Spiriting her away

Four days passed in a flash.

Because they had to carry the still very weak Fu, Taiichi and the others' speed was inevitably affected.

Throughout the journey, Fu's behavior was completely unlike that of Jinchuriki who was heavily discriminated against by the villagers.

Even though her health is not good now, it doesn't change her cheerful and lively personality. She chatters away all day long without ever stopping.

All sorts of strange and unusual questions kept popping out of her mouth.

Questions like, "Is Taiichi the strongest ninja in the Ninja World?", "How old is Lady Tsunade this year?", and "Why does the Third Kazekage Hokage still go on missions at such an old age?" are frequently asked.

Some of her problems are infuriating, but in the end, you can always be touched by her optimistic personality.

This lively person immediately became taciturn after the group stepped into the territory of the Land of Waterfalls.

Such an obvious change naturally did not escape the notice of the three from Konoha. Before they had gone far, Tsunade could not contain her curiosity and asked directly.

"Hey, what's wrong with you today, little crow? I haven't heard you cawing at all!"

Fu stammered and hesitated for a long time before finally offering no explanation.

Seeing Tsunade, Tsunade didn't press her. The group simply continued their journey in silence, without the previous laughter and chatter.

The Land of Waterfalls is a small country, so once you've entered its territory, the rest of the journey will only take a blink of an eye.

When the news of the three Konoha members' return, along with the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, reached the ears of the Waterfall Village leadership, they were overjoyed.

We only realize the value of something after we've lost it.

The same applies to the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Without him, Waterfall Village felt like it had lost a crucial safeguard, and everyone in Waterfall Village had been feeling uneasy for the past few days.

Now it's all right, he's been found again, Waterfall Village truly received divine help.

The five high-ranking members of Waterfall Village rushed to the reception hall as quickly as possible. Even before they arrived, exclamations of praise could be heard.

"Konoha is indeed Konoha. They were able to complete such a difficult mission. The Akatsuki is indeed nothing to fear in front of Konoha."

The Third Kazekage and Tsunade looked embarrassed. If they had successfully brought back the Seven-Tails, this flattery would have been quite satisfying. But the problem was that the mission was not completed; they had only brought back an "empty shell."

As the leader Kui Mu, entered the hall, he immediately spotted Fu hiding behind Tsunade, and his smile widened. Only then did he turn his gaze to the Third Hokage.

"Third Hokage, I was deeply worried when I heard that you were ambushed by the Akatsuki on your way. Fortunately, everyone is safe and sound in the end, otherwise, I, Waterfall Village, would truly be unforgivable."

This statement was half false and half true, and Hiruzen Sarutobi just took it as a joke.

As Kui Mu was speaking, the other four elders filed in one after another.

Everyone's faces lit up with joy when they saw Fu, but when they saw Fu hiding behind Tsunade, their smiles faded somewhat.

"Fu, come here right now. What kind of behavior is it to hide behind Lady Tsunade? You're a disgrace to Waterfall Village."

The Great Elder's reprimand rang out, and Great Elder was clearly terrified of him. Not only did she not go out, but she even shrank back.

This infuriated the Great Elder, who was panting heavily.

At this moment, the Fourth Elder stepped forward, squatted down, and greeted him softly.

"Fu, come here quickly. Lady Tsunade is a Konoha ninja. Don't always hide behind her."

Perhaps it was because the Fourth Elder had always treated Fu well, but Fu was clearly closer to him than to others.

Hearing the Fourth Elder's greeting, he slowly leaned out and walked to the Fourth Elder's side.

Tsunade's tense expression finally broke into a slight smile; there were still people in Takigakure who were kind to Fu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the Fourth Elder, who was showing concern for Fu, then turned his gaze back to the leader Kui Mu, a hint of shame on his face.

"Chief Kui Mu, you're exaggerating. To my shame, we failed to retrieve the Seven-Tails."

Kui Mu's expression froze for a moment, then relaxed, and he smiled as he pointed at Fu.

"Lord Third Kazekage is joking. The person is right here; how could you say you didn't bring him back?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, but still patiently explained, "When we arrived, the Tailed Beast had already been extracted. Fu was able to survive because Taiichi's Sealing Jutsu locked away her lost life force, which is how she managed to save her life."

Now it was Kui Mu's turn to freeze, and not only Kui Mu, but the other four elders were the same.

