Former Jinchuriki

"Caught it."

A black shadow rose up, drawing a smooth parabola, and fell towards where Otoha was standing.

"Huh?"

Otoha was stunned for a moment, then his body reacted instinctively, catching the falling Han. The heavy weight made his waist sink down.

"I see you're quite curious, so I'll leave him in your care... Don't let him die, I went to great lengths to keep our former Jinchuriki alive." Katsuki smiled slightly.

Former Jinchuriki?

Otoha's pupils contracted; this concise description shattered all the doubts in his heart.

The Sharingan with its Mitsudomoe spun wildly, its blood-red eyes fixed on the weak-breathing man held in its hand.

With his eye power, it wouldn't be difficult for him to see through the Jinchuriki's identity, especially since the Jinchuriki was in this state, without any power to resist. He easily saw through the situation inside the Tailed Beast Chakra; the separation was almost perfect.

It wasn't just Otoha who noticed the rare and uncommon phrase "former Jinchuriki." Apart from Kakashi and Kuyue, the rest of the group had various expressions, all unable to hide their astonishment.

If Han was the 'former Jinchuriki,' then where is the current Jinchuriki...?

"Katsuki, you..."

Nawaki opened his mouth, but didn't know how to say it.

"No need to worry, I am now the genuine Five-Tails Jinchuriki."

Katsuki extended her index finger and gently placed it against her lips, gesturing for silence.

Crimson light spots separated, swirling and dancing around the body, converging in one place, like wisps of crimson smoke rolling around.

"Look! This thing is really troublesome to control. That Five-Tails won't cooperate with me at all; I can only steal its Chakra by force... But the Tailed Beast Cloak is quite interesting; it provides an all-around boost to defense, attack power, and movement speed..."

Katsuki kept muttering to herself, like a child showing off her new toy.

The Tailed Beast Cloak on his body was dazzlingly red, exuding an ominous aura unique to Tailed Beast. Nawaki, who had fought the Five-Tails twice, naturally felt it even more deeply.

"... The Five-Tails Jinchuriki? I don't even know what to say anymore. Is this the real purpose of the experiment?" Nawaki murmured.

No!

Katsuki shook her head in denial, waved her hand to retract the Tailed Beast Cloak, and the crimson Chakra light instantly faded, disappearing back into her body.

"Strictly speaking, the result of my experiment is that guy in Otoha's hands, our former Jinchuriki."

The finger pointed at the man that Otoha was carrying.

"Huh? That half-dead guy?" Nawaki was stunned.

"No!!! Cough cough..."

Rokuro Kaguya spoke too fast, causing him to cough violently.

"Cough cough... Uh, um, why is that guy still alive?"

A single word awakened me from my dream.

Nawaki and the others suddenly realized, "Yes! Compared to Katsuki's transformation into the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han's survival is far more astonishing."

Once Jinchuriki has their Tailed Beast extracted, they will undoubtedly die.

This is a consensus circulating in the Shinobi World. The Five Great Ninja Villages have dedicated decades to researching Jinchuriki, but they have yet to discover a way for Jinchuriki to survive without their Tailed Beast...

Of course, that's not entirely accurate. The research focus of the Five Great Ninja Villages is not on protecting the safety of Jinchuriki, but rather on researching the Perfect Jinchuriki.

For Jinchuriki, the Tailed Beast is the most valuable element, while the Jinchuriki himself is just a temporary host. Even if he is damaged, you can just replace him with another one. There is no need to go to great lengths to protect this container.

Furthermore, the replacement of Jinchuriki is not very common.

They either fall into the hands of the enemy, or the Jinchuriki is devoured by the power of the Tailed Beast, or the Jinchuriki's lifespan is about to end, forcing a replacement.

In either case, the life or death of the Jinchuriki is irrelevant.

After a brief moment of surprise, everyone calmed down. It was indeed surprising that Han hadn't died, but in terms of influence, he wasn't that bad.

"You guys are so boring! Don't underestimate my research!" Katsuki scoffed, his lips trembling with displeasure. The Five-Tails' power was just a new toy to him, not particularly significant for the time being. But Han's survival gave him hope...

Kushina's hope of escaping the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

As long as Kushina is no longer the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, no matter how strong the power of the historical correction is, the possibility of Kushina's death will be greatly reduced.

"It's almost time. Stop standing here in a daze and get back to the village."

Katsuki did not give the others a chance to ask questions.

He urged and shooed everyone away, leaving only Rokuro Kaguya with a hopeful expression and two little ones by his side.

"Lord Katsuki, um... I..."

"Ah, your problem isn't urgent, and it's not something that can be solved in a short time. Let's talk about it properly when we get back to the village."

"Finally... finally they're gone! Those plague-like old men are finally gone!"

"I'm exhausted. I've been scared out of my wits these past few days, terrified that I might accidentally offend some big shots and end up not even knowing how I died."

The Grass Ninja sat on the ground, each one looking relieved, their lighthearted conversations drifting on the hillside.

The Konoha ninja army broke camp and left, the vast cloud of dust disappearing on the horizon.

This period of time terrified the Grass Ninja, making their lives extremely difficult. On one hand, they had to serve the big shots of Konoha, and on the other hand, they worried about Konoha's defeat. They were also secretly having an affair with the Stone Ninja, caught between the two big shots, which was truly a living hell.

Fortunately--

These painful days are finally over.

The Stone Ninja also suffered heavy losses this time, and their always-restless neighbor to the south was crippled by Konoha. Even Hanzō is dead. If they just need to appease Konoha's powerful figures, their future will likely be much easier...

"Konoha? They're... terrifyingly strong."

The leader of the Grass Ninja recalled the land to the northwest bordering the Land of Earth: the ravaged earth, the murky air, the scorched vegetation, the lingering stench of blood... everything spoke of the terrible devastation that had befallen this place.

That kind of power, if combined, would be impossible for anyone in Kusagakure to resist.

For a small country like theirs, all they can do is cling to a powerful patron, find a reliable backer, and stick close to them.

Hearing the young Grass Ninja rejoice at not having fought alongside the Iwa Stone Ninja like the Konoha Ninja, a hint of helplessness flashed in the leader's eyes. These young people were so spineless; the Kusagakure ...

"Trying to please the big shots of Konoha? Hopefully, the current Fourth Hokage will be a bit easier to talk to; these days are getting harder and harder..." (To be continued)