The dim, cavernous seal space resembled a dark underground cave.
At its center stood a sealing formation shaped like an ancient altar.
Eight massive stone pillars surrounded this altar. From each pillar extended thick iron chains—over a meter wide—that linked together around the prostrate Nine-Tails at the center of the altar.
A pitch-black sealing pole, half the beast's width in diameter, pierced through the center of the fox's back and waist.
Eight chains bound it from all sides, leaving no chance of escape.
Kurama seemed long accustomed to this environment. Its paws were folded beneath its head, with steady breaths flowing from its beastly mouth.
Behind it, nine tails sprawled across the ground, occasionally swaying with sharp, air-shredding cracks.
Tap… tap…
Clear footsteps echoed from the tunnel at the far end of the seal space.
Kurama twitched his ears, then slowly rose amid the clinking and scraping of chains.
A pair of crimson, slit-pupiled eyes radiated chilling malice in silence.
"Heya, Kurama! Looks like your digs've upgraded quite a bit!"
Kei Yamanaka's relaxed teasing voice arrived first.
He recalled the first time he visited Kushina's seal space.
Back then, Kurama had been trapped inside a massive, orb-shaped sealing technique resembling the Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei.
Its front paws, hind legs, waist, belly, and all nine tails had been pierced by sealing poles.
Each pole connected to numerous chains, firmly binding every part of its body.
It couldn't even lie down for a nap like now; even the slightest movement was nearly impossible.
Seems like Kushina and Kurama kept exchanging insults,
But their relationship actually improved a lot.
Otherwise, Kurama'd still be stuck on that sealing sphere in bondage.
"Tch. Brat from the Yamanaka Clan—here for another verbal lashing?"
Upon hearing Kei's voice, Kurama let out a mocking scoff.
Yet those crimson eyes lacked the bone-deep hostility they once held.
After a lazy yawn, Kurama shifted into a comfortable position and lay back down on the sealing altar.
"Still full of yourself, huh?"
Kei Yamanaka chuckled softly, not pausing his steps.
As he approached the altar, the seal space suddenly lit up with lines of firelight, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
Revealing Kurama's orange-red fur atop the altar—displaying fully his colossal, mountain-like size.
...
[Name: Kurama]
[Occupation: Prisoner]
[Skill Listings: Ku no Maho (Red), Nine-Tailed Fox (Purple), Chakra Key (Purple), Negative Emotions Sensing (Purple), Predator Instinct (Blue), Fearless (Blue), Kurama Horn (White), Resentment (Gray)]
...
Prisoner?
Poor little guy.
Kei mused internally as he raised his gaze toward Kurama's skill listings.
He started going through each entry with increasing curiosity.
[Ku no Maho] was Kurama's core ability as the strongest chakra being—a wellspring that provided vast chakra reserves, continuously generating chakra even after death and enabling rapid revival.
The Nine-Tails, a special skill born from human fear, absorbs intense negative emotions to amplify its intimidation aura and can also seduce hearts and awaken the darkness within humans.
[Chakra Key], a force connecting people and hearts—simply put, it's a universal connector. Basically, it functions as a portable power bank, just like during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
[Negative Emotions Sensing] detects moral intent and senses inner thoughts—a power distinct from the chakra system.
[Predator Instinct] enhances combat abilities, while [Fearless] boosts courage and perseverance in adverse situations.
[Kurama Horn]...?
Kurama? [Kurama Horn]?!
Damn it!
What the hell is this?!
Kei Yamanaka twitched violently at the corner of his eye, feeling like he had just witnessed something filthy.
One mouth can out-curse nine tails?
No—it's actually a skill that boosts volume, fluency, and vocabulary, while toning down one's fox-like demeanor?
No wonder Kushina said she couldn't out-curse the Nine-Tails.
With such a skill boosting her, what normal ninja could stand against it?
Damn!
My illusions are shattered!
So this is the real Kurama!
"Brat, if you have something to say, say it. If not, scram! Don't disturb my rest!"
The Nine-Tails shot Kei Yamanaka a sidelong glare and growled a warning.
Those fierce eyes, those razor-sharp fangs dripping with drool—if an ordinary person saw such a look from the Nine-Tails, they'd likely bolt in terror.
Unfortunately, seeing this expression, Kei wasn't scared at all.
His expression was... indescribable.
[Kurama Horn].
It literally became a megaphone!
That voice—it's way louder than before!
"Smelly fox, if you keep barking nonsense, I'm gonna punch you!"
Kushina finally stepped out of the tunnel in the Seal Space, raising her tiny fists threateningly toward the Nine-Tails.
"Hmph! Less drinking, more eating—do you think you're some lonely old widow?"
The Nine-Tails curled its lips in disdain, eyes filled with contempt.
With one fox face, it perfectly demonstrated what mockery and arrogance looked like.
Kushina flushed bright red with anger, golden chains forged from the Adamantine Sealing Chains coiled behind her, ready for battle.
Clearly poised for battle at any second.
If it were just a usual visit alone, she'd have simply cursed back.
But with her boyfriend here, didn't she have her pride to protect?
"...Don't be mad, don't be mad, let me handle him for you~"
Once Kei figured out who the "lonely old widow" referred to, he quickly stepped forward to comfort his little girlfriend whose face had flushed bright red like a tiny tomato.
He knew better than anyone how much Mito Uzumaki meant in Kushina's heart.
Calling her an old widow straight to her face? Of course Kushina would blow up.
However, for someone like Kei, who had survived endless flame wars on practically every forum and message board without a scratch...
The Nine-Tails' verbal attacks were nothing but average.
Just a white-tier skill—how could it compare to the brutal trolling he'd endured in his past life—commenters who gutted you online, pierced your soul, then salted the wound twice over?
"Kid, haven't seen you in years—look at how full of yourself you've gotten! How exactly do you plan to deal with me? Gonna rub my belly or give me a foot rub?"
[Nine-Tails didn't even bother to lift its eyelids fully], utterly ignoring the comforting words Kei Yamanaka offered Kushina.
[Demonic Illusion: Zuan Proud Individual!]
Using [Shout-to-Summon], Kei activated a sealless genjutsu.
Inside the Memory Palace, countless insults harvested from past lives, mixed with various witty metaphors and clever rhymes, poured into this illusion.
Centered on mothers, using relatives as radius, fathers as support, and ancestors as ultimate targets.
In merely an instant,
the Nine-Tails' confident expression froze, beginning its rapid face-changing act.
Shock, confusion, disbelief, embarrassment, growing fury, burning glare, searing murderous intent...
[Roar~!]
The Nine-Tails let out a deafening roar.
Its body suddenly rose upright from the center of the altar.
Using massive quantities of chakra, it forcefully broke through Kei's self-developed Class C genjutsu.
Consumed by rage, it kept pulling violently against the sealing pillars piercing through its abdomen and the numerous chains binding it at the sealing altar.
After all, [Demonic Illusion: Zuan Proud Individual] was just an early experiment Kei created back when attending the Ninja Academy.
It simply borrowed techniques from the Class D [Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique], which triggered inner fears in enemies, and used principles from the Class D [Kasumi Jutsu (Mist Clones Technique)] to create multiple phantom adversaries.
Using numerous illusions to launch all-encompassing and unrelenting verbal assaults directly targeting psychological weak points.
That this crude Class C illusion could even work on a being like the Nine-Tails was solely due to Kei's extraordinary mental fortitude far surpassing ordinary people, along with his mastery-level command of Yin Release.
Did anyone really think they could control or subdue a monster of this caliber using genjutsu alone?
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