It's Just That We Haven't Caught It Yet

In a dense forest, a ninja was walking at a leisurely pace.

He wore the forehead protector of a rogue ninja from Takigakure, and a mask covered the better part of his face. This man was Kakuzu, the one who would later join the Akatsuki and pair up with Hidan as the "Immortal Duo."

He stopped in front of a crimson rock.

"Hmph," a raspy voice came from beneath the mask. "It's just business. Why hide your heads and show your tails... what are you afraid of?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a few rustles echoed through the woods. Four figures emerged without warning, taking up positions at the four corners and surrounding him.

Kakuzu didn't even flinch, merely sweeping his gaze over them. The four were clean, bearing no marks to identify their origins, let alone forehead protectors.

"I put the word out on the black market," he said in a flat tone. "I didn't expect the clients to be too afraid to even show their faces."

The leader of the group replied, "The stakes are high and the waters run deep. This isn't something a mere Takigakure... no, a lowly rogue ninja like you has any business inquiring about. As for our identities, naturally..."

"Save it." Kakuzu waved a hand dismissively, cutting him off. "Spare me the nonsense. I have no interest in guessing who you are. I'll ask just one thing: did you bring the money I wanted?"

The leader's brow furrowed, but he didn't lose his temper, merely giving an imperceptible nod to his subordinate opposite him.

The subordinate immediately pulled a small scroll from his lower back, crouched down nimbly, and performed a hand seal. With a poof of blue smoke, three stacks of gleaming gold bars appeared on the scroll, heavy and substantial.

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

Kakuzu scrutinized the gold bars carefully.

"As long as the amount is correct," he said slowly, "I'll take it even if you paid in copper coins."

He reached out to take them, but just as his body shifted, the leader spoke again.

"Wait." The man's gaze locked onto him. "We've shown our sincerity. Shouldn't you hand over that intelligence now?"

The atmosphere tightened instantly. The other three adjusted their stances without a sound, as if they would strike the moment Kakuzu made a move.

Kakuzu's hand froze in mid-air. The forest fell deathly silent, save for the rustling of mountain winds through the treetops, which fluttered the mask on his face.

Only then did Kakuzu speak, his tone unhurried: "There is a remote valley on the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls that the locals call 'Insect King Valley.' The Seven-Tails Chomei... should be hiding in that area right now.

If you go there and ask around, you'll be sure to find it."

As soon as he finished, the ninja who had retrieved the gold couldn't help but interject: "You just flap your lips, but how do we know if it's true? If we get swindled, where are we supposed to find you?"

Kakuzu glanced at him.

"I heard this information from Sarutobi Sasuke of Konoha back when I was still serving in Takigakure," he said flatly. "You might not have heard of my name, Kakuzu, but surely you know the weight of Sarutobi Sasuke's? That is your proof."

Upon hearing the name "Sarutobi Sasuke," the leader's expression shifted drastically.

"Konoha is involved in this too? You didn't mention that!" His voice dropped, laced with a cold edge.

The corners of Kakuzu's mouth beneath the mask seemed to twitch.

"First, whether Konoha is involved or not is outside the scope of our transaction.

I sold you information on the Seven-Tails; that last bit... was a freebie." He paused, and suddenly, countless black threads erupted from his body, binding the ninja who had retrieved the gold tight.

The other three drew their weapons instantly, the tension snapping taut.

Kakuzu continued in his raspy voice: "Second, I have no obligation to verify the truth for you. Remember this—when I'm collecting my pay, don't get in my way." The black threads slowly retracted into his clothes. "Otherwise, if I get annoyed, people tend to die."

He leaned down, neatly sealed the gold back into the scroll, and tucked it into his robes. The four surrounding him dared not move.

"Since you seem to know your place," Kakuzu's tone softened slightly, "I'll throw in one more thing: Sarutobi Sasuke will certainly report the Seven-Tails and my defection to Konoha. Konoha will definitely take action. Whatever you're planning... you'd better hurry."

With that, he walked straight between two of the ninjas and his figure soon vanished into the woods.

Not until he was completely out of sight did the leader spit on the ground. "Damn it... if Konoha is involved, this isn't just some petty Takigakure affair anymore."

"Captain, the mission..."

"The mission proceeds as planned!" A fierce light flashed in the leader's eyes. "We resolve this before Konoha intervenes in force. If it really comes to that... you and I both know we are nothing but 'rogue ninjas' now."

He looked in the direction Kakuzu had left, silent for a moment.

These four were, of course, no mere rogue ninjas; they were the vanguard sent ahead. Capturing a Tailed Beast with just the four of them would be a joke; their mission was to stall or eliminate the Takigakure forces and seize the initiative.

Once they succeeded, high-level experts from their own side would arrive to take command.

But now the intelligence had changed, and Konoha had stuck its nose in. Still, they couldn't abandon the mission—at least... they had to go to that "Insect King Valley" and see for themselves.

Setting aside the plans of these men, Hibari was currently speeding toward Insect King Valley alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Do you want to stop and rest for a while?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure suddenly appeared on a tree branch, his voice very soft.

