"As expected, it's in here. Is it slowly being awakened as the Nine-Tails continuously erupts?"
Takemi's purpose in coming here this time was to observe the Nine-Tails and also to understand Naruto's parents, who were slumbering here with the seal.
It was just a bit unfortunate that the Nine-Tails was not very cooperative, but as of now, he had basically obtained what he wanted.
"I can even add some spice."
Looking at the continuously thrashing Nine-Tails, Takemi feigned a look of regret.
"It seems you either don't intend to cooperate, or your memories are damaged. In that case, I'll let you off for now. I hope the next time we meet, you'll give me the correct answers."
"Who exactly are you?!"
The Nine-Tails roared, its roaring Chakra shaking the entire space as if it were swaying, while Takemi remained perfectly calm.
"Don't scream so hoarsely, it's useless. As part of the Ten-Tails' Chakra, you should understand one thing…"
At this point, Takemi paused, and his figure slowly began to dissipate. Looking at the increasingly frantic Nine-Tails, his voice was exceptionally clear.
"Life force and strength being disproportionate is actually a flaw."
"So, next time we meet, please be polite, because next time it won't just be my Chakra meeting you."
"Also, haven't you always wanted to know who I am?"
"Then please remember well, my name is…"
"Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki!"
As Takemi's voice fell, an immense repulsive force erupted instantly. Nine-Tails roared, pressed firmly to the ground, unable to move.
And its originally surging Chakra also dissipated at this moment, the entire space seemingly returning to boundless darkness once again.
"Oh?"
Outside, Naruto, who had been in extreme pain, suddenly stiffened. He was surprised to find that the violent Chakra within him began to dissipate.
That Chakra, filled with pain, anger, and fear, slowly faded, and he seemed to have regained consciousness.
"Iruka-sensei!"
Just then, he saw Mizuki launch the giant shuriken, and at that moment, Iruka was rushing over, seemingly intending to shield him with his body.
He struggled to get up. Although Iruka usually 'punished' them severely, he had already felt his sincerity.
He absolutely did not want Iruka to be injured in front of him, he would never allow such a thing to happen.
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall.
However, at this critical moment, an Earth Style Wall suddenly rose from the ground, blocking the path of the giant shuriken.
At the same time, a voice slowly echoed through the forest.
"Tch, I thought you were so powerful, but this is all you've got?"
Looking up, a silver-haired figure had appeared above the Earth Style Wall at some unknown point.
His back was to the moonlight, obscuring his face. He stood with his arms crossed, as if overlooking everything.
"Jonin Takemi?"
"Takemi!"
Iruka stopped in his tracks, while Naruto showed a surprised yet embarrassed smile.
Across from them, Mizuki's face turned pale at this moment. He hadn't seen Takemi fight, but he had heard from other Jonin that Takemi had defeated Jiraiya.
Facing such a person, he knew he had no chance of winning at all.
"Jonin Takemi, you've come at the perfect time!" Suddenly, Mizuki shouted loudly.
"Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals, and they…"
"Your actions have been completely exposed, Chunin Mizuki."
Takemi didn't give Mizuki a chance to speak. He simply said indifferently, "Hokage-sama sent me to see what you were up to. I didn't expect your ambition to be so great."
"You…"
Mizuki knew he was finished. He clenched his fists and began to secretly gather strength, he wasn't willing to be left here.
"Hmm?"
However, Takemi raised an eyebrow at this moment, because he noticed that Mizuki seemed to be using Orochimaru's mark.
And it was at this very moment that his system popped up
[Side Mission Completed: As a white-haired character, you should clear as much as possible]
[Calculating Rewards]
[Naruto's Exclusive Mission Completed: Results are not ideal]
[Calculating Rewards]
The next day, on the streets of Konoha.
"Have you heard? Mizuki tried to trick Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals."
"How infuriating! Is he crazy? And doesn't he know that kid Naruto…"
"Don't worry. Naruto is more clever than we thought. He told Jonin Takemi and Hokage-sama about it, and he only did that to cooperate with the act."
"Hmph, that kid… he's not bad, just a bit hard to control."
"Exactly. But with Hokage-sama and Jonin Takemi watching over him, there shouldn't be any problems."
Many people were discussing the events of last night, after all, what happened last night…
Actually, everything that happened last night shouldn't have spread, but the Nine-Tails Chakra explosion within Naruto was felt by many people.
Therefore, Hiruzen could only put a different spin on the matter and release it, which significantly changed Naruto's public perception.
"But, I remember I told Kakashi to tell you not to make such a big commotion, didn't I?"
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen looked at Takemi with a helpless expression. He was suffering from a terrible headache.
"A Nine-Tails Chakra outburst is not a good thing, even if nothing happened in the end."
"Perhaps Mizuki went too far, which caused Naruto to go berserk."
Takemi shrugged, immediately changing the subject.
"However, I've already investigated Mizuki's issue. I'm afraid he's connected to Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru?"
Although Hiruzen knew Takemi was deliberately changing the topic, he didn't really want to dwell on those matters.
"Are you sure?"
"Not entirely certain yet. Perhaps Inoichi-senpai needs to verify it, but I think it should be correct."
Takemi nodded, speaking earnestly, "Last night, I clearly felt him using a power belonging to Orochimaru. I've encountered Orochimaru several times before, so I wouldn't mistake it."
"Besides that, I also temporarily interrogated him and learned that he seemed to be looking for Orochimaru with the sealing scroll, but I don't think things are that simple."
"Carrying Orochimaru's power?"
Hiruzen frowned, suddenly remembering Anko.
"It certainly needs a thorough check, but it involves Orochimaru…"
"It might be difficult to get all the information, after all, Orochimaru is very careful in his actions."
Takemi spoke cooperatively, stroking his chin as he continued, "Furthermore, Mizuki probably doesn't know much, since he's just a Chunin instructor. It's just that at this point in time…"
"I know your concern, and it's my concern too."
Hiruzen stood up, pipe in mouth. His headache was even worse now, as his disciple was truly troublesome.
"This Chunin Exams seems to be more problematic than expected, especially with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki…"
Hiruzen himself was a bit depressed. This joint Chunin Exams, no matter how he looked at it, wouldn't be easy.
The mere presence of the Five Kage was already troublesome enough. Just Orochimaru causing trouble would be enough to give anyone a headache.
Not only that, but Orochimaru was also a member of the Akatsuki. And the Akatsuki had a huge conflict with Konoha, or rather, with Takemi.
It was hard to say whether they would do something this time as well.
"So, why not just cancel it?"
Suddenly, Takemi blinked and asked curiously, "Since there's so much trouble, wouldn't canceling it solve everything? The trouble would naturally disappear, wouldn't it?"
"…"