Chapter 44 Even more extreme and fanatical than Indra (Part 3...)
Yan Sheng's entire soul is built on the foundation of "absolute self" and "independence from external things." He believes in the supremacy of power, and even more so in that power must originate from within oneself.
He scoffed at any external factors that might influence his judgment, soften his will, or hinder his progress, regarding them as weaknesses that must be eradicated.
For this reason, he could even fall into the path of demons and abandon human ethics. He could even turn his sword against his own descendants, showing no mercy.
He was the eldest son, the heir, the one who had to shoulder responsibility, make decisions, and be relied upon by everyone. He never regretted any of his choices, regardless of the consequences. Since they chose to rely on him, they should be prepared for the day he would weigh their options and even abandon them.
He was already used to carrying everything on his shoulders and moving forward alone.
But now, someone is telling him: You don't need to take responsibility for anything, you don't have to be responsible for anyone else, you are only responsible for yourself. Tell me your goal, and I'll achieve it for you.
These words, like a red-hot branding iron, melted into the deepest part of his frozen heart. Then, a surge of burning shame welled up.
If he weren't incapable of doing so himself, and if he hadn't exhausted all means and still felt powerless, why would he place his hopes in the hands of others? Relying on external forces is a complete humiliation, a testament to one's own incompetence.
Ultimately, it's nothing more than being forced by harsh reality—
In the past, given his pride, he would rather burn out his last drop of blood and die on the path of seeking the truth than show any weakness to anyone, let alone accept "help" from others.
That would be worse than killing him.
However, that won't work now.
He cannot die.
He had things he needed to do that he hadn't finished. The "life" he was given, the heavy debt he owed, he hadn't yet repaid.
...For another person, he had to bow his head. For that person, he had to give up the self-respect he had upheld his entire life, a pride more important than his own life.
【Yoriichi】
This name, like the most vicious curse, is filled with endless resentment and complex, unspeakable emotions, churning and roaring in the darkest part of his heart.
It's always because of you.
If it weren't for repaying your "giving," why would I be in this situation? Why would I put myself in such a wretched state? Why would I reveal this powerlessness to others?
That deep-seated hatred and obsession, which had haunted him for countless years, almost broke through his cold exterior at this moment. He clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm, using the pain to forcefully suppress his emotions that were about to spiral out of control.
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Yan Sheng felt a familiar, sweet, metallic taste rise in his throat, and his chest burned with pain.
After a long, long time—so long that Ban almost thought he wouldn't speak again—he finally spoke with great difficulty in an extremely dry voice, as if each word was being squeezed out of his throat by grinding blood and flesh:
"I need...the 'peace' you seek to arrive sooner." This statement is abrupt and somewhat nonsensical.
After Yan Sheng finished speaking, he closed his eyes, as if he had exhausted all his strength. His face was even paler than before, his breathing became slightly rapid, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Ban was stunned.
Hashirama Senju was also stunned.
Izuna was completely bewildered and had no idea what had happened.
Is there any necessary connection between saving lives and peace?
Peace encompasses a wide range, from harmony among friends and family to the cessation of hostilities at the national and global levels. This is entirely different from them immediately finding and rescuing a specific individual.
The three of them had too many questions they wanted to know.
However, seeing Yan Sheng's expression, as if he might shatter at any moment and struggling to utter even a single word, all the questions got stuck in my throat.
They understood that continuing to press for answers at this point would likely not yield any results and would only push Yan Sheng to the brink of collapse.
The three exchanged a glance.
Ban said to Yan Sheng in a deep voice, "You should rest well and not think too much." His tone was unusually gentle.
Hashirama quickly added, "Yes, yes, little Yan Sheng, it's most important for you to get well first, we can take care of the rest later."
Izuna pushed the warmed medicine bowl toward his brother, gave him a complicated look, and ultimately said nothing.
The three of them left the room together and gently closed the door.
Stepping outside, the afternoon sun was rather glaring.
Hashirama Senju tilted his head back, squinting at the sun in the azure sky, seemingly processing the bizarre conversation he had just had. Suddenly, he turned to Madara Uchiha beside him, whose expression was grave, and said:
"Ban, your younger brother... is a very gentle person."
Madara and Izuna both looked at him.
Hashirama continued, explaining his understanding: "He probably considered that we are currently focusing all our efforts on building Konoha, and the cause of pursuing peace has only just begun. He didn't want his personal affairs to distract us or even disrupt our progress, right?" He scratched his head. "That's why he said we need 'peace' to come sooner. He probably felt that only after we have completed our primary goal of building the village and have a stronger power and a more solid foundation will we have the resources to help the person he wants to save."
Yan Sheng did not directly ask them to save the person, but instead put forward the concept of "the need for peace". In Hashirama's view, this was more like a thoughtful and far-sighted idea - the boy hoped that they could save that person in the meantime while they were fulfilling their own great ideals, and that the process itself could save more people.
What a gentle and selfless request.
Ban was silent for a moment, recalling Yan Sheng's stubborn personality since childhood, yet his refusal to harm the innocent, and the softness hidden beneath his cold exterior. He whispered, "Ah... Yan Sheng has always been a gentle person." It's just that his gentleness was always presented in the most awkward and imperceptible way.
Izuna frowned, her tone filled with heartache and dissatisfaction: "It's because he's too gentle and tries to shoulder everything on his own that he's easily deceived!"
His thoughts shifted in another direction: the person who made his younger brother go to such lengths must have a problem.
Izuna's mind raced as he tried to piece together the clues.
The younger brother spent most of his time in the clan's territory, having very limited contact with people. Aside from poetry, he practically ignored everyone else, displaying extreme indifference. So, when and where did he come into contact with someone he was willing to risk his life to save?
Undoubtedly, that person must have been incredibly important to him.
The only possibility is that it was one of the few times my younger brother went out.
...Just a few encounters and my brother turned into this? Were you really willing to pay such a huge price for him?
Izuna's pupils contracted slightly as a figure appeared in his mind: Tobirama Senju.
Yes! It must be a despicable person like Tobirama Senju, who is cunning, calculating, and adept at manipulating people, who deceived his brother.
I don't know what sweet words or tricks she used to deceive her inexperienced younger brother, making him indebted to her for supposedly saving his life. Now she's in some kind of trouble, which has driven her brother to such desperation.
The more Izuna thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and the angrier he became, almost grinding his teeth to powder.
Damn it! Don't let him find out who it was! Otherwise, he'll make that guy who deceived his brother pay a terrible price!
***
The atmosphere in the office was completely different from usual.
Hashirama Senju, unlike his usual listless and gloomy demeanor when facing documents, became energetic and wrote furiously at his desk, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.
His brows were furrowed, his expression focused, and he was reviewing documents at an astonishing speed. Occasionally, he would take out a new file to read, muttering to himself about the priorities for village development.
This unusually energetic demeanor caused Tobirama Senju, who was carrying a stack of new documents, to stop in his tracks in surprise. He looked at his older brother suspiciously, almost wondering if someone had used a transformation jutsu to impersonate him.
He walked to the desk, put down the documents, but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stroked his chin, walked half a circle around Hashirama, and suddenly asked, "Brother, what serious matter has happened?"
The only reasonable explanation Tobirama could think of for his "lazy" older brother to suddenly become so diligent was that the sky had fallen.
Busy as he was, Hashirama Senju didn't even look up, his pen still moving. He casually replied, "What's the big deal? Nothing serious has happened."
"You didn't cause any trouble?" Tobirama became even more suspicious. Usually, his older brother would only show this unusual diligence briefly when he had caused trouble and needed to make amends urgently, or when he felt particularly guilty.
"Hey, Tobirama, stop joking." Hashirama finally looked up from his documents and complained, "Look how busy I am, how can I have time to cause trouble? There's simply not enough time!"
Looking at the genuine enthusiasm in his eyes, Tobirama reluctantly accepted the explanation, but still found it unbelievable: "Really? That's truly incredible." Then, remembering something else, he casually asked, "By the way, didn't Madara Uchiha come back a couple of days ago? Didn't you say he went out to capture the Tailed Beasts? What happened?"
Upon hearing this, Hashirama immediately perked up and nodded vigorously: "That's right! We're back! We've captured the Tailed Beasts too! All nine of them!" His tone was filled with pride, as if he had captured them himself.
Tobirama's eyes flashed, and he immediately grasped the key point: "Oh? You've captured them all? What about the tailed beasts? What are you going to do with them?" This was a major matter concerning the village's strategic strength, far more important than these trivial administrative documents.
