*Land of Fire, Border Forest.*
"Is Nonō still mad at us?" Kushina asked, walking on Yuto's left.
"Like you even need to ask?" Mikoto, on his right, rolled her eyes. "You knew this would happen, yet you still had to stir the pot!"
"She was gonna find out sooner or later anyway," Kushina shrugged, grinning. "Better she knows now—gives her time to mentally prepare."
"But did you have to go that hard?"
"Is this considered hard for you?"
"Oh? You've got something even wilder in mind?"
"What if we dressed in maid outfits, put on collars, and called this little rascal Master right in front of her? What kinda face do you think Nonō would make?"
"Whew—now that's diabolical!"
"Hahaha, of course!"
Yuto wisely stayed silent the entire time—this wasn't a conversation he wanted any part of.
"Hey, little rascal," Kushina suddenly hooked an arm around his shoulder, whispering in his ear, "How's this look? Exclusive ANBU skin—you like it?"
She wasn't wrong.
Both women were decked out in silver-gray ANBU gear, masks and all. Officially, they were "assisting" Yuto on a mission. Unofficially? They just wanted an excuse to sneak out.
"Yeah, it looks great," Yuto replied earnestly.
"Wanna see us in these tonight?" Kushina's breath tickled his ear. "How about an "ANBU Interrogation" theme? Tie Mikoto-chan to the bed, strip her piece by piece—"
"Enough!" Mikoto's face burned beneath her mask. "We're on a mission! Can you not think about that kind of stuff?!"
"Calling it 'that kind of stuff,' yet you're drooling," Kushina teased.
Mikoto instinctively raised her sleeve to wipe her mouth—before remembering she was wearing a mask.
'This damn woman—playing me again!'
*BOOM.*
A deafening explosion echoed in the distance.
"Looks like we've arrived," Yuto's gaze shifted toward the sound.
"Strong chakra fluctuations… Could it be that it's a tailed beast?" Kushina's brow arched beneath her mask.
"Yeah, no mistake," Yuto smirked. "Someone's hunting a tailed beast."
*Amidst a wasteland of ruins.*
"Damn it. Who knew a tailed beast would go even crazier after leaving its jinchūriki?" Sasori glared at the monstrous figure before him, voice dripping with irritation.
The beast had two horns, a body like a horse, and a face resembling a dolphin. Its five tails lashed against the ground—clearly enraged.
"We should retreat for now," Itachi suggested calmly. "This isn't an enemy we should face head-on."
His Mangekyō could suppress tailed beasts, but he wasn't about to use it.
First, he needed to keep his abilities hidden. Second, his body was already deteriorating—overusing it would shorten his lifespan.
And Itachi wasn't ready to die yet.
Not with someone like Hayashi Yuto lurking in the shadows. He had to stay alive—for Konoha, and for Sasuke.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Sasori snapped. "It's just a mindless beast. Today, I'll show it what eternal art really means!"
His Hiruko shell had already been shattered, revealing his true youthful form. Unfurling a scroll, a cloud of smoke erupted.
Red Secret Technique: Hundred Puppets Performance!
Itachi's eyes widened slightly.
Hundreds of crimson-clad puppets materialized, swarming the Five-Tails in a suffocating encirclement.
This was one of Sasori's trump cards—a force capable of annihilating an entire small nation.
*BOOM.*
Even the Five-Tails was momentarily overwhelmed, its massive body slammed into the ground with a furious roar!
"Hmph. Is this all a tailed beast can do?" Sasori smirked in triumph.
But then—
A swirling orb of multicolored chakra formed at the tip of Kokuō's tails, condensing into a massive Tailed Beast Bomb.
*BOOM.*
The blast obliterated the puppets in its path, sending a shockwave of dust and debris skyward.
*WHOOSH.*
Kokuō's pristine form shot through the smoke, charging straight at Sasori and Itachi, head lowered like a battering ram.
"Damn it!"
"This damn thing!"
Sasori's hand clenched around his last resort. Itachi's eyes flickered, his pupils morphing to a magekyou sharingan
They could no longer afford to hold back.
And then—
A dark-haired figure dropped from the sky, landing between them. Facing Kokuō, she raised a single arm.
*THUD.*
The charging Five-Tails collided with what seemed like an invisible wall—its massive body launched backward from the impact.
"What… the hell?"
Sasori and Itachi exchanged glances, disbelief flashing in their eyes.
'Is this a joke?'
She just blocked a tailed beast with one arm?
"Good afternoon, Senior Sasori, Senior Itachi." A familiar voice rang out. Itachi stiffened.
A bespectacled boy in white stood before them, smiling warmly.
"Hayashi Yuto?" Sasori, fearless or perhaps clueless, scowled. "What are you doing here?"
"ANBU assignment," Yuto replied smoothly. "Reports of disturbances near the border. Didn't expect to find you two hunting tailed beasts here."
"Are they with you?" Sasori eyed Kushina, then the masked Mikoto beside her.
"Girlfriends" Kushina chirped.
"…"
Sasori and Itachi blinked but said nothing.
"Don't worry," Yuto's lips curled. "This'll be over soon."
*BOOM.*
As if on cue, the massive Five-Tails was slammed into the ground again—this time by Mikoto's effortless punch.
The shockwave sent Yuto's hair and clothes fluttering wildly.
Stunned silence.
Sasori and Itachi could only stare.
'What kind of human does that?!' Even the legendary God of Shinobi wouldn't manhandle a tailed beast like a ragdoll!
And for some reason, Itachi felt an odd, aching familiarity with that black-haired figure—a pull he couldn't explain.
"Tell the Leader Pain I'll be taking the Five-Tails for now," Yuto said pleasantly.
"Taking it?"
Sasori's frown deepened, but one glance at the masked ANBU casually dragging Kokuō over by its horns shut him up.
'Not worth the fight. Let the boss deal with this.'
"I'll relay your message," Itachi said flatly, turning to leave.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the monkey-masked ANBU skip over to Yuto, hugging him affectionately—
And that inexplicable twinge in his chest grew sharper.
'Why… does this bother me so much?'
_____
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