."
"The conditions I promised you back then will not change."
"As soon as Uzumaki Mito dies, you can immediately enjoy treatment even more luxurious than the Two-Tails."
"The forest area alone will be ten times larger than the Two-Tails'."
"That should be acceptable, right?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Uchiha Ren could only use his cake-painting technique again.
"Hmph. You think I'll believe that?"
"Isn't the Two-Tails cat proof?"
"I've always been friendly toward tailed beasts."
"Tailed beasts are humanity's friends."
"Go die. You just covet tailed beast chakra!"
The Nine-Tails wished it could stomp Uchiha Ren to death.
This black-hearted bastard clearly coveted tailed beast chakra and wanted to use tailed beasts as giant power banks.
"Mutual benefit. Mutual benefit!"
"There are too many bad people in the ninja world with evil intentions toward tailed beasts."
"At least I won't imprison tailed beasts."
"I'll give you forests to live in. Food, drink, entertainment, everything included."
"I can also protect you."
"You only pay a little rent every month."
"At most, you'll be weak for a week."
"If you work hard to recover chakra, maybe it'll be even faster."
Uchiha Ren coughed and packaged his behavior nicely.
"Bullshit!"
"Cough, cough…"
"I am the Nine-Tails! Who in this ninja world can defeat me?!"
"Uchiha Madara. Senju Hashirama."
"Don't mention those two bastards!"
The moment it heard the names Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the Nine-Tails' anger surged again.
If not for Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, it would still be playing freely in the ninja world.
A mindless beast.
Uchiha Madara had cursed it while controlling the Nine-Tails with only his eyes.
Your power is truly too strong.
Senju Hashirama had praised the Nine-Tails' strength while catching it with one hand.
Those were the deep shadows in Kurama's heart.
"Not even a little room for negotiation?"
"None!"
"You naturally evil Uchiha brat, not a single word from your mouth is true."
"I won't believe you again!"
The Nine-Tails turned its head away, not wanting to waste words with Uchiha Ren.
"Then fine. I'll immediately choose the next generation Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
"Since you refuse to cooperate like Cat, I can only keep imprisoning you and slowly squeeze your chakra."
"When the time comes, I'll liberate the One-Tail Shukaku, Three-Tails Isobu, Four-Tails Son Goku, Five-Tails Kokuo, Six-Tails Saiken, Seven-Tails Chomei, and Eight-Tails Gyuki."
"I'll bring all of them to Konoha."
"Each tailed beast gets one large forest."
"They only need to pay a little rent on time."
"Kurama, if you don't treat me as a friend, then naturally, I won't press my warm face against your cold backside."
Uchiha Ren sighed as he spoke.
After finishing, he turned as if preparing to leave the sealed space immediately.
One.
Two.
Three.
Uchiha Ren silently counted in his heart.
At the third second, the Nine-Tails' voice came from behind him.
"Wait."
"Uchiha Ren, can't we negotiate again?"
The Nine-Tails softened once more.
Uchiha Ren, this black-hearted bastard, could definitely do something like that.
In the future, all of its tailed beast siblings would obtain freedom and live in Konoha's great forests.
Meanwhile, it would still live in this dark, lightless broken prison.
Every month, it would pay the most chakra, while its living conditions remained the worst.
That would be hell!
"Negotiate?"
"Nine-Tails, you didn't look like you wanted to negotiate just now."
Uchiha Ren put on airs, sneering inwardly.
A mere Kurama wanted to control him?
Lock it up for a few more decades, and it would become obedient.
"Cough, cough. I was joking earlier."
"I've always trusted you the most!"
The Nine-Tails squeezed out a smile and hurriedly spoke.
"Really?"
"Really!"
The Nine-Tails forced its weak body upright and spoke loudly.
"Every time, 3,500 bottles?"
Uchiha Ren revealed a satisfied smile and repeated the number again.
"I can do that, as long as you satisfy my demands."
The Nine-Tails nodded, but planned to propose additional conditions.
⚡ Support the Story & Unlock More Chapters!
◇ 60+ Advance Chapters Available Now
◇ Read Ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/MythArcStudio