The Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails from Kumo was a burly giant, and his name was literally "Han."
He wore a small hat just covering his head, a full suit of dark red armor, and over that, a sleeveless black robe… there was no doubt about it—he was undoubtedly a "warrior."
Even without factoring in his height, just by his attire alone, he looked less like someone from the Land of Earth and more like a warrior from the Land of Iron.
Haseo and the others had found this Iwagakure Jinchuriki lingering around the Ruined City in the Land of Grass.
He studied them for a moment, about to speak, when suddenly a strange feeling struck him.
After thinking for a while, Haseo stepped back a few meters and squatted down on a half-collapsed wall.
Ah, now that's better. What kind of posture is looking up at someone? A big shot should always look down on others through their nose.
"You are… ninja from Konoha? What business do you have coming all the way out here to find me? We've barely crossed paths before, have we?"
"Han" identified their origin from the forehead protectors worn by the Uzumaki shinobi.
Even surrounded, he remained calm.
Also, based on their distinctive red hair, he could guess these people were very likely from the Uzumaki clan. As everyone knew, the abilities of the Uzumaki clan were uniquely suited to certain tasks—like handling tailed beasts or Jinchuriki.
Therefore, Han quickly realized that this group wasn't just well-prepared—they were clearly here on purpose and far from friendly.
Unfortunately though, he missed one important thing—the first thing "Han" failed to recognize was Haseo's identity.
Perhaps it was because, although both were ninjas, their active periods had never overlapped, or maybe it was because Haseo had vanished from sight for far too long, and the Ninjutsu World had simply assumed he had "disappeared."
Well, some people just retired too early.
The news of Haseo's return had actually spread within Konoha for quite some time, so it wasn't inconceivable that other ninja villages had caught wind of it too. But since the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki had been isolated away for quite a while, he naturally lacked such an information channel.
In today's Ninja World, when talking about Haseo, people treated him much like the First Hokage—as someone once powerful but now gone.
Ninja lifespans are short, and Haseo's last appearance was twenty years ago—long enough to feel like centuries in the ninja world.
And as for Haseo himself, he really enjoyed the feeling of being unrecognized by others. Why scare people with one's reputation? Equal, sincere communication felt especially down-to-earth.
What was the point of being as infamous as a rat darting through the streets, parading your name like some kind of curse… Uh, though Haseo himself secretly admitted he didn't exactly have a great reputation in other ninja villages either.
After nearly two decades of silence, now he was back—like a veteran sneaking into the game disguised as a total rookie. Wasn't that great?
"Haseo and I are indeed from Konoha, but we're not narrow-minded ninjas who judge others solely based on their origins. Please don't regard us as enemies."
His words might have sounded more genuine if Haseo hadn't spoken with such an air of superiority.
"Kagenami — do you know of this organization? We hail from it originally."
"I've heard of it. It seems to be an organization established years ago by The Fourth Hokage, mainly composed of ninja from the Uzumaki clan."
Han was exactly the type of ninja who should know about Kagenami — especially considering he was a Jinchuriki.
Yet something about Han's phrasing unsettled Haseo. "'The former Fourth'? What's that supposed to mean? You think the Fourth's already dead?"
"If you already know about Kagenami, then this will be easier to explain.
After the war, our organization transformed into an international nonprofit focused on keeping the Ninjutsu World balanced.
Among the key elements for maintaining balance in the ninja world, the most important is power equilibrium — and particularly crucial within that power balance is the control of the tailed beasts among the villages... Simply put, our organization exists to preserve the tailed beast distribution system established by the First Hokage."
"I understand what you're saying. Alright, I get what you're saying. Now what's next?"
While responding affirmatively to Haseo's explanation, Han also carefully observed his surroundings. The current situation was somewhat troublesome for him — he had been surrounded.
He wouldn't normally care about numerical superiority or encirclement tactics — unless his opponent was a Jinchuriki. When a Jinchuriki found himself surrounded by members of the Uzumaki clan, the situation definitely required special consideration.
"We get that being a Jinchuriki can mess with your head. Even someone built like you can still feel fragile inside sometimes.
After all, having such a massive tailed beast forcibly sealed inside one's body naturally causes various forms of physical and mental discomfort.
Hardly anyone chooses to become one — most are either forced, or don't even realize how they got trapped. Therefore, we express our understanding and sympathy regarding your situation.
However, this doesn't justify your unauthorized actions. Given your prolonged stay in the Land of Grass, we suspect you may have intentions of defecting from Iwagakure, which is absolutely unacceptable.
Therefore, we must correct your rebellious behavior. After providing you with proper education and helping you realize your mistakes, we'll return you to Iwagakure."
That whole argument was a joke — full of BS and not convincing at all. What gives Konoha the right to "manage" Iwagakure's ninja — rogue or not? Do they think they're some sort of world police force? You think no one knows tailed beasts better than you?
"I haven't actually defected from my village yet."
Like Haseo said, Han might've been going through some mental and emotional struggles lately, but he never actually decided to become a rogue... In fact, he might very well figure out his own problems and return obediently to Iwagakure on his own, without needing this so-called "international nonprofit organization" to go through all this effort.
"So you're at the stage of preparing to commit a crime, which barely qualifies you as a criminal suspect... I now decide to arrest you on suspicion of defecting from Iwagakure, illegally entering the Land of Grass, overstaying your welcome, and remotely threatening Konoha, intending to harm the Land of Fire and provoke a humanitarian disaster."
The words sounded noble, yet the Uzumaki shinobi behind Lord Haseo couldn't help covering their eyes. That was quite a stretch. Where was the logic in that?
Hmph, this just shows how little experience the younger generation has. Reality is always stranger than fiction—some superpowers even have laws punishing foreign officials.
Lord Haseo didn't really care whether that guy was a rogue ninja or not. On one hand, he wanted to warm up his body a bit; on the other, for certain reasons, he indeed needed the jinchuriki from each village to remain in their respective villages. Therefore, Five-Tails' jinchuriki couldn't keep wandering around indefinitely.
Once he'd finished his speech, Lord Haseo leapt down from the wall, landing about thirty meters away, directly facing the jinchuriki.
Kagura, who was behind him, tried to follow but was stopped by Ka-jin's outstretched hand.
"There's no need for you to get involved. People like us should just stand here and watch the show."
"But..."
Kagura felt puzzled; after all, this was a jinchuriki. Even from here she could feel the immense chakra radiating from the enemy. Could such an opponent really be handled alone? Well, Lord Haseo didn't look particularly old... But still, was such a foe something the Fourth could handle alone?
Obviously, Kagura had yet to fully understand what "strength" truly meant.
"Don't worry, leave it to Lord Haseo.
Can't you see how eager he is? Don't ruin the mood."
After firmly stopping the Uzumaki ninja, Ka-jin added, "Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire."
"Yes, sir, Ka-jin. We'll keep an eye on the jinchuriki."
"Never mind the jinchuriki! What I meant was, watch out for Lord Haseo so he doesn't accidentally hurt you."
"..."
Naturally, Lord Haseo paid no attention to the murmuring behind him. After posing dramatically, delivering his speech, and stepping forward, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt.
"I wonder if I still remember how to fight. Come to think of it, I'm actually an elderly man now—and even somewhat disabled..."
His combat experience hadn't completely disappeared, but skills like these would inevitably fade without use. It had nearly twenty years since he last fought in battle... Even riding a bike would feel awkward after twenty years of not doing it.
However, the enemy obviously wouldn't care about his concerns. Since battle had become unavoidable, there was nothing more to say.
Just as Haseo hesitated, a deep, muffled boom rumbled across the ground. Immediately afterward, the enemy's massive body charged toward him with unimaginable speed.
The enemy arrived instantly, but faster still was a huge mass of blazing crimson flames.
The enemy had released a powerful Fire Release technique.
So, faced with roaring flames rushing straight toward him, what should one do?
Well, the obvious answer was to put them out.
But the real question was—how exactly did one form the seals for Water Release again?
With flames closing in, Haseo was still going through his options step by step.
Fortunately, his body reacted first on instinct. His right hand shot forward, fingers curling like claws into the crimson fire. Then as if grasping something tangible, he suddenly swung his arm sideways with just one hand.
The entire mass of flames flew aside like splashed water, arcing smoothly away from Haseo—everything flowed as gracefully as dancing ribbons through the air.
You thought Haseo's hand was really a hand? No. That was actually the Uchiha war fan.
Dispelling Fire Release wasn't complicated, but someone capable of physically deflecting it was indeed rare.
The Fire Release transformed into a flaming wall standing before Haseo. Yet in the next instant, the Jinchuriki in massive armor burst straight through that wall—a direct charge aimed at him.
Haseo held his longsword upside down in his left hand, blade still sheathed. Twisting his waist, he spun his whole body around and swung the scabbard powerfully across his opponent's face.
"Bang!"
The high-speed giant, packed with mass and momentum, bent ninety degrees under Haseo's blow from the crutch and crashed straight into a nearby abandoned high-rise.
Boom!
A massive explosion followed, kicking up clouds of dust into the sky.
Could this really be the legendary [Body Slam]?
Unshaken, Haseo repeated the swinging motion several more times, just like getting a feel for the swing.
"Hmm… didn't quite hold back enough. I hope you're okay. It'd be such a waste to knock out my sparring partner with just one hit."
Look at that—he was even worried about his enemy. Haseo's thoughts showed exactly how much he valued life and stayed calm inside.
(End of Chapter)
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