Hagoromo looked at the tailed beasts. Even though Isobu wasn't present, among the remaining eight, four of them had already had their chakra obtained by that reincarnated one.
Obtaining the chakra alone wasn't a big deal, the problem was that the reincarnated one could use it to forcibly pull the chakra of the tailed beasts' true bodies. That was a major issue.
Hagoromo's gaze landed on Matatabi.
Noticing the old man looking at it, the big cat's eyes immediately began to wander, and it shrank back.
He felt helpless.
They were all so large, where could they possibly hide?
"Matatabi, can you tell everyone why you think so highly of that reincarnated one?"
"Well... Masashi is a good person," Matatabi said timidly.
Around it, Kurama, Gyūki, and Chōmei were all staring. Gyūki's look said: After all these years as cellmates, you'd sell us out?
Matatabi had a very good impression of Masashi. In contrast, Gyūki's impression of him was terrible. And even now, that bastard was forcibly pulling its chakra!
"Don't be fooled by humans!" Gyūki decided to take the chance while the old man was here to bring back Isobu. "The Uchiha are a despicable bunch. All they want is our chakra. They sweet-talk us and deceive us tailed beasts. They're not nice…"
It went on to list every bad word it could think of. But when Matatabi recalled its own experience, it didn't feel that way. Because Masashi had been upfront about wanting its chakra, from the start, it had been based on a principle of exchange.
So there was no deception.
And he had upheld that principle. The Uchiha really did protect it from outside disturbances. Most importantly, the children were truly delightful.
As a tailed beast, it could sense people's true attitudes.
"Not really, Masashi explained everything from the beginning. I agreed, and that's why I work with him."
"…"
It's over. This guy's been completely conned.
"You've got to say something about Matatabi!"
"What exactly did that Uchiha say to you?" Kurama suddenly asked.
Matatabi noticed that Kurama's tone was far less aggressive than Gyūki's, and it immediately relaxed. So, it began to explain in full detail how it came to know Masashi.
As the tailed beasts listened, things started to sound… off. Was this what a tailed beast's life was supposed to be like?
This dignified? Were they all fake tailed beasts or something?
Kurama especially felt…
Maybe it had been going about things the wrong way all along.
They were clearly in the same world, why did it feel so far apart?
"How did you pull it off?" Kurama asked. "Why is the Uchiha clan suddenly so generous?"
"They're actually pretty decent," Matatabi replied. "Their kids love playing with me too."
"…"
It was supposed to be the strongest one! Why else did Madara target it back then? Also, why didn't Masashi try negotiating with it? Just because it didn't look like a cat? This is outrageous discrimination against foxes!
Kurama was furious!
"Damn it! He met me first! Why didn't he invite me back then!? I have to ask him to make this clear!"
Matatabi: "…"
Gyūki: "...Don't just fall for it that easily!"
Chōmei: "Now that you mention it, I feel like I got shortchanged too…"
The remaining Shukaku, Son Gokū, Kokuō, and Saiken also found it all very curious. However, since Masashi didn't have their chakra, they had never met him.
In contrast, the previous reincarnation of Asura had captured them all without mercy. From that time on, they had begun to feel that the old man was overly optimistic. In the eyes of humans, they were nothing but weapons.
Only Hagoromo still clung to his ideals. The rest of them had long lost interest in the so-called "Child of the Prophecy."
And yet now, someone who wasn't even a reincarnation of Asura or Indra had managed to get along so well with Matatabi?
"Could it be that this guy is the real Child of the Prophecy?" Shukaku asked.
To the tailed beasts, Hagoromo was like a father figure, and the Child of the Prophecy was essentially the warrior he had chosen.
They were meant to assist this fighter. As for the process, it was just an act, one they were perfectly capable of performing. Whether someone was the Child of the Prophecy or not was entirely up to Hagoromo.
In the thousand years of human history, which, to them, felt like forever, many candidates for the role of Child of the Prophecy had appeared.
To become one, two conditions had to be met:
First, they had to be strong enough to control the chakra of the tailed beasts, and capable of resonating with Hagoromo's chakra to meet him.
Second, they had to earn his recognition.
Right now, all current candidates had only managed to meet the first condition. The second remained a total dead end. Not a single one had earned his recognition.
"Hm…" Hagoromo was deep in thought.
Who became the Child of the Prophecy didn't really matter to him. After all, all the candidates were his descendants, it wasn't about who was closer to him.
With his two sons, he had only chosen Asura to inherit Ninshū because Asura's ideology aligned more with his own. As for affection, he loved both his sons equally. However, one thing was true: in terms of chakra, Indra and Asura's chakra far surpassed that of their descendants. Masashi was not a reincarnation of either Indra or Asura, so his chakra was inherently weaker.
Even if Hagoromo were to recognize him and send the tailed beasts to help him, it was doubtful he would be able to stand against Kaguya.
In fact, the very fact that Masashi had made it this far had already greatly impressed him. But beyond this point, he held no expectations.
The power of a parent was not always fully inherited by the child, this applied to him and Hamura, and to his two sons as well.
Like Indra, what Hagoromo had inherited was the same as what Indra later inherited from him.
Hagoromo had inherited chakra power and spiritual strength from his mother, thus, he was born with chakra and possessed the Rinnegan. Because he was born with exceptional chakra and didn't need to train in it like later generations, he had the time and material to deduce the principles behind chakra formation.
When his first son was born, the same situation occurred. Indra inherited chakra power and spiritual strength from him, the only one to inherit Hagoromo's chakra genes. His naturally strong chakra and spiritual power gave rise to the Sharingan, and because he had inherited part of Hagoromo's chakra, he could resonate with it.
Asura, who had inherited life force and physical energy instead, lacked this ability. That was why Asura had to learn how to use chakra like ordinary people.
From the beginning, only Indra had the chance to awaken Hagoromo's chakra and unlock the Rinnegan. Although Indra himself never accomplished this, it was achieved generations later by Madara.
Still, the bloodline that inherited Hagoromo's chakra genes had proven itself: even without Indra's chakra, they found other ways to gain immense power.
After all, it was chakra from the God Tree, even if it came from a fragmented body, it was theoretically superior to what Hagoromo had inherited from his mother.
"Matatabi," Hagoromo said, "Can you confirm that this reincarnate, no, Masashi, is sincere toward you? That he doesn't believe power is everything?"
"As for power, he definitely values it," Matatabi recalled its time with Masashi. "But he also deeply values his companions. Up to now, he has never used my chakra against my will."
"Oh? He respects your opinion?" Hagoromo was intrigued.
From Matatabi's account, his impression of Masashi was beginning to change. Most of his attention was focused on the Pure Land and his son's chakra reincarnation. What little energy remained was used to observe the tailed beasts, he had no time or ability to closely monitor every individual.
"Yes!" Matatabi said happily. "He really respects me!"
"Impossible! He's deceiving you!" Gyūki immediately interrupted. "The moment you let your guard down, he'll control you!"
"Exactly. The first time I met him, he beat me and even helped seal me away! He's definitely up to no good!" As it spoke, Kurama stealthily transferred more chakra from its true body.
Just that little bit of chakra, how could it be enough? These Uchiha jutsu eat chakra like crazy. Pulling it so slowly, was he planning to not use ninjutsu?
It chuckled coldly to itself.
Once Masashi got used to the benefits, it'd be the perfect time for it to start raising its price!
A forest isn't enough, they'd better add a mountain too.
However, Kurama's sneaky move didn't escape the notice of the other tailed beasts.
They were all in the same "game lobby," playing the same "match." Who could hide something here?
Gyūki stared at Kurama in disbelief.
Chōmei, inspired, thought, That's a good idea!
It then began doing the same thing.
Matatabi simply let go of the chakra links it was using to drag Kurama and Chōmei, and focused all its effort on pulling Gyūki.
The boat of friendship had capsized just like that.
Gyūki was stunned to realize it had become the only one left on board. The others had already jumped ship. And not only had they jumped, they were yanking off its life vest on the way down.
Enraged, it tore off the "life vest" and dove into the "water" with an even bolder posture. If it was going to offer itself up, then damn it, it would do it with flair!
Once it got into a good position, it could lull Masashi into dropping his guard, and then, someday, trick him to death.
That was the true way for tailed beasts and humans to "coexist"!
---
At the Valley of the End, Masashi, who was facing off against Madara, suddenly sensed a change in the chakra input from the Nine-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Seven-Tails. The chakra suddenly became plentiful, almost overflowing, and he gladly absorbed it all.
At this point, his battle with Madara had already lasted for quite a while. To be precise, the Valley of the End no longer existed.
Madara's Susanoo had reached its true full-body form, capable of cutting mountains with a single slash.
What version of the Valley of the End could withstand that kind of punishment?
But, to be fair, it wasn't all Madara's fault.
Because Masashi's Susanoo wasn't exactly small either. Though his ocular power wasn't sufficient, he made up for it with chakra, and not just any chakra, but tailed beast chakra.
And that combination brought about a surprise.
With four tailed beasts generously powering him up, his Susanoo revealed a form never before seen in the history of the Uchiha clan.
BOOM—!
A blinding light flared from the devastated ground, and the shockwave swept across the area once more. At the site of their clash, thick scale powder blanketed the land, forming a mist-like fog due to its sheer volume.
Under the force of the shockwave, the foggy scale powder was physically pushed away, revealing the new Susanoo.
This was an ability of the Seven-Tails, Chōmei, creating scale powder using chakra to interfere with enemy perception and grant stealth. This was the surprise he got from using tailed beast chakra to power up his Susanoo.
Once the combined chakra from the four tailed beasts reached a certain threshold, his Susanoo could begin utilizing their unique abilities.
Just like how Naruto used Rasengan to harness tailed beast powers in the original timeline. However, while his usage emphasized destructive power, Masashi's Susanoo leaned more into utility.
That didn't mean it lacked destructive force.
As soon as Masashi's form appeared, Madara's Susanoo was already charging with sword drawn.
Both fully-formed Susanoo, Madara's was capable of dominating land, sea, and sky, and it could perfectly amplify all his jutsu.
The chakra sword slashed down from the sky, the wind pressure alone reaching the level of a large-scale wind jutsu.
Fortunately, with tailed beast chakra enhancing it, Masashi's Susanoo had grown significantly in size and now had the qualifications to compete with Madara on equal footing.
Madara's Susanoo closed the distance in an instant, slashing down at Masashi with a diagonal strike.
Using the Totsuka Sword, Masashi countered Madara with an upward-left slash. In a pure clash of chakra, the collision of these two titans once again reshaped the surrounding terrain irreversibly.
A new canyon naturally formed, and the power struggle between the two Susanoo shaved off an entire forest.
In terms of physical force, Madara, who attacked from the air, held the advantage, pushing back Masashi's Susanoo.
But in Madara's eyes, the chakra forming Masashi's Susanoo had changed. Its entire body had turned purple, resembling burning flames, with large fireballs breaking off from it.
Here we go again, this didn't resemble any kind of conventional ninjutsu. It looked just like how the tailed beasts used chakra.
As a clan infamous for tormenting tailed beasts, the Uchiha had clashed with them all. Though he had only fought the Nine-Tails himself, he had a fair understanding of the abilities of the others and how they wielded chakra.
The next moment, fireballs rained down from above.
To be honest, they didn't hurt as much as Hashirama's giant Buddha slaps, but they came at a much faster pace.
The ground trembled as boundless flames scorched the surroundings down to the last trace. At first, dense barrages of fireballs flew in from the front. Then they came from all directions, each impact causing a massive explosion.
One slash could level a mountain; the other attacked with endless variations. That was how the Valley of the End got destroyed.
At this point, calling it a basin would be more accurate.
He's developed a whole new approach to using tailed beast power, Madara thought as he withstood the attacks.
He had to admit, it was a breath of fresh air.
This Masashi had real potential. He should never have picked Obito back then, this was the man he should've chosen!
Thick smoke from the blazing fire cloaked the battlefield, but within his chakra perception, the massive chakra source ahead changed once again.
This time, it was a chakra he was very familiar with, the Nine-Tails' chakra!
This surprised him quite a bit.
A chakra sword sliced through the dense smoke, targeting the neck of his Susanoo.
"Trying to go for a decapitation? This swordplay won't cut it," Madara sneered.
The full-body form of Susanoo was an extension of the user's body, what worked for ninjutsu also applied to taijutsu.
He easily deflected the attack with his own sword techniques. However, once the smoke cleared, what he saw left him stunned.
A Senju-style?!
Before him, Masashi's Susanoo had completely transformed.
Its body was covered in the distinct markings of Sage Mode, and hundreds of golden arms extended from its back.
To Madara, while it hadn't reached the level of Hashirama's Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, it was definitely getting close.
The only question was... How the hell did an Uchiha manage to produce something that reeked of Senju this much?!
Just from this display alone, he was certain: in the entire shinobi world, aside from himself and Hashirama, no one else could go toe-to-toe with Masashi.
"This is my strongest attack right now," Masashi suddenly spoke up. "Why don't you try taking it head-on?"
Hell yeah I'll take it head-on!
Madara spat out a single word: "Come!"
Masashi's Susanoo began marching forward, and on the other side, Madara's Susanoo mirrored the motion. When the two towering giants got within striking distance of a proper fistfight, they struck at the same time.
Hundreds of golden fists exploded through the air in rapid succession.
Madara's Susanoo drew both swords, dual-wielding.
He put on a dazzling display of swordsmanship, showing exactly what mastery over all forms of combat looked like.
But still, Masashi's fists were just too many.
After sacrificing a dozen or so fists, one heavy punch finally landed on the face of Madara's Susanoo.
Because if you were not punching the face, you were disrespecting your opponent. And where there was one, there was more.
That first blow signaled the collapse, more fists broke through Madara's defensive net of blades and slammed into his Susanoo from all sides.