After carefully considering the matter, Kiyohara ultimately decided to seal it inside a magical artifact.
Kaguya possessed an extraordinarily vast amount of chakra.
Even the chakra of Six Paths Madara was nowhere near as immense as Kaguya's.
When Sasuke first saw Kaguya emerge, he had even lamented that someone like her could actually exist in this world.
If Kiyohara sealed Kaguya inside his own body, there was no doubt that he would be able to obtain her immense power, including her special dojutus abilities.
However, the disadvantages were equally obvious.
Once someone became a Jinchuriki, removing the tailed beast from their body afterward would require considerable effort and the use of various methods.
By using an artifact instead, Kiyohara could still draw upon Kaguya's chakra, and he would not have to worry about being countered by her.
Kiyohara stroked his chin thoughtfully.
If that was the case, would Kaguya end up becoming his "artifact spirit"?
...
A few days later.
Outside the main gate of Konoha.
Kurenai walked in front, her slightly curled black hair tied into a neat, high ponytail at the back of her head.
When her ruby-like eyes caught sight of Kiyohara's back, they curved slightly, and she quickened her pace by a few steps.
"Kiyohara!"
Kurenai walked over to Kiyohara's side and raised her head to look at him.
"It's been a long time since we've gone on a mission together."
"That's true."
Kiyohara turned his head, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.
Under the morning sunlight, Kurenai's skin carried a faint rosy hue. After receiving Kiyohara's long-term nourishment, her already delicate and beautiful features had acquired an additional touch of mature charm.
"So I brought you along this time to let you get some fresh air."
Kurenai pursed her lips.
"Konan is coming too."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
As time passed, Konan had gradually stopped concealing her movements throughout the entire day.
Many Konoha shinobi already knew that Kiyohara had brought a shinobi who had originally belonged to the Land of Rain into the village.
At the same time, rumors had begun circulating that she still maintained some connection with the Akatsuki.
However, because of Kiyohara's overwhelming reputation and authority within Konoha, no one dared to say anything openly.
Kurenai followed his gaze and turned her head.
A slender blue figure was approaching from the direction of the village.
She walked up to Kiyohara and merely gave him a slight nod as a greeting.
Kurenai was not unfamiliar with Konan.
Konan held a fairly important position within the ANBU, although she normally spoke so little that she seemed almost mute.
"Everyone's here. Let's go."
Kiyohara took a Flying Thunder God kunai out of his sleeve and casually spun it between his fingers.
"That's everyone?"
Kurenai asked in surprise.
She then looked toward the figure standing beside Kiyohara, who was still wearing a hooded cloak that completely concealed her body.
Kurenai felt somewhat curious about who this person was.
Kiyohara did not explain that the mysterious figure was actually Pakura.
The next moment, Kiyohara extended his arms and casually drew Kurenai, Konan, and Pakura into his embrace.
In the following instant, the figures of the group suddenly vanished from in front of Konoha's main gate.
Kiyohara had no intention of bringing too many people with him. The more people there were, the more troublesome things would become.
Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
The scorching heat of the desert surged in from every direction, causing the air to twist and distort under the relentless sun.
Suna had been built in the center of a massive circular basin. Towering cliffs surrounded it on all sides, forming a natural wall that enclosed the entire village.
Most of the buildings within the village were yellowish-brown, dome-shaped structures. Their outer walls were coated with rough plaster, which reflected the blazing sunlight and gave off an almost dazzling white glare.
On the sandy ground outside the village's main gate, several Sand shinobi stood in a line.
At the head of the group was a female shinobi wearing a veil over the lower half of her face. The veil concealed her mouth and chin, leaving only a pair of dark brown eyes visible.
Her long hair was tied into a thick braid behind her head, hanging over her shoulder, while a dark red bead was tied to the end of the braid.
She was Kumi, a member of Suna's Jonin Commander unit.
Several Suna ANBU stood behind her as well. They were dressed in yellow-brown vests, with special kunai produced by Suna hanging from their waists.
