The Akatsuki were hunting tailed beasts—Kurama had already told Naruto and Sasuke about this. But according to Kurama, they were still supposed to be in the money-gathering phase…
Wait, how did Kurama figure out what the Akatsuki were up to?
Hearing the question, Kurama froze for a moment, then scratched his head uncertainly. "The timeline?"
Yeah, the timeline. Based on the original events, the Akatsuki were supposed to start capturing tailed beasts around the time the Three-Tails revived. But so far, there had been no news about that happening in Konohagakure.
Had it really happened?
"This isn't the time to worry about that!" Kurama, completely unaware that the story had already gone off track, quickly changed the subject. "The most important thing right now is rescuing Shukaku. As long as the One-Tail stays free, it doesn't matter if the other tailed beasts are captured."
The Gedo Statue had to absorb the tailed beasts in a set order, starting with Shukaku and ending with Kurama. Even if some were released and recaptured, they still had to follow this sequence. Without Shukaku, the others couldn't be absorbed.
"Good thing it was Shukaku who sent the message. If it were Gyuki, I wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry," Kurama muttered, arms crossed.
Gyuki was too far away. Even Turtle Island was within the Land of Thunder, and it would take several days to travel from the Land of Fire to the Land of Thunder. Even if Naruto and Sasuke flew at full speed, it would take at least a day—by then, Gyuki would already be captured.
"Is this really the time for jokes…?" Naruto sighed.
Ignoring Kurama's complaints, he exited his mindscape and spoke directly to Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Pervy Sage, Granny Tsunade, something's happened in Sunagakure. Shukaku is asking for help."
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a sharp look, both instantly on alert.
Jiraiya then turned to Naruto and asked seriously, "Akatsuki?"
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "When Nagato and Konan attacked Konohagakure, the others went after the tailed beasts."
Tsunade frowned. "Why didn't the other tailed beasts contact Kurama?"
"It's probably the seals," Jiraiya answered before Naruto could. "Kurama once told me that tailed beasts have a special way of communicating, but that only works if they aren't sealed. Kurama's seal is gone, and Shukaku's is probably broken too—that's why he was able to reach out."
Jiraiya then turned back to Naruto. "Do you know the exact location?"
"The border of the Land of Fire, near the Land of Wind," Naruto confirmed.
"Good, we have a location." Jiraiya looked at Tsunade. "Tsunade, I'll go with Naruto to help. You should stay in Konohagakure and manage everything—"
"No need!" Naruto immediately cut in. "Sasuke and I can fly, and we're really fast. We'll go ahead and rescue Shukaku first. Pervy Sage, you bring reinforcements and follow us. We'll stay in Sage Mode the whole time, so you can track us with your Sage sensing."
This was much faster than traveling on foot, and Naruto and Sasuke were strong enough to handle the battle.
But before Jiraiya could respond, Sasuke, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Obito's space-time jutsu is too dangerous. Someone with space-time abilities needs to stay behind and protect Konohagakure, or he might take advantage of the situation."
After saying that, Sasuke looked at Naruto. "You go alone. I'll stay behind to protect the village."
"Sasuke…" Naruto looked at him, touched by his words.
Sasuke didn't say anything more. He just gave a proud little scoff and stayed silent.
Jiraiya, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh. Tsunade patted both of them on the shoulders and said with a smile, "Alright, then it's decided."
"Naruto, head out immediately for the rescue mission. Sasuke, stay in the village and keep an eye on Obito." Then, Tsunade turned to Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, pick a few strong ninjas, and take Sakura with you to assist."
With Gaara injured, Sakura's medical skills would be crucial. As for the wounded from the village, Tsunade would take care of them.
That arrangement was just perfect.
"I'll leave right now," Naruto said impatiently. He turned sharply, his chakra flaring up as he shot into the sky, heading toward the location Kurama had provided.
He was so fast that Tsunade hadn't even finished speaking before he was already just a speck in the distance.
Helplessly, she shrugged. "Oh well. I'm used to him acting without thinking."
Jiraiya chuckled from the side. "Well, we'll talk to him when he gets back."
Under the dazzling sunlight, Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, looking up at the sky. Naruto's figure had already shrunk into a tiny black dot against the vast blue, barely visible yet strangely captivating.
Watching him disappear, Sasuke suddenly smirked. "That idiot. You always say you want to be Hokage to protect the village, but now, I'm the one staying behind to do it. Wouldn't it be funny if I ended up becoming Hokage instead?"
The clouds still hadn't gathered, and the endless blue sky let the sunlight pour down without restraint, illuminating the ruins of the village.
"Ugh, fixing all this is going to be a headache," Tsunade sighed.
Right now, she really wanted to find someone else to deal with this mess.
The only thing to be grateful for was that despite how long this battle had lasted, there were surprisingly few casualties. After all, the moment Pain appeared—
Jiraiya had stopped him. In the early stages, Tsunade had held the front line with her healing, and later on, Sakura had taken over for recovery.
It was a lucky outcome in an otherwise terrible situation…
…
At the Land of Fire's border, a group of Konoha shinobi, wearing headbands with the village's emblem, surrounded Kankuro with wary eyes.
A man who seemed to be their leader stepped forward, his voice heavy. "Suna shinobi, show your identification."
Kankuro stood there, covered in dirt and wounds, gritting his teeth. "Emergency request for aid."
'Emergency request for aid' was a special agreement between allied nations. Normally, foreign shinobi entering another country needed identification and had to state their purpose. Unless it was an extreme situation, sending ninja into another land without proper documents was considered an act of war.
If they encounter danger, they can request emergency support from their allied nation through an "emergency aid" request. Depending on the difficulty of the mission, the allied nation will usually provide assistance to maintain diplomatic relations between the two countries.
For non-allied ninjas, not only is identification required, but also detailed travel documents. Of course, this applies specifically to ninjas—ordinary people have a more relaxed screening process. This is why ninjas infiltrating other countries often disguise themselves as regular civilians.
Because being a ninja is tough!
The Sand Village was caught off guard by an attack from three S-rank ninjas. If Gaara hadn't fought with everything he had to push the battlefield outside the village and then unleashed the Tailed Beast in desperation, they might not have even had the manpower to escape. Identification? What a joke!
Kankuro was in a terrible mood. Given the urgent situation, Temari's unknown fate, and Gaara's severe injuries, the fact that he was still speaking civilly to the Leaf Village ninjas was already a sign of great respect.
The Leaf ninjas weren't going to make things difficult for their allies. As soon as they heard "emergency aid," the leading ninja's expression darkened, and he immediately asked, "What happened?"
Kankuro clenched his fists and looked toward Gaara, who was panting heavily on top of his puppet. "The Sand Village was attacked. The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, is severely injured. We suffered heavy casualties. The enemy is pursuing us. I need help from the Leaf Village."
Not just the squad leader—even the other Leaf ninjas widened their eyes in shock.
The leader's expression changed instantly. "Is this information accurate?"
Kankuro finally lost his patience and shouted, "The Kazekage himself is right behind me!" His eyes were bloodshot, filled with killing intent. "Send word to the Leaf Village immediately! We need the Hokage's help! The enemies… they're all S-rank rogue ninjas!"
The Leaf ninjas exchanged glances, each seeing the same disbelief in the other's eyes.
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman