Kurama wasn't helping out of kindness. It had taken Takuya two straight days and nights of playing card games to convince the fox to make an appearance, solely to lend credibility to his claims.
In exchange for Kurama's cooperation, Tsunade promised to let Nawaki and Kushina play with the fox to their hearts' content.
After all, Kurama had already lost everything in the games—it was so deep in debt that adding a little more wouldn't make much difference.
When you owe someone, you lose leverage. The more debt Kurama owed, the less confidence it had to resist, and the more obedient it became.
"For example, Shukaku the weakling!"
Kurama gleefully applied the new phrase it had learned, "weakling," directly to Shukaku.
"Shukaku is the weakest of all the tailed beasts, a little weakling starved for love."
At this point, there was no need for Kurama to elaborate further.
So, to earn Shukaku's acknowledgment, one simply needed to care for it?
Chiyo's eyelid twitched involuntarily as she thought back to the past generations of Jinchūriki in her village. The memories left her feeling inexplicably weary.
"I've said what needed to be said. Can I go now?"
Kurama looked at Takuya with hopeful eyes.
"Go on, go on. You're allowed to borrow a million ryō in advance from Kushina as your salary."
Takuya waved dismissively.
"Awesome!"
Though the tone wasn't exactly flattering, Kurama didn't care.
All it knew was that it had money again and could start a new game. This time, it would definitely crush Kushina and Nawaki.
As the fox cheerfully left the conference room, the representatives were left staring at one another, question marks practically hovering over their heads.
A million ryō in salary?
Tailed beasts have salaries?!
Could it be that Konoha had somehow forced Kurama to sign some kind of contract?
"Well, that's all the basic intelligence I have for you."
Takuya clapped his hands and stood up, addressing the village representatives:
"If your Jinchūriki still fail to earn the acknowledgment of their tailed beasts and continue having issues despite this information, it simply means your villages are too incompetent. Don't blame anyone else.
You just don't have what it takes to create a perfect Jinchūriki."
"And with that, I'm off."
With those parting words, Takuya's shadow clone formed a series of hand seals, dispelling itself.
The explanation by Takuya's shadow clone had come to an end. The representatives felt as though they'd understood… and yet hadn't.
Wait a second!
Didn't you say we could ask questions?!
How about giving us a chance?!
By the time they reacted, Takuya's shadow clone had already vanished.
Annoyed but resigned, the representatives turned their attention to Tsunade, who only shrugged, as clueless as they were.
Left with no choice, the representatives left the conference room, feeling more than a little frustrated.
Yagura lingered at the back.
He wanted to establish some rapport with Tsunade, hoping to glean a little extra insight.
Anticipating this, Tsunade gave him no opportunity. She simply offered a piece of advice:
"Takuya mentioned that the Mizukage could try sealing the Three-Tails within themselves. Perhaps you might earn its acknowledgment that way."
"Me?"
Yagura was taken aback by the suggestion.
After all, there was no precedent of a Kage becoming a Jinchūriki.
Given his clan's unique background, Yagura decided it might be worth trying—provided they could first recapture the Three-Tails.
There was no time to delay. He needed to return and begin the process of capturing the beast.
Spending a fortune on eight words had left a sour taste in everyone's mouths.
But the information was what it was. No matter how bitter they felt, the representatives had no choice but to accept it.
At least now they had a roadmap for addressing their Jinchūriki issues.
This was especially true for Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure.
Sunagakure could replace its Jinchūriki at any time. Kirigakure could begin sealing the Three-Tails as soon as it was captured. Kumogakure simply needed to properly nurture its chosen Jinchūriki.
Iwagakure, on the other hand, was in a more difficult position.
Their two Jinchūriki were both older, with one loyal to the village and the other constantly at odds with the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. Both had problematic personalities—one was as silent as a stone, the other fiery and as stubborn as a mule. Convincing either one would be a challenge.
With the task concluded successfully, what happened with the Jinchūriki from this point forward was no longer their concern.
Aside from Yagura, who could make decisions independently, the other representatives lacked the authority to act immediately.
And time was running out.
A storm was brewing, one that would sweep across the ninja world.
The Land of Rain remained perpetually shrouded in rain. Upon arriving once more, Takuya couldn't help but complain about the dreary weather.
"Nagato, are you ready?"
"Sensei, the plan can begin at any time."
From the moment he nodded, Nagato resolved not to waver.
Though he didn't want to die, though he was an orphan, he still had companions by his side and promises to keep with them.
"Good."
Takuya tossed a piece of firewood into the flames and said:
"Once the news about the Rinnegan spreads, the Land of Rain will become the epicenter of a storm that will engulf the entire ninja world. At that point, all hidden enemies will be forced to reveal themselves."
Nagato nodded calmly. He was prepared to be swept into the eye of the storm.
In a temporary Akatsuki hideout, Takuya remained behind while Nagato set off.
"Are you sure I shouldn't follow him? Even though his strength is impressive, if hidden enemies or powerful shinobi from other villages arrive, he could be in serious danger."
Minato had assumed Takuya would have him shadow Nagato to ensure his safety, but instead, he was told to stay behind.
"There's no need—not yet, at least."
Shaking his head, Takuya explained:
"The hidden enemies won't kill Nagato. To them, he's an important tool. They won't discard him unless absolutely necessary. As for shinobi from other villages, anyone entering the Land of Rain will be here for the Rinnegan."
"If you follow him, the risk of exposure increases, and the blame will fall on Konoha."
Takuya's plan was to stir the waters, forcing hidden threats to surface, not to make Konoha a target. That's why he had chosen to remain undercover in the Land of Rain.
"I can't move freely right now. Take two others with you to Amegakure and keep an eye on who enters and leaves the village."
"You mean Danzo…"
"Yes, Danzo."
"That old schemer has disappeared into the Land of Rain. Though he's nowhere to be found now, I'm convinced his objective is Hanzo and Amegakure."
Given Danzo's cautious and self-preserving nature, he wouldn't act alone. The most likely scenario was him attempting to ally with Hanzo to stir up trouble.
Danzo knew that if his movements were exposed, relentless pursuit would follow.
Thus, he needed a suitable ally to help him hide his tracks and gather the resources he required.
While Orochimaru had abandoned his experiments, Danzo wouldn't—he refused to let his broken body hold him back.
Leading two squads of Anbu into the Land of Rain, Takuya's main goal was to root out Danzo.
Though the Second Shinobi World War had ended long ago, the war-torn Land of Rain had yet to recover. It remained a haven for rogue ninjas and wanderers. The hunt was on.
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DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING