Chiyo joined the team heading out to rescue Gaara.
Kiyosuke didn't object. Instead, he laughed and said:
"Chiyo-sama, aren't you afraid this will be a one-way trip?"
"Hmph! You brat, can't you say something nicer? Are you hoping for my death? But I've lived long enough already. Even if I die on this mission, it doesn't matter. For a shinobi, dying on a mission is nothing unusual."
Chiyo had already accepted this reality. She was joining the mission for the sake of her grandson. Whether she survived or not, she wanted to see him one last time.
"I see. Then let's go."
Kiyosuke didn't say anything more. After reorganizing the squad with Kakashi, he set off with Chiyo to rescue Gaara.
Akamaru ran at the front, following the scent in the air to lead the way.
On the road, Sakura and the others who didn't know much about Akatsuki began asking why the organization wanted to take the One-Tail sealed inside Gaara. These rookies didn't even know what a tailed beast was.
Fortunately, Chiyo, an experienced veteran, explained things to them.
All along the way, Naruto looked gloomy, deeply worried about Gaara's situation. He hadn't yet crossed paths with Akatsuki himself, but he understood one thing: if Jiraiya hadn't always been by his side, Akatsuki would have come for him already. Otherwise, he might have ended up just like Gaara.
Because of that, Naruto sympathized with Gaara. He thought of Gaara as a friend and didn't want to see a friend suffer like that.
"Most jinchūriki are treated like tools in their villages—stripped of freedom, shunned by their people. It's rare to see a jinchūriki like you who can actually go out on missions," Chiyo said.
She was astonished that Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, was able to come to Sunagakure. In her time, jinchūriki were nothing but disposable weapons—used and then discarded when necessary. If a jinchūriki died, they could always make another. But if a tailed beast was lost, the consequences were enormous.
There was no way they would have allowed a jinchūriki to leave the village.
Everyone glanced at Naruto.
Naruto, who had been protected by Kiyosuke since childhood, scratched his head and said:
"Don't look at me like that. Everyone treats me really well. That's all thanks to Kiyosuke-san's efforts."
He wasn't stupid. He had noticed things since he was little. Some people had shown their displeasure toward him, and he had overheard conversations. That was how he came to understand just how much Kiyosuke had done for him.
He had asked Jiraiya about it before, though he never questioned Kiyosuke directly. And Kiyosuke never explained either.
In any case, Kiyosuke-san had always been Kiyosuke-san.
Kiyosuke didn't respond, simply pressed forward in silence.
Chiyo glanced at him and smiled.
"Heh, brat, you actually had the time and patience for something like this? Changing people's perceptions of jinchūriki isn't easy."
"Of course I know that. But I succeeded. And besides, didn't your Sunagakure make Gaara, a jinchūriki, the Sixth Kazekage? You guys did better than I did."
Kiyosuke snorted as he spoke.
Chiyo shook her head.
"I never thought they'd go that far… A jinchūriki becoming Kazekage… In our time, that would've been unthinkable. Even the First Hokage's wife never became a Kage."
Mito Uzumaki, wife of the First Hokage, had temporarily led Konoha after the Second Hokage's death. At that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still too young. Once he grew up, Mito handed authority back to him and resumed her normal life.
Back then, everyone assumed Mito would cast Hiruzen aside and become the Third—or even Fourth—Hokage herself. But she never did.
She had been the jinchūriki with the greatest chance of becoming Hokage.
"Times have changed. Your generation's way of thinking doesn't fit anymore."
Kiyosuke leapt over a stream and added:
"The position of jinchūriki has shifted in every village. The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki is the Fourth Raikage's brother. His status in Kumogakure is unbelievably high."
Killer B's rank in Kumogakure was second only to the Fourth Raikage himself. His standing was immense.
"That jinchūriki who perfectly controls his beast?"
Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
"Kiyosuke-san, what does 'perfectly control' mean?"
Kiyosuke explained:
"It means making the tailed beast obey you, using its full power as your own. Killer B can freely wield the Eight-Tails' strength and even transform into the beast itself, becoming a walking natural disaster. A tailed beast is one of the most terrifying forces in this world. The Nine-Tails sealed in you by Minato was split in half. Even so, its power is still overwhelming."
"Perfect… jinchūriki…"
Naruto touched his stomach and stayed silent.
Jiraiya had once tried to help him master the Nine-Tails' chakra. But in the end, he failed. Naruto could only control up to three tails. Once he pushed into the fourth, the malice carried in the chakra would overwhelm him, eroding his reason.
He had lost control before—badly injuring Jiraiya in the process.
It was something he could never forget, the deepest scar of guilt he carried.
"Don't worry. Someday, you'll become a perfect jinchūriki. You'll overcome the Nine-Tails' hatred. Don't be so pessimistic."
"Yes! I'll work hard!"
Naruto clenched his fists, his spirit reignited.
Seeing him like that, Hinata, who had been quietly following behind, couldn't help but smile. This was the Naruto she admired most—strong and determined.
"What an unusual boy. Maybe he'll accomplish something after all. But the power of the nine beasts isn't easy to master. The Nine-Tails embodies hatred itself. Controlling its strength won't be simple. Just now… you said this kid only has half of it inside him?"
"Yeah. The other half was sealed away in the underworld."
"The Fourth Hokage really was a genius."
Even Chiyo couldn't help but marvel. Splitting the fearsome Nine-Tails in two, reducing its power, allowing his young son to bear it, while taking the other half beyond anyone's reach—that was a truly brilliant solution.
"Of course! That was my old man!" Naruto said proudly.
Chiyo raised a brow.
"And you don't resent him? For making you a jinchūriki? Even with Kiyosuke's protection, you must have felt the malice directed at you. Don't you hate those people?"
Naruto thought for a moment before replying:
"No. I don't hate them. What they hate is the Nine-Tails. It just happens to be inside me, so they confuse it with me. But even if they hate me, I'll prove them wrong. I'm not a demon fox. I'm Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha! The son of the Fourth Hokage!"
"What an incredible goal. I hope you succeed."
Chiyo smiled softly.
What a cheerful child… Perhaps the future really would change because of him.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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