Chapter 49: Nine-Tails, Just Give In to Me
With a flicker of movement, Stelle slipped through the barrier of the seal. The moment she materialized within the vast, shadowed space, the Nine-Tails roared, its colossal claw arcing through the air to obliterate her.
With another near-imperceptible whoosh, Stelle was already back outside the seal.
The perks of being a speed-type ninja were obvious; the Nine-Tails couldn't even graze the hem of her clothes. She was, after all, the architect of this very seal, and slipping in and out was as simple as breathing for her. The monstrous claws slammed into the invisible barrier, the impact sending ripples across its surface. Though the Nine-Tails could see Stelle standing just a few feet away, it was stopped dead, unable to advance another inch.
A fresh wave of fury washed over the great beast. It threw its head back and unleashed a torrent of roars, and in response, Stelle's system chimed with a delightful surge of emotional points.
'Was farming points really this simple?' she wondered, a giddy thrill running through her. A wicked grin spread across her face as she immediately shifted into full farming mode.
Whoosh—she jumped back into the seal.
She waited just long enough for the Nine-Tails to gather its momentum for another attack, then—whoosh—she leaped back out.
Back and forth she went, a phantom dancing on the edge of the beast's rage. Every so often, she would pause to slap a few new sealing tags onto the barrier, reinforcing it with a theatrical flourish.
"Nine-Tails, hit me! Come on, try and hit me!" she taunted, her voice echoing with unconcealed glee.
"I'm in, now I'm out! In again... and out again... Hit me if you can!"
This relentless, infuriating game provoked the Nine-Tails to the point of questioning its own formidable existence.
"Senju Stelle, you damned human!" it bellowed, its voice a cataclysm of hatred. "You just wait! If I ever get the chance, I will kill you! I will blast you into smithereens!"
Stelle simply stuck her tongue out at it, gleefully harvesting another bountiful wave of emotional points.
From a safe distance, Senju Tobirama watched the girl and the fox, his expression a mask of perfect neutrality. According to the latest reports from the Anbu, the Land of Lightning had recently gone to great lengths to capture the Eight-Tails. Their methods had been crude; due to poor control over the sealing process, the first Jinchuriki candidate had died the moment the ritual began. They had eventually succeeded in sealing the Eight-Tails into a second host, and while the individual's identity remained a mystery, there were confirmed signs of a violent rampage during the procedure.
So why was it, Tobirama mused, that when a Tailed Beast arrived in Konoha and encountered his student, the entire dynamic shifted so drastically? This didn't look like the Nine-Tails, the strongest of all Tailed Beasts. It looked more like a very large, very angry dog being mercilessly teased by a child.
Perhaps, as Stelle herself had claimed, she truly was suited to be a Jinchuriki.
The thought surfaced, only to be immediately and forcefully discarded. The moment he considered it, his deeper suspicions about her true nature rose to the forefront, and he dismissed the idea entirely.
For now, he simply instructed the Uzumaki Clan to maintain their vigilant watch over the Nine-Tails' prison. The matter of its permanent sealing could be revisited after the Five Kage Summit concluded.
This arrangement suited Stelle perfectly. She began to neglect her other duties, making a daily pilgrimage to the Nine-Tails' sealing site whether she had official business there or not. Whenever the mood struck, she would pop in to provoke it.
Her primary goal was simple: make the Nine-Tails unhappy so that she could be happy. The great fox was so enraged it was practically bouncing off the walls of its spiritual cage.
A few days later, however, Stelle found that her farm had run dry.
The Nine-Tails was clever. It had finally realized she was intentionally trying to enrage it, and so it began to actively control its temper. Now, when Stelle came to taunt it, the beast would simply lie there, a mountain of silent fur, its eyes closed as if it had ascended to a plane of complete indifference.
This was a normal development, she mused. It reminded her of when she first started beating up Danzō; in the beginning, he was so furious he would fight her to the bitter end. Later, when he realized he could never win, he simply gave up and let it happen.
It seemed there were no shortcuts when it came to earning emotional points.
Feeling a pang of what could almost be described as guilt, she generously bought a massive assortment of delicacies from every corner of Konoha and brought them to the Nine-Tails. It was a gift, a token of appreciation for services rendered. Having farmed so much from it, she felt she ought to properly thank her biggest contributor.