Just then, three figures suddenly appeared out of thin air in the open space in front of the main gate.
Kumi's pupils contracted slightly.
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the entire shinobi world, only the Fourth Hokage of Konoha could use this technique with such ease.
The "Yellow Flash," who had risen to fame during the Third Shinobi War, was said to be inferior to Konoha's Fourth Hokage as well.
Kumi immediately stepped forward, placed her right hand against her chest, and bowed respectfully.
"Hokage-sama, Sunagakure has been awaiting your arrival for quite some time."
Kiyohara released his arms from around Kurenai and Konan, swept his gaze over the welcoming party, and gave a slight nod.
"Lead the way."
Kumi straightened up and made an inviting gesture.
"This way, please. Kazekage-sama is already waiting for you in the Kazekage Building."
Kiyohara stepped forward, with Kurenai, Konan, and Pakura following behind him.
As they walked through Suna's main street, the villagers on both sides stopped what they were doing and turned to watch.
It was not an everyday occurrence for Konoha's Hokage to personally visit Suna, especially in this remote desert shinobi village.
Some of the older villagers still remembered that during the Third Shinobi War, Konoha and Suna had been enemies on the battlefield.
Yet now, Konoha's Hokage had arrived in Suna almost as though he were visiting relatives.
The stark contrast left many of them with complicated feelings.
The Kazekage Building was the tallest structure in Suna. It was a large, yellowish-brown domed building with no decorations whatsoever on its outer walls. The only distinguishing feature was a huge character for "Wind" carved above the main entrance.
Kumi pushed open the doors and led Kiyohara's group into the main hall.
The interior of the hall was much more spacious than the exterior suggested.
Portraits of the successive Kazekage hung on all four walls.
A long rectangular stone table occupied the center of the hall. Sitting on either side were the higher-ups of Suna, including several elders, the captain of the Jonin Commander unit, and several ANBU captains.
At the head of the stone table sat a man.
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage.
He wore the Kazekage's long robe, with its collar standing high around his neck.
His body was even thinner than Kiyohara remembered.
Two shallow hollows had formed beneath his cheekbones, and his lips were slightly cracked and dry.
In order to maintain Suna's finances, Rasa almost every day used his Kekkei Genkai to extract gold dust from deep within the desert and exchange it for the funds needed to keep the village operating.
This was a Kazekage who was practically using his own life to keep the village alive.
However, in Kiyohara's eyes, this self-sacrifice could not erase the sins Rasa had committed against Gaara.
"Long time no see."
Rasa stood up from the head of the table and gave Kiyohara a slight nod.
"Please, have a seat."
Kiyohara sat down on the stone chair opposite Rasa, while Kurenai and Konan stood on either side behind him.
Pakura, who had followed them here, remained silent in the shadows behind Kiyohara.
Her hood was pulled very low, concealing most of her face and leaving only a small portion of her chin visible.
Rasa's gaze swept over the three people standing behind Kiyohara before stopping on Pakura for a moment.
The woman was wrapped in a dark gray hooded cloak, with the brim of her hood pulled so low that it almost concealed her entire face.
The edge of a shinobi equipment pouch could be seen beneath the cloak.
Judging from the curvaceous outline of her figure, she was probably a female shinobi.
Rasa felt that there was something strangely familiar about her appearance.
It was a peculiar sense of familiarity, as though he had seen this person somewhere a very long time ago, yet he could not remember who it was no matter how hard he tried.
He frowned slightly before temporarily suppressing the strange feeling.
"Hokage-sama, who is this person behind you?"
Kiyohara picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of Suna's mint tea before answering in an indifferent tone.
"She's an ANBU member from Konoha. She's accompanying me on this mission."
Rasa nodded thoughtfully.
His gaze lingered on Pakura for another moment before he finally looked away.
He was probably simply too tired recently, causing his nerves to become overly sensitive.
Rasa had also put a great deal of effort into dealing with the matter concerning Gaara.
