Naruto: Reborn as Yagura Karatachi

After sorting out the consequences of the Wind Daimyō's latest moves, Rasa urgently increased the personnel watching Yagura—he couldn't afford to let him stir up any more trouble.

At the same time, he contacted Hiruzen Sarutobi, asking for advice on how to resolve the situation.

But if it were just a matter between Hidden Villages, Hiruzen could still choose to support Sunagakure and stand up to Kirigakure on their behalf.

Now that the issue had escalated to the level of the Daimyō, there was nothing he could do. Hidden Villages had no authority to intervene in decisions already made by the ruling court.

After much thought, all he could tell Rasa was to visit the Daimyō more frequently and petition him directly.

The diplomatic treaty was set in stone. However, withholding military funding from Sunagakure was considered an internal matter for the Wind Country—Rasa might still have a chance to salvage the situation.

...

The next morning, Hiruzen left Sunagakure.

Kirigakure had made their stance crystal clear—they had no intention of joining the Konoha & Sunagakure alliance.

After evaluating the situation on his own, Hiruzen realized he couldn't sway Yagura in the short term. Prolonging his stay would only waste time, and he feared things would spiral out of control back home.

And by "back home," he had two worries.

First, would the Fire Daimyō fall into the same trap as the Wind Daimyō?

Second—he'd only been gone from Konoha a few days, but already there were troubling signs. A message had arrived: Danzō Shimura was beginning to act out again.

Minato Namikaze was brilliant and capable, but far too green to suppress that old schemer.

...

After personally seeing Hiruzen off, Rasa sent a team to quietly sound out the Daimyō's court.

Then he arranged another meeting with Yagura.

Rasa kept his bitterness buried, forcing a calm tone.

"Mizukage... quite the move you pulled."

"What move?"

Yagura twirled a pen between his fingers, expression unreadable.

"I was sold out by my own Daimyō too. You owed us, and now your Daimyō wiped your debt clean by using it as a bargaining chip in diplomacy. You gained, we lost. Looks like we got the short end of the stick."

Yeah, right. Who'd believe that crap?

Still, it was the same logic Rasa had used when he ignored the rogue Suna-nin who'd attacked Yagura. Without proof, politics operated on what was known yet unspoken—unless you were bold enough to flip the table.

But in this power game, Sunagakure was far weaker than Kirigakure. Schemes and tricks held no real sway under the crushing weight of power.

"Mizukage, if there's something you want from Sunagakure, just say it outright."

Kirigakure didn't want to join the Konoha-Suna alliance because they were already allied with Kumogakure. Their strategic goal was to keep Konoha isolated.

That much was clear to both Rasa and Hiruzen.

But what made Rasa so furious was that, by that logic, Kirigakure should've targeted Konoha directly—so why were they taking it out on Sunagakure?

If you're going to hit Konoha, hit Konoha! Why the hell were they the ones getting punched?

"Oh? Losing your cool already?"

Yagura had had enough of playing the diplomatic game these past three days.

Leaning back into his chair, he narrowed his violet eyes with a mocking smile.

"Now that the Fire Shadow's out of the picture, I can speak freely."

"Let's get something straight. If your village had honored the deal and repaid the debt, I wouldn't have had to take action. You're the one who tried to dodge repayment by cozying up to Konoha. You're the one who extended this invitation."

Rasa could no longer hide his hatred.

"So, what, this is all my fault? I brought the wolf into my own house?"

"You built that bottleneck defense line so well... yet didn't even use it properly."

Yagura sighed on their behalf.

"There's a spot open for Sunagakure in Kirigakure's alliance. Konoha isn't part of it. You chose wrong, Kazekage. So now I have to help you correct that."

"Whatever Konoha could offer you in trade and supplies, we can match."

Rasa's expression darkened.

"So that's it."

"The reason you won't join our alliance, the reason you targeted Sunagakure... it's all to isolate Konoha."

"Once you take us out of the picture, Konoha stands alone. Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure—none of you will ally with them. Just like during the war, they'll be surrounded and friendless."

His voice rose with barely-contained fury.

Yagura's moves were starting to look like he'd turned Sunagakure into a pawn to weaken Konoha.

But they were still one of the Five Great Hidden Villages! They had their pride!

They hadn't fallen so far as to be used like some disposable tool!

"You've got it wrong."

Yagura corrected him, tone flat. "The one trying to dominate the world is Kumogakure. They're the ones targeting Konoha. I have no reason to destroy our relationship with them."

So Kirigakure just wanted to crush them, huh?

Rasa's face twisted with rage. "This is how Kirigakure treats an ally?!"

"An ally, sure," Yagura replied with a bored tone. "But you're not Kumogakure. You're not our equal."

Yagura didn't share Rasa's view of equality—not even close.

Elsewhere, his Water Mirror Clone was nearly done coordinating with a high-ranking Suna defector.

"They're outside Sunagakure. Northeast sector."

Distance, angle—Yagura silently mapped out the exact location in his mind.

Rasa's eyes widened in horror. He shot to his feet.

"How do you know that?!"

That was where the One-Tails Jinchūriki was being held! An S-class secret of Sunagakure!

And mere knowledge wasn't what terrified him.

It was what that knowledge meant.

"You... what are you planning?!"

Yagura didn't reply. His gaze shifted out the window, toward the One-Tail's sealed location.

He had always enjoyed working with tailed beasts.

A few years back, it had been the Eight-Tails.

Now, his sights were set on the One-Tails.

...

Outside the One-Tails' prison.

The corpses of Suna's ANBU lay scattered across the sand—killed in a single strike.

Ahead, the 'traitor' from Suna led the way, using specific jutsu to bypass the detection seals and trap illusions guarding the perimeter. The two-man infiltration team entered the sealed prison without resistance.

Without that "Suna traitor," Yagura's Water Mirror Clone wouldn't have been able to slip in so easily.

"Seals, illusionary barriers, mazes, and traps..."

From the outside, it looked like endless desert.

And yet, during the Third Great Ninja War, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and even Iwagakure had already mastered using their tailed beasts in battle.

But Sunagakure? All they could do was lock theirs up and throw away the key.

They couldn't even use the power they were trying so hard to control.

Konoha's Nine-Tails was strong—but at least they managed to keep it contained.

But this? This was just the One-Tails.

"Nothing but flaws."

Yagura came to a stop.

The Suna defector gestured toward the massive gate. "This is it, Mizukage."

The towering door loomed overhead, large enough to imprison a tailed beast. Enormous sealing scripts were etched into the metal surface.

"Open it," Yagura commanded.

"I don't have the seal-break formula, Mizukage."

"Oh? You serious?"

Controlled remotely by Sasori's mind control technique, the traitor had no way to lie.

He bowed his head. "Mizukage, I've followed the orders and brought you here. As promised... the technique should be removed, right?"

Even if he'd brought the Mizukage all the way here, he didn't have the ability to undo the strongest seal set by Suna's own elite team.

Treacherous Kirigakure! And that bastard Sasori of the Red Sand! Your schemes won't succeed!

BOOM!

Yagura casually gripped the bars with both hands—and shoved the massive doors wide open with raw strength.

As if it were nothing.

He released his grip and glanced back at the stunned Suna traitor.

"The Uzumaki clan's technique. Your sealing team doesn't hold a candle to their methods."

He stepped into the darkness of the prison.

The deeper he went, the clearer the figure at its heart became.

Seated cross-legged atop a low stone platform was the One-Tails Jinchūriki—a withered old monk named Bunpuku.

His face was gaunt, his eye sockets sunken until his pupils were barely visible. It seemed to take all his strength just to lift his eyelids.

But from the moment Yagura had entered the cell that had held him captive for decades, Bunpuku had already foreseen the end.

His aged eyes were calm and dim, unfazed by the approach of death.

"My apologies, old one," Yagura said softly. "I'm going to separate you from Shukaku now."

He raised his hand, chakra gathering at his fingertips, and gently pressed down on the sealing mark carved into Bunpuku's body.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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