"Lord Mu, urgent news!"
An Iwa anbu appeared in a rush, dropping to one knee.
Mu, busy with his paperwork, only lifted his eyes slightly. "Speak."
"The Nine-Tails you've been searching for was sighted yesterday."
"According to intelligence, a while back the Hidden Cloud dispatched an elite unit to capture it, but they failed. It's said even the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers were devoured by the beast!"
Mu's eyes narrowed. He didn't hesitate.
"Prepare to depart. Immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Though before leaving he split off a clone, leaving it behind to begin gathering natural energy. That way, when he dispelled the clone, he could enter Sage Mode instantly.
"Also, bring Ōnoki. He's been holed up training too long. Time for him to see the world outside. Let him witness the power of a Tailed Beast with his own eyes."
Mu turned to his trusted aide. "Shichihachi, take the anbu and wait at the village gate. I'll join you shortly."
"Yes, Lord Mu!"
With that, Mu vanished, heading toward Ōnoki's home.
---
Ōnoki had long since moved out on his own, despite being the grandson of First Tsuchikage Ishikawa. Mu arrived at his doorstep, only to find the door tightly shut.
"Hm? Why is it locked?"
He frowned, extending his sensory perception.
What he sensed nearly made his brain short-circuit.
"Hehehe… Lady Ame from the rice cake stall… you're my favorite…"
Mu's expression froze. His mind replayed the words in disbelief.
'Wait. Lady Ame? The rice cake seller at the village gates? The one built like the Raikage with arms like tree trunks?'
He nearly choked.
'Ōnoki… what the hell is wrong with you?'
No wonder the brat never grew taller, how could he, when his tastes leaned toward women who could bench-press mountains?
Mu suddenly remembered an old saying from the memories he carried.
Of all vices, lust is the worst.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. 'Do I knock… or just pretend I didn't hear this?'
But the anbu were already waiting at the gate. He didn't have time for hesitation.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He slammed his fist against the door.
"Open up!"
To Ōnoki, the sound was like thunder crashing through his skull.
"L-Lord Mu! Five minutes! Just give me five minutes!!"
Mu's face darkened instantly.
'You dare delay me for this?'
Enough was enough.
He smashed the door open with a single elbow strike, storming inside, only to be greeted by the pitiful sight of a boy clutching a blanket like a lifeline, his face pale with despair.
"Ahhh! Teacher, don't come in!!"
Ōnoki scrambled, stammering wildly. "I-It's not what it looks like! I was just practicing the Rasengan! I almost had it!"
But his wild eyes and the way he clutched the blanket betrayed him instantly.
Mu arched a brow. "Practicing Rasengan… in bed?"
Ōnoki's lips trembled. His explanation collapsed under the weight of its own absurdity.
"Enough. Whatever you were doing, stop. We're hunting the Nine-Tails. Now."
Ōnoki flailed. "W-Wait! Let me put on my pants first!"
Mu exhaled slowly through his nose, fighting the urge to smack the boy.
Deep within a valley, the Nine-Tails burst out of the forest, clutching its backside and growling.
"Damn that Sage of Six Paths… what kind of lunatic gives humans chakra? And Indra too, teaching them hand seals of all things!"
The giant fox looked a mess, its fur singed and ragged in places, still wet from water release attacks, and charred black from fire jutsu.
Just half a month earlier, it had been resting in the Land of Lightning, planning to visit Gyūki. Instead, it had been ambushed by an elite Cloud team.
The fox had fought them off, of course, even swallowed their commanders, the infamous Gold and Silver Brothers. But digesting them hadn't been pleasant. Something gnawed at its insides for days. Only now was it starting to feel normal again.
"Despicable humans!" Kurama spat, turning away in disgust.
All it wanted was to find a quiet place to sleep, slumber was its only refuge against the endless passage of time.
Mu was already on the move. His finely honed sensory perception locked onto that massive chakra presence immediately.
"Prepare for battle! First, use Earth Release to restrain it. Hold position until my command. Ōnoki, stay back and observe. You're not ready to fight this close."
"Yes, Lord Mu!"
As the anbu squads spread out, the Nine-Tails caught sight of them. Its crimson eyes narrowed. The formation, the killing intent, another capture attempt.
"ROOOOAR!"
The fox bellowed, its roar shaking the earth, hoping to frighten the humans off. But Mu only smirked.
"You dare roar at me, omutt?"
He surged forward at high speed.
"Squad One, flank left! Squad Two, take the right! The rest wait for my signal, I'll take center!"
"Understood!"
The anbu scattered like shadows, circling the beast.
Kurama's tails lashed furiously, tearing through trees and earth. But Mu's form flickered as he soared into the air, dodging with ease.
"Wind Release: Cutting Gale!"
"Lightning Release: Thunder Strike!"
The anbu bombarded the fox with jutsu, wind gusts to sharpen attacks, lightning bursts to disrupt its movements.
Against Kurama, though, it was little more than an itch.
Mu had expected as much. Their role was support. If he wanted to kill the beast, one Dust Release cube to the skull would suffice. But his true aim wasn't to destroy, it was to study.
"Humans!!"
The Nine-Tails snarled, chakra boiling. Its jaws widened, black and purple energy gathering, a Tailed Beast Bomb.
But before it could release, Mu was already there, surging down from above, a massive spinning sphere in his palm.
"Wind Release: Rasen Shuriken!"
The colossal jutsu slammed straight into the fox's forehead, detonating in a storm of cutting winds. Kurama's body was hurled into the ground with a thunderous crash, its muzzle buried in the dirt.
The anbu gasped in awe.
"Incredible! Lord Mu is unstoppable. While we barely scratched it, he flattened the Nine-Tails with one strike!"
"Too strong… his power is unfathomable!"
Ōnoki, watching from a safe distance, clenched his fists, eyes wide with admiration. "Teacher… one day, I'll be that strong too!"
Mu didn't give the beast time to recover.
"Earth Release: Rock Prison!"
Stone spires erupted from the ground, twisting around Kurama's massive frame, locking its limbs and slowing its movements.
"Damn you!"
Kurama thrashed, shaking the mountains. Rocks shattered, but the fox's body was still sluggish from the last blow.
Its maw opened, unleashing another roar. The sheer gust of its breath became a gale, sweeping through the valley like a hurricane.
Mu's expression hardened. 'Enough playing around.'
He dispelled his clone, instantly flooding himself with the stored natural energy.