Kazuyama Gekkō had his own plans. He sought power—and he already possessed a considerable amount. As long as his strength continued to grow, even if Madara were resurrected, he would still have the power to face him head-on.
"Hmph. When you and Chōmei attacked me back then, you showed no sign of wanting an alliance."
"How am I supposed to trust the two of you?"
Kokuō snorted coldly, her voice full of irritation toward Kazuyama Gekkō and Chōmei. She thought back to her former Jinchūriki. Though she hadn't liked that aloof man, there were few humans who could truly control her power—and in that respect, Han had done quite well.
Kazuyama Gekkō only shrugged.
"What can I say? Back then, we each served our own masters. Didn't you help Iwagakure suppress Konoha with everything you had?"
"It's not that revenge doesn't come—it's just that the time wasn't right."
"Besides, in our battle back then, I defeated you fair and square. You can't deny that."
"Tailed Beasts own their actions, Kokuō. I'm sure you're no exception."
When it came to manipulation, even if all nine Tailed Beasts worked together, they couldn't outmatch Kazuyama Gekkō. A man who had toyed with the entire ninja world could not simply be called ruthless—his heart was a shade beyond black, a darkness formed from every color combined.
"Hmph. Of course. Still, your strength truly is remarkable."
"Before, you could only match me with Chōmei's help. But now, you suppress me by sheer power alone."
"I have to admit—you remind me of that man."
"That man who could summon forests with a single gesture. Hmph. Those detestable Konoha ninja."
The First Hokage, Hashirama—the first to ever subdue all the Tailed Beasts. Because of him, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails were sold to Iwagakure. And now, to once again be outwitted by a Konoha ninja—Kokuō was, to say the least, displeased.
"Come. I'll take you somewhere suitable. Once you're there, I think you'll feel much more at ease."
"Fine. I've already agreed to your plan. But I hope the place isn't too awful."
Like the other Tailed Beasts, Kokuō longed for freedom—the simple joy of running across open plains and through forests was happiness itself.
Hearing that, Kazuyama Gekkō shook his head slightly, a hint of helplessness on his face.
"Don't get your hopes up too high. The ninja world isn't that big. Finding a peaceful place for you to rest is already hard enough."
"But your wish isn't impossible. It's just that the journey's a bit long."
Kazuyama Gekkō looked far into the north. His gaze drew Chōmei and Kokuō's attention in the same direction. But no matter how they looked, all they saw was endless sand. Nothing else.
"Hey, Kazuyama, what are you looking at?"
"I don't see anything. Is there something special about all this sand?"
Chōmei peered this way and that—straight ahead, from above, even upside down—but no matter how he looked, there was nothing but sand. His compound eyes couldn't detect anything unusual, and Kokuō saw even less.
Seeing this, Kazuyama Gekkō withdrew his gaze and said,
"Keep heading north and you'll reach a country called the Land of Snow. It's near the polar region—frozen most of the year."
"They have ninja there too, though they're a bit different from ours."
"If we went there, I bet you'd be able to run as freely as you like, Kokuō."
At that, Kokuō's interest sparked immediately. The ninja world was vast, but so was she—and well-known at that. If she kept running around here, it was only a matter of time before Iwagakure captured her again. She had no desire to be sealed once more, or to face another Jinchūriki.
"Where is it? Is it far?"
"Can we really go?"
Kazuyama Gekkō laughed inwardly at her eager expression. Hook, line, and sinker.
Truth be told, he had no intention of going to the Land of Snow. What could possibly interest him there besides endless ice? Spring would come one day, sure—but not for years. He wasn't about to waste the time.
"We can go—but it'll mean swimming for several days. If you can handle that, we could try."
"You want to?"
At the mention of swimming, Kokuō immediately backed down. Swimming was absolutely out of the question.
"Alright then. Let's go to the Land of Waterfalls. You can move between there and the Land of Rain. Matatabi and her Jinchūriki are there as well."
"Chōmei, come back. Time to move."
Chōmei nodded, showing no hesitation as he transformed into chakra and merged back into Kazuyama Gekkō's body.
As for Kokuō, she was sealed away with a single hand sign and vanished from the desert in an instant.
...
Land of Fire border.
"Damn it! How can we lose track of something as huge as a Tailed Beast?"
"And what about Kazuyama-sensei?"
Namiashi looked at Genma Shiranui and Tatami Iwashi, exasperated beyond belief.
Before they set out, Hokage-sama had stressed over and over to keep a close eye on Kazuyama Gekkō—and now, he'd completely vanished.
And finding a Tailed Beast? Even if they found one, they couldn't hope to win.
"Seriously, what was Hokage-sama thinking?"
"He's one of the Twin Ghosts! How could the three of us possibly keep tabs on him? No way!"
"Hokage-sama must be exhausted... sigh."
Genma Shiranui, though strong enough to be a Special Jōnin, had one bad habit—complaining. Even about the Hokage himself, he couldn't help but grumble.
"Enough. Hokage-sama had no choice. After all, in the entire village, aside from Hokage-sama and Kazuyama-sensei, we're the only three who can barely use the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"If we don't come, no one else can handle this mission."
"Let's just find Kazuyama-sensei first."
The three exchanged glances and began setting their search parameters. But just as they prepared to move, a shadow loomed above them.
"Kazuyama, these little apprentices of yours aren't bad at all."
"I bet if it were that brat Obito, he'd have given up long ago and gone back to report."
At Chōmei's teasing, Kazuyama Gekkō couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter—loud and rolling like thunder.
His laughter made Raidō and the others immediately break formation into battle stance, but once they saw the sound came from Kazuyama Gekkō himself, they all let out a breath of relief.