Kazuyama Gekkō had taken Yugito out of Amegakure, but instead of leaving for good, they circled around and re-entered the village. Soon after, they checked into a luxury hotel.
Yugito was completely baffled. Staring at the well-decorated room, she looked blankly at Kazuyama, who was already reclining on the sofa.
"Sensei, what are you doing? Weren't we supposed to leave?"
"Who said we were leaving? If we stick to Yahiko and the others, how will we learn what they're really going through?"
Kazuyama looked at her with an exasperated expression. His student still had a lot to learn.
Yugito stared at him, confused and unsure what he meant.
With a sigh, Kazuyama pulled her over and began explaining.
"Do you remember what it was like when we first saw Yahiko and his group?"
Yugito nodded. Of course she remembered.
The nine of them had been getting beaten down by other Amegakure shinobi, and from the looks of it, those guys had been aiming to kill.
But what did that mean?
Seeing the puzzled look on her face, Kazuyama gave a small snort.
"Amegakure has drastically cut back on funding for shinobi. That's led to a situation where there are too many wolves and not enough meat."
"Clashes between teams have probably become common. Yahiko's group of nine is bound to be seen as a thorn in the side of others."
"If you were a shinobi in Amegakure, and there was a group constantly trying to snatch your missions, wouldn't that drive you nuts?"
Yugito suddenly grasped the situation Yahiko's team was in, and a trace of shock crossed her face.
She was stunned by how Amegakure operated.
"But if that's how things are, wouldn't the village's overall strength be weakened?"
"Teams fighting each other like that..."
She didn't get to finish before Kazuyama raised a hand to stop her.
"This kind of thing isn't rare. You didn't know before because of your situation as a Jinchūriki."
"Let me explain. The first village to adopt this system was Kirigakure. Do you think 'Blood Mist Village' got its name for nothing?"
"Survival of the fittest may be brutal, but it's an effective way to sharpen a village's shinobi."
"Amegakure is just copying Kirigakure's system, though it's doing so less openly. They're just increasing competition among teams."
"I'd bet Hanzō is very pleased with how things are right now in Amegakure."
Kazuyama leaned back on the sofa, casually pointing out the flaws in the system, though his tone was filled with contempt.
He was reminded of the Third Mizukage—the one responsible for turning Kirigakure into the Blood Mist Village. Though that man was dead now, Kazuyama didn't know if the Fourth Mizukage had taken over yet.
If he had, Kirigakure was likely to become even more terrifying.
"Yahiko's group will definitely run into more trouble."
"But their strength meets my standards. People like them—I'm going to recruit them into my team."
His tone turned serious by the end.
Yugito didn't quite get it. Sure, she thought Yahiko's group was strong, but compared to her and Kazuyama, there was still a gap.
Except for that one person—Nagato. He unsettled her.
"I don't think they're that strong. It's just that Nagato guy… there's something about him that feels off."
Kazuyama was surprised she noticed Nagato. That caught him off guard, but he quickly understood.
She was Matatabi's host after all—highly alert. Matatabi had probably warned her.
"You could sense something different about Nagato?"
"Yeah... those eyes... The emotions Matatabi sent me were full of shock, but she didn't say what they were."
Kazuyama nodded. It seemed Matatabi had grown wary.
"Kazuyama, forget Matatabi for a second—even I was shocked when I saw those eyes."
"Those are the Rinnegan."
Chōmei, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. Even in his voice, there was a trace of awe.
Having run into both Madara Uchiha and the Rinnegan recently, Chōmei didn't even know how to describe how he felt anymore.
"I was originally going to wait until you were older to tell you this."
"But I've changed my mind. I'm telling you now. And make sure Matatabi listens closely—this matters to you, to her, and to all of us."
Kazuyama slowly stood up, pulled a scroll from inside his robe, and unrolled it on the floor. As it opened, the kanji for "sound" appeared.
He bit his finger, quickly formed several hand signs, then pressed his hand onto the scroll.
"Fūinjutsu: Soundproof Formation."
A pale ripple spread from the scroll, wrapping around the entire room.
Once everything was in place, Kazuyama began speaking.
"Yugito, I told you before that we Jinchūriki are in a dangerous position, but I didn't explain why."
"That's because Madara Uchiha—the one who brought chaos to the ninja world—is still alive. He's been lying in wait, plotting."
"Not long ago, he controlled the Third Mizukage and sent him to kill me, hoping to separate Chōmei from my body and use him for his own ends."
"I got lucky and survived. As for the eyes you saw in Nagato—those aren't his. They belong to Madara."
"The Rinnegan, one of the Three Great Dōjutsu—said to be exclusive to the Sage of Six Paths. Madara obtained that power and plans to capture all nine Tailed Beasts so he can become the true Sage."
"Can you imagine what would happen to us Jinchūriki if he succeeds?"
Yugito, along with Matatabi inside her, was struck speechless. Even Chōmei, who already knew part of the truth, was overwhelmed upon hearing it again.
Seeing her expression, Kazuyama extended his right fist and said, "I know this is complicated, and even Matatabi must be shaken. So, how about we link up?"
"Yugito, extend your right fist and open your mind. This is one of the ways Jinchūriki communicate."
"All nine Tailed Beasts share a common origin. As long as we lower our mental defenses and let their chakra intermingle, we can build a platform for communication."
Still stunned, Yugito slowly extended her right fist, and it met Kazuyama's.
In an instant, Matatabi's chakra and Chōmei's intertwined.
The next moment, both Jinchūriki and their Tailed Beasts found themselves in a pure white space.
Just as Kazuyama had said, this was the platform they had created together.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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