vncnus Chapter 414 Amusing Nine-Tailed Fox
Chapter 414 Amusing Nine-Tailed Fox
Chapter 414 Amusing Nine-Tailed Fox
Fire Country Northern Border Force Camp.
While Jiraiya was busy in the Land of Rain, Taiichi was not idle either.
Taiyi sat cross-legged in the tent, all his attention focused on his outstretched palms.
There lay quietly a short, palm-length, jet-black rod, the very rod taken from Pain's Animal Path.
Several days have passed, and the black rod still exudes an eerie aura.
Whenever Taiyi gathers some chakra to examine the black rod, an extremely subtle yet exceptionally clear sense of stagnation instantly arises.
The moment that wisp of chakra touched the black rod, it was like a stream crashing into an invisible reef; its originally smooth flow suddenly became chaotic and sluggish.
Taiichi frowned slightly and tried to increase the intensity of his chakra output, but the result remained unchanged.
The full force was forcibly worn down and distorted by that invisible interference field, and in the end, less than one-tenth of it could actually be applied to the black rod itself.
"Tsk—" Taiyi couldn't help but click his tongue softly. This creation of the Rinnegan was indeed extraordinary.
Although it cannot compare to the legendary Seeking Truth Jewel, it has its own unique uses, and its study can also promote the development of Taiyi Yin-Yang Escape.
The tent was silent, save for the steady, soft breathing. Taiyi was like a meditating monk, his entire being absorbed in his "dialogue" with the black staff. Time passed quietly.
Just then.
My right shoulder suddenly sank.
A warm, furry touch, accompanied by a considerable weight, pressed down on Taiyi, instantly pulling him out of his almost oblivious state of concentration.
Without turning around, or even sensing that familiar aura, Taiyi knew who it was.
Throughout the entire border camp, the only one who dared to jump onto his shoulder without prior notice while he was deep in thought was that "fluffy dumpling" whose size had been forcibly shrunk, but whose temper was still quite fierce.
"Eeeeeeeeee—Aww!" The Nine-Tailed Fox first made a few cute, nasal sounds that were completely out of character for its self-proclaimed "old man," then immediately switched to what it considered a dignified tone and began to whine in dissatisfaction.
"Hey! You brat! Have you been staring at this broken stick for days? Your eyes are practically popping out of their sockets. I don't think you've figured out anything except how to make it shinier."
It complained as it lightly brushed Taiyi's nape with its bushy tail, clearly showing its annoyance.
These past few days, Taiyi has been engrossed in his research, which has been driving him crazy. He finally managed to break free of his seal and be able to come out and see the world, but his only "playmate" is like a stone, staring blankly at the black stick all day long, with no one to talk to or make him laugh.
For the Nine-Tails, who had been imprisoned for many years and craved excitement (even if it was forced excitement), this was another form of torture.
Taiyi was slightly annoyed that it had interrupted his train of thought, but he remained outwardly calm.
He tilted his head slightly, glanced at the orange-red fur ball on his shoulder with its bristling fur standing on end and a "I'm not happy to coax me" expression, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.
The next second, he made a lightning-fast move, grabbing the relatively soft fur on the back of the nine-tailed fox's neck. Amidst its angry and startled cry of "Awooo! What are you doing?!", he lifted it off his shoulder without saying a word and then pressed it into his arms!
"Ugh!" Caught off guard, the Nine-Tailed Fox's entire fox face was buried in Taiyi's clothes, leaving only its fluffy tail swinging futilely outside.
Taiyi ignored its protests and began to rub its shiny, smooth, and wonderfully soft fur with both hands without any restraint.
That smooth, soft touch, warm to the touch, can indeed lift one's spirits, especially in this desolate border region.
"You bastard! Let me go! I am a dignified nine-tailed fox, not some plaything for a brat like you! Let go now, or I'll bite you to death!"
Nine-Tailed Fox struggled desperately in his arms, kicking wildly with its four little paws. Unfortunately, its strength was greatly reduced after its size shrank, and with Taiyi's intentional suppression, its resistance seemed futile and laughable.
"Alright, alright, calm down." Taiyi said slowly, petting the fox, his tone slightly teasing.
Back in Konoha, when those kids were touching your tail and scratching your chin, didn't you end up squinting and enjoying it?
What, it doesn't work for me? Double standards aren't good, Xiao Jiu~~~
"Bullshit!" Nine-Tails struggled even more violently, as if its tail had been stepped on. "How can that be the same? What do those brats know? What I did was—that was strategic paralysis, it was enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens!"
Besides, if it weren't for you lurking around, threatening me with that damned "compensation" theory, I would have swallowed them whole! They wouldn't have had a chance to be so presumptuous! You're different! You're doing this on purpose! Let me go!"
