Chapter 36: Kumogakure's Hakimi
Bang!
The Raikage, who had just moved, was sent flying by a single punch.
He skidded backward along the ground for some distance before finally coming to a stop.
"So it wasn't a coincidence just now."
The Raikage glanced at the shattered Lightning Armor on his shoulder and looked at Shiromo, who was attacking again from the opposite side.
When Shiromo intercepted him the first time, the Raikage had already realized that Shiromo wasn't faster than him.
The reason he'd been stopped seemed to be that Shiromo had acted in advance.
This time, the Raikage had suddenly attacked midway through his sentence, yet Shiromo still struck first.
This time, he didn't grab his arm, but threw a punch straight at his face.
The Raikage dodged in time, and the blow landed on his shoulder instead.
At the same time, he discovered something else, Shiromo was stronger than him in terms of raw power.
That was already terrifying.
In the shinobi world, many ninja were high-attack, low-defense; high-speed, low-defense; or high-speed, low-attack.
Only the Raikage lineage possessed high attack, high defense, and high speed all at once.
Only ninja who reached the pinnacle in a single aspect were qualified to surpass him in that area.
"Raikage, it seems you didn't bring the Two-Tails' jinchūriki with you this time, did you? You should know how much impact a jinchūriki can have on the battlefield. Aren't you afraid of being completely wiped out?"
"And if you do use the tailed beast's power, then what I just said about going back and reforming Kumogakure won't be possible anymore."
"The commotion caused by a tailed beast is too big, you won't be able to hide it."
"Everyone will know Kumogakure lost because you didn't bring a tailed beast, not because you lost to Iwagakure's new system."
Hearing this, the Raikage paused, his gaze sweeping past the Iwa-nin behind Kurotsuchi before landing on Fū.
"Where are the Four-Tails and Five-Tails? Don't tell me the jinchūriki you're talking about is her."
Fū was about the same age as Naruto and Sasuke. Just a kid like this, if there is a ninja academy in the Land of Waterfall, she'd have only graduated not long ago.
At that age, could she really control a tailed beast's power?
"Little sister, tell Chōmei to give the Raikage a demonstration."
Shiromo chuckled lightly as he spoke and tore away the seal on Fū's body.
"Huh? O-okay!"
Freed at last, Fū immediately began communicating with the Seven-Tails.
"Chōmei-sama, please lend me your power…"
Inside her, the Seven-Tails was filled with shock and confusion.
It didn't understand how Shiromo knew its name.
For tailed beasts, only people they acknowledged were allowed to know their names.
"Chōmei-sama? Chōmei-sama, are you there?"
After thinking for a long time without finding an answer, and hearing Fū call out again and again, Chōmei finally responded.
"Fū, your body can't withstand too much of my power. Let that person figure things out himself!"
"Chōmei-sama, I'm fine! He saved me, now it's my turn to step forward! I want to make a hundred friends. I can't just fall here~"
Fū shook her head seriously and stubbornly.
Shiromo placed a hand on Fū's bobbing head. She jolted with a small "mm!" and froze in place.
"It's fine. Don't use too much power. Just scare the Raikage a little."
"Mm… Chōmei-sama, just listen to him…"
Fū whispered softly.
The exchange between the two and the tailed beast was clearly visible to the Raikage standing nearby.
Of course, the tailed beast's voice echoed only in Fū's mind, so the Raikage couldn't hear it.
But from Fū's words alone, he sharply picked up on a crucial detail: The Seven-Tails' jinchūriki knew the tailed beast's name, and their relationship seemed quite good!
As the village that studied tailed beasts most thoroughly, the Raikage knew very well that mastering tailed beast chakra wasn't particularly difficult, as long as the jinchūriki persevered.
Iwagakure's Rōshi and Han were both examples of this.
They had gained control of tailed beast power through training.
But to fully unleash a tailed beast's power, reconciliation with the tailed beast was required.
That was the hardest part.
Geniuses suitable to become jinchūriki were rare, but every village could find a few.
Those who could reconcile with a tailed beast, however, that was truly something one could only encounter by chance.
This little girl had already reconciled with the Seven-Tails at such a young age.
That meant that as long as she grew up and trained normally, she would inevitably become a perfect jinchūriki!
The Raikage's eyes burned as he stared at Fū.
While talking to Shiromo, Fū accidentally met the Raikage's gaze and was instantly frightened by the look of this dark-skinned, muscular man.
