"Not chasing?"
"Chasing what?"
"Those Cloud Ninjas..."
"No need."
"No need?"
Shisui scratched his head, confused. Isn't this the time to press the attack? What does "no need" even mean? As always, Sougen's thinking is completely unpredictable, leaving Shisui unable to understand what he's planning to do next!
"If you've got any questions, just say them. Don't keep wondering on your own."
Sougen lightly kicked Killer Bee, who lay unconscious.
This wasn't a disguise—he was really out cold.
Not only Killer Bee, but even the Eight-Tails had exhausted its chakra and lost its ability to resist, needing time to recover.
"Aren't we going to take this chance to weaken the Cloud Village's forces?" Shisui paused for two seconds before voicing his doubt. "The two of us, together, could easily wipe out a large number of Cloud Ninjas and turn around our disadvantage in manpower. Why stop now?"
After defeating the Eight-Tails, instead of pursuing the retreating Cloud Ninjas, Sougen ordered a defensive pullback, having everyone clean the battlefield and fortify their camp.
"I told you, there's no need!"
Sougen repeated his previous answer.
Shisui's eyelid twitched. Luckily, his temper was good enough to stop him from punching Sougen.
"Sigh! Look at what's lying here." Sougen, seeing Shisui staring at him in confusion, kicked Killer Bee lightly again and sighed. "Look closely. This is the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Without him, what strength do you think Cloud Village has left to fight us? And if I remember correctly, didn't you say you used Kotoamatsukami on the Two-Tails Jinchuriki?"
His last sentence was whispered, filled with regret like a parent disappointed in their child.
Even after using Kotoamatsukami, Shisui hadn't simply rewritten Yugito's will to make her believe she was a spy for Konoha. Instead, he turned her into a genuine pacifist who despised war.
What a waste!
Sougen glared at Shisui again.
Shisui shrank back, staying silent. He had already been lectured by Sougen once for the Two-Tails Jinchuriki issue, and he still firmly believed that it would have been better to just kill Yugito!
Death isn't the worst thing.
Many things are worse than death, like having your will altered and being forced to turn against your friends and loved ones. That's too tragic—better to die quickly!
"Look at you."
Sougen sighed. "Anyway, the Cloud Ninjas have lost two of their Jinchuriki. Without them, do you think the Fourth Raikage can stand against you, me, and Elder Fugaku?"
"He can't."
Before Shisui could respond, Sougen answered his own question.
"The three of us with our Susano'o combined—no matter how strong the Fourth Raikage is, he's no match for us. Sure, our forces are far fewer than the Cloud's, but ninja wars have never been determined by sheer numbers. Strength in numbers doesn't apply to us."
"There's no point in slaughtering the Cloud Ninjas! All it does is create more death and hatred. I'm not afraid of them hating us, but I just don't see the point in meaningless killing. In my battle plan, the lower-ranked ninjas will be of no use in the upcoming battles. Their lives or deaths don't affect the outcome."
"Shisui, do you have any more questions? Or do you think we should wipe them out to prevent the Cloud from rising again?"
"No, no, I've never thought of that!"
Shisui shook his head vigorously.
The idea of extermination was terrifying. He could fight to protect Konoha, his clan, and his comrades, but he never enjoyed killing, especially wholesale slaughter.
The last three Great Ninja Wars had solidified the belief that the status of the Five Great Ninja Villages was unshakable, regardless of how badly they lost. Even the most downtrodden village, Suna, merely faced reduced funding, not total elimination.
The system of one village per nation, for all its flaws, seemed remarkably stable.
In each war, villages fought for different reasons—mostly for gain, sometimes for revenge—but no village ever sought to utterly destroy another.
This time, Cloud Village was simply trying to take advantage of Konoha's weakened state, hoping to seize some land, not wipe Konoha out.
Similarly, Shisui had never imagined marching into the Land of Lightning and erasing Cloud Village from the map. His goal was only to defeat their army and force them to retreat.
"I understand now, Sougen—no, Clan Leader, your decision is correct!"
Shisui lowered his head, conceding.
He was afraid Sougen might actually suggest wiping out Cloud Village! Somehow, he felt that Sougen would really do something like that.
"As long as you get it!"
Sougen didn't dwell on the subject, shifting his focus elsewhere.
"Where's the sealing squad? Get over here and seal this guy up."
The sealing squad rushed over at his command, surrounding Killer Bee. It was a mixed group of young and old, trained to use special sealing techniques passed down through generations. Konoha had specifically dispatched the sealing team due to Cloud Village's Jinchuriki.
Up until now, they had no chance to act because Konoha had been retreating, but now, they finally had their moment. Unlike what they imagined—battling the Eight-Tails—they were simply sealing an already defeated Jinchuriki.
However...
After half a minute of hushed discussion around Killer Bee, the vice-captain of the sealing squad, a man over fifty with graying hair, awkwardly approached Sougen.
"What's wrong? Having trouble with the seal?"
"No, there's no problem with the seal. We don't even need my old bones for this one," the vice-captain replied, as the team members had already begun setting up the seal on Killer Bee, moving methodically if not particularly quickly.
"So what's the issue?" Sougen asked in confusion.
"Well... setting up the seal is straightforward, but we can't confirm its effectiveness right now. Based on the intel we've gathered, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki from the Cloud Village is a perfect Jinchuriki. This is the first time we've encountered a situation where the tailed beast and the Jinchuriki are in complete harmony, so, um..."
"I see."
