After the mission in Roran, Kagetsu began researching the Spirit Suppression Stone.
Although all of Mukade's Spirit Suppression Stone had been destroyed by the combined energies of the Ryūmyaku vein and the Hollow outbreak, Kagetsu still had a general idea of their structure.
This kind of research—where the answer was already halfway clear—wasn't too difficult for him.
Of course, the name and function of the Spirit Suppression Stone might remain the same, but the actual forging materials and techniques could vary.
After all, there was no longer anything left to directly compare them with.
"The cost is a bit high, but if it's just to suppress the sealed Nine-Tails, it should be enough," Kagetsu replied to Orochimaru.
"Then let Kushina come into contact with it," Orochimaru ordered.
Kagetsu nodded silently. Although he had already tested the effect of the Spirit Suppression Stone using Nekomata and the Little Five-Tails, neither could be considered true tailed beasts.
Nekomata had already become something like a half-Hollow creature. The Spirit Suppression Stone had very little effect on it.
As for the Little Five-Tails, while it hadn't been deeply corrupted by spiritual energy and was still a chakra-based manifestation, its power didn't match that of the true Five-Tails.
So for the final test, he would still need Kushina to bring the Nine-Tails.
Four Violet Flame Formation!
Within the Forest of Death, four violet barriers rose into the air, forming a box-like structure that sealed off a large area.
Inside the barrier—excluding Jiraiya, who remained stationed in the Land of Rivers—nearly all of Konoha's top officials had gathered.
Orochimaru, Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, Anko, Shisui Uchiha, and several others stood in silence.
At the center of them all was Kushina Uzumaki, her expression calm and composed.
Around Kushina's wrist was a bracelet, each bead the size of a fingernail, smooth and pearl-like, strung tightly together.
"Don't worry, Minato. We're all here. Nothing unexpected is going to happen." Tsunade, sensing the tension in Minato's posture beside her, gently patted his shoulder to reassure him.
With this lineup of shinobi present, even if the Nine-Tails were to break free of its seal, it would be swiftly subdued and re-sealed.
With Tsunade's presence alone, both Kushina and the child within her could be guaranteed absolute safety.
"Kushina-san, try to draw out the Nine-Tails' chakra little by little," Kagetsu stepped forward and suggested. "Start from one tail."
Kushina nodded. Her gaze briefly met Minato's from across the room before she closed her eyes.
Given the strained relationship between her and the Nine-Tails, there was no chance it would willingly lend her its power.
But Kushina, as a member of the Uzumaki Clan who had also received personal guidance from Mito Uzumaki, knew exactly how to handle it.
Not willing to lend its power?
Then just bind it up and forcefully extract it!
Although the other side wasn't cooperating and it took a toll on her, as long as she could forcefully suppress the Nine-Tails and use its power, she would still qualify as a successful jinchūriki. Updates are released by novel[f]ire.net
Of course, someone who could use the tailed beast's power without its consent was extremely rare—so far, Kushina was the only exception.
A thin layer of red chakra, like mist, slowly seeped out from within Kushina's body. She furrowed her brows slightly and opened her eyes again.
"How are you feeling?" Minato appeared beside her in an instant, looking at her with concern.
"I'm fine. The Nine-Tails is cursing me out like crazy inside," Kushina replied with a bright smile, gently patting her swollen belly.
After speaking, she looked ahead at Kagetsu and smiled cheerfully. "The Nine-Tails says it's going to eat you."
"Spirit Suppression Stone?" Kagetsu blinked. He didn't seem too bothered by whether the Nine-Tails came out or not.
Sure, its chakra alone could crush just about everyone in the ninja world, but if that day ever came, the worst-case scenario would just be beating it up and sealing it again.
After all, with the team gathered here, they could easily turn the Nine-Tails into a chubby fox.
"Yes, its chakra is being affected by the Spirit Suppression Stone," Kushina explained.
"The Nine-Tails is fighting me for control over the chakra, and it's messing with my ability to draw power. Normally, I'd be able to enter the first tail state by now, but right now I can only extract a thin stream of chakra."
As she spoke, Kushina reached out and grabbed some of the red, mist-like chakra floating around her.
The moment she put on the bracelet of Spirit Suppression Stone, the Nine-Tails inside her had sensed a threat—and completely lost its mind.
Aside from Minato, the one she communicated with the most was the Nine-Tails—though most of that "communication" consisted of shouting matches.
There was no helping it. Her own personality was fiery to begin with, and the Nine-Tails, with a thousand years of resentment and hatred built up, wasn't exactly easygoing either.
Once it became clear that their natures clashed and friendship was out of the question, their relationship turned downright explosive.
"Let's continue," Kagetsu said calmly. "Test the limit of this Spirit Suppression Stone."
Kushina nodded and once again began drawing upon the Nine-Tails' chakra.
One tail... two tails... three tails... four tails...
Finally, when she reached the fifth tail, Kushina stopped. Her entire body was cloaked in a red chakra shroud, pulsing with energy.
"It seems five tails is the current limit," she said, frowning at the Spirit Suppression Stone bracelet, which now showed faint cracks.
"If I push further, I think it could hold up long enough to maintain a six-tail state. That way, I could stay calm without having to exert extra effort to keep my consciousness intact and resist the influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra."
"Does that count as a success?" Minato asked instinctively, turning to look at Kagetsu and Orochimaru.
"The Spirit Suppression Stone was created specifically to neutralize a tailed beast's chakra and make it inert," Kagetsu nodded.
"But whether it's truly successful or not depends on Kushina-san and the current state of the Nine-Tails."
"How is it?" Kagetsu asked.
"A bit irritable... but not as energetic as usual," Kushina said, spreading her hands. Inside her mind, the furious Nine-Tails was clearly weakened, its roars less intense, as if it lacked its usual vitality.
Before, they had always clashed over control of the chakra, which made it difficult for her to use it effectively. But now, the Nine-Tails felt sluggish, almost sleepy.
Because of that, the interference she usually felt when extracting its chakra had decreased significantly.
At the very least, she had never been able to draw out such clean chakra from the Nine-Tails so easily, nor reach the five-tail state with this much stability before.
Kushina felt the Nine-Tails' chakra surging through her, overflowing with its wild and violent will—yet strangely, it didn't harm her body at all.
There was no sign that it would affect Naruto either, which was a relief.
The Spirit-Sealing Bead bracelet on her wrist worked like a filter, cleansing the impurities from the Nine-Tails' chakra—stripping away its will and malice—leaving behind only pure, powerful energy.
But the Nine-Tails' chakra was simply too massive.
Even at a level comparable to the Five-Tails, it was already pushing the limits of what the bracelet could suppress and purify.
If she tried to draw any more of the Nine-Tails' power, the bracelet would undoubtedly shatter.
And once the seal was broken, the Nine-Tails—no longer suppressed—would awaken in full fury, its spirit rampaging inside her mental world all over again.
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