While Uchiha Madara was secretly plotting, in the Land of Waterfalls...
Unlike Kumogakure, the Taki Hidden Village had the good sense to know its place.
When they spotted Minato approaching with two Tailed Beasts in the distance, they voluntarily handed over their Jinchūriki to him.
Minato extracted the Seven-Tailed Chōmei from the Jinchūriki's body, absorbed some of its Chakra, and then released it back into the wild.
Chongming, with its somewhat reserved and homebody nature, claimed to live in a place teeming with insects and sincerely invited Minato to visit.
A place teeming with insects...
After picturing that scene, Minato politely but firmly declined the offer.
Then, with the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails in tow, he hurried toward Iwagakure.
"In just half a day, I've lost three tails."
Gyūki rumbled, showing Minato his severed tails.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't this thing be tentacles? And Chongming—aren't those supposed to be wings? They don't look like tails at all."
"Chongming originally had a tail, but back then it was just a—uh—meat worm?"
Matatabi said calmly, "But Gyūki really does have tentacles."
For some reason, that struck Minato as funny, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"The old man never even thought about making me a pair of legs. What could I do?" Gyūki looked somewhat displeased.
"Was the old man the Sage of the Six Paths?" Minato asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, we were all created by the Sage of the Six Paths," Matatabi explained. "To us, he's like a father."
"Minato!"
Gyūki suddenly turned to face Minato, his pupil-less round eyes staring straight at him.
Minato turned his head away. "Hmm? What is it?"
"Nothing."
Gyūki turned back around without saying anything else.
"Do you think he's mad because we called them tentacles?" Minato asked Matatabi in a low voice, glancing awkwardly at Gyūki.
"I doubt it," Matatabi chuckled softly, her steps quick and light.
She probably knew what was going on.
The Sage of the Six Paths had prophesied that one day, they would receive the right guidance, understand true power, and meet someone who could truly understand them.
Clearly, in Gyūki's eyes, Minato was that person the old man had spoken of.
Nor was it just Gyūki; Matatabi felt the same way.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed by his side simply because he was handsome.
"Minato, after you release the Tailed Beasts, what do you plan to do?" Matatabi asked curiously.
"Me? I plan to start a new type of training."
Minato pondered. Apart from Sage Art, his skill slots were already full. It was time to begin cultivating Sage Art.
Moreover, mastering Sage Art Chakra would aid Orochimaru's research and save him the trouble of creating those bizarre Cursed Seals.
"I prefer a peaceful and stable life, but the Shinobi World will always have its threats," Minato said with resignation.
"With your strength, nothing in this world can threaten you anymore, can it?" Gyūki asked, puzzled.
"There's still something," Minato replied. "Though I've never witnessed it, if the power of all nine Tailed Beasts were combined, wouldn't it unleash some terrifying entity?"
As Minato finished speaking, Gyūki and Matatabi's expressions shifted.
"How do you know that?" Gyūki demanded.
"The ancient texts of the Senju Clan record that the Sage of the Six Paths once subdued a being called the Ten-Tails. Though a thousand years have passed and this story is now considered a myth, you wouldn't have been created out of thin air by the Sage. I suspect there's some connection between you and the Ten-Tails."
Minato continued calmly, "The texts also state that the Sage of the Six Paths distributed Chakra to humanity and founded the Ninjutsu Sect. But he was merely a propagator. The source of Chakra lies with his mother, the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya."
"Then where did Kaguya's Chakra come from? Could there be a deeper origin?"
"Aren't you worrying about nothing?" Gyūki thought Minato was overthinking things.
"I hope so."
Minato said no more. It was too early to discuss this further.
His gaze drifted into the distance, and the walls of Iwagakure now appeared on the horizon.
Screech!
With a piercing eagle's cry, figures surged from the village, quickly forming Ninja Forces numbering over a thousand.
Ōnoki floated down from the city walls, landing before the Ninja Forces.
Seeing this, Minato gently patted Matatabi's head. The two-tailed cat slowly reduced its pace, and the Eight-Tails beside it also halted.
"It's been a while, Senior Ōnoki."
Minato stood atop Matatabi, his gaze fixed on Ōnoki hovering in the air.
"You're here for Iwagakure's Tailed Beast, aren't you?" Ōnoki's face darkened. He hadn't expected Minato to arrive so quickly.
"Aside from the Tailed Beast, there's nothing in Iwagakure worth this special trip, is there?"
Minato extended his hand. "Hand over the Tailed Beast. Iwa and Konoha remain enemies. If you refuse, I won't hold back this time."
"...—"
Ōnoki's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected Minato to drop all pretense, demand the Tailed Beast outright, and threaten an elder!
"If I give you the Tailed Beast—"
"I'll leave immediately, without any trouble."
Minato paused as if remembering something. "Of course, you'll also have to lift the pressure on Konoha. Otherwise, as a Rogue Ninja—"
"That was lifted long ago!" Ōnoki snapped, his voice hoarse with fury. The moment they learned Minato was blockading Kirigakure, the other nations had overnight removed their pressure on Konoha.
He waved, summoning two Iwa Jinchūriki. Both appeared to be around seventeen years old: one with orange hair, the other fully armored. They were Rōshi and Han.
With Matatabi and Gyūki, the two giant Tailed Beasts, standing nearby, Ōnoki didn't dare make any trouble. He allowed Minato to extract the Tailed Beasts from the two Jinchūriki.
"ROAR—"
The Four-Tailed Beast roared and pounded its chest as soon as it was pulled from Rōshi.
The Five-Tailed Beast didn't create as much of a scene, but the frantic thrashing of its five tails betrayed its agitated state.
Watching the four Tailed Beasts gather, Ōnoki waved, signaling his Ninja Forces to retreat, though he kept them close enough to monitor Minato. He feared Minato might suddenly order the beasts to unleash Tailed Beast Balls on Iwagakure for amusement.
While the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails might not do such a thing, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails would surely be eager to oblige.
Fortunately, the two showed Minato some respect. They left behind the Tailed Beasts' Chakra but didn't trouble Iwagakure further.
Appreciating Ōnoki's deference, Minato didn't hold any grudges. He led Matatabi and Gyūki toward the Land of Wind.
As he watched the two giant beasts depart, Ōnoki felt increasingly frustrated.
Is there no one in this world who can stand up to Namikaze Minato?!
"Send someone to Konoha to sue for peace," he sighed, his face etched with exhaustion. "Iwagakure... we won't fight anymore."
Namikaze Minato was handsome, but Ōnoki truly didn't want to see that face again.
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