[172] : The Final Step: Nine-Tails!

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"Just a tiny flicker of my presence, and Shukaku woke right up," Shin observed with quiet amusement, glancing at the now-alert One-Tail. "Seems it's terrified of me."

Shukaku's massive golden eyes locked onto Shin, filled with a volatile mix of rage and something far rarer for a Tailed Beast—fear.

"You again…? What the hell are you doing here?!" Shukaku snarled, voice trembling with lingering dread.

The memory of being utterly dominated by Shin, his immense chakra overwhelming it completely, was burned into its very being. The humiliation still lingered.

"Relax," Shin said nonchalantly. "I'm not here to mess with you; I just need to borrow something."

Before the One-Tail could react, Shin activated his [Rinne-Tenseigan], his pupils radiating an ethereal glow. He unleashed a sealing technique, drawing out a large portion of Shukaku's chakra and locking it within his own body.

The beast's colossal form began shrinking, its chakra forcibly siphoned away. The once-mighty sand demon, originally towering at forty meters, dwindled to less than thirty—its body visibly thinner, its energy severely depleted.

"All done," Shin remarked, casting a brief, dismissive glance at the furious yet helpless Shukaku.

"Let's go."

He waved for Tsunade, Kushina, Mikoto, and Konan to follow him out.

The Third Kazekage, who had been watching from a distance, stood frozen.

'Wait… that's it? He's leaving Shukaku behind?'

Shin had only taken chakra—not the entire beast itself.

The Kazekage felt a strange mix of relief and disbelief. Losing Shukaku completely would have been catastrophic for Sunagakure, but… this was still manageable.

Over time, Shukaku would recover.

....

As they walked away from the sealed chamber, Kushina turned to Shin.

"So, we're leaving already?"

"Yeah," Shin replied with a nod. "No reason to stick around. Unless you wanted to stay?"

"No thanks," Kushina said with a shake of her head. "This place is dull."

Shin chuckled, then promptly activated [Yomotsu Hirasaka], tearing open a swirling portal.

Without hesitation, the group stepped through, departing Sunagakure and heading straight toward Kumogakure—where the Two-Tails awaited.

....

For the next several months, Shin continued his hunt for Tailed Beasts chakra, methodically tracking down each of the remaining beasts.

"Alas, gathering Tailed Beasts chakra is turning into a chore…" Shin sighed as he walked, stretching his arms.

Although locating the Tailed Beasts wasn't difficult—he knew precisely which villages held them—obtaining their chakra without a full-scale war required patience.

Thankfully, his [Kagura Mind's Eye] made it virtually impossible for any village to hide a Tailed Beast from him.

Still, even with his overwhelming advantage, the process took time.

It wasn't until half a year later that Shin finally secured chakra from eight of the nine Tailed Beasts.

Now, only one remained—the Nine-Tails.

Shin stood atop a rocky cliff, overlooking the vast forests that stretched toward the Land of Fire. His lips curled into a faint smirk.

"Next stop is Konoha," Shin remarked with a faint smile. "I wonder if Hiruzen will roll out the welcome mat."

"I doubt it," Mikoto said quietly. "No village has been particularly thrilled to see us lately."

After all, he had walked into four of the five Great Nations, taken what he wanted, and left unscathed.

No village was comfortable having him show up at their gates.

"Come on!" Kushina clapped her hands together impatiently. "Let's get this over with already! We should be in Konoha by nightfall."

"In a hurry, are we?"

Unlike Tsunade, Mikoto, and Konan—who remained composed—Kushina was practically vibrating with energy.

"Of course I am!" she huffed. "My All-Kunoichi village plan got delayed for six months! Once we finish this, we can finally start construction!"

Shin sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"You're still stuck on that idea, huh?" he grumbled.

With Kushina's relentless insistence, the group accelerated their pace, making their way toward Konoha.

....

By the time they reached the village outskirts, the entire village was already on high alert.

News of their imminent arrival spread through Konoha like wildfire.

Since Shin's departure, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other Kage-level figures had been keeping tabs on his movements, fearful of his next step.

Realizing that the Nine-Tails was all he lacked, Hiruzen immediately summoned Danzō for a private conversation—intentionally excluding the other advisors.

....

Inside the Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, his face grim as he absorbed the latest intelligence reports.

"Danzō," Hiruzen said, pipe in hand, "It's about Shin. You know what he wants. What do we do?"

Danzō responded with a scowl.

"We can't let him lay a finger on the Nine-Tails. We have no idea what his purpose is, but it can't possibly benefit Konoha."

Hiruzen exhaled, feeling the weight of the situation.

"We don't have the strength to oppose him. Not really. If we did, we'd never allow him near the Nine-Tails in the first place."

Konoha's Roster—Hiruzen, Danzō, Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and an injured Jiraiya—gave them five high-level fighters, but Hiruzen couldn't guarantee victory against someone like Uzumaki Shin.

"So as the so-called strongest hidden village, you'd actually capitulate?" Danzō sneered. "If that's your plan, Sarutobi, you're unfit to be Hokage!!"

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.

"Then tell me, Danzō. What's your brilliant plan?"

"Hand over the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki to me, temporarily—" Danzō said gravely. "I'll handle it."

"Absolutely not." Hiruzen immediately rejected the idea.

He knew Danzō's ambitions all too well.

Danzō wasn't thinking about protecting Konoha—he simply wanted the Nine-Tails for himself.

At the very least, Shin only wanted its chakra. He hadn't actually taken any of the Tailed Beasts from the other villages—only what he needed.

But if Danzō took the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, he would never get it back.

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