On top of that, the death of his beloved wife, Karura, had caused him to become increasingly cold and ruthless toward many things.
"We are deeply honored that the Hokage was willing to come here personally."
Rasa spoke.
"As for the matter concerning the One-Tail, I believe you are already aware of the situation. The Jinchuriki's current condition is extremely unstable. If Hokage-sama is willing to lend us a hand, Suna will be immensely grateful."
Kiyohara put down his teacup.
"Since I've come here, I'll naturally help."
At that moment, footsteps could be heard coming from outside the side entrance of the hall.
A moment later, a small figure appeared in the doorway.
It was a child who was only a few years old.
He had short, dark red hair that looked exactly like Rasa's. Unlike Rasa, however, his hair was not combed backward. Instead, it was allowed to fall naturally over his forehead, with several strands covering half of the left side of his face.
The most striking feature was his eyes.
Deep dark circles surrounded the area beneath them, making this child, who should have been innocent and carefree, appear strangely cold and sinister.
On his forehead, a crooked character for "love" had been carved into his flesh with some kind of sharp object.
The strokes varied in depth.
In several places, the carving had been cut so deeply that it had damaged the deeper layers of skin. After scabs formed, they had been torn away again, only for the wounds to be carved over repeatedly.
As a result, permanent scars had been left behind.
The One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara.
"You're Konoha's Hokage?"
Gaara spoke in a hoarse voice.
"I heard you're very strong."
The expressions of the Suna higher-ups sitting around the table immediately changed.
One of the elders with graying hair coughed lightly.
"Gaara, don't be rude."
Gaara ignored the elder and continued staring directly at Kiyohara.
"What kind of chakra nature are you best at?"
"Many."
Kiyohara picked up his teacup and took another sip.
"Fire Release, Water Release, Wind Release, Earth Release, Lightning Release, Wood Release, Dust Release, Ice Release. I know a little about almost every kind of ninjutsu."
A trace of confusion flashed through Gaara's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger sense of malice.
"You know a little about all of them?"
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
"Do you know a technique that can cut open someone's throat? I want to see the blood that comes out."
Rasa's brows furrowed.
"Gaara."
Gaara turned his head and looked at his father.
There was no respect or fear toward his father in those eyes.
There was only indifference.
"I was just asking."
"Leave."
Rasa's voice turned cold.
Kiyohara raised a hand, signaling that Rasa did not need to say anything more.
He turned his head and met Gaara's eyes directly.
"You want to see my blood?"
Gaara's eyes brightened.
"Can I?"
"You can try."
Kiyohara put down his teacup and naturally rested both arms on the armrests of the stone chair.
Seeing this, Gaara raised his right hand.
Countless grains of sand rose into the air.
They gathered together and formed an enormous hand made entirely of sand before reaching toward Kiyohara's neck.
Rasa immediately stood up, preparing to forcibly suppress Gaara.
"Kiyohara!"
Kurenai also called out anxiously.
There was something about this child that made her feel that he was not quite normal.
"It's fine."
Kiyohara reassured Kurenai and signaled to Rasa that he did not need to interfere.
The enormous sand hand crashed toward Kiyohara with a fierce whistling sound.
The next moment, however, it was not that something had blocked it.
Rather, before the grains of sand could even touch Kiyohara's skin, they suddenly lost all momentum.
It was as though they had collided with an invisible wall.
The sand scattered helplessly and slid down from his shoulders.
Several grains landed on Kiyohara's robe.
He lowered his head, glanced at them, and casually brushed them away.
Then he raised his eyes and met Gaara's stunned gaze.
"Again."
Gaara's pupils suddenly contracted.
He had never encountered anything like this before.
His chakra belonging to the One-Tail began to surge within his body, and dark red blood vessels appeared across the whites of his eyes.
More grains of sand flew in from every corner of the hall, gathering in front of him and forming three even larger hands made entirely of sand. Each one was powerful enough to crush an adult shinobi in half at the waist. The three enormous sand hands attacked Kiyohara simultaneously from three different directions.
Kiyohara still did not move.
The three sand hands slammed into Kiyohara's body and shattered with a tremendous crash, sending countless grains of sand flying in every direction.
Several of the elders flushed red as they frantically brushed the sand from their clothes, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Rasa's expression changed as well.
More than anyone else, he understood the power of Gaara's Sand Release.
The power of Shukaku within this child far surpassed that of Bunpuku, the previous One-Tail Jinchuriki. Even while being suppressed at the edge of losing control, a casual attack from Gaara could easily pierce through the defenses of a Jonin.
Yet those attacks could not even break through Kiyohara's defenses.
The difference was simply too great.
It was much greater than Rasa had anticipated.
Gaara gasped heavily for breath, a bewildered expression appearing in his eyes.
His Sand Release had actually been unable to hurt Kiyohara?
Kiyohara stood up from the stone chair.
He walked over to Gaara and looked down at the child, who was much shorter than himself.
Gaara instinctively took a step backward.
His back struck the edge of the stone table, leaving him nowhere else to retreat.
Then Kiyohara raised his right hand and placed it on top of Gaara's head.
Gaara's entire body suddenly stiffened.
He had prepared himself to be attacked.
He had prepared himself to be punished.
He had even prepared himself to be killed.
But Kiyohara did not hit him.
That hand merely rested gently on top of his head, softly rubbing his dark red hair.
The warmth of Kiyohara's palm passed through his hair and reached his scalp, carrying a strange and unfamiliar sense of warmth.
Gaara froze completely.
"You are a good child."
Kiyohara looked at him.
"It's just that no one ever taught you how to interact with other people."
Gaara raised his head, his pale green eyes meeting Kiyohara's dark eyes.
There was none of the hatred he had seen in the eyes of the other villagers of Suna, the kind of hatred that seemed to wish he would disappear immediately.
"You... you're not afraid of me?"
Gaara's voice trembled.
"The monster inside me... it will kill you..."
"The One-Tail?"
Kiyohara shook his head.
If the One-Tail could actually defeat him, Kiyohara might as well let it become Hokage.
He had countless ways to deal with the One-Tail.
"Bijuu aren't invincible. In fact, they're actually quite weak."
Kiyohara removed his hand from Gaara's head.
"So you aren't frightening either."
Gaara's mind went completely blank.
As far back as he could remember, no one had ever touched his head.
His father, Rasa, had never cared for him.
His mother, Karura, had died when he was born.
His uncle, Yashamaru, had once touched his head, but that memory had already become so blurred that it felt as though it had been buried beneath the sand.
Everyone called him a monster.
Everyone avoided him.
Every person who looked at him did so as though they were staring at a bomb that could explode at any moment.
Yet this person had touched his head.
He had spoken to him.
He had even told him that he was a good child.
Something hard and tightly sealed within Gaara's heart suddenly cracked.
He remained standing where he was, and something within his pale green eyes slowly began to fade away.
"Bijuu are weak?"
"Of course."
Kiyohara turned around and sat back down on the stone chair.
"The One-Tail is actually one of the weaker ones. For example, there is a fox with nine tails that is much stronger than the One-Tail. I beat it up once, and it became obedient afterward."
Gaara's eyes widened slightly.
The One-Tail inside him had originally wanted to let out an angry roar, but after hearing the second half of Kiyohara's words, it suddenly began laughing sharply.
Gaara could vaguely sense that the One-Tail seemed to be taking pleasure in the misfortune of that fox.
"You... why do you want to help me?"
Confusion filled Gaara's voice.
Kiyohara picked up his teacup, only to discover that the tea had already gone cold. He placed the cup back down.
"Because I once met a child who was very similar to you."
Gaara said nothing.
He simply stood there quietly, waiting for Kiyohara to continue.
