Taking advantage of the time Kizaru spent trying to convince Shukaku, the shinobi of Sunagakure and Kumogakure quickly pulled back from the One-Tail.
Both sides retreated to their own command formations, creating two opposing camps across the battlefield.
The center of the battlefield was left empty on its own.
No one needed an order for that.
Every shinobi present understood one thing very clearly.
A battle between monsters was not something ordinary shinobi could interfere with.
Standing on Matatabi's head, Kizaru looked down at Shukaku with that lazy, careless smile of his. The way he spoke made him look less like a terrifying powerhouse and more like some suspicious adult coaxing a stubborn child.
"Become my partner, Shukaku. Then you'll be able to wander around the shinobi world freely, just like Matatabi. No more being sealed away by people."
Matatabi's twin tails swayed gently behind her. She seemed pleased at the thought of gaining another companion.
"That's right, Shukaku. When we're inside a village, we only need to shrink our bodies so we don't destroy anything."
Shukaku did not answer immediately.
His round eyes shifted from Matatabi to Kizaru.
He was tempted.
Of course he was tempted.
But at the same time, he hesitated.
After being deceived, sealed, and used by humans for over a thousand years, no tailed beast would easily believe a human's promise.
"…And what's the price?"
Kizaru did not hide it.
"When the time comes, you'll follow my arrangements."
"Tch."
Shukaku snorted unhappily, his tone just like a child who had seen through an adult's trick.
"So in the end, you still want to use my power. Humans really are all the same."
"Shukaku," Matatabi said calmly, seeing through his stubborn act at once, "the Nine-Tails is in Konoha too. He's still being kept inside a jinchūriki."
The moment those words reached him, Shukaku's eyes lit up.
His heart immediately began to pound.
If he could really move around freely every day like Matatabi…
Wouldn't that mean he could go laugh at that rotten fox whenever he wanted?
Yo, stinky fox.
Why are you still locked up?
Kekekeke!
Just imagining Kurama's furious expression made Shukaku's mood soar.
"Kekekekeke!"
His sudden, strange laughter rang across the battlefield.
The shinobi of both villages froze.
Many of them subconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons.
Is the One-Tail going berserk again?
That was the thought passing through almost everyone's mind.
After laughing to his heart's content, Shukaku looked toward Kizaru. He was about to agree, but another concern suddenly tangled around his heart.
If he left with this shinobi, then the old monk who was already near the end of his life would truly die.
Just then, a gentle voice echoed within Shukaku's consciousness.
"Go, Shukaku. Perhaps if you follow that young man, you may find true love."
It was Bunpuku.
Shukaku's mood instantly soured.
"If I leave, you'll die, old monk."
His tone was harsh, but there was no real malice in it.
Bunpuku's voice remained calm.
"I have lived long enough. If, before I die, I can see you meet someone who truly understands you… if I can see you take one step closer to understanding the meaning of love… then I will have no regrets."
"Old monk, you…"
For once, Shukaku fell silent.
Something in his heart had been touched.
"Go," Bunpuku said softly. "Do not worry about me. My time is already near. Let the cycle of jinchūriki end with me. Tailed beasts should never have been made into weapons for human wars."
Shukaku was quiet for a long moment.
Then, inside that shared space of consciousness, he muttered, "Old monk… you really are like the Sage of Six Paths."
Bunpuku's consciousness trembled.
Tears seemed to fall from that aged soul.
"I finally earned your acknowledgment, Shukaku."
Shukaku looked away.
"I'll remember you properly."
His voice was serious.
That was his promise.
After saying this, Shukaku withdrew from the inner world and turned his gaze back to Kizaru.
"For Matatabi's sake, I'll believe you for now, human."
"Oooh~ is that so?"
Kizaru smiled and stretched out his right hand.
"How generous of you."
Shukaku understood what he meant.
Under the watchful eyes of countless shinobi, the One-Tail raised one claw and lightly bumped it against Kizaru's fist.
For a moment, the battlefield was silent.
Then Ebizō's face twisted.
It's over.
The village's tailed beast has been taken away.
His heart clenched with anxiety and pain.
How was he supposed to stop Kizaru from taking Shukaku later?
If Sunagakure lost Shukaku, then the village would lose one of its greatest deterrents.
Thinking of this, even Ebizō could not help but question his own decision.
Had he and his sister been right to ask Konoha for help?
Iwagakure and Kumogakure had come for money and mines.
But Konoha…
Konoha had come to dig out their roots.
Unease, anxiety, and self-doubt pressed down on Ebizō's chest.
He felt that he should do something.
But in the end, he realized there was nothing he could do.
If he stopped Kizaru from taking Shukaku now, no one could guarantee that Kizaru would continue protecting Sunagakure.
