"Didn't expect that guy to get beaten that badly."
"Tsk tsk... he gave it everything he had and still couldn't defeat just a wood clone of Hashirama Senju."
"The funniest part is, the real Hashirama had already gone home by then. Even sadder—when Kakuzu returned to his own village, they arrested him."
"Ninjas, huh? Hashirama's tactics were brilliant. Just using a Wood Clone scared Takigakure into handing over the would-be assassin and begging to form an alliance with Konoha. Don't you agree, Naruto?"
"Tactics, huh?"
Naruto gave Kurama a strange look.
"Why not just say Hashirama was merciful?"
"Heh."
Kurama's blood-red eyes narrowed as he scoffed,
"Merciful? Would someone 'merciful' beat Kakuzu within an inch of his life and then let him go? At the end of the fight, Hashirama even made a point of telling Kakuzu he was just a clone—obviously so he'd return and scare his village into submission!"
"Takigakure's leaders panicked after hearing the report. They were so terrified they offered to hand over Kakuzu as a sign of goodwill, just to appease Konoha. And even now, they're still considered a 'friendly ally.'"
Naruto chuckled.
"Sounds like you've been spending too much time in the Mirror World."
"Of course not!"
Kurama lowered his massive head to Naruto's eye level.
"I learned it from you."
"Oh?" Naruto raised a brow. "Is that how you see me? That dark?"
"Heh, that's not dark,"
Kurama grinned.
"It's just reality. If Kakuzu had been sent to assassinate the leader of any of the other Five Great Nations instead of Hashirama, and failed, Takigakure still would've groveled for peace."
"The difference is—Hashirama played it smarter. By letting Kakuzu live and return, he guaranteed his reputation would crush any resistance."
"And look what happened to Takigakure in the end—their leadership was wiped out, their most prized secret techniques stolen by Kakuzu. From then on, they fell into decline."
"At that time, if they had rushed to seek alliance with another major village, they might have been completely devoured. And with the looming threat of Konoha's retaliation, they had no choice but to cling to Konoha. Otherwise, they'd likely have been wiped out."
"So? Am I wrong? Be honest—this is what you believe too, isn't it?"
Kurama finished his rant and waited smugly.
But Naruto hadn't even replied yet before the three other Tailed Beasts around them were left dumbfounded.
They stared at each other for a few moments—then began communicating silently through their unique mental link.
"Chōmei, is Kurama right?"
"No clue, I wasn't even in Takigakure yet back then."
"Honestly... it does sound believable. But how did Kurama figure that out? I didn't see it at all."
"Kurama's changed. He used to be like Shukaku—never thinking that deeply."
"Yeah, lately he's been acting strange. He doesn't even ask us to team up anymore."
"Wait—what's team-up?"
"..."
Naruto noticed the awkward looks among the three, and somehow, Kurama's expression also turned grim.
Just as Naruto was about to speak, Kurama raised a paw and smashed the air with a clenched fist.
Even in this space with no concept of up or down, the impact sent ripples across the illusionary realm.
"You brats think I can't hear you!?"
The three other Beasts immediately stopped their private chatter.
A moment later, holographic windows appeared in front of them—then each of them turned into streaks of light and vanished.
"Hmph!"
Kurama snorted.
Then a new screen popped up before him. He was just about to tap on Chiyo's icon when he paused and asked:
"Naruto. The intel you gave to Akatsuki—was it real?"
"Of course it was."
Naruto's tone was calm.
"But real or not... does it matter to Akatsuki?"
"True enough."
Kurama nodded and vanished in a flash of light.
Meanwhile — Land of Rain
In the endlessly drizzling rain, Pain sat cross-legged atop the tongue of a grotesque stone statue, his face blank.
After a while, he formed a reverse seal.
At the same moment, deep inside a cave in Amegakure, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—formed from the Ten Tails' husk—displayed phantom projections of Pain and Kakuzu on two of its fingers.
"The intel on the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki has been confirmed."
"Good. Next, go to the southern Hongzhou Island and investigate the whereabouts of the Six-Tails Jinchūriki. Tell Hidan to keep a low profile. That region belongs to the merchant-ninja, and they have strong ties with the Five Great Nations."
"Understood."
The projection faded.
Border of the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass
Kakuzu opened his eyes, pulled out a map, and marked an X.
Then he stood and looked back at Hidan, who was sitting on a nearby boulder.
"We're moving."
"How'd it go?"
Hidan swung his scythe back onto his shoulder.
"No new orders from the boss?"
"There are."
Kakuzu picked up the money chest.
"We're to locate the Six-Tails Jinchūriki."
He took a few steps.
"But before that, we're completing the bounty mission first."
"Oi oi oi~"
Hidan frowned.
"Kakuzu, don't you think it's bad form to take side gigs while we've got official orders?"
"Side gigs?"
Kakuzu stopped.
"As the organization's treasurer, earning bounty money is an official task."
"Can't we do the boss's job first!?"
Seeing Kakuzu's stare turn dark, Hidan scoffed,
"Tch. Your whole brain is made of money!"
Kakuzu turned away and muttered,
"That's because money is the only thing worth trusting."
One Month Later – Land of Snow
In a forest of ice, Sasuke stood at the base of a mountain.
Suddenly, his expression grew serious. He raised his right arm diagonally into the air, fingers together.
Zzzzzzzt—
A thick stream of lightning burst from his fingertips—like a bolt as wide as his wrist.
In a flash, it extended over twenty meters.
Then, with a flick of his arm, the bolt shot off like a living creature, spiraling through the sky before slamming into a distant glacier.
BOOM!
The icy peak was instantly reduced by half.
"Finally... I've mastered Storm Release!"
Watching the shards of ice rain down, a rare smile tugged at Sasuke's lips.
—
Over a hundred kilometers away, in a lab,
Naruto and a Shadow Clone were analyzing why Genichi's Byakugan fusion had failed.
Suddenly, Naruto formed a reverse seal—
and Sasuke's projection, Sharingan spinning, appeared.
"What is it?"
"I've mastered Storm Release!" Sasuke declared, eyes burning.
Naruto blinked.
"And?"
"You just wanted to show off your power, didn't you?"
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