Land of Birds.
The Six Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata, looked warily at the petite girl in a black robe who had suddenly appeared before him.
He didn't underestimate his opponent because of her cute appearance and small build. The sound of clashing blades in the distance served as a clear warning.
Utakata had been harassed by two teams of Kirigakure Anbu, but the moment this woman appeared, a single glance from her made the two teams turn on each other.
"Who are you?" Utakata asked in a deep voice.
Hikari wore no Konoha forehead protector. She never saw herself as a Konoha shinobi—she belonged solely to Yami.
So Utakata had no way of judging her identity.
"Six Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata."
When speaking to outsiders, Hikari's voice was always cold. "My goal, naturally, is the tailed beast sealed inside you."
"Another ambitious lunatic?"
Utakata's expression darkened. "You people are seriously irritating. Was it really a mistake to stay out of the shinobi world's conflicts?"
"It was indeed a mistake."
Hikari calmly agreed. "This world is like a massive whirlpool. Small fish and shrimp can only go with the flow, unable to control their fate."
"But whales can create whirlpools and offer shelter to little shrimp like you. You should be grateful, not complain."
Utakata sneered. "People like you… always find some excuse to justify your ambition."
Hikari's cold gaze revealed a trace of pity. "Your vision is too narrow. You can't comprehend Yami's selfless intentions."
"The existence of Jinchūriki is the source of suffering. He's helping you attain freedom. And yet you resist instead of feeling grateful… how pitiful."
"Shimura Yami? You're from Konoha!" Utakata's eyes widened in shock.
"I belong only to Yami."
"Enough talk. It seems we'll have to fight."
Hikari quickly formed seals with both hands, and several fire dragons spewed from her mouth almost instantly.
Utakata blew out a large number of bubbles, jumping onto one and rising into the air. The remaining bubbles burst under the roar of the fire dragons, producing a wide cloud of gas.
Taking advantage of the mist, Utakata's bubble had already flown high into the sky.
He didn't want to become entangled with Konoha. Even when pursued, he preferred to run instead of fight.
But before he could get far, Hikari fired an arrow wreathed in ominous black flames.
Utakata's pupils contracted. He let go of the bubble, free-falling to narrowly avoid the black flame arrow. But the moment he landed, Hikari had already caught up.
Utakata exhaled a new wave of bubbles that shimmered in the sunlight, creating a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere.
But these bubbles were extremely dangerous. Each one would explode with power on par with a detonating tag.
As the bubbles floated toward her, Hikari smiled faintly.
"So… you're one of those 'freedom-chasing ninja' Yami spoke of?"
"What?"
Utakata hadn't processed what she meant before he saw a faint red glow flicker in her pupils.
The next moment, his expression dulled.
The bubbles he released became her weapons.
Each bubble bore the distinct pattern of Mangekyō Sharingan. Although the distance wasn't enough for Tsukuyomi, with the bubbles acting as anchors, the unguarded Utakata was instantly trapped in genjutsu.
Plop—!
A few seconds later, Utakata's eyes rolled back and he collapsed unconscious on the ground.
Hikari didn't approach. She remained still. Not long after, several masked shinobi in Anbu gear arrived and knelt on one knee.
"Ancestor."
"Take him back. He's under my genjutsu and won't wake up for three days."
Hikari frowned slightly. She didn't like being called "Ancestor," but after Yuichi and the others learned her identity and origin, they refused to change the title.
"Yes."
Yuichi responded respectfully, slinging Utakata over his shoulder. He was full of admiration for Hikari's genjutsu.
Normally, tailed beast chakra interfered with genjutsu, making it difficult to trap a Jinchūriki. Holding one for three days was nearly unheard of.
But their "ancestor" had subdued both the Jinchūriki and the tailed beast in one move. It was almost absurd.
Land of Lightning.
The Two Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, was currently locked in a brutal battle.
One of her two opponents couldn't be killed no matter how many times she hit him, and the other—after transforming into a black monster—had altered his entire body structure.
Even after fully transforming into the Two Tails, her opponents stuck to her like glue. A sense of impending danger continued to grow in her heart.
"What a brutal woman. But the Evil God will enjoy such a sacrifice!"
After being swatted by one of the Two Tails' claws, Hidan stood up as if nothing had happened and charged in again, swinging his scythe.
"Don't waste time. If the other Kumo shinobi show up, it'll get messy," Kakuzu warned, releasing two remaining Earth Grudge masks and launching five elemental attacks simultaneously.
They were fighting in a fortress somewhat distant from Kumogakure, but not far enough to guarantee safety.
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one getting beat up."
Hidan complained, but fought even more fiercely. He dove straight into the Tailed Beast Cloak, enduring the burns as he sliced Yugito and took her blood.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Fire Release: Head-Hardening Flame!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
"Water Release: Water Curtain!"
All five techniques blasted out at once. Kakuzu temporarily suppressed the Two Tails, buying Hidan just enough time to complete his ritual circle.
Standing at the center of the formation, Hidan grinned and stabbed himself in the abdomen. The Two Tails let out a piercing shriek.
Yugito, struck by severe internal trauma, couldn't maintain her transformation. She reverted to her normal form.
A massive wound gaped in her stomach, blood pouring out.
Yugito stared in disbelief at the laughing Hidan and finally understood why he was so desperate to draw her blood.
Plop—!
Weakened from blood loss, Yugito collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Just as Kakuzu prepared to carry her to a secluded location to extract the tailed beast, a cold voice rang out from deep in the fortress.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A blinding white cube shot from the shadows. Kakuzu knew trouble was coming and quickly had his Earth Grudge masks dodge, but the Dust Release was too fast. Three masks were disintegrated instantly.