"Consider this an apology for teasing you these past few days," she announced, laying out the spread of food. "Since we're going to be neighbors anyway, take this as a welcoming gift."
The Nine-Tails responded by sweeping its massive tail through the air, scattering the dango, grilled fish, and roasted meats across the chamber floor. It refused to even look at her.
"Look, right now, all the other great nations are capturing Tailed Beasts and sealing them into people's bellies," Stelle began, earnestly explaining the pros and cons of its situation. "Even if I let you go, you'd just be targeted by some other village. You might as well just settle down here in Konoha."
She adopted the tone of a persuasive saleswoman. "At the very least, our Konoha sealing techniques are top-notch. We can give you a nice, private room to play in. Just you wait—once I research an even better sealing technique, I'll expand this space and turn it into a luxury suite. How about it?"
The Nine-Tails simply curled its nine massive tails and used them to plug its ears. Although this damnable human currently bore no obvious ill will, it had not forgotten that she was the one who had captured it in the first place.
Its mindset was impressive—completely unshakeable, a fortress against her provocations.
Stelle refused to believe it was a lost cause. She decided then and there that she would keep at it until she finally broke its composure. True emotional detachment was impossible; she herself was living proof of that.
Sooner or later, whether human or Tailed Beast, everyone was going to lose their cool around her.
That day, just as Stelle arrived at the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi intercepted her, holding out a formal document.
"There's a matter here," he said, his tone serious. "The party involved has specifically requested to discuss it with you."
"Which clan is so desperate that they want to talk to me?" Stelle quipped, taking the scroll. "Aren't they afraid I'll take them for every last ryo, right down to their underwear money?" She unrolled it and began to read.
Hiruzen explained, "It's a noble family from the Land of Fire, the Endō clan. They wish to donate their family assets and relocate to Konoha, and they are hoping for preferential treatment from you."
As Konoha had flourished after breaking free from the direct control of the feudal lords and the Daimyō, the nobles living in its vicinity were the ones who had naturally suffered. After Uchiha Madara conducted his grand, intimidating sweep of the Land of Fire, the remaining noble houses were all living in a state of perpetual fear. Some of the more open-minded—or simply terrified—minor lords had already donated their assets and moved into Konoha to ensure their families' safety. Others, feeling such a contribution wasn't enough to prove their loyalty, were practically willing to turn themselves into fertilizer for Konoha's farmlands.
In the past, it would have been perfectly normal for a noble family to seek refuge in the village.
But now? Konoha had lost its two legendary pillars, and the village was mired in constant border friction with the other four great nations. They were effectively still in a state of war. For a noble family to suddenly want to join at a time like this was, to say the least, strange.
Stelle found it baffling. "Why should I give them preferential treatment? Who do they think they are?"
Hiruzen flipped the document to the last page, pointing to a specific line. "They claim to be distant relatives of the Senju Clan. They know you are the disciple of the Second Hokage, so they wish to establish a connection with you. They hope that for the sake of this supposed kinship, you'll grant them favorable consideration. As long as the terms are right, they are willing to move their entire household and all their wealth to Konoha."
She had relatives?
Stelle hadn't paid much attention to the fabricated backstory of her 'Senju Stelle' identity, but if such a connection truly existed in her official records, it wasn't entirely strange for them to contact her. They most likely wanted to cling to her influence to preserve some of their noble privileges within the village.
A slow, predatory grin spread across her face. "So, are they rich?"
"Very rich," Hiruzen confirmed. "They possess countless land holdings and their own private merchant caravans. However, they are located quite far from Konoha and have always kept a low profile, which is why they've remained safe until now."
Stelle's eyes gleamed. "Since they're my relatives, then their money is my money. Preferential treatment? Of course! As long as they can afford the price, I'll give them the best treatment imaginable. Leave this mission to me. When I get back, I'll bring you all some local specialties."
Brimming with excitement, Stelle led a small team of shinobi to the Endō family's territory. Just as promised, she received a grand and lavish welcome.
The head of the Endō clan was a man whose attitude was as polished as his fine silk robes. He immediately presented extravagant gifts to Stelle and the three ninja accompanying her, and even arranged for a troupe of beautiful dancers to perform for them.
"Lady Stelle," the clan head said, bowing deeply. "Please, be sure to put in a good word for our family before Lord Hokage. We are willing to hand over two-thirds of our family's assets as a contribution to Konoha's construction funds."
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