Hashirama was taken aback by the question, and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Uh... well... we haven't discussed it in detail yet. There's been too much going on lately..." His voice gradually faded under Tobirama's increasingly cold gaze.
Tobirama was practically laughing in exasperation. He pointed to the documents on the table and the ones he had just brought in: "I've already dealt with most of the particularly urgent and difficult administrative matters. Of the remaining ones, which is more important, the solution for dealing with the tailed beasts? Brother, can you even distinguish between what's important and what's urgent?"
He crossed his arms and said, "Now, immediately, go find Madara Uchiha. Tell him there are important matters concerning the placement and utilization of the Tailed Beasts that need urgent discussion. Tell him to come over right away."
“Indeed, the tailed beasts are more important.” Hashirama suddenly realized, and stood up abruptly, causing his chair to slide backward a short distance.
He was always quick and decisive, and upon hearing Tobirama's words, he didn't even think twice before rushing towards the nearest window, seemingly intending to jump out and take a shortcut to find Madara.
"Come back!" Veins bulged on Tobirama's forehead as he roared like thunder, "What kind of behavior is this! Walk out through the main gate with your head held high!"
Hashirama jumped in surprise at the shout, awkwardly withdrawing his hand from the windowsill. He scratched his cheek sheepishly and muttered under his breath, "Ugh, Tobirama's such a nagging old man..."
"What did you say?" Tobirama's voice turned icy cold, and a forced smile appeared on his face. "I'll say it again, for the next month—no, for the next week—don't even think about giving me a single bit of work. Handle it yourself."
"Ahhhh, I was wrong! Tobirama! I was wrong!" Hashirama Senju immediately cowered, clasping his hands together above his head and begging for forgiveness. "I'll go through the front door right now! I'll go right away! I promise to complete the mission!" After saying that, he immediately turned around and walked out of the office through the front door in the most standard and proper manner.
Watching his brother's hasty retreat, Tobirama Senju sighed helplessly and pressed his temples, which were throbbing with anger.
***
Meeting room in the office building of Konoha Village.
On either side of the roughly polished long table sat the top decision-makers of the Senju and Uchiha clans, respectively.
—Hashirama Senju sat in the main seat, and it was clear that he was trying hard to project an air of authority, but there was always a hint of habitual gentleness in his expression.
His younger brother, Tobirama Senju, sat to his right, upright with a cold expression, flipping through a few reports about the tailed beasts in front of him, his scarlet eyes flashing with rational calculation.
Across from him, Madara Uchiha stood with his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the discussions before him, yet also as if he had everything under control.
His younger brother, Uchiha Izuna, sat beside him, his back straight, his eyes sharp as an eagle, openly scanning the Senju brothers across from him, especially when he looked at Senju Tobirama, the disgust in his eyes was almost tangible.
Senju Tobirama sensed the extremely hostile gaze, raised his head, and coldly returned it. Their eyes clashed briefly in the air, crackling loudly, almost exuding an invisible tension.
Izuna glared at Tobirama one last time, his eyes conveying the message perfectly clear: What are you looking at, you white-haired bastard!
Tobirama remained unmoved. It was nothing new that Izuna Uchiha disliked him; he felt the same way. This level of glare was within his expectations. He only found it slightly unusual—
Since the two clans formed an alliance, and especially after jointly handling village affairs for a period of time, Izuna, for the sake of the bigger picture, or rather, to avoid losing face in front of his brother, had recently managed to treat him as if he were invisible, completely ignoring him. Although he still didn't give him a friendly look, at least he wouldn't resort to verbal sarcasm or even draw his sword against him as he used to.
Why have I reverted to that aggressive state I used to be in? Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on.
A flicker of doubt crossed Tobirama's mind, but it was quickly overshadowed by his preconceived prejudice.
Ha, isn't that what the Uchiha clan is like? Emotional, neurotic, with an abnormal way of thinking, they explode at the slightest provocation and are completely unreasonable.
Perhaps it's just that I feel particularly uncomfortable with myself today.
He stopped investigating, putting this trivial incident behind him, and refocused his attention on the serious matter of the tailed beasts.