"Chōmei-sama, save me! I don't want to be taken away by that creepy uncle!"
"Let's start with four tails."
Shiromo said to Chōmei inside Fū.
Sensing the fear in Fū's heart, Chōmei said nothing more and began releasing its power.
Crimson tailed beast chakra surged out of Fū's body.
Tailed beast chakra carried inherent hatred and ferocity. Even if the tailed beast didn't deliberately interfere with the jinchūriki's mind, a weak-willed host would still fall into madness.
Fortunately, Fū's heart was bright and sunny, with little hatred within her. After a partial tailed beast transformation, she could barely maintain control.
"Retreat!"
After quickly weighing the pros and cons, the Raikage gave the order to the Kumogakure forces behind him.
The enemy had someone who could restrain him. With a half-transformed Seven-Tails jinchūriki cooperating with the Iwa-nin, the Kumogakure troops behind him wouldn't stand a chance.
Moreover, just as Shiromo had said, if the tailed beast caused too much disturbance, it wouldn't be possible to keep it hidden.
"Tsuchikage, if you dare to monopolize Takigakure's tailed beast, I'll join forces with Konoha and declare war on you again!"
Before withdrawing, the Raikage left behind this threatening remark.
He was afraid that Iwagakure might seize the chance to absorb this girl with perfect jinchūriki potential into their village.
After the Kumo-nin withdrew, the Iwa-nin also retreated under Kurotsuchi's command.
The surroundings instantly fell silent, leaving only the sound of Takigakure's waterfall.
When the tailed beast cloak faded from Fū's body, it revealed skin scorched and corroded by tailed beast chakra.
Shiromo squatted down and reached out.
The newly awakened Fū immediately blushed.
"I… I'm fine… eh?"
She looked down and saw that the body which had just been burning with pain was now completely healed.
Really… all better?
"You can use medical ninjutsu too?"
Seeing this, Kurotsuchi exclaimed in surprise from the side.
"More or less."
Shiromo didn't deny it.
"…Medical ninjutsu, monstrous strength, why are you starting to resemble Tsunade?"
Kurotsuchi complained.
"Kakuzu-senpai, thank you for saving me from the Kumo-nin earlier! I know about you, you were an amazing ninja from our Takigakure!"
Fū ran up to Kakuzu, her face full of excitement.
"Kakuzu-senpai, and you too, big brother! My name's Fū. Let's be friends!"
She turned her head back and forth, looking at Kakuzu and Shiromo expectantly.
"..."
Kakuzu was speechless. He looked at Shiromo, as if asking him what to do.
After all, they no longer needed to collect tailed beasts.
But according to Shiromo's plan, jinchūriki and tailed beasts also counted as "powerful forces" and could become allies.
"Fū, do you want to join us?"
Shiromo smiled and extended the invitation.
"Join you? But that black uncle just said that if I join, he'll start another war…"
Fū tilted her head, looking conflicted.
"He only said you can't join Iwagakure. He didn't say you can't join us. We are the Dawn of the Shinobi World, dedicated to bringing happiness to the world and guarding against forces that would harm it." ( Akatsuki means Dawn or Daybreak)
"Wow, that's amazing? I'm in, I'm in!"
Fū jumped up excitedly.
"You're really not afraid that Raikage will declare war on you someday?"
Kurotsuchi curled her lips as she watched Shiromo deceive a young girl.
"If he really keeps thinking about Fū, then I'll go steal his village's 'hakimi'. Those who steal from others deserve to be stolen from."
"?"
Honey water?
Why steal honey water from the Raikage?
Oh, suddenly it clicked for Kurotsuchi.
Kumogakure's Eight-Tails jinchūriki was Killer Bee.
Bee. Honey.
Shiromo was planning to steal the Eight-Tails!
So that's what he meant.
"You've got some nerve, setting your sights on Kumogakure's jinchūriki. But even if you manage to take him away, his bonds with the Raikage and Kumogakure are there. He won't be fooled and taken away as easily as this little girl."
Kurotsuchi pointed at Fū.
"Who knows? Maybe he'll think I'm handsome and fall in love with me."
Shiromo joked, patting Fū on the back as he prepared to leave.
"Huh?"
Kurotsuchi stood there with her mouth wide open, completely stunned.
What the hell?!
(End of this chapter)