Before the Nine Tails could even respond, Uzumaki Mito exited the spiritual realm, having successfully extracted a portion of its unpurified chakra.
In the real world, Mito held out her hand and gathered a sinister, crimson mass of chakra.
The once-silent sitting room was now engulfed in turbulence, as if a violent gale had erupted. Behind Mito, a massive spectral image of a blood-red fox loomed ominously.
Namikaze Minato felt the intense pressure of being watched by a colossal crimson fox, its emotionless vertical pupils boring into his very soul.
As Mito steadily pushed the chakra toward Minato, the pressure mounted, and the blood-red phantom grew increasingly terrifying.
Finally, the chakra was sealed into Minato's body.
The phantom fox vanished. In its place, Minato's body surged with heat, like boiling water rushing through his veins.
He could feel his power skyrocketing. However, his control over chakra wasn't as precise as before—he now had to dedicate a portion of his focus to suppressing the Nine Tails' chakra just to stay rational.
His expression was no longer the calm and gentle one he usually wore. His blue eyes had been overtaken by crimson pupils with vertical slits.
"How do you feel, little Minato?"
Uzumaki Mito stepped closer, her voice soft.
She herself wasn't affected by the Nine Tails' chakra—but for Minato, only thirteen years old, this was a significant trial.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward as well, slowly gathering chakra in case the worst happened.
Konoha's choice for a Jinchūriki couldn't simply be a vessel to contain the Nine Tails.
The Nine Tails was also a part of Konoha's strength. A proper Jinchūriki needed to control and wield that power.
If the goal were simply to seal half of the beast into Minato, there'd be no need to test him with unpurified chakra.
"I feel… a lot stronger, but I need to stay focused to suppress the negative emotions," Minato said with a wry smile, scratching his head.
He looked like his usual self, cheerful and relaxed—as if the Nine Tails' chakra hadn't affected him at all.
And in truth, it hadn't.
Although the Nine Tails' image had been terrifying, once the chakra was sealed within him, Minato could suppress it.
Chakra reflects the essence of its wielder. With his chakra volume already far beyond typical jonin standards, Minato successfully overpowered the chakra fragment.
As for the mental strain—it was manageable.
Though he had initially felt a surge of violent emotion, Minato quickly calmed himself using the meditation techniques of Blade Zen.
And besides, negative emotion only takes hold when there's something within to amplify. Lately, Minato had been in high spirits.
Ever since Uchiha Kaien guided him, Minato had felt more clarity than confusion.
After all, he had come here precisely for the Nine Tails' power. He was mentally prepared.
Strong-willed, focused, and free of inner turmoil—this was Namikaze Minato's current state of mind.
Even though his crimson pupils still glinted with a bestial light, everyone present could see he had firm control over the Nine Tails' chakra. A collective sigh of relief followed.
The experiment was a success.
Even with a new Jinchūriki, Konoha still had the potential to harness the Nine Tails' power.
And the fact that Minato belonged to the direct lineage of the Hokage faction meant this success brought more than power—it brought legitimacy.
Of everyone there, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the most pleased. This was power that could be placed in their hands.
Minato had been outstanding since childhood—a true model of what a civilian-born ninja could achieve. Word had it he was widely admired among his peers.
Unlike Kaien, whose power came from his Uchiha bloodline, Minato could serve as the perfect example to the masses.
A Konoha orphan rising step-by-step—awakening his talent, forming friendships, learning ninjutsu, finding a mentor, and eventually standing beside monsters in order to protect the village—only to then tame that monster and become a famed shinobi of the ninja world.
With a bit of careful promotion, the entire village could witness the strength of the Hokage's faction. More children would dream of becoming Hokage. A virtuous cycle would begin.
And besides, Minato was already somewhat famous. His gentle nature won favor from both men and women alike.
"Minato," Mito said with a warm smile, "try purifying the Nine Tails' chakra. Use your own chakra to dissolve the negative emotions within it. Only then will you gain access to its true power."
She was genuinely impressed. That Minato could control unpurified Nine Tails chakra with such composure… he was even more remarkable than she'd expected.
Had he only been adapting rather than dominating the chakra, Mito had planned to purify it for him.
But now… it would be better if he did it himself.
After all, power earned by one's own hands was always easier to master than power bestowed by others.
Besides, once Mito passed, there would be no one left in Konoha who could purify the Nine Tails' chakra.
The next generation would have to forge their own path.
Purify it?
Does that mean completely dispelling the negative emotions?
Minato wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but he instinctively continued suppressing the Nine Tails' power. Sitting cross-legged, he adjusted his breathing and stabilized his internal flow.
...
'Fuse my chakra with the Nine Tails'...?'
Minato began cautiously, trying to guide his own chakra into contact with the Nine Tails' in the spiritual plane.
Fighting it head-on wouldn't be a problem—but purifying it? That was a whole other challenge.
"You really are something, Minato. To pull this off on your first try."
A familiar voice echoed in Minato's spiritual world—Uchiha Kaien.
"Kaien?"
Minato blinked in disbelief.
The person before him looked just like himself—except for the Sharingan eyes, unmistakably Kaien's Mangekyō pattern.
"It's me," Kaien said, smiling. "To avoid detection, I used a secret technique to temporarily alter my chakra nature to match yours."
Even he found Mito's sensory abilities difficult to evade, so this was the only way to secretly assist Minato and earn Mito's trust faster.
This was a unique application of [Summoning: Phantom Beast], developed by Kaien himself.
By inserting his chakra into another's body and mimicking their chakra signature, he could lie dormant inside them—only to emerge at a critical moment.
Just like now.
"The chakra I gave you earlier? This is where it comes into play. It's not much, but it should be enough to help you truly grasp the Nine Tails' power."
Kaien spoke with calm confidence, his ever-present smile lingering.
"The Nine Tails' true power?"
"That's right. According to Uchiha records, once the negative emotions are stripped away—what remains is the beast's real strength."
Of course, Kaien was making this up. The Uchiha never tried to develop the Nine Tails' power. They only sought to dominate it with the Sharingan.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan can absorb all the negative emotion from this fragment of the Nine Tails' chakra."
"Because the Mangekyō itself is steeped in intense negative emotions… in this area, Minato, I've got the edge."
With that, Kaien didn't hesitate any longer. His eyes glowed as he activated the Mangekyō's power and began helping Minato purify the chakra…
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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