Worse, Kizaru might even turn toward Kumogakure.
The attacks from Kumogakure and Iwagakure had already pushed Sunagakure to the edge. If Kizaru joined in as well, the village would have no future left.
At that thought, Ebizō could only suppress the anxiety in his heart and remain silent.
Survive.
As long as the village survived, there would still be hope, no matter how much they lost.
Convincing himself with those words, Ebizō not only stayed quiet, he even raised his hand to signal the people around him not to speak.
Kizaru slowly turned his body.
His gaze shifted toward the front of the Kumogakure formation, where the Third Raikage stood at the head of his troops.
"Raikage-sama," Kizaru said lazily, hands still in his pockets, "give me some face and retreat."
The corner of the Third Raikage's eye twitched.
In front of him stood Kizaru.
Behind Kizaru were two tailed beasts.
What kind of face was this?
It was practically a slap.
He already had no confidence in dealing with Kizaru alone.
Now there were two tailed beasts added to the situation.
If Kumogakure continued fighting here, it would be no different from throwing men into a pit.
Even so, the Third Raikage was not willing to let go of the prey already in his hands.
"Kizaru," he said heavily, "Sunagakure is weak. They can no longer stand against us. Why not join hands with Kumogakure and divide the Land of Wind between us?"
The moment those words were spoken, the Sunagakure side became tense.
Everyone understood that the survival of their village now depended on Kizaru's answer.
If Kizaru accepted the Third Raikage's offer, Sunagakure would have no hope left.
Ebizō's fists clenched.
He hurriedly stepped forward, opening his mouth to argue against the Third Raikage's temptation.
But before he could speak, Kizaru answered.
"No."
A single word.
Direct and casual.
Ebizō, who had already taken two steps forward, immediately froze.
Then he quietly let out a breath of relief.
That was close.
The village had nearly vanished.
His feelings toward Kizaru became even more complicated.
Sunagakure had fallen to this point because of Kizaru.
Yet now, Sunagakure was being saved by Kizaru.
How ironic.
After refusing the Raikage, Kizaru's body scattered into light.
In the next instant, he appeared in front of the Third Raikage, having crossed the distance from Matatabi's head in a flash.
The Kumogakure shinobi immediately became tense. Weapons were raised, and chakra surged.
Kizaru ignored all of it.
With both hands still in his pockets, he looked up slightly at the tall, muscular Third Raikage.
The Third Raikage stared straight at him.
"As long as you agree to divide the Land of Wind, Kumogakure only needs thirty percent."
Kizaru's smile did not change.
"Oooh~ that really is tempting."
His tone was slow and drawn out.
"Unfortunately, my mission is to stop this war."
The Third Raikage's fists tightened at his sides.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed with that same lazy smile.
"A-san… I hate troublesome things the most. Don't make this difficult for me."
The Third Raikage wanted to refuse.
He truly did.
But the difference in strength forced him to remain rational.
Right now, neither he nor Kumogakure could defeat Kizaru and two tailed beasts.
If a battle broke out, all he would gain was massive casualties among his troops.
The Third Raikage understood that better than anyone.
No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to accept reality.
"Retreat!"
His roar carried thick unwillingness.
The Kumogakure shinobi beside him looked shocked.
"Raikage-sama—"
"Shut up and retreat!"
The Third Raikage cut off his subordinate's attempt to persuade him.
He understood the situation.
There was no need to humiliate themselves further.
Kizaru stood quietly in place, hands in his pockets and a faint smile on his face, watching as the Third Raikage led his men away.
After Kizaru forced back two great shinobi villages, Sunagakure's crisis was half resolved.
The remaining half was how to satisfy Konoha, the village that had come to their rescue.
After confirming that Kumogakure had withdrawn, Ebizō personally and politely escorted Kizaru back to Sunagakure.
He arranged for Kizaru to stay in the most luxurious residence in the village, then left a trusted subordinate to entertain him before hurrying away.
The crisis had not completely passed.
Ebizō needed to discuss with Chiyo and the other high-ranking officials how Sunagakure should respond to Konoha's rescue.
At the same time, Kizaru had taken Shukaku from the village.
This matter was too important.
Ebizō had to explain it to his sister personally.
"I like this bed! Kekekeke!"
Shukaku, who had shrunk down in size, rolled back and forth across the large bed.
For the first time, he had entered a human room not as a sealed weapon, but as a free being.
Naturally, he was excited.
Compared to Shukaku, who looked like a country child entering a city for the first time, Matatabi was far more elegant.
She crouched on the sofa beside Kizaru, quietly controlling her chakra to lift fruit from the table and continue her meal.
Kizaru sat lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed.
He leaned back, gave a faint yawn, then closed his eyes to rest.
He had no need to participate in the negotiations and political bargaining with Sunagakure.
