After several uses of Flying Thunder God, Namikaze Minato, carrying Bunpuku's body, arrived beside the altar at Shapo Port. After forming a seal to notify the leader, a figure swiftly appeared on the altar via Body Flicker.
Minato adjusted his Wind Calamity mask and said, "Leader Thunder, I have successfully disrupted Sunagakure's Tailed Beast transfer seal."
Minato thought to himself, Not only can the leader use the Three Gods Religion's altars, but other members can also use them via the secret technique. This means the entire strength of the Three Gods Religion can be rapidly concentrated at any altar. This is a system with immense strategic significance.
"Good. Just as expected from a young man I took notice of."
Yōkō glanced at Bunpuku's body on the ground. This monk was a Jinchūriki acknowledged by Shukaku. In terms of mental cultivation, Bunpuku's state of mind was far stronger than other Jinchūriki. Over thirty years of steadfastness, without any turbulence or struggle, peacefully being a Jinchūriki—without anger, without joy, without resentment, without hatred—was incredibly rare. Only later, someone like Killer B, with his innate thick skin, never overthinking, approached this mental state via a different path. A pity, though; Bunpuku still had attachments. His attachment was Sunagakure. attachments meant having weaknesses.
Yōkō said, "Wind, your mission is complete. Return to the village first. I will handle the rest with Fire."
"Yes, Leader."
Minato vanished with Flying Thunder God. Yōkō, also carrying Bunpuku's body, vanished with Flying Thunder God as well.
When Yōkō reappeared, he was within the Anbu headquarters. Pressing a mechanism on the desk, he summoned Purple Cat from the neighboring office.
"Purple Cat, use your Yamanaka Clan's secret technique to extract the memories from this monk's life."
Seeing the old monk with an extremely long beard lying on the floor, Purple Cat asked, "Any intelligence of particular focus?"
"Yes. This monk is Sunagakure's Jinchūriki, Bunpuku. Focus on his Tailed Beast sealing techniques," Yōkō said. "This monk mastered a powerful sealing technique to seal a Tailed Beast into a tea kettle. I need this technique."
"Understood."
Purple Cat knelt beside the body, placed her hand on Bunpuku's forehead, and began reading his memories. Purple Cat's strength had grown considerably over the years; she could now quickly extract memories without needing the Yamanaka clan's specialized equipment like helmets.
An hour and a half later, Purple Cat slowly stood up. Seeing her sway, Yōkō hurried to support her.
"What's wrong? Legs asleep from kneeling too long?" He casually massaged her legs. They were warm and smooth, very pleasant to massage.
"No... it's not my legs."
Yōkō stopped his hands. Purple Cat then said, "Continue. Don't stop, Lord Fox..."
Hearing Purple Cat's mental state was poor, Yōkō continued massaging her legs while removing her mask. Purple Cat's originally fair face was pale, covered in cold sweat.
After resting for a few minutes, Purple Cat finally spoke slowly, "Lord Fox, this monk's life was... very, very, very, very lonely. I read his memories. Day after day, year after year, he mostly sat withered in his cell, diligently guarding the seal. Only in the first few years did the seal leak a bit of chakra. For the next thirty years, the Tailed Beast chakra completely vanished, as if it never existed. That solitude... it was like an absolutely calm, boundless expansion of water. It's terrifying."
The Yamanaka Clan could read memories from corpses, but they used this ability with great caution. Witnessing another person's life, the intense realizations from experiencing it, could sometimes shatter the mind of an Yamanaka ninja whose will wasn't strong enough. Purple Cat's life experience and Bunpuku's were vastly different. Merely observing Bunpuku's life left Purple Cat unable to recover for a long time.
Yōkō said, "Bunpuku's solitude is something you can't resolve yourself. I know how to help you." He picked up Purple Cat and walked towards the side restroom/changing room.
Twenty minutes later, Purple Cat trembled, clinging tightly to the Fox.
"Feeling better?"
Purple Cat kissed her way up the Fox's neck. "Not entirely. Feels about half better."
Then, she kissed her way down his neck.
Half an hour later, amidst a flush, Purple Cat had expelled that suffocating solitude. The bustling, mundane world was the best remedy for such emptiness.
After getting dressed, Purple Cat began reporting the important intelligence.
"The Tea Kettle Sealing Technique, a sealing jutsu jointly developed by the Second Kazekage and Monk Bunpuku," Purple Cat said."The Second Kazekage, much like our Second Hokage, possessed extremely high ninjutsu talent and developed many techniques. This tea kettle sealing technique was specifically designed for the One-Tail, Shukaku. Shukaku's body is covered in sealing formulas ; its chakra possesses sealing abilities. The tea kettle contains many formulas, all designed to counter Shukaku."
Yōkō nodded. After Purple Cat finished writing the sealing technique scroll, he examined it carefully and found it quite difficult to learn.
After sealing away Bunpuku's body, Yōkō said, "Purple Cat, I'll be gone for a few days. You'll be in charge of distributing and receiving missions during this time."
Seeing the Fox vanish, Purple Cat felt a touch of melancholy. Really now, I haven't completely shaken off that thirty-years-of-solitude feeling yet, and the Fox is already gone. But thinking that Lord Fox was busy preparing for the great shinobi war, Purple Cat had to suppress the longing in her heart.
In the desert, Yōkō took Pakura in his arms, gently stroking her smooth back.
"I'm here, Pakura."
"You should call me Fire Calamity. My codename in the organization is Fire."
"Alright, alright. Fire Calamity, I'm here."
Yōkō engraved a Flying Thunder God Formula on Pakura, allowing him to come to her side at any time.
"What's the current situation?"
Pakura said, "Kazekage Rasa failed the transfer seal. The Jinchūriki died, and Shukaku escaped deep into the desert. Once Shukaku buries itself in the sand, its tracks are very hard to find. Not only that, Shukaku also took the Bunpuku Tea Kettle to prevent Sunagakure from using it to seal itself."
Yōkō handed the scroll to Pakura. "No rush. Learn this sealing technique first. It's actually good that Shukaku took the kettle; saves us the trouble of taking it from Rasa. After finding Shukaku, you seal it and claim the kettle. You'll effectively become the Jinchūriki. Bumpuku sealed Shukaku so perfectly that no one in Sunagakure has ever practically used the tea kettle seal. With your elevated status, ally with Chiyo to prevent Rasa from dragging Sunagakure into the quagmire of war. You may not fully understand Konoha's strength, but you know Sunagakure's. Sunagakure is too weak. It's best not to act recklessly."
Pakura pursed her lips. "Even though I know Sunagakure is weak, hearing it said so bluntly still stings a bit. Regarding the great war, Sunagakure shouldn't be the one to stick its neck out first. Advisor Chiyo said she fears Konoha might pick the soft target first and deal with Sunagakure."
Opening the scroll, Pakura began studying the sealing technique. Yōkō, beside her, stroked her beautiful back while explaining the technique.
As he explained, Pakura's gaze changed, becoming full of spring-like desire. Seeing the look in Pakura's eyes, Yōkō's heart tightened. I just went two rounds to dispel the solitude from Purple Cat's mind. Now I have to perform again? My strength growth can't stop. From lovers to Little Nine, if my stamina isn't strong enough, how can I keep up?
"Wood Release: Kage-level Suite Technique!"
Wood Release conjured a luxurious house in the remote desert. Supporting Pakura by her beautiful back, Yōkō walked into the suite.
***
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(End of Chapter)