XX-level Hokage

"No need, you go and rest, I'll take care of this." Shinji stood up, stopping Izumi from doing so, and said. "I didn't expect you to be willing to clear the dishes," Izumi said with great satisfaction.

“Me? Never mind, let them handle it,” Mashiro said softly. Immediately afterward, two ninja soldiers appeared and began clearing the table. Izumi, looking as if she had expected this, stopped what she was doing.

"I'm going to take a shower, wanna come with me?" Izumi put her hand on Mashiro's shoulder and asked. "No, I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep after you shower," Mashiro said meaningfully. "I don't mind," Izumi said with a light kiss on Mashiro's cheek.

"Forget it, you've had a long journey, you should get some rest." Mashiro shook her head and said. "Tch!"

Izumi released Mashiro with great disappointment and headed towards the bathroom. Mashiro smiled, turned around, and went up to the third floor.

Although it was because of Kurenai's request, Mashiro did indeed solve the orphanage's problem, so she needed Konan to reward herself.

On the other side, Izumi entered the bathroom, took off her clothes, and stood beneath the brothel. Steam rose.

"Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel like there's another mark on Mashiro's soul? And that mark feels incredibly familiar," Izumi muttered to herself. In the Akatsuki base, in Shingo's room...

Kaguya Shinichi gently opened his eyes. His eyes were rapidly changing.

One magatama, two magatama, three magatama, and finally the three magatama combine to form a triangular snowflake pattern.

"This feeling... how could this be!" the true self muttered to himself, turning his gaze back to Turtle Island.

At this time, Naruto was undergoing the test of the Waterfall of Truth under Killer Bee's guidance. Naruto had successfully accepted himself and gained Killer Bee's approval.

"Looks like it worked." Kushina said excitedly as she watched Naruto get up from in front of the Waterfall of Truth. "It's too early to be happy, you idiot, you idiot!" Killer Bee also said with a laugh.

“Let’s try controlling the power next,” Killer Bee said as he walked up to Naruto.

“From now on, I am your master. Be prepared, or you’ll die.” Killer Bee even spontaneously broke into a rap.

"This guy, with his personality, might get along with Jiraiya-sensei," Kushina said, rubbing her head. "Great!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"Come with me, Naruto." Killer Bee walked towards the Fall of Truth.

"Um, can I come along?" Kushina asked, raising her hand. "No problem," Killer Bee replied, giving an OK sign.

"I won't be going with you. I still need to report the situation to Kumogakure and Konoha. I'll take my leave now," Motoi said with a smile.

"You've worked hard," Kushina said, following Killer Bee and Naruto. "This won't be easy," Motoi muttered to himself, watching the direction the three had gone. Following Killer Bee, the three entered the waterfall together.

"So there was something behind the waterfall," Naruto said, scratching his head.

Passing through the waterfall, there was a huge palace inside, which looked quite old. "Wow, amazing!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at the scene inside.

"I really didn't expect there to be a place like this," Kushina couldn't help but exclaim. "Let's fight the Nine-Tails here," Killer Bee said.

Fighting the Nine-Tails? "Naruto doesn't seem to quite understand what Killer Bee means."

“You mean breaking the seal? Isn’t it too dangerous here?” Kushina understood Killer Bee’s thoughts. “This is something he has to face,” Killer Bee said.

"Don't worry, Izumi-nee, I'll definitely succeed." Naruto patted his chest and said with a smile.

Seeing this, Kushina said nothing more and continued walking forward.

The group passed by the headless Buddha statue and the huge mural on the wall.

“This must be a ruin, right? It looks like it needs some restoration,” Kushina said softly.

"No, for some reason, these Buddha statues were headless when they were first built," Kirabi said.

"So, how do we fight the Nine-Tails here? How do we even meet the Nine-Tails?" Naruto asked curiously.

“This place has always been a sacred site where those chosen as Jinchuriki undergo baptism,” Killer Bee said, leading the two to a strange building with a bizarre black beast head in front of it.

“You can talk to the Tailed Beasts here, inside this building,” Killer Bee continued. “Here?” Naruto looked at the strange building and muttered to himself.

"Only the chosen ones can enter here; it's a selection process. Stick your head into the mouth of this stone statue, good man."

"If there is no darkness in your heart, the door will open, open." Killer Bee said while rapping. "Hey, speak clearly, you weird octopus." Kushina said angrily.

“If there is no darkness in one’s heart, then so be it. That’s why we need to stand in front of the waterfall.” Naruto pondered, now understanding Killer Bee’s meaning.

"However, if there is even a trace of darkness in your heart, the door will not open, and your head will be bitten off by the statue." After Kushina's angry rebuke, Killer Bee's words began to become more colloquial.

"The headless stone statues we saw along the way are actually the failed Jinchūriki," Killer Bee threatened.

"That's too dangerous, Naruto. Let's try using Shadow Clone Jutsu first." Although Kushina believed Killer Bee was lying, she still didn't dare let Naruto try it.

"This is a sacred place, guarded by the ancestors of the Hidden Cloud Village for generations. Don't try to sneak in," Killer Bee said. "But..." Kushina was about to say something when Naruto interrupted her.

"Izumi-nee, I came here to control the Nine-Tails' power. It's extremely important to me, and I can't give up." With that, Naruto walked up to the stone statue and then stuck his head inside.

Chapter 173: The Sealed Land

Kushina looked at Naruto with great tension.

Just then, Naruto, who had stuck the bald man's hand into the statue's mouth, suddenly yelled, "Ah!"

Hearing the cries, Kushina rushed over and hugged Naruto, trying to pull him out of the stone statue's mouth. "Naruto, are you alright!"

With a forceful pull, Kushina yanked Naruto's body out of the stone statue.

But at this moment, Naruto's body was headless, as if it had been bitten off by a stone statue.

Upon seeing this, Kushina collapsed to the ground. "How...how could this be, Naruto!!" Just as Kushina was about to faint...

"Just kidding, there's a switch inside." Naruto laughed as he poked his head out of his collar.

“It’s customary, so I also…” Naruto was speaking when he saw Kushina’s gloomy expression and immediately shut his mouth.

Killer Bee, still smugly saying, "I did the same prank back then, and it scared my brother half to death." "You two!! Baka!"

"Thump!" "Thump!"

Kushina suddenly sprang into action, throwing a punch that instantly gave Naruto and Killer Bee two bumps on their heads.

A moment later, Naruto, his face bruised and swollen, shook Kushina's arm. "I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, Izumi-nee."

Killer Bee, clutching his head full of bumps, rapped in a low voice: "Red hair, angry, violent, you!"

"Let's go." Kushina said, having calmed herself down, as she looked at the open door. Inside was an incredibly dreamlike scene, like a fantasy world.

“Go inside and sit down, close your eyes, and concentrate, just like you did at the Waterfall of Truth. That way you’ll be able to see the Tailed Beast inside you,” Killer Bee said, patting Naruto on the shoulder.

“However, when I was training in the past, I could communicate with Kurama (the Nine-Tails) through my mind,” Naruto asked.

Every Jinchūriki can do this, so there's another meaning to it, do you understand? Killer Bee said, stepping through the door and into that illusion.

Naruto and Kushina followed them inside. "Listen carefully, here's what you need to know about this place."

Killer Bee then looked at Naruto and asked, "Naruto, tell me, what kind of sealing technique sealed the Nine-Tails inside you?"

"The Four Symbols Seal," Kushina replied. She had previously examined the seal on Naruto's body.

"The Four Symbols Seal? That's impressive, even stronger than my Iron Armor Seal," Killer Bee said upon hearing this. "Do you have the key?" Killer Bee asked.

"The key?" Naruto seemed not to understand the word. "The key is with me," Kushina said.

Before his death, the Fourth Hokage left the key to unlock the Four Symbols Seal on Naruto to Jiraiya, who then placed it on Mount Myōboku. Before the others arrived, Mashiro asked Jiraiya to retrieve the key and give it to Kushina.

"So, the seal really needs to be broken. What if Fang Yi can't control it properly and the Nine-Tails breaks free?" Kushina said with some worry.

“Then let’s seal it here. This place was built specifically for this purpose. If we fail, the Nine-Tails will be sealed here until the next Jinchūriki appears,” Killer Bee said calmly.

"But..." Kushina was still very worried.

She was all too aware of the Nine-Tails' immense power; the Nine-Tails' strength was almost greater than the combined power of the other eight tailed beasts.

"No, that won't happen. I'll handle it." Naruto interrupted Kushina, looking at her with a light laugh as he spoke earnestly. Seeing Naruto's expression, Kushina inexplicably thought of Minato, but Minato's image was instantly replaced by another gentle figure. Shaking her head vigorously, Kushina shook off her wandering thoughts.

