"I can approve a trade for the tailed beast," Third Raikage said, returning to the matter with the same unyielding firmness. "But you'll have to compromise as well. If you're getting the Two-Tails, I can't let you have Yugito. Once she dies, the beast will be yours."
His meaning was clear: the tailed beast was on the table, but his jinchuriki was not. That was his final offer.
Takeshi considered it. 'Fine.'
"Meow~ No problem," he said. "But if the Two-Tails is ever in danger, I reserve the right to take Yugito to safety."
"Agreed."
Raikage didn't seem to understand the reasoning behind the condition, but he agreed almost immediately. It was a logical request, after all. Kumogakure had no desire to see its jinchuriki harmed, and as Raikage, it was his duty to protect his own.
But Takeshi was thinking about Madara.
Even though he had already altered Akatsuki's fate, there was no guarantee Madara wouldn't just nurture another organization to take its place. The real question was whether he had a successor.
'Obito is a lost cause for now,' Takeshi thought. 'Unless Madara is willing to take an enormous risk to extract him and then completely shatter his worldview... something like controlling Rin and forcing her to die at a friend's hand.'
But was Rin really that easy to manipulate anymore? She was Tsunade's disciple now, a key member of Konoha's medical corps. She was stationed in the village year-round and could summon him at a moment's notice. If Akatsuki, or any other group, managed to capture her under those conditions, Konoha might as well just give up.
With everything settled, Takeshi had no intention of lingering in the Land of Lightning. It was just too boring. The people here were brutes, inside and out, all they seemed to care about was training, hunting, and more training, with nothing for entertainment.
But Third Raikage was surprisingly enthusiastic. When Takeshi announced his departure, the man tried his best to convince him to stay, completely ignoring the desperate, pleading looks from his son, Ay. Raikage even suggested a long, candlelit talk, claiming there was much he wanted to ask and hoping Takeshi would enlighten him.
His posture was so humble, and Takeshi wasn't shameless enough to refuse outright, especially after Raikage had offered a few extra benefits. So, he reluctantly agreed.
That night, Takeshi had a shadow clone chat with Raikage by candlelight while his real body slipped away to sleep. Raikage noticed, of course, but didn't say a word. He understood that you had to let the black cat have his way if you wanted to get anything useful out of him. After all, if Takeshi didn't sleep well, he was liable to make half of Kumogakure lose sleep for days.
The next day, Kumogakure had Yugito sign a summoning contract with Takeshi. If the village had been more interesting, he might have stayed longer, but with his business done, he was ready to leave.
However...
'Oh? You look a little too happy that I'm leaving, Ay,' he thought, a flicker of mischief rising in him.
Just for that, he decided to stay for another half day out of pure spite. He dragged Ay all over the surrounding mountains on a mock tour, made him prepare both lunch and dinner, and generally waited on him paw and foot. Only after dark did he finally slip out of the Land of Lightning.
"Damn it, he's finally gone," Ay breathed, a wave of relief washing over him.
Any longer and he might have had a breakdown. Only he knew what a nightmare the last two days had been. He was just grateful Killer Bee wasn't like that. If Bee ever developed that kind of personality, Ay figured he would have to find a new partner or risk dying of a stress-induced aneurysm.
As for his father, Third Raikage immediately began a series of bold reforms after receiving the 'Mountain City Guide'. He had made up his mind: Kumogakure had to change. No one enjoyed being poor. The Land of Lightning might be richer than the Land of Wind, but it was a far cry from the Land of Earth or the Land of Fire. Their goal was to push their way into the top two great nations, not languish in the middle.
--**--**
Elsewhere, at the Ninja Cat Fortress.
"Takeshi-sama," Kanna said, her voice a little flustered. "You... why are you here in the middle of the night? Weren't you in Kumogakure?"
Anyone would be startled to find someone suddenly appearing in their room after midnight. Luckily, Kanna's sensory skills were sharp, she had felt his presence the moment he arrived. If she had only noticed him after he'd been standing there for a while, it would have been far more frightening. Her heart was still pounding.
"Meow~ Kumo was no fun, so I came to see you instead," Takeshi said, then added, "Mm, I know the timing is a little off. Sorry about that."
