What Do You Think You Are?

The moment the advisor Mitokado Homura, uttered the words "You are not," he immediately realized something was amiss.

"This isn't the place for you to spout nonsense." Mitokado Homura's words weren't harsh, but Tsunade had almost torn off all ties with them over a high-ranking position.

Even a seasoned advisor like Mitokado Homura was furious to see a young man sitting in a high-ranking position.

Is this a place for you to fool around? This is utter nonsense!

Tsunade was also taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Naruto, wondering what had gotten into him. She just wanted to get Naruto to make an appearance at the meeting and, incidentally, solidify her position.

After Naruto finished speaking, he sat down calmly, showing considerable patience.

Just as Mitokado Homura was about to reprimand him again, he finally spoke up, his tone sly and deliberately interrupting the old advisor once more.

"I'm not kidding, the Nine-Tails ran away."

"What ran away?" a senior executive asked.

"The Nine-Tails," Naruto repeated, "The Nine-Tails- Tailed Beast, is gone now. Don't ask me where it went, it's just not inside me."

The meeting room was quiet for a moment, then immediately became noisy again.

"Didn't the Ninja Academy teach you about honesty? Everyone here is a high-ranking official; stop showing off your skills here," said a high-ranking official he had never met before.

The person sitting at the back is probably the head of a department.

This meeting was not of a high level, and some of those present were not truly high-ranking officials, but they still wielded considerable power. Some Danzo, while others adopted the neutral stance of advisors.

Naruto suddenly realized that whether he was a high-ranking member or not was unimportant to them, because he was Jinchuriki. Jinchuriki wear the skin of a high-ranking member, but he was still just Jinchuriki.

He looked at Tsunade, Tsunade was also looking at him with a furrowed brow, but she did not say anything.

"Shut up!"

Naruto was getting annoyed. Ignoring the two advisors and several high-ranking officials sitting there, he banged on the table and said, "What nonsense are you spouting, calling someone Jinchuriki?"

"Have you said enough! Do I really need to make up a lie?"

"I've already told you, the Nine-Tails has broken free of its seal and escaped! Can you understand human speech? It's escaped."

Seeing Naruto's anger, the assembled bigwigs remained unmoved. They exchanged glances before fixing their gazes on the four top executives.

Danzo, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the Fifth Hokage. These four high-ranking members of Konohagakure held positions superior to everyone else in the Konohagakure.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Tsunade finally spoke; as the Fifth Hokage, she had to step forward.

"Um."

Naruto appeared calmer, but in reality, there was no anger in his eyes even when he was annoyed; it was all just an act.

He had long since taken the identity of Jinchuriki lightly, and as for questions like why he was chosen out of so many people, he already had the answer.

Responsibility, fate—it's all bullshit.

He was just unlucky; the Fourth Hokage died, and he had no resources to support him. With Tsunade and Jiraiya arriving, his treatment changed completely; he's now a high-ranking figure, like Naruto Uzumaki.

What's there to hold back? Jiraiya and Tsunade are still around; would Danzo dare to lay a hand on him? The answer is obvious.

Tsunade stared at Naruto, her face clearly showing her displeasure. She realized that Naruto had been hiding things from her all along, Jiraiya, " Does that old bastard Jiraiya know?"

"Is the Nine-Tails really not inside your body anymore?" she asked.

"It's not here." Naruto pulled out the soft chair and stood up, pulling open the shirt over his stomach. "The Four Symbols Seal is gone. This can't be faked, can it?"

"My teacher has also confirmed that the Nine-Tails has left."

Tsunade didn't react much and leaned back in her seat. Even though she still had doubts, she wasn't in such a hurry after hearing Jiraiya confirm it.

But the Konoha High Command in the conference room weren't as calm as she was. The disappearance of the Tailed Beast had thrown them into an uproar.

"How is this possible? How could Tailed Beast just disappear like that? You must have done something to it!"

"Yes, it's impossible for Jinchuriki to survive alone after being separated from Tailed Beast. This matter is not that simple! I think the Anbu should investigate this matter thoroughly and find out the whole story." someone echoed.

"That makes sense. The current situation is strange, and we can't draw any conclusions for the time being. After all, the Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts rely on the power of the Tailed Beasts, and they depend on each other for survival. They cannot exist independently."

"Why is something like this happening at the border? Even if we find out the truth, who can bring the Nine-Tails back? If we make a big fuss, the other villages will notice. I suggest we keep the news under wraps before we conduct a thorough investigation."

"It's not that easy to block out the news. Do you think waiting will do any good? The Tailed Beasts are not coming back. The most important thing is to strengthen our defenses. The Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts in Sunagakure have returned."

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura remained silent, their brows furrowed. Danzo sat in his seat, his expression somber, but made no move.

Finally, Danzo couldn't help but speak up, staring at him and asking.

"Do you know what you're saying, Naruto Uzumaki?"

