"Sasuke, do you still hate Itachi Uchiha?"
At the mention of Itachi's name, Sasuke hesitated for a moment before his face darkened with killing intent. He glared coldly at Jiraiya, who had asked the question.
Jiraiya turned his head and seriously asked Naruto, "What about you, Naruto? Do you still love Minato?"
Naruto was momentarily stunned by the question too, but then nodded his head.
"Master Jiraiya, why are you asking these things?" he asked curiously.
"It's nothing," Jiraiya replied, as if relieved, some troubling thoughts in his mind dissipating.
The group resumed their journey, each lost in their own thoughts.
Along the way, Sasuke suddenly seemed to recall something and spoke calmly, "I remember an important fact—when a jinchuriki dies, the tailed beast within them will also disappear for a period of time."
"So as long as the jinchuriki keep dying, the nine tailed beasts will never be fully gathered, and Kaguya won't be able to regain her full strength."
"Until we find a better solution to deal with Kaguya, we can just keep stalling like this."
"No way! I'm not going along with this plan!" Naruto shouted.
Was Sasuke really planning to hunt down the jinchuriki? Those people already had it hard enough. Why make things worse for them?
Naruto thought sadly.
As if he had already anticipated Naruto's reaction, Sasuke didn't even flinch. He stopped engaging with them and walked straight ahead, leading the group forward.
Back at the base, Sasuke silently strode in a certain direction without hesitation.
"Sasuke, where are you going? Are you going to do that thing?" Naruto yelled after him.
"My power is too weak. Right now, there's nothing I can do," Sasuke coldly replied.
Jiraiya and Naruto exchanged a glance and sighed helplessly.
It seemed Sasuke wouldn't easily abandon his previous idea...
It might work, but in the end, it was just too cruel.
---
After dragging on for about a month through letter exchanges, the leaders of Iwa, Kiri, and Sunagakure finally chose a location for a meeting.
From Kiri, the elderly Genshi attended the meeting while Terumi Mei served as his personal bodyguard.
From Iwa, Onoki came along with his son Kitsuchi.
As for Rasa of Sunagakure, he selected several jonin as escorts.
Since Genshi was only a provisional leader of Kiri, he remained silent during the meeting, feeling unequal in status compared to the Tsuchikage and Kazekage.
Onoki sat on the chair, half-closing his eyes, making no move to speak either.
Rasa glanced at everyone present, inwardly sighed, and lowering his pride, solemnly voiced his suspicions.
Konoha and Kumogakure were working out a plot together, luring and capturing the tailed beasts.
"...If Minato Namikaze suddenly appears and tells you something, don't believe him under any circumstances—he's just bait being used by Konoha..."
"He'll trick the jinchuriki into going to Kumogakure, where Kumo ninja will capture them..."
"Has Minato Namikaze actually returned to life?" Onoki slightly raised his eyes, muttering to himself.
"Kazekage-sama, how can you be certain Konoha and Kumogakure have allied? They were at war just a few years ago."
Terumi Mei, standing behind Yoro Genshi, spoke up.
Rasa and Onoki glanced at the silent Yoro Genshi. Seeing that he made no move to stop Terumi Mei from speaking, they chose not to press the issue.
Rasa spread out a map of the ninja world and pointed at the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
"The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning have been in close contact recently. Even if only for economic growth, I believe both daimyos will push their nations toward peace and set aside their past conflicts."
"Not to mention there are also two small countries in between..."
Before he could finish, Onoki interrupted impatiently, "Then what exactly is their goal in capturing the tailed beasts?"
"Pay attention," Rasa said firmly, knocking several times on the conference table to draw everyone's focus.
All eyes turned to the map before them. Rasa picked up a pen and drew a large circle encompassing the entire area from the Land of Fire to the Land of Lightning.
His expression darkened. "Combined, these countries control the very heart of the Ninja World. I suspect they're planning to reshuffle everything and redraw the borders across our world."
At his words, silence fell over the room as everyone sank into thought.
After a long pause, Onoki finally spoke slowly. "Rasa, do you have solid evidence that Kumogakure has captured the One-Tail jinchuriki?"
Internally annoyed, Rasa realized they wanted Sunagakure to take the lead again.
He gave a slight shake of his head and remained silent.
Meanwhile, Terumi Mei couldn't help but recall someone's image in her mind.
Could the jinchuriki of Sunagakure possibly be connected to him?
Another stretch of heavy silence followed.
Eventually, it was Onoki who broke the stillness. Second only to Yoro Genshi in seniority, yet possessing higher authority as a village leader, he spoke with calm, low tones.
"Under these circumstances, to prevent any conspiracy from Konoha or Kumogakure, Iwagakure is willing to join this alliance and share intelligence regarding Konoha and Kumogakure."
