The decision sat in my mind like a kunai stuck in a wooden table.
If I wanted a future where shinobi didn't slaughter each other every twenty years, then Konoha needed overwhelming force — the kind that stops wars before they even begin.
Which meant one thing:
The Tailed Beasts.
All of them.
And to pull that off, I needed two monsters of my own.
So I summoned Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara to the council room.
They arrived together, like gods walking into a room built for mortals.
Hashirama plopped down with all the elegance of a sack of rice.
Madara sat like a carved statue of judgment, eyes narrowed, already suspicious.
"Alright, Raizen," Hashirama said. "What are we doing this time?"
Madara gave me a glance that meant: This better not waste my time.
I folded my arms.
"This is about the future of the entire shinobi world."
Their expressions sharpened instantly.
Raizen's Plan
"Konoha's been founded," I began. "But the other nations are catching up fast. Once their villages are unified, they'll fight. Competition leads to conflict — we all know this."
Hashirama's face tightened. Peace was his obsession; the man feared war like it was a personal curse.
Madara snorted. "Speak directly. What's your solution?"
I took a slow breath.
"One superpower.
And several major powers beneath it."
They exchanged a look.
I continued.
"Konoha becomes the 'superpower.' The other nations balance each other, while Konoha stands at the top — strong enough that no village dares to start a war lightly. The world stays stable by pressure and counter-pressure."
Hashirama frowned. "But how do we become that strong? Once the other villages unify, their numbers might match ours."
Exactly the question I'd wanted.
"Through something I call the Tailed Beast Rebalancing Strategy."
Madara's eyes sharpened like he'd just smelled blood.
"You intend to use the Tailed Beasts to strengthen Konoha."
"Correct. Their power is overwhelming. If Konoha controls most of them, we gain a deterrent nothing else can match."
Hashirama and Madara both frowned this time.
"But you can't control a Tailed Beast just because you want to," Hashirama warned. "They aren't tools."
"And to shinobi who lack our power," Madara added, "they're walking calamities."
"I already know how to control them," I said.
That made both of them sit upright.
Jinchūriki
"There's a sealing technique used by the Uzumaki Clan. It allows a Tailed Beast to be sealed inside a human being—a host who can channel and suppress its power."
"Jinchūriki…?" Hashirama murmured.
Madara raised a brow. "And you expect the Uzumaki to hand over such a secret?"
I hesitated.
Hashirama smirked.
"Madara, you don't know? The princess of the Uzumaki Clan is Raizen's sweetheart."
Madara blinked, then slowly turned toward me with the smuggest look an Uchiha has ever worn.
"Well. I didn't think you had a romantic side."
"I don't," I grumbled. "Can we stay on topic?"
Hashirama laughed so hard the table shook.
I cleared my throat.
"Ahem. Anyway — the point is: once we secure the sealing method, we can create Jinchūriki. That means controlled Tailed Beasts. And controlled Tailed Beasts mean Konoha stays on top."
Madara steepled his fingers. "And the others?"
"We give a couple weaker nations one or two Tailed Beasts," I said. "Not the great powers — not the Five Nations. Smaller villages like Taki no Kuni can act as counterweights."
A flicker of admiration passed through Madara's eyes.
Hashirama simply nodded, expression serious.
"And how do we capture them?" Madara asked.
"With us three," I said plainly. "Only us. No squads, no witnesses. The fewer people know, the better."
Hashirama nodded vigorously.
Madara crossed his arms but agreed.
Fine. Phase one: secured.
The Uzumaki Seal
The meeting ended. Madara left stiffly. Hashirama left cheerfully.
And I lingered behind, staring at a blank sheet of paper.
Mito… it's been a long time.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
Feelings. Wonderful.
I wrote her a letter — diplomatic on the surface, but with enough personal warmth to melt a glacier — and sent it via messenger hawk.
If I was lucky, I'd get the sealing formula for the strongest Jinchūriki technique in history.
If I was very lucky, I'd get to see her again.
The Search Begins
For now, I mobilized Anbu.
"Search the entire world for Tailed Beast sightings. Any rumor, any myth, any suspicious destruction — report immediately."
Weeks passed.
Nothing.
Tailed Beasts weren't animals. They were chakra embodiments — they hid better than ghosts.
Then, a month later—
A masked Anbu landed before me.
"Hokage-sama. Rumors of a monster in the Land of Taki. We believe it may be a Tailed Beast."
My heart jumped.
"Keep tracking. Don't engage."
"Yes!"
A week after that—
They returned with confirmation:
"There is indeed a Tailed Beast in Taki no Kuni. Identity unknown."
Perfect.
I left a Wood Clone behind to manage Konoha.
And I set out toward the waterfall nation myself.
Time to meet our first Tailed Beast.
Time to begin the hunt.