They snapped their heads toward Fu, looking at her as if she were a demon.

The Fourth Elder had the strongest reaction; as deep as his love, so too did his hatred.

The Fourth Elder's initial concern for Fu stemmed entirely from the fact that she was the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, but now that Fu had lost the Seven-Tails, his attitude immediately underwent a complete 180-degree reversal.

He pulled Fu close, gripping her shoulders tightly with such force that Fu frowned, but she couldn't pull away and was firmly held in place.

"Elder, it hurts!"

Fu cried out softly in pain, but the Fourth Elder ignored her completely. His eyes blazed with fury as he gritted his teeth and asked, "Fu, are the Seven-Tails inside you... gone?"

Fu didn't speak, but simply nodded timidly.

Now everyone in Waterfall Village has completely given up hope.

Just moments ago I was overjoyed to have regained what I had lost; now that I have gained it and lost it again, the sense of loss is all the more pronounced.

The Fourth Elder stood up angrily, shoved the young Fu aside, stumbled a couple of steps, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Tsunade couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she quickly went to Fu's side, helped her up, and whispered words of comfort.

The leader Kui Mu, finally snapped out of his shock. He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, wanting to be angry but not daring to.

You can't really blame Konoha for this. Their initial mission was to protect the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki from being taken away by the Akatsuki.

But before Konoha could arrive, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki had already been stolen, and the mission was over before it even began.

As for the subsequent retrieval, this temporary request could only be described as Konoha being forced to comply out of consideration for the mission.

Moreover, they actually killed two Akatsuki members who came to steal the item, risking being ambushed in the process.

But how can you put it? Human nature is selfish. It was Waterfall Village who lost the Tailed Beast. Even though this anger was suppressed in their hearts, it was still subtly directed at the people of Konoha.

"Lord Third Hokage, shouldn't you give us an explanation? We want a complete Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, not an empty shell!"

Faced with the questioning of the Waterfall Village leader, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression stiffened for a moment. Since becoming Hokage, how many years had it been since he had encountered such a difficult situation from a client?

"Uh-huh!"

Taiichi's soft cough, imbued with Chakra, jolted everyone present awake. His silence did not mean he was not there; the behavior of the Waterfall Village leadership from their appearance until now had made him frown deeply.

Unable to distinguish between the king and the chief.

The hypocritical and pretentious Fourth Elder.

There's also a group of high-ranking officials who are only capable of incompetent rage.

No wonder Suien became Rogue Ninja later on; he would betray a village like that too.

"Chief Kui Mu, retrieving Fu who was captured is a favor done by Konoha, not an obligation of Konoha, much less a reason for you to make unconditional demands on Konoha."

We risked our lives to save Fu, which is more than enough. Please do not make any further unnecessary demands.

Otherwise, Akatsuki's fist is a fist, my fist, Taichi Matsushita's, might not be any different.

These words were a blatant threat. What the Third Hokage couldn't say, Taichi Matsushita could say; what the Third Hokage couldn't do, Taichi Matsushita wouldn't mind doing.

Chief Kui Mu gave an awkward smile, unsure of what expression to wear.

The elders beside him glared angrily at Taiichi, but when he turned around, they meekly became like quails.

Tsunade then pulled Fu over and whispered a few words in Taiichi's ear.

Taiichi glanced at her, saw her resolute expression, then looked down at Fu, who was looking at him expectantly, and sighed.

"By the way, Fu's life is currently sustained entirely by my Sealing Jutsu, which needs to be reinforced every day. Leaving her in Takigakure will only mean she dies sooner or later. I will take her back to Konoha, which will ensure her a worry-free life in the future."

Chief Kui Mu stared wide-eyed at Taiichi in disbelief. This was simply outrageous; not only were they being threatened, but they were also being tried to abduct someone right in front of them.

But when his gaze met Taiichi's calm and unwavering eyes, all his anger and resentment vanished instantly.

"Well—in that case—then I'll trouble you Taiichi."

The leader Kui Mu, cowered very quickly. Even the usually tough Fourth Elder fell silent. Instead, the Great Elder raised his hand, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he sighed helplessly.

There were two of them when they came, then they brought a backup along the way, and when they went back, they brought a burden with them.

This mission to support Takigakure was truly fraught with twists and turns.

When the four of them appeared in the Minato 'Hokage's Office, even Minato, with his composure, couldn't help but be somewhat astonished.