Hibari landed on the same branch right behind him.

He pulled out the canteen at his waist, took a swig, and grinned. "No need. While I'm not as strong as you, Hiruzen-bro, I've never lost to anyone when it comes to stamina."

"It's Uncle Hiruzen!" Sarutobi Hiruzen corrected him with a huff, 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 the investigation."

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

Hibari stowed his canteen, curled his lip, and pushed off with his feet to follow. His voice drifted out from the dense forest: "Hiruzen, I heard that the Seven-Tails Chomei looks like a giant bug. Is it really that powerful?"

A few seconds later, Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice came from ahead: "The bug appearance is true, but as long as it's a Tailed Beast, none of them are pushovers. Why else would they be called 'walking natural disasters'? Since ancient times, the places they've passed through have essentially been left in ruins."

"It's a shame to just give such a powerful creature to Takigakure for nothing," Hibari's voice was filled with regret. "If you ask me, we should have kept it for ourselves."

"How could you possibly do whatever you want in a situation like this?" Sarutobi Hiruzen explained. "This was a decision made after careful deliberation by the Hokage and the others. The distribution of the Tailed Beasts was already settled at the Five Kage Summit.

According to the agreement, the Seven-Tails wasn't meant to be held by the Five Great Nations anyway. Handing it over to Takigakure, who have good relations with us and claim neutrality, was the safest way to handle it."

"I've heard of the Five Kage Summit," Hibari said again, "but when you think about it, the First Hokage gave away all the Tailed Beasts he captured, and we in Konoha didn't keep a single one. Isn't that a huge loss?"

"Distributing the Tailed Beasts is meant to maintain balance," Sarutobi Hiruzen said patiently. "When every village has that kind of power, they'll be more cautious when acting. Even if there are conflicts, it's easier to keep them at the level of friction rather than escalating into war.

As for Konoha... I heard Master Tobirama mention that another condition for handing over the Tailed Beasts was that if there is any news of the Nine-Tails, the other villages must notify us.

In other words, we in Konoha have reserved the strongest one, the Nine-Tails; it's just that we haven't caught it yet."

"That's just painting a cake to satisfy hunger," Hibari's eyes rolled as he came up with an idea. "If you ask me, we should capture this Seven-Tails and bring it back to the village first. Then, when we catch the Nine-Tails one day, we can hand it over to Takigakure. That would be the safest bet."

"Hibari, don't you dare mess around!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone turned stern immediately. "This is no small matter. If you wait until you catch the Nine-Tails to hand it over, what will the other villages think?

If things go wrong, Konoha's credibility will be ruined, and the current fragile peace could collapse instantly."

"I was just saying," Hibari laughed.

He paused, a hint of melancholy in his tone. "But come to think of it, this peace... it really is like glass. It feels like it would shatter if you just touched it."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was speeding ahead, had a flicker in his eyes. "Indeed. Peace has never been something easily obtained," he said in a low voice. "Friction between the Five Great Nations is constant, and war has never truly been far away.

Although the ninja village system has been established, everyone is just starting out and feels uncertain. A little tension is enough to cause trouble.

Besides, how long has it been since the Warring States period ended? Those ambitious men who aren't content with the status quo won't just sit back and accept things as they are."

"So, Hiruzen, do you think," Hibari pressed, "this peace can last? Is the possibility of another war high?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure stop on a horizontal branch of a large tree ahead.

Hibari landed on it as well.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to look at him, his gaze heavy. "In my opinion... this peace does have an expiration date," he said slowly. "Right now, the other four villages are mainly wary of the Hokage's strength.

After all, he is known as the 'God of Shinobi,' and even natural disasters like Tailed Beasts couldn't get the better of him. They... are all afraid of our Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, his tone deepening. "But no one can escape the cycle of life, aging, sickness, and death.

Even an expert as strong as the Hokage must eventually accept his fate. Once he is no longer around to hold the line, won't it be a matter of time before the other four nations and villages start a war to seize advantages?"

"Seize advantages? What kind of advantages?" Hibari raised an eyebrow.

"What else could it be?" Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him. "Right now, all the fat is in Konoha's mouth. Lord Hashirama is a good man with the whole ninja world at heart, but he is our Konoha's Hokage.

The village is the leader, takes the most missions, holds the most territory, and has the loudest voice—isn't that all because he is the one supporting us?"

He paused, then continued: "So, once Lord Hashirama is gone, will others still be convinced? Before, they couldn't beat him, so they endured it. When the time comes, they'll surely roll up their sleeves and have a real fight to see who the true leader is."

Hibari listened and clicked his tongue. "According to you, once the Hokage steps down, war is inevitable?"

"Exactly," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "This war, on one hand, is to seize benefits, and on the other... it is to finally determine who is superior."

Hibari chuckled and reached out to pat Sarutobi Hiruzen on the shoulder. "Not bad, Hiruzen. You're young, but you see things quite clearly. No wonder Master Tobirama has his eye on you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't take the bait, instead smiling. "Perhaps. But Hibari, while we must guard against war, we can't be cowards if it really comes to that, right?"