The Shameless Nine-Tails

Konoha, Hokage's Office.

"I plan to take my three apprentices with me on this trip, so they can broaden their horizons. What do you think?"

As soon as Taiichi finished speaking, Minato's expression turned cold.

"Taiichi, do you know what you're saying? They're still kids who haven't graduated yet, how can you let them participate in this kind of mission?"

"Uh—" Taiichi scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm not taking them on a mission, I'm just taking them out for a break. This is a crucial time for their Sage Mode training; they can't relax, but they also can't overtrain, so I need to keep an eye on them."

Minato understood, but was also surprised. He knew about Professor Taiichi and the other two using Sage Mode, but he hadn't expected this—

"Have those three kids really mastered the basics?"

Taiichi's Kakuzu stretched to his ears in a wide grin; his smugness was undisguised.

"That's right. At the current pace, we estimate that Sage Mode will be able to be initially applied to actual combat in about six months."

"Oh, that's really good news." Minato's face broke into a smile again. He paced back and forth a few times, considering Taiichi's strength and the children's need for training, and finally made up his mind, "Don't take them on any risks. This is a time of peace; we don't need to expose the children to these things prematurely."

"Look at what you're saying, do you think I'm that kind of person?" Taiichi waved his hand nonchalantly. "Then I'll take them away, no take-backs allowed!"

After saying that, without waiting for Minato's response, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the office.

"You—" Minato stared at the empty office, speechless for a long time, before finally managing to utter the rest of his words, "Is this the kind of person you are?"

On the forest path leading to the Land of Rain, four figures were moving forward at a steady pace.

Leading the group was Taichi Matsushita, with his three disciples following closely behind at the normal marching pace of ninjas.

A gentle breeze rustled through the treetops.

The atmosphere in the group was initially somewhat silent. After all, it was the first time the three children had officially left the village with their teacher. Although they weren't exactly carrying out a mission, only they themselves knew the standards.

However, they hadn't gone far when the three of them couldn't contain their excitement and started chatting away.

Until----

"Teacher!" Jiangtai kept looking around, as if searching for something. "I feel like something is following us. Do you feel that way too?"

Since cultivating the Sage Mode, Jiangtai's senses have become extremely sharp, and he was the first to notice the anomaly.

The group gradually came to a stop because of Jiangtai's question.

Yami and Itachi also cautiously looked around, trying to find the thing that Jiangtai had mentioned.

Taiichi smiled with satisfaction, looked at Jiangtai, and praised, "Good lad, your vigilance is commendable."

Then he shouted loudly towards the bushes to his upper right, "We've been following you all this way, so stop hiding! We've already been spotted!"

The three little ones all turned their gazes toward the direction Taiichi had called out. There was a moment of silence, and then, as if stimulated by the four gazes, the leaves began to rustle.

The three children immediately became serious and took out Kunai from their Ninja Tool Pouch, becoming wary.

The leaves swayed more and more violently, as if something was getting closer and closer. The three little ones became more and more nervous, and they could Kunai.

A leaf drifted down in front of Jiangtai, briefly obscuring his vision. Just then, a fiery red shadow darted out from the swaying leaf like lightning.

Without thinking twice, Jiangtai Kunai from his hand and flung it straight at the red figure.

Following closely behind, seeing Jiangtai attack, Yami and Itachi also threw their Kunai at the same time.

"Slap, slap, slap"

Three quick parries were made in quick succession, and three Kunai were sent flying.

"You three brats, know who I am! You're just letting me pet your fur for nothing!"

An angry whimpering sound came, and the three little ones immediately stopped what they were doing.

Itachi, who was the fastest at Hand Seals, had already begun to inhale, his Chakra already gathered at the top of his throat, just short of exhaling the Great Fireball from his mouth.

"Nine- Nine-Tails Fox Boss, it's you?"

Jiangtai stammered, his eyes somewhat vacant. What had they been guarding for all this time?

Yami and Itachi also sheathed their weapons and let out a long breath. That moment was their first real battle, and now that they had recovered, they felt a bit sore and weak from the excessive adrenaline.

Nine-Tails glanced sideways at Jiangtai, snorting disdainfully, "What? Can't I come? Do you own this road?"

"No, no—" Jiangtai shrank back.

This kid gets beaten up by the Nine-Tails quite a bit at home, under the guise of "training." He's starting to feel the effects of the stress.

Taiichi observed everything, including the way the three little ones had handled the situation, and was quite satisfied.

