"I don't care!"
Fu Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, resounded throughout the entire Takigakure council hall. She performed a backflip and leaped onto the roof beam, her emerald green Chakra wings appearing and disappearing behind her, causing the portraits of past leaders hanging on the wall to rattle loudly.
"You promised to take me to Konoha after the Chunin Ninja Exams!" Fu stomped her foot angrily, causing the entire roof beam to shake. "How much time has passed! You guys just didn't keep your word!"
Shibuki, the leader of the Shibuki, rubbed his temples; his forehead Forehead Protector was soaked with sweat.
This fifteen-year-old girl, Jinchūriki, has been constantly pestering herself to meet the Konoha hero Naruto Uzumaki, and be his friend ever since she watched the video of Konoha 'Jinchūriki, Naruto, on the Heavenly Screen.
"Fu, calm down," the older elder tried to reassure her. "The situation is unusual lately..."
"Special! Special! They always say that!" Fu rolled onto the ground, her bare feet landing on the conference table, her fingers almost poking Shibuki's nose. "Last time they said they'd observe the Sunagakure and Sound Ninja's sneak attack on Konoha, then they said the contents of the Heavenly Screen had all countries on alert—and now they're saying they're going to start Shinobi World War!"
She suddenly unfurled her Chakra wings, scattering shimmering scales throughout the room. "You're treating me like a prisoner!"
Shibuki smiled wryly and brushed the scales off his shoulder.
Outside the window, the iconic giant waterfall of Takigakure roared, and the mist refracted rainbows in the sunlight—this village, which should have been one of the most beautiful in the Shinobi World, had now become a magnificent cage that imprisoned the young girl.
"Fu..." Shibuki gestured for the guards to step back, his voice lowering, "You know that Akatsuki that's playing on the Heavenly Screen, right?"
Fu's wings folded slightly. "That terrorist organization that wants to kidnap Naruto?"
"According to the latest intelligence, the Five Kage met in the Land of Iron and have clarified that the Akatsuki's goal is very likely to capture the Nine Tailed Beasts." Shibuki unfolded a secret document and handed it to Fu.
Fu's pupils contracted slightly. Although she was lively and active, she wasn't stupid. As Jinchūriki, she understood better than anyone what it meant to have her Tailed Beast extracted.
"Our Takigakure is no longer the powerful nation it was during the time of the First Boss." Shibuki pointed to the village hidden behind the waterfall outside the window. "This natural barrier is both protection and restriction. If the Akatsuki targets you..."
His voice choked slightly. The image of his father dying to protect the Seven-Tails was still vivid in his mind.
Fu silently folded her wings and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor.
"I understand." Fu suddenly turned and walked towards the door, her voice muffled. "But one day, I will definitely go!"
Watching her departing figure, the elders all sighed.
"Lord Shibuki, is this really alright?" the captain of the guard whispered. "Given Fu's personality, she might..."
"Strengthen the barrier around the waterfall." Shibuki waved wearily, "Send two more small teams on 24-hour shifts."
He walked to the window and watched Fu fly away towards the Training Ground outside the village. The girl's Chakra wings shimmered in the sunlight, but she could not escape the curtain of water that imprisoned her.
"Let's wait until the Five Kage Summit has a result, "Shibuki muttered to himself. "If what the Heavenly Screen showed is true, then another great war is likely to break out..."
His gaze shifted to the ancient scroll in the corner of the office—sealed within it was the Hero Water, collected from the giant tree of Takigakure that could produce it every hundred years. Drinking it would increase one 'Chakra by dozens of times, but would also greatly shorten one's lifespan.
At the highest point of the Training Ground, Fu sat on a treetop with her knees drawn up, letting the mist dampen her short hair. From here, one could vaguely see the world outside the village—the rolling mountains.
"Little Seven, why are they all so scared?" she whispered to the Tailed Beast within her.
[Idiot, it's because our power is too strong, of course.] The voice of Seven-Tails Chōmei echoed in her mind. [Those humans want to use our power, but are afraid of losing control.] Fu rested her chin on her knees. "But isn't Naruto in the Heavenly Screen doing well? Everyone approves of him..."
[Hmph, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki is an exception.] Chongming seemed somewhat displeased. [However... that Akatsuki is indeed troublesome.]
A leaf drifted down into Fu's palm, and she suddenly clenched her fist. "If only I could be as strong as Naruto in the Heavenly Screen '! Then I wouldn't have to hide all the time..."
