Kurama remained, lying still, staring at the loosened chains.
They weren't reattached. Yukika had kept his word.
But…
Could he trust a human—just once?
Kurama lay on the ground, ears twitching slightly.
"So lonely…"
Back in Mito's room, the old woman sighed gently.
She could sense Kurama's emotions.
Before Yukika's words, even Mito had felt only fear and suspicion toward the beast.
But she had no choice. She was a Jinchūriki.
Now, though… she found Kurama pitiful.
He'd done nothing wrong. Just became a convenient tool, a target for exploitation.
"But Yukika… what's your plan?"
Mito finally voiced her deepest worry.
If you want to remove a Tailed Beast from a Jinchūriki without killing them…
Tobirama had researched such theories.
There was only one possible way—transferring equal life force.
But whoever did that would pay a steep price.
"This has nothing to do with the old method," Yukika replied, stretching out his arm as a white coat draped over his shoulders.
"This will hurt, yes. But afterward—"
"It'll be a rebirth."
"I call it… evolution."
Pain?
Meitou—standing nearby—shook her head.
She'd long since grown numb to pain after everything she'd endured.
But as Yukika dragged her into the next room and struck a strange mark into his own body with a fist—
The searing agony of soul-rending pain made Meitou understand exactly what Yukika had meant.
It hurt.
…
"Three days, Hiruzen."
In Konoha.
The Hokage's office was thick with smoke.
Since Yukika's return, Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe had been more active than ever.
The smoke nearly choked Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, but they were used to it by now.
To beat Hiruzen's secondhand smoke, there was only one option—join him and smoke too!
Then he'd see how it felt.
Koharu was speaking.
Three days had passed.
Senju Yukika had done nothing.
He hadn't returned to the village, hadn't riled up the people.
Good news.
If he'd kept parading around like a hero, the elders would've been furious.
Still… they couldn't help but wonder what he was doing with the Senju clan.
"I've let him ignore the Hokage's summons. That's already a huge concession."
Homura coughed, his lungs filled with smoke.
"He's earned it. Let's go see."
"Once the front lines stabilize, people's attention will shift."
Hiruzen finally spoke. Tsunade and Yukika had left the battlefield. The position of commander was vacant.
He had already appointed Jiraiya as interim commander. Danzo was returning from the field.
Apparently, Danzo's partner had been badly beaten—skin flayed, arm broken.
Only through endurance could one grow stronger.
Hiruzen wasn't in a rush.
The higher Yukika soared, the harder he'd fall.
"I do have one question though," Homura muttered.
"Given his personality, being recalled so suddenly should've caused a scene. But he hasn't even visited the Hokage office."
"What exactly is he up to?"
How should I know?
Hiruzen shook his head.
If he knew, he wouldn't need to smoke this much.
Silence filled the room.
Only the sound of the Hokage puffing on his pipe remained.
"You're basically immune to lung cancer. Must be fate," Koharu muttered, heading out for fresh air.
But just as she stood up, all three turned to the same direction—
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave tore through Konoha's barrier. Crimson chakra surged into the sky!
There—!
That was the Senju clan's compound!
"Nine-Tails! That's the Nine-Tails!"
Countless shinobi looked up in terror.
A massive, ghostly silhouette slowly rose into the air—
It looked like it had broken free.
ROAR!
A thunderous howl shook the village.
Hiruzen immediately led his team toward the Senju compound.
Kurama was out of control.
This was their worst-case scenario.
Now they understood exactly what Yukika had been doing all this time.
Kurama…
Had broken free.