As far as the Daimyō's situation was concerned, everything had already been settled.
Neither Natsuhiko nor Hiruzen Sarutobi was the kind of person to let go once they had seized an opportunity. Once they had taken control of the situation, there was no chance the Daimyō could turn things around.
Especially after witnessing the twelve ninja assigned to protect him lying sprawled across the ground like lifeless dogs, he understood with painful clarity—he no longer had any leverage left.
From that point on, everything became much simpler.
Hiruzen cast aside the gentle, courteous mask he had worn and revealed the ruthless nature hidden beneath it without reservation. Faced with that pressure, the Daimyō's defeat was absolute. No matter what terms were presented, he had no choice but to accept them—because he truly had no other option.
In the end, both Hiruzen and Natsuhiko obtained exactly what they wanted. With such a vast sum of money now in their hands, they could finally move forward with their respective plans.
Of course, both of them understood that the moment they returned to Konoha, this fragile cooperation would likely collapse. They might even find themselves standing on opposing sides.
Still, for now, their conflict had been contained within certain limits—and that alone could be considered a decent outcome.
"Once we return, we'll need to finalize the handover of the negotiations with the Daimyō."
Seated in a teahouse within the capital of the Land of Fire, Hiruzen lifted his teacup and took a slow sip before speaking in a low voice to Natsuhiko.
"This time, I truly have to thank you, Natsuhiko. Without your assistance, things would never have gone so smoothly."
"For the sake of the Land of Fire—and for Konoha—it's only natural that we do our part."
Natsuhiko let out a light chuckle. He was well-practiced in delivering such lofty, righteous lines, though his expression soon turned more serious.
"However, Hokage-sama… when we return, I'm afraid you'll have to proceed on your own."
"Hm?" Hiruzen paused, frowning slightly. "Do you have other plans, Natsuhiko? Or perhaps… have you discovered something?"
"Yes." Natsuhiko nodded without hesitation before lowering his voice. "I've found traces of several descendants of the Uzumaki clan. According to the intelligence, their situation doesn't seem very good."
"Oh?" Hiruzen's brows lifted slightly. "Are you certain the information is reliable? Forgive me—it's not that I doubt you, but this matter is far too important."
The significance of the Uzumaki clan's descendants could not be overstated—especially for Konoha.
The village possessed a complete system for cultivating Uzumaki survivors. With proper training, they could become future jinchūriki.
After all, ever since the fall of Uzushiogakure at the hands of Kirigakure, the Uzumaki clan had been nearly wiped out. Many had died, others had fled, and finding surviving members had become exceedingly difficult.
While Hiruzen bore some responsibility for that outcome, from the perspective he held at the time, his decisions had been justified.
But those choices had come with a cost.
The collapse of the Uzumaki clan left a dangerous gap in Konoha's future jinchūriki plans. It wasn't that others couldn't become jinchūriki—but compared to the Uzumaki, they were inherently at a disadvantage.
So when Natsuhiko mentioned that he had found Uzumaki descendants, how could Hiruzen not feel both concerned and hopeful?
"This is intelligence from the ANBU," Natsuhiko said, setting down his teacup with a soft sound. "I believe it carries a certain degree of credibility. Still… to be absolutely sure, I plan to verify it myself."
"I see." Hiruzen nodded slowly. "I understand your reasoning. In that case, you may proceed without concern."
"I thought as much. I only intended to report it to you."
With that, Natsuhiko rose to his feet.
"I'll set out immediately. Hopefully, things go smoothly… and when I return to Konoha, there won't be any major complications waiting for me."
"Rest assured," Hiruzen Sarutobi snorted lightly, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "I'm not so senile that I can't tell what matters more. Natsuhiko, you're underestimating me."
Natsuhiko merely shrugged, unconcerned. He didn't bother responding—because, truthfully, he didn't trust Hiruzen at all.
But whether he trusted him or not didn't matter. There was no point in saying anything further. He had more important matters to attend to.
He tapped the table lightly as a casual signal, then stood up and left the teahouse without another word, his movements clean and decisive.
Leaving Hiruzen alone like that might have seemed improper, but the old man was far from weak.
More importantly, Natsuhiko had already notified the ANBU to arrive as quickly as possible. Security wasn't something he needed to worry about.
In fact, even without the ANBU, Hiruzen would have been perfectly fine. The operatives from Root who had tried to attack him had already been wiped out.
Even if Root still had other members, their quality could no longer compare to before—and it wasn't even certain whether Danzō could still control them effectively.
So safety wasn't a concern.
The real reason Natsuhiko had called in the ANBU was to escort the defeated "Twelve Guardian Ninja" back to Konoha.
