"Now, you are my prey."
Takumi looked down at Yugito from above.
His calm face spoke incredibly domineering words.
Yugito didn't dare speak.
She had nearly been beaten to death by Sasuke just now.
Even as a battle-hardened Shinobi, the fear of facing death in that moment still threw her into disarray.
He simply bound her with chains.
Takumi led the young Shinobi back to Konoha with heads held high.
At that moment, Konoha had already gone on alert due to the appearance of Nibi.
So before they even returned to Konoha, they encountered a team led by Kakashi heading out to investigate.
"It seems we're a step too late."
Kakashi, seeing Takumi leading the group, the enemies already captured, and no losses on their side, smiled and said, "You've done a great service this time. She's a Jinchuriki from Kumogakure."
"What's a Jinchuriki?"
Naruto asked, confused.
Although he was a Jinchuriki himself, no one had told him about this yet.
Currently, Naruto only knew there was something inside him, but he hadn't connected it to being a Jinchuriki.
It could only be said that Konoha had successfully kept it from him.
"Uh... A Jinchuriki is..."
Kakashi was somewhat embarrassed… he had forgotten Naruto was right there.
"The ones who attacked this time were Shinobi from Kumogakure. I intentionally let one go back to report. You can take the rest, senpai."
Takumi ignored Kakashi's embarrassment and said to Guy, who had also come. "As for her, I don't think we should carelessly imprison her. I'm not confident she can be contained."
"After all, she's a Jinchuriki and could go on a rampage at any time."
"By keeping her with me, I can suppress her immediately if needed."
Takumi held one end of a rope, while the other end was tied securely to Yugito.
At that moment, her face was pale… she already realized the tragic fate about to befall her.
"You'll need to discuss this with Hokage-sama."
Kakashi felt he couldn't decide this matter. "But you let one go? Why?"
"Of course, to cast a long line to catch a big fish."
Takumi shrugged. "If we detain Nibi, what do you think that one in Kumogakure will do, Kakashi-senpai?"
"It's said the Raikage of Kumogakure is a very hot-tempered man."
Kakashi stroked his chin. "He definitely won't let this go easily. But as the Raikage, he naturally can't venture deep into Konoha's territory, especially not with a large force. He wouldn't actively start a war."
"The conclusion is, Kumogakure can't just do nothing, but the ones who come likely won't be the Raikage himself. The highest probability is the Raikage's brother, also a Jinchuriki, Killer B."
Takumi continued, "And since we could capture her, we naturally have a way to control Killer B too. At that point, Kumogakure would be very passive."
Kakashi looked up, saw the cunning smile on Takumi's face, and couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
"Your plan has great potential gains, but also high risks."
Kakashi quickly analyzed the pros and cons. "If you plan to capture Killer B, it's best to first scout his route. Absolutely cannot let the battle affect the village."
"You should be well aware of the destructive power of a Jinchuriki."
"Of course."
Takumi nodded. "But these things aren't certain yet. How Kumogakure will come is also a question. They might even just give up."
"So, this is just an attempt. If Kumogakure acts stubbornly, we'll reap a big harvest. If Kumogakure stays silent, we still gain a lot."
"Either way, we don't lose."
Takumi's summary made Kakashi nod inwardly.
"Since you've considered it so carefully, I have no more questions."
Kakashi nodded. "But this still needs Hokage-sama's approval."
"I know. I'll convince Hokage-sama."
Handing the four Kumogakure's Shinobi to Kakashi and the others, Takumi dragged Yugito and, with the Konoha 12 in tow, a large group rushed noisily to the Hokage's Office.
Along the way, Yugito was watched by many villagers.
The Kumogakure's forehead protector on her head made the villagers understand this person must have intended harm against Konoha and was captured by their hero, Takumi.
But why were so many kids following behind?
At that moment, Yugito's face was deathly pale.
She didn't care about the surrounding gazes… she was more focused on the conversation between Takumi and Kakashi.
She hadn't expected Takumi would be playing such a big game.
Intentionally letting Darui go back was actually to lure Kumogakure into sending more people to rescue her.
Now she had clearly become Konoha's bait, and a substantial one at that.
'Please, realize Konoha's scheme!'
'Definitely don't come to save me!'
Yugito prayed in her heart, but the more she thought about her Raikage's personality, the more she felt it unlikely.
