At the Edge of the Land of Rain
"Kid," Akio said briskly to Yagura, who had just been brought back, "go meet up with Hōzuki Mangetsu. Stay inside the Land of Rain for now. We'll deal with everything else after I get back."
Before Yagura could respond, Akio had already reentered Sage Mode and shot into the sky, heading straight for the northwest.
"One target in the southeast, another in the northwest…" he muttered darkly. "That bastard's really playing chess with the ancestors now."
He maintained top speed, but a bad feeling settled in his gut. The back-and-forth alone had cost him over ten minutes, more than enough time for the enemy to capture the Four-Tails.
At least he hadn't wasted time talking to that disgrace of a "nephew." He'd dismantled him on the spot.
Maybe… just maybe I'm still in time.
That hope vanished when he reached the area dozens of miles northwest of the Land of Rain.
All that remained was flowing magma and a battlefield scarred into the earth.
Akio expanded his senses to their limit, no trace of the young man's chakra. The fight had clearly ended some time ago.
"So the Four-Tails' jinchūriki folded in under ten minutes," Akio sighed. "Unbelievable."
With visible reluctance, he bit his finger.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A cloud of smoke burst outward
and a massive cat appeared, casually chewing on a chicken leg.
"Meow?"
Smack.
The chicken leg hit the ground.
"MEOW?!"
"All you ever do is eat!" Akio snapped. "One day someone's going to catch you and roast you instead. Now focus, track where the two combatants went."
The cat hesitated, then quickly picked up the fallen chicken leg and ate it anyway.
"Meow~ It reeks of sulfur everywhere. How am I supposed to smell anything in this mess?"
Akio pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Four-Tails' host loses and still manages to erase the trail for his enemy. Incredible."
He looked down at the hundred-pound cat, who somehow ate bones and all and sighed.
"Useless."
"HEY!" the cat protested. "You forgetting who dragged your half-dead body out of the ocean and carried you back to the Land of Whirlpools during New Year's? I hate water!"
Akio's vision darkened.
Great. This idiot's going to live off that story forever.
"…Seriously. You can't smell anything at all?"
The cat sniffed again, squinting.
"Uh… maybe… that way?"
Akio stared. "You're pointing in two directions."
"Probability!" the cat insisted.
"At this point you might as well lie down and point all four paws," Akio deadpanned. "Though with your weight, getting back up would take three years and a rescue team."
The cat slowly pulled one paw back, face serious.
"That way."
Akio raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I'll trust you."
The black sphere vanished into his body, and Akio took off with the cat under one arm, sprinting in the indicated direction.
Two minutes later
"…Still nothing?"
He'd covered dozens of miles. There was no way the enemy carrying someone was that fast.
The cat sniffed again, then frowned.
"Meow… the scent's gone."
"Gone?!" Akio looked down at the untouched wilderness below. No tracks. No signs. Nothing.
"Should I just go learn proper tracking? Unlock a skill tree, max out 'S-Rank Tracker,' and never let another enemy escape again?"
He paused.
"…Or was that a summoning escape?"
He didn't notice the cat's guilty expression.
Akio sighed deeply. "Forget it. Let's save the daimyo first. Hopefully they're still alive."
Changing direction, he slowed slightly and spoke as they traveled.
"The Four-Tails' jinchūriki was taken. The enemy's not following the usual rules, going after Tailed Beasts this early is reckless."
"Meow~ What do you mean 'this early'?"
Akio froze. "…Nothing. Old age. Brain glitches once or twice a year. Humor me."
Then his tone turned serious.
"You carry the Two-Tails inside you, which means you're a target. Same goes for Tenten. When you're in Konoha, stay with her. If anything happens, reverse-summon me immediately."
He added, "But don't abuse it. I can refuse. If you keep calling me for nothing, it turns into a 'boy who cried wolf' situation."
"Meow~ I wouldn't call you for no reason. You always interrupt my meals."
Akio lightly squeezed the cat's neck.
"Don't underestimate it. The one who got captured wasn't much weaker than you. As for Tenten… once she grows a bit more, I'll teach her some survival tricks."
He sighed.
"And you, feeding her your blood. Zero shame."
Akio circled the outskirts of the Land of Rain and confirmed his suspicion: he was too late.
Every skirmish had already ended.
Thankfully, the daimyo suffered minimal losses. The attacks were clearly decoys, only two or three White Zetsu per route, barely trying.
Even so, the pampered nobles were terrified out of their minds. A few lost guards, and Yahiko was already drowning in fallout.
Akio didn't deal with that yet. Instead, he went to find Kitsuchi, the Iwa ninja stationed there.
"You're saying… Rōshi was captured?" Kitsuchi said, stunned. "I thought the attacks were aimed at the daimyo!"
Akio shook his head. "They were bait. The real target was the Four-Tails. Inform Ōnoki."
Kitsuchi hesitated. "Inform the Tsuchikage…"
Akio frowned. "Something wrong?"
Kitsuchi sighed. "Rōshi was practically his disciple. Same stubborn streak, too. During the Second Shinobi War, Rōshi refused to fight as a 'living weapon.' After a huge argument, he defected. He only returned recently because of Akatsuki's formation. He and the Tsuchikage had just reconciled…"
Akio paused, absently rubbing the cat's head.
"So they were close."
Kitsuchi nodded. "Ōnoki hasn't said it, but he's been in good spirits lately. This… will hit him hard."
Akio stood. "Tell him anyway. He's tougher than you think."
"…Yes, Senior."
Leaving the villa, Akio turned toward Yagura's direction, thinking aloud.
"Tailed Beasts… Kushina and Naruto both have Minato's Flying Thunder God markers, and they're in Konoha. Low risk, but I'll add extra safeguards."
He glanced at the cat.
"This idiot's fine."
"Other beasts…" he murmured. "Where are the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails again?"
He frowned. "Most jinchūriki can fight, and the villages are on high alert…"
Then he waved it off.
"Forget it. No need to babysit the whole world. I'll secure the Two-Tails and Nine-Tails and if I can 'recruit' Yagura too, even better."
He smirked.
"Oh right. And there's the One-Tail, Gaara."
He hummed quietly.
"One by one… they're all in play now."
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