Seven-Tails Jinchuriki (Part One)

While the kunoichi was moving with Ye Wuji, Kakuzu stayed where he was, as if he hadn't seen them. Their movements had been well concealed, but there was nothing to hide them in this place. Ye Wuji wasn't really a child, after all. After thinking it over, he roughly guessed that the secret technique was some kind of invisibility jutsu.

Only after entering the Sacred Tree did Ye Wuji discover that it was hollow inside. What's more, quite a few buildings had been constructed within it. He didn't see anyone around, but some of the decorations outside the rooms bore the emblem of Takigakure's Forehead Protector. This was probably where Takigakure secretly trained its ninja. Most people would never have guessed that the Sacred Tree concealed a whole world inside.

Ye Wuji followed the path deeper into the tree. He hadn't been able to get close before, but now he'd managed to enter so easily. He might as well find out where the Hero Water was. Even if someone discovered him, he'd have an excuse.

He felt a little bad about doing this to the kunoichi, but for the sake of his future, he had no choice. Giving himself a pep talk, Ye Wuji carefully made his way farther in.

As Ye Wuji cautiously proceeded deeper into the tree, at its center lay the place where the Hero Water was kept. It was also where Takigakure stored its secret techniques. Unlike in the movie, the Hero Water wasn't simply sitting there in a bottle. There were several guards, and a barrier protected the area. Anyone who approached would be attacked, and even if they defeated the guards, the barriers would give them enough time to raise the alarm.

But now all the guards had fallen, and the barrier had been broken. Not a single alarm had sounded.

"So this is the Hero Water Takigakure has been trying to keep hidden?" someone said, looking at the bottle containing the Hero Water.

"That's right. It's not much use to us, but it could still help an ordinary ninja. So, should we take it?" another voice replied.

It was strange. There was only one person, yet two different voices were speaking. When the figure came into view, the distinctive large, toothed leaf loosely wrapped around its head, and its body, half black and half white, revealed its identity. It was Zetsu. Who would have thought he'd come here now?

After reaching the platform where the Hero Water was kept, Zetsu didn't even glance at the bottle. Instead, he casually picked up the scroll beside it. When he opened it, the writing was nothing but gibberish.

"Release," Zetsu murmured, forming a hand seal. As soon as he spoke, all the gibberish on the scroll changed into legible characters.

"It's just instructions for using the Hero Water, but they're pretty good. They've more or less overcome its side effects. No wonder Takigakure dared to go to war with Konoha a few years ago. This must have been what gave them the confidence," Black Zetsu said in a low voice.

"But they still lost, didn't they? The Second Hokage is still alive. Takigakure really brought trouble on itself. It didn't gain anything from Konoha; instead, all the ninja it had worked so hard to train died, weakening the village. I really don't know what the Kage of Takigakure was thinking," White Zetsu said.

"Heh. Outside the Five Great Nations, what other village leader would dare to call himself a Kage? They're all just a bunch of arrogant fools. And that raid on Konoha probably had another purpose, too. I didn't expect them to actually pull it off. I hadn't paid attention to this village before, but it seems they have some strength after all."

"Since you're not interested in the Hero Water, what about this Earth Grudge Fear? It seems pretty good. If you develop it properly, you can have several lives."

"It's a lousy jutsu. Only those people would treat it like a treasure. Besides, the different hearts conflict with one another. Kakuzu only survived because he was lucky. And do you really care about having a few extra lives?"

"Don't put it like that. Kakuzu's quite capable. At the very least, he did a good job this time. And given his personality, he could serve us even better." White Zetsu defended Kakuzu, then continued, "What should we do now? Since we came all this way, we can't leave empty-handed. These things may be useless to us, but they might come in handy someday."

White Zetsu waited for Black Zetsu's reply. To his surprise, Black Zetsu let out a few chuckles. Curiously, White Zetsu asked, "Hey, what's so funny? Give me a suggestion, will you? We did go to the trouble of coming here."

"I didn't expect to see that brat here. How interesting," Black Zetsu laughed.

"That brat?" White Zetsu started to say, then quickly changed course. "Yeah, pretty interesting. But wasn't this kid with Nagato and the others? What's he doing here? I forgot—this brat seems to have all the chakra natures, too. Should we take him?"

Though it wasn't obvious, Black Zetsu's abilities seemed to surpass White Zetsu's. After all, Black Zetsu had spotted their target first. But once you considered who Black Zetsu really was, his actions became less surprising.

"No need. You were just wondering what to do with these things, weren't you? Why not give them to this brat? He might become a useful pawn someday," Black Zetsu suddenly suggested.