He stepped forward and patted Jiangtai, who was about to speak, then looked down at Nine-Tails walking over, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

"You rascal, why didn't you stay home? Why did you sneak over here?"

These words seemed to have flipped a switch. The Nine-Tails immediately changed its expression, adopting a fawning look. With a leap, it jumped onto Taiichi's shoulder, its fluffy tail wrapping around Taiichi's neck in a pleading manner. Its voice softened, even carrying a hint of grievance.

"Taiichi, how could you say that? I'm just worried about you! The Land of Bears is such a remote and impoverished place, I've heard it has strange poisonous afflictions. It's always good to have more people—more foxes to look after you!"

It deliberately spoke in a pitiful tone, which made Itachi and Yami, who were standing nearby, exchange a secret glance. It sounded awkward coming from Nine-Tails's mouth.

Taiichi half-smile, but didn't reply.

Seeing that this move wasn't very effective, Nine-Tails rolled its eyes and immediately changed its strategy.

It stopped squatting and lay down, its two front paws gripping Taiichi's collar, its furry head close to Taiichi's ear, and began to mutter in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Look how well-behaved I've been lately—since that woman Tsunade ran away, I haven't caused a single trouble. I've even been playing with the village kids. I swear, I'm more obedient than the stone lion in front of Minato's house!"

As it spoke, it nuzzled Taiichi's cheek with its head, its crimson fur soft and warm.

"Just take me out for some fresh air, okay? I've been cooped up in the village for so long, my fur is practically turning brown! I promise, this time I'll obey orders! If you tell me to go east, I won't go west; if you tell me to catch a dog, I won't catch a chicken! If I don't behave, you can put me back in the seal and lock me up for three days—no, five days of solitary confinement!"

It became more and more enthusiastic as it spoke, even raising one of its front paws and holding it to its ear like a human making an oath, its expression one of forced "utmost sincerity," but unfortunately, its darting golden eyes betrayed it.

Taiichi felt a little itchy from being rubbed against, tilted his head, but still teased, "Oh? So well-behaved? Then why did I hear Mizuki say the other day that there were two grilled saury missing from the kitchen?"

The Nine-Tails' body froze instantly.

"------that, that's----" It stammered for two seconds, then puffed out its little chest with a smug yet self-righteous air, "That's because I, the great one, am helping them taste the saltiness! What if the flavor isn't right? Wouldn't you be unhappy eating it? I'm just trying to help!"

"Pfft." Yami couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered her mouth.

Nine-Tails turned around and glared at her angrily, flicking its tail threateningly, but immediately reverted to its pitiful state and continued its "offensive" against Taiichi.

"Taiichi —please, Taiichi —take me with you! Look, I'm so strong, I can even be a henchman in a pinch, isn't that a great deal! Plus, my senses are sharp, I might be able to find those missing ninjas faster than you guys! I'm very useful!"

It began to list its "advantages," from its combat prowess to its perception, and even its ability to be cute and amusing, praising itself to the skies.

Finally, it even put its two front paws together and moved them up and down, making a gesture similar to "bowing," blinking its big eyes and drawing out its words: "Take me with you—please—okay!"

That deliberately affected, sickeningly sweet child's voice gave Taiichi a chill down his spine, and even Itachi's Kakuzu twitched slightly.

Taiichi sighed, stretched out his finger, and flicked the Nine-Tails' forehead lightly.

"Ouch!" Nine-Tails clutched its head, but its eyes lit up. Taiichi didn't refuse outright!

"I can take you there," Taiichi said slowly. Nine-Tails was right; its abilities were indeed very suitable for this kind of mission.

"Really?!" Nine-Tails almost jumped up.

"But—" Taiichi's tone shifted, his eyes sharpening, "Three rules. First, all actions must be under my command; no one is allowed to act without my permission. Second, protect the three of them."

He pointed to his apprentice behind him. "Third, if he dares to steal food or drink again, or cause any unnecessary trouble—"

He paused, watching Nine-Tails's body tense instantly, and slowly uttered the rest of his sentence: "After I get back, I'll find Teacher Tsunade and have her give you a checkup."

The Nine-Tails fox's fur bristled instantly, and it trembled as it imagined the terrifying scene.

However, a fox is still a fox, and no one can bury a fox's yearning for "freedom".

