As soon as she turned around and lay down to sleep, Koharu's face twisted in horror as she looked at the night wind—like she'd just seen a ghost—and kept backing away.
"Stay back!"
"Help!"
"Where's the ANBU?!"
Just as Koharu screamed, several masked ANBU operatives appeared beside Shigemo Kiki and Minato Namikaze.
"Lords, is there a problem?"
Because both Shigemo Kiki and Minato Namikaze held senior ANBU positions, and with the village leadership currently absent, the ANBU naturally deferred to their authority.
But when they saw Koharu in such a miserable state, all of them froze in disbelief.
Was this really Koharu Utatane—one of the two elders of Konoha's administration?
Were their eyes deceiving them?
And that young man... was he really Takayama Haru?
The scene was so shocking that the ANBU didn't dare act without orders.
Minato frowned and said, "Haru, listen to me—don't do anything rash."
"Shut up."
Takayama Haru shot a cold glance at Minato before grabbing Koharu by the arm.
Koharu quickly tried to seal her hands into a jutsu sign—but roots burst from the ground and bound her wrists before she could move.
Shigemo Kiki also rose to his feet. "Haru, whatever you plan to do, wait until Lord Naruto returns."
"Don't be reckless!"
"Reckless?" Haru chuckled coldly. "White Fang, if it were your son Kakashi who had been taken, used to become a Jinchūriki for the Two-Tails, what would you do?"
Shigemo Kiki sighed. "No matter what happened, personal vengeance isn't the answer."
"You think this is revenge?" Haru laughed. "I'm delivering justice. They deserve this."
With that, he flung Koharu toward the massive Nibi—Two-Tails—standing behind him.
Koharu looked up and met the beast's large, round eyes. Her face turned ghostly pale. She didn't dare move.
Even the Two-Tails itself, seeing Takayama Haru so close, seemed too scared to step forward.
Meanwhile, Danzo Shimura and Mito Menyan, who had secretly planned to bring reinforcements, were intercepted by one of Haru's clones.
"Haru, what the hell are you doing?!" Danzo roared furiously. "Stop this nonsense. We only activated the Four Violet Flame Formation because Lady Mito urged us to! It was for the good of the village!"
Beside him, Mito Menyan added, "Yes, Haru, you're going too far. Elder Koharu might have made mistakes, but this… this isn't right…"
Haru raised his hand, and Mito Menyan immediately went silent, assuming a defensive stance.
Behind Danzo and Menyan, several ninja from the administrative division—all members of the Mito and Sato clans—readied themselves for battle.
But Haru simply reached up, scratched his head, and smiled.
"No need to be so tense. I just have a question—how exactly did you manage to seal those two tails? Wasn't it you who brought Nibi here?"
Danzo silently watched Takayama Haru, thoughts churning. This kid's a loaded gun.
Haru spoke plainly. "Are you going to walk over, or should I drag you?"
"Watch your tone!" one of the admin ninjas shouted furiously from behind them.
"Silence."
With a mere gesture, the ninja behind Mito Menyan was instantly wrapped up by roots and vines—tied like a human scroll.
His eyes were still visible, filled with terror, but he could neither speak nor move.
On the other side, the Two-Tails, realizing Haru hadn't noticed him, tried to bolt—
But the moment he turned, roots and vines seized his limbs.
"What the hell?! You can trap me from this far away?!"
The beast let out a frustrated groan.
Simultaneously, Kushina used Adamantine Sealing Chains to bind the Two-Tails again and pin it in place.
"Lord Kiki, what do we do now?" one of the ANBU whispered.
Minato turned to Shigemo Kiki. "What now, senior?"
Shigemo Kiki responded in a low voice, "Let's wait. Looks like Haru still has his mind—he won't kill them."
After a brief silence, Danzo and Mito Menyan reluctantly followed Haru toward the restrained Nibi.
Lady Mito snorted. "Well, well. Danzo, Menyan, Koharu—you three look mighty heroic right now."
Danzo bowed respectfully. "Lady Mito, with all due respect, everything we did was with your consent."
Kushina suddenly shouted, "That's a lie!"
Danzo looked at her and said calmly, "Isn't it true?"
Haru suddenly smirked. "You call her Granny Mito, don't you? Well, it's true—I've taken control of those Two-Tails."
"Didn't you say earlier that Kushina would make a great Jinchūriki for them?"
Danzo quickly shook his head. "I don't know anything about that."
"Exactly," Mito Menyan chimed in. "Haru, you're misrepresenting us. Whatever Lady Mito decides to do, it's her choice. Has nothing to do with us."
Koharu, too, tried to distance herself. "We were just following orders."
Lady Mito stared coldly at them.
Kushina's chest heaved with fury as she pointed at the trio. "You really are schemers!"
Haru held Kushina back and looked at the trio.
"You know," he said casually, "you three actually do seem like good candidates to be Jinchūriki for the Two-Tails."
The moment he said it, all three of their faces changed dramatically.
And not just them—Shigemo Kiki and Minato Namikaze were also stunned.
Even Kushina and Lady Mito hadn't seen that coming!
They—those three—as Jinchūriki?
Takayama Haru's imaginative suggestion left everyone speechless.
Danzo, Mito Menyan, and Koharu all instinctively stepped back in fear.
People might admire powerful Jinchūriki, but no one wants to become one.
Because once you become the host for a Tailed Beast, you're no longer truly human. You're half-monster in everyone's eyes.
Even your own family will treat you differently.
You lose your freedom, live under constant surveillance—and the stronger your power, the higher the risk of losing control and being consumed by the beast inside.
At that point, you become a full-fledged monster.
And becoming the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails means becoming nothing more than a living weapon for Konoha—a tool. No personal freedom. No political future.
Just a pawn in the village's military machine.
Who would choose such a life?
Takayama Haru had no intention of letting them off easy.
Planting the Two-Tails inside them was like inserting a ticking time bomb.
One that wouldn't harm him, but would blast them into pieces if things went south—leaving them to regret ever crossing Takayama Haru.