When it came to the Tailed Beasts, Hatani's perspective differed significantly from the majority.
No matter how beautifully the original anime portrayed the bond between a Jinchuriki and their Tailed Beast, in Hatani's eyes, it was nothing more than a story of enslavement. The Tailed Beasts had been free spirits since the day the Sage of Six Paths created them; it was human greed for their power that birthed the concept of the Jinchuriki.
The more "beautifully" a disgusting story was told, the more nauseating it became.
It reminded him of a certain square-faced celebrity in his previous life. Standing amidst ruins, she had the gall to claim that the people there "might have lost everything, but they have gained freedom."
Freedom? Please. If someone asked her if she wanted that kind of "freedom," she'd be the first to run. In fact, within hours of making that sickening statement, she'd be back in her glamorous city across the ocean, standing under the flashes of paparazzi cameras in haute couture that the "free" people couldn't afford in ten lifetimes.
It was the same for the Tailed Beasts. Regardless of how people sugarcoated it, if you put yourself in their shoes—locked in a pitch-black mental space for eternity—who could truly accept it?
That said, Hatani had no intention of becoming some "Liberator of the Tailed Beasts." He wasn't a saint, and he certainly wasn't going to solve problems by ignoring human interests.
However, if he could gain some benefits while helping the Five-Tails maintain its hard-won freedom, he was more than happy to lend a hand.
Hatani followed the retreating Suna troops all the way back. Throughout the journey, he racked his brain, trying to figure out how to squeeze the maximum profit out of the Hidden Mist's capture team.
By the time the Suna main camp appeared in the distance, a spark of inspiration finally flashed in his mind. But to pull this off, he would first need to convince Sakumo Hatake and those stubborn veteran ninjas.
The arrival of the defeated Suna vanguard caused a fresh wave of commotion in the enemy camp. Hatani used the ensuing chaos to slip through their defensive lines once again.
In the east, the sky was beginning to turn the color of a fish's belly. A new day was about to dawn.
Konohagakure
Recently, Danzo Shimura had been surprisingly well-behaved.
When Danzo wasn't actively plotting, he was actually quite an efficient administrator. After the initial period of panic following the "white glove" incident, Root had quickly restored its intelligence network across the shinobi world. Soon, a massive influx of reports began to pile up on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
When you're caught, you take your punishment like a man. Danzo understood this well. Especially after Hiruzen had looked at him with that terrifying, cold gaze—a look he hadn't seen in years—Danzo knew he had to lay low for a while.
However, he wasn't without his own preparations.
Although Hiruzen had told him that Root's survival would depend on its performance during the war, Danzo couldn't truly feel at ease. He knew Hiruzen had only spared him because, at that moment, Konoha couldn't afford an internal rebellion from Root. Hiruzen was protecting him out of necessity, not friendship.
He couldn't guarantee that once the war ended and things settled, Hiruzen wouldn't decide to settle old scores. Therefore, he had to prepare a backdoor.
After consolidating the latest intelligence, he had narrowed his fallback plans down to two:
Amegakure, now that they had lost Hanzo.
The Five-Tails, which Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri were all currently hunting.
In his assessment, the first option was the most attainable. Without Hanzo, the Hidden Rain was just a collection of "rotten fish and stray prawns." With Root's strength and the infiltration they had already begun, Danzo was confident he could take control of Amegakure once the Great War ended and he could focus his resources.
Whether he used the Hidden Rain as a bargaining chip with Hiruzen or simply went underground to rule as a puppet master, it would ensure his safety and status.
But easy to achieve meant low rewards. Without Hanzo, Amegakure was just another minor village on par with Grass or Hot Springs. Danzo's dream was to sit in the Hokage's chair, not to be the king of a backwater dump.
This led to the second path: capturing and controlling the Five-Tails.
In Konoha, the Nine-Tails was Hiruzen's "forbidden fruit." No matter how much Danzo craved it, he only dared to sneakily continue his Wood Release cell research, pinning his hopes on the future.
But if he could obtain the Five-Tails, he would at least have the capital to challenge Hiruzen. If he could master its power, he might even stand as an equal. At that point, it wouldn't be a question of whether Hiruzen would settle old scores, but rather how quickly Danzo could kick him off the throne and take it for himself.
However, capturing a Tailed Beast was no simple task. Kumo and Iwa—and even Kiri—were mobilizing entire villages worth of elites for the hunt. With only Root at his disposal, and most of his personnel currently tied down to avoid Hiruzen's suspicion, he couldn't compete with the likes of Kumogakure. He might not even be a match for the Mist's team.
Detailed analysis suggested he should give up.
But he couldn't.
Every time he recalled that humiliating moment when Hiruzen had nearly choked him against a wall, resentment and rage gnawed at his heart like a swarm of ants. This bitterness sharpened his mind, and after a long period of calculation, he actually found a way to break the deadlock.
"Capture the Five-Tails?"
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi peered through a veil of tobacco smoke at the man who had come to see him for the first time since their confrontation. He narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowed in a deep frown.
"We are currently facing simultaneous offensives from Iwa and Suna, while keeping a wary eye on a volatile Kirigakure. Where would we find the energy or the manpower to hunt the Five-Tails?"
"Iwagakure has already diverted a massive number of elites for the capture," Danzo replied smoothly, having come prepared. He picked up an intelligence report and pointed to a specific section to explain. "Our main force in the Land of Grass can actually afford to withdraw its core elites. Leaving Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade behind is more than enough to hold the line against a weakened Iwa."
He then pulled another scroll from his robes and handed it over.
"As for Kirigakure, I've just received word that a strike team of fifty to sixty elites landed in the Land of Rivers. There is a ninety-percent probability that their target is also the Five-Tails."
Hiruzen scanned the report. "Led by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
"Precisely. Therefore, I believe Kiri's presence on the coast is likely a bluff. They aren't looking for a war; they're looking for the Beast. We should assemble a capture team from the elites withdrawn from the Grass front."
Danzo leaned forward, his voice dropping to a persuasive hum. "Hiruzen, that is a Tailed Beast. We both saw its power on the battlefield with our own eyes. Do you really want to watch it fall into the hands of our enemies?"
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