"Ahem." Hashirama Senju cleared his throat, trying to break the awkward atmosphere and bring everyone's attention back. "The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss the disposal of the nine tailed beasts that Madara brought back. This is a crucial force related to the village's future defense and deterrence, and it requires our joint efforts..."
Before he could finish speaking, Izuna coldly interrupted him: "The Tailed Beasts were captured by my brother alone, so they rightfully belong to the Uchiha. Out of consideration for our alliance, we'll give you Senju a maximum of two."
Upon hearing this, Tobirama Senju scoffed, put down the report in his hand, and looked sharply at Izuna with his crimson eyes. His tone was equally cold and uncompromising: "It's as if my brother doesn't have the ability to capture a Tailed Beast on his own. If he weren't so busy with village affairs, would you have been able to seize the initiative? Tailed Beasts are strategic resources, concerning the safety of the entire Hidden Leaf Village. How can they be monopolized by one clan? They must all be handed over to the village for unified management and distribution."
Izuna's temper flared up instantly, especially the phrase "handed over to the village for unified management," which he interpreted as the Senju clan wanting to use this to control the power of the tailed beasts.
He slammed his fist on the table, glaring at Tobirama: "Second Brother Senju! What's wrong with you? There's a limit to daydreaming! Hand it all over? By what right?!"
Tobirama remained unfazed, his tone calm yet barbed: "Because Konoha isn't the village of the Uchiha clan. Because if the power of the Tailed Beasts cannot be effectively controlled and used in a unified manner, it will be a huge threat to the village itself. Or are you saying that the Uchiha intend to use the beasts to strengthen themselves?"
"You!" Izuna's Sharingan activated in anger. "Stop spouting nonsense! It's you Senju who, under the guise of the village, want to seize the spoils of war. What a cunning scheme!"
"It's not an act of annexation, but a reasonable plan. It seems the Uchiha clan's vision is still limited to the selfish interests of their own clan, and they can't understand what the big picture is."
"Ha, what a grand scheme! Is this the grand scheme you Senju define?"
The two exchanged rapid, sharp words, their tone sarcastic and their hostility undisguised. Although they didn't use profanity, their confrontational and unyielding stance made the temperature in the meeting room drop several degrees.
Hashirama Senju was at his wits' end looking at this familiar scene of arguing.
He turned his head helplessly to look at Uchiha Madara, who was still calmly resting with his eyes closed, and conveyed a plea for help with his eyes: Madara, please do something about Izuna...
However, Madara Uchiha didn't even open his eyes. He only moved his fingers, which were crossed over his arms, very slightly to indicate that he had heard him, as if to say, "Let them argue, we'll talk when they've had enough."
Seeing this, Hashirama sighed.
Sigh! Can't Izuna and Tobirama be like him and Madara? It's so frustrating.
"If the Uchiha couldn't trust the village's management, why did they agree to the alliance in the first place?" Tobirama Senju's voice was icy as he tapped his fingertips on the table. "Or is this so-called alliance just a stepping stone for you to seize profits?"
"Trust?" Uchiha Izuna laughed in anger, his Sharingan swirling slightly. "Trust means letting the Senju control the Tailed Beasts, so that if they ever get tired of us, they can use the power of the Tailed Beasts to deal with us?"
"Hmph, judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person."
"Who is the villain knows it in their own heart."
Hashirama Senju watched the two arguing more and more fiercely, feeling his head buzzing. He had no choice but to speak up, forcibly interrupting their conversation: "Alright, alright! Calm down! We're discussing this, not arguing."
His voice was loud and clear, drowning out the two people's argument.
Izuna and Tobirama calmed down for the time being, but they still glared at each other, neither willing to back down an inch.
Hashirama sighed and rubbed his temples: "Madara worked hard to capture the Tailed Beasts, that's beyond question. The Uchiha have the right to dispose of them first, which I think is reasonable." He first acknowledged Madara's contribution and then reassured the Uchiha.
As expected, Izuna's tense expression eased slightly.
But Hashirama changed the subject, looking at Madara with a more sincere tone: "However, Madara, the power of the Tailed Beasts is indeed too immense. All nine Tailed Beasts are controlled by one clan... This could cause problems for both the village's internal balance and its external deterrence and credibility. I believe your initial intention in capturing the Tailed Beasts was for the sake of Konoha, not to strengthen the Uchiha clan's unique power, right?"
