Chapter 201: Sealing the One-Tail
No one rushed into action.
This was desolate, uninhabited mountain wilderness, and the Land of Rain's environment proved extremely unfriendly to the One-Tail. The environment significantly weakened its destructive power. It could rampage however it pleased without consequence.
Minato rested for roughly another ten minutes. During this time, Hyuga Ritsu had already taken out paper and brush to write an authorization document in his capacity as clan head.
The content roughly stated that Hokage-sama needed to retrieve the ninja tool Crimson Gourd enshrined in the shrine, requesting the elders provide convenience. With such a document, Minato could properly retrieve the item. Otherwise, even as the esteemed Hokage, he couldn't casually take any ninja's private property belonging to the village.
Much less something belonging to the Hyuga clan.
Receiving the document, Minato temporarily transferred command authority to the awakened Hiruko, then immediately used Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the village, leaving Hyuga Ritsu and the others here to monitor the still-rampaging One-Tail.
They maintained sufficient distance from the One-Tail.
And the One-Tail—perhaps it hadn't sensed their presence, perhaps it didn't intend to randomly kill a few humans to vent its fury, or perhaps for some other reason—in any case, the One-Tail didn't trouble them. It simply kept willfully modifying the surrounding terrain and geography.
"Sensei, how do you feel?"
Hyuga Ritsu's gaze stayed fixed on the distant One-Tail, but this didn't prevent him from talking with those beside him.
"Still okay. Nothing major! The pollen from Advent of a World of Flowering Trees only causes temporary unconsciousness. It won't leave any difficult-to-remedy aftereffects."
Hiruko vigorously rubbed his temples.
Though he'd already awakened, it was like being anesthetized—the aftereffects hadn't completely faded. He still felt mildly uncomfortable.
"This Advent of a World of Flowering Trees' ability truly is overbearing. Just inhaling a single breath made me completely unable to endure. My current body gathers five Kekkei Genkai..."
"But sensei, your essence is still human."
"Well said. Ritsu, aren't you also human?"
"Currently, perhaps. But in the future, I most likely won't qualify as human."
"..."
Hiruko was silenced.
He looked at the pair of horns on Hyuga Ritsu's head.
Indeed—
Normal human heads didn't grow horns.
He was gradually truly believing those mad ravings Hyuga Ritsu had spoken—that the ninja world's numerous top ninja clans were all descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. After all, today even something like the Rinnegan had emerged.
Thinking of this—
Hiruko couldn't help looking left and right. The Sand ninja stood not close to them, unable to hear their conversation. Even Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, and Kakashi all stood quite far away, very tactfully giving the teacher-student pair space to talk.
But he still lowered his voice to ask, "Ritsu, is that Rinnegan genuine?"
"Of course it's real. That kind of power can't be faked."
"The Rinnegan—I never expected something from legendary tales would actually appear in reality. But who is this Rinnegan's possessor? And why have they colluded with Missing-nin Anonymous?"
This time, Hyuga Ritsu didn't answer.
He knew about the Moon's Eye Plan, but he had no way to explain why he knew about the Moon's Eye Plan. So he simply used silence to respond. After all, silence itself was also an answer.
Hiruko indeed hadn't expected Hyuga Ritsu to answer all his questions. In Hyuga Ritsu's silence, he shook his head, saying, "Forget it. These brain-taxing questions—I can't figure them out alone anyway. Better to let Hokage-sama worry about them!"
"Let me worry about what?"
The sudden voice from behind startled Hiruko.
"Hokage-sama, you returned so quickly!"
Hiruko turned around to see the somewhat pale-faced blond youth. His heart filled with admiration. The Flying Thunder God Technique was truly formidable.
By now, roughly five minutes had passed since Namikaze Minato's departure. In just these short five minutes, Minato had traveled from the Land of Rain back to Konoha Village and gone to the Hyuga clan's compound to retrieve the ninja tool Crimson Gourd.
At this moment, Minato's left hand held a pitch-black small teapot.
"The situation is urgent. Naturally, I need to be as fast as possible."
Minato's face was very pale, but his spirits remained fairly good. Though this operation hadn't achieved complete success, at least it wasn't entirely fruitless. They could seal the One-Tail shortly.
