"Why isn't Uncle Hua Yan at the Temple?" Souya sat cross-legged on the bed, asking the Old Monk on the cushion.
"He went to see the Kazekage..." The Old Monk took a calm sip of rich rice tea and spoke leisurely.
"Hm?"
"Grand-Uncle Bunpuku..." Souya's expression froze. He had instantly realized what made this Temple so special.
"Yes... Senior Brother Bunpuku... will probably pass away before long." The Old Monk, who had been wearing a faint smile, suddenly grew solemn.
"He's had such a hard life... Chosen as a Jinchuriki when he was young, he could suppress the Tailed Beast inside him after mastering Sealing Techniques, thanks to his exceptional talent. But he never once set foot outside that place..." The Old Monk put down his teacup and sighed heavily.
The room fell silent for a while. At last, Souya spoke again. "What about the new Jinchuriki candidate? Has one been chosen?"
The Old Monk glanced at Souya, who had crossed his legs beneath him, then slowly shook his head. "Not yet. It's up to the Kazekage to decide."
"Finding a new Jinchuriki won't be easy, will it? They need to be strong-willed and loyal to Sunagakure. And most importantly, our Sealing Techniques have too many flaws..."
"If the Jinchuriki doesn't have a solid foundation in Sealing Techniques, the violent Tailed Beast Chakra will sooner or later shatter their mind and turn them into a lunatic who only knows how to kill!" Souya rubbed his chin and spoke at length.
Especially after fighting Minato Namikaze, Souya had experienced firsthand just how absurdly large the gap between the two villages was.
Forget the Eight Trigrams Seal, which could perfectly seal even the Nine-Tails. Even Kumogakure's Iron Armor Seal was far more advanced than Sunagakure's technique for sealing Tailed Beasts.
The Old