Following this, Rasa and Yoro Genshi also declared their positions. The three villages temporarily formed an alliance, agreeing to share intelligence.
Though Rasa may have exaggerated slightly, the fact remained that the Lands of Fire, Hot Springs, Frost, and Lightning—when connected—not only occupied the central core of the Ninja World but had also become a thorn lodged firmly in their sides.
The first summit did not involve specific plans, only reaching a mutual understanding.
---
Konoha.
After trapping Moryo within the [Yin-Yang Release jutsu] orb, giving it a fixed physical form, Hiroki found dealing with the creature much simpler. He could enter its realm at any time and consume it bit by bit, just as he had done with Toneri.
Certainly, a millennium-old monster wouldn't fall easily, but it couldn't escape. And whenever Hiroki sensed anything wrong, he could escape instantly when needed.
It was like gaining experience in a game—each short session chipped away at Moryo's strength and absorbed some of his power.
Any negative effects caused by Moryo could be dispelled by Shion, who served as a miko priestess.
That day, Hiashi sought out Hiroki to discuss a matter concerning the Sarutobi Clan.
"Do you remember," he began, "when Lord Hokage dispatched many members of the Sarutobi family to guard the borders of the Land of Fire?"
"I do," Hiroki nodded.
Hiashi pulled out a letter and said, "This is intelligence passed on by the Daimyo. Asuma has recently been in frequent contact with those people. Moreover, the Sarutobi Clan has purchased a large number of vacant mansions in Kokuto. I suspect they might be planning to relocate—out of Konoha."
"Relocate out of Konoha, into Kokuto?" Hiroki asked for confirmation.
"Possibly."
"If so, this could actually help the Daimyo. He'd gain another ninja clan under his control. Why would he bother informing Konoha about this?" Hiroki raised a point of confusion.
"The Daimyo himself only recently discovered and verified these facts," Hiashi replied calmly.
"Asuma is secretly contacting those people. As one of the Daimyo's Guardian Ninjas, he spends most of his time at the Daimyo's side, yet hasn't reported these activities to the Daimyo on his own initiative."
"This would definitely make the Daimyo feel uneasy," Hiroki added.
"Exactly," Hiashi acknowledged with approval. "Unsteady loyalty will inevitably raise suspicions."
"What does His Lordship the Daimyo intend for us to do?"
"He didn't specify," Hiashi answered. "He merely conveyed this information to Konoha. I want you to go ask Lady Hokage's opinion on the matter."
Truth was, Hiashi felt torn over this.
If they were to get involved, what justification could they use? It was perfectly normal for members of the same clan to interact with each other. Even if they suspected the Sarutobi intended to move out of Konoha, there wasn't any concrete evidence yet.
On the other hand, this was something specifically pointed out by the Daimyo, so ignoring it wasn't an option either.
Even if they did investigate further, should it be done officially under Konoha's authority or as a personal matter?
After considering all this, he decided to leave the matter for Tsunade to handle.
He didn't know where Tsunade currently was. Hiroki, however, had a close relationship with her and might know how to find her.
Thus, he simply filled Hiroki in on everything.
"Leave it to me," Hiroki nodded before turning and walking away.
When loyalty isn't absolute, it becomes absolute disloyalty.
The current actions of the Sarutobi Clan might suggest they're seeking a new place to start over and regain their former glory.
Too bad they didn't pledge full allegiance to the Daimyo first.
Hiroki couldn't help but wonder who was pulling the strings behind all this.
The Daimyo's behavior might aim to eliminate this uncertain element.
Alternatively, perhaps he wanted to pressure the Sarutobi Clan through Konoha, forcing them to submit loyally to him and consolidate the power of a ninja clan under his control.
Regardless of these intricate political maneuvers, Hiroki didn't care.
All he knew was he didn't want this group causing trouble in the future.
"In the end," he muttered to himself, "it always boils down to one word—kill."
Having clarified his thoughts, he immediately prepared to leave—but then reconsidered: Were these low-level thugs even worth his personal involvement?
-----------------
Inside Shimon Hiruko's Base.
Shimon Hiruko scratched his head, strands of hair sticking up messily as he flipped through stacks of documents with obvious frustration.
"Why isn't it succeeding? No progress at all..."
Ever since implanting Hashirama's cells into Hidan's body, none of his following experiments had yielded any breakthrough.
Whether it was bloodline merging or cellular merging...
Hiroki sighed inwardly while observing the scene. Attempting biological transcendence relying solely on one's own strength truly was extremely difficult...
"Where is Hidan now?" He walked over and asked.
"That guy? Locked up," Shimon replied.
"Has anything changed about him?"
A sudden grin appeared on Shimon's face. "If you could call it change, maybe the lack of rejection symptoms in his body."
