A Mere Jinchūriki-Is That Really a Problem?

Kakuzu: "???"

Although Takigakure was only a small ninja village, it was rather special.

It was the only ninja village outside the Five Great Nations that possessed a tailed beast!

Seven-Tails Chōmei was in Takigakure.

That made it unique among the many small and medium-sized ninja villages.

When Sixia spoke, Kakuzu jolted so violently that he nearly threw out his century-old back!

Was he kidding?

Uzumaki Shixia had actually said he wanted to support Kakuzu in becoming the Takikage!

He knew Sixia very well.

This was a man who never acted without something to gain.

If Sixia was dangling such a tempting carrot in front of him for no reason, there had to be an enormous pit waiting behind it!

Kakuzu barely gave it any thought before shaking his head. "That isn't feasible!"

"Takigakure is different from Kusagakure. Takigakure has a jinchūriki."

Sixia couldn't help chuckling at that.

He simply spread his hands. "Is a mere jinchūriki really a problem?"

Kakuzu: "???"

Sixia's words initially left Kakuzu stunned.

But after thinking it over, Kakuzu realized that might actually be true.

When Sixia had fought the wild Three-Tails Isobu, he had completely dominated it from start to finish.

A tailed beast was stronger when it had a jinchūriki, of course.

Perfect jinchūriki like Karatachi Yagura, in particular, could work with their tailed beasts to produce results greater than the sum of their parts.

But Kakuzu felt that even if Takigakure's jinchūriki could perfectly control the Seven-Tails' abilities,

they still wouldn't stand a chance against Uzumaki Shixia.

Uzumaki Shixia's true strength had definitely surpassed that of the Five Kage!

Kakuzu would call him beyond Kage level.

Seeing Kakuzu's conflicted expression, Sixia said casually, "No rush. I'll give you three days to think it over."

The system would be upgrading during those three days.

He could take the opportunity to explore the village properly with Karin.

Once Karin finished eating, Sixia activated Kāma's Space-Time Transportation Ability, forming a dark red black hole behind them and teleporting away.

When they reappeared, they were atop a tower in Amegakure.

Because it rained year-round in Amegakure, its buildings featured a style dominated by metal pipes.

The people of Amegakure lived on the lower floors, while bodies were kept on the upper floors.

Not long after Sixia and Karin appeared, countless sheets of paper flew toward them from afar.

The sheets quickly gathered together, taking on Konan's form.

Seeing Sixia and Karin, Konan asked expressionlessly, "What are you doing here?"

This place was very close to the Life-Support Device housing Nagato's real body.

Within the Akatsuki, both Nagato and Konan currently considered Uzumaki Shixia the most dangerous member.

If he ever did something reckless and accepted a mission to assassinate the Akatsuki's leader, he might very well come to kill Nagato!

Sixia hadn't expected that bringing Karin to watch the rain would alert Konan.

But after using Mantra to scan the area, he understood what was going on.

Although the room housing Nagato's real body had been shielded, it couldn't block his Mantra.

Since Nagato's real body was nearby, Konan had come straight over when Sixia appeared.

Sixia waved to Konan. "Konan, come watch the rain with us."

Although Konan remained expressionless, she inwardly rolled her eyes at his words.

She had grown up in Amegakure and had long since seen enough of everything here.

Besides, she didn't think there was anything worth watching in the rain.

After Yahiko's death, she had lost all interest in admiring the scenery.

Karin had initially been curious about why Sixia had brought her here, too.

When she learned that Sixia had brought her to watch the rain, she couldn't help rolling her eyes as well.

"Konan, there's still plenty of beauty in life. You have to learn to look for it."

As a teenage girl, Konan had actually been relatively lively.

Yahiko's death had dealt her a devastating blow, turning her into an expressionless, icy beauty.

Konan hadn't intended to engage with Sixia, and the Akatsuki had no missions that needed him to act immediately.

But with Sixia lingering here, she couldn't quite relax. She needed to stay nearby and keep an eye on him.

Hearing what Sixia had just said, Konan couldn't help asking, "When you say there's still plenty of beauty in life, do you mean an endless supply of missions?"

From what she knew of him, Sixia seemed most interested in completing missions and earning rewards.

So that was probably what Sixia considered beautiful in life, wasn't it?

"Hahahaha..."

Konan's remark sent Sixia straight into laughter.

She had even delivered that nonsense with an expressionless face and complete seriousness.

How could anyone consider an endless stream of missions the beauty of their life?

Completing missions was a means, not an end.

What truly made him happy was continually growing stronger.

Even Kakuzu was only doing it for the money, wasn't he?

As Sixia laughed heartily, Konan was completely bewildered.

Still, she could vaguely sense that Sixia meant no harm.

It seemed Sixia really had brought Karin here to admire the rain.

But what was there to admire about it?

