Kanna couldn't help but gasp as Kitsuchi told his story, and while a lot of details were missing, it was enough to paint a grim picture.
Konoha had suffered a devastating attack by the Nine-Tailed Fox. Countless were dead, including the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Furthermore, as befitting the son of the current Tsuchikage, Kitsuchi even knew that Minato and his wife both died on the day of their son's birth.
Something that hit Kanna particularly hard.
"No wonder," I couldn't help but whisper as he finished his tale.
"What was that, Kaguya-hime?" Kanna asked, though even Kitsuchi was curious.
"I was wondering why the people who followed us all the way from the Land of Fire suddenly just left while we were in the Land of Waterfalls, and why Kumo has shown no reaction. I assumed they would reach out before Iwa, but nothing," I explained.
"We were followed?" Kanna asked, surprised.
"We were, no doubt, to sell our location and information; they were no threat to us, so I didn't bother with them… but it now makes sense. What happened in Konoha would have drawn all eyes there."
Kitsuchi nodded. "Indeed, from what I know, Kumo has intensified its war against Konoha in response to its sudden weakness."
"War?" Kanna asked. "I thought the war was over?"
I gently shook my head. "The war was mostly over, but Kumo had yet to sign a peace agreement, so while there wasn't any fighting, they were still at war. Though if nothing had happened, that war would have ended soon… but now."
"But now it might turn into a full-blown conflict between the two," Kitsuchi took over. "Which is why joining Iwagakure would be your best bet. We are in a good position even if war breaks out again."
I was almost impressed at how smoothly he brought the discussion back to his goal. That was very impressive for someone who was said to be rather brutish.
Still, he had revealed much, including something I had long suspected: that Iwa, and the other villages, knew about Naruto… they had plenty of spies in the other villages, and something as important as the Hokage's family was naturally a priority.
He would have been someone valuable to kidnap, and dangerous to run into, had Minato still been alive. Now that he was dead, Naruto's value likely all but disappeared—at least until the rumors of him being the new host of the Nine-Tails would start spreading.
That was what was truly dangerous.
Still, much like how none had really tried to steal the Seven-Tails from Waterfall, I doubted anyone was crazy enough to try to steal the Nine-Tails. It would break the balance completely and lead to an all-out war between all the villages—a war that likely wouldn't end until only ruins remained.
Even Kumo had only tried to steal the future host when they tried their hand at Kushina, and I still hadn't disproven the classic fan theory that it was Konoha behind it.
But Jinchūriki were a line, a red line you just didn't cross. Akatsuki had successfully united all the villages together because they crossed that line, and any village that did it would surely find itself besieged by the rest.
"Thank you for your offer, but we have many concerns beyond possible wars that would have to be discussed," I gently turned down his offer while keeping negotiations alive.
"Hahaha, sorry, I was getting ahead of myself. Indeed, it is a big decision, so I won't force you to make a choice anytime soon. Take your time, ask your questions; I have been given the power to negotiate, without reason, of course," he quickly backed down.
Maybe… maybe he was a bit thick? Honestly, it could be so hard to judge with shinobi, as they were often masters of pretending and hiding.
For all I knew, he was merely pretending to be dim, and the fact that he wasn't a listed candidate for the next Tsuchikage was just a trick to minimise risks and keep his bounty low.
After all, Iwa wasn't like the other villages. Ōnoki could pretty freely appoint whoever he wanted; he had been in charge long enough to ensure his word was law.
I turned to Kanna, who still looked shaken up after hearing about the Konoha incident.
"It seems your story has given us enough to think about for today. Maybe you could guide us to an inn, and we could continue our discussion tomorrow?" I said as I turned my head slightly toward Kitsuchi.
"Oh no, please don't mind me, Kaguya-hime, I'm fine," Kanna was quick to protest.
"No, Kanna. This is also your future. I will at least have you there, and no thinking about Konoha," I gently told her off.
"Right, I know a good inn you can stay in," Kitsuchi waited for our discussion to end before he spoke up.
With only minimal chatter, he brought us to a fine inn, and left us after agreeing to meet up again the following morning.
"Kaguya-hime, I'm sorry," Kanna quickly apologized once more.
"Don't be. There is nothing wrong with feeling sympathetic for others, more so when it is one of your own who died," I tried my best to comfort her.
"One of my own?" she couldn't help but ask.
Ah, yes. Kitsuchi only said that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had died, showing us great trust and respect in sharing such important, and no doubt secret, information. But he hadn't said her name.
"The Fourth Hokage's wife was Kushina Uzumaki." Kanna's eyes went wide in surprise at my words.
"Uzumaki… Kushina? I think I remember hearing that name before. Back in Uzushio," she whispered to herself as she thought back to happier days.
"She was apparently fairly important, likely connected to the highest positions within Uzushiogakure." I wasn't sure about her exact position—if she was a daughter or a granddaughter of someone important—but I suspected as much.
Kanna shook her head. "I wasn't someone important, so I likely never met her, but I feel like I might have heard her name… and now, now she is dead."
"Indeed. It's sad, yet it is the reality of things." I honestly wasn't good at comforting people.
More so since my own thoughts still lingered on the events surrounding the Kyūbi rebellion.
Firstly, I couldn't help but feel how time was flying by. Minato wasn't even Hokage when I left Konoha, but now he was already dead and gone.
Obito had only had a few years, but already he was able to pull off something like this.
Even I wasn't sure if I could kill Minato; he was known as the perfect shinobi for a reason.
Speed was truly the most troublesome of all things to deal with. No matter how deadly a technique, it was all for nothing if it couldn't land.
That was something one could see from my future fight against Naruto and Sasuke. Even with the All-Killing Ash Bones, I hadn't been able to kill them, simply because even a sure-kill move couldn't hit my target.
And Minato… he was very much the king of speed, and yet in the end, someone like Obito was able to force him to his death.
I also felt like I might have missed an opportunity to change the future. If I could have stopped Minato or Kushina's deaths… I might have been able to change Naruto's future path. He might have been entirely different, meaning that should the worst happen…
Zetsu's plan might still work.
Sure, Minato would be someone I would have to fight in the future to collect the Nine-Tailed Beasts. But I still felt a living Minato was better than an immortal one with infinite chakra.
Still… it was easy to lose track of time, and I had done so, and now one of the biggest events was already over.
And I had completely missed it.
I honestly couldn't help but be both disappointed and angry with myself for missing something this iconic and important.
I had watched hundreds of years' worth of worthless crap. I had watched so many people have all kinds of weird sex that I myself spent half a decade getting fucked by a dog while eating cum and drinking piss just to get it out of my system.
Yet something as important as the Kyūbi rebellion I completely missed.
It was rare to see a fight like that. Even over a thousand years, the amount of times I saw fights on that scale—fighting involving someone like the Nine-Tails—could be counted on half a dozen hands.
Sure, it wasn't super rare, but considering how long I had watched, it wasn't many at all.
Not to mention that most of those bad things had happened before my blood thinned out. In the last two or three hundred years, it had only happened once or twice. Well, twice, but still few times, and this would have been the first time I could have seen something on that scale in person.
It really was a huge missed opportunity.
"Are you alright, Kaguya-hime?" Kanna asked, her voice barely more than a whisper, yet filled with concern.
I sighed, pulling myself out of my thoughts. "I am fine. I merely wish I could have been there… but maybe it is for the best. Had I been there, I would not have been able to stop myself from stepping in, and if I had… I would have gotten a lot of attention that would cause me no end of problems."
Kanna smiled slightly. "You are so kind, Kaguya-hime. I am so very grateful that you came and found us."
(End of chapter)
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