Days passed in this slightly absurd yet harmonious atmosphere.
Hōzuki Mangetsu did not continue his slightly clumsy probing. He seemed to have temporarily accepted the setting that "my captain is a silk-pants with good luck and is good at fallacious reasoning," and instead devoted more energy to handling island affairs, leading patrols, and his own training.
In any case, he was a strong contender for the future clan leader of the Hōzuki Clan, so mastering these things was necessary.
Karatachi Makoto continued his god-like days.
Fishing, sunbathing, researching gourmet food, and reading miscellaneous books.
Occasionally, when the mood struck, he would go to the dock to watch the unloading of cargo, or go to the warehouse district for a patrol, euphemistically calling it understanding the situation of subordinates and boosting morale.
Well, in reality, it was just wandering around, chatting with the ninjas on night watch, and swiping some freshly delivered fruits.
The garrison ninjas on the island also got used to this magical captain.
When discussing in private, although most people felt that Captain Makoto seemed unreliable, they still quite liked this kind of superior who basically didn't meddle in other people's business. Most importantly, he was generous to those below him.
The news of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's defeat still couldn't be suppressed.
Although Kirigakure officials tried their best to downplay it, saying they only suffered slight losses against a strong enemy, ninjas had their own channels.
When rumors that 'the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were nearly wiped out, with only three fleeing back heavily injured' quietly spread, the morale that had originally been high due to the smooth progress in the early stages of the war was inevitably cast with a shadow.
Even the Swordsmen, regarded as symbols of the village, were defeated so miserably. Can this war really harvest victory as easily as expected?
Uneasy emotions gradually spread, causing the patrols and alerts on Aqua Blue Island to become a bit tighter.
Karatachi Makoto had anticipated this long ago. He maintained his lazy appearance, only staring at the sea surface for a longer time while fishing, occasionally sighing lightly.
"So I say, fighting and killing is so boring. Isn't it good to live a peaceful and stable life..."
The next day.
Karatachi Makoto was hugging a pillow on his soft bed, having a sweet dream.
Terumi Mei on the left, Princess Tsunade on the right...
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Rapid and heavy knocking on the door rudely dragged him out of his sweet dream.
"Who is it? It's early in the morning; can't a man sleep!"
Karatachi Makoto muttered irritably and wrapped the quilt tighter.
"Captain, emergency!"
From outside the door came Aoki's somewhat nervous voice: "People from the village are here. It's an Anbu Elite Squad with an emergency mission!"
Anbu Elite Squad?
Karatachi Makoto's drowsiness instantly dissipated by half, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.
For an Anbu Elite Squad to rush to this remote material transit station early in the morning, it was definitely not a small matter.
Outside the door, Aoki looked nervous. Behind him stood three Kirigakure Anbu.
The leader was tall, with a chilling aura. Even through the mask, one could feel that肃killing intent.
The two people beside him also had condensed auras; they were definitely not ordinary ninjas.
"Captain Karatachi Makoto?"
"It's me. You are..."
"Acting on Lord Mizukage's secret order to execute a top-secret mission."
That Anbu ninja didn't waste any words and directly handed over a vessel with a special seal, as well as a scroll with the Third Mizukage's Chakra imprint.
"During the mission, Aqua Blue Island and its surrounding waters will immediately enter a state of highest martial law. No ships are allowed to enter or exit. All personnel on the island, including the garrison troops and yourself, must fully cooperate with my unit's operations. Violators will be punished as traitors to the village!"
Karatachi Makoto took the scroll and opened it to check.
With just one glance, his brows locked tight immediately.
[Jonin Karatachi Makoto and his unit are ordered to immediately cooperate with the Anbu Special Action Squad to execute sealing matters. Ensure the sealing process is absolutely secret and safe, and maintain the highest level of alert in the surrounding area. This order has the highest priority; no need to ask about any details, just cooperate fully.]
Sealing matters...
The Three-Tails?!
...
"Are you sure this little girl can handle it?"
"Are you questioning Lord Mizukage, Karatachi Makoto?"
The leading Kirigakure Anbu snorted coldly and threw the half-conscious Rin Nohara onto the ground.
"According to Lord Mizukage, this girl has a special constitution and can perfectly withstand the Tailed Beast's power. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to kidnap this guy from Konoha."
The news of the Ninja Swordsmen's defeat had already spread throughout the battlefield. Konoha's morale was high, while Kirigakure's entire army was dispirited.
Those were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Kirigakure's most powerful elite squad, yet they turned into the 'Three Auspicious Treasures' just like that.
In order to regroup, after discussions among the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure, the Third Mizukage decided to seal the Three-Tails into this girl named Rin Nohara, letting her become a human bomb brought to Konoha to cause chaos.
"Don't waste time. Complete the sealing earlier and send this bomb to Konoha, and the advantage we can accumulate will be a bit greater."
"You guard the surroundings; we will proceed with the sealing ritual immediately!"
"Alright then."
Karatachi Makoto said no more.
This half-month of quiet life really almost made him think the Third Mizukage had let him off.
Now it seems that was just the calm before the storm; purely brewing something big!
"Captain Aoki, Mangetsu, you take people to seal off the entire island's coastline. Prohibit any ships or personnel from approaching!"
"Yes!"
Aoki looked solemn, turned around, and went to arrange the deployment.
Although Hōzuki Mangetsu didn't know what the specific content of the mission was, he understood the importance of this mission from the few words spoken, and quickly left with Aoki.
Before long, the perimeter of the warehouse was cleared, leaving only Karatachi Makoto and that elite squad of Kirigakure Anbu.
The members of the Anbu squad moved nimbly to place the half-conscious Rin Nohara in the center of the technique formula. The girl was pale and her brows were tightly furrowed; clearly, she had suffered significant injuries during the capture process earlier.
"Captain Karatachi, the sealing process requires absolute focus and cannot be disturbed in any way. You should understand what I mean."
"Don't worry."
Karatachi Makoto stood to one side. Several Anbu immediately sprang into action, quickly setting up complex sealing formulas.
The leading Anbu also took out the special sealed vessel from before.
Just opening it slightly, Karatachi Makoto felt a massive, extremely chaotic Chakra filled with negative hatred emanating from that sealed vessel.
The Three-Tails!
"Condense!"
The Three-Tails' Chakra was controlled by the joint efforts of the Anbu.
Immediately after, a torrent of viscous, dark red Chakra emitting an ominous aura surged out from the vessel. Following the guidance of the sealing formula, it frantically poured towards the girl curled up on the ground.
Karatachi Makoto couldn't help but click his tongue.
Rough.
Too rough!
This sealing method had absolutely no aesthetic sense to speak of, and couldn't even achieve a perfect seal.
Come to think of it, relying on just these few guys, it was impossible to perfectly seal a Tailed Beast in such a short time anyway.
However, if it was just to use her as a human bomb, that would be enough.
The only drawback was that the method was really too crude, so Rin Nohara, who was enduring the seal, would have to suffer a lot more.
"Ugh... Ahhh!"
As the Three-Tails' Chakra merged in, the comatose Rin Nohara suddenly opened her eyes and let out a miserable scream that didn't sound human.
Her small body arched violently, veins bulged on the surface of her skin, and her face revealed an expression of extreme pain. She even fainted at one point, then was woken up by the pain again, constantly repeating.