"This is the Nine-Tails' chakra? How do you possess a Tailed Beast's chakra?"
Black Zetsu, hidden within Kaguya's sleeve, had always monitored the movements of the shinobi world. Naturally, he knew that the Ten-Tails' chakra had been divided by Hagoromo into nine great Tailed Beasts.
Moreover, thanks to the "Mayfly Technique," there were very few places in this world that Black Zetsu could not reach.
He had even tampered with the stone tablet beneath the Uchiha clan's shrine, and he had likewise visited the place where the Nine-Tails was sealed. He was extremely familiar with the Nine-Tails' chakra.
"Nine-Tails?" The recently revived Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was still unaware of this matter.
"Mother, after sealing you, that fellow Hagoromo split the Ten-Tails' chakra into nine separate chakra entities, each with its own consciousness. If we can reclaim the chakra of those Tailed Beasts, we may be able to restore the Ten-Tails to its God Tree form."
"Is that so…"
A trace of shadow passed across Kaguya's face. It was not the Ten-Tails' restoration that troubled her, but the memory of turning against her two sons.
"Having someone who understands the situation certainly saves me the trouble of explaining it myself."
Ruri's Illusionary Body clone formed a hand sign for chakra extraction before her chest. The Nine-Tails' chakra around her suddenly surged violently, forming a massive crimson pillar of light that shot straight into the stars.
Immediately afterward, that power connected with several energy nodes of the spiral seal, merging into the energy being transferred through it.
Among the nine great Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails was the strongest. Its chakra reserves were virtually inexhaustible.
The primary reason for this was the Nine-Tails' extremely powerful assimilative property.
In the original timeline, Naruto Uzumaki had been able to distribute the Nine-Tails' chakra to countless people across the shinobi world, and their bodies had shown no signs of rejection.
There were also the so-called Gold and Silver Brothers, who gained the Nine-Tails' chakra after consuming part of its flesh and organs.
These phenomena were clear manifestations of that assimilative nature.
Although the chakra within Ruri had been modified from the Nine-Tails' chakra to suit this world's system, now that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was being restored under the rules of the Naruto world, she adjusted her power back to its original Nine-Tails form.
As the Nine-Tails' chakra fused with the energy of the spiral seal, the entire seal gradually came under its influence, transforming into the same crimson chakra.
That immense chakra gathered in the sky, faintly forming the shape of a gigantic Nine-Tailed fox.
At the same time, two entirely opposite forces appeared once more in Ruri's hands.
One was the power of Yin, derived from spiritual energy that governed imagination, creating form from nothing.
The other was the power of Yang, derived from physical energy that governed life, granting vitality to form.
The emergence of these two forces triggered a peculiar reaction. The surrounding space began to hum.
Black Zetsu cried out in shock, "Is that Yin-Yang Release?"
"Correct. This is the Yin-Yang Release that Hagoromo used to create the nine Tailed Beasts—though he is not the only one capable of using it."
As she spoke, Ruri brought her hands together, merging the Yin and Yang forces into one. A massive Yin-Yang symbol manifested beneath her feet.
Raising her hands, Ruri directed the Yin-Yang symbol toward the Nine-Tails' energy mass in the sky. A newly formed power born from the fusion of Yin and Yang shot upward as a pillar of light, slamming into the Nine-Tails' energy form.
With the infusion of that power, the Nine-Tails' form in the sky—previously nothing more than raw energy—suddenly came alive.
The fully formed Nine-Tailed fox stretched over a hundred meters in length. Its nine enormous tails swept behind it like great fans. The moment its blood-red eyes opened, they locked onto the Demonic Statue below, and it instinctively let out a thunderous roar.
ROAR—
The deafening cry resounded across the skies above the Lunar Palace. Its immense chakra radiated hatred and ominous malice.
Without question, only the Nine-Tails' chakra carried such intense negative emotion.
"You recreated a Nine-Tails?"
The Nine-Tails' manifestation in the sky stunned even Black Zetsu. He had not expected that this obscure member of the Lunar Palace could recreate a Tailed Beast so effortlessly.
Moreover, the hatred and fear in the Nine-Tails' gaze toward the Demonic Statue made it clear that this was not a mere artificial consciousness.
"As long as one has mastered Yin-Yang Release, creating a Tailed Beast is not particularly difficult."
