"Well..."
"I'll need the cooperation of both of you." Mito smiled at the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
Her Mind's Eye of the Kagura and ability to sense malice had long since been activated.
While the Nine-Tails was persuading the two of them, she had been discreetly scanning them over and over, making sure neither the Three-Tails nor the Six-Tails harbored any ulterior motives.
"All right!" The Three-Tails and Six-Tails obediently nodded.
Mito narrowed her eyes and drove her Adamantine Sealing Chains into the Three-Tails' and Six-Tails' bodies.
Using the restraining power of Fūinjutsu, she helped stabilize the violent chakra within them and shaped it into two clones capable of carrying their consciousness.
It was an extraordinarily delicate technique. Only someone with Mito's mastery of Fūinjutsu, combined with her many years as a jinchūriki and extensive experience with Tailed Beast chakra, could have accomplished it.
After a few moments, a little turtle and a little slug split off from their main bodies.
Mito blinked. Staring at the Six-Tails, a curious thought suddenly occurred to her.
"Six-Tails, do you know the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Sage Regions?"
"Of course I do. We were very good friends back in ancient times! It's just that we haven't seen each other in many years..." the Six-Tails replied in considerable surprise.
Now reduced to a juvenile form, it no longer looked nearly as frightening as its true body. Instead, it had become a small, pale-white slug.
Mito's eyes gleamed.
Having Tailed Beasts condense themselves into juvenile forms was a little trick Mito had discovered.
Their adorable appearance made them far easier for Konoha's villagers and shinobi to accept, preventing their looks alone from provoking an instinctive fear response.
Then, when they revealed their true forms in battle against outside enemies, their ferocious appearance would instead make people feel reassured.
That was the importance of first impressions...
From natural-disaster monsters into powerful, adorable creatures.
"The Slug Sage has a close cooperative relationship with Konoha... If the opportunity comes up, you two can reunite in the village. Her summoners are me and Hashirama's granddaughter, Tsunade..."
Mito spoke with a smile.
The Six-Tails froze.
Did Konoha seriously have connections with powerful forces in every conceivable area?!
At that moment, a question couldn't help rising from the depths of the Six-Tails' heart.
Why in the world had the Third Mizukage dared to attack Konoha in the first place?
A fox, a slug, and a turtle.
The Nine-Tails strode proudly in the middle, head held high and chest puffed out, while the Three-Tails and Six-Tails followed one step behind it as they headed into the village.
'It worked!'
The Nine-Tails couldn't help laughing inwardly.
It was already thinking about what tone it should use when addressing all the village's shinobi on behalf of the Hokage.
'No, just the shinobi currently in the village isn't enough...'
'The shinobi on the front lines need to hear the voice of Council Member Nine-Tails too!'
The Nine-Tails made up its mind. With the Earth Grudge Communicator, Konoha headquarters and the front lines could communicate in real time.
And if chakra capacity was a problem, it had plenty to spare!
In any case, everyone in Konoha had to know that it was now a hereditary Konoha Council Member!
Whether it was the Uchiha's Mangekyō, the Senju's Monster Strength, or the Uzumaki's sealing techniques, all of them would have to give it the damn respect it deserved and become its comrades beneath the light of the Will of Fire!
The little fox glanced back a couple of times.
Its two little companions were following closely behind, their faces filled with curiosity as they looked around Konoha.
This place really was completely different from Kirigakure...
In particular, every passing shinobi who saw the Nine-Tails greeted it warmly. Some even offered it little snacks. Just as the Nine-Tails had said, it was genuinely popular in the village.
"Hmph..." The Nine-Tails stuffed a three-color dango into its mouth, a calculating gleam flashing through its eyes.
As a Konoha Council Member, how could it not have its own faction and allies?
Uzumaki Shio, who possessed some of its chakra, as well as Minato's entire family, already had natural ties to it...
The Nine-Tails had, after all, promised to supply Naruto with chakra for training in the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal.
Add in its two little brothers, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, along with their future jinchūriki and those jinchūriki's disciples, and the Nine-Tails already had the basic shape of its own faction mapped out in its head.
And so, with the Nine-Tails added to the ranks of Konoha's Council Members...
Following the "Research," "ANBU," "Shinobi Clans," "Civilians," "Medical," and "Diplomacy" factions...
Konoha gained yet another new faction, known as the "Tailed Beast Faction"!
'I should take my two little brothers to see Ichiraku first...'
The Nine-Tails suddenly remembered the ramen shop owner who had been bantering with it earlier, and its fox eyes darted mischievously.
If it brought two Tailed Beasts over, wouldn't Ichiraku be scared out of his wits?!
'I'd really like to see the look on his face. After all, he's just a merchant from the border of the Land of Fire...'
'He's gotten so used to me that he even dares argue with me now. It's all because I've made myself too approachable! I'll have the Three-Tails and Six-Tails give him a scare and let that Ichiraku guy know just how much I've contributed to Konoha!'
The Nine-Tails secretly plotted.
But once they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen...
The Nine-Tails discovered something shocking.
Although the Sage of Six Paths was surprised by the arrival of the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, there wasn't the slightest trace of fear in him.
He even started tossing the slug and turtle around as though he were kneading balls of dough, playing with the two of them.
'No...'
'There's definitely something wrong with this guy!'
'I told the Three-Tails and Six-Tails to scare him, and they even let a little Tailed Beast chakra leak out. Yet nothing happened to his hands at all! Isn't he supposed to be a merchant?'
The Nine-Tails rubbed its eyes hard, feeling as though it might be hallucinating.
Had Ichiraku just casually kneaded the Tailed Beast chakra away?
How did that make any sense?!
"Haha! I may not look like it, but when I was young, I wanted to become a shinobi too..."
The Sage of Six Paths savored the sight of his fox's shocked expression. Much like the Nine-Tails had done with the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, he raised a thumb with a hint of mischievous amusement.
"I may look like this now... but this old man was pretty strong when he was young!"
The Three-Tails and Six-Tails were dumbfounded.
Why were there so many powerful people in Konoha?!
Even a ramen shop owner could casually erase their Tailed Beast chakra?
What kind of village was this...?
A faint purple gleam flashed through the Sage of Six Paths' eyes.
The Tailed Beasts' minds blurred for an instant, and suddenly they no longer felt there was anything strange about what had happened. The memory quietly faded into the background.
The three little Tailed Beasts lined up together and called out in turn:
"I want beef!"
"Chicken!"
"Tonkotsu ramen!"
The Sage of Six Paths smiled and nodded.
"All right, coming right up! Let me give you a taste of the Konoha Ramen Sage's cooking..."
Then he got to work.
A day in the Sage's life consisted of getting up and preparing ingredients and kneading dough with Teuchi, playing with the little Indras for a while, and now having the Tailed Beasts gathered around him as well, before checking in the evening to see what Hiruzen had been up to lately...
The Sage of Six Paths' life was just that simple, unremarkable, and dull.
When he saw that Hiruzen had not gone on to further destroy Kirigakure, but had instead rebuilt the order of the Land of Water, the Sage of Six Paths smiled from the bottom of his heart.
This was simply far too different from other shinobi. Hiruzen truly carried the spirit of Ninshū!
And so, the Sage of Six Paths had already made a decision...
Once this war was over, he would take a look at Hiruzen's training and give him just a few more hints than he had originally planned...
That wouldn't count as showering him with rewards, so it wouldn't upset the balance of the shinobi world!
And it would make the Sage of Six Paths feel a little better as well...
A Hokage who embodied the spirit of Ninshū deserved a few opportunities, didn't he?
...
One month later.
Kumogakure Front, front lines.
"Morning Peacock!"
With the Sixth Gate open, Might Duy suddenly leapt into the air and violently unleashed a barrage of punches. The sheer force of his strikes generated flames through friction, mixed with shockwaves, killing every Kumo shinobi lying in ambush!
"Retreat!"
The Kumogakure jōnin's pupils contracted.
"Dodai-sama's intelligence was wrong! This guy might not be using the Eight Gates technique at all. He was already fighting in this same state several days ago!"
"For the sake of youth and the Will of Fire, I have to defeat you..."
Surging green chakra poured from Duy's body, his muscles bulging as he suddenly charged straight toward the Kumogakure jōnin and shouted: "Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
The Kumogakure jōnin had only just begun forming hand seals when a terrifying force swept through his lower body and sent him flying, snapping the bones in his lower legs.
Along this front, the Kumo shinobi had never imagined that Konoha had been hiding such a muscular rare beast!
Kumogakure had combed through all its intelligence and found no indication that Konoha had ever possessed someone like him. There wasn't a single relevant record from any of their previous border clashes.
Dodai, however, had recognized Might Duy's Eight Gates.
He was one of Kumogakure's chief strategists.
According to both the historical records and numerous documented cases, once a user of the Eight Gates reached the Sixth Gate, every use would leave them in a state of severe exhaustion. It should have been impossible to open the Gates repeatedly.
That was precisely why this Kumogakure jōnin had attempted to break through the section of the front Duy was responsible for today, working on the assumption that Duy shouldn't have been capable of opening the Eight Gates again.
But to his astonishment, Duy had once again confronted them with the Sixth Gate open—and was bursting with energy!
It was as though he wasn't tired at all...
Lightning Release: Thunderstorm!
Still airborne, the Kumogakure jōnin desperately mobilized his chakra and unleashed the offensive ninjutsu he was most proficient with!
A pillar of lightning blasted toward Duy at tremendous speed, but at that instant, Duy suddenly accelerated yet again.
The attack only managed to strike his arm.
'So fast. He's almost as fast as Fourth A-sama...'
The thought flashed through the Kumogakure jōnin's mind, and he roared sharply, "Retreat! Get the intelligence back!"
The forest in the distance shook. There were clearly other Kumo shinobi lying in ambush, and they were rapidly fleeing.
"Don't pursue them, Duy."
"They have a large number of reinforcements hidden nearby. Our objective is to eliminate their effective fighting strength. Focus only on taking out leaders with command ability. Once they lose their organization, the rank-and-file will naturally collapse."
Tobirama's cold voice came through the Earth Grudge Communicator on Duy's chest.
"Yes, Seisui-sama!" Might Duy replied cheerfully. He caught the falling Kumogakure jōnin and released a burst of force through his hands, shattering the Chakra Pathways throughout his body.
The Kumo squad beside him had somehow gotten their legs covered in kikaichū and were rolling across the ground in agony.
Those bastards had killed a Konoha chūnin!
Although Saku and Duy were both Konoha shinobi serving under Root, Tobirama was the Assistant Chief of Root and currently presided over its operations, making him the leader of the other Root shinobi.
During his time in Root, Tobirama had won over most of its collection of eccentrics and oddballs through his meticulous thinking, sheer competence, and the personal charisma he radiated when working with men.
So much so that whenever something happened, most Root shinobi would ask him first instead of going to Danzō...
He had essentially sidelined his own disciple.
Danzō, however, wasn't bothered by this behavior. He considered it "training his sensei's bloodline"...
Once the Aburame shinobi finished off the remaining enemies, Duy and the others quickly withdrew.
Along the way, the Kumogakure jōnin kept staring fixedly at Duy's shoulder, his eyes growing increasingly horrified.
To his shock, the blackened area where Duy had been struck by Lightning Release was slowly healing on its own!
And throughout the entire process, Duy hadn't actively done anything...
'No wonder this guy can use the Eight Gates repeatedly!'
'There's something abnormal about his body!'
The Kumogakure jōnin finally understood.
Duy and the others soon returned to their defensive position.
Tobirama was waiting there for Duy. The moment they met, he first asked with concern, "Duy, how's your body? Don't push yourself by using the Eight Gates so frequently..."
"Don't worry, Seisui!"
Duy flexed his bulging biceps. "I feel like I've got more strength than I can possibly use right now! Sometimes my body gets so hot and restless that opening the Eight Gates actually feels like a release..."
The Kumogakure jōnin frowned deeply upon hearing this, momentarily forgetting even the pain coursing through his entire body.
Was this guy even human?
From Dodai, he had learned that the Eight Gates was a technique that severely overtaxed the user's body, placing an enormous burden on the flesh once the Gates were opened.
That was why Kumogakure's analysis had concluded that Might Duy wouldn't be able to fight for long.
Tobirama nodded thoughtfully.
He roughly understood what was happening...
Hashirama and Yamato's cells provided Duy with tremendous vitality. In most previous cases where transplantation had failed, it was because the shinobi couldn't withstand that level of cellular activity. With nowhere for the excess vitality to go, it could only cause the body to implode.
But Duy was different...
His non-elemental chakra and powerful physique gave him an innate compatibility with Hashirama's cells.
Combined with the Eight Gates' tendency to consume vitality and strain the body, using the technique was actually allowing him to vent the excess, chaotic vitality within his body, further promoting the integration of the two sides.
He was essentially opening the Eight Gates to burn off excess energy...
"You still need to take care of yourself. Tell me immediately if anything feels wrong."
Tobirama glanced at the injury on Duy's shoulder. "Duy, go get a scroll and treat that!"
"No need, Seisui. It'll heal on its own in a little while..." Duy scratched his head and grinned foolishly.
"If I tell you to use one, use one. The village's allocations are fixed, and I'm currently the supervising commander appointed by the Hokage himself..."
Tobirama smiled faintly.
"Don't worry about wasting supplies. These are being provided without restriction. During wartime, if something can improve everyone's condition even slightly, then it's worth using!"
"Those are the Hokage's orders!"
Duy took a deep breath and replied solemnly, "Yes!"
The Kumo shinobi nearby silently listened to all of this, growing increasingly uneasy.
Medical chakra scrolls were another Konoha ninja tool that Kumogakure had recently begun watching closely.
They were simply far too conspicuous.
These days, whenever Kumogakure launched an assault along the front, the Konoha shinobi holding the line would sometimes have gaps torn through their formations, throwing their defenses into disarray.
But thanks to the medical chakra scrolls, the Konoha shinobi could rapidly recover and stubbornly reestablish their lines, gathering enough intelligence and holding out until their high-level combatants arrived.
The medical chakra scrolls had dealt an enormous blow to the Kumo shinobi...
It was effectively as though the enemy had a second life—or even more.
Then there was the difference in morale and the confidence to attempt tactical maneuvers afforded by their greater margin for error. All of these factors were influencing the shape of the battlefield in countless ways.
'Still, Konoha's sense of operational security is pretty mediocre...'
'They didn't even knock me unconscious or take me away before discussing all this?'
The Kumogakure jōnin thought to himself, 'Heh. That's Konoha for you, always going on about their Will of Fire...'
At that moment, Tobirama gave Duy a nod.
"Go get some rest first, Duy. I've already sent Minato to cover your sector. Be careful over the next few days. The enemy will probably send one of their leaders to intensify their probing attacks."
The Kumogakure jōnin's heart tightened.
They'd actually figured it out?
Three days from now, Kumogakure's strategy was to have the A–B Combo, Yugito, and Dodai launch a fierce, concentrated breakthrough against the weak points they had identified along the front, to see if they could tear open a gap in Konoha's defenses.
Even if they couldn't break through, the Kumo shinobi still intended to seize a few medical chakra scrolls and take them back for study...
'This Uchiha's mind is anything but ordinary...'
After Duy left, Tobirama studied the Kumo shinobi with his three-tomoe Sharingan and nodded slightly.
"His chakra and physical condition are both decent enough. He'll do as material."
"Material?"
"Mm. You summoned him, and he summoned you. You two know each other, don't you...?"
Tobirama said softly.
Only then did the Kumogakure jōnin notice another of his companions, bound nearby and staring helplessly at him.
The tomoe in Tobirama's eyes flashed, and both Kumo shinobi instantly went limp. He slowly formed a series of hand seals.
Impure World Reincarnation!
At that moment, gray-white flakes of earth began covering their bodies.
Each served as the other's sacrifice. Following the order in which they died, they were resurrected once again. Their souls hadn't even had time to reach the Pure Land before Tobirama summoned them straight back.
{Come on...}
{This technique goes against the natural order. You really shouldn't use it too often,} Izuna earnestly advised him.
{Why not just kill him and be done with it? Summoning a few Impure World puppets isn't going to make them that strong, and you'll have to divide your attention to control them. There's really no need...}
{You don't get it, do you?} Tobirama raised an eyebrow as he lowered the two reincarnated Kumo shinobi into summoning coffins.
{Haven't you heard of combining the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags and Flying Thunder God Technique with Impure World Reincarnation?}
{I studied the Paper Release techniques that came over from Amegakure and used them to improve the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. They're much more controllable now and can carry out relatively precise targeted demolitions.}
{Once I've built up an entire unit of Kumogakure jōnin, I'll take them to blow up the enemy camp...} Tobirama said with a smile.
Truthfully, he had originally intended never to use Impure World Reincarnation again in this lifetime, because the technique really was somewhat objectionable...
But someone had already used it while bearing his name!
How could the real Tobirama allow himself to fall behind?
Besides, Tobirama felt that he was getting rusty after going so long without using it. A few Kumo shinobi had conveniently fallen into his hands, so he might as well use them to get some practice...
{Seeing you say the exact same kind of things as Senju Tobirama while wearing that face really gives me mixed feelings...}
Izuna said speechlessly.
But after thinking about it, he let the matter go.
After all, the three tomoe gleaming openly in Seisui's eyes made it perfectly clear that he was one of their own...
At that moment, a somewhat unfamiliar voice came through the Earth Grudge Communicator, accompanied by a flicker of orange-red chakra.
"Ahem..."
"This is Konoha Council Member Nine-Tails!"
"I'm speaking on behalf of the Hokage to say a few words and give everyone a morale boost!"
"First, some great news! The Hokage has already smashed straight through Kirigakure's front. The Daimyō of the Land of Water has now appointed the Hokage as Shōgun of the Land of Water, and he's currently cleaning up the mess left behind by that rebel Kiritori..."
"I'm sure it won't be long before the Kiri shinobi answer the call of the Will of Fire and become Konoha's allies!"
"And here's the second piece of good news! Inspired by the Hokage and yours truly, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails have officially joined our village!"
"They're currently studying the village rules and practicing precision strikes with Tailed Beast Balls. If any of the battlefronts need them, you can contact me at any time!"
The Nine-Tails' voice reached the Konoha Council Members and jōnin equipped with Earth Grudge Communicators. As they switched their devices to broadcast mode, the entire Konoha front erupted.
Cheers rose one after another!
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