Closing remarks: Tailed Beasts

In the Sakura Haruno Shippuden unaware of, the Isobu disappeared after the death of the Fourth Mizukage, but was later resurrected in the wild. He was not discovered by the Mist Ninja, but was discovered by Akatsuki first.

It's indeed very strange that the entire village couldn't find the Tailed Beast, but was instead discovered first by an underground organization operating in the shadows; however, considering that the Suikazan Clan is a major traitor within Kirigakure, this situation is not entirely unexpected.

However, the current situation has completely deviated from the original story's timeline.

It must be repeated, a phrase frequently mentioned in the preface: the butterfly effect. As Sakura Haruno's strength grows, her influence on those around her also increases, leading to more and more changes to the so-called "plot," to the point that the current state of Konoha is completely different from that in the original story.

Now, this giant butterfly, or even the Butterfree, has stirred up a storm that has even greatly affected the previously isolated Kirigakure.

It should have been Mei Terumi who spent a long time and effort outwitting and outmaneuvering these hidden enemies, sacrificing many lives to finally stabilize the situation in Mist Ninja and establish a policy of peace and openness.

Now, everything has changed drastically.

Sakura Haruno's arrival accelerated the pace of their plans. Ultimately, with the help of the Ice Release Girl, Mei Terumi's faction wiped out the rebels at the greatest cost, winning the final victory and bringing the Mist Ninja under the complete control of the Mizukage's lineage.

After clearing out these evil Moryo, Kirigakure is now at peace and tranquil.

In return, Kirigakure also sided with Konoha, becoming a pro- Konoha village.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Mist Ninja and Konoha are so close they're practically inseparable. Even the closest ninja villages wouldn't easily discuss such a sensitive matter as the Tailed Beast.

In her letter, Tsunade surprisingly mentioned the specific time and possible location of Isobu's resurrection.

That's an absolute secret of Kirigakure.

Mist Ninja is, after all, an independent village. Although it has decided to establish diplomatic relations with Konoha, Mist Ninja will not agree to any excessive demands if Konoha tries to take advantage of its kindness.

Mei Terumi's face suddenly darkened. She carefully read the entire passage word by word before turning to the next page.

She read the entire passage aloud before she understood Tsunade's meaning.

Tsunade's words were a reminder to the Mist Ninja that they must recapture Isobu as quickly as possible, or the Akatsuki might get there first!

The letter also mentioned that Konoha could send troops to assist Mist Ninja in capturing the Tailed Beast.

Upon seeing this, Mei Terumi's first thought was to reject it without hesitation.

If Konoha comes to help capture the Tailed Beast, will Isobu be given to Konoha or the Mist Ninja?

Mei Terumi doesn't trust Konoha that much!

In the eyes of the Fifth Mizukage, Konoha was just like the girl in front of her. She looked beautiful, gentle, and weak, but in reality, she was very strong. When it was time to take action, she would never hesitate and was a ruthless character who could wipe out her entire opponent in one move!

"Capturing Isobu is Mist Ninja's own business; they don't need outside help. Your suggestion... is too absurd, and we cannot accept it," Mei Terumi shook her head and said seriously.

Her assertive tone made it clear that there was no room for negotiation on this matter.

"I'm sorry, this sounds absurd," Sakura Haruno stepped closer and said, "But please forgive my bluntness, in the current situation, any Tailed Beast is no longer just a matter for a single ninja village."

Mei Terumi glanced at her with a dark expression, her gentle smile vanished, and gestured for her to leave.

"Akatsuki is currently preparing to collect the Tailed Beast. We don't know their purpose, but this organization has gathered nearly ten Kage-level ninjas, and even some who are a level higher than ordinary Kage, capable of controlling the Kage of an entire village. This power is terrifying; it's no exaggeration to say they are capable of directly confronting one or two major ninja villages, and even defeating them! If they also obtain the power of the Tailed Beast, then they can do whatever they want..."

Sakura Haruno's expression was more serious than ever before. "At that time, even if the entire Shinobi World united, they might not be a match for them!"

"Therefore, we must take action to protect the Jinchūriki and the Tailed Beast, and thwart their plans! Isobu, who has just broken free from your village's control, is the most vulnerable part of the Tailed Beast protection chain! With your own strength alone, you might very well fail to capture Isobu!"

Mei Terumi's expression was very unpleasant.

She frowned, and after thinking about it carefully, she realized that the seriousness of the problem was not an exaggeration by Sakura Haruno and Konoha.

Isobu is really dangerous!

The Isobu, should have been Akatsuki's for the taking. However, after the Fourth Mizukage was defeated by Akatsuki and the Tailed Beast died, Isobu unexpectedly escaped Akatsuki's control. Clearly, once Isobu resurrected, Akatsuki will definitely come to reclaim the Tailed Beast.

Unfortunately, Mist Ninja, and it was obvious to anyone with a brain that the village had long been infiltrated by them, riddled with loopholes. Even if they eliminated the Suikazan Clan, they couldn't guarantee that there weren't other spies within the village; cleaning up the spies would take at least a year or two, and before that, Isobu would have already been resurrected...

Moreover, Akatsuki's understanding of Isobu is even deeper than that of the village! They know the exact date of Isobu's resurrection, its habits in the wild, the waters it might frequent, its Ninjutsu, and its power.

In terms of intelligence, Kirigakure lags behind Akatsuki in every aspect.

