The intelligence regarding the Two-Tails' location was currently the most crucial information in all of the Ninjutsu World.
As Haseo conversed with Shikou, he leisurely entered the largest chamber in the lower part of the underground facility.
"Haseo-sama, I want to remind you of one thing. Suppose—just suppose—we succeed in our upcoming objective, we still can't guarantee absolute secrecy. To put it another way, Kumo will eventually discover news of us targeting the Two-Tails, whether sooner or later."
Capturing a Tailed Beast naturally creates significant commotion, and such disturbances are inherently difficult to conceal from third parties.
Moreover, in the current Ninjutsu World, Kumo is undoubtedly extremely attentive toward any news concerning the Two-Tails. Even if other major ninja villages hadn't previously learned about the Two-Tails jinchuriki's death, since Konoha has already obtained sighting intelligence on the beast, other villages should have received similar reports as well.
Everyone is well-informed; no one significantly lags behind others in this aspect.
Under these circumstances, first, conflicts might arise among various factions competing for the Two-Tails. Second, even if Konoha captures the Two-Tails smoothly, there's still a possibility of confrontation with Kumo afterward... Considering Kumo's aggressive nature, such actions might directly trigger war between the two sides.
Regarding these concerns, naturally, Haseo had already considered them beforehand but wasn't particularly troubled by them. Kumo and the Raikage were undoubtedly hotheaded, but dealing with them didn't fall upon him—they weren't equals in position, which meant it was ultimately the Third Hokage's problem. Certain issues could indeed be negotiated between both sides, but at this moment, starting another war was absolutely out of the question.
Therefore, everything hinged on Kumo and the Raikage's determination, as well as Konoha and the Third Hokage's ability to withstand pressure... Honestly speaking, Haseo had great confidence in the former but not much in the latter.
"In any case, our target is a 'rare beast,' a miracle born from the splendor of nature. Only true hunters can poach such creatures. As for what follows after this illegal hunting… Well, that'll be left entirely up to fate.
However, considering our organization's nature, everyone eventually needs to learn how to handle Tailed Beasts, so… consider this an early exercise."
Haseo said this, then quickly added another sentence: "Actually, I have absolutely no intention of undermining the Tailed Beast distribution system established by the First Hokage, since it serves as a pillar maintaining balance throughout the Ninjutsu World."
Shikou almost rolled her eyes at Haseo—the explanation offered afterward felt entirely redundant.
Well, truthfully, Haseo thought the First Hokage's policies were just as pigheaded as himself. However, considering the common perception of him today, the First was seen as a noble and revered ninja, and his image would only grow more legendary with time. Therefore, he was someone who couldn't simply be criticized carelessly.
Haseo could only keep such evaluations to himself; they could never be spoken aloud. Indeed, he actually held tremendous respect for the First Hokage. If not for respecting the First, wouldn't he still respect the Second? And if not the Second, surely he'd at least respect Sansho's legacy?
However, no matter what, once a Tailed Beast is given to another village, it becomes their property. When all the villages obtained Tailed Beasts, they essentially became "biological weapons" used for mutual intimidation among the great ninja villages, instantly increasing their importance... If nobody has something, then there's nothing to worry about; but if others have it, then I must have it as well. Therefore, no ninja village can afford the consequences of losing their Tailed Beast.
If Haseo had wanted to target the Tailed Beasts of other villages, the situation would have been nothing like the later Akatsuki's. First of all, the environment of the Ninjutsu World then was not the same as in the future. Back then, every village's Jinchuriki were obediently serving as tools—anyone who tried to become a Rogue Ninja would only end up beaten to death in public, without any opportunity to wander around freely.
Secondly, Haseo was a "legitimate and pure-blooded" Konoha ninja—an upstanding figure with deep roots, high standing, and official credentials. Anyone could easily verify he belonged to Konoha, and his actions bore Konoha's endorsement, meaning Konoha itself would take responsibility for him. The Akatsuki, on the other hand, were terrorists emerging from the hidden corners of the ninja world. Initially, nobody even knew where they came from. Moreover, Akatsuki moved too quickly—the entire process of collecting all nine Tailed Beasts lasted merely several months, leaving the Five Great Shinobi Countries unable to respond in time.
To put it simply, Haseo and his Kagenami weren't especially strong in terms of combat power. He could neither act recklessly like a terrorist nor possess the ability to take on the entire world alone... Haseo was, after all, only a mere Jonin.
...
When Haseo and Shikou entered this room, the "Kagenami Jūnikō" were already working busily inside. They were drawing dense, spiderweb-like rune arrays [Sealing Arrays] across the floor, with the center of the "web" containing a container two meters wide and half a meter high.
In fact, those rune formations radiated outward directly from that container.
Given its brass color... Well, it basically looked just like a large old-fashioned hotpot.
Tailed Beasts are dangerous things, especially ones belonging to others. Naturally, Haseo wouldn't casually create Jinchuriki. Although Uzumaki clan ninja are naturally well-suited to becoming Jinchuriki, in Haseo's opinion, such an exchange was entirely unnecessary—an outstanding Uzumaki ninja capable of housing a Tailed Beast was far more important and valuable than a mere Two-Tails.
Besides, Haseo needed to consider the feelings of the Uzumaki clan. Despite being the controller of Kagenami, he had no right to demand unnecessary sacrifices from Uzumaki ninja.
Anyone with a sane mind would refuse to seal an extremely dangerous Chakra beast inside themselves, especially considering these beasts could possibly erode the host's sanity... Haseo couldn't possibly force others into sacrifices he himself wouldn't accept—because he understood that one shouldn't impose on others something they wouldn't bear themselves.
In the end, he was completely different from Danzo Shimura.
Therefore, since sealing Tailed Beasts into humans wasn't viable, the only option left was to seal them into special containers—this explained why Kagenami's Uzumaki ninja had been working feverishly to engrave those complex markings onto the hotpot recently.
The Ninja Tools used for sealing Tailed Beasts are not easily obtained, but for the Uzumaki clan, who excels in Sealing Techniques and Barrier Ninjutsu, making such items wasn't extremely difficult either… This kind of container is merely a temporary tool for sealing a Tailed Beast, and its effectiveness lasts no longer than twelve months.
As for permanently sealing a Tailed Beast into some sort of vessel, with the current technological capabilities of the various ninja villages, it seems no one can achieve that yet.
Therefore, Kagenami's current preparations are perfectly reasonable. If there was anything to criticize, it was just why the container had to be made in the shape of a hotpot.
Actually, there's no special reason for this—whether it's a hotpot or an electric rice cooker, it's basically the same; it's like choosing between a kettle and a rice cooker—it really didn't matter. It's just that the hotpot shape looked more festive and carried a sense of good luck.
Even though Haseo couldn't understand anything, he was still marvelling at the "hotpot" when suddenly, an alarm rang out within the underground space… This signaled that the village had received important news. Haseo and Shikou exchanged glances—wondering if this might be the one everyone had been waiting for.
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