Konan didn't actually like the gloomy sky, the ceaseless drizzle, or the puddles in the streets.

As she pondered these things, Sixia spoke again.

"Konan, you could actually have the ninjas from Kusagakure redesign the village."

"The village's drainage system is far too rudimentary."

"The buildings lack visual appeal, too. They look like factories."

Konan said nothing.

She wasn't particularly concerned about such things now.

Besides, in her opinion, Amegakure was already doing quite well.

Compared with Hanzo of the Salamander's rule, or the earlier period when it had been closed off, the village was undoubtedly much better now.

If the village had been this good when she, Nagato, and Yahiko were young, they would surely have lived very happily.

Thinking of that, Konan spoke.

"The village is already doing well. Your earlier suggestion was very good."

"But the Akatsuki's goal isn't to build up the village."

"No matter how well we develop it now, once war breaks out, pain and despair will descend again!"

"Only when we achieve the Akatsuki's ultimate goal will true, eternal happiness emerge."

Karin was utterly baffled by Konan's words.

Sixia, however, knew what was going on. This was actually a deception devised by Black Zetsu to resurrect Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.

But there was no need to expose that just yet, and he could steer Konan in a positive direction.

"Konan, after Amegakure and Kusagakure joined forces, both villages improved in every respect."

"If the many small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages in the shinobi world could all unite and form a Shinobi Alliance,

"then even the Five Great Nations wouldn't dare rashly declare war on its members."

"Those small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages all have their own areas of expertise or local specialties."

"Once they trade what they have for what they lack, every village can develop rapidly."

"Just uniting Amegakure and Kusagakure has already brought such tremendous improvements to both villages."

"If more Shinobi Villages join this Shinobi Alliance, Amegakure and the others will improve even faster."

As Sixia spoke, a thoughtful look appeared in Konan's beautiful eyes.

He had discussed something similar a long time ago.

Back then, she and Nagato hadn't been sure whether this approach was feasible.

The successful partnership between Amegakure and Kusagakure had proven that it was.

If more Shinobi Villages joined and formed the Shinobi Alliance Sixia described, they could indeed prevent war to a considerable extent.

Ever since the First Shinobi World War, the great nations had fought while the small nations suffered.

The many small nations caught between the great nations often became their battlefields!

After giving it serious thought, Konan raised a crucial question.

"How can we ensure that the other small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages will cooperate with Amegakure the way Kusagakure does?"

That question wasn't easy to answer.

Kusagakure cooperated so closely with Amegakure because Mui had wiped out its entire leadership in one sweep!

Now, everyone in Kusagakure, from village chief Chenye to Elder Ghost Horse, was essentially a high-ranking employee.

Mui alone called the shots throughout Kusagakure.

Although Konan's question was difficult to answer, Sixia answered it anyway.

"That's actually easy enough to handle."

"We can first subdue these Shinobi Villages by force, then appeal to their emotions, reason with them, and offer benefits to bring them around."

"With both rewards and threats, there's no need to worry about these Shinobi Villages refusing."

"Besides, with both Amegakure and Kusagakure developing so rapidly since joining forces, the other Shinobi Villages' spies have probably already sent word back."

"Once the leaders of those small and medium-sized villages see the benefits of cooperation, they might even ask to join the Shinobi Alliance themselves."

"Of course, the Five Great Nations won't want to see such a tightly united Shinobi Alliance exist."

"After all, the vast majority of small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages are either victims of the Five Great Nations' expansion or their vassals."

"If all those Shinobi Villages unite closely, it will have an enormous impact on the Five Great Nations' interests."

As Sixia explained all this, Karin's beautiful eyes beside him were already swimming with dizzy spirals.

There was nothing she could do. Her little head simply couldn't make sense of such complicated matters.

It looked as though she would have to become a new-generation mission-clearing machine like Sixia.

After hearing Sixia out, Konan looked thoughtful.

By seeking to collect every tailed beast, the Akatsuki had inherently placed itself in opposition to the Five Great Nations.

Tying all the small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages to their war chariot to resist the Five Great Nations together was indeed a good idea.

At that moment, Konan's real body was also discussing the matter with Nagato.

"Nagato, what do you think of the ideas Uzumaki Shixia just proposed?"

Nagato was skeletal inside the Life-Support Device, but his mind remained highly active.

After a little thought, he said, "If he can put them all into practice, they're very good ideas."

"During the First Hokage's era, his unrivaled strength brought a brief period of peace to the shinobi world."

"If the Shinobi Alliance Uzumaki Shixia mentioned can be formed, the many small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages probably won't be dragged into war for a long time."

"Of course, the most important point is that, as the Akatsuki continues collecting tailed beasts, we will inevitably clash with the Five Great Nations."

"Neither the Akatsuki alone nor Amegakure alone has the strength to contend with the Five Great Nations."

"With the help of the many other small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages, the Akatsuki will be better able to advance its plan."