Taiyi was so amused by its blustering yet cowardly explanation that he almost burst out laughing.
He certainly knew the psychological changes that Nine-Tails went through, from resistance to half-hearted acceptance, and then to enjoying it with his eyes half-closed.
Seeing that the fluffy ball in his arms was about to explode, Taiichi released his grip at the right moment.
"Eek!" Like an arrow released from a bow, the Nine-Tailed Fox darted out of Taiyi's arms and landed a few steps away on the open ground. It arched its back warily, its fur standing on end, like an angry orange dandelion.
It frantically licked its ruffled fur while glaring fiercely at Taiichi with its vertical pupils, muttering incessantly, "You wretched brat—taking advantage of your abilities to bully this old man—just you wait—until I regain my strength—"
Taiyi looked at its angry, annoyed, and helpless expression and awkwardly touched his nose.
He couldn't refute the "threat theory" that Nine-Tails accused him of.
At the time, in order to get the arrogant fox to cooperate in calming the frightened child, he did use a little "moral blackmail" tactic.
To ease the awkwardness, Taiichi immediately steered the conversation back to business. He picked up the black staff again and waved it at the bristling Nine-Tailed Fox.
"Alright, stop fooling around. You should be familiar with this thing, right?" Taiyi stared at Nine-Tails with a half-smile.
Nine-Tailed Fox's mutterings abruptly ceased. Its gaze fell upon the black rod, its vertical pupils contracted slightly, and a complex light flashed across its eyes—a truly distant memory.
Randomly, it instinctively avoided Taiyi's probing gaze, tilting its furry head slightly to one side and making muffled gurgling sounds in its throat.
"Hmph!" After a few seconds, it forced itself to calm down and turned around, trying to puff out its small chest, pointing its nostrils at Taiyi, and adopting an arrogant attitude of being knowledgeable.
"Nonsense! I've lived for over a thousand years, what haven't I seen? Isn't it just a creation of the Rinnegan? Or—something that even someone who has mastered advanced Yin-Yang Release could make. What? You're interested in it, kid?"
Its tone was full of deliberate contempt, as if it were talking about pebbles on the roadside.
"Oh? It seems you know quite a bit." Taiichi raised an eyebrow with interest, his fingertips lightly tracing the cool surface of the black rod. "Then tell me, how is this thing made? What's the principle behind it? Besides interfering with chakra, what other uses does it have?"
"————" Nine-Tails was asked a question that left the room speechless.
It certainly knew the Yin-Yang Release power contained in the black rod, and it also knew that the Rinnegan could create this thing.
But how could it possibly explain this in detail to the little devil who had given it such a hard time?
Even if I knew it, I wouldn't do it!
It stiffened its neck, using an even more mocking tone to mask its unease: "Ha! What's the use of telling you? You don't have the Rinnegan, and your understanding of Yin-Yang Release is practically nonexistent! Wishful thinking! I advise you to give up now and stop wasting your time on this!"
These words sounded like a direct blow, but they also seemed to be a subtle provocation.
Upon hearing this, Taiyi was not angry at all; instead, a deeper smile appeared on his lips. He did not refute the Nine-Tails' taunt, but simply slowly raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing upward.
"Is that so?" he murmured to himself, his eyes instantly becoming incredibly focused.
Buzz————
An invisible force field quietly spread out from the center of his palm. The air seemed to become viscous and distorted.
Taiyi's chakra began to surge with an unprecedented rhythm, no longer a violent output, but like the most precise instrument adjusting its parameters.
The Nine-Tailed Fox, whose eyes were originally filled with mockery and disdain, froze instantly when it saw the air above Taiyi's palm begin to distort and fluctuate.
It subconsciously held its breath, its ruffled fur slowly calmed down, and its four paws unconsciously moved forward a small step. Its golden vertical pupils stared intently at the center of Taiyi's palm.
The tent fell into absolute silence; not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
One second — Ten seconds — One minute — Minute —
Above Taiyi's palm, apart from the air rippled and twisted like water waves, nothing substantial appeared.
Time stretched on endlessly in the silent wait.
The Nine-Tailed Fox went from initial shock and anticipation to doubt, and then a barely perceptible hint of anxiety crept into its eyes.
It couldn't help but flick its fluffy tail, letting out a very soft, urging gurgle from its throat.
Why is there still no movement? Is this kid just bluffing? Or has he actually already failed and is just putting on a brave face?
Just as Kurama's patience was about to run out, and the mocking words were about to burst out of his mouth.
A sudden change has occurred!
Taiyi suddenly clenched his outstretched hand, his five fingers closing tightly!
puff!
A very faint sound, like a bubble bursting.
The ripples in the air above his palm were instantly smoothed out by an invisible hand, disappearing without a trace. All the condensed chakra fluctuations also vanished in an instant, as if everything just now was merely an illusion of the Nine-Tails.
