Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent. The atmosphere turned strange, almost frozen in place.
"Hey, wanna be my little brother?"
Shukaku's voice drifted through the air, loud and clear enough for everyone to hear.
At that moment, shock rippled through the crowd. It was as if they were caught in a dream.
"Am I… under a genjutsu?"
Someone questioned aloud, finding the whole scene too bizarre, too out of place.
"Only one way to find out."
Without hesitation, someone drew a kunai and slashed it across his own chest.
Squelch!
A gash opened instantly, blood spurting out like a fountain.
"Gah! It hurts!"
The man cried out in pain, but his expression quickly lit up with confirmation. "It's real! This isn't an illusion!"
"The hell, man? Why are you hurting yourself?!"
"Heh, shows what you know. Pain is the most reliable way to break a genjutsu," the man said proudly, feeling rather clever.
"Then why didn't you stab your leg instead?"
"???"
Moments later, the man was writhing in agony, blood gushing as he cursed the world with every breath.
Neji gave him a silent thumbs-up. "Respect. You're a real man."
"So, kid, what do you say? Wanna call me big bro?" Shukaku's shrill voice rang out again.
"And why exactly should I be your little brother? Just because I blocked your Air Bullet?" Neji asked coolly.
"No, not exactly… There's something about you… Your chakra feels kind of familiar. Almost like kin."
"My chakra feels familiar to you?"
"Yeah."
Even Neji was puzzled now. How could his chakra possibly feel familiar to a Tailed Beast?
Others might not know, but he certainly did. Tailed Beasts were formed from the chakra of the Ten-Tails, which was in turn a manifestation of the God Tree. In a sense, all chakra in the world originated from them. How could his chakra feel special to them?
Still, Shukaku didn't seem to be lying. Was there something he was missing?
Forget it. No use dwelling on it. It's not like this works against him.
Neji gave Shukaku a long look, something sparking in his eyes. Suddenly, he wore a curious expression as he turned to the beast.
"Your offer isn't bad, but I've never been the type to play second fiddle," Neji said, composed as ever.
"Ha? I'm stronger than your whole damn village Hokage combined," Shukaku huffed.
"And yet, you're sealed away, powerless to act. If anything happens, I'd be the one cleaning up the mess, wouldn't I?"
Shukaku fell silent. Neji had a point. He couldn't really argue with that.
"But," Neji continued, "if we just tweak the deal a little, I might be willing."
His tone shifted deliberately. He first deflated Shukaku's ego, then offered a counteroffer. Since Shukaku was the one who initiated the idea, there was a good chance he'd accept.
After all, he said it himself Neji's chakra felt familiar.
Heh. For a Tailed Beast, Shukaku was fairly clever, but compared to Neji? Not even close.
Sure enough, Shukaku bit. "Tweak it? What do you mean tweak it?"
"It's simple. You become my little brother instead," Neji said casually.
"What?!" Shukaku bristled. "Impossible! I'm a proud Tailed Beast!"
Neji didn't react. He'd anticipated this resistance.
He replied calmly, "Don't get worked up. Think it through. You just want us to be sworn brothers, right? Does it really matter who's big and who's little?"
"You're sealed. Any trouble that comes up, I'm the one who'll have to deal with it. That already sounds like a big brother's job, doesn't it?"
"So if I take the lead, it's only natural."
Shukaku scratched his chin. That… actually made some sense. Cleaning up messes was the older brother's job after all.
Heh. Neji smirked inwardly. The fact that Shukaku hadn't lashed out when he made the offer meant the beast was already considering it.
He pressed on. "Besides, if you accept me as your big brother, I'll find a way to break your seal and set you free. That's pretty generous, don't you think?"
"Not only that, I plan to form bonds with the other Tailed Beasts too. If you're the first to join me, you'll be the senior among them. Imagine this one day, you'll be the one barking orders at the Nine-Tails. Doesn't that sound good?"
Shukaku's eyes sparkled. That actually sounded amazing.
He could already picture it: towering over Kurama, riding high on the chain of command.
With a loud laugh and a dramatic wave of his paw, he declared, "From this day forward, you're my big bro!"
Then, with great effort, he bent his massive body into a bow. A clear sign of submission.
A textbook case of pulling off a deal with no investment and Shukaku actually agreed.
Hiss…
The crowd watching this unfold gasped in unison. The sight was so bizarre and surreal it left their blood cold.
Some wanted to laugh, but the chill crawling up their spines stopped them short.
A Tailed Beast, taken in like some street thug.
Unbelievable.
He'd tamed a Tailed Beast just like that. Today really was something special.
Neji smiled, clearly satisfied. At this stage, having a powerhouse stronger than most Kage at his side meant the early game was locked in.
If word of this ever got out, others would be frothing at the mouth with jealousy.
Just starting out, and already on par with an elite jōnin? That kind of gap was hard to swallow.
But Neji was quick to realize a new problem.
Sure, he had "recruited" Shukaku, but the beast was technically sealed. That complicated things.
Send him back?
Out of the question. He finally had a brawler, no way he'd hand him over.
Especially not during wartime. If the Sand Village had the guts to invade, they had to be ready to lose some assets.
But then there was the issue of Gaara.
Neji glanced at the boy still lying on top of Shukaku's head. That was a problem.
With a light hop, Neji landed atop Shukaku's head and made his way toward Gaara.
Shukaku didn't move. He just stood there silently, showing no sign of aggression.
Though part of him worried Neji might try to wake Gaara, the strange bond he felt with Neji's chakra pushed him to trust instead.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, inside the Four Violet Flames Formation-
The battle between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru was nearing its climax. Both sides had unleashed their most powerful jutsu. Explosions echoed endlessly.
If not for the protective barrier, the entire area would've been reduced to rubble by now.
Clang! Bang!
The staff and sword clashed. Both fighters staggered from the force before springing back.
"Orochimaru, what are you really after?"
Hiruzen raised the Adamantine Staff, pointing it directly at his former student.
"What I'm after?" Orochimaru chuckled, sheathing the Kusanagi Blade. He gazed at the chaos below with a look of strange admiration.
"If I had to say… I'm just injecting a little fresh blood into Konoha."