Naruto: Saving the Uchiha

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Reality was sometimes this cruel. You might eagerly beg to become someone’s subordinate, only to find they might not even be willing to accept you. If Rasa truly went knocking on the door, begging to be taken under their wing, and was rejected, the humiliation wouldn’t just be his own – it would drag the entire Sand Village down with it. What made Rasa truly miserable was that at this moment, he was already stuck in an excruciatingly awkward position, neither able to advance nor retreat. Even if he didn’t want to bow his head, for the sake of the village, he had no choice but to obediently bend his once-proud neck.

Rasa was deeply conflicted. A was consumed with vexation. Ever since receiving the intelligence from the Leaf Village, A’s state of mind had been completely thrown into turmoil. He had been racking his brain, pondering endlessly: Why? Why had Kazuki retrieved the sealed half of the Nine-Tails and turned himself into a Jinchuriki? For a bit of extra power? To A, that reasoning was pure nonsense. He stubbornly believed Kazuki must have a specific, deeper purpose for doing this.

"Mabui, can our operatives penetrate deeper and acquire more intelligence?"

"That... would be extremely difficult," Mabui replied. After a moment of thought, she located a file from the cabinet, opened it for a thorough review, and then regretfully shook her head at A.

"Ever since Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, many important positions within the Leaf Village have undergone rigorous screening – especially the Anbu. All individuals not genuinely loyal to the Hokage were purged. Under Kazuki’s control, the Anbu has become an ironclad monolith. Inserting operatives is virtually impossible. Even if we were to sacrifice some of our spies, it would still be extremely difficult to obtain the corresponding critical intelligence."

Spies fell into two categories: the first were those with simple cover identities who entered other villages under the pretext of business, tourism, and the like, remaining there; the second were those cultivated from childhood, sent to grow up within the target village. Such deeply embedded spies were the most difficult to cultivate, and placing them into important positions in other villages was immensely challenging – let alone a department like the Anbu, whose screening process was meticulous to a maddening degree.

During the Third Hokage’s era, the Cloud Village had indeed managed to infiltrate a spy into the Anbu. Unfortunately, such fortune came to an abrupt halt the moment Tsunade became Hokage. The stance of Kazuki and Tsunade was absolute: Investigate! Investigate them one by one! Even if it took a year or more, every single person would be thoroughly vetted. Under such stringent scrutiny, forget about spies – even the Third Hokage himself couldn’t have slipped two of his own people in. The ninja conducting the screenings didn’t care who you were. They obeyed whoever issued their orders. Even the retired Third Hokage’s words carried no weight.

"Damn it!!" Unable to extract any vital intelligence, A grew even more agitated, slamming his palm against the desk. Fortunately, he controlled his strength this time, and the desk wasn’t shattered into splinters.

"Kazuki must have a purpose for doing this! I refuse to believe that, with the Akatsuki specifically targeting the Nine-Tails, he would still recklessly turn himself into a Jinchuriki!"

The desk hadn’t broken; no replacement was needed this time. Mabui breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Lord Raikage... why don’t we simply ask directly? Perhaps the Leaf Village wouldn’t conceal the truth?"

"Ask directly?!"

Are you joking with me? A paused. Wait... that actually makes some sense. Why not ask? Compared to the other villages, the Cloud Village placed an extraordinarily high emphasis on Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki. One only had to look at the status of Killer Bee and Yugito to understand.

The treatment of Jinchuriki in their village was arguably the highest and best among the Five Great Shinobi Villages – except for the fact that Killer Bee liked to cause trouble and was frequently beaten and locked in confinement. Yugito could practically move about freely, with virtually no restrictions whatsoever. Moreover, the villagers genuinely respected these two Jinchuriki, not just paying lip service. It was respect from the bottom of their hearts. This was inextricably linked to the Cloud Village’s deep regard for Jinchuriki.

This was precisely why, upon learning that Kazuki had become a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, A couldn’t sit still. His concern over this matter even surpassed his concern for the war situation on the Land of Waterfalls battlefield. Kazuki becoming a Jinchuriki wasn’t necessarily a monumental event in itself. But A was worried that the Leaf Village might have developed some new method – something that could massively enhance a Jinchuriki’s power, or confer some other advantage – and that was why Kazuki had personally taken the risk, directly sealing the other half of the Nine-Tails within his own body.

Just how powerful was half of the Nine-Tails? Many people might lack a concrete impression. One only had to recall the original Fourth Great Shinobi War, where half of the Yang Nine-Tails single-handedly thrashed several other Tailed Beasts to understand the sheer terror of the Nine-Tails. And that was only half!

So, who should be sent to ask? Sometimes, the truth of a matter wasn’t complicated at all. Prompted by Mabui’s suggestion, A suddenly had an epiphany. Since we are currently allies, it shouldn’t be an excessive move for me to send someone to inquire, should it? But who should be sent? A’s gaze landed on Mabui.

As the Raikage’s secretary, Mabui felt the corner of her mouth twitch involuntarily. "Lord Raikage... you wish for me to personally make the trip to the Leaf Village?"

"Ahem!!" A’s weathered face flushed slightly. He stammered, "Since it was your suggestion, I believe it would be most appropriate for you to make the journey. Besides, your status is sufficient to serve as the village’s envoy. Moreover... your relationship with Kazuki is relatively familiar."

"..." I was just casually throwing it out there, and I ended up saddling myself with a troublesome mission. Mabui felt a bit like laughing and crying at the same time. "Yes, my lord. I will immediately return to prepare and depart for the Leaf Village, bearing Lord Raikage’s sincere regards."

Although she had inadvertently dug a pit for herself, with the mission assigned, even as the Raikage’s secretary, Mabui could only obediently accept it and personally make the journey to the Leaf Village. She could only hope that her trip wouldn’t end in disappointment – going with expectations only to return disheartened. Whether she would gain anything ultimately depended on Kazuki’s mood. If Kazuki was in a good mood, everything would be negotiable. If Kazuki was in a bad mood, all discussion would be off the table.

Similarly scratching his head in frantic anxiety over the Nine-Tails matter was the Third Hokage. Kazuki hadn’t specifically transmitted news of this to the front lines, but given the enormity of the event, the Third Hokage’s old friend, Homura, had still secretly sent him word. Homura knew the Third Hokage’s fixation on the Nine-Tails was almost pathological. Since it was publicly released information, specifically informing the Third Hokage couldn’t really be considered a violation of protocol. As long as he wasn’t caught, basically no trouble would befall him.

Why? WHY?! Upon receiving the news, the Third Hokage was utterly stupefied. He racked his brains, trying desperately to guess: Why did Kazuki do this? Why would he trust a dangerously unpredictable man like Orochimaru, even allowing him to meddle with the perilous Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Impure World Reincarnation?!

Just what was the purpose behind you, Kazuki, sealing half the Nine-Tails and turning yourself into a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?!?! After learning this news, the Third Hokage practically shut himself inside his rest tent. He had no appetite for food or drink. He couldn’t even spare a thought for his old friend, Onoki. His mind was singularly consumed by a desperate need to understand: Why would Kazuki risk releasing the other half of the Nine-Tails? Why would he seal that Nine-Tails within his own body?

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