"Deal!" it immediately agreed loudly, afraid that Taiichi would change his mind. It even stretched out its little paw to give Taiichi high five. "I guarantee I'll complete the mission! I'll be absolutely obedient! I'll be absolutely well-behaved!"

Taiichi shook his head helplessly, but in the end he couldn't help but smile and gently touched its paw.

"Alright, remember what you said. Let's go."

"Alright!" Nine-Tails immediately became arrogant, squatted down on Taiichi's shoulder again, its fluffy tail swaying proudly. It even turned around and raised its chin at the three children, looking like it was showing off, "Look, I succeeded."

The group set off again. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the group of four people and one fox.

Nine-Tails squinted, savoring the long-lost feeling of freedom in the open fields outside the village, so happy she almost hummed a song.

The road to the Land of Bears is still long, but with this lively fox joining the journey, it won't be boring.

The Land of Bears is a small country nestled between the Land of Earth Land of Wind.

Unlike the Land of Birds, a small country that is often used as a battlefield by the Wind and Earth Kingdoms, the Land of Bears is almost entirely surrounded by a ring-shaped canyon.

The canyon is filled with miasma year-round, which not only isolates the Land of Bears the outside world but also protects its safety and ensures its independence.

Inside the canyon, the Hoshigakure is nestled deep in a dense forest. The entire village consists of only about eighty ninjas and is named after a strange meteorite that fell here two hundred years ago.

Inside the tallest wooden building in the center of the village, the Third Hoshikage was deep in thought with his eyes closed. Hurried footsteps sounded outside the window, and the door was suddenly pulled open.

"Lord Hoshikage!"

Hotarubi knelt on one knee, her forehead glistening with sweat beneath her Headband.

He had just returned from a border patrol mission when he heard news that sent chills down his spine.

"While Resupply in a small town on the outskirts of the canyon, my subordinates overheard the locals talking about how two Konoha ninja teams had gone missing near the town."

The Third Hoshikage opened his eyes, his deeply wrinkled face showing a solemn expression. "Explain in detail."

"Yes. According to the townspeople—"

Silence fell over the room. Hotarubi looked up and saw the Third Hoshikage's fingers tapping lightly on the table, a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought.

"Konoha will not allow its ninjas to disappear without a trace."

After a long silence, the Third Hoshikage slowly spoke, "Especially the disappearance of two squads one after another—this goes beyond the scope of ordinary missions. Once Konoha sends people to investigate and discovers that the incident occurred on our border—"

"They might suspect we did it," Hotarubi chimed in, his voice hoarse. "These great ninja villages are always ruthless and domineering. Even if it's just to give the village an explanation, Konoha needs a strategist. And us—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: Hoshigakure was too weak, too weak to withstand the suspicion of any major ninja village.

The Third Hoshikage stood up and walked to the window. From here, one could see the forbidden tower in the center of the village, where the meteorite known as "Star" was sealed. It was the source of all Ninjutsu in Hoshigakure, as well as their greatest secret and Achilles' heel.

"We can't let Konoha turn their attention to the village." He turned around, his gaze resolute. "Hotarubi, you set off immediately for that town. Wait for the Konoha people and fully cooperate with their investigation. Make sure they see that Hoshigakure has nothing to do with this and is willing to help find out the truth."

Hotarubi nodded emphatically. "Understood! I'll do it right away—"

"Remember," the Third Hoshikage interrupted him, "Your mission is to avoid conflict, not to get involved in the investigation. If any signs of danger are detected, retreat immediately and send a message back to the village. We—can't afford to gamble."

"Yes!"

Hotarubi turned and left, the sound of the wooden door closing echoing in the empty room. Third Hoshikage looked out the window again, muttering to himself, "I hope it's not too late—"

At the same time, outside that small town, deep in the dense forest.

Three figures faced off, the atmosphere tense and on the verge of conflict.

"I have completed the test as you requested!" Akahoshi- Headband, lowered his voice, but his anger almost burst forth from his words. "Two Konoha teams, completely wiped out, even the traces were erased! And now you tell me that's not enough?"

The two men standing opposite him, dressed in identical Black-bottomed Red Cloud Robe, were Kakuzu and Hiruko, Hiruko had recently joined the Akatsuki.

"The test is over," Kakuzu's voice was flat. "But the Akatsuki's rules are: completing the test only means you're qualified to join. Formal membership requires the personal approval of Leader Pain. And until then—" He held up one finger, "You're not a formal member of the organization, and we have no obligation to handle your personal affairs."