Chapter 280: Sunagakure Wants To Capture The Ten-tails
Land of Rain, northern coast.
The humid sea breeze carried the smell of fish and the lingering gunpowder smoke from distant battles, blowing through this port city that had temporarily taken in a large number of refugees.
Several dilapidated ships that had sailed from the direction of Rain Village were crookedly moored at the crude dock, unloading groups of sallow-faced, hollow-eyed people.
They carried simple luggage, their faces etched with exhaustion from escaping disaster and deep confusion about the future.
Konan had fine beads of sweat on her forehead, her purple short hair somewhat disheveled from the busyness.
She and several companions who were also genin from Rain Village were all young people dissatisfied with Hanzo’s rule, now shuttling through the crowd, doing their best to assist the few local staff with resettlement.
Looking at these people who had lost their homes, especially the children curled up in their mothers’ arms with frightened big eyes, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Return to Rain Village?
It had just gone through a bloody power shift, and whether the new ruler was friend or foe was unknown.
Stay here?
This port city had limited resources and clearly couldn’t accommodate so many refugees long-term.
Jiraiya stood at the bow, arms crossed over his chest, gazing at the chaotic scene.
After two days of self-adjustment and treatment, some of his injuries had healed, at least no longer affecting basic movement.
His gaze finally settled on that busy purple figure, his expression complex.
This kind Rain Village girl let him see a rare glimmer of humanity in the Land of Rain filled with betrayal and slaughter, and it stirred memories in his heart of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato—memories both warm and painful.
“Hey! Weird uncle!” Konan finally noticed Jiraiya at the bow. She lightly jumped over several piles of ropes, landing on the deck like a nimble swallow, slightly out of breath.
She asked with concern: “Your injuries… how are they? Still hurting?”
She remembered the horrific state he was in two days ago when she first found him, covered in blood and holes.
Jiraiya turned around, forcing the most cheerful, reliable smile on his face, even deliberately puffing out his chest: “Hahaha! Don’t worry, little girl! These minor injuries are like nothing more than a mosquito bite to Lord Jiraiya, who has traveled the world and weathered countless storms!”
He tried to dispel the heavy atmosphere with exaggerated tone.
After laughing, his expression sobered a bit. His gaze swept over the still anxious faces on the dock and Konan’s companions who, though exhausted, were still persisting, his tone turning gentle and serious: “Compared to an old guy like me, what about you all? What’s your next plan? Preparing to go back to Rain Village?”
Upon hearing this, the vitality on Konan’s face dimmed. She instinctively looked toward Rain Village, where the sky seemed still shrouded in invisible haze.
She said softly: “Yeah… the news of Lord Hanzo’s death has spread everywhere. It seems the village… has welcomed a new leader.”
She pursed her lips, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, revealing her inner struggle: “Some of my friends think… since the new leader overthrew Lord Hanzo’s rule, maybe… Rain Village will change. They want to go back and see the situation.”
Her tone wasn’t firm, clearly filled with doubts herself.
Jiraiya sighed inwardly.
He was almost certain that Konan and her companions were young ninjas deeply dissatisfied with Hanzo’s later tyranny, harboring a desire for change—potential rebels under the old regime.
However, he knew better than anyone that sitting atop Rain Village’s tallest tower now was his disciple Nagato, twisted by pain and proclaiming himself a god!
These young people carrying simple hopes would likely be absorbed and used by the Akatsuki war machine upon return, becoming peripheral members of Akatsuki.
He might not interfere much in the fates of other unfamiliar ninjas, but looking at this girl who still helped others in desperation, with eyes as clear as the sky after rain, a strong sense of atonement surged in Jiraiya’s heart.
Because Konan was too much like Konan and the others back then.
He couldn’t watch her jump back into that pit of fire.
Jiraiya changed the subject, pretending to be casual: “By the way, where’s that stinky kid who was with you? How come he’s not by your side protecting you? Leaving such a cute girl alone in this chaotic place—zero gentlemanly demeanor.”
He tried to probe the mysterious “Shura’s” whereabouts with teasing.
Konan was stunned for a moment, a trace of loss flashing across her face that even she hadn’t fully noticed. She lowered her head, gently kicking a small inconspicuous wood chip on the deck with her toe, her voice quieter: “He… he’s not a Rain Village ninja. He just… happened to pass by. He has his own things he must do… he’s already… left.”
She was silent for a few seconds, as if weighing something.
Then she looked up at Jiraiya’s face—which looked unreliable but had sincerity and weathering in his eyes deep down—feeling she could trust him, and softly added: “Actually, that name ‘Menma’ was made up on the spot.”
