We Just Haven't Caught It Yet

At that moment, a ninja was walking unhurriedly through a dense forest.

He wore a forehead protector marked as a rogue ninja from Takigakure, and a mask covered most of his face. This was Kakuzu, who would later join the "Akatsuki" and form the "Immortal Duo" with Hidan.

He stopped in front of a crimson-red rock.

"Hmph." A hoarse voice came from beneath his mask. "It's just a business deal. Why all the secrecy... what are you afraid of?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the forest rustled, and four figures appeared without warning. They took up positions on all sides, surrounding him.

Kakuzu didn't move. He merely looked them over. None of the four wore anything that might reveal their identities, much less a forehead protector.

"I put out a notice in the black market," he said blandly. "I didn't expect the clients it attracted to be too afraid to show their faces."

The ninja in the lead replied, "This matter is of great importance, and there's more going on behind it than you can imagine. It's not something a mere rogue ninja from Takigakure—no, a lowly rogue ninja like you—is entitled to ask about. As for our identities, naturally..."

"Enough." Kakuzu casually waved a hand, cutting him off. "Save your breath. I'm not interested in guessing who you are. Just tell me one thing: did you bring the money I asked for?"

The leader frowned slightly but didn't lose his temper. He merely gave a subtle nod to the subordinate opposite him.

The subordinate immediately pulled a small scroll from the back of his waist, crouched down briskly, and formed a hand seal. A puff of green smoke burst out, revealing three stacks of gleaming gold bars on the scroll, heavy with value.

"The amount you asked for was too large, so we exchanged it for gold." The leader stared at Kakuzu. "Are you satisfied?"

Kakuzu looked the gold bars over carefully.

"As long as the amount's right," he said slowly, "I'd take it even if you'd exchanged it for copper coins..."

As he spoke, he reached out to take them. But just as he started to bend down, the leader spoke again.

"Hold it." The man fixed his gaze on him. "We've shown you our sincerity. Isn't it time you handed over the information?"

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. The other three subtly shifted their stances, seemingly ready to attack the moment Kakuzu made even the slightest move.

Kakuzu's hand stopped in midair. The forest suddenly fell eerily quiet. Only the wind rustling through the treetops remained, stirring the mask on his face.

Only then did Kakuzu speak, unhurriedly. "There's a remote valley in the Land of Waterfalls, near the border with the Land of Fire. The locals call it 'Insect King Valley.' Seven-Tails Chomei... should be hiding somewhere in that area right now.

"Go ask around, and you'll find it."

As soon as he finished, the ninja who had brought out the gold bars couldn't hold back. "You can say whatever you like. How are we supposed to know if it's true? If you've conned us, where are we supposed to find you?"

Kakuzu glanced up at him.

"I heard this when I was still serving in Takigakure, from Sarutobi Sasuke of Konoha," he said blandly. "You may not have heard of me, Kakuzu, but you should know what Sarutobi Sasuke's word is worth. That's your proof."

The leader's expression changed drastically at the name "Sarutobi Sasuke."

"Konoha's involved too? You didn't mention that!" His voice dropped, but there was a chill in it.

Beneath his mask, Kakuzu's mouth seemed to twitch.

"First, whether Konoha is involved has nothing to do with our deal.

"I'm selling you information about the Seven-Tails. What I just told you... was free." He paused. Suddenly, countless black threads burst from his body and whipped around the ninja who had brought out the gold, binding him tight.

The other three instantly drew their weapons, and the tension spiked.

Only then did Kakuzu continue in his hoarse voice. "Second, I have no obligation to verify whether it's true. Remember this—when I take the money, don't get in my way." The black threads slowly retracted into his clothes. "Otherwise, if I get angry, people die."

He bent down, swiftly sealed the gold bars back into the scroll, and tucked it away. The other four didn't dare move again.

"Since you've been sensible," Kakuzu said, his tone easing a little, "I'll throw in one more thing: Sarutobi Sasuke will definitely report the Seven-Tails and my defection to Konoha. Konoha will make a move. Whatever you're planning... you'd better hurry."

With that, he walked straight between the two ninjas in front of him and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Only after he was completely out of sight did the leader spit viciously. "Damn it... If Konoha's involved, this is no longer just some petty affair concerning Takigakure."

"Captain, the mission..."

"We're carrying on as planned!" A fierce glint flashed in the leader's eyes. "We'll finish this as quickly as possible, before Konoha gets heavily involved. If it comes to that... you and I both know we're just 'wandering ninjas' right now."

He looked in the direction Kakuzu had gone and fell silent for a moment.

Of course, the four of them weren't wandering ninjas at all. They had been sent ahead to scout the area. The idea that the four of them could capture a Tailed Beast was laughable. Their real mission was to hold off or eliminate the people from Takigakure and seize the advantage.

Once they succeeded, a team led by more capable fighters would come from the rear.

But now the situation had changed: Konoha had gotten involved too. They couldn't just abandon the mission. At the very least... they had to go see Insect King Valley for themselves.

Leaving those four to their plans, Hibari was currently following Sarutobi Hiruzen, hurrying toward Insect King Valley.

"Want to stop and rest for a while?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure suddenly appeared on a tree branch, his voice low.

