After Shinju and the others caught up, Killer B pointed seriously at the beast-shaped stone head.
"Stick your head into the beast's mouth. If there's no malice in your heart, a gate will open."
"But if there is malice," he added with exaggerated tone, "the beast's mouth will instantly close! ヽ('⌒´メ)ノ"
Naruto blinked. "Instantly close? So… wouldn't that bite someone's head off?!"
Killer B nodded. "Exactly that! ( ´▽` )"
"This thing can actually detect someone's thoughts?" Shinju looked skeptical.
"Yo yo, young man, don't doubt me," Killer B said confidently. "Weren't you curious about those headless statues outside? The people they're based on lost their heads right here."
Having explained the danger clearly, Killer B left it to them to decide who would open the door.
Shinju, quick as ever, spoke first.
"Hey, old man, you've trained here before, right? That means you've opened this door before too. Why not open it again? (๑ت๑)"
Killer B refused immediately. "No way! Who's training here—you or me?"
Then he folded his arms and struck a mock protest pose.
"If no one's willing to step up, then today's training ends right here!"
Shinju sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll do it!"
From behind, Might Guy called out anxiously, "Hey, what if it really kills you? Can't you use a clone instead? (´°Δ°`)"
Killer B shook his head solemnly. "No. This place is sacred—you must show respect. Using a clone would be blasphemy! Ծ‸ Ծ"
Guy frowned. "Shinju, maybe you should think this—"
Before he could finish, Shinju had already shoved his head into the beast's mouth!
"Clack, clack, clack—"
Mechanical grinding echoed from behind the wall. It seemed Shinju's action had triggered some kind of mechanism...
A moment later, a section of the once-smooth wall not far away began to slowly open into a door.
Behind it was a room filled with radiant light—no walls, no windows, just pure brilliance!
Curious, Naruto leaned forward to peer inside. At the same moment, a scream came from beside him.
"Ugh—ahh! My head! My head!"
Everyone rushed over, only to gasp in horror when they saw Shinju's condition.
ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
Shinju's head was gone!
Blood still gushed out as if his neck arteries had been severed!
Guy froze. "!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ"
He had sworn to protect both Shinju and Naruto—yet the most reliable one, Shinju, had been decapitated before his eyes!
Guy broke into a panicked cry. "Shinju! Shinju! Where's your head?! I'll go find it for you!!"
Just as Guy was about to stick his own head into the beast's mouth, Shinju's laughter suddenly rang out.
"Hehehehe... there's actually a hidden switch inside the beast's mouth—it doesn't bite at all. (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ"
A short distance away, Killer B burst into laughter too.
"Hahaha! Nice transformation trick! Even better than my performance back in the day! (•̀⌄•́)b"
Guy froze, realizing he'd been completely fooled.
"So much for your talk about showing respect for sacred ruins! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"
After that little episode, the group walked toward the luminous chamber.
Naruto looked around in awe. "What's this made of? It looks so cool! (´◊ω◊｀)"
Killer B shrugged. "How should I know? ┐(´-｀)┌"
"Now then," he continued, "who's going first for the next stage of training?"
Naruto shot his hand up. "Me, me, me!"
Killer B nodded, folding his arms.
"Alright. Step inside the room, sit cross-legged, and focus—just like at the waterfall. You'll see the Tailed Beast within you."
Naruto frowned. "But I can already talk to the Tailed Beast without going in there. (‧_‧?)"
Killer B said, "This chamber has its own special purpose."
He led everyone into the radiant room.
Then he asked, "What's the name of the seal holding your Nine-Tails?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Uh... Four Symbols Seal, I think."
Killer B nodded. "And do you know how to undo it?"
Naruto nodded back.
"Yeah. There's a toad at Mount Myōboku who knows the release formula… but Shinju can also undo it. (°ー°〃)"
Killer B gave Shinju a long, meaningful look. "You really can do everything, huh?"
Then he turned to Naruto.
"Listen carefully. What you're about to do is simple. Enter the space where the seal exists. Greet the Tailed Beast, then break the seal. Once the Beast bursts out, use your chakra to seize its chakra. Remember—chakra can only capture chakra."
Naruto looked confused. "So all I have to do is fight for its chakra? Then what's this room for?"
A smug grin crossed Killer B's face.
"If you fail to subdue the Nine-Tails and it revives, this place can imprison it—until the next jinchūriki arrives."
Naruto nodded slowly, only half understanding.
In truth, he thought, with Shinju around, there's no way the Nine-Tails could go wild anyway.
But saying that out loud would sound disrespectful to Killer B, so he wisely kept quiet.
"Alright then," Naruto said. "Let's get started. ୧⍢⃝୨"
The three of them—Naruto, Killer B, and Shinju—closed their eyes at once.
...
Inside Naruto's inner world—the sealed space.
Naruto's spirit form appeared before a massive iron gate.
"Hey, Nine-Tails. We meet again. (o´Д`o)ノ"
Behind the bars, the Nine-Tails sneered.
"Naruto! You actually think you can claim my power?! (′д｀σ)σ"
Before it could finish its taunt, Shinju appeared.
The Nine-Tails immediately froze, tail tucked tight and body curled up. (:D)∠)
"You... what do you two want?! (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)"
Naruto said calmly, "Shinju, please open the seal gate for me."
"Alright."
Shinju stepped forward, tearing off the paper talisman on the enormous gate to reveal the spiral lock underneath.
He pressed his right hand against the sealing mark on Naruto's stomach and began turning it slowly.
As Shinju's hand turned, the spiral lock on the gate moved as well, making a steady clack, clack, clack sound.
Finally, with a loud whoosh, the seal's last lock released—the gate swung open!
The Nine-Tails shrank back into a corner.
"Hey—don't come any closer! ヾ(༎ຶД༎ຶ)ﾉ"
Just as Shinju was about to help Naruto seize the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto raised a hand to stop him.
"Thanks. You've already helped me a lot. From here on... I'll handle it myself. (●´∇｀●)"
Naruto knew that the Nine-Tails' sudden obedience was only because it feared Shinju.
But Shinju wouldn't always be there—so this was something he had to face on his own.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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