He glanced at the nervous-looking young girl Fu, forced a friendly smile, then looked at the indifferent Taiichi, and finally at the somewhat embarrassed Third Kazekage and the seemingly fearless Tsunade.

"Bringing back Jinchuriki of Waterfall Village might damage Konoha's reputation."

Minato's words were rather mild; this was more than just bad, it was downright horribly evil.

To put it mildly, this means accepting a Rogue Ninja from another village; to put it more seriously, it means inciting conflict between the two villages.

However, if the target is a small village like Waterfall Village, then forget it; they don't even have the qualifications to challenge Konoha.

"Note that I wrote this; if there are any problems, then punish me."

Tsunade a step forward, shielding Fu behind her like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Minato slapped his forehead, even more speechless.

This ancestor was Taiichi had to persuade to come back with great difficulty, and the village practically coaxed and tricked her into going on this mission. Now you want to punish her? That's ridiculous!

If someone isn't happy living in the village, they might just pack up and leave tomorrow.

Forget it, forget it. She's just an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, not even a formal ninja. Most importantly, even Waterfall Village can't do anything to Konoha.

Finally, Fu's situation was settled. Tsunade would be her guardian, and she would live with Tsunade temporarily. In other words, there was one more mouth to feed in Taiichi.

After discussing Fu's matter, the truly important issue now begins.

Tsunade and pulled Fu outside.

"I won't participate in the following questions; you guys continue."

He left a message and slammed the office door shut.

Actually, Taiichi also wanted to leave, but just as he was about to make a move, two pairs of eyes locked onto him, causing him to forcefully retract his raised leg.

"The fact that the Seven-Tails was captured by the Akatsuki has not been made public by Takigakure to the Ninja World so far, but this is not something they can hide just because they want to."

As one of the parties involved in this incident, Konoha has both the obligation and the right to report the information to other ninja villages.

Minato set the tone for the Seven-Tails incident, and Hiruzen Sarutobi and Taiichi nodded in agreement.

This is inevitable, as it concerns Tailed Beast. Even if Konoha's own Nine-Tails is captured, the other ninja villages must be notified simultaneously.

"The Akatsuki is becoming increasingly blatant. Although they lost two members this time, they certainly won't back down. Five of the Nine Tailed Beasts are gone. Who do you think their next target will be?"

Taiichi and Hiruzen Sarutobi a glance, and the old Hokage took over the conversation.

"Six-Tails, Mist Village is isolated overseas, and the village itself is unstable, making its defenses extremely weak."

There is no information yet on the resurrection of the One-Tail Beast; the Eight-Tails is in Cloud Village, where they suffered a loss and are currently in a state of high alert, so their defenses will undoubtedly be extremely tight.

As for the Nine-Tails, nobody talks about it.

"Then we need to warn Mist Village. The loss of Moryo's physical body and the Three-Tails has already caused Mist Village to lose face. If the Six-Tails Jinchuriki is also captured, Mist Village will be the only one in the Ninja World to have suffered such a loss."

Minato's words elicited a light chuckle from Hiruzen Sarutobi and Taiichi. Mist Village, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, had been reduced to this state by the Akatsuki. They wondered if their previous Mizukage would be so angry that they would crawl out of their Pure Land if they knew.

Taiichi remained silent for a moment before offering his own thoughts.

"Should we convene Five Kage Summit? The Akatsuki issue is no longer just a matter for one village. If the various villages continue to act independently, the remaining Tailed Beast might still be captured."

Minato frowned in thought, tapping his fingers on the desk, making a "beep beep" sound.

"It's not that it's impossible, but I don't think they will all agree."

Currently, only Iwagakure has lost all its Tailed Beast; they are the most severely damaged and will likely participate. Cloud Village, while losing the Two-Tails, hasn't suffered a fundamental blow and probably still wants to recover their losses through their own strength. Cloud Village 'Sunagakure One-Tail hasn't been revived yet, and Mist Village is embroiled in internal strife and has no time to attend to external matters, so—"

Taiichi nodded knowingly, also knowing that holding Five Kage Summit at this time was unrealistic.

"As long as we occupy the moral high ground, we won't have to worry about others blaming Konoha if problems arise."

This is what Taiichi really wanted to say: unless the various ninja villages are truly hurt, they will not put aside their long-standing grudges and unite against the enemy. Taiichi was just playing the insurance card.