Anko brought Saya to a hollowed-out tree a hundred meters away, her sharp expression softening.
"Don't be so formal. I'm just like you."
She gave Saya a sly smile. "So, how far have you and Uchiha Hikaru gotten?"
"Huh…?"
Before Saya could process the question, Anko clapped her hands together with a grin full of mischief.
At first, Saya didn't understand what Anko meant by "just like you", but her gestures and knowing smile made the meaning clear. Her face turned crimson, and she stammered.
"Anko…sister?"
Anko looked at Saya's flustered, innocent expression and immediately understood what Hikaru saw in her.
(Who could resist this? She's way too adorable… and just the right kind of tempting~)
Without hesitation, Anko stepped forward, wrapped her arm around Saya's, and pressed her cheek against Saya's soft, beautiful face. Unable to help herself, she even planted a kiss on Saya's cheek.
"Oh~ Little Saya, you're so sweet~ It's okay! We're all family here. Don't be shy~"
"After all, your big sister here knows all about Uchiha Hikaru."
"One person alone can't handle him. So—can you still keep up?"
Saya, though naturally shy, felt a strange closeness to Anko—just like she did with Tsunade. Maybe it was the bond they shared through Hikaru.
Besides, Tsunade had been just as bold with her before, so Saya was less startled this time. Still, she couldn't hide her blush.
She wasn't nearly as bold or experienced as Anko.
"Uhm… Lord Hikaru is a bit too much for me to handle on my own…"
"Ah! Right—Naruto and the others are still waiting for me. The other villages' ninja must be nearby too."
"I'll head back first!"
With that, Saya dashed out of the tree hollow, fleeing in a flurry of nervous steps.
Anko watched her go, her previous wariness completely dissolved.
(I thought the Uchiha married her just to strengthen their bloodline, but clearly that's not it.)
Having made up her mind, Anko dropped all hostility toward Saya. In fact, she found herself quite fond of this sweet little "junior."
(What the hell did Hikaru do in his past life to deserve all this good fortune?)
After that, Anko silently followed and kept an eye on Naruto's group from the shadows.
Saya rejoined Naruto and the others smoothly. Sensible as they were, none of them asked what she and Anko had talked about.
After all, this was Brother Hikaru's girlfriend—no way were they going to step on that landmine!
Besides, their attention was already on something else.
They could hear movement in the surrounding forest.
If it had just been the sound of wind rustling through leaves, it would be normal. But this wasn't that—irregular footsteps, quick movements from all directions.
It could only mean one thing.
Enemies were closing in.
Sure enough, ten seconds later, two teams of ninja appeared simultaneously from the south and north of the tree where Saya and Naruto stood.
They immediately squared off.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he recognized the six below.
"Hidden Mist: Yugao, Yūkimaru, and Kizuki. And from Iwagakure: Kurotsuchi, Ohnoki's granddaughter. Along with Explosion Style users Kano and Akaishi."
Tension filled the air. Clearly, both teams knew of each other's reputations.
After all, if even Sasuke could gather this intel, there was no doubt the villages had prepped their elite Genin to be wary of certain others.
Before either side could speak, more teams began to arrive from different directions—one after another.
Gaara's team from Sunagakure.
Omoi's team from Kumogakure.
Kurotsuchi's team from Iwagakure.
Yutaka's team from Kirigakure.
Fū's team from Takigakure.
In an instant, under the shade of that massive tree, the most powerful Genin teams from across the Great Nations had all gathered.
At that moment, aside from Yugito still in the Cloud Village, Killer Bee on guard duty for the Raikage, and Han and Roshi from Iwa, all the Jinchūriki—vessels of the tailed beasts—had assembled in one place.
The moment they locked eyes, the tailed beasts within them stirred.
In the next instant, the five Jinchūriki, including Naruto, were pulled into their shared subconscious space.
A vast, endless white spread out in all directions.
The five of them blinked, startled as their teammates and surroundings vanished.
Then they saw them—the massive, surreal forms of the tailed beasts behind each of them.
Naruto barely had time to react before a high-pitched shriek echoed across the mental space.
"You damn fox! Why the hell are you here!?"
Shukaku's panicked voice cut through the silence as he stared wide-eyed at Kurama.
Even Gaara blinked, caught off guard by Shukaku's sudden panic.
Naruto turned—and nearly jumped out of his skin.
The Nine-Tails was standing right behind him!
"WAAH—!"
He scrambled back.
Kurama ignored the boy. His nine enormous tails waved lazily, and he looked at Shukaku with smug disdain.
"Heh~ Shukaku. Still pathetic after all these years?"
Shukaku seethed. A deep-rooted fury rose inside him.
(Wait a minute… that chakra… it's so much less than before. Did something happen to Kurama? Has he weakened?)
(Is this finally my moment to rise!?)
Shukaku slapped his belly, raised a paw, and gave Kurama a universally rude hand sign.
"C'mon, you damn fox! Try me now!"
"We're sealed in here anyway, so what're you gonna do? Bite me?"
Then he turned around and pointed his giant butt at Kurama, wiggling it tauntingly.
His thick, ringed tail swayed in the air like a rude gesture.
Meanwhile, Naruto's expression shifted as something clicked.
"…Tailed beasts have names?"
"…Kurama?"
The moment he uttered the name, Kurama—who had just been about to lunge at Shukaku—froze.
An invisible bucket of ice water might as well have been dumped on him.
Shame flickered in his eyes, and his fur bristled with embarrassment.
"YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO CALL ME THAT, BRAT!!"
"RAAAAAH!!!"
(Damn it! Why the hell did the Sage of Six Paths give me such a weird name!?)
(All the others have cool names—two syllables, strong meanings. Me? I get "Kurama"!?)
(Four-Tails got "Son Goku"—it even sounds like a deity. But mine? Sounds like a rice cracker!)
(What the hell, old man!?)
Kurama was full of regret. For thousands of years, Shukaku had mocked him endlessly over that stupid name.
No wonder the tanuki quivered every time Kurama got close—he'd been beaten senseless over it too many times.
(To be continued...)
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Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
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