"I don't see how he'd be useful, but if you say so, let's give them to him. Though that brat probably won't find his way here." White Zetsu sensed Ye Wuji, who was slowly making his way through the tree. "Still, he's not bad. His chakra's increased quite a bit since we last saw him."

"A pawn doesn't have to be useful. It doesn't matter if he isn't; he can just be a piece we leave on the board. Besides, this brat spent some time with Nagato. He might prove useful to Nagato in some unexpected way. The more pieces we have, the better," Black Zetsu said quietly. As he spoke, he extended a piece of wood, wrapped it around the Hero Water and the scroll, and then he and White Zetsu slowly sank into the ground.

Ye Wuji carefully continued along the path, looking around from time to time in case someone suddenly appeared. As he walked, he spotted an unusual building ahead. It had been built right in the middle of the road: a round tower. Carefully approaching the entrance, Ye Wuji saw no one around.

Ye Wuji cautiously pushed open the tower door. Before he could see anything else, he spotted a bottle in the center of the tower. A scroll lay on the platform beside it.

Ye Wuji felt his heart pounding—thump, thump, thump. Everything had happened too suddenly. He'd prepared himself for this, but he still couldn't believe the things he wanted were right in front of him. But now that he'd come this far, he could only put his doubts aside. Since he'd found them, he couldn't just leave them behind.

After carefully testing things a few times, Ye Wuji took the Hero Water. Then he thought that since he'd managed to get the Hero Water, he might as well take the scroll beside it, too. It could contain one of the village's secret techniques.

After carefully putting the Hero Water and the scroll into his spatial pouch, Ye Wuji finally felt half at ease. Then he quickly left, heading back to the place where the kunoichi had set him down. If he returned now, no one should suspect him.

After Ye Wuji left, the tower in the middle of the road vanished. Zetsu slowly emerged. "Pretty cautious. That's not bad for a brat," White Zetsu said.

"It should be almost over now. We'd better not let Kakuzu actually kill her. It's not the right time yet. Our main purpose this time was to confirm the intel." Black Zetsu had already put Ye Wuji out of his mind. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter whether Ye Wuji proved useful later. If their paths crossed, Black Zetsu would make sure he served his purpose.

Unfortunately, Black Zetsu had no idea that Ye Wuji's main reason for seeking power was to deal with him. If Black Zetsu had known, would he have regretted his decision?

As it turned out, Black Zetsu would deeply regret that decision later. That seemingly insignificant choice became his greatest obstacle. The Hero Water could increase a person's chakra tenfold. It was top-secret even within Takigakure, and it took a hundred years to produce around ten drops.

The Hero Water in the bottle represented centuries of accumulation. In fact, Takigakure hadn't produced it itself. The Sacred Tree had existed before the village arrived, and Takigakure had only started using the Hero Water after discovering it. Even then, there was only a tiny amount. The village had more than one or two ninja, but usually only a few people could make use of it. Even Kakuzu had only used a single drop before attempting to assassinate the First Hokage, to increase his strength.

That bottle held at least several hundred drops. Even after the Hero Water's effects eventually weakened, Ye Wuji's chakra became only a little less than a Tailed Beast's—and even greater than that of Kisame Hoshigaki, who was known as the Tailless Tailed Beast.

But the Hero Water was useless to Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. For people like them, chakra reserves weren't the issue. What mattered most was how much strength they could bring to bear. Even the Nine-Tails, said to have infinite chakra, could be defeated.

By the time Ye Wuji hurried back to the place he'd seen earlier, the battle outside had reached its climax. One of Kakuzu's water-nature hearts had already been destroyed.

The kunoichi was hiding underground, waiting to ambush Kakuzu again. She'd taken out one of his hearts that way earlier. She really did know Earth Grudge Fear well; she hadn't been fooled at all, and Kakuzu's attempt to take advantage of the opening had nearly cost him another heart.

"Secret Technique: Scale Powder Explosion!" As the kunoichi spoke, explosions erupted around Kakuzu, setting off a chain reaction. When they finally stopped, Kakuzu was covered in wounds, blood running from all over his body. Yet even then, he was still alive.

"As expected of the most outstanding ninja in Takigakure's history. You're still alive after all that. You're pretty good with Earth Release, too." The kunoichi emerged from the ground.

When Kakuzu saw her, he roared. Then, oddly, he asked, "What exactly are you? Did you learn that forbidden jutsu, too?"

The kunoichi looked much the same as before, except that a pair of green wings had grown from her back. Paired with her long green hair, they made her look even prettier.

"Look who's talking. You've turned into a monster yourself." Even at a time like this, Kakuzu was fixated on that. He clearly still resented the kunoichi's earlier taunt.