He elevated the issue to the perspective of the village's overall interests, while giving Ban full trust and respect.
Madara Uchiha, who had been resting with his eyes closed, finally opened them. His deep black eyes swept over everyone present, finally settling on Hashirama's face. He didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment, as if weighing his options.
Seeing this, Izuna's eyelids twitched, and he looked anxiously at his brother, afraid that he would give in.
Madara finally spoke, his voice low and deep: "The Tailed Beasts were captured by me. How to deal with them is naturally up to me."
His words reassured Izuna, but made Tobirama frown even more.
Madara: "Give them all away? Absolutely not. Konoha's defenses need them, and I'm the one who knows best how to control them."
Hashirama nodded quickly: "I agree with that! But..." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Nine are far too many. Could we... allocate a portion of them, and have the village establish a special department to manage and study them? Of course, this department would be jointly led by both of us to ensure fairness."
This is the compromise that Hashirama could think of.
Although Tobirama was still dissatisfied with the plan, believing that the tailed beasts should be completely controlled by the village, he also knew that this was the best outcome he could get from the Uchiha clan, who were not giving in, so he remained silent and did not immediately object.
Ban tapped his fingertips twice on the table, seemingly considering the suggestion.
Izuna couldn't help but whisper, "Brother..."
Madara raised his hand, stopping Izuna from speaking. He looked at Hashirama and stated his conditions: "Fine. But I have a few conditions."
"First, the tailed beasts handed over to the village must sign a strict summoning contract, and the scroll controlling the core contract must be kept by me or someone I designate."
"Secondly, the department that studies the power of the Tailed Beasts must be jointly headed by the Uchiha and Senju clans. Any major decisions regarding the Tailed Beasts must be agreed upon by both of us."
"Third, the Uchiha retain complete control over at least three tailed beasts."
Before Hashirama could speak, Tobirama couldn't help but say coldly, "What's the difference between this and having it under your control? The so-called handing it over to the village is just a formality!"
Madara gave him a cold glance: "These are my conditions. Accept them, or you can try to find the Tailed Beasts to manage yourselves." The threat in his words was self-evident.
The meeting room fell into another deadlock.
Hashirama looked at Madara's uncompromising gaze, then at Tobirama's disgruntled expression and Izuna's furious face, and felt an immense headache coming on.
Finally, he sighed deeply and made up his mind: "Alright... Madara, we'll do it your way. We can discuss the specific details later."
"Brother!" Tobirama looked at Hashirama in disbelief.
Hashirama shook his head at him, signaling him to stop arguing. Maintaining the alliance's stability was more important than vying for complete control of the Tailed Beasts. Besides, he understood Madara's strength and personality; pushing him too hard would only backfire.
Madara was not surprised by Hashirama's compromise, and simply nodded: "Okay."
After the meeting, Madara and Izuna headed towards the Uchiha clan's territory.
—Although the village was largely completed and most of the invited ninja clans had moved in, the Senju and Uchiha, as the two founding clans, still temporarily resided in their original clan territories.
The two remained silent the entire way, each lost in their own thoughts.
Madara was weighing the agreement he had just reached with Senju, considering the details and checks and balances to follow; Izuna, on the other hand, was still indignant that his brother had been forced to give up some of the tailed beasts, and at the same time, his vigilance towards Tobirama Senju had risen to a new level.
Now, they are preparing to go find Yan Sheng.
—The distribution plan for the tailed beasts has been initially determined, and the Uchiha clan will retain complete control over three of them.
Now, Ban has made contracts with five, and Yan Sheng has made contracts with four.
In other words, three of the nine tailed beasts must be chosen to remain, while the remaining six must be handed over. Madara himself had no particular preference regarding which three to keep, believing that his power was sufficient to control any tailed beast. Therefore, he decided to leave this choice to Mikihara.
Upon entering the courtyard where Yan Sheng lived, the first thing that caught the eye was a poem being practiced diligently.
The little girl held a wooden sword that was clearly custom-made for her. She swung and parried with measured steps. Although her movements were still immature, they already showed a certain fierceness, clearly indicating that she had received Yan Sheng's true teachings.
Her face was flushed from exercise, beads of sweat hung on her forehead, and she looked focused.
