141-145

Chapter 141: Time for a New Mask

"Finally, you're at your limit, Kazekage-sama."

Kawanishi returned to his residence, gazing out the window at the distant reconstruction area.

Rasa's compromise was almost predictable.

After all, the loss of their sole tailed beast dealt a severe blow to Sunagakure's reputation in the ninja world.

Under such circumstances, forces surrounding the Land of Wind, and even some within its borders, would undoubtedly be eyeing them greedily.

Combined with the subtle provocations of the other four great ninja villages, Sunagakure was bound to face significant challenges.

Even if the others were unaware of the true power of the Jashin cult, the fact that Sunagakure had lost its tailed beast and seen a sharp decline in its wartime potential was undeniable.

Given this reality, it was only natural for others to test Sunagakure.

Rasa's primary task now was to find a way to strengthen Sunagakure and deliver a crushing blow to anyone who dared test them, signaling that even without a tailed beast, Sunagakure still possessed formidable military power.

Only through such measures could Sunagakure's reputation be salvaged.

Thus, Rasa's decision to fully implement the *Kagune Project* was entirely logical.

"Unfortunately, all of this is within my Lord's expectations."

Kawanishi slowly removed his gloves, silently praying to the symbol etched in his palm.

Suddenly, the symbol emitted an intense heat.

Kawanishi's palm turned bright red, steam rising from the burn.

Despite the excruciating pain, Kawanishi was ecstatic.

"It's my Lord! My Lord's gaze is upon me once more!"

To avoid attracting attention, Kawanishi dropped to his knees, trembling as he murmured feverish prayers.

This condition lasted for about three minutes.

Though the brief duration left Kawanishi physically drained and collapsed, his face was alight with unrestrained excitement, his body trembling uncontrollably from sheer exhilaration.

"The great Lord has bestowed another revelation."

His fervent gaze gleamed as a flood of information filled his mind—details on further refining the *Kagune*.

The adjustments would drastically lower the user's requirements, allowing even genin-level chakra to utilize it effortlessly.

This meant not just chunin and jonin, but genin too could gain a natural advantage in taijutsu without extensive training.

Ten days later, Kawanishi presented his latest findings to Rasa.

"I knew it—I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"

Rasa's face lit up as he read the report.

"If we can equip the entire border force with Kagune, the combat power of the Wind Country's troops will soar!"

Maki immediately grasped its significance.

While the Wind Country's border forces had a large number of ninjas, most were chunin and genin. If each of them were equipped with Kagune, their survival rates in battle would significantly improve.

Large-scale battles differed greatly from small skirmishes.

In small-scale combat, careful observation could reveal an opponent's weaknesses before attacking.

But in large-scale clashes, it was often a chaotic exchange of jutsu followed by brutal close-quarters combat. The time to identify an opponent's weaknesses was minimal.

In such scenarios, Kagune became an invaluable weapon for Sunagakure's ninjas.

Even the strongest enemies could fall victim to a single strike amidst the chaos.

With Kagune, Sunagakure's ninjas would gain eight extra weapons, greatly increasing their chances of victory.

"Can this new version of Kagune be mass-produced?" Rasa asked the critical question.

"Absolutely," Kawanishi replied without hesitation.

"Good, excellent!"

Ecstatic, Rasa made his decision immediately.

"Divert all resources to the mother hive, produce Wind Scorpions, and manufacture Kagune devices for immediate deployment to the border forces."

"Understood," Kawanishi responded promptly.

"Additionally, the village must procure a large quantity of ration pills from the Higanbana Trading Company to prepare for potential battles."

Rasa stood, his demeanor suddenly brimming with confidence.

"Though we've lost the tailed beast, we've gained enough Kagune to arm an entire army, along with specialized ration pills to enhance combat effectiveness and survival rates."

"This time, destiny is on my side!"

In a stronghold across the desert, Kaneki, engrossed in studying yin-yang release and sealing techniques with Sasori, sensed a peculiar chakra fluctuation from the ring on his finger.

He knew his superior was calling.

Though reluctant, Kaneki activated the summoning.

Using the technique Nagato had taught him, Kaneki's projection appeared in an underground cavern, right atop the corresponding finger of the Gedo Statue.

Gazing at the Gedo Statue before him, Kaneki's eyes gleamed with curiosity, eager to unravel the mysteries of the divine tree that had birthed the nine tailed beasts.

Payne, however, failed to notice Kaneki's intrigue; after all, it was merely a projection.

Aside from Kaneki and Payne, Konan and Tobi's projections were also present.

"Kaneki, you've successfully captured the One-Tail, correct?" Payne asked directly.

Kaneki adjusted his glasses. "You could say that."

Before Payne could respond, Konan interjected.

"Your latest actions have caused quite a stir. If I recall, your mission was to recruit new members, wasn't it?"

It was evident that Konan disapproved of Kaneki's high-profile approach.

Kaneki, unbothered, replied nonchalantly, "Sasori of Red Sand has agreed to join us. As for the One-Tail, I figured I'd capture it since I was already there. And I did so under the name of the Jashin cult."

His explanation silenced Konan's criticisms.

Her primary concern was the risk of Kaneki's actions exposing the Akatsuki, attracting unnecessary attention.

But since the Jashin cult took the blame, she had no further objections.

Meanwhile, Tobi exclaimed in awe, "As expected of Kaneki-senpai, casually capturing a tailed beast as if it were nothing!"

Kaneki glanced at the masked Tobi and smirked.

"By the way, for this operation, I used your mask."

"Eh?"

Tobi froze, scratching his head, pondering whether it was time for a new mask.

Chapter 142: Research on Tailed Beast Chakra

"Senior Kaneki, this is too much! Now, I’m probably being hunted by the entire Wind Country!"

Tobi’s tone was filled with dissatisfaction.

In response, Kaneki just shrugged indifferently. He didn’t bother to tell Tobi that the clone he used to impersonate him had already self-destructed in front of Rasa. Instead, he said nonchalantly, "It’s not your first time anyway. Just switch to a different mask, Tobi."

"Senior Kaneki, you have such a twisted sense of humor…"

Tobi stared at Kaneki’s projection, seemingly trying to discern something from it.

Unfortunately, all he could see was Kaneki’s faint smile and the calm eyes hidden behind his glasses.

"Alright, since you’ve successfully captured Shukaku, bring it back as soon as possible. Don’t let unforeseen problems arise,"

Pain interjected, effectively ending the discussion.

Kaneki knew this was Pain’s way of giving him a final ultimatum.

Over a month had passed since the Sunagakure incident, and Nagato’s silence up to this point was already a considerable show of patience from his partner.

This was, after all, a duty Kaneki owed as part of his collaboration with Nagato. There was no reason for him to refuse.

So, Kaneki simply adjusted his glasses and replied, "Understood. I’ll return soon."

"Hm."

Pain nodded, and Kaneki’s projection disappeared from the scene.

His consciousness returned to his base.

"Sasori , we need to speed things up," Kaneki suddenly said while experimenting with sealing techniques alongside Sasori .

Hearing this, Sasori didn’t ask many questions and simply nodded. "Got it. This sealing technique shouldn’t pose any more problems."

As the genius who pioneered human puppet techniques, Sasori expertise in Yin-Yang Release and chakra manipulation was outstanding.

Though his knowledge of sealing techniques was relatively average, his contributions greatly aided Kaneki throughout the research process.

With Sasori help, coupled with Kaneki’s own mastery of sealing techniques, they finally perfected the technique Shukaku had passed on after five days of relentless work.

The technique was named *Yin-Yang Seal*.

The name reminded Kaneki of Yin-Yang Taiji from his previous life, along with the Four Symbols and Eight Trigrams derived from it.

With the sealing technique fully mastered, it was time to move on to execution.

However, before officially sealing Shukaku, Kaneki needed to practice.

As soon as Shukaku shared the technique with him, Kaneki had prepared several test subjects.

The method involved infusing extracted tailed beast chakra into the test subjects, replacing the chakra originally in their bodies, and using special techniques to fuse their souls with the chakra.

Predictably, not everyone could endure tailed beast chakra.

Kaneki then modified their bodies to withstand the tailed beast chakra, albeit barely.

Of course, these test subjects couldn’t fully replicate Shukaku’s nature; they merely served as practice for Kaneki’s sealing technique.

In the lab, Kaneki snapped his fingers at the restrained test subjects.

The test subjects, who had been trapped in a genjutsu, suddenly erupted into a frenzy. Tailed beast chakra hidden within their bodies began pouring out from every pore.

If Kaneki hadn’t specifically reinforced their bodies, they would have long succumbed to the chakra’s corrosive nature.

Not just anyone can handle tailed beast chakra, which is why villages carefully select Jinchuriki.

Based on Kaneki’s observations, the Uzumaki Clan remains the most suitable candidates for Jinchuriki.

Their naturally strong bodies can endure tailed beast chakra and their mastery of sealing techniques gives them a significant edge in controlling tailed beasts.

It’s almost as if they were designed to be Jinchuriki.

Once the test subjects reached the first stage of tailed beast transformation, Kaneki began his experiment.

He focused his mind and formed hand seals.

Chakra surged within him, manifesting as intricate black runes that spread out from his body.

The runes wrapped around one of the test subjects like chains, emanating an immense sealing force.

Following the method Shukaku taught him, Kaneki clenched his hand in mid-air, summoning a blazing chakra longsword.

This sword, formed from Yang Release chakra, was Kaneki’s sealing weapon.

Without hesitation, he plunged the sword into the test subject, whose body was enveloped in tailed beast chakra.

An overwhelming sealing force radiated from the blade, tearing through the Yin-attributed chakra within the tailed beast chakra and absorbing it into the sword.

When Kaneki first saw this sealing technique, he was surprised.

Using a Yang Release chakra blade to tear apart and extract the opponent’s Yin Release chakra seemed oddly reminiscent of Yin-Yang theories he had learned about in his past life.

The technique’s name, Yin-Yang Seal, only added to the association.

Yin Release chakra is responsible for *creating form from nothing*—in essence, shaping and constructing.

Yang Release chakra, on the other hand, *imbues form with life*, granting vitality to otherwise inanimate objects.

In essence, tailed beasts are conglomerations of Yin and Yang Release chakra. Yin Release shapes the chakra into their current forms, while Yang Release grants them life and consciousness.

Although a tailed beast’s soul and awareness originate from Yang Release chakra, their consciousness eventually becomes linked to Yin Release in certain aspects.

This interplay of Yin within Yang and Yang within Yin—mutual existence and transformation—is the foundation of their being.

Kaneki dismissed these thoughts and focused on his experiment.

The Yang Release sealing blade had successfully extracted all the Yin Release chakra from the test subject.

Next, a second blade—formed from shadow-like, twisting Yin Release chakra—manifested in Kaneki’s other hand. Using the same method, he sealed the subject’s Yang Release chakra as well.

After conducting multiple experiments, Kaneki confirmed the technique’s viability.

Of course, the scale of Shukaku’s chakra far exceeded these test subjects, making the sealing process exponentially more challenging. Kaneki wouldn’t dare to let his guard down.

He observed the two sealed portions of tailed beast chakra, meticulously recording his findings.

"Both the Yin and Yang Release chakra contain fragments of the original soul. When separated, the two chakras independently form new consciousnesses. Due to their shared origin, the resulting personalities differ based on their chakra attributes."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 143: Substituting the Master, Unleashing Divine Punishment

“Senior Kaneki, according to the plan, do we need to release Shukaku first?”

Sasori asked cautiously. After all, releasing Shukaku carried significant risks. The tailed beast might not cooperate as expected, especially in the desert, Shukaku’s natural domain.

Kaneki, however, seemed unconcerned about the matter.

“Relax. With your assistance, even if Shukaku tries to escape, it won’t be that easy,” Kaneki reassured.

The desert was not just Shukaku’s domain—it was also the territory of the Third Kazekage.

The Third Kazekage’s Magnet Release had a strong suppressive effect on Shukaku. Combined with Kaneki’s power, the chances of Shukaku escaping were minimal.

Moreover, Kaneki placed great importance on this experiment.

If successful, it would significantly advance his research on Yin-Yang Release and sealing techniques, greatly accelerating the progress of these projects.

To ensure the plan’s success and prepare for any unexpected events, Kaneki had mobilized another blood pool clone and a human clone from other bases to assist with sealing Shukaku separately.

Seeing Kaneki’s confidence, Sasori didn’t press further.

After all, this was Senior Kaneki—a mere One-Tail wasn’t much of a threat. Sasori’s earlier concerns had merely been a reminder.

Thus, the plan commenced.

Gaara’s body slowly emerged from the blood pool.

“Mr. Shukaku, are you ready?”

Kaneki’s calm, slightly amused voice echoed in Gaara’s spiritual world.

Shukaku’s brown eyes immediately snapped open.

“Bring it on, kid.”

With that, Shukaku used its tentacles to roll Gaara’s body in front of Kaneki, who then pulled back Gaara’s clothes, revealing the seal covering his abdomen.

Kaneki placed his palm over the seal, and pale blue chakra surged from his hand. As his hand made contact with Gaara’s abdomen, a terrifying aura erupted.

Accompanying this aura was a violent stream of tailed beast chakra pouring out of Gaara’s body.

The chakra was dark red, exuding a frenzy and destructive power.

At the same time, the golden sand suppressing Shukaku began to collapse. Eager to escape, Shukaku unleashed its chakra, shattering the seal.

As the chakra erupted, Gaara’s body gradually broke apart, covered by the crimson chakra.

A powerful shockwave radiated outward, scattering the surrounding sand and forming a massive spherical crater.

With no one suppressing it and Gaara’s consciousness still dormant, Shukaku’s unsealing proceeded smoothly.

The chakra enveloping Gaara’s body rapidly expanded. Accompanied by a fearsome aura, a massive beast resembling a small mountain appeared in the desert.

“I’m finally free!”

The moment Shukaku was released, it roared, and the intense shockwave made Kaneki’s coat billow dramatically.

Kaneki adjusted his glasses. “Now that you’re free, we can proceed.”

Before he could finish speaking, Shukaku’s massive tail came crashing down, casting a giant shadow over Kaneki and Sasori.

“You think I’ll let you seal me again? Dream on, kid!”

With a shrill cry, Shukaku’s enormous tail smashed down.

This attack didn’t catch Kaneki or Sasori off guard.

Before the unsealing, Sasori had already summoned the Third Kazekage puppet as a precaution.

As Shukaku attacked, Sasori manipulated a large amount of pre-buried iron sand to rise on both sides, forming a massive pair of clamping hands to block the assault.

“Boom!”

The collision of Shukaku’s tail and the iron sand created an ear-piercing sound. The iron sand shattered into a rain of metallic fragments, and Shukaku staggered back a few steps from the impact.

Realizing its attack had failed, Shukaku launched another assault, gathering an enormous amount of air into its mouth and hurling a powerful air bullet at Kaneki.

The high-speed rotating air bullet could tear flesh apart with a mere graze.

However, Kaneki calmly adjusted his glasses while Sasori manipulated the black iron sand to form a defensive wall.

The collision produced a grating sound of friction, accompanied by countless sparks.

Frustrated by another failed attack, Shukaku bellowed, “You damn Magnet Release brat!”

Despite its fury, Shukaku had no intention of continuing the fight. Seizing the chaos caused by the air bullet, it turned to flee.

No way was it staying to fight.

Facing a man who had previously gone head-to-head with the Fourth Kazekage and escaped unscathed, along with a puppet master controlling the Third Kazekage, was like fighting both Kazekages at once.

This wasn’t a battle—it was a death sentence! Shukaku valued its freedom, not its life.

Shukaku’s retreat was swift and surprisingly nimble for its bulky form, living up to the title of “agile heavyweight.”

But Kaneki wasn’t about to let this “betrayer” escape so easily.

As Sasori prepared to intercept with more iron sand, Kaneki placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Leave this to me,” Kaneki said coldly.

He had anticipated Shukaku’s actions. After all, a proud tailed beast like Shukaku wouldn’t willingly allow itself to be split and sealed.

Understanding Shukaku’s defiance didn’t mean Kaneki would tolerate its betrayal.

Two enormous summoning arrays unfurled from his hands.

“Summoning Jutsu: Greed and Fear.”

In the next moment, two towering figures appeared in the desert.

Greed retained its enlarged demonic form, now blood-red with countless human faces adorning its body—faces of worshipers praising their master.

Fear hovered mid-air, its massive eye observing the filthy, sinful world in need of purification. Its broken, fleshy wings spread like a tilted cross.

Sasori was stunned.

As expected of Senior Kaneki, the creatures he summoned were as large as tailed beasts and emitted equally formidable auras.

Even Shukaku paused mid-escape, startled by the sudden appearance of these behemoths. Since when did such massive summons exist in the shinobi world?

Regardless of its confusion, Greed and Fear had already sensed their master’s anger. They were here to carry out divine punishment in his stead!

(To be continued...)

Chapter 144: Shukaku Plunges into Self-Doubt

Before Shukaku could react, the countless twisted faces on the enormous mountain of flesh opened their mouths simultaneously:

“Sinners who dare defy the Master must go to hell!”

The roars of tens of thousands of souls erupted in unison, unleashing an endless wave of sound like the whispers of an eldritch god. The powerful mental assault struck Shukaku's very soul in an instant.

The attack from the spiritual realm dealt a devastating blow to Shukaku.

Clutching its head in agony, it writhed as the relentless sound waves caused fine cracks to appear all over its body. Its outer shell began to crumble, turning to sand under the vibrations.

Shukaku tried to manipulate the surrounding sand to disrupt the Apostle of Desire, but as it looked up, it locked eyes with an enormous, terrifying gaze.

In that instant, Shukaku felt as though it had fallen into an endless abyss, surrounded by pitch-black darkness devoid of even the faintest light.

Suddenly, the sky turned blood-red. A shadowy figure appeared, opening its eyes, revealing a pair of Rinnegan that radiated terrifying energy.

Next, a massive tree erupted from the boundless darkness. Gigantic vines extended from the tree’s grotesque maw, wrapping tightly around Shukaku’s body, dragging it toward the gaping mouth.

“No! I don’t want to go back, you bastard!”

Shukaku clawed desperately at the ground with all its might.

Looking down, it realized that its once-massive form had somehow shrunk, reverting to its infant state—newly separated from the God Tree.

In this weakened state, there was no way to resist the vine's pull. Helplessly, Shukaku could only watch as it was dragged toward the monstrous tree.

Suddenly, Shukaku’s expression changed.

“Wait… this is an illusion!”

Realizing the truth, its aura surged, and its chakra boiled over, shattering the illusion in an instant.

Although Shukaku broke free quickly, the Apostle of Desire had used the brief moment of entrapment to lumber its mountainous body close to Shukaku.

Raising a massive fist, the Apostle swung it down mercilessly toward Shukaku.

When Shukaku finally escaped the illusion, the first thing it saw was the Apostle’s enormous fist closing in.

*BAM!*

The sudden blow left Shukaku reeling, stumbling backward in confusion. But the opportunistic Kaneki wasn’t about to let Shukaku off that easily.

Seizing the moment, the Apostle of Desire charged forward again, sprouting countless massive fists from its body. Like a torrential downpour, it rained blow after blow on Shukaku.

The relentless strikes forced Shukaku to retreat step by step.

“Enough already, you little punk!”

Shukaku was enraged. It was a proud tailed beast—when had it ever been beaten like this?

Unfortunately, the Apostle of Desire couldn’t care less about Shukaku’s fury and landed yet another punch square on its face.

*Sasori:* …

This scene—was he really watching a tailed beast get pummeled like this? It was surreal.

And yet, Kaneki’s assault didn’t stop there.

Another human clone emerged slowly from the desert sands, positioning itself right beside Kaneki.

The two raised their hands in unison, forming seals with remarkable speed.

The first clone exhaled a powerful current, compressing the air into a high-pressure stream.

The second clone generated a dazzling burst of electricity, lightning crackling and condensing into a spear-like form in its palm.

“Wind Style: Air Pressure Blast!”

“Lightning Style: False Darkness!”

“Combined Ninjutsu: Thunderstorm’s Roar!”

The compressed air and surging lightning merged in midair, unleashing a blinding white light that consumed everything in its path.

Just as Shukaku was snapping out of its dazed state from the earlier beatdown, the blinding light struck its body.

*BOOM!*

The explosion of wind and lightning left a massive crater in Shukaku’s mountain-like form.

“You little brat… if you think that’s enough to—”

Shukaku’s defiant words were cut short as it noticed dozens more streaks of white light raining down like a storm.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

The terrifying lightning strikes roared incessantly, like divine wrath threatening to sink the entire world.

Sasori, observing from the sidelines, stared in shock, his expression turning from astonishment to disbelief.

Summoning two creatures as fearsome as tailed beasts was already outrageous, but Kaneki could also unleash such overwhelming combined ninjutsu—repeatedly and seamlessly?

Just how much chakra did Kaneki have?!

What’s more, this level of combined ninjutsu would leave most shinobi struggling to conjure even one in minutes, yet Kaneki fired them continuously without the slightest pause! What kind of monster was this?!

As expected of Kaneki-senpai!

Even Sasori, normally cold and aloof, couldn’t help but want to cheer for Kaneki’s absurd display of power.

When the blinding light finally faded and the swirling sand settled, Shukaku’s battered body was revealed—riddled with gaping wounds.

It looked like a mountain ravaged by violent mining, its form utterly devastated.

Shukaku’s amber eyes gazed at Kaneki, filled with disbelief. It was looking at a monster—something even more terrifying than a tailed beast.

Still, Shukaku wasn’t ready to give up. Opening its mouth wide, it began to gather blue and red chakra, forming a dark purple Tailed Beast Ball.

“Kid, I admit your strength… but I’m still the One-Tail!”

With a furious roar, all the rage bottled up from years of being sealed and the humiliation of recent days exploded forth in the form of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

The overwhelming aura of destruction enveloped the battlefield.

Yet, even in the face of such terrifying power, Kaneki remained composed—calm, even.

Sasori, despite his faith in Kaneki-senpai, couldn’t hide the tension on his face.

As the Tailed Beast Bomb descended, it detonated with catastrophic force. The explosion swallowed everything, its shockwaves reaching the heavens and scattering the clouds.

When the chaos subsided, all that remained in Kaneki’s previous location was a bottomless crater.

“Kaneki-senpai…”

Sasori’s expression showed a flicker of concern as he stared at the abyss.

But that concern quickly vanished.

Kaneki’s hand came down lightly on Sasori’s shoulder. “Relax.”

Moments later, another Kaneki appeared.

For Kaneki, dealing with such large-scale attacks was relatively simple.

By keeping two clones at a safe distance, when one was targeted, the other could use summoning techniques to transfer the threatened clone away.

Before launching the sustained bombardment on Shukaku, Kaneki had already separated his clones. No matter which one Shukaku attacked, Kaneki’s main body remained unharmed.

Of course, even if both clones had been destroyed, it wouldn’t have mattered much.

Still, the Evil God was already running low on energy—it was best to conserve where possible.

As for Shukaku, the moment it saw two unharmed Kanekis reappear on the battlefield, it sank into profound self-doubt.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 145: Shukaku: Praise Be to My Lord

A deep sense of despair washed over Shukaku. He never imagined that even his most powerful technique, the *Tailed Beast Ball*, would fail to harm Kaneki.

Aside from facing that wood-style user decades ago, Shukaku had never felt so helpless.

As Shukaku wallowed in despair, Kaneki suddenly appeared above his head.

Numerous tendrils sprouted from Kaneki's back, binding Shukaku tightly.

At this point, Shukaku had resigned himself to his fate. He made no effort to resist as the tendrils, brimming with sealing power, wrapped around him.

To contain Shukaku, this clone possessed a pure Uzumaki bloodline, granting him far superior talent in sealing techniques compared to the others.

Of course, this clone was somewhat lacking in other areas.

But that didn’t matter—another clone, specialized in combat, was present to handle the situation.

This particular clone's main purpose was to carry out the sealing ritual.

As the sealing power in the tendrils surged, Shukaku, who already had no will to fight, completely gave up.

When Kaneki appeared in front of him, Shukaku finally surrendered and said, "Kid, I'll cooperate with your experiment, but on the condition that—"

Before he could finish his sentence, *Desire* appeared behind him. With an enormous, bloated hand, it slammed Shukaku's head into the ground.

At the same time, *Fear* descended from the sky, its powerful mental energy stabbing into Shukaku's soul like a sharp blade.

Already riddled with wounds from the relentless attacks, Shukaku's body quivered. Cracks and gaps appeared, scattering sand everywhere.

As Shukaku tried to struggle, he heard Kaneki's calm yet chilling voice:

"Lord Shukaku, you'd better remember your place. You’re nothing more than an experimental subject now and have no right to negotiate."

"Otherwise, I might slice your soul into pieces and seal it away forever."

After saying this, Kaneki suddenly smiled and adjusted his glasses.