"No, it's fine. I was just startled," Kanna replied, shaking her head. A moment later, understanding dawned on her. "Are you planning to rest here tonight? I'll go tidy up the main hall for you."
"No need. I'm not as flashy as Nekomata. Any place to sleep is fine. Since he isn't back yet, I'll just use his den. I'm sure he has a good blanket."
Takeshi glanced around her room. He wouldn't have minded sleeping here, but she was a young woman, and it didn't feel appropriate to impose like that. Nekomata's den was the better choice. That cat knew how to live comfortably, his nest would be cozy.
"Yes, I'll get it ready for you," Kanna said, throwing on an extra layer of clothing. She hurried out to tidy the room, so eager that no one could have stopped her.
'Such a good kid,' Takeshi sighed to himself, then silently added, 'Sorry, Karin, but don't drag Kanna down with you. You'll have to find another family to be reincarnate into.'
Before long, the room was ready.
"Takeshi-sama, the room is ready," she said. "About the recent situation in the fortress..."
"We can talk about that tomorrow," he cut in gently. "Oh, right, did you get the fuinjutsu scrolls?"
"Rin-san sent them over."
Fuinjutsu was difficult. Kanna had never received systematic training from her clan, so trying to learn it on her own had been a struggle. But now she had a book. It wasn't a perfect curriculum, but to her, it was an incredible treasure.
"Meow~ Good. Keep up the hard work," Takeshi said, offering an encouraging paw.
"Please get some rest," Kanna said with a deep bow before quietly leaving. She was tired, too, and planned to go right back to sleep.
Once she was gone, Takeshi glanced around the quiet room. 'Time to claim the Sage Body.'
It was an essential step. To forge stronger techniques, his own vessel had to be stronger. Only by improving his physique could he push his power to the next level. With the Sage Body, he wouldn't even have to fear the current version of Madara. The old man was a candle about to flicker out, if Takeshi could just find his hideout, he might be able to go all-in and end him for good.
Unfortunately, finding Madara's lair was next to impossible. Iwagakure hadn't stumbled into it all these years. It was probably buried deep underground near Kannabi Bridge, and with his current skill in Earth Release, he doubted he could dig that far. Even if he pinpointed the location, Madara would have likely moved by the time he got there.
He mulled it over for another moment, then committed.
The instant he did, a powerful surge of chakra gushed from the necklace at his throat. It flooded his chakra network, and he felt his body begin to strengthen at a startling rate. Waves of new chakra were being generated within him, merging with his own and fortifying his very flesh. After a few moments, the torrent of energy subsided, flowing back into the necklace.
The jewel was a bit more transparent than before, but it hadn't been drained much. Takeshi probed his own reserves and compared them to what remained in the necklace, the gap was still immense. He could probably rule out being assimilated by Hashirama's or Asura's chakra. Still, thanks to the necklace, his own energy now had a hint of that flavor. He couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing just yet.
After a few tests, he could clearly feel how much stronger he was. Leaving aside recovery and other latent effects, the constant, overflowing energy and the feeling that he could enter Sage Mode at any time was an incredible boost.
He would test it properly in the morning.
After a good night's sleep, the black cat was up at dawn and went out to see what he could do.
The results were just as he'd hoped.
He could now activate Sage Mode at will. His chakra recovery was incredibly fast, and his body felt tougher, stronger, and quicker than before. The rest of the benefits were harder to sense for the moment, but what he had already gained was more than worth it. His total chakra had increased, and the other advantages were immeasurable, far better than wasting points on a set of eyes that might have been useless.
'A true cat sage,' he thought, a flicker of pride warming his chest.
His next step was to settle things with the Three Great Holy Lands and make them acknowledge his status. Once they did, he would be the undisputed master of the Fourth.
'Hmm... I wonder how the old toad will react to that.'
Gamamaru was full of schemes. Even if it was all supposedly "for the good of the ninja world," Takeshi couldn't shake the feeling that the ancient sage would try to trip him up over some small detail. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but this was the same toad who had convinced everyone to seal Kaguya away and still hadn't let her out. He couldn't afford to let his guard down.
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