The Hidden Leaf Village

The Hidden Leaf Village [Please Vote for Me]

Toneri felt that his eyelids were incredibly heavy, and every part of his body ached with a swollen soreness.

The scratches on his body were especially bad. It felt as though hundreds of ants were crawling over them, trying to burrow beneath his skin.

He desperately tried to open his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

Most importantly!

That tingling sensation from earlier...

It was now spreading toward the area below Toneri's abdomen, gathering where Little Toneri quietly resided...

That feeling.

Toneri desperately tried to stop it, but still couldn't.

In the end, the sensation came and went quickly.

Everything suddenly felt rather anticlimactic.

Because he could finally open his eyes again.

But what he saw wasn't a colorful world. It was that familiar, dimly lit sealing space!

When his consciousness reached its limit, he'd been pulled into the sealing space.

That meant he could no longer feel the extreme discomfort in his body.

"Thank you, Big Beauty. I owe you one."

Toneri didn't blame the Two-Tails.

He didn't hold it against her for only pouring chakra into him at the last critical moment.

He'd been somewhat uncertain before, but now he knew that even an incomplete Tailed Beast Cloak was more than he could endure at this point.

Since he couldn't endure it for long, choosing the best moment to use it was crucial.

As for the fact that the Two-Tails had released too much chakra at the start, nearly swallowing Toneri's consciousness—

That wasn't her fault either. The chakra she released might have been only a tiny fraction of her own power. Toneri's body simply couldn't handle it.

"Hmph—"

Hearing Toneri's sincere thanks, the Two-Tails turned her head and gave a soft snort, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

But the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth didn't escape Toneri's notice.

Little Tsundere.

"Your body is far too weak. It can't withstand my power at all. If you hadn't told me to stop in time, you would've probably burst apart.

"But... how did you know... how did you know how to release a Tailed Beast Ball?

"You actually released one with that tiny amount of chakra.

"Calling it a Tailed Beast Ball is an insult to the real thing, but that's exactly how one is formed. There's no mistaking it!"

The Two-Tails brought her head close to the bars, looking at Toneri from as close as she could.

Or rather, scrutinizing him!

Toneri was used to it.

Whenever he'd told the Two-Tails stories, she'd always stood up at the most exciting parts and stared at him with that extremely "friendly" look.

So Toneri was used to it.

Without even blinking, he said, "I don't know. I really don't. I just suddenly felt that doing it that way might let me unleash the most powerful attack. You know what condition my body was in. If I'd kept going, I might have caused permanent damage!"

The Two-Tails looked unconvinced.

Toneri just shrugged and said no more.

He really didn't know how to use it. The method for releasing a Tailed Beast Ball had suddenly surfaced from the depths of his memory. So when he'd been lying on the ground, he'd naturally unleashed a weakened version of one.

Still, judging by the results, it had been quite effective.

The only drawback was that he'd exhausted himself and lost consciousness.

Before his eyes closed, all he'd seen was...

At the thought, Toneri immediately asked, "By the way, Big Beauty, what's the situation outside? Just before I lost consciousness, I think I saw a green vest!

"It looked a bit like... a ninja's vest."

At that, the Two-Tails' expression changed as well, turning grave.

If the figure who'd appeared at the end really was a ninja, then both Toneri and the Two-Tails would be in trouble.

And serious trouble at that!

The biggest concern was not knowing which side the ninja belonged to. If it was Kumo...

The Two-Tails slowly shook her head and replied in a low, muffled voice, "I'm sealed inside you. I can only see what you can see. Now that you're unconscious, how would I know what's happening outside?

"The only thing I know is that your body isn't in too bad a shape. With my chakra helping, your injuries should heal soon.

"But... I have no idea who has your body now or where you're headed."

Toneri nodded gravely.

Although he had a guess about the ninja in the green vest, he still felt uneasy.

He'd made some plans, but the sudden appearance of this Kumo Anbu had thrown them into disarray.

In the largest and most fertile land at the center of the Ninja World stood a hidden village renowned throughout the Shinobi World!

Konohagakure!

It was the place Toneri had been headed for.

It represented the military might of the Land of Fire and was one of the strongest ninja villages in the world!

At the heart of Konohagakure's power stood its tallest domed building, backed by stone carvings of the faces of every Hokage in Konoha's history. A huge "Fire" character was painted across its center.

Quite a few people had gathered in the Hokage's office.

The man sitting behind the enormous desk, a lit pipe clenched between his lips, was the strongest man in Konohagakure and its de facto leader—the Hokage!

The white Hokage robe clearly read "Third" across the back.

He was a middle-aged man just beginning to show his age. Various documents were arranged neatly across his desk.

At its center rested a ceremonial hat emblazoned with a fiery red "Fire" character, the highest symbol of the Hokage's honor!

This was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third of Konohagakure, known as the Shinobi World Professor!

His expression was serious as he examined the document before him. It contained detailed information about a person, and the photograph attached to it showed Toneri with his eyes closed.

Several other people sat silently in the office as well.

Of course, the four people standing in front of the desk—one adult and three children—couldn't be overlooked!

They were the ones who had placed the document on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.

The office felt heavy with silence. The only movement came from the tobacco smoldering in Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe, sending wisps of white smoke drifting through the room.

Before long, the whole office was filled with the bitter smell of tobacco.

The children standing before his desk instinctively covered their noses with their hands.

Noticing their reaction, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally came to his senses.

He looked at the leader of the four, the only ninja among them wearing a green vest. He was the other three's captain and their temporary instructor.

"Shikashin, did you clean up all the traces at the border?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe and rubbed his temples with his right hand.

He hadn't been back long after returning from the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

With the Second Shinobi World War nearing its end, something this serious had happened at such a critical moment. Even he found it a major headache.

Shikashin Nara nodded, looking helpless. He really had no choice but to get caught up in this.

He'd only received a tip that foreign intelligence agents might be trying to enter the Land of Fire. He'd happened to be taking three early-graduating kids to investigate and give them a taste of the world.

Who could've known he'd bring back such a "thing"?

Still, he answered dutifully, "Yes, Third!"

What a headache of a situation. But for some reason, he felt a little excited, too.

The Shinobi World's ten greatest unsolved mysteries: between Danzo, who openly acts shady, and the Third, who secretly schemes, who's more underhanded?

Yesterday, someone said they wanted to see Jin Mu set up a bathtub. Today, it's here! Don't ask the price. If you ask, vote for me!