After a stretch of fierce fighting, Bee—charred head to toe—floated limply on the lake's surface.
Kabuto's smile widened. "Hachibi jinchūriki, capture complete."
He was clearly pleased with the outcome, though not surprised. Bee was indeed strong, but Rōshi wasn't weak either—and as an Edo Tensei, Rōshi didn't fear death. At worst, he could grind Bee down.
Guren, Karin, and Suigetsu all looked at Kabuto with newfound respect.
They'd always thought this guy just liked playing with snakes and corpses. Turns out he really had inherited Orochimaru's legacy—and he played snakes and corpses frighteningly well.
Jūgo said nothing, simply stepped forward and hefted Bee up.
"Alright, retreat. Otherwise, the shinobi of Kumogakure will be on us."
Under Kabuto's lead, the group withdrew quickly with Bee in tow.
Even so, a distant scout witnessed everything.
By the time A arrived with Darui, only wreckage remained—no enemy, no Bee. A's anxiety spiked.
"Who was it?! Where is Bee?!" A bellowed.
"Raikage-sama, I saw them!"
The intel-nin reported at once. "It was Kabuto with a team. He seemed to use Edo Tensei on a red-haired, red-bearded guy who used Yōton (Lava Release) and defeated Bee before taking him away!"
Darui frowned in thought. "Red hair, red beard, and Yōton? That's Rōshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, right? They say Akatsuki captured him before… If he's been Edo Tensei'd, then he's dead?"
A's face grew even darker.
Rōshi had been taken and killed. Now Bee was taken. Their international mission was in danger too!
He didn't dare delay. "Move! After me! We're bringing Bee back!"
Konoha. An intel agent hurried into the Hokage's office. "Tsunade-sama, bad news! Urgent from Kumogakure—Killer B, the Hachibi's jinchūriki, has been taken by Kabuto!"
Pfft—Natsuki sprayed the water he'd just drunk.
What the hell? Bee got grabbed? By Kabuto? You've gotta be kidding!
Dropping the report, the agent rushed off. Tsunade quickly scanned it, her brows knitting, then passed the file over for a careful read.
After looking it over, Natsuki only raised a brow.
He didn't believe Bee would be caught that easily. More likely Bee had ditched a tentacle and fled.
Bee was a perfect jinchūriki—really strong. Unless Kisame brought Samehada, or Pain himself showed up, basically nobody could capture Bee.
An Edo Tensei Rōshi was strong, sure, but beating Bee wouldn't be easy—especially when Bee excels at running.
Thinking that, Natsuki relaxed, poured himself another cup of tea, and sipped at leisure.
The three with Tsunade exchanged glances at Natsuki's attitude, puzzled, but said nothing.
Tsunade spoke first. "If this intel is correct, then every other jinchūriki has been taken. Only our village's four remain. It's likely Akatsuki will focus all their strength on seizing the rest."
Kakashi said at once, "Jiraiya-sama, we should send them to Mount Myōboku immediately. It's safer."
Jiraiya nodded. "I was going to wait a couple days—maybe get instructions from the Great Toad Sage—but we can't wait now. I'll go get Naruto and the others."
He stood to leave—
But Tsunade suddenly said, "Should we bring Sasuke too?"
Bring Sasuke? They'd agreed not to before—and Sasuke wouldn't like it. Why the sudden…
Kakashi understood at once. "Tsunade-sama thinks Bee isn't weaker than Sasuke, yet he was captured. To be safe, send Sasuke to Mount Myōboku as well?"
Tsunade inclined her head.
Jiraiya, however, shook his head. "Probably not possible. Sasuke is under contract with Ryūchidō. Mount Myōboku and Ryūchidō don't get along. If Sasuke tries to contract Mount Myōboku now, they likely won't approve—and he probably can't even go there."
Tsunade and Kakashi both looked at Jiraiya. Shouldn't that have come up earlier?
Still, with bad blood between two holy lands, that checked out.
Which meant leaving Sasuke alone in the village—and that risked another invasion.
Kakashi tried again. "Then have Sasuke go to Ryūchidō? It's one of the Three Great Holy Lands too—should be hidden enough not to be found."
"That won't work."
Natsuki finally spoke. "Ryūchidō is actually dangerous. The White Snake Sage isn't as easygoing as the toads. Plus, Kabuto learned Sage Mode—he can go to Ryūchidō too. Sending Sasuke there alone would be worse."
All three turned to Natsuki. "Then what do you suggest?"
Natsuki grinned. "Easy. If Bee's 'captured,' I'll take Sasuke to the Land of Lightning. If we run into Akatsuki, I'll use Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to pull him out instantly. We won't return to the village, so Akatsuki probably won't try another incursion for now—and Sasuke stays safe."
It was a good plan, but knowing Natsuki, he had other motives.
Tsunade called him out without hesitation. "You just don't want to sit in the office. You want to take Sasuke on a trip—and if you can bring Tenten, even better, right?"
Natsuki flashed a thumbs-up. "Exactly! Tsunade-sama, can Tenten get time off?"
He didn't even bother to hide it!
Tsunade could only sigh. Natsuki's reasons were… out there, but she had to admit: letting him take Sasuke out would protect both Sasuke and the village. It really was a solid plan.
In the end, the three shared a look and nodded.
Tsunade made the call. "Alright then. Jiraiya, take Naruto, Gaara, and Fū to Mount Myōboku immediately. After that, Natsuki, take Sasuke to the Land of Lightning under the guise of a rescue."
With the decision made, there was no time to waste.
Natsuki and Jiraiya quickly found Naruto and the others—who, surprisingly, weren't training, just chatting.
Gaara's eye-bags looked even heavier. He sighed helplessly. "These last nights, Shukaku keeps dragging me into the inner realm to play cards. I didn't expect him to get addicted. He won't let me rest—plays till dawn. I haven't slept well in days. At this rate, I'll drop dead."
Naruto and Fū: "Please take care!"
So that was it—Shukaku's playfulness had gone into overdrive. And addiction was even harder to deal with.
Jiraiya hurried forward with the Mount Myōboku contract scroll. "Gaara, Fū—sign your names. I'm taking you two and Naruto to Mount Myōboku to lie low for a while."
(End of Chapter)
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