Watching Yuki Seisui's confident expression, Uchiha Haru finally relaxed a little. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wooden box, handing it to him.
"This is for you."
"What's this?" Seisui asked, opening the box as he spoke.
"These are glasses I bought for you," Haru explained.
"They're supposed to automatically adjust to your prescription."
"Really?" Seisui raised an eyebrow, half skeptical.
The technology in the ninja world was already… a little off-kilter, but this? Glasses that adjust their own prescription? That was absurd.
Still, he put them on.
The glasses were rimless, minimalist in design, but the moment he wore them, he immediately felt the difference.
If his previous vision was like seeing the world in ultra-high-definition blue light, then his impaired vision had turned it into a pixelated mess. But now, with these glasses, it was standard definition.
It felt a little strange at first, like his eyes needed to adapt, but compared to before, it was a huge improvement. At the very least, it didn't interfere with normal life.
"How is it?" Haru asked, her eyes full of anticipation.
Seisui smiled. "It's great. I really like it."
"That's good," Haru said, seeming relieved.
Seisui didn't say thank you; they didn't need such formalities between them.
"If you're fine, I'll head back now."
"Leaving already?" Seisui asked, surprised.
"Mm." Haru nodded. "I came to deliver your glasses, and…" She sighed lightly, "also… those people care about you. They insisted I check on you."
She was referring to the hundred Leaf Village ninjas led by Seisui.
Under Minato and Haru's guidance, none of them had died, and they had successfully wiped out the Sand's vanguard unit. The worst injury had been a lower-ranked ninja losing an arm, ending his career.
But perhaps that wasn't entirely bad.
The battlefield was a massive meat grinder; anyone could die at any moment. Losing a hand now and living as a civilian in Konoha was far safer than dying on the battlefield.
Haru was about to leave, but suddenly remembered something.
"The ninja you saved from Jashin Cult…"
"What about him?" Seisui asked curiously. "Is there a problem?"
Haru shook her head. "He's a jonin. Without him, a few of us would have probably died this time."
"Oh, that," Seisui said, nodding. "I already knew."
With his Shingan, he had investigated everyone he had saved thoroughly.
If Asami Kumo didn't have jonin-level skills, he couldn't have survived alone in the ninja world. Not that survival was impossible for an ordinary person—but a lone ninja living off black-market missions would die quickly if he were too weak.
Haru didn't react further to his words; she simply left, taking Hanah along with her.
Alone again, Seisui lay back in his rocking chair and entered the Red Space where the Nine-Tails was sealed.
"Old Nine-Tails, you're so weak! Got beaten by me again, didn't you!"
"Shut up!"
"I told you, I told you!"
"You're one with me. If you say I'm weak, you're calling yourself weak too!"
"We're not the same!"
"Seisui told me!"
"Our essence is the same, but everything else is different!"
Little Nine stood atop the Nine-Tails' head, hands on hips, nine tails swaying proudly behind him.
Seisui just smiled at him. The newborn tailed beast was still adorable. How could it ever become the Nine-Tails we knew?
Little Nine jumped down from the Nine-Tails' head and leapt into Seisui's arms.
"I beat Old Nine again today!" he boasted, tilting his head up for praise, making Seisui smile again.
"You're amazing, Little Nine."
"That old Nine-Tails can't compare to you at all!"
Hehe~ Little Nine's tail wagged high as he grinned.
"You despicable human, I am Kurama!"
"Not Old Nine!"
"Really?" Seisui held Little Nine up, then tilted his head to look at Kurama. "But you're over a thousand years older than Little Nine and me—if that doesn't make you Old Nine, what does?"
"I… despicable human!" Kurama had no comeback and turned his head, dangling in midair, refusing to look at Seisui.
Seisui laughed at Kurama's antics.
"Though I can't release you yet, this will make things much easier."
He began extending the chains of the Adamantine Sealing, loosening the bonds on Kurama.
At first, Kurama suspected a trick and ignored him. But feeling the chains loosen, hope stirred in him.
Ever since that damn Hashirama captured him, he hadn't known freedom.
Being sealed in a scroll was tolerable at first—he could sleep, and time passed. But later, when evil Uzumaki Mito trapped him inside her body, the days dragged on endlessly.
He was awake every moment but couldn't move. Decades of being restrained had frustrated him to no end.
Feeling Kurama's slight trembling, Seisui smiled.
Patience is key—one slap, one sweet date.
This was his dueling space, a physical manifestation of his battle mode. Thanks to Kurama, he could enter it via the tailed beast's sealed consciousness.
His body remained outside. He had nothing to fear from Kurama.
And if he wanted to use Nine-Tails chakra, he could simply use Little Nine's.
Much better than Kurama.
Though the ceiling wasn't as high as Kurama's, Little Nine's chakra allowed him to use the Nine-Tails Golden Body Mode reserved for a perfect jinchuriki.
This was the foundation of his Nine-Tails Golden Body Mode. Normally, it was already sufficient.
Even if the limit wasn't as high, tailed beasts produced chakra endlessly, meaning Little Nine could constantly augment him.
And if that weren't enough, he could always extract Kurama's chakra.
Kurama's contribution was no longer critical.
But still, who could resist riding on the Nine-Tails' head, enjoying its power firsthand?
Little Nine could provide augmentation, and by the time he grew up, Seisui would be unstoppable. That would take some time.
As the Adamantine Sealing chains continued to loosen, Kurama slipped free.
Standing in the Red Space, he finally felt the solid ground beneath his feet after decades.
"Hahaha! I'm finally out!" Kurama roared in madness.
Decades of restraint—only those who experienced it could understand!
Seisui folded his arms, watching Kurama's rampage with a sigh.
A potentially limitless energy source, wasted by the ignorance of the ninja world.
Countless civilizations would kill for such power, yet here, the ninja world had nine—and still didn't cherish it.
As a cultivator of agriculture and progress, Seisui's mindset was deeply ROOTed in development.
Though he wanted to ride Kurama, development was just as important.
This was one reason he intended to tame Kurama. With Kurama, energy would no longer be an issue—clean, safe, and inexhaustible.
Where else could one find such a treasure?
Kurama laughed wildly on the ground, then glared at Seisui with fierce eyes.
"You despicable human brat, I will—"
Before he could finish, Little Nine leapt from Seisui's arms, standing on hind legs, front limbs spread, blocking him.
"Old Nine, don't touch Seisui!"
"Hahaha! You think you can stop me?" Kurama scoffed, swiping a paw at Seisui.
Seisui remained calm, arms crossed, eyes unblinking.
He had faced death many times in this dueling space. While not often, he had already overcome the fear of dying. Moreover, as a spiritual projection, he hadn't truly "died" in this space yet.
As he pondered how he would interrogate Kurama after being smacked, Kurama's paw stopped just above his hair, making no further move.
Seeing Seisui unbothered, Kurama sneered.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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