Closing your eyes at the cedar's crown, you extend your nine tails outward like a blossoming flower. The ancient tree hums beneath you, its deep-rooted energy resonating through your paws. You draw a slow breath, feeling the forest's qi gathering in your chest - the crisp morning dew, the whispering leaves, the enduring strength of centuries-old wood. Tiny blue sparks dance along your fur as the energy concentrates between your brows, forming a third eye that sees beyond the physical realm.

The vision hits like lightning. Flashes of the corrupted shrine, the stolen bell being carried northward by shadowy figures, and most disturbing - a fractured reflection of yourself with blackened tails standing amidst the ruins. You gasp as the third eye closes, the gathered energy now swirling in your belly like liquid starlight. The cherry blossom trail below pulses brighter in response to your power.

As you descend, your paws don't so much touch the branches as glide over them, the spiritual energy making you nearly weightless. At the base of the tree, the waiting tanuki's fur stands on end from your aura. 'Great Kitsune! Your tails...' it stammers. Looking back, you see five tails now glow with captured cedar energy while four remain dormant - the imbalance making your power unpredictable. The cherry blossoms rearrange themselves into an arrow pointing west, then scatter suddenly as a pained howl echoes from the north.