"Yaoxi! Let's go!" Naruto yelled.
"Hold it!" Suddenly, Baki appeared in front of everyone and said, "Temari, you need to stay in the village to guard the border!"
"What?" Temari was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"
"This is an order from the higher-ups..." Baki said with some embarrassment. "They said that if word of the Kazekage's absence spreads, we need to be on guard against anyone trying to exploit the chaos to attack Sunagakure."
"What kind of nonsense is that? Shouldn't we be saving Gaara? He's the Kazekage of Sunagakure, and you're saying we, his own people, won't save him?"
"Even if you say that..." Baki looked away, clearly uncomfortable.
"Hey, Temari, like I said the other day," Naruto cut in impatiently, glaring at Baki, "Just let me take out all those squeaky old geezers in your council. I guarantee nothing bad will happen. Those guys only know how to cause problems."
"Naruto..." Temari looked at him helplessly. He was someone who always acted on his words. The problem was, most of the village council still doubted the legitimacy of a Jinchūriki as Kazekage. If they were all eliminated, Sunagakure itself wouldn't survive.
"Hmph! Don't let that get in your way," Naruto muttered, shaking his head.
"We don't need you interfering in Sunagakure's affairs, Konoha's Blue Wild Beast!" Chiyo suddenly snapped.
Naruto: "... I'm about to lose my temper!"
Kakashi quickly grabbed Naruto, who looked ready to punch the old lady into the sky.
Chiyo continued, "Sunagakure only needs me. I've been out of active duty for many years. Wherever I go, I go as I please."
"Wait, Elder Chiyo! Please don't act recklessly," Baki said, alarmed.
"Idiot! Don't treat me like some useless old woman. After all this time, I want to go see my lovely grandson again!"
"You? Please, you'll be hunched over after two steps, you old hag!" Naruto taunted.
"You little bastard! Don't hold me back—I'll stab him to death!" Chiyo roared, hurling senbon at Naruto as Temari restrained her.
"Naruto!" Temari glared at him. The heavy cloud of frustration from her village's leadership finally seemed to disperse in the face of Naruto's bluntness.
Temari stepped up and hugged Naruto. "Please... bring Gaara back."
"Don't worry!" Naruto patted her back. "Are you sure you don't want me to assassinate those old bastards for you?"
Everyone: "..."
"Alright then, let's move!" Kakashi bit his finger. "Summoning Technique!"
A puff of smoke erupted, and the small pug Pakkun appeared.
"Yo, Kakashi!" Pakkun greeted. "Guy's been informed. We'll rendezvous at the designated rescue point!"
"Alright, let's move!" Kakashi waved his hand, and everyone dashed off following Pakkun.
—
On the way—
"Naruto-kun, why is the Akatsuki after you and Gaara?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"Because their leader's an idiot," Naruto said, rubbing his chin. "No wait, more like a full-blown lunatic."
Naruto recalled how Yahiko had become a self-proclaimed god while under siege. He sighed. If only he had this level of strength back then, things might've been different.
Kakashi joined in, "The two Akatsuki members infiltrated Konoha three years ago looking for Naruto. After that..."
Kakashi glanced at Chiyo and subtly shifted the topic. "They went silent for three years. I didn't expect them to make a move now."
"It might be because Naruto was traveling with Jiraiya-sama all this time," Kakashi added.
"No," Chiyo interrupted suddenly. "According to the intelligence I received, they had another reason."
"What?" Sakura and Kakashi both turned in surprise.
"In order to forcibly extract a Tailed Beast from its Jinchūriki, significant preparations are required. Those years were spent making those preparations," Chiyo said with a touch of arrogance.
"Tailed Beast?" Sakura looked at her in astonishment.
"What? As Tsunade's disciple, you don't even know about Tailed Beasts?" Chiyo mocked. "Isn't the Nine-Tails sealed inside your own village's Jinchūriki? Everyone knows about it. But I guess you Konoha brats are all just clueless."
"Hey! You wanna die, old hag?" Naruto snapped.
"Come hit me then, bastard, Konoha's Blue Wild Beast!" Chiyo shouted back with a twisted grin.
"F**k, Kakashi, move aside! I swear I'll kill her today!" Naruto barked, trying to wrestle free from Kakashi's grip.
"Ugh..." Kakashi sighed, "You two, calm down... please."
"Tch." Both Chiyo and Naruto turned their heads and resumed marching forward.
Kakashi let out a breath of relief. He still couldn't reconcile the image of Naruto as his disciple with that awe-inspiring avatar of Kurama standing like a divine pillar amidst the battlefield during Pain's invasion.
Chiyo continued, "Tailed Beasts are chakra entities created by splitting the Ten Tails. They were used as weapons of war in the past. When a Jinchūriki dies, the Tailed Beast's chakra disperses and reforms somewhere over time.
"Akatsuki has been gathering intelligence on them for years. When a Jinchūriki died during peacetime, the villages rarely retrieved the Tailed Beast immediately. After all, not all villages can bear the destruction caused by an uncontrolled Bijuu."
She added, "But the biggest reason they went quiet for a while was because two years ago, some of Akatsuki's leaders suffered massive losses and had to go into hiding. Only their outer members remained active, taking small jobs and collecting information."
"Two years ago...?" Kakashi thought to himself and glanced subtly at Naruto.
Sakura didn't notice anything odd. After all, very few people knew the details of Naruto's confrontation with Akatsuki back then.
"I don't know exactly what they plan to do with the Tailed Beasts, but that kind of power is far too dangerous," Chiyo said solemnly.
Naruto sighed internally. "Nagato... the road is getting narrower. I told you—just the Ten Tails isn't enough..."
—
Meanwhile, Guy's team was advancing through the Land of Rivers.
On a tree nearby, the pitcher plant-like Zetsu opened, revealing Black Zetsu's twisted form. In an instant, the intel was passed to the casters deep within Akatsuki's hideout.
"The enemy is approaching our rendezvous point. A formidable force. Konoha's Blue Wild Beast—Might Guy!" Black Zetsu announced.
"Who is that?" Nagato asked from within the shadows.
Uchiha Itachi answered, "A Jōnin of Konoha. Incredibly strong. Do not underestimate him."
"Ah, that rare beast I met last time~" Kisame said with a wicked grin.
"So, who will handle it?" Nagato asked calmly.
"Allow me," Kakuzu said. "This kind of confrontation is more suited to my abilities."
"Very well. Prepare the Sealing Technique."
And so, the stage for another deadly encounter was set.
---
---
---
Check out other novels
Naruto: Reborn in his younger Self
🚨🆕Haikyuu: To The Top 🆕🚨
To Get This Week Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
Dear Readers
For 120 Advance Chapters Join My Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/NF25
----
---
Please Support My Patreon 🥺