Chapter 249 : Nine-Tails, You Are Too Dangerous
With things having reached this point, Namikaze Minato clearly had no reason to hesitate. He took a deep breath, raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and pressed them against his lower abdomen.
His palm rested against his clothes, fingers slightly curled, applying pressure with his fingertips.
Then, he gave a sharp twist, as if unscrewing something.
Uchiha Taiga knew exactly what was there. Just like Uzumaki Naruto, both father and son had the Nine-Tails sealed in their lower abdomens. That was where the sealing Curse Mark was located.
The next moment, a burst of orange-red chakra flames erupted from his body.
The fiery glow surged from his lower abdomen, rapidly spreading across his entire body and enveloping him completely.
The flames were incredibly bright, resembling a blazing inferno.
Accompanying this fiery display was an overwhelming aura that erupted directly from the flames, pressing down on everyone around them like the crushing weight of a mountain.
Minato let out a muffled groan. A look of agony instantly washed over his face. His brows knitted tightly together, his teeth clenched, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
It was obvious that this action placed a significant burden on him, and he was clearly enduring immense pain.
His body visibly trembled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Yet, he did not let go. His palm remained pressed against his abdomen, his fingers still locked in that twisting motion.
Minato hurriedly spoke up. "I've opened the seal just a little bit, allowing the Nine-Tails to make contact with the outside world."
His voice was strained, clearly suppressing his suffering.
"But it can't be for too long. If it stays open too long, the seal will lose control."
As he spoke, the chakra flames around him surged even more violently.
The fiery glow poured from his body, growing thicker and more intense.
He looked like a giant human torch, wreathed in orange-red fire, standing out starkly beneath the God Tree.
Taiga opened his mouth, feeling a bit speechless.
He glanced at Minato and said, "I have the Sharingan, you know."
He clicked his tongue, almost feeling bad about revealing the truth.
"Even if you didn't do all this, I could still communicate with the Nine-Tails."
Minato froze.
"Huh?"
His eyes widened slightly, his mouth falling open as a look of utter bewilderment crossed his face.
He stared at Taiga, suddenly realizing that the man's eyes had already transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The crimson irises with their black patterns spun slowly within his eye sockets.
Minato was momentarily at a loss for words. He just stood there, still cloaked in the blazing orange-red chakra, wearing an indescribable expression.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You never asked," Taiga replied.
Minato fell completely silent.
Taiga waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it, this works too. It's actually a bit more convenient."
With that, he reached out his hand.
His hand pierced right through the layer of orange-red chakra, his fingers plunging into the flames.
Even though the chakra flames were purely intangible energy, they felt like a living creature within Taiga's grasp.
He grabbed hold of the fiery glow directly, as if gripping a thick rope.
At the same time, an earth-shattering roar erupted from Minato's body.
The sound was deafening, causing the surrounding leaves to tremble and the loose gravel on the ground to bounce.
In that instant, the chakra flames condensed, shifting from a scattered blaze into a tangible shape.
It was a massive fox head.
The orange-red chakra formed the distinct features of a fox—ears, eyes, a nose, and a snout.
It threw its head back, jaws wide open to reveal razor-sharp teeth, and let out a long, howling roar.
The sound was laced with pure fury.
Taiga suddenly tightened his grip.
"Keep it down, you giant fox!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an immense weight. His own aura crashed down like a falling mountain, far more intense and palpable than the pressure exuded by the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The next moment, the earth-shaking beastly roar came to an abrupt halt. It was as if someone had literally grabbed it by the throat, cutting the sound off abruptly.
Looking closely, Taiga was indeed strangling the Nine-Tails by the neck.
He held the chakra-formed fox head suspended by the scruff of its neck with a single hand. His fingers dug deep into the chakra, as if sinking into real flesh and blood.
The Nine-Tails' head was hoisted into the air, its jaws still hanging open, but unable to make a single sound.
Its eyes bulged, pupils shrinking as fury burned within its gaze.
The chakra manifestation of the Nine-Tails was absolutely enraged, a clear, ferocious snarl twisting across its fiery face.
It thrashed about, only to find it couldn't break free.
Then, it unleashed another roar.
"Bastard, let go of me!"
The booming voice caused the very air to vibrate.
Taiga looked at it, his expression completely unchanged.
He spoke calmly. "Nine-Tails, you are too dangerous. I have no choice but to do this."
