[Ding! Detected special material Isobu's Carapace Powder, can forge special item Ring of Isobu. Do you wish to forge?]
"Forge!"
Because the Tailed Beast ring was very small, plus there was no commotion during the forging process.
He also had his back to Isobu, so Jokichi chose to forge it directly.
In fact, it wouldn't matter even if someone saw it.
It would just be considered some kind of magic trick or ninjutsu.
As his thought fell, a bone ring with the texture of black iron appeared in Jokichi's hand.
[Ring of Isobu: The ring contains all of Isobu's chakra and attributes, and the wearer can use them at will.]
Another Tailed Beast ring acquired.
Now, there were only six left.
Jokichi happily put the ring on his ring finger, feeling the chakra contained within.
It was very powerful, and possessed surging water attributes.
It would provide a tremendous boost to the power of Water Release.
"Thank you! Isobu!"
Jokichi turned and waved to Isobu in thanks.
Isobu, on the other hand, scoffed a bit.
"You humans just love researching these weird things!"
Jokichi paid it no mind, spreading his hands innocently.
"Well, it's exactly because humans have curiosity that they constantly explore and progress."
"Say what you will. If there's nothing else, I'm going back to sleep."
Saying that, Isobu's body began to sink.
"Wait!"
"Hmm?"
Isobu looked over regretfully.
"Is there something else?"
"You should probably find a new place to sleep soon!"
Jokichi scratched his head, saying somewhat embarrassedly.
"Your location here has already been discovered. If you continue to stay here, sooner or later you will be caught and sealed."
Hearing this, Isobu fell into deep thought.
A moment later, it looked up at Jokichi and said casually.
"You don't need to feel sorry. The actions of some people cannot represent all humanity. However."
"No matter where I hide, I will be found by people sooner or later."
The chakra contained within a Tailed Beast was simply too massive.
And humans had sensory ninjas.
Finding a Tailed Beast hiding in the wild was incredibly easy.
If Kirigakure wasn't in the midst of internal strife and revolution, they probably would have come to retrieve the Three-Tails long ago.
Jokichi understood this reasoning, so he didn't say anything more.
After a moment of silence, he smiled at it.
"Then take care of yourself."
Originally, he had wanted to ask Isobu if it wanted to follow him.
However, he had many secrets he didn't want exposed.
Especially regarding the Tailed Beasts.
They had a complex and unclear relationship with the Sage of Six Paths.
Before thoroughly understanding whether the entity known as the Sage of Six Paths was still alive, or before his own strength reached a level comparable to his, Jokichi didn't want to expose his secrets to them.
Moreover, as a Tailed Beast, for Isobu to follow a human, it could only stay inside his body.
In that case, how was it any different from being sealed inside a Jinchuriki?
It was nothing more than one being voluntary and the other passive.
"Let's meet again if we have the chance!"
Isobu took a deep look at Jokichi, and its massive body completely sank into the water.
The lake returned to calm.
Jokichi stood on the shore, watching silently for a while before turning to leave.
If he encountered Isobu in trouble, he might lend a hand.
But he still had many things to do, he couldn't guard Isobu for a lifetime.
The lake fell into a deathly silent, terrifying atmosphere.
The forest on the shore constantly emitted caw caw sounds resembling crows.
Suddenly, a flock of birds flew away as if startled.
Six people with different appearances and body types emerged from the forest to the shore.
They were all wearing black cloaks with red clouds, having metal rods pierced into their faces, and possessing ripple-patterned eyes.
It was the Six Paths of Pain.
"The Three-Tails is right here!"
The Deva Path said indifferently.
"That's right, the Three-Tails is hiding at the bottom of the lake!"
Accompanying the voice, a pitcher plant suddenly grew out of the ground beside the six.
Then, the pitcher plant opened, revealing the distinct black-and-white Yin-Yang face inside.
"Then, let the capture begin!"
The Deva Path said calmly.
"Fighting it in the water is too disadvantageous. Let's drive it up first."
As the Deva Path's words fell, the Asura Path had already completed his transformation.
Half of his body opened up, revealing the machinery and parts inside.
Three guided torpedoes shot out with a whoosh, then dove toward the bottom of the lake.
A few seconds later.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Accompanied by massive roars and agonizing roars, waves several meters high were kicked up in the center of the lake.
The behemoth covered in a spiked carapace and sporting three tails surfaced.
It spotted the Paths of Pain on the shore at first glance.
It immediately roared and bellowed, and a massive Water Iron Cannonball began condensing at its mouth.
Jokichi left the lake, not in a hurry to travel.
He was pondering who to seek out for his next target.
The best choices were the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, and the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata.
Due to his stubborn personality, Roshi didn't get along with the Tsuchikage.
By this time, he had left the village and become a wandering monk.
Utakata, on the other hand, was a missing-nin.
Targeting them was relatively easier.
Only, relatively speaking, they were also harder to find.
After all, neither a wandering monk nor a missing-nin would stay in one place for too long.
"Since I'm in the Land of Water, I'll go look for Utakata first!"
Jokichi didn't know the exact time of Utakata's defection.
As a Kirigakure missing-nin, there was a 99 percent chance he wouldn't stay in the Land of Water.
But he could gather intelligence from certain places.
Moreover, he hadn't forgotten his other goal.
Finding the ruins and graves of the Kaguya clan to forge a large number of Diluted Otsutsuki Crystals.
This was an item on par with, or even more important than, the Tailed Beast rings, so he couldn't afford to slack off.
Also, Kirigakure had many Kekkei Genkai.
He could try them out and see if he could forge more items.
While thinking, massive roars and Isobu's bellowing came from the direction of the lake.
Jokichi stopped in his tracks and looked back.
He saw flames shooting up into the sky in the direction of the lake, dyeing the sky red.
"This kind of power."
Jokichi's expression changed, and he hurried back.
He didn't know who was fighting Isobu, but for them to cause such a commotion, the opponent was definitely no ordinary person.
Although in the anime, Isobu was defeated and captured by Deidara three years later, and perhaps he was worrying over nothing.
But since he bumped into it, he couldn't just pretend he didn't see it.
Soon, Jokichi returned to the edge of the lake.
He didn't rush out, but hid behind a large tree to observe in secret.
In the center of the lake, the massive three-tailed mud turtle was being besieged by six people wearing black cloaks with red clouds.
Although the power of the three-tailed mud turtle was immense.
A flick of its tail could kick up monstrous waves, a Water Iron Cannonball could obliterate a large swath of forest a kilometer away.
A Tailed Beast Ball could strike several kilometers away and cause a nuclear-like explosion.
But the opponents were too agile, and they possessed the means to absorb chakra.
No matter how strong an attack is, it's meaningless if it can't hit the target.
Moreover, the opponents' methods were not inferior to its own in the slightest.
Isobu was almost in a situation where it was taking a one-sided beating.
Seeing this scene, Jokichi was stunned.
Those iconic black cloaks with red clouds and ripple-patterned eyes announced their identities.
The Six Paths of Pain.