Hearing footsteps, Shi stopped what she was doing and turned to look. Seeing that it was Madara and Izuna, she quickly sheathed her wooden sword, stood up respectfully, and greeted them softly, "Madara-nii, Izuna-nii." She was somewhat afraid of Madara, but a little closer to Izuna.
Ban nodded slightly in response.
Izuna smiled. "Shi is practicing. Is Michikatsu inside?"
"Yes, I am." Shi nodded.
"Okay, you can continue practicing, don't worry about us." Izuna waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to be reserved.
Shi blinked and obediently responded, but did not immediately continue practicing. Instead, she watched as Madara and Izuna walked towards Mikoto's room, a hint of worry on her face.
inside the house.
Yan Shengzheng stood in the center of the room, eyes closed and focused. Around him, a faint blue-green, bone-like energy flowed and condensed, attempting to form a larger shape—the ultimate power of the Uchiha clan: Susanoo.
After witnessing Madara's towering, god-like, and complete Susanoo, Yan Shengcai suddenly realized that the bone hand he had accidentally formed in his childhood was actually an incomplete form of this power.
Later, from Madara, he learned that Susanoo is a supreme power residing within the eye power that can only be unlocked by activating the Mangekyou Sharingan. This puzzled him, since he hadn't even activated his Sharingan when he was young, so how could he control Susanoo? Even if it was only a part of his body.
However, despite his doubts, the facts were as they were, and Yan Sheng was too lazy to investigate further.
That said, during the previous capture of the Tailed Beasts, Yan Sheng did attempt to further stimulate this power under Madara's guidance. But the result was strange: he couldn't condense a complete Susanoo like Madara. He could only control part of the torso.
The problem seems to lie in the supply of "energy"—every time he tries to condense a complete Susanoo, the process is like charging a bottomless container. His power flows into it, but he always runs out of power around a certain critical point and cannot fill the container, which causes the complete Susanoo to never appear.
Yan Sheng suspected that this might be because there was a huge difference in his chakra reserves compared to Madara's. Even with breathing techniques that pushed his body's potential to the limit, it couldn't make up for it.
As he pondered, he suddenly sensed familiar footsteps outside the door. He immediately focused his mind and dispersed his chakra. Then, he looked up and saw Madara and Izuna walking in one after the other.
"Ban-ge, Izuna-ge." Yan Sheng's voice was as calm as ever, devoid of emotion, his gaze fixed on the two of them with a hint of inquiry.
Madara stated his purpose directly: "Regarding the distribution of the Tailed Beasts, a preliminary agreement has been reached with the Senju. The Uchiha will retain complete control over three of them."
He was concise and did not mention the disputes and compromises at the meeting.
“I have contracted five, and you have four. Now we need to choose three to keep.” Ban looked at Yan Sheng, his tone calm. “What are your preferences? You should be more familiar with the habits and abilities of the four you contracted.”
Yan Sheng remained silent for a moment.
He has no particular fondness for the tailed beasts themselves; to him, they are purely tools to achieve his goals. However, if he had to choose one, he would still have to consider it.
Yan Sheng quickly weighed the characteristics of the four tailed beasts in his possession.
The One-Tail excels in defense and has a noisy personality, but fortunately, it's clumsy and easy to control. The Two-Tail excels in fire manipulation, has a gentle and polite personality, but is highly vigilant; however, it's also sensible. The Five-Tail possesses both speed and strength, and its Boil Release technique has strong impact, making it useful. The Seven-Tail has unique flight and stealth abilities, which can be surprisingly effective in certain situations...
“Five tails, seven tails.” Yan Sheng made his decision quickly, his voice flat, “and… one tail.” He chose one tail not because it was particularly useful, but because it was the easiest to extract information from.
The reason for abandoning the Two-Tails is simple: its abilities are relatively mediocre, and it doesn't excel in any other areas.
Dian nodded, having no objection to Yan Sheng's choice.
Next, we will break the contract with the Two-Tails.
Yan Sheng expressionlessly took out the two tails from his sleeve, which had been beaten down to the size of a palm, just like the original tail.
The two-tailed beast coiled up, its eerie blue flames dim and lifeless. Yan Sheng's deep red Sharingan appeared in his eyes, his cold gaze briefly meeting Matatabi's, and with an invisible fluctuation of ocular power, the master-servant contract was cleanly severed.