Of course… they were no longer twelve.
After Natsuhiko's assault, only six or seven of them were still alive. Half their number had been wiped out in an instant.
And that was already him holding back.
If he had been even slightly more ruthless, it wouldn't have been surprising if none of them had survived.
"The Daimyō's matter is settled, and I've obtained the Nine-Tails' chakra… now it's time to deal with the next task."
Walking slowly down the street, Natsuhiko's thoughts turned elsewhere, though the faint ease in his expression made it clear—he was in an excellent mood.
And rightly so.
Everything he had set out to accomplish here had been achieved. Not only that, he had extracted a massive sum from the Daimyō, effectively ensuring that the man would never stir up trouble again.
Even if much of it had been done through Hiruzen's hand, considering the path Natsuhiko intended to walk in the future, it was all ultimately to his own benefit.
"Besides… even if the Daimyō holds a grudge, it'll be against Hiruzen, not me. After all, I'm just the head of ANBU."
A scapegoat was always a useful thing.
At that moment, Natsuhiko felt he finally understood why Hiruzen valued Shimura Danzō so much.
After all, Danzō was the perfect one to take the blame. With him around, any trouble could be conveniently pushed away, leaving Hiruzen untouched—even after making the harshest decisions.
"Still, this next journey is going to be quite long…"
Natsuhiko's gaze drifted forward as he continued walking.
"Not only do I need to head to the Land of Wind, but I'll also have to make a trip to the Land of Grass. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly…"
He had left Hiruzen behind with the excuse that he had discovered descendants of the Uzumaki clan in the Land of Grass.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely a lie.
After all, Karin and her mother had indeed ended up in the Land of Grass, and their current circumstances were likely far from pleasant.
But in truth, they weren't his real objective.
For one, there was no telling whether Karin had even been born yet. And more importantly, Natsuhiko didn't believe he could gain much from them.
Future jinchūriki for Konoha?
That was unnecessary.
Konoha's current jinchūriki were doing just fine, and in the future, there would be Naruto Uzumaki.
And beyond that—Naruto's descendant, Boruto, who would inherit both Uzumaki vitality and Hyūga traits—wouldn't he be an even better candidate?
In the end, Natsuhiko didn't place much importance on Karin and her mother.
His true focus lay elsewhere.
In the Land of Wind.
Ever since he realized what "special chakra" most likely referred to, one image had filled his mind—
The chakra of the Ryūmyaku.
And, strictly speaking, that power already belonged to him.
After all, Sara had transferred it to him for a ridiculously low price.
So now, he was simply going to reclaim what was rightfully his.
Especially now that Minato Namikaze had already departed for Mount Myoboku, Natsuhiko found himself in a position where he could reclaim those scattered chakra fragments with far fewer restraints—almost without holding back at all.
Still, his status within Konohagakure made it inconvenient for him to leave openly and frequently. That meant he needed a plausible excuse.
It was absolutely necessary to inform Hiruzen Sarutobi beforehand. In truth, such "notification" was less about courtesy and more about a quiet warning—telling Hiruzen, in no uncertain terms, that while Natsuhiko was away, he expected no reckless moves.
Hiruzen, a seasoned veteran of politics, understood immediately. His response was firm and resolute.
And yet, if Natsuhiko were being honest, he trusted that Hiruzen wouldn't act rashly—but he didn't trust the man himself.
In the end, Hiruzen's restraint came not from virtue, but from fear. Natsuhiko's presence alone was deterrence enough, and the leverage he held over them was substantial. Without that… Natsuhiko had no illusions that they would remain so obedient.
...
"So, I've come back again…"
After several days of travel, Natsuhiko finally crossed into the Land of Wind, and the words slipped from his lips in quiet reflection.
Strictly speaking, this was where his rise had begun. That fragment of Asura's power—damaged as it was—had first taken root here. It was also in this very land that he had, for the first time, revealed his strength to the world. In many ways, this place held a number of unexpectedly fond memories for him.
As for whether the people of the Land of Wind—or those from Sunagakure—shared that sentiment, Natsuhiko couldn't have cared less. He belonged to the Land of Fire, not this desert nation.
Once he entered the vast desert, he accelerated toward the direction of Rōran.
The sandstorms did slow him somewhat, but during his previous visit he had left behind a marker—originally intended as an escape route. Now, unexpectedly, it had become a convenient means of travel.
A fortunate accident, really.
Even so, the Land of Wind was immense. Despite relying on the Flying Thunder God technique, it still took him several days before he finally arrived at the ancient city of Rōran.
What greeted him, however, made him frown.
It had only been half a year since he last left—and yet, the city now appeared even more dilapidated than before.
"What happened here?"
His brows knitted together. He distinctly remembered that before leaving, he had carefully adjusted Sara's physical condition. With a healthy body, she should have been more than capable of maintaining Rōran. This level of decline was… unexpected.
Could it be that after his departure, the shinobi of Sunagakure had uncovered something—and taken action against Rōran?
The thought darkened his expression.
It wasn't that he particularly cared about the people of Rōran. But the problem was that the city was bound to the Ryūmyaku. If something had gone wrong here, there was no telling whether the Ryūmyaku had remained intact.
And that was not something he could ignore.
"I'd better take a look inside first. If the Land of Wind really made a move on Rōran—and even tampered with the Ryūmyaku… then I might have to step in."
With that thought, chakra stirred within him. In the next instant, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already inside the towering structure that sealed the Ryūmyaku.
The seal remained intact.
And there, embedded within it, was a kunai engraved with the mark of the Flying Thunder God—left behind by Minato Namikaze.
Natsuhiko let out a quiet breath of relief.
It seemed the Ryūmyaku was unharmed. In fact, the tower itself had even been repaired.
He hadn't forgotten—when he last released the seal, the surge of chakra from the Ryūmyaku had nearly destroyed the entire structure. Even though it hadn't fully collapsed, nearly half of it had been blown apart. Now, however, it had been completely restored. Clearly, Sara had put in considerable effort.
"And there's even an additional sealing barrier set up here…"
His gaze swept the interior as he murmured to himself.
"…probably to keep outsiders from entering—or to alert Sara the moment I arrive."
Of course, caution was still necessary. If this seal had been set by the shinobi of Sunagakure, he would need to know exactly who had come here.
Natsuhiko had already sensed the seal as soon as he entered, but he dismissed it as a trivial obstacle. In fact, he even deliberately touched it.
His goal was simple: find out who was still here.
If it was Sara, he would honor the promise he had made long ago—reward her handsomely, and even lead them all away from this place to safety.
If it was shinobi from Sunagakure, he would make short work of every last one of them left in Rōran, avenging the city in the process.
"Let's hope for a good outcome," he muttered, letting out a quiet sigh as he began moving deliberately toward the Ryūmyaku's seal.
As he drew closer, he could feel the wild, almost frenzied chakra contained within it, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Little one, does this chakra suit you?" he asked silently, addressing the Nine-Tails within him.
"This chakra… I'm not entirely sure, but it's strong," the Nine-Tails replied inside his mind. "Maybe it's workable?"
"Let's hope it's fine. Special chakra like this isn't easy to come by," Natsuhiko murmured, a faint sigh escaping him. His expression hardened as he took another step forward and yanked the kunai embedded in the ground.
The effect was instantaneous. The Ryūmyaku seemed to awaken, and its immense, chaotic energy rippled violently throughout the tower.
...
"Almost there! Keep going, everyone!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Outside Rōran, in the endless desert, Sara led the city's inhabitants steadily toward their home.
She looked far healthier now, her complexion strong, her coughing long gone. It was clear that Natsuhiko's aid had done more than just heal her body—her spirit had lifted as well.
The change was fueled by knowledge. She now understood who Natsuhiko truly was.
She had always known he was powerful, but she had never grasped the full extent of his strength. Rōran's isolation, enforced by Sunagakure's blockade, had limited what its people could know. Many facts, even simple truths, had never reached them.
This time, however, Sunagakure had no choice but to act—they had suffered too great a loss.
Sara finally realized just how overwhelming his power was: the same man who had calmly defeated hundreds of Sunagakure ninja alone, even while being pursued when leaving the Land of Wind, was the one standing before them. She didn't know the exact makeup of those hundreds of enemies, but even without that detail, the sheer scale of his strength was terrifying.
A single person capable of such feats—just the existence of someone like him was enough to inspire fear.
"A promise made by someone this strong… maybe Rōran really does have a chance," Sara thought, hope threading through her heart.
After all, she now understood that Rōran's hope wasn't just tied to a city in the desert. It was tied to its people—the citizens who had lived alongside her, who had shared her struggles.
Since Sunagakure had long disregarded them, even making their lives miserable, finding a new environment for their future no longer seemed like an impossible choice.
It was a matter of survival… and of hope.
Over the past six months, even though Sara's body had fully recovered, she hadn't poured her energy into Rōran itself.
Aside from repairing the sealing tower, she and the others had been quietly saving every bit of money, waiting for Natsuhiko's return to lead them away from this desert city.
There had been some troubling news, however. Konoha had been struck by the Nine-Tails, forcing the village into yet another round of reconstruction. Normally, she wouldn't have had access to such information, even if the news had spread through the ninja world.
But Natsuhiko's last visit had utterly humiliated Sunagakure, and in the chaos, many of their lockdown measures had fallen away. Their shinobi had been dispatched elsewhere, trying to reclaim lost influence.
All Sara could do now was hope that Konoha wasn't in worse trouble, so that Natsuhiko would still be able to come and deal with the Ryūmyaku.
Would he die because of the Nine-Tails?
Sara shook her head. That was impossible. A ninja of that caliber didn't die so easily.
"We're finally back."
After a long, grueling journey, Sara and the people of Rōran finally reached the outskirts of the city.
Seeing Rōran rise, stark and solitary in the middle of the desert, a smile spread across Sara's face. Though leaving this place tugged at her heart, she trusted that if their ancestors had managed to build a home here under such harsh conditions, they could surely thrive even more with better circumstances.
But then her expression shifted abruptly. She felt a reaction from the seal she had left behind in Rōran.
"Someone's here?"
Her face tightened, and without hesitation, she set down what she was carrying and sprinted toward the city.
"Your Majesty!"
The other citizens of Rōran froze, confused by her sudden movement, unsure of what was happening.
It didn't take long for them to understand. From the city in the distance, a massive surge of power erupted skyward.
The shockwave expanded rapidly, a blinding white light radiating outward, destroying everything in its path. Even from that distance, the citizens struggled to remain standing, buffeted by the invisible force.
"What… is happening?"
"Heavens, what is this?"
"Your Majesty, come back! It's dangerous!"
The people of Rōran were stunned. None had ever witnessed such a terrifying scene. The roar of some beast intermingled with the destructive energy, sending chills down their spines.
Some thought back to the events six months ago, but even then, it had been nothing like this.
While the citizens gawked in shock, Sara's mind was clear. She knew exactly what had happened: someone had tampered with the Ryūmyaku.
She wasn't entirely certain who it could be, but her thoughts immediately went to Natsuhiko.
After all, unleashing the Ryūmyaku's chakra so recklessly—there was no one else capable of it. The only other person in her fading memories with such power had been Anrokuzan. Even the shinobi of Sunagakure, who may have coveted the Ryūmyaku, were cautious beyond measure when it came to it.
"Is it really you? You've finally come…"
Sara braced herself, struggling against the shockwave that threatened to throw her off her feet, moving forward step by step.
Then, suddenly, the shockwave stopped. The violent chakra that had roared moments before vanished completely, leaving the desert silent once more.
It was as if none of it had ever happened.
Only in the heart of Rōran did a single sight stand out: a massive fox, its nine tails swaying with calm yet undeniable power.
"ROAR!"
The next moment, a roar ripped through the air, carrying with it an overwhelming, frenzied aura.
It was more terrifying than the Ryūmyaku's chakra he had felt before.
...
Inside the sealing tower, as Natsuhiko yanked the kunai left behind by Minato Namikaze, the violent chakra surged toward him like a tidal wave.
Having experienced such overwhelming chakra once before, Natsuhiko was far from intimidated. Besides, he had more than enough chakra at his disposal, and if necessary, attempting to reseal it was always an option.
Watching the Ryūmyaku's chakra grow wilder and wilder, he quickly formed hand seals, his voice low but firm as he commanded, "Release!"
With the flow of his chakra, the core of the Ryūmyaku's seal shattered almost instantly.
He had dealt with this seal before; though he had patched it up, it had never been completely restored. Now, with his intervention, the seal teetered on the very edge of collapse.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
Suddenly, fierce winds swept through the tower, screaming around him. Natsuhiko nodded slightly as he watched the seal shudder and quake. The gap he had left open long ago had finally been fully exploited—not fully destroyed, but enough for the Ryūmyaku's chakra to begin squeezing its way out on its own.
The chakra didn't emerge too quickly. That was deliberate. By leaving the seal partially intact, Natsuhiko controlled the flow, preventing the Ryūmyaku from bursting free uncontrollably. This allowed the Nine-Tails time to consume it safely, and if the chakra proved too powerful, it could always be resealed. One could never be too cautious with something this dangerous.
"Ready?" Natsuhiko silently asked the Nine-Tails. "This chakra is coming out. Now it's up to you."
"No problem," came the familiar reply inside his mind. Within moments, the Nine-Tails' chakra coalesced into a glowing red form over Natsuhiko's body.
Then, in an instant, it left him entirely, rushing forward to the Ryūmyaku itself.
Natsuhiko's expression shifted slightly. With the little one gone, the chakra seed that had been nourished by the Nine-Tails was now being sustained by Natsuhiko himself, immediately costing him a significant portion of his combat power. The sensation was sharp, almost painful.
He said nothing. His attention was entirely on the Nine-Tails. He wanted to see exactly what would happen when it consumed the Ryūmyaku's chakra.
The little fox ignored him, naturally unaware of Natsuhiko's thoughts once it had left his body. But it began gathering its own chakra, clearly preparing for the battle ahead.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh.
The winds howled louder and louder, turning into a whirlwind. Rocks and debris whipped around the altar at impossible speeds, smashing against anything in their path with deafening crashes. The very ground trembled beneath the force.
Cracks formed in the stone floor, spidering outward until the earth beneath them looked like the cracked shell of a giant turtle.
Natsuhiko watched silently, then began to circulate the chakra within his body. In just a few breaths, red markings appeared around his eyes.
Sage Mode had been activated.
He had no intention of allowing even the slightest accident to occur.
"It's almost free." Natsuhiko shouted to the Nine-Tails, his voice cutting through the roar of the tower. "Get ready! If you can't handle it, tell me immediately—I'll seal it myself!"
"I know," the Nine-Tails replied, its expression grim even in Natsuhiko's mind. "Don't worry, I won't overextend myself."
Natsuhiko gave a slight nod in response—but at that very moment, the Ryūmyaku's chakra finally burst through.
Boom!
An immense torrent of chakra exploded out from the cracks in the seal, surging upward like something erupting from the abyss itself. In an instant, it shattered the ceiling of the Sealing Tower and formed a massive pillar of energy that shot straight into the sky.
Natsuhiko stared at it with a solemn expression. Though he had once used this power before, the scale now was on an entirely different level.
And when that chakra grew too vast, too dense, he could sense something else within it through Sage Mode—a strange, indescribable force.
He couldn't quite define it, but one thing was certain: this was the same power that could distort space and time itself.
It was something to be feared.
I need to move fast. With a disturbance like this, there's no telling if Sunagakure will notice.
The thought passed quickly through his mind. He wasn't afraid of Sunagakure—he had faced them before, and he wasn't particularly worried. But he had no intention of letting this situation spiral out of control and expose the fact that he had come here under the guise of a mission… only to secretly claim the Ryūmyaku for himself.
By now, the young Nine-Tails had clearly finished preparing. Staring at the colossal pillar of chakra that seemed capable of piercing the heavens, it suddenly opened its mouth.
In the next instant, a powerful gravitational force erupted from within it.
Natsuhiko had never seen anything like this before. At least, the Nine-Tails in his memories had never possessed such an ability.
But then again, this particular Nine-Tails had been nurtured by an unknown system—strange abilities weren't entirely out of the question. Thinking this, Natsuhiko relaxed slightly.
The vast, surging chakra began to rush madly toward the Nine-Tails' open mouth. In mere moments, its body expanded more than tenfold.
Its enormous form shattered the surrounding tower walls, and even its head threatened to burst straight through the top of the structure.
And yet, it endured.
The little Nine-Tails continued devouring the Ryūmyaku's chakra in great gulps. Natsuhiko soon noticed that its body was no longer expanding endlessly.
Or rather, it was fluctuating—shrinking slightly, then expanding again, over and over in a constant cycle.
Through this repeated process, its form grew more solid, more powerful, no longer like an overinflated balloon but something far more refined and stable.
Its chakra, too, became purer—denser—stronger.
So strong, in fact, that it began to resemble that monstrous presence that had once attacked Konoha.
The devouring continued.
And Natsuhiko remained on edge the entire time, his nerves stretched taut. He had no idea how long this would last, but he knew one thing—if the Nine-Tails showed any sign of faltering, he would immediately step in and seal the Ryūmyaku's chakra himself.
Time passed, second by second.
Objectively, only a few minutes had gone by, yet to Natsuhiko, it felt as though an eternity had slipped through his fingers.
Fortunately, the pillar of chakra began to weaken, and the raging winds around them gradually died down.
It seemed the Ryūmyaku beneath the earth was nearing exhaustion.
Is it over…?
The thought had barely formed when the young Nine-Tails suddenly threw its head back and let out a deafening roar.
In that instant, the Ryūmyaku chakra it had been consuming abruptly broke free from its control.
The once-devoured energy gathered rapidly, as if pulled together by an unseen force—and then, without warning, it surged straight toward Natsuhiko.
"…What?"
He stared, momentarily stunned, unable to process what was happening.
Before he could react, the chakra had already rushed into his body completely.