The sound of a patrolling guard could be heard in the distance, and Fu reflexively suppressed her Chakra. When would this precarious existence end?
As she gazed at the clouds drifting across the sky, she suddenly wondered—was Naruto, a boy her age in Konoha, also looking at the same sky at this very moment?
As dusk enveloped the forest in a pale purple twilight, the surface of three seemingly ordinary tree trunks suddenly revealed craggy, face-shaped features.
The White Zetsu's pale skin blended perfectly with the tree bark, and even their Chakra was simulated to mimic the natural fluctuations of plants.
"The target has appeared again~" the shortest White Zetsu said in a whisper, his eyes fixed on the waterfall.
At the edge of the waterfall, Fu sat on the edge of a rock, splashing in the water. Her emerald green Chakra wings were folded behind her, gleaming with an amber glow in the setting sun. Two ANBU Anbu of the Waterfall Guard stood guard ten meters away, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
"What a nuisance!" complained the White Zetsu in the middle. "This village is hidden like a turtle shell; even a fly flying in would be detected."
The tallest White Zetsu grinned, revealing its pearly white teeth. "But it's different if the Jinchūriki comes out on its own~ Lord Zetsu said that this Seven-Tails brat can't stand being alone."
They exchanged information silently, transmitting images in real time to their original bodies in the Land of Rain through the network of spore plants.
Ever since Jue discovered Fu sneaking out of the village halfway through the journey, this surveillance team has been keeping watch in shifts 24 hours a day.
"Speaking of which," the short White Zetsu suddenly lowered his voice, "Why doesn't Lord Pain just attack directly? At this distance—"
"Idiot!" The tall guy slapped him on the head (if that tangled mass of plant tissue could be considered a head), "Didn't you hear what Lord Black Zetsu said? All the countries are focused on the Akatsuki right now; we need to wait for the outcome of the Five Kage Summit."
Suddenly, Fu stood up on the rock, startling the three White Zetsu, who instantly froze into real trees. The girl stretched, her wings fully spread, their scales shimmering in the twilight.
"It's about time we went home today~" Fu's voice drifted on the wind, "I'll come find you to play again tomorrow, little squirrel!"
She waved towards the treetops and leaped down the waterfall. The Anbu immediately formed hand seals, and transparent Chakra channels appeared on the surface of the waterfall, safely bringing the Jinchūriki back to the village.
Only after confirming that Fu had really left did the three White Zetsu become active again.
"Did she just spot us?" the short man asked nervously, looking around nervously.
"Idiot, we're a perfect disguise!" The tall guy smugly twisted his body. "But this kid's perception is definitely stronger than the intelligence said. Starting tomorrow, we need to increase the distance by another 500 meters."
White Zetsu, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke, "New orders."
"Continue to monitor them, paying particular attention to the Jinchūriki's daily activities. Do not alert them before the Five Kage Summit concludes."
"Yes!" the three White Zetsu answered in unison, then slowly sank into the tree trunk as if they had never existed.
As dusk deepened, the sound of the waterfall masked all unnatural noises in the forest. No one would have guessed that on this seemingly peaceful night, the enemy had already uncovered the greatest secret of Takigakure.
In the Takigakure, Fu tossed and turned restlessly in her sleep.
She dreamt that she was running through a dark forest, with something chasing closely behind her—it wasn't human or animal, but rather clumps of writhing, pale shadows.
"Little Seven... Little Seven!" she cried out to the Tailed Beast within her in her dream, but received no response.
Suddenly, eyes opened on all the tree bark. Thousands upon thousands of White Zetsu surged in from all directions, their fingers transforming into vines that entwined around her wings...
"No!"
Fu sat up abruptly, her pajamas soaked with cold sweat. The moonlight outside the window was like water, and the roar of the waterfall remained steady. She touched the wing imprint on her back with trembling hands—it was faintly warm there.
"[Did you have a nightmare?]" Chongming's lazy voice finally rang out.
"Hmm..." Fu hugged her knees tightly, "It feels like something is staring at me..."
After a moment of silence, Seven-Tails said, "[Don't leave the village tomorrow.]"
The usually rebellious girl didn't argue this time. She reached for the Shuriken beside her pillow, and for the first time, she felt that perhaps the elders' concerns were not unfounded.