"Understood, my friend?"

Looking at Kaneki's smiling face, Shukaku felt an unusual chill in his heart.

The intense killing intent just now was no illusion...

"I understand. I’ll cooperate with your experiment."

This time, Shukaku didn’t demand any guarantees from Kaneki. He knew he had angered this man. If he pushed further, he truly risked being permanently sealed in some unknown place.

Given Kaneki’s terrifying abilities, he might even find a way to permanently destroy Shukaku in the future.

And so, Shukaku conceded—completely.

Watching Shukaku bow and scrape, Sasori felt a moment of disbelief.

As a former ninja of the Sand Village, Sasori had always viewed Shukaku, the tailed beast, as dangerous, proud, and uncontrollable.

Even in the face of death, Shukaku maintained a haughty demeanor. Sasori had never imagined it could one day act so submissive.

Seeing Shukaku finally settle down, Kaneki was satisfied. The tendrils binding the beast emitted another surge of sealing power, pinning Shukaku firmly to the ground.

This time, Shukaku didn’t resist. He knew what was coming.

Sealing energy combined with large amounts of Yang-style chakra to form a massive sealing blade in Kaneki’s hand. He plunged it straight into Shukaku's body.

As the flaming blade entered Shukaku, its chakra began to boil.

Dark, Yin-style chakra poured out of Shukaku, the crimson energy flowing along the blue sealing blade. It mixed with the Yang-style chakra within Kaneki’s body.

Meanwhile, tendrils extending from the base's blood pool connected to Kaneki's back, providing him with vast amounts of chakra to neutralize and control the tailed beast chakra flooding into him.

As Shukaku's Yin chakra drained away, its soul was forcibly torn apart by Kaneki's Yin-Yang sealing technique, splitting into a large and a small fragment.

The smaller fragment, along with some chakra, was transferred and sealed within Kaneki's body.

To avoid attracting Nagato's suspicion, Kaneki didn’t split Shukaku into two distinct Yin and Yang halves.

He only extracted a tenth of its Yin chakra and soul.

As Shukaku split and the transfer occurred, the Apostle of Desire opened countless mouths and began to chant hymns of praise to their lord.

"You are the Lord of Creation, the omniscient and omnipotent God of Genesis!"

"You are the source of all greatness. You are the beginning and the end!"

"You are the God of gods, the ruler of the stars, and the master of the shinobi world!"

"Great Lord, grant us your supreme glory!"

The overwhelming chorus echoed from the newly split fragment of Shukaku’s soul.

This unstable fragment immediately faced an immense challenge: maintaining its integrity under such a spiritual assault.

The answer? It couldn’t.

Sealed within Kaneki’s body, the small Shukaku began to twist and contort.

Clutching its head in agony, it howled, enduring torment from deep within its soul.

Finally, under the shocked gaze of its original self, the small Shukaku lowered its claws, revealing a vacant, idiotic expression.

"Praise the Evil God!"

Seeing this, Shukaku’s main body was furious. Even though it knew it was no match for Kaneki, an uncontrollable rage erupted within it.

After all, the reason Shukaku agreed to Kaneki’s plan was the hope that a part of its soul could gain freedom.

But now? That fragment had become a fanatic follower of the cursed Evil God under Kaneki’s influence!

How could Shukaku tolerate this?

"Kid, you broke your promise!"

Kaneki lightly adjusted his glasses, his tone indifferent: "Shukaku, it seems you were the first to break our agreement."

Indeed, had Shukaku not tried to betray him and flee, Kaneki wouldn’t have had any particular interest in conducting this experiment.

But since Shukaku had deceived their lord first, Kaneki took the opportunity to run a small soul experiment while the fragment was still unstable.

Yes...

"This was just an experiment, Shukaku."

Enraged, Shukaku rose to attack, only to be suppressed by Sasori’s iron sand. Calmly, Kaneki resealed Shukaku into Gaara’s body using sealing techniques.

Thus, the plan to split Shukaku was complete.

Overall, while there were some unexpected developments, the outcome was satisfactory and within expectations.

Feeling the small Shukaku inside him endlessly singing praises to the Evil God, Kaneki’s face revealed a hint of amusement.

No matter how one looked at it, this was an excellent test subject.

*(End of Chapter)*