These ninjas who appeared so suddenly were none other than Danzo's Root operatives.
They had been given three clear objectives.
First, ambush the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki in order to expose Nono's whereabouts.
By doing so, they would make her the target of Takigakure's pursuit and use her as bait to draw Aoshi out.
During this process, they had to ensure that Nono could not escape the Land of Waterfalls under any circumstances.
Second, once Aoshi had fallen into the trap, they would provoke the Seven-Tails into a full rampage and lure it directly in front of him, intending to use the Tailed Beast's overwhelming power to kill Aoshi outright.
Third, after confirming that Aoshi had been killed by the Seven-Tails, they would then deal with Nono—the traitor who had betrayed Danzo.
However, if the Seven-Tails failed to kill Aoshi, then they would personally step in and eliminate him themselves.
Even if it meant sacrificing their own lives. That was precisely why the current scene had unfolded.
"Hmph. You rats hiding in the shadows… have you finally decided to show yourselves?"
Aoshi had already detected their presence long ago.
Within his perception of malice, these people were overflowing with killing intent toward him, shining as conspicuously as the sun itself. Ignoring them had never been an option.
His words caused subtle changes in the Root ninjas' expressions.
But with the arrow already loosed from the bow, retreat was no longer possible. Abandoning the mission was not an option.
Grinding their teeth, they charged at Aoshi without hesitation.
Aoshi had no intention of holding back. Drawing his ninja sword, he unleashed Hatake-style kenjutsu.
Flashes of white light streaked across the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, every Root ninja present had been decapitated, collapsing lifelessly to the ground with eyes still wide open.
It had to be said—when it came to cutting down weaker opponents, Hatake-style kenjutsu was terrifyingly efficient.
After dealing with them, Aoshi calmly sheathed his blade and walked toward Mori Ryosuke.
At the same time, the Takigakure ninjas who had previously been held back by the Root operatives finally arrived.
The moment they laid eyes on the battlefield, they froze in shock. Especially the massive Seven-Tails wing embedded in the earth—it was impossible to ignore.
Was this truly the destruction that ninjas were capable of causing?
"Mori Ryosuke… what exactly happened here?" Kota, another jōnin of Takigakure, was the first to recover and ask.
"After the Seven-Tails rampaged, it was the Konoha hero, Hirakawa Aoshi, who stopped it."
The simple, straightforward explanation caused every Takigakure ninja present to suck in a sharp breath.
Their gazes turned toward Aoshi, filled with disbelief. He stopped the Seven-Tails… by himself?
The gap between them and the Konoha Village was terrifyingly vast. So this was the true power possessed by the Five Great Ninja Villages.
"Thank you very much for your help." Kota, still shaken, immediately expressed his gratitude.
Without Aoshi's intervention, Takigakure would have suffered catastrophic losses.
"It was nothing." As he spoke, Aoshi arrived beside Ryosuke and began treating his injuries.
"You… you even know medical ninjutsu, Aoshi-sama?" Without realizing it, Ryosuke had begun addressing Aoshi with an honorific.
"I only know a little."
"Thank you for your trouble."
While Aoshi was healing Ryosuke, the Takigakure ninjas examined the corpses of the Root operatives.
After tearing away their disguises, Cloud Village attire was revealed beneath.
Danzo's usual trick.
At the same time, Kota's gaze fell upon the enormous Seven-Tails wing embedded in the ground.
Just as he was considering how to handle it, a tall ninja wearing dark sunglasses suddenly appeared.
The moment he arrived, he pulled out a scroll and swiftly sealed the Seven-Tails' wing.
"Who are you?!" Kota immediately drew his sword, and the surrounding Takigakure ninjas readied themselves for combat.
The man did not answer. After sealing the wing, he turned to leave.
But Kota would not allow it. He instantly launched an attack to stop him.
In response, countless black, tentacle-like threads burst forth from the man's body, counterattacking.
Kota's expression changed dramatically.
"Earth Grudge Fear?!"
"You're… Kakuzu!"
That was right.
The man who appeared was Kakuzu, whom Aoshi had killed and transformed into one of his Puupets.
His purpose here was simple: to retrieve the Seven-Tails' wing that Aoshi had severed.
In truth, when the Seven-Tails first rampaged, Aoshi could have left immediately with Nono.
The reason he chose to remain and fight was not because he wanted to selflessly help Takigakure.
It was because he wanted the Seven-Tails' body cells.
The Gold and Silver Brothers, once swallowed by the Nine-Tails, gained their chakra by devouring its flesh and blood. They could even be sealed within the Gedo Mazo to help revive the Ten-Tails.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru later cultivated an Eight-Tails horn using material obtained from the Eight-Tails.
Yakushi Kabuto then used it on the Impure World Reincarnation of Fū, allowing him to undergo Tailed Beast Transformation despite no longer being a Jinchūriki.
All of this proved one thing—The flesh and cells of a Tailed Beast still contained immense power.
The moment Aoshi saw the Seven-Tails rampage, he decided to obtain a portion of its body and create a special summoning beast imbued with the Seven-Tails' power.
That was why, during the battle, he had already ordered Pain–Kakuzu, who was stationed at the base, to rush here.
And thus, the current scene came to be.
Kota's voice had barely fallen when the expressions of every Takigakure ninja present changed dramatically.
Some of them even subconsciously took a step back. This alone was enough to show how much pressure Kakuzu exerted on them.