Rarely given the chance to show off, Ruri continued, "The reason the Ten-Tails God Tree cannot fully take shape is because it lacks part of the Nine-Tails' assimilative chakra property. Without that ability, the Ten-Tails cannot assimilate the natural energy of other planets, and thus cannot become the God Tree."
Kaguya also rose into the air, her long white hair flowing behind her as she gazed steadily at the Nine-Tails above, whose consciousness was gradually stabilizing.
Then, with nothing more than a single glance from the Rinne Sharingan on her forehead, the colossal Tailed Beast—capable of unleashing disasters upon the shinobi world—was instantly subdued by genjutsu.
The enormous Nine-Tailed fox froze in place like a giant puppet.
This was the Ōtsutsuki clan's inherent dominance over the Tailed Beasts. Chakra designated as subordinate by authority would naturally submit before the power of the Ōtsutsuki.
Even the Sharingan alone could easily control a Tailed Beast. The Rinnegan could manipulate the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Ten-Tails' shell. Meanwhile, Wood Release, imbued with the properties of the God Tree, could effortlessly suppress the Tailed Beasts.
Wood Release could weaken, restrain, and seal Tailed Beasts with ease, even draining their chakra. Without becoming a jinchūriki, one could still turn a Tailed Beast into an enormous living battery.
The Mangekyō Sharingan, in addition to controlling Tailed Beasts, could use the ocular technique Susanoo to absorb their power, forming the devastating "Armored Susanoo," dramatically enhancing both destructive power and endurance.
Furthermore, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki possessed the Rinne Sharingan—an eye not even ordinary main family members possessed. Using it to suppress or control a Tailed Beast was akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
In essence, the Tailed Beasts were merely secondary derivatives of the Ten-Tails God Tree. From their very design, they bore unavoidable flaws, destined to be powerless before the might of the Ōtsutsuki.
This dominance also reflected how advanced the Ōtsutsuki clan's technology for cultivating the Ten-Tails God Tree had become. They understood every parameter and property of the God Tree with absolute clarity.
Even the Tailed Beasts born from the God Tree, along with Wood Release that carried its traits, were already powerful enough to dominate the shinobi world.
With such technology, for the Ōtsutsuki clan, destroying a planet alone was likely as routine as going to work.
"I did not expect your understanding of the Ten-Tails God Tree to have reached such a level. In that case, let us begin catalyzing the Ten-Tails God Tree."
As her words fell, the Rinne Sharingan upon Kaguya's forehead suddenly erupted with dazzling violet light.
The Ōtsutsuki clan's God Tree technology had always been the greatest and most central secret of the Naruto world.
It could be said that the entire trajectory of this world's development traced back to the God Tree.
Since the native sages of Earth had conceived of using humans to obtain the bloodline power of the invading Ōtsutsuki, it was only natural that they had also considered reverse-engineering the Ōtsutsuki's God Tree technology.
"However, those sages are likely drawing water with a bamboo basket. To control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path requires ocular power at least at the level of the Rinnegan. And to transform the Demonic Statue into the God Tree state likely demands the level of the Rinne Sharingan."
Watching the eerie violet light radiating from Kaguya's forehead, Ruri pondered silently.
The Rinne Sharingan was a special dōjutsu awakened only by consuming the God Tree's fruit. In history, only Kaguya had awakened it by monopolizing the fruit.
Although Madara had awakened the Rinne Sharingan after absorbing the God Tree while possessing both Rinnegan, in essence the Rinne Sharingan belonged to Kaguya. The true form of the God Tree was Kaguya herself. Madara had merely gained access to Kaguya's power, temporarily wielding the Rinne Sharingan's abilities.
Crash—
Amid a tremendous roar, under the illumination of the Rinne Sharingan's violet light, the Demonic Statue's single eye turned toward the Nine-Tails in the sky.
As if beholding a delicious meal, the Demonic Statue let out a thunderous roar. Its massive tail shot upward, tightly binding the enormous Nine-Tails in the air.
ROAR—
The Nine-Tails, over a hundred meters long, was no small creature. Its body was colossal.
Yet before the Ten-Tails, it was as frail as a cub—not even as large as one of the Ten-Tails' palms.
Rumble...
With deafening crashes, wooden stakes burst forth from the Ten-Tails' arm, expanding as they extended before ultimately forming a wooden dragon that coiled tightly around the Nine-Tails.