The camp returned to its previous tranquility.
Immediately afterward, Taiyi's voice, tinged with obvious mockery, rang out clearly, breaking the deathly silence: "Haha! Just kidding! You actually believed me?"
He opened his empty palm, waved it at the Nine-Tailed Fox, and flashed an extremely smug and bright smile. "How could it be so fast? I've only been studying it for a few days! This thing is too complicated; there's no way I can learn it!"
Nine-Tails: "————???"
'
Its wide, golden vertical pupils clearly reflected Taiyi's face, which wore a mischievous smile.
From intense focus and anticipation to a moment of emptiness and confusion, and then to the explosive anger of being fooled, the whole process took less than a second!
"Awooo!!!!"
A piercing roar, sharp enough to shatter eardrums, echoed throughout the entire camp!
Nine-Tailed Fox's fur stood on end as if it had been subjected to static electricity, and its body seemed to swell up a size due to anger! Its small body transformed into a furious orange-red lightning bolt, and with an aura of mutual destruction, it pounced on Taiyi's hateful smiling face!
"You damn brat! I'm going to fight you to the death today!!!"
Claws flashed and slashed! A cold glint appeared!
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Don't—don't scratch my face!"
"I was wrong! Kyuubi! Lord Nine-Tailed Fox! It's all my fault!"
"I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! Really!"
"Ouch—be gentle! My clothes! My new uniform!"
"Ancestor! Please don't scratch my face! Otherwise, I won't be able to show my face to anyone tomorrow! I give up! Isn't giving up enough?"
A fierce yet comical battle between humans and foxes suddenly unfolded inside the camp.
Accompanied by Taiyi's repeated screams and pleas for mercy, came the Nine-Tails' furious roar and the tearing sound of fabric being ripped.
This one-sided "ravaging" lasted for a full five minutes. It wasn't until the front of Taiyi's ninja vest was completely tattered and there were several bloody scratches on his face and arms that the enraged Nine-Tails seemed to be slightly relieved.
"Hmph!" With a cold snort full of disdain and lingering anger, the thick curtain of the tent suddenly swayed, and an orange-red figure rushed out like a cannonball, disappearing into the camp in an instant, leaving only a few orange-red fox furs.
The camp was in a mess.
Taiyi sat on the ground, wincing and clutching his burning cheek. He looked down at the front of his uniform, which resembled a beggar's outfit, and sighed helplessly.
"Goodness gracious—he's got a temper, he explodes at the slightest provocation."
As he muttered to himself, he channeled his Yang Release chakra. A soft green light instantly covered the scratches on his body, and the bleeding wounds stopped bleeding, closed, and scabbed over at a speed visible to the naked eye, until even the faint red marks disappeared.
After treating the superficial wounds, Taiyi's gaze returned to calm. He slowly raised his right hand again, palm up, his eyes so focused they seemed to pierce through the void.
This time, there was no mockery.
Buzz————
A tiny black dot appeared silently in the very center of Taiyi's palm without any warning!
The black was so pure, so dark, that it seemed to devour even the light!
At first, it was only the size of a grain of rice, but as Taiyi tried to infuse it with more Yin-Yang Escape techniques.
The black "seeds" began to slowly "grow," like sprouting branches and buds.
It started as the size of a grain of rice, gradually grew to the size of a mung bean, and slowly extended towards the shape of a little fingernail—however, just as it was about to stabilize and take shape.
Click!
Within that condensed black substance, countless tiny cracks seemed to spread instantly, causing the Yin-Yang balance that constituted it to instantly lose its equilibrium and begin to violently clash, repel, and annihilate!
boom!
A dull, soft sound.
The black substance, which had painstakingly condensed to the size of a little fingernail, trembled and then completely disintegrated, turning into countless tiny black specks of light. These specks flickered in the air for a brief moment before vanishing without a trace.
The camp returned to calm.
Taiyi slowly withdrew his hand, looking at his empty palm. There was no disappointment on his face, but rather a knowing look of "I knew it," and—an even stronger interest.
"It's still too much of a stretch—" he muttered to himself, but a gleam of satisfaction shone in his eyes. "The fusion and stability of Yin-Yang Release requires several times more precision than anticipated. However—"
With a thought, a semi-transparent panel, visible only to him, appeared in his field of vision:
[Yang attribute property change Lv13 (2162/5000)]
[Yin Attribute Nature Change Lv12 (3193/4000)]
"I'm almost there with Yin Release." Taiichi's gaze was fixed on the experience bar for Yin Attribute Nature Transformation, and a confident smile appeared on his lips. "It'll be soon. Once Yin Release breaks through to Lv13 and reaches a new balance with Yang Release—I'll be able to control the creation of this black rod."