Sougen nodded in agreement. It made sense. While Killer Bee, this perfect Jinchuriki, didn't have Naruto's flashy golden mode, having a tailed beast that cooperates fully is entirely different from the usual Jinchuriki. Normally, the tailed beasts couldn't care less whether their Jinchuriki lives or dies!
"So, under normal circumstances, how long would the seal last on a typical Jinchuriki?"
This casual question left the elderly man in his fifties stammering, unable to answer.
"Wait, don't tell me you're not sure about that either?"
Sougen widened his eyes.
"Yes, sir, Hokage Advisor."
The old man chuckled awkwardly and nodded.
"Well, you see, we only have one Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha, but as you know, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, for all three generations, has always come from the Uzumaki Clan. They're practically the ancestors of sealing techniques, so we never had to get involved. We've inspected the seals on the Third Generation Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and they're so solid that we never had a chance to prove ourselves..."
"So, um, to be honest, since the Sealing Corps was established, we've never actually sealed a tailed beast or a Jinchuriki. All we've done is make some small adjustments and theoretical deductions based on the records left behind by the Uzumaki Clan."
Sougen stared speechlessly at the old man, who spoke of his "embarrassment" without showing an ounce of shame. His face was as thick as a castle wall.
Well then!
He really hadn't known that Konoha's Sealing Corps was in this kind of situation. It seemed like they had inherited most of the Uzumaki Clan's knowledge, but without the practical experience, they were just theorists.
"Alright, I understand your difficulties. Just do your best. I'll keep the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki close by for supervision. If there's any problem, I'll suppress him immediately... Oh, and since you lack practice, take this chance to gain some experience in sealing a tailed beast and a Jinchuriki. Just make sure you don't kill the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki while experimenting. Do whatever tests you need."
"Yes, sir! Leave it to us, Hokage Advisor! Our theories are more than sufficient. What we lack is the opportunity to practice, but this time, we'll make sure to leave detailed and useful records for future generations."
The elderly man's face lit up with a wide grin, so wide it almost hid his eyes.
Just as the old man was about to rush off to share the good news with his comrades, Sougen added, "Oh, one more thing. I'm assigning you another task. Research how the Cloud Village trains what they call a 'perfect Jinchuriki.'"
"The method for creating a perfect Jinchuriki? Understood!"
The old man nodded solemnly. After waiting a couple of seconds to see if there were any more orders, he sprinted off to rejoin his team. A few seconds later, a deafening cheer erupted from the group, accompanied by blatant flattery like, "The Hokage Advisor is brilliant!"
Sougen glanced at them for a few seconds, confirming that the sealing work for the Eight-Tails seemed to be going smoothly. He looked away, raising his head to see past the beach umbrella above him, toward the dark sky filled with snowflakes gently falling from the endless black. The snowfall was growing heavier, but fortunately, the wind wasn't strong. Otherwise, it would've turned into a full-blown snowstorm, which would've been a real headache.
"It's a bit slow, isn't it?"
"What's a bit slow?"
Shisui was sitting beside Sougen. After overusing Susanoo in the battle against the Eight-Tails, even with the help of Samehada replenishing his chakra, he couldn't fully recover from the strain. When he released Susanoo, his face had been covered in blood.
The amount of blood was so alarming that people worried his brain might spill out along with it!
Now Shisui had no strength to work. He simply sat to recover, sharing a chair with Sougen. Earlier, Sougen had said they should set up tents for the wounded, and someone clever had pulled out a beach umbrella from a scroll and set it up.
And so,
The two of them ended up sitting under a beach umbrella in the middle of a snowstorm!
"When we rushed here earlier, I noticed some traces. I thought they were from scouts sent by the Cloud Village, so I sent Jizumi and a team to investigate... but they haven't returned yet. It's taking too long!" Sougen frowned, thinking to himself. Could it really be Uchiha Obito?
"If it's not the Cloud Village, then... are you suggesting?"
Shisui raised an eyebrow.
He, too, immediately thought of that scumbag who claimed to be Uchiha Madara!
"I'm not sure, but it's possible." Sougen frowned deeply, standing up quickly. "No, I need to go check it out myself. If it really is him, Jizumi's team might be in danger. We've already driven off the Cloud ninjas, but losing the Aburame Clan Leader at this point would be a disaster!"
"I'm coming too!"
Shisui struggled to stand up.
But he was met with Sougen's cold gaze. "Don't make things worse, Shisui. In your current state, what could you possibly do? Stay here and recover! Someone, go fetch Elder Fugaku!"
Uchiha Tetsuka, who had been summoned, rushed off to find Uchiha Fugaku!
Before long, Uchiha Fugaku, who had been busy organizing the battlefield and recovering the bodies of fallen Uchiha, arrived. Despite also using Susanoo and the Mangekyo Sharingan, his body was in much better shape than Shisui's, who had nearly burned out his eyes.
After the battle, Fugaku had voluntarily offered to clean up the battlefield. Part of this was also to avoid talking with Sougen, as Fugaku wasn't eager to discuss his Mangekyo Sharingan. But it seemed like he couldn't avoid it this time. After receiving Tetsuka's message, he sighed deeply and hurried over.
However,
"Elder Fugaku, please take charge of the army while I handle something!"
Sougen's words surprised him. Weren't they going to talk about the Mangekyo Sharingan?
Just as Fugaku was about to speak, Yamanaka Mokuren came running over, breathless, and rushed up to Sougen. She was panting heavily but managed to say in a strained voice, "Hokage Advisor, we've received a distress call from the Aburame Clan Leader. They've encountered the rogue ninja Orochimaru and are requesting reinforcements!"