Plans Keep Changing

When the explosions subsided, the shockwaves faded, and the dust settled, a crater two kilometers in diameter had appeared in the forest.

Rustling sounds rose as streams of yellow sand gathered, gradually rebuilding Shukaku's body.

Crack...

At the center of the crater, a sphere made of Gold Sand slowly broke apart, revealing Rasa inside, gasping for breath.

He looked up at Shukaku, whose body was already recovering, and gritted his teeth.

That stupid tanuki had caused all this damage—and hadn't even spared itself!

The Tailed Beast Bomb had exploded at such close range that Shukaku's own body had been blown to pieces.

But...

Rasa glanced around, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"That brat's finally dead!"

And not a trace of him remained.

That was what happened when you tried to work with Shukaku!

How could a beast like a Tailed Beast ever truly be tamed?

Only by keeping it in check with strength and beating it up every so often could you get it to listen, more or less.

Just as he thought that, a hand suddenly reached out of the ground nearby, freezing Rasa's smile in place.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Sen Chisato pushed himself up with one hand and emerged from underground, patting his chest. "That was close. You nearly scared me to death."

Then he looked at Rasa's stunned expression and grinned.

Rasa's smile vanished completely.

Seeing that, Sen Chisato grinned even wider.

He could guess what the man was thinking.

Want him dead?

Maybe in your next life!

Though he looked like he'd barely survived, none of this had been all that dangerous from his perspective.

The Tailed Beast Bomb was terrifying, sure, but it wasn't as if he had no way to deal with it.

When it exploded, all it destroyed was his Shadow Clone. As for his real body, he'd been underground the whole time.

By the time the Tailed Beast Bomb detonated, he'd already used Wood Release underground to protect himself completely.

Shukaku had recovered by then, too.

It looked around, and when it spotted Rasa and Sen Chisato, its beady eyes nearly popped out of its head. "Huh?!"

"You two are still alive?!"

"Hey, you stupid tanuki! I'm on your side, and I just helped you get out of trouble. Is this how you repay me?" Sen Chisato spread his hands, pretending to be offended.

"Tch. Does the great Shukaku need help from a human?" Shukaku looked disdainful, not giving a second thought to repaying kindness with ingratitude.

What's more, it opened its mouth again, gathering chakra.

Another Tailed Beast Bomb began to take shape!

"Don't think this is over! Since you're still alive, you can take another hit from the great Shukaku!"

With a roar, Shukaku aimed the Tailed Beast Bomb at Sen Chisato and Rasa.

"Hey, hey, hey. This really isn't part of my plan," Sen Chisato sighed helplessly, then brought his hands together with a sharp clap.

He hated people and things that ruined his plans.

He'd intended to let Rasa and Shukaku keep fighting while he supported them from the sidelines, subtly steering them toward the main battlefield. Then he could make a grand entrance and finish them off.

But he hadn't expected Shukaku to be so cunning and unpredictable.

In that case, he'd just have to go all out and take them both down right here!

Sen Chisato gathered chakra, preparing to use Wood Release to beat the man and the tanuki senseless and bury them.

Just then, Rasa spoke. "Hey, brat from Konoha."

"What?" Sen Chisato asked, glancing at him sidelong.

"You know the situation. Let's put our differences aside and work together to subdue the One-Tail. What do you say?" Rasa asked with a serious expression.

The kid was young, but Rasa recognized his strength!

If he could, he'd do whatever it took to kill the brat. But resealing the rebellious One-Tail was more important right now.

He was sure that, given the kid's intelligence and sense of the bigger picture, he wouldn't refuse.

Sen Chisato pondered for a moment, then answered without hesitation. "You're right, but I refuse!"

Just as he expected!

Rasa smiled smugly. "In that case, we—wait! What did you say?!"

He thought he must have misheard. The kid had actually refused!

"I said I refuse," Sen Chisato repeated.

Since he had to take them down anyway, why bother working with Rasa? He could just deal with them both and save himself the trouble.

Rasa's expression darkened.

"Ha ha ha! You humans really are a bunch of hypocritical, devious, untrustworthy creatures!" Shukaku laughed openly, its Tailed Beast Bomb ready.

At a time like this, they were still testing and distrusting each other. They couldn't even trust one another.

"Stop struggling and die!"

Shukaku leaned back slightly, preparing to launch its attack.

Rasa made no further attempt to persuade him. He waved a hand, sending a great mass of Gold Sand into the air.

Sen Chisato gathered his chakra, too.

The two men and the beast were all ready to fight.

But just then, an old voice suddenly rang out. "That's enough, Shukaku. You've had your fun, haven't you?"

Shukaku immediately stopped, grumbling, "Don't joke around. The great Shukaku hasn't had enough fun yet."

Pfft!

The yellow sand on Shukaku's head suddenly parted, and an old monk emerged, smiling indulgently. "If you keep this up, I won't let you out next time."

"Tch. Fine, I'll listen to you. What a pain!" Shukaku looked displeased, but it still dispersed the Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Bunpuku!" Rasa's eyes lit up, and he let out a long breath of relief. "You're finally awake."

"Actually, I was never unconscious," Monk Bunpuku said kindly.

Rasa furrowed his brow. "So you knew everything Shukaku was doing just now... Why didn't you stop him?!"

"It was an agreement between Shukaku and me. He's been sealed away for too long. Besides, I agreed because I knew Lord Kazekage could handle it easily."

Rasa, of course, couldn't accept that explanation. But no matter how displeased he was, this wasn't the time to argue.

He turned to Sen Chisato and ordered, "The mission has failed. Take out that brat first!"

Failing to launch a Surprise Attack on Konoha Base Camp was one thing. If he also let this Konoha brat withdraw unharmed, he'd never forgive himself.

"Oh?"

Sen Chisato released his clasped hands, looking helpless. "Things really can change in an instant."

Despite his words, he wasn't the least bit panicked. In fact, he was secretly delighted.

It seemed his plan could still go ahead... The process had been a little bumpy, but the outcome was what mattered.

"Hey, Bunpuku, what are you going to do? That Magnet Release guy just told you to kill someone." Shukaku slowly turned to look at Sen Chisato, its face full of ill intent and glee.

After spending so long together, Bunpuku had earned its respect, but that didn't stop it from enjoying the sight of him in a bind.

Bunpuku looked at Sen Chisato and sighed. "To bring the war to an end as quickly as possible, I'm afraid this child will have to make a sacrifice."

His words made his decision clear.

Sen Chisato sneered. "Don't dress it up in noble words. The Sand Hidden started this war. You're no different from those Sand Ninja. It's all for your own interests!"

Sen Chisato would never let someone be so hypocritical in front of him!

There was only room for one such hypocrite in this world, and that was him.

But to Sen Chisato's surprise, Bunpuku didn't make excuses. Instead, he admitted it plainly. "That's right. I'm a man of the Land of Wind, after all. Even at my age, I can't treat everyone in the world equally."

At that, Shukaku let out an excited roar and charged at Sen Chisato.

"Tch. No wonder the Tailed Beast accepted him. It turns out I'm the only hypocrite here." Sen Chisato turned and ran without hesitation, grumbling inwardly as he went.

"Heading that way... Is he trying to survive by reaching the Konoha Ninja on the main battlefield?"

Rasa immediately sent the Gold Sand and Shukaku after him.

"Don't think you can escape!"