Jiraiya burst into loud, even exaggerated laughter: “Hahaha! Just as I thought! I knew that kid wasn’t honest! From the start, in my little ramen shop, those eyes of his could see right through people! Sharp as can be!”
While laughing, he carefully observed Konan’s subtle reaction when mentioning that name.
“Huh?! Uncle… you knew him before?” Konan widened her eyes in surprise, her pure eyes filled with curiosity.
She had always thought their encounter at the ramen shop was coincidence.
Jiraiya stroked his wild white hair, pretending to ponder deeply for a moment, as if organizing earth-shattering words: “Well… it’s complicated… the threads of fate are always intricate.”
“Strictly speaking, we hadn’t truly met before. But as if by some invisible bond… um, or rather, we were destined to meet and clash at fate’s crossroads!”
Seeing Konan grow more confused by his mystical words, wrinkling her small nose as she tried to understand, he found it amusing.
He stopped the mystification and got to the point: “Alright, enough about that kid. Back to business, little girl. I see you’re skilled and kind-hearted. There’s a job now—interested in taking it?”
“Job?” Konan blinked, temporarily setting aside her questions about Menma and Jiraiya’s relationship.
“Right, an escort mission.” Jiraiya nodded, his expression a bit more formal: “I’m planning to head to the capital city of the Land of Stars. But as you see, this old body of mine just went through a fierce battle, injuries not fully healed. Crossing the border and long journey alone, I’ll inevitably run into some troublemakers—handling them would be a hassle.”
“Since you’re a ninja, interested in taking this commission as my temporary guard?” He paused, his gaze meaningfully glancing toward Rain Village, his tone advisory.
“Besides, Rain Village’s situation is unstable now, no one knows the new leader’s temper or policies. For safety, I think you shouldn’t go back for now. Taking this chance to travel and see the outside world isn’t a bad idea.”
Head to… Land of Stars?
Konan’s heart skipped a beat.
Menma… he was a ninja from the Land of Stars!
If she took this mission and went to the Land of Stars, maybe… she could see him again?
That powerful, mysterious boy who occasionally showed a gentleness different from all the ninjas she knew…
Once this thought arose, it wrapped around her heart like vines.
She suppressed the inexplicable anticipation and hint of shyness in her chest, trying to sound calm and professional: “I… I need to discuss with my companions. After all, this involves leaving the Land of Rain. And…”
She looked up, meeting Jiraiya’s eyes seriously: “By ninja rules, cross-country escort missions, especially to a place like the Land of Stars with… special circumstances, are at least B-rank, and the commission… isn’t cheap.”
Jiraiya waved his hand grandly, very generous: “Settle it at top B-rank mission pay! Half prepaid, balance on completion! No worries about the money!”
He puffed out his chest: “Forgot to mention, standing before you is the world-famous bestseller author of the ninja world! Royalties and advances enough for me to travel the world and splurge for lifetimes!”
He smugly stroked his nonexistent mustache.
“Famous writer?” Konan’s curiosity was fully piqued. She tilted her head, her innocent big eyes seemingly filled with yearning for “literature.”
“Uncle, what kind of stories do you write? Adventure legends? Or heroic epics?”
Seeing the girl’s completely worldly-naive eyes full of pure curiosity, Jiraiya’s old face instantly flushed red, his earlier smugness vanishing.
He coughed violently, eyes awkwardly darting away, not daring to meet Konan’s gaze: “Cough cough cough…! Well… it’s that kind… deeply exploring complex emotions between adults and the great mysteries of life’s harmony… um… literary work! Yes! Literary work! Profound and meaningful! But…”
Jiraiya waved his hands hurriedly, tone urgent: “You’re too young! Mind not mature yet! Not suitable for such deep content! Wait till you’re grown! Grown!”
He hastily ended the topic: “Anyway, commission at B-rank pay, no issue! Go discuss with your companions quick! Tell me once decided—we’ll head out ASAP!”
While Jiraiya was persuading Konan to go to the Land of Stars.
Land of Wind, Sand Village.
In stark contrast to the hesitant and sorrowful atmosphere at the Land of Rain port, the air in the Sand Village Kazekage’s office was so heavy it could almost drip water.
Fourth Kazekage Rasa sat behind the large desk, fingers unconsciously tapping the hard surface, making dull “thud thud” sounds.
His usually cold, hard face now had brows furrowed into a “chuan” shape.
Before the desk stood Sand Village’s two advisor elders, solemn.
Chiyo’s face had wrinkles deeper than usual, her eyes slightly narrowed, emotions unreadable.
Ebizo, known for his profound wisdom and vast intelligence network, had his signature thick headband wrapping everything above his forehead tightly, with two long eyebrows hanging to his jaw.
He tightly gripped a red scroll marked with the highest emergency level, just delivered by the swiftest messenger hawk.
“Lord Kazekage.” Ebizo’s voice was low and hoarse, breaking the room’s dead silence.
“According to the desperate report from the third patrol squad at the northern border… confirmed in the northern Land of Wind, in the uninhabited ‘Sea of Death’ zone bordering the Land of Stars, a giant creature… beyond all our knowledge has appeared.”
He paused deliberately, then slowly unrolled the scroll, reading the contents written in trembling script: “Eyewitnesses describe the creature’s estimated height over three hundred meters, form… resembling a Tailed Beast. But most unbelievable… it has ten tails.”
Ebizo looked up, seeing Rasa and Chiyo’s faces instantly change, emphasizing: “The chakra pressure it emits… as per the report, two chunin who personally experienced the One-Tails Shukaku’s full rampage described it as facing a natural disaster, far exceeding their memory of Shukaku… dozens of times, even more.”
“Ten tails?!” Rasa shot up from his seat, hands slamming the desk, leaning forward, eyes full of doubt.
“Absurd! How could such a Tailed Beast exist? From One-Tails to Nine-Tails—that’s common knowledge in the ninja world! No record of a ‘Ten-Tails’ has ever existed!”
Chiyo slowly raised her eyelids, her murky eyes rolling as she looked at her brother, voice hoarse from years but grave: “I’ve lived over sixty years, read countless secret scrolls—not vast as the sea, but plenty of strange tales. This Ten-Tails… unheard of. Ebizo, the intelligence’s reliability…”
Ebizo took a deep breath, gently placing the heavy scroll on Rasa’s desk, pointing to the special encryption mark and bloodstains: “Lord Kazekage, sister. Source is one of the border patrol squads, captain a seasoned special jonin. They didn’t dare approach, observed from max distance for moments, but all descriptions of its size and those ten nightmare-dancing tails match perfectly.”
His gaze sharpened: “Most importantly, those two chunin who survived Shukaku’s rampage—their fear is genuine. To make Sand ninjas raised in Tailed Beast shadows feel such despairing oppression… its chakra scale likely exceeds our prior understanding of ‘Tailed Beasts’.”
In Sand Village, and mainstream ninja world cognition, Tailed Beasts are monsters born from millennia of infinite hatred, grudges, and negative chakra—bringers of catastrophe and destruction.
They never considered communicating or coexisting with Tailed Beasts like Cloud Village.
Chiyo’s bony fingers trembled slightly. She mused: “If… if Tailed Beasts truly spawn from humanity’s darkest side… then in today’s endless wars and cycle of hatred, birthing a more hatred-concentrated, stronger ‘Ten-Tails’… by this twisted logic, it… isn’t entirely impossible.”
However, in Rasa’s eyes, initial doubt gave way to a flame called “ambition.”
As Fourth Kazekage, he had devoted his life to revitalizing barren Sand Village and elevating its status among the Five Great Nations, even using Magnetic Release gold dust jutsu to accumulate funds.
Rasa clenched his fists tightly: “Whatever it is! Wherever it came from! Since it’s on my Land of Wind’s territory, we can’t ignore it!”
His voice carried unrestrained eagerness: “A Tailed Beast… stronger than Shukaku! If Sand Village can capture and seal it, create our own ultimate weapon stronger than any…”
Rasa’s breathing quickened, as if seeing Sand Village dominating with this power: “This will change the village’s fate! Our chance to escape resource scarcity and reach ninja world peak!”
He looked up sharply, gaze like a hawk sweeping Chiyo and Ebizo: “Most crucially, its location is too sensitive! Right next to Land of Stars! That ‘Shura’ who slaughtered nobles and the daimyo, upending ninja world order! We absolutely cannot let him get this ‘Ten-Tails’ first!”
He issued commands without hesitation:
“Chiyo Elder! Immediately assemble the Sealing Squad and Barrier Division, prepare the village’s inherited strongest sealing jutsu and related ninja tools! I want to ensure we can suppress this unknown Tailed Beast as much as possible!”
“Ebizo Elder! In my name, notify Anbu and jonin squads at once, select the most elite ninjas—including those skilled in long-range attacks, restraints, barriers, and sensing—to form a special operations unit! Carry all heavy ninja tools possible!”
Rasa circled the desk to the window, gazing at the sandstorm outside, his back exuding do-or-die resolve:
“This operation, I’ll lead personally! One goal only—”
“Capture the Ten-Tails!”
【Today’s Beautiful Picture】