"I'm no monster. Can't you see I look prettier? But now that you're here, you're not leaving. You're from this village, after all. Isn't dying here the best ending for you?"

"Secret Technique: Twin Wing Slash!" As the kunoichi formed hand seals, the pair of wings on her back flapped, sending several large wind blades flying toward Kakuzu.

"Earth Release: Four-Sided Earth-Flow Walls!" Kakuzu seemed familiar with this secret technique. He raised earthen walls on all four sides of his body. Usually, it was enough to block a wind blade from the front; there was no need to waste chakra on a defense like this. Even a Tailed Beast with chakra reserves like the Nine-Tails wouldn't waste chakra that way.

But after the wind blades were blocked by the walls, they turned and attacked from all four directions. It seemed Kakuzu had been caught off guard by this jutsu before, which was why he'd used this kind of defense.

Seeing that Kakuzu had blocked her attack, the kunoichi gave a faint smile and vanished from his sight again. The moment she disappeared, Kakuzu dispelled his jutsu and leaped to the side. Sure enough, a figure emerged from the ground where he'd just been standing. It was the kunoichi.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!" As Kakuzu spoke, a massive spear of lightning formed in front of him and shot toward the kunoichi. As it traveled, it continually split apart, covering the area below it.

When the kunoichi saw the lightning spear charging toward her, she flipped over and disappeared into the ground, moving like a pangolin.

Kakuzu still hadn't split off any of his bodies. No one knew what he was doing. The two kept fighting.

Far away, a figure watched the battle from a tree. It was Zetsu. No one knew how he'd gotten out of the Sacred Tree so quickly.

"It looks like we've found our target. Judging by her jutsu, she's the Seven-Tails, Chomei. I can't believe the Seven-Tails already has a Jinchuriki. And the Jinchuriki seems pretty strong. Kakuzu might not be able to beat her," White Zetsu said, keeping his eyes on the battlefield.

"Something's strange. The fact that the Seven-Tails has a Jinchuriki isn't surprising, but this Jinchuriki's strength is odd. She seems to be very compatible with the Seven-Tails. As for Kakuzu not being able to beat her, you're underestimating him. It only shows how formidable this Jinchuriki is. She used Tailed Beast Mode right from the start without even testing her opponent, so Kakuzu was caught off guard. The reason he's being suppressed is that she knows his jutsu and fighting style very well. It seems Takigakure has spent all these years figuring out how to deal with Kakuzu." Black Zetsu thought it over.

"Then what should we do? Should we tell Kakuzu to retreat, or go help him? Their reinforcements will be here soon. The Daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls is almost taken care of. Those underground ninja really can't be relied on," White Zetsu asked.

"Signal Kakuzu to withdraw. We only came to confirm the Seven-Tails' whereabouts. If we act now and capture the Seven-Tails, it'll draw attention. Besides, the Tailed Beasts have to be sealed in the proper order. We can't get that wrong. There's no point in capturing her now, and we'd have to waste manpower guarding her. It isn't worth it."

"That's true. But I never expected the Seven-Tails to be in Takigakure. No wonder there's been no intel about it all these years. If we hadn't decided to check recently, we wouldn't have known the Seven-Tails wasn't in the Land of Wind anymore. Good thing we found out in time." White Zetsu spoke with regret.

"Still, the Land of Wind is really useless. It paid such a huge price to get the Tailed Beasts from the First Hokage, yet it couldn't even keep track of them. We wasted so much time confirming where the Seven-Tails was," White Zetsu continued.

"We were careless, too. Back then, the Five Great Nations held a meeting about the Tailed Beasts. To balance their power, the other four nations paid a huge price to exchange for Tailed Beasts from the First Hokage. The Land of Wind got the One-Tail and the Seven-Tails; the Land of Lightning got the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails; the Land of Water got the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails; the Land of Earth got the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails. The Land of Fire kept the strongest, the Nine-Tails. That was how the Five Great Nations balanced their military strength. I never expected that, while the other nations had no trouble with their Tailed Beasts, the Seven-Tails—an important military asset of the Land of Wind—would disappear without a trace, and the Land of Wind wouldn't react at all. It's really suspicious." Black Zetsu slowly analyzed the situation. "We'll have to keep an eye on the Land of Wind from now on. We can't let them cause trouble."

"Understood. I'll send some people to look into it," White Zetsu replied. "I've already sent Kakuzu the signal to withdraw. What should we do next?"