"Who are you?!"
Hidan, still lying in his ritual circle, was in a dilemma.
Get up and risk disrespecting the Evil God?
Stay down and risk being annihilated?
His loyalty to the ritual was at odds with his desire to live.
As Hidan hesitated and Kakuzu grew tense, two long shadows emerged from the corridor.
"Akatsuki robes…"
"No, you're from Konoha! Scorch Release Pakura, and the Fifth Hokage's steward, Uchiha Izumi!"
Kakuzu was a "businessman." He remembered high-value targets well.
Pakura and Izumi each had bounties of 50 million and 40 million ryō. His first thought was: jackpot. His second was… run.
As much as he loved money, he knew that if he didn't live to spend it, it was worthless.
With three masks gone and Hidan exposed, they couldn't win.
Without hesitation, Kakuzu made a decision.
The remaining two Earth Grudge masks flew—one toward Hidan, the other toward Yugito—while his true body fled the scene.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
Pakura's blazing fireball blocked the Earth Grudge mask heading for Yugito. Seeing this, the mask quickly redirected and joined Kakuzu in escaping.
As expected, neither Izumi nor Pakura pursued.
Izumi glanced at the direction the two had fled and nodded. "As expected of an old relic from the Warring States era. Dodging danger has become second nature."
Pakura didn't care about letting the immortal duo escape. She walked over to Yugito, applied herbs to her wounds, and bandaged her abdomen.
"We can deal with them next time. Let's return for now."
Izumi nodded. Neither of them feared the immortal pair. With enough intel, they were just two slightly stronger Elite Jōnin. There was still a clear gap between them and true Kage-level fighters.
Izumi, however, was curious about something else.
Looking at Yugito's pale yet beautiful face, she nudged Pakura's shoulder. "This Two Tails Jinchūriki is pretty cute. Will Yami be willing to kill her?"
"Of course not. It'd be a shame to waste someone so pretty."
The autumn wind blew through Konoha. In October, the village began to cool.
The trees lining the streets had turned golden, and fallen leaves blanketed the ground.
No one bothered sweeping them up.
Following Konoha tradition, the dead leaves were left in place to provide nutrients for the next spring.
By a river, Yami had once again ditched his Hokage duties to enjoy a peaceful afternoon with his two students and their cook.
Maruboshi Kosuke grilled chicken wings and beef while Naruto asked about how Jinchūriki were treated.
Without Ashura's chakra influencing him, Naruto wasn't cold-hearted—but he had become less prone to unnecessary sympathy.
Still, as a Jinchūriki himself, he empathized with others in the same situation.
Thankfully, Yami didn't give the worst answer.
"I've developed a sealing bed that extracts most of the tailed beast's chakra while leaving enough to sustain the Jinchūriki's life."
"Really?" Naruto brightened. "Yami-nii, then hurry up and get rid of that stinky fox. I'm tired of him already."
"Unfortunately, not yet."
Yami shook his head, and Naruto's smile faded.
"The Fourth Hokage's chakra is bound to the seal. If we remove the Nine Tails…"
Naruto fell silent.
After a while, he rubbed his stomach. "Then just leave it. I'm used to that stupid fox anyway."
"It's the Fourth's legacy."
Kosuke smiled, handing him two skewers of wings. "To you, the Nine Tails isn't just power or responsibility. It's a gift from the Fourth and Kushina."
Naruto took a big bite of the wings. "You're good with words, old man. That gift's way too heavy. If I could, I'd return it."
Yami laughed. "I suggest you try getting along with Kurama. Become a perfect Jinchūriki. Otherwise, you'll never beat Sasuke."
"No way!" Naruto yelled, offended. "Once I learn Sage Mode, I'll definitely beat him!"
Yami calmly ate his wings. "But Sasuke's going to awaken Mangekyō and grow stronger too. You'll still need the Nine Tails' power."
Throughout the long cycle of reincarnation, only the monster Senju Hashirama could fight Indra's descendants head-on. The other Ashura reincarnates always relied on others. Naruto, without Kurama, would be no exception.
Sasuke, who had been quietly helping with the food, also chimed in. "Yami-sensei, even with that fox's help, Naruto still won't beat me."
"You jerk, Sasuke! That's too arrogant!"
"Just telling the truth. What, now you don't even want honesty?"
The two bickered again. To avoid the noise, Yami left with Kosuke.
"Hokage-sama."
The old man was still smiling, but a hint of seriousness flickered in his cloudy eyes.
"Judging by how things are going... will war break out soon?"
Kosuke, who had survived multiple wars, couldn't shake the familiar feeling. The difference this time was who was picking the fight.
In past wars, Konoha had always been the victim, dragged in by the provocations of the other great nations.
But now, it was Yami who was stirring the pot—demanding all Jinchūriki from the other villages. It was even more domineering than Hashirama's era.
"Why, are you afraid?"
Yami didn't deny it. He just smiled. "Do you think I'm some warmonger dragging Konoha into war?"
"Of course not."
Kosuke shook his head. "I know what you're planning. With you here, now's our best chance."
Yami patted him on the shoulder. "Come to the Hokage office tomorrow. I'll take care of that leg problem. You can make even more contributions to Konoha."
Kosuke nodded.
Maybe Yami wasn't the friendliest or most approachable Hokage.
But he was definitely…
---
Land of Rain. After receiving the report from the Immortal Duo, Nagato could no longer contain his fury and let out a roar of rage.
(To be continued.)
***
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