"Whatever injections I give him, nothing happens. But still, no miraculous transformations appear either. In other words, that guy might've become immune to all poisons."
Hiroki ordered Hidan brought out from confinement.
"Hidan, I have a mission for you. You don't need to stay in Konoha anymore."
"Seriously?" Hidan looked at Hiroki, then shifted his gaze toward silent Shimon, clearly skeptical.
"I want you to kill all these people." Hiroki handed him a small booklet containing both Sarutobi Clan members' names and Shimura Clan members' names.
Considering Hidan's current altered physical constitution and regenerative abilities, even if someone managed to figure out his special ability, there probably wouldn't be many people capable of killing him.
"Are you really letting me leave Konoha?" Holding the booklet, Hidan confirmed again.
Hiroki raised his eyebrow, then nodded slowly.
Instantly grinning, Hidan left smugly.
Outside Konoha Village, glancing back at the receding buildings in his view, Hidan immediately wore an expression of disdain. Carelessly discarding the booklet, he started walking in another direction.
"Pfft, now that I'm finally leaving this cursed place, why would I follow your orders?"
A white figure emerged from the ground, picked up the discarded booklet, and grinned eerily. "Where exactly do you think you're going, Hidan?"
Naturally, Hidan recognized White Zetsu. Whether during those days at Mount Shumisen or currently in Konoha, he'd seen Hiroki coming out from inside White Zetsu's open body.
Lifting his red three-sectioned scythe-like weapon threateningly, Hidan spoke angrily. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"I have countless copies of myself. You can't possibly kill them all," White Zetsu shrugged indifferently.
Fully aware that White Zetsu wasn't lying—this creature had clearly been sent by Hiroki to monitor him. Plus, he could use White Zetsu to appear beside Hidan anytime. Cursing under his breath, Hidan grabbed back the booklet.
"You people are really getting on my nerves."
---
More than a month passed quickly, reaching the end of December.
Through gradual effort, Hiroki finally completed digesting Moryo.
Which meant Shion now had no reason to remain in Konoha any longer.
"Will you come visit me?"
Standing on the road leading to Konoha's main gate, Shion wore a melancholic expression mixed with anticipation.
Her loyal attendant Asahoho, carrying a package, stood quietly at a distance, patiently waiting.
"...Uh, yeah," Hiroki replied after some hesitation.
"Goodbye." The moment she spoke, a brilliant smile blossomed across Shion's face. Waving her hand, she skipped away with light steps.
Watching them walk away, Hiroki couldn't help but sigh, "Feels like she got the short end of the stick..."
[Given current circumstances, this site may close anytime. Please promptly move to our permanent source-switching app, Huanyuan App]
Kaguya couldn't help smiling faintly, a hint of envy stirring in her heart.
Was this really going to become the norm from now on?
After all, his physical form had matured. His appearance was handsome, his strength exceptional, and his personality had no major flaws.
Combined together, these qualities made him extremely rare among humans.
It was only natural that others would be drawn to him.
He was perfect—he had been raised personally by her, after all. If he kept getting chased by others, it felt like someone was trying to take what was hers—it drove her absolutely nuts.
Come to think of it, since he could set demands on her, why shouldn't she have expectations of him too?
"If you don't want to deal with them, then be more aggressive in refusing them, understand?" Kaguya said earnestly.
Outside Konoha, certain events had begun unfolding.
For instance, within the Land of Fire, a mysterious ninja specializing in hunting members of both the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had appeared.
This guy was extremely audacious—he left behind a strange crimson pattern drawn in blood at every murder scene.
While fearful toward the Sarutobi and Shimura clans remained, vigilance inevitably increased as well.
Such explicit targets meant someone had clearly come prepared...
Internationally, following the Kage Summit Meeting, three great ninja villages launched fierce verbal assaults against Kumogakure.
Among them, Kirigakure voiced the least condemnation.
They had no choice—they still hadn't resolved numerous internal problems and had yet to recover one missing Tailed Beast.
Although pressured by simultaneous public opinion attacks from three villages, Kumo stubbornly maintained its innocence—after all, they couldn't magically produce Gaara if he wasn't there.
Because of geographical separation, no direct conflicts erupted between the ninja villages.
But off-the-record, skirmishes between individual ninjas continued without cease.
Especially since Cloud ninjas weren't ones to tolerate humiliation—they'd look for opportunities to sabotage foreign shinobi on missions, especially from Sand, Mist, or Stone, killing at least one whenever possible.
After repeated back-and-forth confrontations, ninja from those three villages also actively sought opportunities to eliminate Cloud ninja upon encounters.
In short, across the entire Ninja World, tensions mounted like storm clouds before a battle.
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