Hibari landed right behind him on the same branch.

He took the canteen from his waist and gulped down some water, then grinned. "No need. I may not be as strong as you, Hiruzen, but when it comes to stamina, I've never lost to anyone."

"It's Uncle Hiruzen!" Sarutobi Hiruzen corrected him with a disgruntled look, then changed the subject. "Since you've got so much energy, I won't go easy on you. We need to pick up the pace. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can start investigating."

With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure vanished from the tree.

Hibari put away his canteen, grinned, and pushed off after him. His voice drifted out from the forest. "Hiruzen, I heard that Seven-Tails Chomei looks like some giant bug. Is it really that powerful?"

A few seconds later, Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice came from up ahead. "It does look like an insect, but none of the Tailed Beasts are harmless. Otherwise, why would they be called 'walking natural disasters'? Since ancient times, the places they pass through are left practically unrecognizable."

"It feels like a waste to just hand such a powerful creature over to Takigakure," Hibari said regretfully. "If you ask me, we should keep it for ourselves."

"It's not as simple as doing whatever you want," Sarutobi Hiruzen explained. "Lord Hokage and the others weighed the decision carefully. The matter of who would possess the Tailed Beasts was settled at the Five Kage Summit.

"According to the agreement, the Seven-Tails was never supposed to be held by one of the Five Great Nations' villages. Handing it to Takigakure, a neutral village that has good relations with us, was already the safest option."

"I've heard about the Five Kage Summit," Hibari said. "But when you think about it, the First handed out all the Tailed Beasts he captured, and Konoha didn't keep a single one. Didn't we get a raw deal?"

"Distributing the Tailed Beasts was meant to maintain the balance of power," Sarutobi Hiruzen patiently explained. "If every village has that kind of power, they'll have more to consider before taking action. Even when conflicts arise, they'll be easier to keep at the level of skirmishes rather than letting them escalate into war.

"As for Konoha... I heard from my teacher, Tobirama, that another condition for handing over the Tailed Beasts was that, if any village got word of the Nine-Tails, it had to inform us.

"In other words, Konoha has dibs on the strongest one, the Nine-Tails. We just haven't caught it yet."

"Isn't that just wishful thinking?" Hibari's eyes shifted as an idea occurred to him. "If you ask me, we should capture the Seven-Tails and bring it back to the village. Then, once we catch the Nine-Tails, we can hand the Seven-Tails over to Takigakure. That'd be the safest way."

"Hibari, don't do anything reckless!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone immediately turned stern. "This is no small matter. If you want to wait until we catch the Nine-Tails before handing it over, what will the other villages think?

"One mistake, and Konoha's reputation will be ruined. The fragile peace we have now could collapse right along with it."

"I was just saying." Hibari laughed.

He paused, his tone turning reflective. "But come to think of it, this peace really is like glass. It feels like it'd shatter if you so much as touched it."

Hearing that, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes shifted as he raced ahead. "That's right. Peace has never come easily," he said solemnly. "There's constant friction between the Five Great Nations, and war has never truly been far away.

"Although the village system has been established, everyone's just getting started, and no one feels secure. It doesn't take much for things to go wrong when people are nervous.

"Besides, how long has it been since the Warring States Period ended? Those ambitious types who can't stand sitting still aren't going to accept the status quo quietly."

"Then what do you think, Hiruzen?" Hibari pressed. "Will this peace last? Are the chances of war breaking out again high?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen stop on a branch ahead.

Hibari landed beside him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to look at him, his expression somber. "In my opinion... this peace does have an expiration date," he said slowly. "Right now, the other four villages are mostly holding back because they're wary of Lord Hokage's strength.

"After all, he's the man they call the 'God of Shinobi.' Even Tailed Beasts, those walking natural disasters, are no match for him. They... they're all afraid of Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, his voice growing even heavier. "But no one can escape birth, aging, sickness, and death.

"Even someone as powerful as Lord Hokage will eventually have to accept his fate. Once the old man can no longer keep everyone in line, it'll only take a moment for the other four nations and villages to go to war over the spoils."

"The spoils? What spoils?" Hibari raised an eyebrow.

"What else?" Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him. "Right now, Konoha's got all the best cuts in its mouth. Great-Uncle Hashirama is a good man, and he cares about the whole Shinobi World, but right now, he's Konoha's Hokage.

"Our village is the top power, with the most missions, the largest territory, and the loudest voice. Isn't it all thanks to that great man backing us?"

He paused, then continued, "So once Great-Uncle Hashirama is gone, do you think the others will accept it? In the past, they held back because they couldn't beat us. But when the time comes, they'll roll up their sleeves and fight us for real, to see who's truly on top."

Hibari smacked his lips as he listened. "So by your reasoning, once Lord Hokage steps down, war is inevitable?"

"That's right." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "On the one hand, the war will be about fighting over interests. On the other... it'll be about settling, once and for all, who comes out on top."

Hibari grinned and patted Sarutobi Hiruzen on the shoulder. "Not bad, Hiruzen. You're young, but you see things clearly. No wonder Second Uncle Tobirama takes a liking to you later on."

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't respond to that. Instead, he smiled. "Maybe. But Hibari, we do need to be prepared for war. And if it really comes to that, we can't back down, right?"