Taming Process

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"Let's go check it out!" Minato, the Fourth Hokage, said, his voice tinged with worry. He wasn't about to sit back until he knew what was going down.

If Uchiha Kitaro was at full power, the Nine-Tails wouldn't stand a chance. But if he got too cocky, things could go south real quick.

The big explosion earlier had wiped out the Flying Thunder God markings Minato had set up, so now they had to actually run to the battlefield. Lucky for them, a few dozen kilometers was a cakewalk for shinobi of their level.

They wasted no time and made a beeline for the center of the chaos.

Boom!

A massive claw shot up from the ground, like the earth itself was shaking.

Crash!

The Nine-Tails clawed its way back to the surface. It had been buried under layers of dirt from the shockwave earlier, but now, it was up and shaking off the debris. His red eyes scanned the area, but Kitaro was nowhere to be seen. A smug grin spread across his face.

"That brat's finally gone," Kurama thought. "About time. No more being stuck under Uchiha control. Finally, I'm free."

But then—

Crack!

A hand shot out of the dirt in the distance. The ground cracked open, and out climbed Uchiha Kitaro, covered in dust but very much alive.

Kurama's expression twisted into a snarl. "You little brat! You're still alive?!"

Kitaro grinned, dusting himself off. "Of course. I can't die before I turn you into my pet."

"You dare?!" The Nine-Tails roared, furiously charging at him. Freedom was within reach, and there was no way he was letting some Uchiha make him a pet.

With a roar, the beast lunged, its massive jaws wide, ready to crush Kitaro. But the Uchiha was ready. Just as those fangs were about to snap shut, Kitaro kicked upward, hard.

Crack!

The Nine-Tails' jaws slammed together with an earth-shattering crash. The force sent the giant beast flying backward.

Without missing a beat, Kitaro darted forward, driving a punch straight into Kurama's gut.

"Graaah!" The Nine-Tails howled in pain. It had been a long time since Kurama had felt anything like that.

Angry now, Kurama retaliated, whipping his giant tails at Kitaro like the world's biggest whips.

One of the tails slammed into Kitaro, sending him flying.

Boom!

Kurama wasted no time. He gathered chakra in his mouth and fired a Tailed Beast Bomb straight at Kitaro.

Mid-air, Kitaro steadied himself. With a flick of his wrist, he coated his hand in Armament and Conqueror's Haki, smacking the Tailed Beast Bomb away like it was nothing.

Bang!

The bomb veered off-course, exploding far away with a massive shockwave.

Kurama was pissed. Rising onto his hind legs, he slashed the air with his glowing claws, sending a huge arc of red energy straight at Kitaro.

But Kitaro wasn't fazed. With a swift kick, he sent his own flaming slash at the attack.

"Flame Bird Tempest!"

Boom! The two attacks collided, sending another shockwave through the battlefield.

But Kurama didn't stop. He charged through the explosion, claws ready to shred Kitaro.

Kitaro smirked. "Gotcha." He met the giant claws with a punch.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone echoed as Kitaro shattered one of Kurama's claws.

"Aaargh!" Kurama howled, though the beast healed up quickly. Still, that pain made him even more furious.

Not giving Kurama a chance to recover, Kitaro went wild, unleashing a series of punches like a storm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kurama staggered from the hits, dazed. Desperate, he wrapped his tails around Kitaro's limbs to hold him still, then swiped viciously with his claws.

Rip!

Kurama's claws tore into Kitaro, but the wounds sealed up almost immediately. It was like they never happened.

Kurama froze, staring in shock. "What the…?!"

Kitaro gave a calm smile. "Done already? I was just starting to enjoy this. Haven't had a good massage in ages."

"You bastard!" Kurama roared.

The Nine-Tails lunged again, jaws snapping for Kitaro's throat.

But Kitaro, still restrained, poured more strength into his arms, landing a punch square on Kurama's face.

Bang!

Kitaro's fists hammered into the beast's head, each blow like thunder.

Kurama wasn't about to let this kid show him up. He balled his paws into fists and punched back.

Man and beast went at it like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, each blow cracking like thunder.

Then, Kitaro flipped onto Kurama's back, locking his legs around the beast's torso, riding the beast.

"Get off me, you little pest!" Kurama howled, thrashing around, trying to shake him off.

"No way! This is my first time riding a tailed beast. I'm not stopping now!"

"Fine, then I'll beat you into the ground!" Kurama snarled.

The Nine-Tails wrapped his tails around Kitaro again, this time slamming him with brutal force.

Whap! Whap! Whap!

"Ah, that's the spot! Harder! You call this hitting? Put some muscle into it!" Kitaro taunted, laughing.

Kurama's sanity started slipping away as Kitaro's annoying voice kept echoing in his ears. No matter what he did, this brat wasn't even budging.

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