“Alright, then we'll close the door. Now I'll teach you how to fight the Nine-Tails.” Killer Bee was very satisfied with Naruto's attitude and said with a smile, “Also, I might need your help later with the sealing power of the Uzumaki clan.” Killer Bee turned to look at Kushina and said. Kushina nodded upon hearing this.

The door was quickly closed, and the three of them were now completely trapped in this strange space.

Kushina was standing to one side, while Killer Bee and Naruto sat on the ground, their fists clasped together. Killer Bee looked at Naruto, who had his eyes closed.

At this moment, in Naruto's consciousness space, ripples appeared on the water's surface, and Naruto was sitting on the water.

"Naruto, I admire you. The rules this time are simple: once you've greeted Kurama in your mind, the seal will be broken." Killer Bee's voice reached Naruto's ears in his mind.

Naruto gently opened his eyes, stood up, looked at the Nine-Tails in the huge cage before him, and said with a smile, "Yo, Nine-Tails. Your eyes are as fierce as ever."

"Naruto, you bastard!" Kurama's eyes were full of ferocity as it stared intently at Naruto. "What's wrong?" Naruto slowly rose from the water and asked softly.

"Where did the real you go? I can't sense you anymore!" Nine-Tailed Fox asked fiercely.

“Right here, right in front of you.” Naruto slowly rose to the center of the cage, in front of the seal, and said.

"Although you have overcome hatred, do not be careless. Do your best, and be careful of the Nine-Tails' attacks. The Nine-Tails is an extreme embodiment of hatred." Killer Bee's voice reached Naruto's ears again.

Upon hearing this, Naruto glanced at the characters written on the seal in front of him, reached out and peeled it off, revealing the Four Symbols Seal inside.

Naruto then pulled open his shirt, revealing the Four Symbols Seal on his stomach. "What are you thinking of?" Kurama asked, puzzled by Naruto's strange actions.

"My mouth is too busy right now, isn't that obvious?" Naruto said, his mouth clenched around his clothes, his right hand pulling open his left sleeve, his words mumbled indistinctly.

Then, blue chakra emerged from Naruto's five fingers on his left hand, and strange black patterns appeared in the center of his palm. The patterns continued to spread, extending to Naruto's entire left arm.

"I'm going in," Naruto said seriously.

He then quickly placed his left hand on his stomach and began to twist. As he twisted, the Four Symbols seal on the door began to gradually loosen.

A moment later, the Four Symbols Seal was completely released, and the Nine-Tails instantly broke free and roared at Naruto. The huge sound wave sent Naruto flying.

"When the Nine-Tails breaks free from the seal, use your chakra to capture its chakra and then extract it." Killer Bee's words continued to echo in Naruto's ears.

Upon hearing this, Naruto instantly gathered his chakra.

"Chakra can only be captured with chakra, that's common sense. First, we need to steal the Nine-Tails' chakra from it. If we succeed, we'll be victorious," Killer Bee continued.

"Red hair, but you made your move." In reality, Killer Bee snapped out of his daze and turned to Kushina.

Upon hearing this, Kushina closed her eyes, and then several golden chains flew out from her body and flowed into Naruto's body.

"This, this chakra is..." In Naruto's space, Kurama suddenly sensed an extremely familiar aura, and then several golden chains descended from the sky, binding its body.

"Make direct contact with the Nine-Tails, bring your chakra close to its chakra, and create a tug-of-war. In short, it's like a tug-of-war, understand?" Killer Bee continued to instruct Naruto.

Nine-Tails kept trying to break free of the golden chains, but no matter how hard it tried, it seemed to be in vain.

"Let me make it clear beforehand: while you're trying to steal chakra, you might also have your chakra stolen. If you're completely out of chakra, I don't need to explain the consequences, do I?" Killer Bee said sternly.

"So that's how it is, you want to control my power." Kurama finally understood Naruto's thoughts. Kurama's struggles became more and more intense, and the golden chains began to loosen.

"The risk is indeed very high, but once you succeed, the Nine-Tails' chakra will be at your disposal for life. Therefore, you must try to seize as much of the Nine-Tails' chakra as possible, and you must not be misled by the Nine-Tails' hatred. Stay focused and on guard," Killer Bee said.

"Understood!"

With that, Naruto charged towards Kurama. (Author's Note)