In a vast field of blooming wildflowers, Matatabi frolicked joyfully with the other tailed beasts.
The fluffy Kurama, the sluggish Gyūki, the wriggling Chōmei, the lazy Isobu, the lively Saiken... The Sage of Six Paths sat quietly in the flower field, watching them play.
Matatabi playfully flicked its agile tails at the back of Son Gokū.
Annoyed, the little monkey chased after Matatabi in a frenzy.
After a while, it reluctantly gave up and, still feeling indignant, turned to provoke Chōmei, who was not as fast as it was.
Still in its larval form, Chōmei got so mad that it spewed silk threads everywhere. It missed Son Gokū but instead ended up covering Isobu in a web.
The honest Isobu let out a helpless sigh and looked at the culprit with a resentful gaze.
The air was filled with an atmosphere of freedom and joy. But in the next moment, the entire space underwent a tremendous transformation!
The Sage of Six Paths vanished, replaced by a man wearing a gleaming silver halo, flowing white robes adorned with gold embroidery, and hands bearing stigmata-like markings that shimmered with divine light.
The other tailed beasts also transformed—each now a towering giant clad in ceremonial vestments and bearing radiant scepters. The reason they were called giants was that their figures were now faintly larger than Matatabi!
One must understand—tailed beasts, even in their infancy, were dozens of times larger than humans!
It was the first time Matatabi had encountered humans of such a massive size.
An ominous premonition surged in its heart, and it instinctively took a step back.
[Traits: Nine Lives (Purple), Two-Tailed Cat (Purple), Enchanting Blaze Demon (Purple), Extreme Reflexes (Blue), Hunting Prowess (Blue), Agile and Graceful (Blue), Yin-Yang Eyes (Blue)]
In the spiritual realm, Kei observed Matatabi in secret. After glancing at its traits, he lost interest.
Compared to Kurama's luxurious setup, Matatabi's three purple and four blue traits seemed rather lacking.
Kurama's single red trait alone could completely overpower Matatabi's entire set. No wonder people often said that tailed beasts could be categorized into two groups: Kurama and the rest.
"Blessings upon thee~ little kitty~ Now we shall begin the game of catching you. Please, do not let my servants capture you... otherwise... hehehe~"
The man who had replaced the Sage of Six Paths made the sign of the cross, bowed his head in a solemn gesture, and then chuckled while shaking his head.
Before Matatabi could comprehend what was happening, the man waved his hand at the eight giants—tailed beasts transformed into human form.
The eight towering figures, each larger than Matatabi, lunged toward the bewildered blue cat.
Completely unaware of what was about to happen, it dodged a few times instinctively. But soon, under the coordinated pursuit of the experienced eight, it was pinned to the ground.
"Stop~!" A piercing scream echoed through the illusionary space.
Kei immediately cut off his connection to the illusion, unwilling to perceive what was happening inside. Instead, he focused his spiritual energy on observing Yugito's inner world.
In the bleak and colorless realm of her consciousness, countless eyes stared at the girl, who sat curled up with her knees hugged to her chest.
She dared not look up at those eyes filled with hostility, disgust, fear, and hatred. She only stared blankly at the lone, colorful Go board in front of her.
Every time a piece moved on the board, a scene of Kei playing with Yugito would reflect upon it. In those images, the young girl always wore a bright and joyous smile. And in response, a faint smile would also form on her lips in the consciousness realm.
However, Kei frowned as he observed his own figure in those images—it appeared somewhat blurred and indistinct.
If these were supposed to be her memories, then logically, his appearance shouldn't have been intentionally obscured . This seemed to imply that her mind had already determined that this was not his real appearance?
What the hell? Where did I mess up? Kei was dumbfounded.
He had never expected that what he believed to be a flawless disguise had somehow been seen through by Yugito!
Perplexed, yet confident in his ability to control the mental space without external perception or time constraints, he decided to confront the issue directly.
Since he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, he allowed his spiritual form to revert to its original appearance and sat cross-legged before Yugito.
"I knew you would come!"
Yugito suddenly became aware of his presence and, tilting her head, scrutinized him for a few seconds. The once dazed look in her eyes suddenly sparkled like a pearl in the vast ocean. A bright smile bloomed on her youthful face.
"How did you recognize me?" Kei asked with a smile.
To be honest, even he wasn't sure if, given another choice, he would still have recklessly rushed over .
Yugito's unwavering trust in him felt unexpectedly heavy.
"The big cat said... your soul feels much older than your appearance suggests." Yugito grinned, baring her small teeth, with a faint sense of pride in her expression.
"Aren't you afraid?" Kei raised an eyebrow, recalling Matatabi's status screen from earlier. He sighed inwardly—what an oversight.
[Yin-Yang Eyes] was a special vision trait that allowed one to see souls!
Under normal circumstances, with the Pure Land under the control of the Sage of Six Paths, this trait wouldn't hold much value in battle, support, or power amplification. But as it turned out, it was the perfect counter to transformation-based jutsu.
Damn it! The original story never mentioned that Matatabi had this ability!
"You're so young~ and really handsome!" Yugito blinked her golden eyes, completely unfazed by his question, simply smiling playfully as she shook her head.
Young and handsome. His smile was as clear and pure as the sky after a rain, washed free of dust.
Mmm~ Even better-looking than she had imagined!
"Thanks for the compliment." Kei flicked Yugito's forehead lightly.
Who would've thought? Turned out this little girl is a sucker for good looks!
"Hehe..." Yugito giggled, rubbing her forehead with both hands, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
"Are you going back out?"
"... The big cat is too excited today. I think I also ate something I shouldn't have... I feel drained and can't suppress it."
"Don't worry. I already taught it a lesson. It won't be causing trouble for a long time."
"Mm! Then... if I caused trouble, is that okay?"
"What trouble? Yugito, you did great. You are an amazing child! I'm so proud of you!"
"Ugh... wahhh—!" Hearing those words, all the grievances and loneliness she had carried for so long suddenly burst out. She threw herself into Kei's arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
"I'd love to take you away with me... but stealing from others isn't exactly the right thing to do."
"Instead, I'll leave you a little gift as an apology. I hope your future will be bright, filled with hope and happiness."
As Kei's voice faded, Yugito's consciousness slowly sank into darkness.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the Two-Tails' chakra rapidly withdrew into the Iron Armor Seal on her abdomen. Letting out a faint groan, Yugito completely lost consciousness.
Outside the barrier, arms crossed, Killer B stood watching. The tight corners of his lips lifted into the faintest, nearly imperceptible smile.
As the jinchūriki, he understood more than anyone else what a jinchūriki truly needed. And because of that, he had not used the Eight-Tails' power to help Yugito suppress Matatabi.
He knew that overcoming this challenge on her own was crucial.
After this experience... He firmly believed that her future would be smooth and bright.