[Ding! Defeated Uzumaki Naruto. Attempting to copy trait.]
[Congratulations! Acquired Nine-Tails Jinchūriki (Gold). Detected stackable trait—merge?]
[Fusion successful. Congratulations! You've obtained the Legendary Trait: Nine-Tails' Power · Three (Gold).]
[Effect: Borrow up to three tails of the Nine-Tails' power. Greatly increases physical strength, reaction speed, and sensory perception.]
The system notification still echoed clearly in Kai's mind.
That prompt had appeared outside, at the moment he forcefully suppressed Naruto.
Three tails compared to the full Nine-Tails were, of course, nothing worth boasting about.
But—
right now, the Nine-Tails was completely bound.
Unable to move.
All it could do was stare helplessly as those familiar yet unfamiliar chakra tails slapped against its face.
Smack—smack—smack…
"Impudent! You wicked Uchiha brat—what exactly are you trying to do?! Once I'm free, I'll kill you for this!"
Smack—smack…
"Stop! Stop it! Whatever you want, we can talk! I'll—fine, I'll spare your life in the future!"
Smack…
"Enough! Enough! I won't kill you anymore, alright?! Just stop hitting me!"
Smack—
"Brat! Don't push your luck too far!"
Smack…
"You came in here just to beat me up, didn't you—mmph—!"
Smack!
The slapping finally stopped.
Kai withdrew the three chakra tails, rubbed his neck, and said casually,
"You're too tall. My neck was getting sore looking up."
Nine-Tails: ...
It cautiously brought its forepaws up, covering the sides of its long snout, and slowly lowered its massive body.
In a much quieter, suspiciously gentle voice, it asked:
"…What do you actually want?"
The tone was soft. Almost… careful.
If anyone else heard this, their jaw would hit the floor.
This was the legendary Nine-Tails—
the calamity said to drown the world in hatred?
Even Kai was a little surprised.
Looking at the fox crouched there, clutching its face in grievance, three words suddenly popped into his head:
Hakimi.
Big Hakimi.
He shook his head and cleared his throat.
"Cough… honestly, nothing much. I just came to tell you to behave."
Nine-Tails: ???
That's it?!
You beat me half to death… just to say that?!
Its pupils shrank and expanded repeatedly, so angry a little snot bubble almost popped out.
Still—
after that beating, it was far more obedient.
It didn't argue. Just nodded stiffly.
Seeing this, Kai added silently in his mind:
Also, I wanted to see what traits you have.
He was genuinely curious.
The Nine-Tails—holder of the largest share of the Ten-Tails' chakra—
what kind of traits would it possess?
Soon, golden lights began to appear across the Nine-Tails' body.
[Defeated Kurama. Attempting to copy trait.]
[Available traits: Hatred Breeding (Black), Undying (Black), Tsundere Hakimi (Black), Infinite Chakra (Gold), Tailed Beast Bomb (Purple), Tailed Beast Cloak (Purple), Malice Perception (Purple), Chakra Erosion (Purple)…]
"Hatred Breeding…"
Only then did Kai recall—
the Nine-Tails drew strength from the intense negative emotions of nearby living beings.
No exaggeration: the more hatred there was, the stronger Kurama became.
"…No wonder it got so weak in later fan interpretations."
"Turns out staying inside the kid too long washed all the negativity away."
Or, put simply—
get redeemed, lose stats.
He shook his head, utterly speechless.
A future Hokage so exhausted by paperwork he could barely maintain Shadow Clones?
Absolute comedy.
[Copy successful. Congratulations! You've obtained the Epic Trait: Tailed Beast Cloak (Purple).]
[Effect: Can coat yourself or others in chakra to form a protective cloak with powerful defensive and regenerative effects.]
"Tailed Beast Cloak?"
Kai's eyes widened slightly.
Genuine delight flickered through them.
Setting aside his unique three-foot domain, this cloak's healing ability filled a gap in his current toolkit.
Defense? He had Light-forged Body.
Stealth? Low Presence.
Speed? Flying Thunder God, Phantom Flash, Cloud-Style Body Technique.
Offense? Kamui—tear anything apart.
He was stacked.
But healing?
That was missing.
Even Kai himself could only rely on high-grade Wood Release cells for regeneration—
which came with serious drawbacks and couldn't help others.
But the Tailed Beast Cloak?
That was different.
He could be a long-range support now.
A battlefield healer.
Having gotten what he wanted, Kai didn't linger.
He turned around and left.
Behind him, the Nine-Tails remained crouched on the ground, nose covered, staring blankly at his retreating back.
Those huge eyes were filled with disbelief—and confusion.
…That's it?
You came all this way… just to beat me up once?
It blinked hard.
Once.
Twice.
Only then did it realize—
that terrifying human brat was really gone.
"Ahahaha—he finally left!!!"
For a moment, the Nine-Tails was so happy it felt like it might float.
Thump.
Then reality struck.
When it tried to stand upright in excitement, it discovered—
its legs were still bound tightly by the Vajra Sealing Chains.
"…Hey—wait—HEY!!!"
"UNDO THE CHAINS FIRST, DAMN IT!!!"
Outside Konoha
After the brief shock passed, Jiraiya reacted immediately.
He flashed forward toward Naruto and Kai.
Whoosh!
Thud!
But before he could reach them, someone blocked his path.
Uchiha Fugaku.
He stood firmly between them, eyes sharp and guarded.
"Jiraiya-sama. Please wait."
This concerned his second son's life.
As long as Kai was still inside Naruto's mental space, no one else was getting close.
"Hmm? Fugaku? You're stopping me?"
Jiraiya frowned.
He had no intention of harming Kai—he was worried about Naruto.
Four tails, then nearly five.
That kind of explosive power did serious damage to a child's body.
Naruto needed treatment now.
But just as Jiraiya finished speaking, several figures appeared behind Fugaku.
Nara Shikaku didn't hesitate for even a second.
He stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Please stop, Jiraiya-sama."
In Uchiha Kai, he saw something different.
A future unlike anything Konoha had known.
The true road forward.
Akimichi Chōza and the others followed without hesitation.
Even Yamanaka Inoichi—after a moment's struggle—gritted his teeth and joined them.
This scene left Jiraiya momentarily dazed.
For a split second, he couldn't tell—
was that small figure ten meters ahead an Uchiha child…
or the Hokage himself?
He sighed helplessly.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone. But Naruto's body… it can't take much more."
"Don't worry," Shikaku said calmly, gesturing behind him.
"The medical unit has been on standby."
At his signal, a three-man medical squad rushed forward.
Soft green chakra spread over Naruto's ravaged body.
Moments later, the squad leader's expression darkened.
"Advisor Shikaku—this child's muscles have been severely corroded. He needs immediate treatment inside the village!"
"Back to the village…"
Shikaku's brows knit tightly.
Returning meant moving Kai away.
And no one knew what consequences that might bring.
The tension thickened.
Until—
a calm, youthful voice broke the silence.
"It's fine."
"No need to go back."
Everyone froze.
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