What's even more terrifying is that Akatsuki can send out two Kage Level ninjas at any time to carry out the mission of retrieving the Tailed Beast!

And what about the Mist Ninja?

Are you suggesting we send her, the Mizukage, and the last remaining Six-Tails Jinchuriki together?

That would leave the village's defenses too weak.

As the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi would never take such a risky action. Even if the Three-Tails is lost, they still have the Six-Tails Jinchuriki. If Akatsuki takes advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack on the village, with the current hordes of old, weak, and disabled people in Kirigakure, they probably won't be able to stop them!

But sending out ordinary ninjas is probably just sending them to Akatsuki as easy prey, isn't it?

Mei Terumi's eyes flickered a few times.

"If only the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were still here..." she sighed and murmured to herself.

Unfortunately, of the Ninja Blade remaining in the village, only the Twin Blades Hiramekarei are left. Chojuro has only just obtained them, Isobu is about to be resurrected, so his fighting ability cannot be relied upon.

Seeing that the Mizukage's eyes were constantly shifting but she didn't refute her, Sakura Haruno knew that Mei Terumi had realized the seriousness of the problem.

Seizing the opportunity, she continued, "Konoha isn't after your Tailed Beast. To be honest, our Jinchūriki are very stable, and we have no need to covet other Tailed Beast! Compared to adding another Tailed Beast or a Three-Tails Jinchūriki to our alliance against Akatsuki, bringing your village into our ranks is what truly matters to Konoha's core interests!"

"Please trust us, trust Konoha's reputation. Konoha has never been the kind of short-sighted village that would lose sight of the bigger picture!"

Mei Terumi frowned, her mind racing.

Konoha's reputation is indeed impeccable when dealing with mission employers, but when the client is another ninja village, who can guarantee they will keep their word?

Of course, historically, Konoha has rarely failed to keep its promises, and its reputation is indeed excellent; however, matters involving Tailed Beast must be handled with utmost caution, and decisions should not be made lightly.

Mei Terumi was moved.

Judging from the current situation, they are at a disadvantage in terms of intelligence and combat strength. Mist Ninja unable to compete with Akatsuki for the capture of the Isobu.

But what if Konoha has ulterior motives and uses this opportunity to seize Isobu?

Frankly speaking, Konoha and Mist Ninja had only established diplomatic relations less than a year ago, and for Tsunade to bring up such a sensitive topic was rather abrupt and reckless.

However, from Sakura Haruno's perspective, Isobu's resurrection was imminent, and the Mist Ninja were incapable of solving the problem alone. Under normal circumstances, the Mist Ninja would have time to make arrangements slowly, and Konoha would have time to gradually build mutual trust with Mist Ninja. But right now, they had to race against time to defeat Akatsuki; there was no time to lose!

"If we're going to cooperate in capturing Isobu, how exactly should we cooperate?" Mei Terumi, unconsciously fiddling with her red lips with her fingers.

Seeing that her tone had softened, Sakura Haruno breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Of course, everything is still under the leadership of you Mist Ninja. We only provide personnel assistance, such as sending a reconnaissance squad and an elite combat team."

She glanced at Mei Terumi's expression and added, "Powers, including the Sharingan, are all welcome to help!"

"Sasuke Uchiha...?" Mei Terumi's heart skipped a beat, and she asked again, "What about a Kage-level fighter? Can he come and help too?"

As she spoke, her gaze was fixed on Sakura Haruno, and it was obvious who she was referring to as having "Kage" level combat power.

Sakura nodded.

For missions that involve facing Tailed Beast, or even possibly Akatsuki, the village will send out its highest-level combat forces whenever possible.

However, in that case, shouldn't we just send out Team 7?

Naruto will probably return to Konoha by the end of this year or the beginning of next year... There might be enough time.

In addition, I heard that Kakashi has recently made a breakthrough, surpassing the level of Elite Jonin and stepping into the threshold of "Kage" level.

If that's the case, their fighting power has become a bit excessive!

Mei Terumi ultimately did not agree to this matter, but it was a matter of great importance, and even as the Mizukage, she could not make the decision alone; it had to be discussed and studied within the Mist Ninja.

"We understand, but please do it as soon as possible. Isobu's revival should be in the near future, right? We must make a decision before then, and the allocation and arrangement of personnel will also take time." Sakura Haruno said.

The Konoha were overjoyed that Mei Terumi was willing to agree.

Before her mission, Tsunade discussed some issues related to the letter with Sakura Haruno. Regarding the Tailed Beast, the Mist Ninja would consider it a success if they didn't immediately and decisively refuse.

As long as the Mist Ninja are willing to discuss this matter, everything will be fine. After all, both villages have suffered personal harm from Akatsuki and feel deep pain towards them, and they genuinely want to fight against Akatsuki; with this foundation, many things can be discussed.

The letter listed more than a dozen matters, most of which the Mizukage could agree to on behalf of the Mist Ninja. However, some key issues still required further negotiation.

"Since we're going to Konoha for the Chunin Ninja Exams anyway, let's take this opportunity to settle these matters together!" Mei Terumi concluded.

She tucked the letter into her bosom, then reached out a second time to hold Sakura Haruno's hand tightly.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

And so, Sakura Haruno's Tsunade Mist Ninja hoped she would accomplish.

So, it's time for Sakura Haruno's Team to go back.

Volume 11, End.

(First update! Guaranteed 1/1 update! A new volume, I need to organize the new outline, so there should only be two updates today.)

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