In the operations conference office at Kumogakure.
Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!
Those were the sounds of everyone eating ramen—heartily, too. Clearly, the taste had conquered them.
Natsuki had already taken the portions for himself and Tenten to find Tenten. He wasn't about to eat with a whole crowd here. If he had that time, he'd rather spend it eating with his girlfriend.
Tsunade polished off three bowls in short order and looked thoroughly satisfied.
She'd been so busy these days she barely had an appetite. A few bowls of Ichiraku later, her spirits were lifted—and her anger had indeed cooled a lot.
Jiraiya quietly exhaled in relief and gave silent praise to Natsuki's scheme.
Everyone else felt the same. They all clearly liked Ichiraku and even asked about the stand, promising that the next time they visited Konoha they'd feast there.
During the meal, Jiraiya hurriedly introduced Konan and explained his plan to take her to seal the Gedō Mazō (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path).
Tsunade actually knew Konan. Thinking of the upheavals that trio had endured, she couldn't help but sigh. After Jiraiya's explanation, she also understood why the Rinnegan had ended up with Obito.
Now that Konan was willing to help, it was a tremendous boon.
Shikaku said at once, "Opportunities like this can't be missed. We need to assemble a strong squad quickly to seal the Gedō Mazō. As long as that thing is out of play, Obito can't make trouble no matter how he writhes!"
Everyone nodded. Konan's arrival truly was a huge piece of good news.
Tsunade said, "Then Jiraiya will lead the team. We'll still need a few heavy hitters… Right! Neji and Shino—their strength is more than enough."
Raikage A added, "Samui and Atsui can go. Arrange it as you see fit."
Ōnoki wouldn't be outdone. "I recommend my granddaughter Kurotsuchi and my disciple Akatsuchi!"
Mei followed up, "Chōjūrō and Ao can go as well. They'll make excellent support."
Gaara said, "…Temari and Kankurō may be a bit weaker for this specific op, but if they're useful, take them too."
Wait—when did this turn into a flex-off?
Who started it?
"Ahem! Call them all, then. Jiraiya will make the final selection!"
Jiraiya rarely looked this serious. "This mission is both crucial and dangerous. I'll pick the most suitable people. There can't be even a hint of carelessness."
No one objected, and notifications went out immediately.
Fortunately, shinobi from the various villages were already en route, so there was no immediate need to marshal whole armies. Many could be freed up right now.
Soon, everyone mentioned had arrived.
After a few quick questions, Jiraiya selected Shino, Akatsuchi, and Samui.
"Alright, you have ten minutes to prepare. We depart immediately!" Jiraiya knew time waited for no one.
"No need. I've been ready," Shino replied with his usual reliability.
Akatsuchi and Samui nodded as well. It was wartime; as elite shinobi, they were always prepared and wouldn't waste a second.
"Good. Then we move now. Konan, any issues?"
Konan shook her head but quickly walked over to the operations map. She drew a circle at a certain point. "Approximately here. But I'm not sure if Obito has already summoned it away."
Tsunade waved it off. "We do what we can. Even if we fail, no one will blame you."
Konan nodded and looked to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya dipped his chin. "No time to lose. Move out!"
The five flickered away and vanished.
Only then did Tsunade have time to turn toward Naruto and Fū, who had been pretending to be quail in the corner. She cracked her knuckles—making the two of them shrink their heads even further.
"So. You two sure picked a great time to come back—and you even wanted to tag along with Jiraiya on the sealing mission? Feeling very capable, are we?"
"Tsunade-baa-chan, I was wrong!" Naruto begged.
"Tsunade-baa-chan, I was wrong!" Fū begged too.
Tsunade bonked Fū once. "Who are you calling baa-chan? I'm still young!"
Fū stared, dumbfounded. Wait—why only hit me? Naruto was the one who shouted it first. I just followed him. Why am I the only one getting whacked?
No fair!
When Natsuki came back from finishing his ramen, he found the two of them getting chewed out.
Naruto and Fū immediately shot him pleading looks—but Natsuki didn't bother. He quickly gathered up the bowls and chopsticks and scribbled "Everyone said it was delicious" on a slip of paper, then warped the note and tableware back.
He had left a Hiraishin formula on the table earlier—perfect for sending the dishes back.
Teuchi and Ayame would probably be happy.
Here, Tsunade had just about finished the scolding and turned to the others. "What do we do with these two brats?"
Raikage A said, "What else? Send them to the Island Turtle."
Everyone nodded. The best place for jinchūriki was there. Safest.
Naruto might be a bit dense, but not completely. He instantly realized they meant to send him to the rear and loudly objected, "Tsunade-baa-chan, I don't wanna go to some Island Turtle. I want to fight too!"
Fū clearly didn't want to be locked up for 'protection' either. She pointed at Gaara. "Gaara is also a jinchūriki, and he doesn't have to go."
Naruto bobbed his head. "Yeah, yeah! We're not going either!"
Everyone looked at Tsunade: How did you end up rescuing kids like this? Throwing tantrums at a critical moment?
Tsunade had a headache. She considered just forcing them to go.
Luckily, Natsuki cut in. "Naruto, I heard there's a place on the Island Turtle called the Falls of Truth. It can help a jinchūriki train and become a perfect jinchūriki."
Naruto took the bait at once. "A perfect jinchūriki?"
"Right. The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B, trained there to become one. Sasuke is there right now, too—he's going to get even stronger. From what I see, you can't even control your tailed power properly yet. Forget catching up to Sasuke—you'll end up trading blows with some random grunt for half a day. And you still want to stay here and drag us down?"
Natsuki's words weren't pretty, but they were meant to light a fire under Naruto.
Right now, Naruto's mind should be fixed on two things: getting stronger, and Sasuke.
Sure enough, Naruto said at once, "I'm going to the Island Turtle! I'm going to the Falls of Truth to train! I'm not letting that stuck-up Sasuke get ahead of me!"
Everyone breathed a quiet sigh of relief and secretly gave Natsuki a thumbs-up.
As for Fū—she was even easier.
Gaara said, "Fū, I'm here coordinating the war. If the situation becomes dire, I'll retreat to the Island Turtle as well. It's for victory. And after we win, everyone will be glad to be your friend—because you fought alongside all of us."
Fū could only nod. "I understand. I'll go to the Island Turtle obediently."
Only then did everyone completely relax.
They all shot Natsuki a meaningful look.
Natsuki placed a hand on each of their shoulders and, in the next instant, flickered out of sight. When they reappeared, they were already on an island.
(End of Chapter)
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