"Hahaha, it's still the same, bullying the weak and fearing the strong."
The voice of the Nine Tails echoed in Kaede's mind, followed by a portion of its chakra reaching outward and instantly making contact with the body of the Seven Tails.
Its voice then entered the mind of the Seven Tails.
"Looks like you're out of luck today."
"Nine Tails?"
"Call me by name, you bastard!"
Kaede didn't concern himself with the long-overdue reunion between the Nine Tails and the Seven Tails. With a leap, he soared from the head of the True Thousand Hands statue and landed directly atop the Seven Tails.
The Seven Tails glanced up at Kaede, a trace of shock flashing in its eyes.
At such close proximity, it immediately sensed the distinct nature of Kaede's chakra. It was entirely different from that of Hashirama Senju, not only did it carry the aura of Otsutsuki Hamura, but also that of the Sage of Six Paths!
The power of the Six Paths!
"Don't move. I'm only taking a little."
Kaede pressed his hand against the Seven Tails' head and drew out less than a tenth of its chakra. Then he said, "I'm sure the fox already explained the situation. If you remain outside, there's a high chance those controlling the Gedo Statue will try to capture you."
The Seven Tails eyed Kaede warily and said in a low voice, "But how do I know your intentions are any different from theirs...?"
Kaede smiled faintly. "If I had the same intentions, there'd be no reason to stand here chatting with you. Do you really think you could resist my power?"
The Seven Tails fell silent.
That was the undeniable truth.
It couldn't even resist the power of Hashirama Senju, let alone Kaede, whose power was now approaching that of the Sage of Six Paths.
"Oh, by the way, the Three Tails is with us, too."
Kaede wasn't in the mood for lengthy conversations with a Tailed Beast. He waved toward Rin, and she quickly ran over, leaping onto the Seven Tails' head as well.
As soon as Rin came into contact with the Seven Tails, the chakra of the Three Tails inside her began to radiate out, touching the Seven Tails' outer shell. In an instant, their consciousnesses connected.
In a vast, white mental space, the figure of the Three Tails squeezed its way in.
Moments later,
The long-awaited reunion and conversation between the three Tailed Beasts came to an end.
The Seven Tails looked at Kaede again, the hostility in its eyes mostly gone. It said in a deep voice, "So, who are you planning to make my Jinchuriki? Don't tell me it's someone who treats me like some tool to be chained up…"
"Don't worry."
Kaede smiled calmly.
He had already confirmed that the chakra of the Seven Tails was compatible with Yuhi Kurenai's. There was no major conflict, and their affinity was quite high. Under such circumstances, a full sealing technique wasn't even required, they could establish a bond directly, though a sealing technique would still be needed to stabilize the fusion process.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Yuhi Kurenai landed beside them, looking up at the Seven Tails with a serious expression.
"My name is Yuhi Kurenai. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hmm… not bad. I'm Chomei."
The Seven Tails, sensing Kurenai's sincerity, how she didn't view it as a weapon to be bound, but rather as a future companion, began to slowly accept her.
Kaede turned to Kurenai.
She gave him a slight nod.
There was no doubt in her mind, she was more than willing to become the Jinchuriki of the Seven Tails. Her current strength was too weak, and she could do far too little. Besides, Rin was already the Jinchuriki of the Three Tails.
"Take your time getting to know each other."
Kaede gave a gentle smile. He extended his right hand, and countless black sealing characters wove together and wrapped around the Seven Tails, shrinking its massive body down and sealing it inside Kurenai.
Then, Kaede released the seal.
"How do you feel?"
Kaede looked at Kurenai.
Her body tensed slightly. She took a deep breath, feeling the enormous chakra of the Seven Tails stirring within her. But with Chomei's cooperation, it quickly settled down.
She wanted to say she had already adapted, but after a moment of thought, her body swayed slightly and she replied, "I'll need a little more time to adjust."
Kaede reached out to steady her, then gently picked her up in his arms. In a flash, he leapt down from the top of the True Thousand Hands to the ground below.
Kurenai gazed at Kaede, her eyes shimmering.
Kaede had a vague sense of what she might be feeling, but he simply smiled at her and said nothing. After checking the coordinates of Flying Thunder God in Konoha, he instantly teleported her back.
Then, Kaede flashed over to Rin's side, lightly touched her shoulder, and sent her back to Konoha as well. Finally, he used Flying Thunder God once more, and vanished.
After all three had disappeared,
Only then did the leader of Takigakure, Hisen, slowly regain his senses from the blankness in his mind. He looked up at the towering Wooden Buddha Statue blocking the gorge, and his throat bobbed.
He had personally witnessed what it meant to wield the power of a God of the Shinobi World!
Thinking of those in the village who still resisted Konoha's will and planned to recapture the Seven Tails to change their fate, Hisen made up his mind. Once he returned, he would begin a thorough purge.
Whoosh!
Hisen quickly departed.
And not long after everyone had left, a white shadow silently emerged from the ground, it was a White Zetsu.
"Too late again, huh."
White Zetsu looked around at the aftermath and muttered, "Looks like the Seven Tails has fallen into Konoha's hands too. The plan is probably completely ruined now."
It surveyed the area once more, then sank back underground and disappeared.
=============
Elsewhere,
In the depths of a secluded canyon,
This was the new base of the Akatsuki. Nagato and Black Zetsu were both hidden here, and by now, they had already received White Zetsu's report about the Seven Tails being captured by Kaede.
"This makes our plan even harder to pull off…"
Nagato said slowly.
Black Zetsu rasped, "It doesn't really matter. Either way, the Fifth Hokage is a force we can't avoid. If he gathers more Tailed Beasts together, it might actually make things easier. I'll keep searching for more 'power' with White Zetsu. You focus on mastering that jutsu, improving its precision as much as you can."
"I understand."
Nagato replied gravely.
Black Zetsu slipped silently underground and vanished.
Apart from Nagato, Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu, there were no other living people in this canyon. Technically speaking, the Akatsuki now consisted of just three members, but that was only temporary.
Nagato glanced to the side.
There stood one coffin after another, each containing a prepared corpse, all recently gathered by Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
He still couldn't use Rinne Rebirth, and even if he could, reviving so many people at once would be nearly impossible to control. So the "power" that Black Zetsu referred to wasn't Rinne Rebirth,
It was a different jutsu he had recently taught him.
A forbidden technique known as,
Edo Tensei!
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria