The struggling beast saw Qianyu's Mangekyō Sharingan. Its crimson beast-pupils shrank.
"It's you… the accursed clan's power, the Mangekyō Sharingan! And you dared to come here?!"
Qianyu met the fox's gaze. "With these eyes, entering this place is nothing special. Why the surprise?"
"You think you can help her keep me locked up? Dream on!"
The Nine-Tails thrashed again. One more of the three remaining chains binding it snapped.
"Genjutsu: Mangekyō Sharingan!"
The tomoe in Qianyu's eyes spun rapidly. The fox's own pupils dilated, then twisted into the exact pattern of his Mangekyō.
"Now! Seal it away!"
Regaining her focus, Miyuki Uzumaki channeled her chakra. The three broken chains reforged themselves, glowing gold, and wrapped tight around the fox's form. The massive iron door of the seal groaned shut. This time, it held.
The sealing was complete. Close call, but complete.
Qianyu knew the truth. Even without him, the seal would have held. Once the beast was dragged into Miyuki's body, the main ritual was already a success. This was just aftermath. A new jinchūriki, tailed beast chakra still bleeding through the fresh seal, the fox using that leak to claw for freedom.
But the Eight Trigrams Seal wasn't so easily broken. Once that leaked chakra burned itself out, Miyuki would regain control. Of course, "just a leak" was enough for five tails to manifest. Casualties would have been guaranteed.
Qianyu released the genjutsu. The Nine-Tails roared, sensing the last threads of its influence within Miyuki's body vanish. The chance to break free was gone.
"Don't think this cage will hold me forever! I'll find a way out! And I'll kill every last one of you!"
Qianyu ignored the fox for a moment. He turned to the unconscious Miyuki. His Mangekyō reverted to a three-tomoe pattern. A subtle genjutsu pulsed from his eyes.
Miyuki slumped to the ground, out cold.
Only then did Qianyu turn back. A cold smirk touched his lips. "Save your threats, fox. They might scare others. Not me. You spent years as a pet for Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju. Decades in a cage. Now you just traded cages. What gives you the right to boast?"
The beast slammed against its prison bars. "Damn Uchiha brat! I know those two are dead! I will get out!"
Qianyu's eyes shifted again. The intricate pattern of the Mangekyō blazed, his gaze as cold as ice. "I'm not Uchiha. Scream that name at me again, and I'll make sure the 'Child of Prophecy' you beasts are waiting for never draws breath. Do you understand me, Kurama?"
The roar died in the fox's throat. Its massive face froze, disbelief etched into every line. "…What? How… How do you know that name? How do you know about the prophecy?!"
Qianyu's smirk turned sharp, mocking. "'A blue-eyed boy who will call forth the names of the nine beasts,' right? Call me an Uchiha brat one more time. See if I don't make your precious future vanish."
Silence. Thick, heavy silence, broken only by the fox's ragged breaths. Its eyes narrowed, all mockery gone, replaced by a profound, wary gravity. "…What do you know? Where did you learn this?"
"Don't waste your breath asking," Qianyu stated flatly. "You know I won't tell you. Just understand this: I know everything about you tailed beasts. Your purpose. Your past. Even… your origin."
The Nine-Tails—Kurama—stilled completely. "Our origin… you claim to know that too?!"
"Don't believe me?" Qianyu's voice was calm, almost casual. "Two words. Ten-Tails. Believe me now?"
The colossal fox flinched. A full-body tremor ran through its chakra form. It stared at Qianyu, its gaze utterly transformed—no longer just hatred, but a mixture of shock, fear, and desperate calculation.
The mindscape plunged into an eerie quiet. Only the sound of Kurama's heavy, labored breathing filled the void.
After a long moment, the beast spoke, its voice low and serious. "…Then. Why are you still here? You helped the woman cage me. The seal is complete. Yet you remain. You want something."
Qianyu gave a slight nod. "You've lived a long time. You're not stupid. Correct. I don't like owing debts. I prefer to arrange things in advance, not scramble when the fire starts. And this… benefits you as well."
The fox's muzzle wrinkled in disdain. "Benefits me?"
"Yes. You're probably unaware, but you tailed beasts are already targets. Someone is hunting you. In a few years, the gathering will begin."
"Hunt us?" Kurama snorted. "To use us as weapons. How is that different from this?"
"Very different," Qianyu countered. "The current wielder of the Rinnegan has already summoned the Gedo Statue. You know what that means, don't you?"
The fox's eyes widened. "…No. They can't mean to… revive it?!"
"They do," Qianyu confirmed. "So you're all in danger. But relax. Your turn won't come for… another decade or so, at least."
Kurama's voice was grim. "And you? What do you want from me? You still haven't said."
"For now, nothing," Qianyu said. "But I will place a Transcription Seal in Miyuki Uzumaki's eye. In the future—two, maybe three years from now—your current jinchūriki will face a crisis. A crisis that concerns you, all the tailed beasts, and the 'future' you're waiting for. I may be in Konoha then. I may not. When that crisis comes, I want you to help her. Help your jinchūriki survive it."
Kurama didn't answer. Helping a human? The idea was anathema.
"Unwilling?" Qianyu's tone was pure derision. "If I didn't owe this woman a debt, I wouldn't waste my breath on you lot. You hate humans? The feeling is mutual. If you'd prefer to become a sacrifice inside the Gedo Statue, fuel for the Ten-Tails' resurrection, then by all means. Stay stubborn."
The fox was silent for a very long time. Weighing. Calculating. Finally, it spoke, the words heavy. "…I will… agree. This once."
Qianyu let out a short, dismissive breath. "Don't act like I'm begging you. Remember your place. You're a prisoner. Nothing more."
Fury reignited in Kurama's eyes. But before another roar could form, Qianyu merely offered one last, mocking smile.
Then he was gone, withdrawing from Miyuki Uzumaki's mindscape.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!