This man was the most terrifying rogue ninja in Takigakure's history. Not only had he stolen the village's secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear, but he had also slaughtered all of Takigakure's high-ranking officials at the time.
If one were to draw a comparison, he was to Takigakure what Orochimaru was to Konoha.
"As a rogue ninja, you actually dare to return to the Land of Waterfalls. This time, we absolutely cannot let you leave, Kakuzu!" Kota spoke sternly.
However, despite his words, he made no move to attack. Instead, he stared at Kakuzu with deep vigilance.
Empty threats were one thing, but truly fighting to the death was another matter entirely—and it simply wasn't worth it.
In truth, Takigakure had long adopted an attitude of reluctant indifference toward Kakuzu.
After all, the village, which had already declined, simply did not possess the strength needed to capture him.
And asking other ninja villages for help to deal with their own rogue ninja? That would be unbearably humiliating.
So, in the end, they could only choose to let the matter go.
Seeing that no one dared to block his path, Pain–Kakuzu let out a cold sneer and turned to leave.
Only after his figure completely disappeared did the Takigakure ninjas finally release the breath they had been holding.
When they heard Kota's words earlier, their hearts had practically been in their throats. What if Kakuzu had really decided to attack?
Fortunately, that nightmare never came to pass.
[Completed the healing of Mori Ryosuke. Reward: Golden Orb.]
[Congratulations on obtaining Water Release: Water Needle Senbon Jutsu.]
After finishing Ryosuke's treatment, Aoshi turned his attention to Erika, who was still unconscious.
She was not a perfect Jinchūriki, and the Seven-Tails' rampage had inevitably caused her some backlash.
Thankfully, her injuries were not serious and could be healed quickly.
[Completed the healing of Erika. Reward: Golden Orb.]
[Congratulations on obtaining Secret Technique: Hiding in Scale Powder Technique.]
Hearing the system's notifications, Aoshi fell into brief contemplation.
He had originally thought that healing a Jinchūriki would grant a colored orb.
Now it seemed that, in the system's judgment, the power of a Tailed Beast did not truly belong to the Jinchūriki themselves.
Unless one became a perfect Jinchūriki, fully mastering the Tailed Beast's chakra.
At the same time, Aoshi's shadow clone—tasked with pursuing Kaoru and Yugata—completed its mission and returned with Nono.
Seeing Aoshi standing there unharmed, Nono rushed straight into his arms.
"That's wonderful, Aoshi-kun… I was really worried."
In the common understanding of the ninja world, Tailed Beasts were synonymous with overwhelming power—the ultimate weapons of a ninja village.
So even Nono, who had absolute faith in Aoshi, could not be completely certain he would defeat the Seven-Tails.
"It's fine, it's fine. Look, I'm perfectly okay, aren't I?" Patting her gently, Aoshi comforted her with a smile.
"I told you already—it's just a Seven-Tails. It can't do anything to me."
Hearing this, the Takigakure ninjas were left utterly speechless. Their village's greatest trump card had been belittled so casually.
Yet none of them could refute it. Because what Aoshi said… was simply the truth.
"Aoshi-sama, thank you very much for your help this time. Please, come rest in Takigakure for a while." At last, Ryosuke stepped forward and spoke sincerely.
Seeing his genuine attitude, Aoshi naturally gave him face.
"By the way," Aoshi added casually, "what do you plan to do with the bodies of these Cloud ninjas?"
His question caused Ryosuke and the others to stiffen slightly.
It was common knowledge that among the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Cloud Village was the most domineering.
They would not hesitate to destroy smaller villages at the slightest provocation.
With Takigakure's current strength, they truly might not dare to demand an explanation from Kumogakure.
"How about this?" Aoshi suggested calmly. "Hand the bodies over to me. Konoha will handle the matter."
He intended to use the corpses of these Root operatives to deal with Danzo.
"This… will require our leader's decision."
---
Inside the secret base.
Aoshi stood before the newly created Rinne Path–Hiruko and bestowed upon him the abilities of the Animal Path.
Unlike Kakuzu, Hiruko's personal combat strength was utterly insufficient.
Without the basic powers of the Six Paths, he would be nothing more than a "waste" fit only for research.
Next, Animal Path–Hiruko's mission was clear: continue refining the Chimera Technique, then use the Seven-Tails' wings to create the first Rinnegan summoning beast.
At this thought, a bold idea suddenly crossed Aoshi's mind. If, in the future, he were to gather the flesh or cells of all nine Tailed Beasts—
And then fuse them together using the Chimera Technique—
Could he create a pseudo Ten-Tails?
And if such a pseudo Ten-Tails were sealed within himself, could he become a pseudo Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and reach the level of the Six Paths?
Aoshi did not yet know whether such a path was truly possible.
But that didn't matter. He could take it step by step.
After all—
Practice makes perfect.
---
Inside the Root base.
Danzo had already received full reports of everything that had happened in the Land of Waterfalls.
When he learned that both Aoshi and Nonoyu were alive and unharmed, his fury exploded. He smashed everything within reach.
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
"After mobilizing so much manpower, you still couldn't deal with a single Hirakawa Aoshi!"
"What good are you to me?!"
Faced with Danzo's rage, the Root ninjas stood motionless, silent as cicadas in winter.
"How did that brat's strength grow so quickly…?" The thought made Danzo so angry that his heart ached.
If only he had discovered Hirakawa Aoshi's talent earlier—if only he had recruited him into Root—
With such a subordinate at his side, he would have become Hokage long ago.