Madara took the listless "kitten" that was temporarily free from its restraints, said nothing more, told Yan Sheng to rest well and to tell him what he wanted, and then left with Izuna.
The door closed, and the room returned to silence.
Just as Yan Sheng was about to refocus his attention and continue his investigation of Susanoo, a slight rustling came from the pockets and sleeves of his robe. Then, three small heads peeked out one after another.
Shukaku, clutching the edge of the pocket, clicked its tongue and said, "You handed over Matatabi?"
Five-tailed Fox peeked out from the other side, its snow-white horn swaying slightly, its voice tinged with worry: "What... will happen to them?"
Seven-tailed Fox fluttered its transparent wings and landed on Yan Sheng's shoulder, its compound eyes flashing with confusion and wariness: "What exactly do you want by going to such lengths to capture us?"
"For peace."
When Yan Sheng uttered his earth-shattering words, "For peace," the room fell into a deathly silence.
The little creature clinging to the edge of the pocket tilted its head slightly, its face, made of sand, revealing a blank, anthropomorphic expression: "...Huh?" It scratched its ears with its tiny paws, wondering if its hearing had deteriorated because it had shrunk.
The elegant, long neck of the five-tailed fox lying on the other side also froze. Its clear eyes were filled with deep confusion. It tilted its head and repeated the word: "Peace...?" Its tone was full of disbelief, as if it had heard the most absurd and impossible combination in the world.
The seven-tailed beast perched on Yan Sheng's shoulder, its transparent wings forgetting to flap, almost slipped off. It clung tightly to the fabric, its compound eyes flashing wildly: "Wait, wait! What did you say it was for? Peace? Capturing us tailed beasts... what does that have to do with peace? Aren't we weapons of war, synonyms for natural disasters?" Its voice became somewhat shrill with agitation.
Throughout its long history, humans have captured them only to use their destructive power to conquer and destroy. They have never heard of such a "noble" and absurd reason.
Although none of these people succeeded.
The three tailed beasts, in their three forms, all wore expressions of bewilderment and incomprehension, their eyes fixed on Yan Sheng as if trying to find even the slightest trace of a joke on his cold face.
However, no.
Yan Sheng's expression remained calm as always, even... a kind of matter-of-fact indifference.
One-Tailed Fox was the first to recover from its petrification. It slapped the edge of the pocket with its short legs, causing sand to fall from its body in anger: "Peace?! Who are you trying to fool! Indra reincarnation... cough, I mean, it's one thing for Madara Uchiha to capture us, but that purer 'pursuit of power' and 'recklessness' about you can be smelled from a mile away! You say you captured us for peace? You're kidding me!"
It had personally witnessed Yan Sheng's cold, stubborn, and crazed demeanor during battle, which was not the state one would expect from someone who pursues peace.
The Five-Tails snorted softly, exhaling a little warm steam. Its voice remained gentle, yet carried a hint of doubt: "Young man, your actions do not align with your stated goals."
Nanao Shigeaki buzzed up and flew around Yan Sheng's head once, his tone full of surprise and incomprehension: "Exactly! And you handed over Matatabi, also for the sake of peace? Is your so-called peace just about distributing us around like objects?"
Faced with a barrage of questions from the three tailed beasts, Yan Sheng's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He was not good at explaining, nor did he bother to explain his intentions and logic to these "tools."
Just when the three tailed beasts thought that Yan Sheng would be speechless or furious after being exposed, Yan Sheng spoke:
"Only absolute force can extinguish the source of all conflict. Holding the power to destroy everything in one's hands, standing atop the clouds, no one below will dare to easily ignite war. This is peace."
His gaze swept over the three tailed beasts, who were stunned after hearing his words, and finally fell on the distant horizon outside the window.
"As for the distribution," he paused, his tone flat, "the weak relying on the strong is the law of the world. Konoha needs power to stabilize itself, and the Uchiha also needs power to protect themselves. Putting some power in the open to achieve temporary balance and order, and reducing unnecessary internal strife, is also a necessary means to achieve peace."
After hearing this, the three tailed beasts fell completely silent.
This isn't right, is it? This really isn't right, is it? This is completely the mindset of a dictator and a tyrant!
He was even more extreme and fanatical than Indra.
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Author's Note: One-Tailed, Five-Tailed, and Seven-Tailed: Something's not right with you, kid.
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