His uncle, Danzō, would handle that.
Kizaru continued to stay in Sunagakure mainly as a deterrent, making it easier for Danzō to demand better terms.
When Iwagakure and Kumogakure invaded, Kizaru had been Sunagakure's greatest savior.
But now that the two great shinobi villages had retreated, Kizaru had become Sunagakure's greatest threat.
After all, Kizaru possessed the strength to destroy a great shinobi village by himself.
This was already the common judgment of the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
So Kizaru's presence here was Konoha's strongest pressure against Sunagakure.
"No. Absolutely not!"
Inside Sunagakure's high-level meeting room, an elderly senior official slammed his hand on the table and shouted with an agitated expression.
"The One-Tail must not be taken away by Kizaru!"
Another official looked at him coldly.
"And with what strength will the village take Shukaku back from Kizaru?"
"Is Konoha not our ally?" the elderly official snapped, standing up. "Since when does an ally take another ally's tailed beast?"
Ebizō and Chiyo did not immediately respond.
Both of them sat silently in their seats.
"Kazekage-sama, what is your stance?" the elderly official pressed further. "Shukaku has been the treasure of the Land of Wind since ancient times. Are you going to watch Konoha take him away?"
Chiyo remained silent.
Ebizō did not want his sister to be forced into that position, so he spoke first.
"The issue is not whether we agree or disagree. The issue is whether we have any way to keep the One-Tail out of Kizaru's hands."
The elderly official ignored him completely.
"Kazekage-sama, you must bear the responsibility of a Kage."
Chiyo slowly raised her head.
Her gaze sharpened as she looked at the old man.
He was one of the leaders of the political faction left behind by the Third Kazekage.
And Chiyo understood his intentions very clearly.
He did not truly believe they could keep Shukaku.
He simply wanted to place the responsibility for losing Shukaku onto her.
Anger burned in Chiyo's chest.
The village was still facing a crisis that could decide its survival, yet these people were still thinking about political struggles.
For a moment, Chiyo truly wanted to act.
She wanted to clean out all the rotten officials in this room.
Sensing the killing intent rising from his sister, Ebizō placed a hand over hers and shook his head slightly.
"Konoha's reinforcements will arrive early tomorrow morning," Ebizō said, both changing the topic and issuing a warning. "We must be prepared to receive them."
His meaning was clear.
If Sunagakure satisfied Konoha, then the Konoha shinobi arriving tomorrow would be reinforcements.
But if Sunagakure failed to satisfy Konoha, those same reinforcements could become an occupying force.
Ebizō hoped every leader present understood that.
"I said it before," the elderly official continued coldly. "The people of Konoha are ambitious. Asking them for help was never going to end well."
Bang!
Chiyo finally slammed her palm onto the table and stood up.
"Without Konoha's rescue, how were we supposed to repel Iwagakure and Kumogakure?"
Her voice was sharp enough to cut.
"Were we supposed to rely on you? On someone who hid inside the village while others fought on the battlefield?"
Those words struck the old man's sore spot.
His face twisted with anger.
"Chiyo, show some respect! When I was young, I also earned many military achievements for this village!"
"Then retire while people can still remember them."
Chiyo's voice became cold.
"If you say another word, I will kill you."
She no longer hid the killing intent in her heart.
With a movement of her hand, she took out a scroll and summoned two puppets beside her.
"Kazekage-sama, please calm yourself! Elder Naifū is still—"
Other senior officials hurriedly tried to stop her.
But Chiyo had already made her decision.
For the sake of the village, she would not waver.
"Konoha's reinforcements may become enemies at any moment. The village's crisis has not yet passed."
Her gaze swept across the room, cold and filled with killing intent.
"If anyone tries to stir up internal conflict for personal gain at a time like this…"
She paused.
The entire meeting room seemed to grow colder.
"I will kill them myself."
The room fell into a deathly silence.
No one dared to speak.
Chiyo's eyes returned to the elderly official.
"Naifū, from this moment onward, you are stripped of all positions. Go home and retire."
"You—"
Naifū raised a trembling finger toward Chiyo.
Before he could say another word, one of Chiyo's puppets placed a blade directly against his neck.
Naifū swallowed.
This old man, who had been away from the battlefield for more than twenty years and had long forgotten the feeling of real combat, suddenly realized that his legs had gone weak from fear.
"Guards," Chiyo ordered coldly. "Take Naifū away. Watch him carefully."
At the Kazekage's order, two jōnin guards entered the meeting room.
One stood on Naifū's left, the other on his right.
Together, they dragged the frightened and furious elder out of the room.
Only after suppressing the political faction left behind by the Third Kazekage with ruthless decisiveness did Chiyo withdraw her puppets and return to her seat.
Now, the real meeting could finally begin.
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