"Great, Little Turtle! So you're not dead after all."
The moment Garp heard Isobu's loud, booming voice, he knew this thousand year old turtle was in perfect condition.
Good, now he didn't have to feel awkward, nor make another trip to the Land of Water later. He could bring him back for raising right now.
"You bastard, of course you were hoping I'd die!
Byakuren died, and you didn't even show up to check on me, didn't even try to save me!
And you still expect me to be grateful? I'll be grateful to your fist, you old bastard!"
As more and more Tailed Beast chakra surged out, Isobu's massive form soon appeared on the battlefield, its face filled with fury, resentment, and sheer irritation.
"Little Turtle, that attitude isn't how you greet your long lost master."
Garp's tone dipped slightly.
"I was sleeping peacefully in the sea. Then I got summoned, restrained, sealed, then almost beaten to death by said long lost master.
After that, he didn't feel even a hint of guilt. Didn't even think of trying to save me!
Tell me, how should I be acting right now?"
Isobu glared with its bloodshot single eye, grinding its teeth as it spoke.
"You're alive, aren't you? Just like Kushina said, even if you die, you'll come back."
Garp casually smoothed the hair that had been blown messy by Isobu's angry roar.
"That's your attitude after almost beating me to death? I thought after all these years you'd be at least a little better than before.
Didn't expect you to still be the same damned bastard."
Hearing this, Isobu became even angrier.
Again!
It was this exact same inhuman "free-range raising" method of Garp's that had driven all Nine Tailed Beasts to flee collectively back then.
"Fine, almost beating you to death, that's my fault. But… hmm… who did you just call a bastard?"
Garp's expression didn't change, but his eyes tilted slightly toward Isobu.
"I'm sorry… I was wrong…"
The previously enraged Isobu froze the moment its gaze met Garp's.
A second later, its enormous body slumped instantly.
Just like Kurama earlier, who'd been confronted by Garp inside the prison, Isobu lowered itself obediently, apologizing with a look full of grievances.
"..."
Other than Kushina, who had once been lucky enough to witness Kurama apologizing, everyone else, from Orochimaru and Tsunade to Fugaku and Shisui, all stared blankly at the scene before them.
Raging fury to obedient apology, a seamless switch.
They were stunned on the spot.
Was this really the same group of Nine Tailed Beasts, those proud, untamable beings who could only be sealed, never subdued?
How much had they gone through to develop such a skilled apologizing technique?
"All Nine Tailed Beasts running away back then… makes perfect sense now!"
At that moment, everyone who knew Garp had once "raised" the Nine Tails collectively had the same thought pop into their minds.
Just looking at Isobu's current state, they could more or less imagine how Garp must've treated them back then.
The only reason the Nine Tailed Beasts hadn't died under his "care," and still had the chance to escape… was because their lives were absurdly resilient.
As chakra constructs, not only were they tough, they practically had save and reload capabilities.
Even if Garp really did raise them to death, they'd revive after some time and be raised again.
"Lord Garp, what do you plan to do with them?"
Seeing Isobu cower like a multi-ton child, Orochimaru forcibly shifted his attention to the thousand or so Mist shinobi huddled on the other side of the battlefield.
Garp turned his head and swept his gaze across the Mist-nin, the group led by Yagura. He didn't speak right away.
"Lord Garp… huh? He's gone."
Just as Shikaku was about to speak, he suddenly realized, at some point, Garp, who had been right in front of them, had vanished.
"When did he…?"
"He was standing right here a moment ago!"
"He moved so fast even the Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't follow."
Except for Isobu, who looked completely accustomed to this, all the Konoha shinobi were stunned.
Especially Fugaku and Shisui, whose Mangekyo had been active the entire time. The fact that Garp disappeared right under their eyes shook them deeply.
"There…"
Hizashi, with his Byakugan active, suddenly spoke up.
Everyone followed his line of sight, and finally spotted Garp, now towering like a mountain before the massed ranks of Mist shinobi.
"He got there instantly…"
"That speed is basically like space-time ninjutsu!"
"Lord Yagura, do we fight or run?"
Seeing Garp appear in front of them as if by teleportation, the Mist-nin erupted into chaos.
Some were terrified, some despairing. Some tightened their grip on their weapons, and others quietly retreated into the crowd, looking for a chance to flee.
In an instant, a thousand Hidden Mist shinobi displayed a vivid spectrum of human reactions.
"Huuu… Lord Garp, have you come to take the lives of us Mist-nin?"
While everyone hesitated, Yagura took a deep breath and forced himself to step forward.
But Garp still didn't speak, didn't even look at him.
"Lord Garp…"
Yagura was both shocked and furious, but didn't dare show it.
"At a time like this, you're still hiding? Do you think you can deceive me? Or do you need me to personally drag you out?"
Ignoring Yagura, Garp locked his gaze onto a completely unremarkable Mist-nin in the crowd.
"You Mizukage brat."
.........
Guys do leave some reviews and comments.
Also, if you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Pat re on and get access to some Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.
pat re on. com / Yhssab
Just remove all the spaces in between and search it.