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Manji enjoyed the feast at Mount Myōboku. When he finished eating, he picked up an orange and began to peel it.
"We're all family here. The summoning clans should help one another whenever trouble arises," he said, stepping down from the platform.
He broke the orange into slices and handed one to each of the White Snake Sage, Enma, Katsuyu, and Gamamaru. Manji ate the rest while the others tasted their pieces and nodded in agreement.
"Well said!" Enma declared. "I've always thought the Grand Sage should be the leader of the entire summoning realm."
"I agree," Gamamaru added. "Whether they belong to one of the great Sage regions or some small summoning clan, everyone should follow the Grand Sage."
The White Snake Sage and Katsuyu nodded as well.
Manji smiled. The truth was, he had been the undisputed leader of the summoning realm for centuries. "We can discuss any problems together. If any of you ever face a crisis, I'll step in to help."
Manji raised his teacup and said, "Here's hoping all of you can attend my next thousandth birthday as well!"
"..." Everyone's face grew tense, and the table went quiet.
Manji paused.
Right... He had forgotten that they were not immortal.
"I should still be around," Black Zetsu said with a grin, raising his cup.
Kaguya spoke next. "So will I."
"Lord Sage, I believe I should still be here as well," Katsuyu added.
While the guests at Mount Myōboku raised their cups and drank together, the eight-clan alliance had already begun its attack on the Two-Tails.
Matatabi could not stand up to the combined strength of all eight clans. Desperate, she sent her special tailed beast signal into the sky.
Shukaku was nearest to her. As soon as he saw the signal, he hurried to the battlefield, but he was trapped too.
The eight clans together were overwhelming.
..............
The birthday banquet eventually came to an end.
The guests left one by one, and the lively voices in the hall slowly faded. Only a few candles stayed lit in the corners, their flames flickering against the empty walls.
Manji stood alone in the center of the hall, waiting.
He waited from the peak of the celebration until the last guest left, but none of the nine-tailed beasts showed up. The hope he had felt during the banquet faded away.
"What happened? Why didn't they come?" There was a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Even sending me a dead messenger hawk would have been better than hearing nothing at all..."
Manji let out a sigh.
Deep down, he knew he could not blame them. Several centuries ago, he had deliberately hidden himself from the world and allowed everyone to believe he had disappeared. He had also promised the nine-tailed beasts that he would eventually intervene, restore order to the Shinobi world, and bring peace to humanity.
He had never fulfilled that promise.
The tailed beasts were simple in nature and valued keeping promises. Since Manji broke his promise first, it made sense that they did not come to his birthday. If their roles were switched, he might have acted the same way.
"Forget it. If they don't want to come, so be it." Manji shook his head and looked at the pile of gifts stacked on one side of the hall.
"In that case, I'll send them a few things as an apology."
The gifts were taller than a person and almost filled one side of the hall. The toads from Mount Myōboku brought rare insects, medicinal herbs, and special pills. Even the White Zetsu had brought their own gifts.
Manji knew he could never use all the gifts himself. Instead of letting them gather dust, he decided to send some to the nine-tailed beasts to help fix their strained relationship.
He also told the cooks at Mount Myōboku to make huge portions of food for the tailed beasts. When everything was ready, the gifts and meals would be packed into summoning scrolls and delivered by the White Zetsu.
Manji had just started sorting the presents when a White Zetsu appeared in the hall.
"GRAND SAGE, URGENT INTELLIGENCE FROM THE SHINOBI WORLD!" he reported. "The Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Sarutobi, Shimura, Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka Clans have formed an alliance. They are currently attempting to capture the Two-Tails, Matatabi, and the One-Tail, Shukaku!"
"..." Manji froze.
His calm look disappeared, and the mood in the room turned heavy.
"What? Eight clans have joined forces to capture the tailed beasts?" Manji frowned. "When did this begin, and why am I only hearing about it now?"
"It began only recently, Grand Sage. The birthday celebration delayed the intelligence report."
Manji sighed.
Centuries had gone by since Shūichi and Senichi made their agreement about the tailed beasts. Over time, their promise meant less to later generations.
"Fine. I'll go there myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Manji vanished.
..............
On the battlefield, Shukaku and Matatabi were already badly beaten and covered in blood.
"Gen, something feels wrong," Senju Shima said uneasily. "Why are the tailed beasts so weak?"
"Perhaps the One-Tail and Two-Tails are naturally weaker," Uchiha Gen replied. "The tailed beasts with more tails will probably be stronger."
Nearby, Matatabi looked at Shukaku. Blue flames flickered faintly over her wounded body. "Shukaku, I'm leaving the rest to you."
Shukaku looked at her and nodded. "Leave it to me."
Matatabi's eyes showed her resolve. Without saying anything else, she charged at the alliance with wild fury.
Uchiha Gen immediately released Nanashi.
The young girl used Amaterasu, covering Matatabi in black flames. Matatabi did not try to dodge. She kept fighting, not caring about her own life, as if she had already chosen death instead of being captured.
With all eight clans attacking her, Matatabi was finally killed.
"Damn it! Couldn't the Uzumaki Clan have shown some restraint?" Senju Shima complained, glaring at the Uzumaki leader. "Now the tailed beast is dead!"
"Don't blame us," the Uzumaki leader shot back. "I didn't even use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. We were already holding back. If not for the Uchiha's black flames, we would have captured her alive."
"Enough," the Nara leader interrupted. "We still have the One-Tail. The Two-Tails is already dead, so arguing about it changes nothing."
At that moment, a dark portal opened in the middle of the battlefield—
Manji stepped through.
Everyone in the eight-clan army noticed him. Over ten thousand shinobi turned to look at the old man who had just appeared, and the eight clan leaders saw him as a threat right away.
"Where did that old man come from?"
"Is he with one of your clans?"
"How did he appear inside the battlefield?"
Questions spread through the army, but Manji paid no attention.
He was not there to fight these people. He just wanted to take Shukaku and Matatabi away. Besides, it was his birthday, and he did not want to spill any blood.
"Shukaku?" Manji frowned when he saw the One-Tail covered in wounds. "Where's Matatabi?"
The moment Shukaku saw him, tears poured from his eyes. He broke down in front of the entire army and cried out, "Master! Matatabi... MATATABI WAS KILLED BY THEM!"
"..." Manji's eyes grew wide in shock.
For a moment, he swayed, as if the words had hit him hard.
"Huh?" His voice came out faint and doubtful.
"Matatabi is dead?"
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