Lighting a fire to grill meat, Gekko Chizan instantly turned into a master of outdoor cooking.
A massive water buffalo was nothing more than beef in front of his crystal blade.
Heat the pan, add oil—
Wait, no. Cut the beef into chunks, skewer them with branches, and place them over the campfire.
As the flames roasted the meat, it sizzled deliciously. Gekko Chizan pulled out a scroll from his robe and unfurled it, instantly revealing an assortment of seasonings scattered on the ground.
Salt—toss it in. Cumin—toss that in too. Before long, the air was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat.
While swallowing his saliva, Gekko Chizan praised himself.
"This cooking skill of mine… man, being a ninja is a waste of talent. Maybe I should take Pakura and open a restaurant instead. We'd be swimming in cash."
...
Inside the crystal house, the nose of the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, suddenly twitched.
The irresistible smell of grilled meat assaulted her senses.
"Mmm... smells so good..."
Compelled by the fragrance, Yugito slowly woke up and unconsciously started walking toward the campfire.
"Yo? You're awake?"
"Looks like you're hungry, huh? Makes sense, you've been asleep for ages."
Yugito completely ignored Gekko Chizan, her eyes locked onto the beef by the fire. The aroma was intensely stimulating her taste buds, and saliva started dripping uncontrollably.
"Not even a glance for me? Fine then, starve."
"This barbecue... damn, it's perfect."
Gekko Chizan was not about to coddle her. He took a big bite of the grilled beef—juices immediately began dripping.
Yugito was completely stunned.
"Hmph! I want some too!"
"Not giving you any."
"I said I want to eat!"
"And I said no!"
Yugito was starving, and with Gekko Chizan teasing her, her eyes began to tear up with frustration.
"Alright, alright, stop crying. Otherwise, the Two-Tails inside you will blame me."
"Here, eat."
Seeing the meat offered to her, Yugito swallowed back her tears. Her cheeks turned red, and she gave Chizan a fierce glare.
But she still immediately dug in.
"Slow down! Geez, anyone would think I've been starving you."
The beef was surprisingly filling. Even Gekko Chizan could only finish one big chunk before feeling stuffed.
Yugito, on the other hand, ate even more than he did—which genuinely surprised him.
He muttered to himself, "Yep, every girl has a glutton hidden inside."
...
After eating, Yugito sat on the ground, feeling like she'd come back to life.
"So tasty..."
Ever since she'd been tricked and taken away by Gekko Chizan, she hadn't eaten in days. It was only thanks to Matatabi's chakra that her body stayed active.
Without the tailed beast's chakra, she probably would've starved to death—or worse, died from overeating all at once.
"Hey kid, drink some water. You ate all that meat, won't you get constipated?"
Gekko Chizan grinned as he handed her a bamboo tube filled with fresh water.
As for where the water came from—Island Turtle had a real waterfall inside it, one that could help jinchūriki purify their hearts. And of course, the water from the waterfall was freshwater.
Chizan had already found its location.
...
"Hmph. Spill it—why did you abduct me?"
"I'm a shinobi of Kumogakure!"
Yugito already knew the situation she was in, but she wasn't the type to yield.
Even if she was kidnapped, she would never bow her head.
"Oh? You've got some fire."
"But... you're not officially a shinobi yet, are you? Otherwise, show me your Kumogakure headband."
"Shinobi. How old are you, really?"
Faced with Gekko Chizan's mockery, Yugito's face flushed red again, but she couldn't refute him—because it was true, she wasn't officially a ninja yet.
Still, she wouldn't back down! Not at all! Especially not against this smug-looking guy—his smile made her want to punch him so bad!
"Thinking about punching me? Tsk tsk. Too bad you can't. Actually, even that Two-Tails inside you couldn't beat me."
"Because I'm like you—a jinchūriki. I'm the host of the Seven-Tails. And I can fly."
Yugito's eyes widened. She suddenly remembered—this guy was also a jinchūriki. But back then, her Two-Tails had gone berserk, and she fell unconscious.
Looking at him now, it made sense. He'd survived her rampaging tailed beast, and was still sitting here, calm as ever...
"Hmph! So what?"
"So nothing. From now on, you're coming with me. As for Kumogakure? Forget about it. You're not going back."
"..."
Yugito was losing her mind!
"Why?! Why did you kidnap me?!"
"Is it because of the Two-Tails inside me?!"
"Which village are you even from?!"
Seeing Yugito's rage, Gekko Chizan only grinned wider.
But then, his expression turned serious.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is, yes—I took you because of the Two-Tails."
"And one more thing, kid. Remember this: the Two-Tails has a name."
"She's called Matatabi."
A name? Tailed beasts have names?
Yugito looked at Gekko Chizan's serious face. She could tell he wasn't lying.
...
"As for my goal..."
"Just follow me from now on as a fellow jinchūriki. This Island Turtle is my base of operations."
"There are things I can't tell you yet. But what I can say is this—"
"As jinchūriki, we're in constant danger. If we don't unite, we'll be taken down one by one and used like tools."
Yugito shot him a dismissive look.
Jinchūriki in danger? Aside from their unstable tailed beasts, they were basically invincible. No one could match the power of a tailed beast.
Only other tailed beasts could fight them. Even the strongest of each village—the Kage—had to tread carefully around them.
Even though she couldn't yet fully control the Two-Tails, having a tailed beast inside her made her proud and defiant.
Someone like her couldn't imagine ever being targeted.
...
"Don't believe me? Doesn't matter. You're not getting off this island anyway."
"Just forget about Kumogakure. That village doesn't deserve your loyalty."
Kumogakure treated its jinchūriki fairly well, but every host still experienced cold stares and special treatment from the villagers.
If it hadn't been for Killer Bee and Yugito earning their recognition through strength, their situations wouldn't have been much better.
...
"No way! I will return to my village!"
"I'll prove myself with my own strength!"
Yugito couldn't accept anything Gekko Chizan was saying.
He didn't care. After all, she couldn't leave. He had plenty of time to change her mind.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Starting tomorrow, I'll begin training you."
"Get ready, kid."
"And just so you know, I'm actually a pretty good teacher."
Looking at Gekko Chizan's smug grin, Yugito snorted and turned her face away in contempt.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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