Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

"You stupid fox!"

Shukaku seized the opportunity to taunt gleefully, "This guy has obtained the abilities of the Eight-Tails. Even if he hadn't, as long as he captures that dumb bull and splits it in two, there'd be no issue."

Yin Kurama growled in embarrassment, "Shut up, you smelly tanuki!"

Shūichi chuckled as he watched. "Shukaku's right. Most people would die if a tailed beast were extracted, but I won't."

"Even if half of you ends up inside someone else, my promise still stands."

Yin Kurama pressed, "But what if you die? I don't believe you can beat the Ten-Tails!"

Shūichi sighed at Kurama, "It seems, Kurama, that you don't understand my potential."

"I'm not even 14 yet!"

"I'm about to learn Magnet Release from Shukaku, I've mastered Lava Release from Son Goku, and I've acquired the Eight-Tails' technique to shed tail as a substitute."

"Not to mention I've mastered Scorch Release… and even Wood Release is only a matter of time for me."

"Oh, and I've already mastered Sage Mode too."

"Honestly, I wonder—at my age, how did the Sage of Six Paths compare?"

That last line sounded rather arrogant.

But Yin Kurama fell silent.

Son Goku commented, "It's easy to forget how young you are."

"As for the Sage of Six Paths at thirteen… we wouldn't know. We were created after that."

Shūichi feigned amazement, "The power of the Rinnegan, I suppose. Truly impressive!"

Then, he shifted his tone. "However, anyone capable of creating you could also destroy you and break your supposed immortality."

The three tailed beasts didn't look pleased.

Before the Rinnegan's appearance, even being sealed wasn't a big deal to them.

But the Rinnegan, along with the Ten-Tails, posed a genuine existential threat.

"Alright, I'll cooperate with you," Shukaku finally agreed, though he added, "But if my next Jinchūriki from the Sand Village doesn't earn my respect, I won't be so accommodating."

Son Goku chimed in, "Shukaku is right. The quality of Jinchūriki varies."

"That guy Roshi was hardly anything special."

"Besides, most Jinchūriki approach us with mistrust."

Shūichi chuckled and reassured them, "That's perfectly natural."

"Your power would make anyone cautious."

"Even among humans, friendships aren't a given, and people still guard against each other."

"From the looks of things, the Sand and Stone Villages might choose young Jinchūriki. Haven't you thought about influencing and mentoring them?"

"Your long lives have probably never seen anything like that. Could be interesting, no?"

The three tailed beasts froze in surprise.

Mentoring?

It… actually sounded kind of intriguing?

But then Shukaku complained, "That sounds like a lot of work, though."

"Even if they're young, Jinchūriki rarely trust us."

Shūichi replied, "Of course, it's not simple."

"But Jinchūriki are isolated by the power they hold, often feared and distanced by others."

"And with you inside them, you'd naturally become closer to them."

"All you need to do is hide your fierce side and treat them as your own… well, like a pet, maybe."

"Teach them the right principles, train them in jutsu, let them grow under your guidance."

"Just imagine—when Jinchūriki of different tailed beasts gather someday, you'll feel a real sense of accomplishment!"

Shukaku and Son Goku exchanged glances. It did… sound kind of fun.

It seemed like a hassle, but with time to spare, raising a Jinchūriki to act according to their wishes and deal with those who despised them… didn't sound so bad.

Then Shūichi warned, "But don't let your malevolence influence them."

"Otherwise, I'll take back my promise."

Yin Kurama sneered, "Hey, smelly tanuki, dead monkey, you're not really going along with him, are you?"

"He's just using you to train humans for their ninja."

Shūichi shot back, "Kurama, you're mistaken."

"It should be mutual growth!"

Shukaku immediately taunted, "This fox is only salty because he never got the chance! Both his Jinchūriki have been able to suppress him!"

Yin Kurama exploded, "Smelly tanuki, if it wasn't for that idiot woman's link to Namikaze Minato, I'd have crushed her ages ago!"

And he conveniently ignored Shūichi.

Watching Yin Kurama fuming, Shūichi said, "Kurama, if you want, I can find a young Jinchūriki for you as well. That way, you can teach and guide him as you like."

Yin Kurama scoffed, "Like I'd fall for that!"

Shūichi ignored him and instead turned to Shukaku and Son Goku. "Prepare yourselves for separation."

"And if you can learn jutsu, I'll even teach you the Eight-Tails' tail-shedding technique. This way, if your chakra is extracted, you might still keep your Jinchūriki alive."

"I'll also place Flying Thunder God markers on you."

Shukaku and Son Goku both nodded in agreement.

Before leaving, Shūichi asked, "Shukaku, you can control your sand body, right?"

Shukaku bristled defensively, "You're not planning on eating my flesh, are you?"

Shūichi admitted, "I am."

"With my unique physique, I'm curious if gathering the power of all nine tailed beasts without being a Jinchūriki could counter the Ten-Tails."

Yin Kurama interjected, "Don't kid yourself—it's impossible."

"Our combined power is still far inferior to the Ten-Tails."

"You'd only have fragments of our power, so it's even more futile."

Shūichi chuckled, "Same as always: until you try, you can't know if it's possible."

"You only find out by doing it."

"Just like the Nine Tails, your strength should theoretically be the greatest based on the number of tails."

Before he could finish, Shukaku interjected, "Power is one thing, strength is another."

"This fox dares to call himself the strongest?"

Yin Kurama glared at Shukaku, "Even with half my power, I could still beat you, you smelly tanuki!"

Shukaku perked up lazily, "Why don't we test that right now?"

Yin Kurama immediately shouted at Shūichi, "Hey, lift the seal! I'll show this big-mouthed tanuki his place!"

Shūichi chuckled, shaking his head, and said, "I'll leave a clone to teach you jutsu. I hope you pick it up."

"Oh, and help me persuade the Three-Tails too."

Four-Tails glanced at the quarreling Nine-Tails and One-Tail, then said, "We'll try, but we can't guarantee the others will listen."

Shūichi wasn't bothered. "Do your best."

For him, cooperation from the tailed beasts was ideal—a bonus, really.

But if they didn't cooperate, it wouldn't hinder his plans; he'd still use their power… or even consume their flesh.

Except Shukaku's, of course!

That guy's sand body would just turn into sand once separated from his main form.

…

After establishing a preliminary cooperation with the One-Tail and Four-Tail, Shūichi promptly went to Rin Nohara's hospital room, giving the Tailed Beasts a chance to connect.

The Three-Tails was surprisingly cooperative, agreeing without hesitation.

After all, cooperating with Shūichi didn't really harm the Tailed Beasts; and if they didn't work with him, the current situation wouldn't improve anyway.

Seeing the Three-Tails agree, Shūichi divided the beast into two halves: he absorbed the Yin Three-Tails into himself, while leaving the Yang Three-Tails with Rin.

Then he arranged for the Three-Tails to interact with Rin.

Shūichi was confident that with Rin's gentle nature, she would soon earn the approval of the Yang Three-Tails.

In the meantime, this also presented Rin with an opportunity to learn some water-based techniques from the Three-Tails.

---

After splitting the Three-Tails, Shūichi used the Flying Thunder God technique to leave Konoha, heading south.

During his earlier battles with Kirigakure, he had strategically left several Flying Thunder God kunai and markers across the southern part of the Land of Fire.

Now, he could easily teleport there.

The war between Konoha and Kirigakure wasn't over yet. Although large-scale battles had ceased, smaller skirmishes still broke out along the borders.

Shūichi, having reached the peninsula, soon sensed a Kirigakure squad nearby.

Not far from them, he found a sizable lake. Standing by the shore, he lifted the seal, releasing the Yin Three-Tails.

"Isobu, endure it for a bit; this might hurt," Shūichi cautioned.

The Yin Three-Tails nodded. "Understood."

With that, Shūichi leapt into the air, drew his Totsuka blade, and slashed down, cutting off a portion of the Three-Tails' tail.

Despite being prepared, the Three-Tails let out a howl of pain.

Impressive acting!

Shūichi thought to himself, landing beside the Three-Tails and sealing the severed tail in a scroll.

He then tended to the wound on the Three-Tails' tail, though he knew it would heal quickly given its regenerative abilities.

After marking the Three-Tails with his Flying Thunder God seal, Shūichi informed it, "The Kirigakure shinobi are coming. I'll take my leave."

The Three-Tails replied, "If I do end up under the Rinnegan's control, I trust you'll keep your promise."

Shūichi nodded seriously. "Of course."

"If I don't survive the fight against the Ten-Tails, I'll pass the responsibility on to the next generation."

With that, Shūichi vanished, and the Three-Tails submerged itself in the lake.

Not long after, the Kirigakure squad arrived, investigating the area and spotting the Three-Tails.

