"That's right, Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
Takumi nodded, and noticing the look of pity in Rin's eyes, immediately thought of how Rin herself had once had a Tailed Beast sealed inside her.
It's just that back then, it was non-consensual for Rin, and the purpose of sealing the Tailed Beast inside her was for Madara to have her cause chaos in Konoha with the Tailed Beast.
Of course, the fundamental purpose was to have Rin die in front of Obito, pushing him into complete darkness.
However, Rin dying by Kakashi's hand back then was also beyond Madara's plan.
But since it successfully led to Obito's descent into darkness, he didn't bother with it much more.
"Even if you can borrow the immense power of a Tailed Beast, ultimately, it's not your own power."
Rin sighed, gave Yugito a deep, penetrating look, and then left.
Before leaving, she left Takumi with a sentence, "Promise me, don't hurt her."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"!"
Takumi agreed with a smile.
He hadn't captured Yugito to kill her in the first place.
Otherwise, he would have killed her long ago.
Why wait until now?
Wasn't it because he had other plans?
Of course, the plan in his mind certainly wasn't to use Yugito as bait to lure out Kumogakure's higher-ups.
That plan was just something he told Hiruzen and the others, more to keep Yugito by his side.
Otherwise, with Konoha's Sealing Team, controlling a Jinchuriki wouldn't be too big a problem.
Of course, the risk of Yugito going berserk did exist, after all, Yugito can perfectly control her Tailed Beast, which is different from Naruto's situation.
However, these words took on a different meaning in Yugito's ears.
'What's going on?'
'What is he really after?'
Yugito stared at Takumi with a suspicious look, finding she simply couldn't see through this young man's heart at all.
He looked like a gentle and kind handsome young man on the surface, but his heart was as deep as the ocean, making it completely impossible to discern his true intentions.
But throughout their walk, everyone got along extremely well with Takumi, either greeting him warmly or giving him various gifts.
Especially the ordinary people who weren't Shinobi. Normally, such people would never dare approach her.
It was the same with ordinary people in Kumogakure; because they were afraid she might suddenly go berserk.
This kind of thing had happened more than once in the village.
To be able to perfectly control their Jinchuriki, Kumogakure had paid a heavy price to find the right path.
So, although Jinchuriki were the village's ultimate fighting force, they weren't particularly favored by the village.
This situation was common in every village.
But what was she seeing now?
These ordinary people actually wanted to observe her up close, and the one giving them the confidence to do so was the young man in front of her.
They seemed to believe unconditionally that this young man could protect their safety.
Hence their boldness.
If the young man hadn't gently advised them, they might have just crowded right around her.
Afterwards, they encountered many more people along the way.
Everyone who saw Takumi would stop, smile, and greet him, whether Takumi knew them or not.
And Takumi always wore a pure, kind smile, completely different from the coldness he showed her.
That was only natural.
These people were his comrades, while she was his enemy.
It was only human to have two faces.
She herself was a very gentle person by nature.
But when facing enemies, she could also be very ruthless and decisive.
Finally, after ordering a three-meter-wide bed at a furniture store, Takumi took Yugito to the Hokage's Office.
Although the plan was fake, one must go through the motions.
Yugito couldn't stay in Konoha for an extended period.
Because if the plan actually succeeded and Kumogakure's Shinobi really came to rescue her, Takumi wouldn't want the battlefield to be inside Konoha.
That would be disastrous.
So, he needed to be out on missions frequently lately.
Not only to potentially move the battlefield outside the village, but also to lure Kumogakure's Shinobi in.
Being outside the village would be much more convenient for a rescue attempt compared to being inside the heavily guarded Konoha.
Although Takumi thought the probability was low,
But as he said before,
If Kumogakure came to rescue her, he would profit; if they didn't, he wouldn't lose anything.
Anyway, as a Shinobi, going out on missions was normal for him.
It just meant taking along a burden.
He had taken plenty of burdens before; one more wouldn't hurt.
At this moment,
Inside the Hokage's Office.
Asuma, who had just returned from a mission with his team members, had sent Shikamaru and the others away and stayed behind alone.
"Alright, since you stayed behind alone, you must have something to say."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe leisurely, looking at his youngest son through a haze of smoke.
"Hmph, old man, you're way too lenient with Takumi!"
Asuma started with a cold snort, slapping a big accusation on Hiruzen's head. "Capturing the Two-Tails Jinchuriki is such a huge matter, yet he plans to guard her all by himself?"
"And not only that, he drags her around in public with chains. When I came back earlier, I even saw him taking her shopping like that!"
"If Kumogakure's Shinobi find out about this, it will definitely cause immense dissatisfaction!"
"Old man, you know how hot-headed those Kumogakure guys are. This kind of behavior might even start a war!"
After his long tirade, Asuma stared intently at Hiruzen, waiting for his defense.
In his view, since Hiruzen cherished Takumi so much, he would definitely find excuses for Takumi even in a situation like this.
However, to his surprise, Hiruzen also frowned and sighed, "This matter is significant. The last dispute with Kumogakure cost the life of the Hyuga Clan's Clan Head's younger brother. Who knows what demands Kumogakure will make this time? Ah, Takumi might have lacked some foresight in this matter."
Asuma's eyes lit up. "Old man, you think so too! In my opinion, we should either lock Yugito up tight, or take the initiative and demand compensation from Kumogakure, since sending a Jinchuriki into Konoha's territory is a major issue in itself."
"Of course, my suggestion is to kill her. That would significantly weaken one of Kumogakure's major combat assets. Even if they want to start a war, the distance would make them think twice."
"Hmm..."
Hiruzen frowned in thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "I still believe in Takumi. He probably has his own ideas. Takumi would never do anything to harm the village."
"He's sacrificed so much for the village; he would definitely not do anything to endanger it."
"Old man, you…!"
Asuma was immediately furious.