'Samui, Mabui, Darui, you must stop Raikage-sama!'
"You don't need to think so much."
As if seeing through her thoughts, Takumi said calmly, "Right now, you should be thinking about your own fate."
"Captured by Konoha, not executed, even spending days and nights with Konoha's hero."
"If such information gets back, wouldn't you be suspected?"
"Impossible!"
Yugito finally spoke, saying decisively, "Raikage-sama would never betray us."
"Betray you?"
Takumi smiled meaningfully. "But what if he thinks you betrayed him?"
Yugito's expression froze, thinking of a not-so-good possibility.
"Don't worry, I won't do much. After all, for this kind of thing, you just need to plant a seed, and it will grow naturally."
Takumi's smile at that moment seemed like a demon's grin to Yugito. "I don't need to actively do anything. People's imagination will fill in the gaps of the story."
"Even if that story greatly deviates from the facts."
Yugito's face turned completely pale.
She sealed her lips, refusing any further contact with Takumi.
Takumi didn't speak further. His earlier smiling, seemingly intimate conversation with Yugito had already been seen by people around.
He didn't know if there might be Kumogakure's spies among them, and he was just making a simple attempt.
If successful, great.
But failure didn't matter… either way, he wouldn't lose anything.
They soon arrived at the Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen immediately ran from behind his desk and grabbed Takumi, looking him over. "Good, good, you're fine."
His concerned gaze, as if looking at his own grandson, made Takumi somewhat uncomfortable.
He subtly sidestepped, revealing the chained Yugito behind him.
At that moment, Yugito's gaze also fell on Hiruzen.
She considered going on a rampage right there, but her Chakra Points had been sealed by Neji, and the Nibi inside her had been beaten into submission by Sasuke and was temporarily unwilling to come out.
So she could only let this perfect opportunity pass by helplessly.
"The Nibi's Jinchuriki from Kumogakure? Kumogakure is becoming increasingly excessive."
Hiruzen's face turned cold. "Don't worry, Takumi, I will definitely seek justice for you, make Kumogakure pay a sufficient price."
"And she will also face severe punishment. All the intelligence in her mind must be extracted."
"Hand her over to the Torture and Interrogation Force. She'll definitely spill all the information she knows."
"That's not appropriate, Hokage-sama."
Takumi directly refused. "She is, after all, the Nibi's jinchuriki, and the Biju Seal isn't perfect. If she goes berserk during interrogation, it could cause great damage to the village."
"My suggestion is to leave her with me. Currently in the village, besides you, Hokage-sama, I'm the only one who can instantly suppress a Biju rampage."
"This..."
Hiruzen hesitated. He felt Takumi made sense, but he also worried about the tailed beast rampage harming Takumi.
If anything happened to Takumi, it would be an unacceptable result for him.
"Please rest assured, Hokage-sama. Since I propose this, it means I'm fully prepared."
Takumi smiled slightly, then repeated the plan he had discussed with Kakashi. "So, she is a very good bait right now. There's a high probability the Raikage of Kumogakure will take the bait. When that happens, we can set up an ambush in advance and snipe the rescuers from Kumogakure."
"Hmm..."
Hiruzen pondered, considering the pros and cons of the matter.
In principle, Takumi's plan was very appealing to him.
But letting Takumi take this risk made him somewhat worried.
However, trusting Takumi, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, in that case, she is yours to handle."
"But I will secretly assign people to watch, to prevent any accidents. You must also protect yourself well. The plan is important, but your life is more important."
"Don't worry, I won't joke with my own life. There's still much I haven't done for Konoha."
Takumi said with a smile.
"Good. This time, you captured Nibi's Jinchuriki, which is a great merit..."
As Hiruzen was about to give a reward, Takumi immediately stepped aside, directing his gaze towards the Konoha 12.
"Hokage-sama, actually, the ones who fought against the Kumogakure's Shinobi were them. I was just providing support from the sidelines."
Takumi said with a smile. "I didn't intervene at all. From them, I can see Konoha's Will of Fire burning brightly. They will undoubtedly be the future of Konoha!"
Hiruzen looked closely and saw all familiar faces.
Some were heirs of the village's great clans, some were children with good talent, and there were Naruto and Sasuke, two children with special backgrounds.
"I see."
He revealed his signature kind smile. "You're becoming more and more reliable. The future of Konoha rests on you."
Hiruzen's praise made everyone smile.