Chapter 38: Tailed Beasts and Sealing Techniques (Part One)
Mid-October, Konoha Year 46. With the volume of commissions pouring in, the mood among Konoha ninja was running unusually high.
The higher-ups hadn't relaxed at all. Food and equipment stockpiling continued without pause. The ANBU and Root had each deployed half their personnel, and intelligence work had become more critical than ever.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had been in meetings for the past two weeks straight. In a rare moment of breathing room, he looked up at Tsunade as she came in to deliver her report and smiled.
"Having you in the village makes all the difference. Those medicines have been invaluable."
"Orochimaru hasn't been putting much into his work lately. Find some time to talk to him. There are things that aren't easy for me to say directly."
Tsunade understood what her teacher was getting at. Orochimaru had been getting too close to Danzo, and that concerned him. She had no interest in playing that role, and shook her head.
"If there's a problem, just summon him directly."
"You know what he's like, Sensei. Orochimaru isn't after power."
Hiruzen gave a nod. Orochimaru's nature had been shifting, and Tsunade hadn't picked up on it yet. He didn't want to push the subject, and moved on.
"Jiraiya's team should have crossed into the Land of Earth by now. We need to get a read on how far Stone has developed their jinchuriki."
"It's not just Stone. Cloud's Eight-Tails jinchuriki is a serious problem. If they get a real grip on that weapon, the village will need to be ready."
"What's your assessment on developing our own sealing techniques?"
After Whirlpool Village was destroyed by the joint assault of multiple nations, its sealing techniques were plundered by every major hidden village. Konoha's inheritance was relatively complete, largely because of Uzumaki Mito's presence.
Tsunade had inherited a number of those precious techniques. Thinking of the Four Symbols Seal used to contain tailed beasts, she answered with resignation.
"Sealing is a more advanced field than summoning. You're overestimating me, Sensei. Solving the tailed beast problem through a sealing technique alone is beyond what I can do."
"When a jinchuriki draws on the tailed beast's chakra, the beast is drawing on the jinchuriki's chakra in return."
"In that state, the only thing that can make a difference is the jinchuriki's own strength."
Hiruzen nodded. For all that he was called the Professor, he had no particularly good answer for how to actually harness a tailed beast's power.
The thought of the Wood Release experiments drifted through his mind before he pushed it away. Wood Release was useful, but the cost was too high.
"When you have a moment, look in on Kushina. The ANBU have reported that the girl keeps having nightmares. The Nine-Tails' power is bleeding into her more and more."
Tsunade frowned slightly at the suggestion, but left the matter of monitoring out of it.
"At least let her have a normal relationship with Minato. You're still too cautious about this, Sensei."
Hiruzen didn't argue with his student. He needed to eliminate risks. No freedom was still better than the Nine-Tails losing control. Age had made him conservative, and he knew it.
"Let's leave that for now. Since you're staying in the village, you might want to reconsider things with Jiraiya. You're not getting any younger..."
"Sensei, what are you saying!"
The documents on the office desk jumped as Tsunade's fist came down on it. Hiruzen could only smile helplessly.
After Tsunade stormed out still fuming, Hiruzen sat back with his pipe, gazing at the group photo on his desk. His hairline was still intact in that one.
"Getting old after all..."
* * *
Life had been genuinely hard for Jiraiya's squad since crossing into the Land of Earth. Night after night, everyone sat in caves carved out by Earth Style jutsu, eating dry rations. The closer they got to the target, the more careful they had to be.
The earth-carved tunnels were clean enough, but after two weeks without a hot meal, Jiraiya felt the need to say something.
"Three more days. When we get back to Konoha, the meal's on me."
"Don't worry about the safety side. Once we reach the valley, keep the markers protected. If anything goes wrong, Minato gets everyone out immediately."
Namikaze Minato felt the weight of that confidence and took a quiet breath. He knew he had to carry this. He smiled.
"Sensei's right. As long as the coordinates are secure, my Flying Thunder God will get everyone out safely."
"Stone's jinchuriki probably hasn't had much of their power developed yet. The mission shouldn't be too bad."
The white-haired,heavyset member of the squad let out a long breath. Without Jiraiya leading this, walking anywhere near a jinchuriki would be suicide. But he trusted his teammates.
"Minato's right. No point working ourselves up over it..."
"You're the only one who was worried. I trust Minato and Jiraiya-sensei completely!"
The long black-haired young man with the quiet, composed manner made the jab without looking up. The two of them were immediately bickering again. Minato scratched the back of his head and laughed along with them.
The extraction squad assigned to support Jiraiya's group was made up of ANBU directly under the Hokage and Root ninja. Furukawa Osamu, attached as the sensor and medical specialist, was wearing his mask when he spoke up in a low voice.
"There are ninja approaching our last marker point."
The Root ninja from the Aburame clan added in the same flat tone.
"My destruction bugs are moving. Someone has already destroyed one of the markers."
Furukawa Osamu's sensing range reached close to ten kilometers, though the officially stated figure was around six. Namikaze Minato's range was similarly vast. He touched his fingers to the ground and looked at Jiraiya.
"Sensei, should we eliminate those targets?"
Several ANBU members looked toward Jiraiya as well. Everyone present knew what Minato's speed and ability meant. The question wasn't an empty one.
"We still have one marker intact. That's enough. We pick up the pace from here."
A trace of urgency had settled into Jiraiya's thinking, but he chose not to risk the engagement. He noticed the tension that had settled over the group and made an effort to lift it.
"Good work, Osamu. A ninja has to stay sharp at every moment."
"Ha, exactly what you'd expect from someone the Great Toad Sage personally picked out."
Minato's two teammates both let out the breath they'd been holding. They were barely within range of the valley and had almost been detected. The situation was not looking easy.
"Jiraiya-sama, we'll handle clearing the outer guards around the valley. Once the markers are set, Osamu will signal you."
"After you enter the valley, Stone could have a response unit on you within ten minutes. Please be careful."
The ANBU captain wearing the animal mask delivered the final reminder. Jiraiya gave a grave nod. With the possibility of facing two jinchuriki directly, they needed to conserve everything they had.
* * *
Two days later. An unnamed valley somewhere in the Land of Earth. The outer ring of Stone guards assigned to watch the perimeter went quiet one by one.
At a high lookout point, Furukawa Osamu pulled his short blade from behind a Stone ninja without a sound. On the ground below, the destruction bugs took over the body and kept it upright.
The elimination produced a brief noise or two, but it was settled quickly. When the four-person squad regrouped, the ANBU captain gave a satisfied nod.
Furukawa Osamu immediately formed seals and sent the signal through a covert communication technique. He felt Jiraiya's squad begin to move, and reported quietly.
"Jiraiya-sama's team has started their infiltration."
The Root ninja from the Aburame clan had been critical throughout the operation. He was the one who had neutralized Stone's sensor ninja with his specialized poisoned bugs. Without waiting for the squad captain to speak, he suddenly announced.
"I have a separate assignment."
He was already moving when the ANBU captain stepped directly into his path, hand already on the hilt of the blade at his back.
"You're planning to disobey the Hokage's orders?"
A second ANBU member quietly positioned themselves beside the Aburame ninja without a word. Furukawa Osamu looked at the scene and felt a quiet exhaustion settle over him. He stepped up beside the ANBU captain and spoke.
"We haven't made contact with the target yet. You don't want this mission to fail either, do you, senpai."