Carrying the severely injured Roshi on her back, Izumi Uchiha returned to Konoha along with Hinata, Gaara, and their companions.
"Go wait for me at the training ground."
At her words, Hinata and the others left one by one.
After dropping Roshi onto the ground, Izumi Uchiha reported their mission details to Tsunade and Hiroki Hyuga.
"...That's how it went. The other jinchuriki have been taken by the Akatsuki Organization."
Gaara remained behind, silently standing in place.
He showed no awareness of needing to give them privacy, so Hiroki simply glanced at him and didn't bother concealing anything as he calmly stated,
"Then we'll just wait for them to come knocking on our door."
"Wait?" Izumi Uchiha asked in surprise.
"The other ninja villages are closely watching Konoha right now. If we send many experts out of the village, they might take that opportunity to cause trouble."
"He's right," Tsunade added. "Izumi, just continue taking Hinata and the others on regular missions as usual. They can participate in the Chunin Exams in a few months."
"I understand," Izumi Uchiha nodded before turning to leave.
At one of the training grounds...
"This mission turned out to be beyond S-rank—it was like S-rank squared!"
Sitting atop a large rock, Karin spoke with disbelief in her voice.
Hearing this, Hinata responded, "Karin, weren't you the most scared previously? Now it sounds like you're actually looking forward to this."
Leaning against a big tree, Kimimaro's face displayed a faint smile.
"No way!" Karin exclaimed, shaking her head furiously.
"That's not it at all."
"I was just wondering—we didn't actually participate in any of it. Will this mission really be recorded in our files? What if all our hard work ends up being for nothing? This was an S-rank mission after all!"
"Karin, if you're short on money..."
Suddenly remembering something, Hinata realized Karin might have been slightly afraid of Kaguya. She wondered whether Hayato had slipped Karin some spending money during his absence.
Could that be the reason?
Before she could finish speaking, Karin immediately raised her voice and her face turned slightly red. "Hinata, what are you talking about? When have I ever been greedy?"
"Cough cough..."
Several coughing sounds echoed through the clearing as Izumi Uchiha suddenly appeared before them.
"Teacher Izumi!" Instantly, the three straightened up.
"I was too rushed last time to properly assess your abilities. Well then, let's see what you've got right now," Izumi said, motioning toward them.
Muttering under her breath, Karin grumbled, "Did she seriously just come up with this now?"
She didn't believe for a moment that Izumi Uchiha would call them to join an S-rank mission without knowing anything about their capabilities.
"Hinata, especially you..." Izumi shifted her gaze toward the quiet Hinata. "Your eyes haven't evolved yet? The blue glow of your Tenseigan—we've never actually seen it."
"Teacher..." Hinata started to explain. "I can activate it, but I can't maintain it for very long."
"What do you mean? Not enough chakra?"
"No," Hinata shook her head. "Only when I'm extremely nervous or in serious danger can I access the power of the Tenseigan. Last time was during training with my clan members when I was completely exhausted. Under normal circumstances, I simply cannot control it."
"I see," Izumi Uchiha murmured thoughtfully.
Just like many other jinchuriki, she could only unleash her power in the most dangerous situations.
"Then let's do this," said the instructor. "Kimimaro, Karin, both of you attack Hinata without holding back."
"Eh?" Karin hesitated slightly.
"Sensei Izumi, are you sure about this?" Kimimaro also asked.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen," Izumi Uchiha replied calmly.
"In that case, here I come, Hinata!" Karin smirked mischievously.
[Adamantine Sealing Chains]
Multiple chakra chains emerged from Karin's back and immediately bound Hinata.
Hinata felt a bit confused while bound—this technique just didn't feel right.
Glancing toward Izumi Uchiha again, she noticed there was no intention to stop them. Kimimaro solemnly raised his hands, spreading his fingers.
[Bone Pellet]
Hinata became visibly anxious.
Although unfamiliar with Karin's technique, she had seen Kimimaro fight many times.
If she didn't block, she'd be riddled with holes in seconds.
Suddenly, green chakra surged throughout her body, breaking the chains binding her.
"Good. Keep going," Izumi spoke out.
"What is your purpose for collecting tailed beasts?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Gaara, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. Due to his limited interactions with others, his speech was somewhat slow, causing occasional awkward pauses.
"Tailed beasts shouldn't exist in the first place. We'll eliminate it and make you a normal person," Hiroki explained.
"What?" Shukaku immediately flew into a rage. "Gaara, don't listen to him. Our fates are intertwined; if I die, so will you."
Unfortunately, Rasa had reinforced the seal using the sealing technique he obtained from Minato Namikaze. It wasn't easy for Shukaku to take control of Gaara's body now.
"And then what?"
Ignoring the beast, Gaara continued looking at Hiroki and asked further.
"What do you mean 'then'?"
"After that, what should I do?" Gaara asked.
Hiroki couldn't help but feel moved.
What kind of person was this? Whether he should be called simple-minded or just late-blooming was hard to say.
"Do whatever you want. Don't bother with people you dislike. Leave places where you don't want to stay."
"For now, you can stay in Konoha," Tsunade interrupted.
"If Shukaku dies, I'll die too." Gaara still wore an expressionless face while saying this.
"I won't drain all tailed beast chakra from you; I'll leave a bit. That little amount won't form self-awareness, so Shukaku is essentially dead. It won't affect you at all."
After receiving an answer, Gaara stopped asking questions.
Hiroki walked out of the Hokage Building.
Looking up, he saw a familiar figure—he was instantly surprised.
"Kaguya, you're back?"
"I've thought it through. I have plenty of time; there's no need to keep dwelling on things," Kaguya smiled faintly. "Where is she?"
"She went looking for someone named Hayato."
"Hayato?" Kaguya's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Not the Hayato you know," Hiroki chuckled.
...
Parallel Ninja World.
"Hayato!"
Hearing the voice, Hayato turned around while in the middle of an impassioned speech.
Upon seeing her arrive, he respectfully bowed his head. "Mother."
"Hayato, there's something I need you to do now," Kaguya Moon said.
"Mother, I'm in the middle of teaching my students," Hayato replied.
Kaguya Moon paused briefly, her gaze settling on the group gathered before Hayato. Though they were deceased souls, their expressions appeared worn and weary, as if they had been ordinary people enduring great emotional suffering.
They looked both vacant and strangely alert, with sharp glimmers in their eyes—clearly dulled in intellect.
Who knew what Hayato had done to them; once normal individuals now seemed like a bunch of simpletons.
Hayato's teaching methods were hard to make sense of.
"And I still haven't finished what Father asked me to take care of," Hayato added.
"Then go do it now; these souls won't be able to leave the Pure Land anyway," Kaguya Moon replied.
"But I can't reach the world Father mentioned," Hayato said somewhat helplessly.
"Do you mean the realm Indra and his companions went to?" Kaguya Moon asked.
"Yes, exactly that place Father told me about—but he seems to have forgotten later and never came to find me again," Hayato explained.
After thinking for a moment, Kaguya Moon said, "I'll take you there. Let's settle matters in that realm first."
Hayato turned his head and unleashed his power, which spread throughout the entire Pure Land.
His energy seeped into the souls of the deceased. Suddenly, they felt drowsy, gradually losing consciousness.
The two departed together, making their way toward the Warring States era from Inuyasha's world, intent on storming Yomotsu Realm with unstoppable force.
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