A few days later.
In the middle of his training, Tōshirō was channeling Fire Release chakra in one hand and Water Release chakra in the other. After trying fruitlessly to combine them into Boil Release, he was left panting heavily, drenched in sweat.
"As expected… it's still not working."
With a sigh of frustration, Tōshirō sprawled out flat on the ground, staring up at the drifting white clouds in the bright blue sky. In that moment, he made a quiet decision.
He had originally hoped to seriously and properly synthesize Boil Release from scratch, but thinking about it now, that was far too naïve. Trying to figure it all out on his own? Without seven or eight years of intense study, it was basically impossible.
Not wanting to wait that long, Tōshirō decided to use a cheat.
After lying in the grass for a while, Tōshirō sat up. The Konoha higher-ups had picked a great training spot—after just a few steps, he found a small stream nearby.
Feeling thirsty, Tōshirō cupped his hands and drank a few gulps of the cool, flowing water. Then he splashed some on his face, instantly feeling refreshed and reenergized.
He touched his forehead. The spot that had been hit by a stone earlier that morning was already completely healed, leaving no scar behind.
Since becoming a Jinchūriki, the most noticeable change for Tōshirō had been his dramatically accelerated healing ability. He could cut himself with a blade and the wound would heal almost immediately.
Thinking about that, Tōshirō's eyes glinted slyly. He began casually chatting with the Five-Tails sealed inside him. "From the way Kurama spoke earlier… you tailed beasts all seem to know each other, right?"
"More or less."
The Five-Tails answered indifferently, clearly not wanting to talk too much about the subject.
Seeing it didn't want to elaborate, Tōshirō folded one arm across his chest while resting his chin on a fist with the other, speaking half to himself, "I thought it was just some illusion last time, but it seems everything was real."
That caught the Five-Tails' attention. It turned its head to look at him.
Then Tōshirō suddenly said, "You and the Nine-Tails… you're actually part of the same being, aren't you?"
The Five-Tails froze, and its voice dropped into a deeper, more serious tone: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Not just you—actually, all seven of the other tailed beasts. You all came from one single original tailed beast, didn't you? I'm right, aren't I?"
His voice drifted lightly in the air, but it stirred a storm within the Five-Tails. For a moment, its pupils dilated to their absolute limit.
Even for it, it took a long moment to recover. The Five-Tails didn't confirm it directly—instead, it asked, "Where did you hear that?"
"Hmm… where did I hear it…"
Tōshirō replied lazily, a mysterious smile tugging at his lips.
"Answer me!"
The Five-Tails' voice now clearly carried emotion.
Tōshirō's tone grew even more teasing. "Tsk tsk, is that how you ask someone for a favor?"
The Five-Tails stared straight at him. "Cut the cryptic crap and just answer me."
"You're really impatient." Tōshirō shrugged, looking helpless. "This kind of moment is rare, can't I act cool just a little?"
The Five-Tails said nothing, but when Tōshirō said that, it was clear—he had pulled off that cool moment.
Tōshirō stopped beating around the bush. "You know, I've actually seen you before."
"Seen me?"
The Five-Tails lowered its head, trying hard to recall any memory of Tōshirō.
"No need to think about it. You won't remember."
The Five-Tails' eyes filled with confusion. What did he mean, "seen me but you won't remember"?
It was wondering how Tōshirō would answer when suddenly—he dropped a bombshell that practically made the Five-Tails' mind crash.
"Because… the place where I met you was in the future."
The Five-Tails' pupils widened again, this time with utter disbelief.
"Hey now, what's with that look like you've seen a ghost?"
Tōshirō said it all with a casual smile, as if they were just chatting about the weather.
"Are you messing with me again?"
The Five-Tails clearly didn't believe such outrageous claims that sounded completely made-up.
Tōshirō couldn't be bothered to argue. Instead, he rattled off a series of tailed beast names and even explained the origin of the tailed beasts, leaving the Five-Tails utterly dumbfounded.
It really didn't believe Tōshirō had traveled to the future—but aside from that, the Five-Tails couldn't think of any other way he could know such ancient, long-buried secrets.
These weren't things one could simply learn from books.
After speaking, Tōshirō silently looked up, meeting the Five-Tails' stunned gaze with an expression that said, "Now do you believe me?"
The Five-Tails took a moment to process everything it had just heard. With a reluctant sigh, it replied, "Originally, I didn't want to acknowledge any of this… but I truly can't think of any better explanation."
"To be honest, I didn't believe it at first either. I thought it was just a dream. But when I saw how familiar you and the Nine-Tails were with each other, that's when I realized—what I saw might actually be part of the future."
At that, Tōshirō paused, his expression turning completely serious.
"So, Little Five, I need to borrow your power."
"Borrow my power?" The Five-Tails snorted. "Is that your way of surrendering? That doesn't sound like the same you—the one who boldly said 'Never underestimate a poor youth.'"
Tōshirō didn't answer directly. "From what I know, in the future, I'm no longer the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki. And when a tailed beast is extracted, the Jinchūriki dies. In other words… I might already be dead by then."
"…"
"I don't want to die. So naturally, I can't just sit around waiting for it to happen."
The Five-Tails said gravely, "If what you say is true, then perhaps that fate is already written for you."
"Fate?" Tōshirō burst into laughter like he had just heard the best joke in the world. His eyes turned red, revealing the fully activated three-tomoe Sharingan, and he sneered, "What a load of crap. My fate is mine to decide—not Heaven's."
It sounded like something straight out of a teenager's drama—but the Five-Tails didn't exactly have a concept of "cringe," so to him, Tōshirō actually sounded kind of badass.
Standing tall with his hands on his hips, Tōshirō lifted his head at a defiant angle toward the sky and said proudly, "Some people are ruled by fate. But I will be the one who rules fate."
Maybe he went a little over the top, because the Five-Tails paused and gave him a suspicious look. "Did you copy those lines from somewhere?"
Tōshirō, caught red-handed, faked a cough to cover his guilt and said, "Anyway… the point I'm making is simple: I won't just sit and wait to die. I have to do something."
"Hmph. So I can take this as your way of submitting to me, right?" The Five-Tails loomed over him, its massive form completely overshadowing Tōshirō.
With a grand gesture, Tōshirō replied righteously, "True strength is knowing when to yield and when to stand tall."
The Five-Tails was speechless at how quickly Tōshirō shifted his stance. It couldn't help but laugh. "You really are one smooth-talking brat."
"Little Five… you don't want to end up sealed inside that Gedo Statue and become part of the Ten-Tails, do you?"
Tōshirō deliberately left that line hanging, hoping to stir fear in the Five-Tails and convince it to ally with him.
But…
The Five-Tails was stubborn beyond reason. No matter how persuasive Tōshirō was, it still refused:
"That's a separate issue. If you truly want my power, then face me head-on. Defeat me in a fair fight, and I'll acknowledge you—and help you without holding anything back."
Tōshirō hadn't expected it to be this stubborn, so he took a step back.
"Fine then. If not lending me your full strength, at least help me guide the fusion of my Kekkei Genkai a little. That much is okay, right?"
(End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Soul Land 2: Golden Dragon King]."
"If you want early access to nearly 35+ chapters , join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"