Inside a dark underground base.
"What?!"
"All five tailed beasts are gone?!"
Orochimaru was stunned, his vertical pupils nearly narrowing into slits.
I swear on heaven and earth.
He and Uchiha Rin had only taken advantage of the chaos to kidnap the Two-Tails from Kumogakure!
What about the rest of them?!
"Looks like someone else decided to go fishing while the waters were still stirred up?"
Uchiha Rin said, his expression oddly blank.
Rin and Orochimaru locked eyes—then shouted the same name at once.
"Shimura Danzō!"
Shimura Danzō possesses the Rinnegan and has the capability to capture multiple tailed beasts at once.
This act must have been done by him!
...
In Konoha, inside the Shimura residence.
Danzō was recounting what had happened during the Five Kage Conference to his son.
But something felt off about his son's behavior—his eyes darted nervously, and his limbs looked rigid and unnatural.
...What?!
Danzō froze, a cold shiver running down his spine. He quickly whispered in anger.
"Tell me you're not behind this."
Kaze looked away, muttering nervously under his breath.
"Well... maybe... one or two?"
SLAM! Danzō slammed his fist on the table, growling in a low voice, "How many exactly?!"
"Three." Kaze replied softly.
Danzō's mind reeled as if hit by lightning, stunned into silence.
Not long ago, he had stood confidently before the Five Kage, declaring there was an enemy lurking in the shadows trying to destabilize the ninja world.
So after all that, the real traitor was his own son?
And Rasa hadn't been lying—the truth really was that four out of the five tailed beasts had indeed been captured by Konoha.
...Could you make any less sense?!
Kaze could see the shock in Danzō's face.
He remembered having the exact same thoughts when he first learned his father was Danzō.
"Just... what exactly were you thinking? Why would you do something like this?"
Danzō frowned deeply, staring hard at Kaze. He realized he no longer fully understood his son.
[Sigh] Tsk...
Kaze rolled his eyes inwardly.
Was this old man seriously getting worked up over something like stealing a few "nuclear weapons" from some villages?
For what?
Of course it was for the sake of... nuclear peace across the ninja world!
With four of the nine beasts gone, Madara Uchiha wouldn't even be able to summon the Ten-Tails, let alone cast a worldwide illusion.
For the ninja world, fewer nuclear weapons meant everyone could live together in peace from now on.
And for the tailed beasts themselves, when they eventually woke again, they could live freely in a peaceful—even eerily serene—new world.
It was truly a win-win situation.
As for the process of capturing them—it wasn't worth mentioning.
During the chaos of the ninja world, locate the Jinchūriki, reveal the Mangekyō Sharingan, teleport to Shikkotsu Forest, use the Flying Raijin Technique to escape.
Track – reveal – teleport – escape. Track – reveal – teleport – escape…
It was just repetitive, mechanical work—no real skill involved.
"I merely wanted to take advantage of the chaos to weaken the other ninja villages, Father."
"With my actions, Kirigakure will surely be stripped of its status among the Five Great Ninja Villages in the future."
Kaze spoke with firm conviction.
"As for the Two-Tailed from Kumogakure, it's truly unrelated to me."
"There are indeed ill-intentioned individuals lurking in the shadows, trying to destabilize the great villages. You don't need to feel embarrassed about this."
Seeing his son looking so smug, Tanzō couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
Slap.
He swung his arm through the air and delivered a sharp slap to Kaze's head from a distance.
"Such an important matter—why didn't you consult me first?!"
Tanzō's slap was quite forceful. Kaze held his head in pain, wincing.
But he kept a clear head and responded with heartfelt sincerity.
"Father, now that you've become Hokage, you can no longer get involved in affairs like these."
"Let your son take care of the dirty, grueling work instead. Just like how you once secretly protected Konoha."
Empathy is the key to meaningful communication. Kaze's words undoubtedly moved Tanzō deeply.
After some heated back-and-forth, they let the matter go.
They then turned to discussing other important matters.
"I intend to have you take over the Anbu. What are your thoughts?" Tanzō asked.
"Absolutely not," Kaze shot back without hesitation.
Tanzō: "???"
Didn't we just agree that you were handling the dirty work for me?
Didn't we just talk about secretly protecting Konoha?
I actually let myself feel touched, and now you've crushed me like this! Damn it!
Kaze solemnly explained with a serious expression.
"It's just that, Father, I believe Senior Sakumo would be better suited for the role of Anbu Commander. Therefore..."
Tanzō let out a scoff, instantly seeing through his son's ploy.
"This is nothing but an excuse to slack off. Don't think I don't know."
"Erm..."
Caught in the act, Kaze awkwardly rubbed his nose.
"Sigh… there's some truth to what you said. Let Sakumo temporarily assume the position of Anbu Commander then."
Tanzō sighed, speaking with obvious weariness.
After all, this was his own son. Infuriating as he was, he still had to indulge him when needed.
Without exaggeration, he owed half his success as Hokage to his laid-back son.
"Got it, Dad."
Kaze grinned, revealing a heartfelt smile.
Once a few more tailed beasts were freed, he could finally live the life of leisure he'd always wanted.
"We humble folks, today ya ma, today ya ma, are really happy~~"
Leaving the Shimura Residence behind, Kaze cheerfully hummed a tune as he strolled toward Yukiko's home.
They'd been stuck in this awkward limbo for so long—sneaking in through the back door today, surely Yukiko wouldn't kick him out again, would she?
[Ugh, I simply couldn't watch anymore!]
Just as Kaze crept toward Yukiko's doorstep, the System suddenly shouted in his mind.
"What the hell!"
Startled, Kaze shivered violently, almost losing his soul.
"What the hell are you doing, System?! Trying to scare the crap outta me again?!" Kaze complained irritably.
[Heh, I'm just giving you a heads-up, Master—the world you're in exists in the same universe as the Boruto era.]
Boruto...Boruto era?
"That fire-extinguishing non-flammable substance?"
Kaze was taken aback.
He'd rewatched Shippuden countless times, but as for the Boruto era, he couldn't even stomach reading the plot summary.
After wracking his brain trying to remember the general storyline of the Boruto era...
Kaze was utterly horrified.
"System, are you seriously saying that in a few decades, this world will be overrun by bizarre, supernatural-powered aliens?"
The System answered factually.
[Exactly, Master. Worse yet, any random Ōtsutsuki could squash your pathetic weak self with one hand.]
Kaze freaked out. "System, I've got no choice, right? What should I do?"
[You've got no choice, Master. Only one path lies ahead.]
Kaze already knew exactly what path the System meant.
That path… was seizing the Rinnegan and becoming the Ten - Tails Jinchūriki!
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