Chapter 73: Jinchūriki

The Third Mizukage was briefly stunned. "Divide the tailed beast? What do you mean?" Zenkichi responded calmly, "Physically, of course." In the original timeline, the Fourth Hokage had split the Nine-Tails into Yin and Yang halves. But that method came at the cost of his life—and Zenkichi had no intention of dying. The Fourth Hokage had used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, a forbidden technique that summoned the Reaper to seal the soul of both the target and the caster. Since the Nine-Tails was a mass of chakra without a soul, the Reaper simply extracted the Yin chakra and devoured it like a soul. People have Yin and Yang souls. Chakra, too, possesses Yin and Yang attributes. Zenkichi couldn't split a tailed beast by soul aspects—but he had another option: physical separation. After all, Kinkaku and Ginkaku once consumed the Nine-Tails' flesh and gained its chakra, becoming pseudo-jinchūriki. And during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, a rogue named Kazuma used residual chakra to create artificial jinchūriki. Zenkichi's plan was to divide the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, sealing portions of their chakra into separate individuals. It would weaken the individual jinchūriki—but make the tailed beasts far easier to control. The Third Mizukage frowned. "Can that really work? It doesn't sound... stable." Zenkichi shrugged. "I know the risks. That's why I want to test it first." He smiled coldly. "Kirigakure has no shortage of death row inmates. Might as well put them to good use." The Mizukage sighed. "If you're determined... fine. But be careful. Tailed beasts aren't immortal." He had a point. If a tailed beast was killed, its chakra would eventually reform—but in an unknown location. Losing control could mean losing a tailed beast entirely. Zenkichi waved it off. "Relax. I'm not killing them. Just carving off a few pieces to extract the original chakra." The Mizukage folded his arms. "Go back for now. I'll speak with the two jinchūriki first." Zenkichi nodded. "No problem." --- Zenkichi Residence "Zenkichi! Who is she?!" Terumi Mei stood in front of him, arms crossed and fuming, glaring at Pakura, who sat calmly on the sofa. Zenkichi replied nonchalantly, "She's... special. Nowhere else suits her, so she's staying here for now." Terumi narrowed her eyes. "She's not just some ANBU, is she? Who is she really?" Before Zenkichi could answer, Pakura cut in with a smirk. "Little girl, aren't you being a bit too nosy?" Terumi's face darkened. "Shut it. This doesn't concern you." Pakura chuckled, clearly unbothered. "Jealousy, huh? Not surprising. A flat little girl is bound to feel insecure." Terumi exploded. "Did you just say I have no assets?!" Zenkichi sighed. "Alright, both of you—enough." Terumi snapped, "This is just like last time. You gave the same excuse when you brought Tsunade into your house!" "And now? Your standards have dropped! Look at her, then look at Tsunade. No comparison." She gave Pakura a mocking once-over. Pakura caught the look, grinding her teeth. But... recalling Tsunade's legendary figure, she sulked in silence. Zenkichi rubbed his forehead. "The war between women... terrifying." "I'm going to rest. You two carry on if you want. Oh, and be prepared—one of you may become a jinchūriki soon." He turned lazily toward his room. "But not the kind you're thinking of. This version has fewer risks." With that, Zenkichi vanished into the bedroom. "Jinchūriki..." Pakura and Terumi Mei glanced at each other. Then both scoffed and turned away, pouting in sync. --- A Few Days Later – Outskirts of Kirigakure The Third Mizukage guided Zenkichi toward the edge of the village. A few old cabins stood quietly—homes of the village's two tailed beast hosts. Unlike Kumogakure, with tools like the Amber Purification Jar, or Sunagakure's sealing pot for Shukaku, Kirigakure lacked such refined weapons. Their method was brutal. When a jinchūriki neared death, they extracted the tailed beast from the dying body, suppressed it by force, and sealed it into a new host. To them, a jinchūriki was a vessel. Nothing more. "You're Zenkichi?" An elderly man stepped out. His chakra was faint, but his smile was warm. "Even out here, we've heard about you. It's a blessing for Kirigakure to have someone like you." Zenkichi gave a small nod. "If not for me... maybe you'd have lived longer. I'm sorry." The Three-Tails' jinchūriki chuckled. "No need for that. In truth, we're grateful. You're giving us release." "We've lived long enough. The tailed beasts resent their cages. They've been thrashing against the seals for years." "Our bodies are old. Our 'cages' are weakening. Every day, it's harder to keep them sealed." "We've endured pain and backlash for the village's sake, but if we slip up... the destruction would be catastrophic." "So we kept going. But if this can free us—and protect the village—then so be it." "Better this than waiting for the seals to break. Better to go with dignity than die in failure." The two old jinchūriki smiled—not with fear, but with pride. They had given everything for Kirigakure. Even now, facing death, their thoughts were only for their home. Even a village as ruthless as the Bloody Mist had shinobi willing to lay down everything—for the sake of the village. --- As usual, Send Powerstones.