"That child was treated like a monster by everyone from the time he was young. He had no friends and no family. Everyone wanted him to disappear. Everyone wanted him to die. He walked along the streets alone, ate his meals alone, slept alone, and even spoke to an empty room by himself."
"What happened afterward?"
Gaara's voice became very soft.
"Later, he met someone who was willing to accept him. Little by little, he became better."
Kiyohara turned his head and looked at Gaara.
"You will meet someone like that too."
Kiyohara was actually talking about Naruto from the original story.
Gaara fell silent.
He lowered his head and looked at his small hands, which were covered in sand.
These hands had killed people.
More than one.
Several of the assassins Rasa had sent to kill him had been strangled to death by his sand hands.
"I..."
Gaara opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he suddenly realized that he did not know what to say.
After a long silence, he finally forced a single sentence out of his mouth.
"Can I... still become better?"
Kiyohara nodded.
"Yes."
Gaara stood there without knowing what else to say.
He tried to form a smile.
However, the smile still looked somewhat frightening.
The Suna higher-ups inside the hall exchanged glances with one another.
Most of them had witnessed the terrible scenes whenever Gaara lost control.
They had seen sandstorms rampage through the village.
Yet in front of Kiyohara, Gaara had actually become like this.
Rasa stood at the head of the stone table, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the armrest.
He had tested Gaara's limits countless times in the past.
He had used the cruelest methods possible to probe the limits of the monster inside this child.
For that purpose, he had even sent Yashamaru.
The person Gaara trusted most.
He had sent him to assassinate Gaara.
When Rasa saw the devastated expression on Gaara's face after discovering that the assassin was Yashamaru, his first reaction had not been pity.
Instead, he had calmly considered whether the emotional shock would cause Shukaku to break free and rampage.
And that was exactly what happened.
The One-Tail eventually went berserk.
Gaara lost his rationality after being consumed by Shukaku and began destroying the village indiscriminately.
Rasa had only barely managed to suppress the rampaging One-Tail Jinchuriki with his Magnet Release.
From that moment onward, he had decided that this child was a failed product.
Therefore, he continuously sent assassins to kill Gaara, hoping to determine whether Gaara could suppress Shukaku under every possible extreme circumstance.
Yet he had never considered that the reason Gaara was becoming increasingly unstable, increasingly cold, and increasingly bloodthirsty was because of his own suspicion and distrust.
"Hokage."
Rasa suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart.
"Regarding the matter of sealing the One-Tail, when do you intend to begin?"
"Tomorrow."
Kiyohara answered.
Rasa's brows furrowed slightly.
"Why wait until tomorrow?"
"I just arrived today. I need to rest."
Kiyohara leaned back against the chair, his tone calm.
"Besides, are you certain you want to deal with the Jinchuriki's sealing problem in front of so many people, in full view of the entire hall?"
Rasa remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"Very well. Tomorrow, then. I will arrange the location and prepare the necessary protective barriers to ensure that nothing unexpected happens."
Kiyohara said nothing more.
He stood up and walked toward the entrance of the hall.
Kurenai and Konan followed behind him.
Pakura continued to keep her head lowered, wrapped tightly in her hooded cloak as she became the last person to leave.
Gaara remained standing where he was, watching Kiyohara's back disappear through the doorway.
He slowly raised his hand and touched the top of his head.
Outside the Kazekage Building, Kumi led Kiyohara and the others toward the eastern side of Suna.
The residence arranged for them was a three-story circular building.
Its outer walls were painted a pale yellow, while the interior was decorated much more comfortably than the exterior would have suggested. Several green plants, which were rarely seen in the desert, had even been placed inside.
Kumi arranged for Kiyohara and his companions to stay in the innermost suite on the third floor before withdrawing.
Kiyohara pushed open the door to the suite.
A pot of freshly brewed mint tea had been placed on the low table in the living room, and steam still rose gently from the teacups.
Kiyohara sat cross-legged on a cushion in front of the low table and poured himself a cup of tea.
Kurenai removed her vest and hung it on the clothes rack.