He looked at Hiruko, asking with some curiosity, "Hiruko-senpai, you still haven't said what you want me to worry about?" He'd just arrived and happened to hear Hiruko's latter half-sentence, which consequently piqued his curiosity.
Hiruko blinked. "Nothing much. I was just wondering where this fellow possessing the Rinnegan came from. And why did they get mixed up with Missing-nin Anonymous? What purpose do they have in stealing the One-Tail?"
"So, have you figured out why?"
"Definitely not! If I could figure it out so easily, why would I say to let Hokage-sama worry about it?" Hiruko spread both hands. "It's precisely because I can't figure it out that I can only hope Hokage-sama can penetrate this fog concealing the truth."
Minato laughed wryly.
These questions had already circled through his mind countless times. But unfortunately, without sufficient clues, even his speculation could only be wild guessing.
He gently shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts.
Investigating the truth could be postponed. The urgent matter at hand was sealing the One-Tail. They couldn't let Missing-nin Anonymous and the Rinnegan's possessor recapture the One-Tail.
"Let's talk about these matters slowly after we return to the village. For now, let's seal the One-Tail first."
Minato looked toward Shukaku in the distance, still willfully destroying and altering its surroundings. His gaze became sharp.
Then—
He surveyed the area, his gaze ultimately landing on Hyuga Ritsu. "Hyuga Clan Head, I'll need to trouble you again. I need you to help me suppress the One-Tail to facilitate my deployment of sealing techniques to confine it in the pot."
Though he possessed great confidence in sealing the One-Tail by himself alone—
Doing it alone would prove very strenuous. Moreover, he couldn't forget Missing-nin Anonymous's existence. This fellow controlled stealth methods even the Byakugan couldn't penetrate. They might still be lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity. Sealing the One-Tail clearly presented an excellent opportunity.
So—
He needed Hyuga Ritsu's help suppressing the One-Tail. This way, deploying sealing techniques would prove more composed and relaxed, without becoming so focused as to be vulnerable to sneak attacks.
"Leave it to me! This presents no difficulty."
Hyuga Ritsu answered with a smile.
For his current self, Tailed Beasts truly didn't pose much threat. By comparison, humans proved more dangerous.
Minato then looked at Hiruko and the others. "Hiruko-senpai, Uchiha Clan Head, Shisui, Kakashi—please stay alert during the upcoming process. Though it's uncertain whether Missing-nin Anonymous will truly return, preparedness prevents calamity. During the One-Tail sealing process, I'll have difficulty dividing my attention."
Hiruko and the others nodded solemnly in acknowledgment.
The One-Tail sealing operation thus began.
Only the three Sand ninja—Yura, Baki, and Yashamaru—couldn't contribute at all. They could only stand on the periphery witnessing everything.
"This is... so frustrating! We're still too weak!"
Yura ground his teeth.
Though he'd personally requested the Fourth Hokage and entreated Konoha's help sealing the One-Tail, watching the One-Tail sealing work proceed smoothly and methodically before him, an terrifying thought arose unbidden in his heart.
What if Konoha sealed the One-Tail but refused to return it to Sunagakure?
Once this thought emerged, it proved impossible to cut away.
What made him more anxious was realizing that if Konoha truly did this, Sunagakure seemed to have absolutely no recourse. Given the village's current precarious situation, they possessed no ability whatsoever to challenge Konoha.
Hearing Yura's words—
Baki furrowed his brow tightly.
Yashamaru's expression showed worry.
Both harbored similar concerns. Because in this operation, aside from guiding the way, they'd made virtually no other contributions. They couldn't conceive how they'd request the sealed One-Tail back after the Fourth Hokage completed the sealing.
A stifling atmosphere spread among the three. The clouds in the firmament, once dispersed by the One-Tail's stirred violent winds, gathered anew—just like their current gloomy mood.
The One-Tail's sealing proceeded very smoothly.
The entire process remained calm and uneventful.
Missing-nin Anonymous didn't jump out to launch a surprise attack. Perhaps Missing-nin Anonymous had fled far away early on. Perhaps they'd been lurking in the shadows but judged the situation inopportune and left.
In any case, after Hyuga Ritsu used Wood Release to suppress the One-Tail, Minato employed the Four Symbols Seal inherited from the Uzumaki clan to confine the One-Tail within the ninja tool Crimson Gourd.
"Done."
Minato exhaled deeply.
He picked up the ninja tool Crimson Gourd placed on the ground. Despite stuffing the mountain-sized One-Tail into this small teapot, the pot's weight hadn't changed much—as though the sealed One-Tail possessed no weight at all.
"A ninja tool personally forged by the Sage of Six Paths?"
Minato played with the Crimson Gourd in his hands, a contemplative expression appearing on his face.
Previously, he hadn't believed these items were ninja tools personally forged by the Sage of Six Paths. He'd considered the Sage of Six Paths who created heaven and earth in legendary tales completely nonexistent—merely a figure from mythological stories.
But now, having witnessed the Rinnegan's existence with his own eyes, his previously unshakeable conviction as firm as steel truly wavered. Perhaps the teapot in his hands was genuinely forged by the Sage of Six Paths.
Minato furrowed his brow, suppressing this suddenly emerged thought. He looked toward Hyuga Ritsu, shaking the Crimson Gourd in his hand. "Hyuga Clan Head, I may need to borrow this ninja tool for a period."
"No problem. Feel free to use it. It's war spoils seized from the Mist ninja anyway."
Hyuga Ritsu appeared completely indifferent.
Minato smiled. His gaze once again fell upon this terrain and geography drastically altered by the One-Tail. Looking at the sand dunes soaked wet by rainwater, this was the location of that mountain peak previously shrouded by the barrier. But now the mountain peak had vanished, leaving only these large expanses of sand dunes trapped among the mountain ridges.
He stared at the sand beneath his feet, suddenly speaking up to ask, "Hyuga Clan Head, you still can't see any clues?"
"I cannot. There are no usable clues here."
Hyuga Ritsu decisively shook his head.
Not only were there no traces of Missing-nin Anonymous—even Nagato, who should theoretically be hiding nearby, proved equally imperceptible. He didn't know whether Nagato was hiding outside his visual range or if Konan's mastered secret technique had also deceived his eyes.
But regardless of which truth applied, the undeniable fact remained that he'd seen no useful clues whatsoever.
"Kakashi, have your ninja dogs discovered anything?"
Minato turned to look at his disciple.
Before beginning the One-Tail sealing, Kakashi had already summoned all eight of his ninja dogs—both to guard against Missing-nin Anonymous's sneak attacks and to attempt investigating for any clues.
After all, the Byakugan could only see.
And ninja dogs not only possessed keen smell but also sharp hearing.
Some clues might be invisible but not impossible to smell or hear.
Kakashi wore a mask on his face, but his tightly furrowed brow already indicated the result. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, sensei. Pakkun and the others discovered nothing. The rain diluted all scents. Similarly, the rain sounds severely interfered with their hearing. Combined with the One-Tail's presence being far too overwhelming..."
He couldn't continue. He felt like making so many excuses for his own incompetence.
At his feet, the eight ninja dogs led by bulldog Pakkun all hung their heads low, ears drooping. Clearly, they also felt dejected by their failure.
Minato's face showed no disappointment whatsoever. He'd only asked with a trial mentality anyway. The result proved this kind of wishful thinking didn't work.
Immediately after, noticing his dejected disciple, he smiled somewhat helplessly, saying gently, "Kakashi, don't lose heart. Even Hyuga Clan Head's Byakugan found nothing. The ninja dogs discovering nothing was within expectations. I was indulging in improper wishful thinking."
Minato extended his hand to pat Kakashi's shoulder. "Cheer up quickly. Just because we gained nothing this time doesn't mean we won't try harder next time."
"Yes, sensei."
Kakashi responded in a muffled voice. Minato's consolation proved somewhat effective.
Hiruko spoke up at this moment. "Hokage-sama, since there are no more clues here, I believe we should also return to the village. There are still many matters requiring follow-up handling."
Minato nodded. "Hiruko-senpai, I know."
Though his mouth agreed, he still stood in place observing his surroundings for another moment. His heart held a feeling—whether Missing-nin Anonymous or that Rinnegan's possessor, both likely hadn't departed far. They were hiding nearby, watching them.
But unfortunately—
They had no way to find these enemies lurking in the shadows.
A moment later, Minato finally released a long sigh, saying, "Let's go! I'll use Flying Thunder God Technique to bring you all back to the village."
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