His tone was incredibly placid, as if he were stating the most mundane fact in the world.
The Nine-Tails froze.
Its eyes snapped wide open, pupils constricting as its mouth fell slightly ajar.
It was completely stunned.
Not because of the sudden attack, but because of those exact words.
It felt like it had heard that phrase somewhere before. It was inexplicably familiar.
A flood of memories surged through the Nine-Tails' mind in that instant.
It remembered.
It was an afternoon many years ago. It had been running freely across the plains when a man suddenly appeared and said those very words to it.
Then, that man had completely subjugated it, telling it: 'Nine-Tails, you are too dangerous...'
Such familiar words. Such an intense sense of déjà vu.
The Nine-Tails felt incredibly conflicted.
The seal trapping it had finally loosened a fraction, making it think it had seen the light of freedom.
It had eagerly rushed out of the seal, wanting to see the outside world again.
Only to have its fate seized by the throat by someone else the very next second.
As it stared at the black-haired, pale-eyed man before it, the anger in its heart was gradually replaced by an indescribable feeling.
Wait, who was this guy?
And how was he doing this?
As the Tailed Beast most attuned to sensing malice and intent, the Nine-Tails swore it had never panicked this much in its entire life.
Because, according to its senses, the man standing before it was utterly terrifying.
Terrifyingly powerful.
So powerful that it made even the strongest of the Tailed Beasts feel a chill run down its spine.
Even though the Nine-Tails found the man terrifying, being held by the throat still fueled its rage.
It thrashed again, but still couldn't break free.
Its chakra formed into tails that lashed out behind it, and its claws swiped wildly at the air, but it was all completely futile.
Instead, the struggle only caused Minato to let out another muffled groan, the agony on his face deepening.
"Bastard, let me go!" the Nine-Tails roared.
Its voice was dripping with fury.
It glared fiercely with its chakra-manifested eyes, locking its gaze onto Taiga.
"And why the hell are you saying the exact same thing as that man?!"
Taiga looked at it and coughed lightly.
His expression was a bit subtle, as if he were trying to hide something.
"I couldn't help myself."
He then looked back at the Nine-Tails and added, "So, can you quiet down a bit?"
The Nine-Tails immediately shut its mouth.
It clamped its jaws shut, ceasing its roaring and struggling. It knew that such actions were useless and might only bring about worse consequences.
However, the Nine-Tails still had its pride. It continued to glare daggers at Taiga, its eyes brimming with vigilance and resentment.
Its chakra flames flickered in the air, the fox head suspended mid-air while Taiga held it by the neck with a single hand.
Minato watched the scene unfold with a complicated expression.
He was still wreathed in the orange-red chakra flames, but his expression had shifted from agony to sheer astonishment.
As a Jinchuriki, he knew all too well how difficult the Nine-Tails was to deal with.
Yet, the sight before him still delivered a massive shock to his system.
To think... the Nine-Tails could be handled like a small pet. It was simply unbelievable.
Seeing Taiga holding the Nine-Tails by the neck, and looking at the beast's furious yet utterly stifled face, he felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside him.
He had thought he understood the Nine-Tails quite well.
He and the Nine-Tails had spent so much time together in Yomotsukuni. He knew exactly how powerful and proud the beast was.
But such a mighty existence was now being treated like a cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck in front of Uchiha Taiga.
It didn't even have the chance to resist.
Nagato stood off to the side, watching the scene without any change in expression. It seemed he was already well aware of Taiga's immense strength and wouldn't be surprised by anything the man did.
A heavy silence fell beneath the God Tree.
The only sound was the wind rustling through the leaves.
Taiga looked at the Nine-Tails, and the Nine-Tails looked back at Taiga.
They stared at each other for over ten seconds before Taiga finally spoke.
"I can let you go, but you have to promise not to thrash around."
His voice was perfectly calm.
"Can you promise that?"
The Nine-Tails glared at him, remaining silent.
Its mouth was shut tight, but the anger in its eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Taiga watched it, waiting for a few seconds without receiving an answer.
He nodded.
"Then we'll just stay like this."
He didn't loosen his grip, continuing to hold the Nine-Tails by the neck.
The corner of the Nine-Tails' mouth twitched.
It wanted to say something, but upon meeting Taiga's tranquil gaze, it swallowed its words back down.
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