"Spring, report to the Mizukage immediately! We've found the Three-Tails!" the Kirigakure team leader instructed, struggling to contain his excitement.

---

Back in Konoha, Shūichi began processing the tail he had retrieved from the Three-Tails.

He first preserved a sample for research.

Then, he sliced off scales, added seasonings, and cut thin slices.

Sashimi—it's actually pretty good!

His body warmed as the Three-Tails' chakra coursed through him, causing a chakra tail to materialize behind him.

But Shūichi wasn't focused on chakra quantity; he was interested in enhancing his physical constitution.

This was his real goal.

"Stronger than the Four-Tails. I wonder how it compares to the Five-Tails?"

He smiled, realizing that if he could consume all nine Tailed Beasts, his own base power might soon rival that of the Nine-Tails.

Training and research continued as planned.

Meanwhile, three days later, Yagura arrived with a team to capture and seal the Three-Tails.

In the surrounding forest by the lake, White Zetsu and Tobi watched from hiding. Observing Kirigakure's efforts to capture the Three-Tails, Tobi remarked with a grin, "So, the Three-Tails ended up here. Looks like Rin Nohara, the Jinchūriki, must have died after all!"

"What a surprise."

"But it's actually good news for us. If the Three-Tails were in Konoha, capturing it would have been much more difficult."

"And that Uchiha brat, Obito—he'll definitely react when he hears about this, right?"

Sinking into the ground, White Zetsu quickly returned to meet Black Zetsu in the Land of Rain.

After sharing the news, Black Zetsu remarked, "They must have tried using Hashirama's cells to save Rin back then."

White Zetsu replied, "Even our cells aren't easily tolerated by most. It seems Shūichi didn't realize that the Sharingan can suppress the power of Hashirama's cells."

White Zetsu Tobi added with a chuckle, "If he had done that, he wouldn't be much different from Danzo."

But Black Zetsu dismissed this, focusing on the positive, "Either way, this benefits us."

Tobi wondered, "So, when Obito hears this news, will he join us to fulfill the Eye of the Moon Plan?"

Black Zetsu cautioned, "It's not that simple."

"Still, for the time being, he might serve as a useful pawn."

White Zetsu suggested, "Then let's let him wake up and see how he reacts."

Having suppressed Obito's consciousness until now, they eased their control, allowing him to wake.

"What are you all trying to do?" Obito demanded, filled with rage.

White Zetsu replied, "Sorry, Obito, but you know too much. We couldn't just let you return to Konoha."

"But we have some unfortunate news."

"Rin Nohara really did die this time!"

Obito scoffed, "I'm not falling for your tricks again!"

Black Zetsu explained, "The girl had the Three-Tails sealed inside her by Kirigakure. That's why she chose to die by your hand."

"But Shūichi Hoshita tried to save her. At first, it seemed to succeed, but the Three-Tails has resurfaced, meaning the Jinchūriki is dead."

"A Tailed Beast only returns to the natural world upon the death of its Jinchūriki."

Tobi added, "Based on our assessment, Shūichi must have used Hashirama's cells to save Rin."

"Only a Sharingan wielder can harness Hashirama's cells, which is why you, Obito, were able to suppress and wield their power."

"Clearly, Konoha didn't know to use the Sharingan as a suppressant."

Obito clenched his fists. "Shūichi didn't know the Sharingan could suppress Hashirama's cells."

Black Zetsu corrected him, "Actually, Konoha was aware. Danzo implanted both Hashirama's cells and Sharingan in himself, slaughtering countless of your kin to do so."

"And it was Shūichi who reported this to the Third Hokage."

"Danzo was later killed by Shūichi. If you don't believe me, we can show you his corpse, still bearing the Sharingan scars."

Obito's anger and grief surged. "Even so, Shūichi didn't sacrifice anyone to save Rin; there's no blame there."

Zetsu Tobi mocked, "So noble of you, Obito. Madara must have misjudged you."

"However, we regret to inform you…"

"Danzo didn't just have one Sharingan. Even if Konoha took only one, it would have been enough to save Rin."

Obito froze.

Tobi grinned, pressing further, "So, Obito, what's your choice?"

"Are you still thinking of returning to Konoha?"

"We won't stop you. After all, Madara promised as much, and even though he's gone, we'll honor his word."

"Of course, we'd also welcome you to join us in creating a great new world!"

(End of Chapter)

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