She was now wearing only a close-fitting black sleeveless combat shirt, leaving the elegant lines of her collarbone, shoulders, and neck clearly visible.
Her slightly curled black hair fell loosely around her shoulders.
She reached up and gathered the ends of her hair, which had become slightly frizzy from the dry desert wind, then sat down beside Kiyohara and picked up another teacup.
Konan, meanwhile, leaned against the window.
Her gaze moved away from the layers of dome-shaped buildings that stretched across Suna outside the window and settled on Kiyohara.
"Your attitude toward Gaara was different."
Konan suddenly spoke.
Kiyohara lifted his teacup and took a sip.
"How was it different?"
"With the other Jinchuriki, you simply attack them, finish the fight, and leave. With Gaara, you said much more."
"I just felt that he could still be corrected."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Ultimately, he was doing all of this because he wanted to win Gaara over.
After all, relying solely on Pakura would not necessarily be enough to stabilize Suna in the future.
Kiyohara did not want to waste too much time dealing with matters like these.
It would be better to cultivate suitable talent in advance.
Night gradually descended.
The desert at night was the complete opposite of the desert during the day.
As soon as the blazing sun, which could roast a person until they were dehydrated during the day, sank beneath the horizon, a bone-chilling wind swept in from every direction.
Fine grains of sand were carried along with it, striking the windows and producing a constant rustling sound.
Inside the bedroom of the guesthouse suite, Pakura stood beside the window.
She had already removed her hooded cloak and changed into a traditional dark-colored, close-fitting Suna shinobi outfit.
The tight-fitting clothing outlined the curves of her waist and hips, while her legs were straight and slender, with firm muscles that were strong without appearing bulky.
Tonight was the moment she had been waiting for all these years.
Pakura let out a long breath.
Before the white mist from her breath could completely disperse in the cold night wind, she reached out and closed the window.
She turned around, walked out of the bedroom, and knocked on Kiyohara's door.
"Come in."
Pakura pushed the door open and walked inside.
Kiyohara was holding Kurenai in his arms.
Kurenai's eyes were closed, her breathing steady, and her eyelashes trembled slightly with each breath. She was already sound asleep.
A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks, her lips were slightly swollen, and there was a barely visible reddish mark along her collarbone.
Pakura's gaze remained on Kurenai for less than a second before she quickly looked away.
For some reason, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
"Are you ready?"
Kiyohara asked in a soft voice, careful not to wake Kurenai.
"Yes."
Pakura nodded.
"Then let's do it quickly."
Kiyohara raised his right hand, palm facing upward.
A strand of deep red chakra surged out from the center of his palm and gradually condensed into a fist-sized sphere of chakra.
Pakura's eyes widened slightly.
She could clearly sense the tremendous power contained within that sphere.
This was the chakra of a tailed beast.
"This is a technique I learned from the Nine-Tails' chakra. Just like the Tailed Beast Cloak, it can temporarily grant chakra to another person."
Kiyohara spoke calmly as he gently tossed the chakra sphere toward her.
The deep red sphere floated toward Pakura.
The instant it touched her chest, it seeped into her body like a drop of water disappearing into the desert.
Pakura's body suddenly trembled.
A scorching force surged into her chakra network from her chest, like boiling magma spreading through her blood vessels and into every part of her body.
A layer of deep red Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak appeared over her forearm.
The chakra churned across the surface of her skin before gradually sinking into her body.
Pakura clenched her fist.
At this moment, the amount of chakra within her body increased by several times over.
"This is..."
Pakura felt the tremendous power surging through her chakra network.
Her Scorch Release already possessed the characteristic of extremely high temperatures.
After the two forces merged within her body, she could clearly feel that the power of her Scorch Release had increased by at least several times.
Thinking about how she would finally be able to avenge the innocent souls who had been betrayed by Rasa tonight, the corners of Pakura's lips rose uncontrollably.
"Thank you, Lord Kiyohara."
Pakura took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement surging within her heart.
(End of Chapter)