"Provided he can persuade those other small and medium-sized Shinobi Villages to join the Shinobi Alliance willingly."

"In short, leave him alone for now. Let's see what he does next."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

After saying so much in one breath, Nagato began coughing violently.

Seeing this, Konan grew increasingly worried about his health.

Nagato and Yahiko were both deeply important companions to her.

Yahiko had left them far too early. She didn't want anything to happen to Nagato as well.

Atop Amegakure Tower, Konan's Paper Clone gave Sixia a long look before dissolving into countless sheets of paper and flying away.

Seeing this, Karin couldn't help saying enviously, "Lord Sixia, I want to learn that jutsu!"

"No! You don't!" Sixia reached out and ruffled Karin's hair.

Konan's Paper Clone wasn't something one could learn so easily.

As far as Sixia remembered, Konan seemed to be the only person who knew that jutsu.

"It should be some kind of special secret technique. You can't learn it."

Karin didn't dwell on it for long. "Sixia, can I go buy some ingredients and come back to learn how to cook?"

Her beautiful eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Well..."

Sixia gave it serious thought, then said, "You can, but if it doesn't taste good, you'll have to eat it all yourself."

"It won't taste bad!" As soon as Karin finished speaking, a distorted, transparent vortex appeared before her, and she vanished from their lodgings a moment later.

Seeing this, Sixia didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He had already led Karin astray. Now she didn't even walk when she went out; she simply activated Kamui and went wherever she wanted.

He just wondered what Obito would think when he saw the dual Kamui.

As for Sixia himself, he had System Space for storage and the faster, more convenient Kāma for teleportation.

Before long, Karin returned with some ingredients and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Wait!"

Remembering Kushina's less-than-impressive cooking skills, Sixia hurriedly stopped Karin.

"Karin-chan, since this is your first time cooking, I'd better take you somewhere open outdoors to give it a try."

As Sixia spoke, he gathered everything from the kitchen, then took Karin, the kitchen utensils, and the ingredients out into the wilderness.

Utterly baffled, Karin asked, "Sixia, why do we have to cook outdoors?"

Sixia smiled at her question. "Some ninja look like they're cooking, but they might actually be making Explosive Tags. It's safer to do it outdoors."

Karin couldn't help rolling her eyes at that.

Still, she soon went to the nearby stream to wash the ingredients, then cut them up on a cutting board.

One glance was all Sixia needed to know that bringing Karin to an open spot in the wilderness to cook had been a very wise decision.

After all, Karin was still just a little cutie with absolutely no knife skills. Despite being a ninja, she cut the ingredients into all sorts of bizarre shapes!

After lighting the stove with firewood, Karin poured half a pot of oil into the pan.

Half a pot might have been an exaggeration, but it was at least a quarter full of oil-and she intended to stir-fry!

Seeing this, Sixia could only rub his brow with a headache.

Fortunately, he hadn't expected anything from Karin's cooking skills.

Now it seemed that she really couldn't cook.

Whoosh!

With too much oil left heating in the pan for too long, it burst into flames.

The sight gave Karin quite a fright.

She was about to fetch water from the nearby stream to put out the fire!

"Stop!"

Sixia stopped Karin again, then moved the pan aside and covered it with a lid to cut off the air.

Without enough oxygen in the pan, the flames soon died out.

Sixia didn't explain the principle to Karin. With that little brain of hers, she might not understand if he explained it now.

It was enough to let her know what to do in this situation.

There was no denying that failure was the mother of success.

After her first failure, Karin learned not to add so much oil or heat the pan for too long.

But this time, when she started frying meatballs...

The oil in the pan still splattered everywhere.

"Susanoo!"

At first, Karin had been a little scared.

If that scalding oil splashed onto her skin, it would definitely burn her!

But if she used Susanoo to protect herself and controlled it to do the cooking, she wouldn't have to worry about that at all!

"Huh? What..."

Not far away, Sixia was completely dumbfounded by the sight.

Karin could actually use Susanoo?

Well, she already had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, so that wasn't so strange.

No, wait!

Was this really what Susanoo was meant for?

If the ancestors of the Uchiha Clan saw this, wouldn't they burst out of their coffins?

Of course, whether it was Ninjutsu or ocular techniques, they were all tools ninja used to accomplish their goals.

In that case, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with Karin using Susanoo like this.

Karin's cooking lesson was relatively successful this time.

It was just that her cooking style was rather unusual.

So from now on, she would probably only be able to cook in open areas out in the wilderness.

Once Karin finished cooking, she ate the blackened fried meatballs herself with tears in her eyes.

The food she made was edible, but its taste left much to be desired.

After she packed up the kitchen utensils and cookware, Sixia used Kāma's Space-Time Transportation Ability to take her back to their lodgings.

Having the tattoo really was convenient. He could go wherever he wanted.