Under the suppression of the Rinne Sharingan, the Nine-Tails could not move at all. It could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded.
"!"
Bound by the wooden dragon, the Nine-Tails was horrified to discover that as the wooden structures pierced into its body, its vast chakra began flowing uncontrollably into the wooden dragon.
The agony of having its chakra drained drove the Nine-Tails' consciousness into hysterical madness. Yet under the Rinne Sharingan's suppression, its will could not control its body.
This torment—worse than death—nearly burned away its sanity.
As immense amounts of chakra poured from the Nine-Tails into the wooden dragon, the branches binding it grew thicker and more solid.
Below, the Ten-Tails seemed to be feeding. Bulges appeared intermittently along the limbs that restrained the Nine-Tails, traveling upward before converging at its head.
Glug—glug—glug—
As though absorbing some kind of liquid, the Ten-Tails' once gaunt body gradually grew robust. A spiral protrusion slowly formed upon its back.
The emergence of this structure signified that the Ten-Tails was completing its functions—a mark of its progression toward the next stage.
As an observer, even Ruri felt a twinge of emotion witnessing such brutality.
When she had been with Satsuki, she had learned from Sakuya that the Ōtsutsuki clan could restrain the Tailed Beasts. But she had not expected the suppression to be this absolute. In the eyes of the Ōtsutsuki, the mighty Tailed Beasts were little more than oversized toys.
With nothing more than a glance, the strongest of the nine Tailed Beasts had lost all combat capability. The disparity was almost absurd.
"Fortunately, Satsuki has already modified the Nine-Tails' power within this body, and I've deciphered part of that reincarnated yōkai, Hagoromo Gitsune's, power. Otherwise, relying solely on the Nine-Tails' strength, if this body were to face the Ōtsutsuki clan, my fate would likely be no different from this Nine-Tails."
Watching the bound and helpless Nine-Tails, Ruri gained an even deeper understanding of Satsuki's oft-repeated words: "Strength and weakness are always relative."
...
As the absorption continued, the Ten-Tails' body began to swell.
Originally, the Ten-Tails had resembled a gigantic humanoid creature, with a torso and limbs similar to those of a human.
Now, however, it had transformed entirely.
Its eyes were Rinnegan. Nine horns grew from its head—six atop its crown and three along its jaw. Its body expanded to nearly a thousand meters in length. Its mouth was vast enough to swallow a Tailed Beast whole.
If not for the spatial technology embedded within the Lunar Palace, such an enormous being could not possibly be contained.
Deities of creation from various mythologies—Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi, Datara, Great Dharma Masters—were said to resemble this very state of the Ten-Tails.
In this form, the Ten-Tails could drink seas dry, split the earth, push mountains aside. Destroying a world would be but a matter of moments.
And yet—even this was not its final form.
The Nine-Tails, still bound by the wooden dragon, had changed.
Its initial fury and rage had given way to despair.
Its ferocity slowly turned into stunned disbelief.
Boom...
With a violent gust of wind, the colossal Ten-Tails suddenly opened its enormous mouth.
From within emerged nine gigantic chakra dragons.
"Is that the Demonic Dragon Nine Seals?"
Ruri was startled. She had not expected that after obtaining the Rinnegan, the Ten-Tails could perform this sealing technique on its own.
ROAR—
The nine chakra dragons soared upward, entwining themselves around the Nine-Tails.
Enveloped by the Demonic Dragon Nine Seals, the Nine-Tails' body began to change.
It was as though solid matter were dissolving into fluid. Its form began to flow, drawn inexorably toward the Ten-Tails' gaping maw.
"It's over!"
In that instant, overwhelming terror engulfed the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails rarely felt fear. Even when defeated, sealed, or controlled, it had only ever felt rage, hatred, and a desire for vengeance.
Because it understood one truth: as a Tailed Beast—a pure energy lifeform—it was theoretically immortal.
Like a drop of water in nature.
How does one eliminate a drop of water?
Burn it? It evaporates into vapor, existing in another form, only to condense once more under cold air.
To truly erase a drop of water, one must pour it into a river, a lake, an ocean. Once it merges into a greater body of water, its individual existence vanishes.
Likewise, the only true way to eliminate a Tailed Beast was to fuse its power back together.
And now, the Ten-Tails was doing precisely that—completely devouring its existence, erasing the very concept of it.
This was the most despairing moment for all Tailed Beasts.
Their true end.