Chapter 208: Ten Thousand Ryō, Please
A Jinchuriki... could defect?
Aren't Jinchuriki one of the most important people in the village?
Aren't they the ones whose physical and mental health should be the top priority?
In the Cloud, the Jinchuriki are chosen from the most loyal of individuals, like the "B" of the A-B combo. Even in the era when Jinchuriki were widely distrusted, the Third Raikage had personally gone to appease, to alleviate, and to solve all of Blue Bee's problems.
Doesn't the Hokage ever talk to his Jinchuriki? he thought. Even when Blue Bee was out at sea, he would still find time to talk to him, to help him vent.
Well now, Dana thought, last time we went to all that trouble, almost lost a few men, just to get the Nine-Tails out of the village. And now, it just walks out on its own.
He and his father exchanged a look. A flash of inspiration. They had thought of the same thing.
"Why don't we..." Dana began.
"This is a good opportunity to attack Konoha," the Third Raikage said.
Dana: "Huh?!"
"Think about it," he continued. "With the Nine-Tails defecting, Konoha must have gathered a large number of their elite forces to pursue. Even the Hokage himself might be involved. Doesn't that mean their home base is now empty?"
"No, no, Dad," he said, covering his face. "What good would it do for the Cloud to attack Konoha now? Konoha is already under our thumb. If we were to launch a major attack now, the other villages would just think that we're a reckless power that attacks at the slightest sign of weakness. And then, everyone in the ninja world would be on guard, and it would just trigger the next war."
The last time, the small-scale abduction, had already put all the villages, especially Konoha, on edge. They had gritted their teeth and accepted it because of the Cloud's overwhelming power. But they couldn't do it again. The next time would be an all-out war.
"Even if it triggers the next war," the Third Raikage said, "the Cloud is not afraid."
With a host of top-tier fighters, the Three Hundred Spartans of the Cloud, the All-World Material Support System, the Communication Snails, an unlimited supply of Healing Talismans, a new generation of prodigies, and even the Hidden Rain as a staunch ally, the Cloud had more and better cards than ever before.
They were not afraid of the next war.
"We may not be afraid," he said, shaking his head, "but it would not be of great benefit to us. The village does not need to go to war to gain anything. In this time of peace, are we not the biggest beneficiaries? Peace does not have to be broken. But if maintaining peace can bring us more, why not maintain it?"
The Third Raikage was thoughtful. The sudden news of Konoha's troubles had sent his mind in a ninja-like direction. The warrior-like nature of the Cloud had come out.
But even without his reminder, he would have calmed down.
"You have a point," he said. "In this time of peace, the Cloud is indeed the biggest beneficiary."
In the peaceful environment, United Iron & Steel had amassed a terrifying amount of wealth. All the small countries in the north, from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Hot Water, to the lands of Grass and Rice Paddies, were all looking to the Cloud for leadership. They all had a liaison office, and even a new talent recruitment system. And the village could safely and boldly train a large number of new ninja, expand, and invest heavily in research. And with their control of core resources like weapons, explosive tags, and Healing Talismans, they could continue to draw nutrients from the other villages.
Everyone was on the same track, and the Cloud was far ahead. The longer they ran, the greater the gap between them and the others. So there was no need to disrupt the race. Only when they felt they were falling behind, or had hit a bottleneck, or saw a greater benefit, would they need to think about... tearing up the track behind them.
"But it is the Nine-Tails," he said with a sigh. "The so-called strongest of the tailed beasts."
He, of course, knew how strong the Nine-Tails was. But the Cloud already had the Two, Seven, and Eight-Tails. And besides the Eight-Tails, none of them had been turned into a fighting force.
The Cloud's desire for the tailed beasts was relatively low. After all, the "mutual recognition" between a Jinchuriki and a tailed beast was a very esoteric thing. If you couldn't create a stable Jinchuriki, it would just be a ticking time bomb. This was why, for now, the Two-Tails and the Seven-Tails were sealed away, and they were in no hurry to create new Jinchuriki.
Even if he were to do it himself, he couldn't guarantee that he could reach some kind of "mutual recognition" with a tailed beast. He didn't have the "talk-no-jutsu" skill. He did have the "funnel" skill, though.
Of course, to capture it and store it would also be a good thing.
"For now," he said finally, "we are only speculating that the Nine-Tails has defected. We don't know where it is. It might have already been recaptured. We can't just go there without knowing where it is. Let's wait and see. I'll have the Special Strategy Division keep an eye on the intelligence. We'll wait for an opportunity."
He held up his Communication Snail. "Dad," he said, "if there's any news, let me know. I'm going to go and appease the Sand's people. I'm afraid the next Kazekage will be one of those three."
"He's a far cry from my son," the Third Raikage said with a smile.
"Kushina?"
"Hey, Kushina? Kid?"
"Wake up! Wake up!"
Kushina blinked open her eyes. A small white flower was swaying in front of her, moved by the wind.
She sat up. She was in a field of green grass, the grass so tall it almost covered her. The wind was blowing, making a rustling sound.
"Where am I?"
"In human terms," the Nine-Tails' voice echoed in her mind, "we're in the northern part of the Land of Fire, near the Land of Hot Water."
"We... escaped?" she said after a moment, her voice a whisper.
"That's right," it said.
There were no cheers, no tears of joy. She just lay back down, feeling the slightly prickly grass on her neck, the gentle breeze on her face.
"Nine-Tails... thank you."
In her inner world, the Nine-Tails changed its position, a little proud. "If it wasn't for me," it said, looking at the now-fragile cage, "you would have been captured again."
She just lay there. "Though we've shaken off the pursuers," it said after a while, "they certainly won't give up. Kushina, where do you want to go?"
Her eyes were vacant. She was at a loss.
In the underground, she had dreamed of escaping, of leaving Konoha. But now that she was free, she found that she had nowhere to go.
Her parents were dead, her homeland was destroyed, and everyone she knew was in Konoha.
A deeper sense of loneliness washed over her.
She suddenly remembered the girl from her own clan, the one who had taken her from the village a year ago. She was from the Hidden Cloud, wasn't she?
But would they be willing to take in such a big problem?
"So troublesome," the Nine-Tails grumbled, as if sensing her confusion. "If all else fails, just find a place with no ninja and rest for a while. You've been in the underground for a year. Your body is a mess. It's even made my living conditions worse."
Just as she was hesitating, a face with sunglasses and a somewhat childish look appeared in her vision.
"Need some help?" it said. "It's dangerous to be out in the wilderness alone. I can take you to the nearest village. For a mere ten thousand Ryō."
The two of them froze.
A moment later.
"Are you from the Uzumaki clan?"
"Are you from the Uzumaki clan?"