Chapter 74: The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki
"Witnessed and participated, huh..." Masahiko sighed and shook his head. "In the end, nothing changed at all?"
Although he had gained a full 50 Witness Points, Masahiko wasn't happy in the slightest.
He looked at Hashirama, who was regulating his breathing, then scanned the battlefield. He couldn't find Uchiha Madara's corpse.
"So, everything happened exactly like the original story. Madara still went off to prepare his Eye of the Moon plan, didn't he?"
Masahiko let out a long breath and sat down heavily on the ground. At this moment, he began to feel exhausted.
He had started with only 20% of his chakra and had flown here at maximum speed. His reserves were nearly empty, and even his Transformation Jutsu was showing signs of failing.
"Sigh, better recover my chakra first..."
Over two hours later, Masahiko had recovered nearly half of his chakra. He opened his eyes and saw Hashirama still regulating his breathing, though his complexion looked slightly better.
"This is the first time I've seen Hashirama so weak. Did he lose too much life force...? It's a pity Chiyo is still just a little girl; otherwise, I could use the One's Own Life Reincarnation to give him some of my life force... Though I don't know if that would work in Hashirama's case," Masahiko murmured.
A moment later, Hashirama opened his eyes and looked at Masahiko. "Great-Uncle, let's go. Back to the village!"
Masahiko nodded, then looked back. "What about the Nine-Tails?"
"Drag it back first. We'll find a way to seal it later," Hashirama replied.
"Seal it? A Jinchuriki?" Masahiko murmured. "Right! I have that kettle I stole... er, borrowed... from the old monk..."
The two returned to Konoha. Groups of villagers were waiting at the main gate. Everyone had noticed the massive commotion from the battle. Seeing Hashirama return, the crowd erupted in noise.
"Thank goodness! Lord Hokage is safe..."
"I knew Lord Hashirama would be fine..."
The chatter was endless. Hashirama smiled. "I'm fine. Everyone, please go back!"
After dispersing the onlookers, Tobirama and the clan heads came forward to greet them.
"Brother..." Tobirama looked at Hashirama, then at Masahiko, hesitating to speak.
"Madara is dead," Masahiko explained for Hashirama. "We'll talk about the rest later."
Tobirama looked relieved. However, Uchiha Izuya, who was in the group, paled drastically. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and headed back to the Uchiha compound.
Hashirama used Wood Release to reinforce the bindings on the Nine-Tails and tied it up at the main gate of Konoha, letting it enjoy the same treatment the other eight Tailed Beasts had previously received.
The others followed Hashirama to the Hokage's conference room. Hashirama looked serious, and his first sentence made everyone's expression change.
"I plan to step down as Hokage. Everyone should select the Second Hokage."
"Brother!" Tobirama's face changed. "You..."
"Ah, haha..." Hashirama scratched his head and smiled cheerfully again. "Don't worry, I can still live for another three to five years... Don't look so serious."
Masahiko sighed. "Just as I expected..."
The room erupted into an uproar. After a long while, the Nara Clan Head spoke up. "Lord Hokage, if you retire, Lord Tobirama can succeed you as the Second Hokage."
"Agreed..."
"That works..."
Everyone present agreed. In the current Konoha, aside from the older generation like Masahiko who had already retired, the only ones qualified and strong enough to succeed as Hokage were Tobirama and Uchiha Izuya.
Naturally, they chose Tobirama.
Hashirama nodded. "Let's put that aside for now. Next is the issue of the Nine-Tails."
"Previously, the Nine-Tails was controlled by Madara. Now, it's suppressed by the power of my Wood Release. However, I probably can't suppress it for too long. We still need to find a way to seal it. Great-Uncle..."
Just as Hashirama was about to ask Masahiko if he had a solution, the conference room door was pushed open.
"Hashirama, I can seal the Nine-Tails inside myself..." The one who walked in was Mito. She still looked like a young woman, but Masahiko couldn't find her usual gentle smile on her face.
"Mito, you..." Hashirama's expression changed. He was moved but shook his head. "That's too dangerous!"
"No need for that," Masahiko said with a smile, shaking his head. "Hashirama, did you forget the kettle I stole... er, borrowed from the old monk?"
Hashirama froze, then looked delighted. "The one that sealed Shukaku?"
Masahiko nodded. "I'll go get it."
Masahiko rushed home and retrieved the kettle. The group then went outside Konoha.
The Nine-Tails was still firmly bound by Wood Release, showing no signs of waking up.
"This makes it much easier..." Masahiko murmured. He formed seals. "Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
He formed seals again. "Sealing Jutsu: Tailed Beast Sealing Technique!"
Two seals bound the Nine-Tails tightly. Masahiko nodded. "Hashirama, withdraw the Wood Release suppression. I can't seal it like this!"
Hashirama nodded and withdrew the Wood Release. The Nine-Tails slowly woke up.
"ROAR!" First came a piercing scream, then it saw its situation. "Damn you, Uchiha Madara!"
Finally, its gaze fixed on Masahiko, and it focused. "It's you again, old man!"
Masahiko's face darkened. It seemed the Nine-Tails remembered that Masahiko had killed it once. However...
"Anyone can call me old man, but not you, you thousand-year-old fox! Get in the bowl..." Masahiko aimed the kettle at the Nine-Tails. "Sealing Jutsu: Eight Trigrams Sealing Style!"
The Nine-Tails struggled constantly, but under Masahiko's Level 8 Fuinjutsu, it had no power to resist and was continuously sucked into the kettle.
However, halfway through the sealing process, Masahiko's expression changed. The remaining half of the Nine-Tails was banging against the rim of the kettle. He discovered... the kettle was full.
"What kind of crappy sealing artifact is this?! It sealed Shukaku just fine, but it can only hold half of the Nine-Tails?"
"Am I going to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
Masahiko murmured.
"Sealing Jutsu: Four Symbols Seal!" A female voice rang out. It was Mito, who had seen Masahiko's predicament. She sealed the remaining half of the Nine-Tails into her own body.
Masahiko's expression changed. "Did Mito become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki after all?"
Looking into the kettle, he saw the Nine-Tails' Yang chakra sealed inside. Inside Mito was the Yin chakra.
Masahiko shook his head and walked toward Mito, who was surrounded by everyone, holding the kettle.
Mito's eyes were closed tight. Five minutes later, she opened them and smiled. "Don't worry. I can easily suppress half of the Nine-Tails."
Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Masahiko. "Great-Uncle, you..."
Masahiko blushed slightly and said sheepishly, "This old monk's broken pot isn't very useful..."
Hashirama shook his head helplessly. He knew this unreliable Great-Uncle quite well.
"Forget it. Sealing half the Nine-Tails inside Mito shouldn't be a problem. You hold onto that kettle for now..."
Masahiko smiled. "No problem! I'll reinforce Mito's seal. Sealing Jutsu: Reverse Four Symbols Seal!"
The reversed Four Symbols Seal perfectly merged with Mito's Four Symbols Seal, combining to form an Eight Trigrams Seal.
At the same time, a line of text flashed before Masahiko's eyes: "Witnessed and significantly changed a Naruto world Side Story: The First Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Received 5 (*8) Witness Points."
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