"We don't need to do anything. Everything's ready; all that's missing is the final piece. Now all we can do is wait. It's time to go back, too. I should tell him that the plan he's been preparing for years is about to begin." Black Zetsu spoke slowly, his eyes full of confidence.

"Kakuzu's already withdrawn. Should we go see him?" White Zetsu asked.

"Let's go see him. He'll be a valuable fighter in the future. We can't waste him." With that, Zetsu disappeared.

Kakuzu had already escaped beyond Takigakure's territory. Though he'd been in pretty bad shape earlier, he no longer looked that way. Apart from his tattered clothes, his wounds had healed.

In a secluded spot, Kakuzu found a tree and sat down to rest. Once he'd recovered enough, he spoke toward an empty space. "I know you're here. After this, I won't owe you anything. Don't come looking for me again. This job was a complete loss."

"Heh. Don't put it like that. You should be thanking me for giving you the chance to return to your village." Sure enough, Zetsu began emerging from another tree.

"What exactly are you after? If you wanted me to act, why didn't you tell me Takigakure had a Jinchuriki? If you'd given me the intel beforehand, I wouldn't have lost a heart," Kakuzu said, rising from the ground to face Zetsu.

"I can't say I lied to you. I only suspected it before. Now we've confirmed it. But you can't blame me. You used to be from Takigakure, too, and you didn't know the village had a Jinchuriki. How could I have confirmed it?" White Zetsu said.

"Hmph. Fine, you've got a point. But what exactly are you trying to do? Don't tell me you went there just to confirm the Jinchuriki was real," Kakuzu continued.

"That's not a lie. We went to confirm the Tailed Beast's existence. As for what we plan to do, you'll find out in time. So what are you going to do now? If you don't have anything else planned, there's something I'd like you to help me with," Black Zetsu said.

"I need to replace the heart I lost. This time, I didn't make any money, and I lost a heart, too. I need to earn it back." Though Kakuzu wasn't particularly fond of Zetsu, he still told him what he planned to do next.

"Then help me with something."

"Don't push your luck. I'm not your subordinate. You saved me once, so I'll help you with a few things, but that doesn't mean you can order me around." Kakuzu's eyes turned cold as he stared at Zetsu.

"Don't worry. I'm not ordering you around. I'm just asking you to find ways to make more money while you replace your heart. I need a lot of cash," Black Zetsu said.

"You just want money? That's simple." Kakuzu asked uncertainly.

"Yes. Money is essential to building an organization. I'm even thinking of making you the treasurer. Don't forget what you promised me back then. I won't ask you to do anything you can't handle. You should be able to make some money, and it's right up your alley, isn't it?" Black Zetsu continued.

"That's all? So how much do you need?" Kakuzu asked.

"The more, the better. An organization's financial resources are part of its strength. Oh, and there's one more condition." Black Zetsu paused.

"What else? Let's hear it. I'm not promising I can do it," Kakuzu said coldly.

"Don't worry. It's simple. Until I come looking for you, don't make enemies of anyone from Konoha. And stay away from the Land of Fire."

"Why? You know I have a grudge against Konoha," Kakuzu said, surprised.

"I'm worried Konoha's ninja will kill you. It wasn't easy for me to rescue you from the First Hokage. If Konoha's ninja kill you, won't all that effort have been wasted?" Black Zetsu said.

"Hmph." Kakuzu snorted at Black Zetsu's words. "So I'm supposed to give up my revenge? The First Hokage left me with a mark. I still want to pay them back."

"Afraid you won't get the chance. The First Hokage is dead. Do you want to bully Konoha's lower-ranking ninja instead?" Black Zetsu replied.

"Hmph. Fine. I'll do my best not to provoke Konoha. But if they come after me, I won't hold back." After saying this, Kakuzu seemed afraid Zetsu would come up with more conditions. He vanished in a flash.

"Why tell him not to make enemies of Konoha?" White Zetsu asked curiously.

"Konoha has the Nine-Tails. It's the last Tailed Beast we'll capture. We shouldn't tip anyone off before we've captured the other eight. If Konoha is prepared, it'll be troublesome. Even he lost to the First Hokage. The First Hokage may be dead, but who knows if he left anything behind? If he could do all that, then the First Hokage, who was even stronger, must have made preparations of his own." Black Zetsu seemed to recall something as he spoke slowly.

"That's true. The God of Shinobi defeated him and the Nine Tailed Beasts with his own power. He really deserved that title. I wish I could've seen the God of Shinobi in action," White Zetsu said, sounding deeply impressed by the First Hokage.

"Afraid you won't get the chance. Only the living First Hokage could be called the God of Shinobi." After Black Zetsu said these cryptic words, Zetsu disappeared.