After shaking off the Iwagakure pursuers, Hanzō raced toward the Land of Hot Water.
Half a day later, he abruptly halted.
He had sensed chakra ahead.
Four signatures. All at jōnin level. Iwa's reinforcements?
…No. This chakra pattern… Storm Release.
That's Kumogakure.
So this is the elite strike squad Kumo sent to loot the battlefield.
Hanzō's eyes narrowed as a sly smile crept across his face.
Thank you, God. Looks like I don't even need to reach Hot Water on my own.
His chakra seeped into the sealed water gourd he was carrying. After confirming the Five-Tails was still inside, he extended his chakra into the vessel.
Chakra can bridge minds—even across the boundary between life and death.
"I'm sure you can hear me, Five-Tails. I want to talk."
His thoughts flowed along the chakra thread. A long moment later, a reply came:
[Despicable human… what do you want.]
"Nothing much," Hanzō answered calmly. "I simply want a conversation."
[Hah. A human wants to talk to me? Are you sure something isn't wrong with your head?]
"Of course. Unless they're my enemy, I treat anyone with basic respect before acting."
The Five-Tails paused, genuinely surprised.
[…This is new. A human trying to speak to a tailed beast.]
[You're not lying. I don't feel malice in your chakra.]
[Strange. I've never met one like you.]
"How do you know I'm honest? Chakra can read intent, huh… I see."
[Talking like this is inconvenient. I'll bring you somewhere.]
Darkness enveloped Hanzō's awareness, and in the next instant his mind was pulled into a sealed chamber.
A massive white creature—dolphin-headed, antlered, horse-bodied—towered over him.
Five tails drooped behind it like heavy banners.
Hanzō, compared to this colossal being, seemed smaller than an ant.
Seeing the Five-Tails was one thing. Feeling its chakra in person was another.
For the first time, Hanzō felt pure, overwhelming pressure—pressure born entirely from chakra volume.
[Incredible,] the beast rumbled from above.
[Aside from him, you're the first human I've seen with chakra this dense. Comparable to the Three-Tails, even.]
[But his chakra far exceeds yours. You're still a long way off.]
[Human. Speak. I'll hear you out—only because you bear no malice. And because…]
It hesitated.
[You're the first in a thousand years who's actually tried to talk to us.]
Tailed beasts… a whole race of stubborn tsunderes.
Hanzō understood, but wisely kept that thought in his head.
"Yes, I do have a proposal. I simply want to know whether you'll agree."
[A deal? That's a first.]
[But what could a human possibly trade with us?]
The Five-Tails lowered its colossal head, glaring with molten eyes.
[You expect me to bargain with you? Ridiculous. I should not have bothered.]
Its chakra turned dark and violent, crushing down on Hanzō like a suffocating tide.
[You get one more sentence. Then I throw you out.]
Unfazed, Hanzō met its gaze.
"Freedom. Not just for you—but for your companions as well."
The Five-Tails stopped cold.
Hanzō continued, voice steady.
"I know the future. All tailed beasts—except the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails—end up imprisoned inside the Demonic Statue. Their suffering… I know you resisted it. You even broke free for a moment."
"You care more about your siblings than any of them."
The Five-Tails trembled.
Its voice was lower than before.
[…Your last sentence… weakened slightly.]
"…Yeah, it won't be easy. But if you agree, I'll do everything I can."
"Even if you refuse, I'll still find a way to 'accidentally' release you in a few days."
"Then you can go wherever you want."
The beast didn't eject him—meaning it was still willing to listen.
[We tailed beasts are chakra incarnate—symbols of power. You humans lust for power. If you become a jinchūriki, you gain a portion of it. Isn't that what your kind desires?]
Hanzō smiled faintly, lifting his shirt to reveal the cross-shaped scar on his torso.
"Let me tell you a story."
"When I was young, the poison sac of a deadly Black Salamander was implanted into my body."
"Right here."
"The village wanted to create a poison-immune weapon using my body."
"My breath alone can spread toxins."
"People treated me like a walking plague. To keep others safe, I wear a mask every day."
"Yes, I pursue strength. But I've also paid the price for it."
"I know the heart of a jinchūriki."
"But unlike me, you tailed beasts aren't mindless tools—you're living beings, with pride."
"Your suffering greatly surpasses mine."
"If all I wanted was more power, there are countless ways to achieve it: cast aside reason, emotion, even lifespan… becoming a jinchūriki is not the only path."
"I'm different."
"Before receiving strength, I want strength to acknowledge me."
"Power is my comrade."
"I seek not just strength, but strength that willingly stands beside me."
"Even this time—if I borrow your power—I want your permission."
The Five-Tails slowly closed its eyes.
[To be acknowledged…]
A memory surfaced in its mind—words spoken by the Sage of Six Paths long ago:
"One day, all of you will be whole again, each retaining your name and your form. You will find true guidance—true power—when the time comes…"
That day never came.
[For a thousand years, all we wanted was peace.]
[Humans expanded endlessly for their own desires, eventually trespassing into our territory.]
[We became 'natural disasters' in their eyes. We left our homeland to avoid conflict, and they still hunted us.]
Scenes flashed—the man with wood dragons wrapping tightly around its body, draining its chakra.
The humiliation of helplessness.
The sight of its seven siblings being captured one by one.
Sold like livestock at the first ever Five Kage Summit.
'Forgive us. For peace, you are necessary.'
Its final memory of that man.
Peace?
Or oppression disguised as peace?
The Five-Tails roared—rage, grief, hatred bursting through the chamber like a storm.
It nearly blasted Hanzō's clothes apart.
[You—YOU are the last thread of trust I have left in humanity!!]
It glared down at him with burning eyes.
[Speak your goal.]
[And remember your promised words!!!]
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