As Danzo spoke, the entire conference room fell silent. In Konohagakure, hierarchy was strictly observed, and the higher-ups could only treat Danzo with utmost respect.

"I know, Nine-Tails has escaped," Naruto said.

He made up for his nutritional deficiencies over the course of a year and grew considerably taller, approaching 1.7 meters, which is considered quite fast growth among his peers.

Standing there, he didn't look as nervous as an ordinary teenager.

"Nonsense! Don't think you're so great just because you act like it's nothing." Danzo stared at him with his cloudy eyes. "This is a major matter concerning the interests of the village, and you are responsible for it."

"If you are still Konohagakure ninja, put away your arrogance and explain the whole story clearly. You probably don't know what you've done. The Tailed Beast play a crucial role in the safety of the village."

"What does this have to do with me?" Naruto pulled out a chair, sat down with a sullen face, and stared at Danzo. "Take responsibility? You want me to take responsibility?"

"On what grounds?"

"Just because you're a Jinchuriki of a Tailed Beast and a ninja of Konoha!" Koharu Utatane couldn't hold back any longer and rebuked her with a hint of anger.

Tsunade couldn't stand it anymore and tapped the table.

"He's still a child."

"Child?" Mitokado Homura also joined the fray. The thought of giving up his Konohagakure seat made him feel like a fool who had been tricked.

They were clearly forced to compromise, giving up a seat in exchange for a more legitimate demand that the Jinchuriki to the village's development of the Tailed Beast. It's normal to disagree at first; they'll gradually compromise.

But what now? What compromises are we talking about! The Nine-Tails is gone, and we're supposed to develop it? What's the point of developing it? Konohagakure not only has to be on guard against attacks from the Nine-Tails at any time, but also has to do everything possible to block the news.

Even so, the truth will eventually come out. At that point, Konohagakure will be caught in a pincer movement against the other four great ninja villages.

If things go wrong, even Sunagakure, which just signed a friendship agreement with Konohagakure, will have to deal with the Sand.

The more Mitokado Homura thought about it, the worse his mood became. Tsunade's comment that he was still a child completely ignited his anger. How could you call a tailed beast jinchūriki a child?

"Fifth Hokage, where do you put the interests of the village? There are many more children in the village. If Konohagakure is drawn into war, the fate of those children will be even more tragic."

Mitokado Homura said with a heavy expression, "Kumogakure has always been restless, and Iwagakure is also targeting Konohagakure. War is not just talk; it could become a reality at any time."

The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became tense, with Danzo wearing a stern face. While the group appeared to be questioning Naruto, they were actually putting pressure on Tsunade.

"Sizzle!"

Naruto's sudden laughter broke the tense atmosphere, immediately displeasing Mitokado Homura.

"Why are you laughing?"

"What am I laughing at?" Naruto asked with a look of astonishment. "What do you think I'm laughing at? I'm laughing at how stupid and incompetent everyone here is."

"What did you say?" Mitokado Homura's patience was also limited.

"Wasn't I clear enough?" Naruto said after looking around. "Has Konohagakure become so rotten? The mere Nine-Tails has disappeared, as if Konohagakure is about to collapse."

"The First Hokage captured the Nine-Tails to suppress and seal it, but what about now? The Nine-Tails has gone out of control and you can't suppress it, and in the end you'll blame the Jinchuriki."

"Since Konohagakure can't control the Nine-Tails, wouldn't it be better for them to leave? What's the point of keeping it? They keep saying it's for the sake of the Konoha, but what they really want is hard to say."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Utatane Koharu asked with a serious expression.

"I'm not talking nonsense." Naruto's attitude hardened, and he glanced at Tsunade, Tsunade didn't look at him, so he continued.

"I've wanted to say this for a long time: let whoever wants to be the Jinchuriki be it. If you're so capable, capture the Nine-Tails and find another Jinchuriki. Or try and see if you can make me bow down?"

"If you have the guts, kill me. Don't try to fool me like a child. Aren't you so good at forcing heroes to their deaths? Try it again and tell everyone in Konohagakure that this is the fate of Konohagakure's heroes, and this is the fate of the descendants of Konohagakure's heroes."

Naruto stared intently at Danzo and the two advisors. "I just don't understand, why should I be kind and make sacrifices?"

"You're just doing what you think is right, and you don't care about the life or death of the Jinchuriki at all. You keep talking about Jinchuriki, but who is the Jinchuriki?"

As he Naruto, Naruto grew increasingly angry, and a dense, fiery red Chakra manifested behind him, forming the phantom of a fiery red fox. Instantly, everyone in the conference room stood up abruptly.

Damn it, it's the Nine-Tails!

Only Naruto and the four high-ranking members remained seated, their faces serious.

"Don't be surprised. The Nine-Tails' escape doesn't mean I can't use my power," he said in a deep voice. "You may be afraid of the Nine-Tails, but I'm not. What you can't do, I can do."

"You keep saying you're Jinchuriki, so what are you anyway?"