"Yes, indeed."
Uchiha Fugaku's face stiffened, revealing a bitter smile.
"I wonder when the Uchiha clan will finally gain true freedom."
Uchiha Mikoto remained silent, not saying a word. These matters were beyond her ability to change or solve. Since she couldn't intervene or find a solution, why bother overthinking it?
"It's said that Takuya has a close relationship with Kushina and Lady Tsunade..."
"Who do you think he will marry? Have you thought about it?"
"I don't know."
Uchiha Mikoto shook her head and sighed. "All I know is that he won't let me down. As for everything else, I don't care to think about it. It's too much of a headache."
"..."
Why can't I have luck like that?
Uchiha Fugaku could only gaze longingly at the sky. He didn't have the freedom to choose his marriage, which was for strengthening his power through alliances. But Takuya? He did whatever he wanted, maintaining relationships with multiple women without any of them raising a fuss. It was absurd.
Minato arrived at the coastline battlefield with Takuya after leaving the Land of Bears.
The scene before them left them both confused.
The camp was flooded? If they hadn't reacted quickly, they would have fallen right into the water.
The camp was submerged, but what was more startling was the intense smell of blood. The battle had clearly been fierce.
When they spotted the two colossal beasts covered in crimson chakra rampaging through the battlefield, Minato's eyes widened, and even Takuya was taken aback.
"Aren't those the Three-Tails and Six-Tails? Am I seeing this wrong?"
"I wish I were wrong too," Minato murmured, forcing a smile. "It seems Kirigakure has given Orochimaru quite a surprise."
"This is just insane."
"A big surprise indeed."
Standing on the water, looking at the furious tailed beasts from afar, along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru trying to delay them with a group of shinobi, Takuya nudged Minato.
"Didn't you say you wanted to become a Jinchūriki once? Here's your chance. Want to give it a shot?"
"Get lost!"
Minato's face twitched, and he protested, "I never said that. My chakra is more than enough; I don't need to be a Jinchūriki."
Coward! Just admit you're scared. Even you, the ever-cheerful Minato, can get scared.
Everyone has moments of fear, even Takuya. Right now, he had no desire to fight two tailed beasts, even though he had the strength to face them.
"Roar!!!"
Compared to the slow-moving Six-Tails, the Three-Tails was becoming increasingly agitated as Jiraiya, with several other jonin, continued to drag it around. It began to gather a Tailed Beast Bomb.
In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's eyelids twitched as he shouted, "Everyone, get back!"
On the other side, Orochimaru was also trying to hold off the Six-Tails, but he was clearly worse off than Jiraiya.
His clothes were in tatters, with visible holes from acid corrosion. From a distance, one could even glimpse his raw, bloody flesh.
The two tailed beasts had indeed given Orochimaru a "grand surprise," causing him to stumble in a battle for which he was totally unprepared. This battle would certainly leave a deep impression on him.
"Sensei, watch out!"
To ensure the safety of others, Jiraiya was trying to keep the Three-Tails' attention. When it fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, Minato shouted and disappeared, appearing next to Jiraiya to whisk him away.
"Boom!!!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded where Jiraiya had stood, a mushroom cloud rising into the sky as the earth quaked. The powerful shockwave spread in all directions.
"You're finally back, kid. Where's Takuya?"
Coughing, Jiraiya didn't look well, and the two toads on his shoulders looked equally exhausted. Going against a tailed beast alone had proved to be a real struggle.
"Takuya is right behind me, but are you alright?"
"Cough, cough... He's stronger than you. With his Mangekyō Sharingan, he should be able to deal with the beast."
Jiraiya coughed as he took deep breaths. The exhausting fight forced him to leave Sage Mode.
"We'll see."
Minato took Jiraiya over to Takuya.
During the Nine-Tails incident, Minato had stepped up to face the beast as the Fourth Hokage, even though he was young and inexperienced. He hadn't backed down then.
But now, Minato had no interest in risking his life against the tailed beasts.
He wasn't at his peak yet, and after all, weren't tailed beasts supposed to be handled by the big shots?
He, Minato Namikaze, didn't need to get in over his head. He'd be better off assisting.
"Little Jiraiya, we're heading back for now."
Fukasaku Toad expressed his apologies; they couldn't help Jiraiya defeat the Three-Tails. Both he and Shima were exhausted.
"Thank you, both of you, for your help."
Jiraiya gave a wry smile, thanking them.
After the two toads returned to Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya turned to Takuya.
"Takuya, can you handle it? The big guy's coming back."
Jiraiya must have done something to really anger the Three-Tails because it now looked at him as if he were a mortal enemy.
When Minato shifted Jiraiya away, the Three-Tails immediately turned its rage on them again.
Watching the rapidly approaching Three-Tails, Takuya thought for a moment.
"I should be able to hold it off. You guys go help Orochimaru and get the others to retreat. It's not worth fighting two tailed beasts like this."
"Sigh, you're right. After this battle, I need to learn some techniques to deal specifically with tailed beasts."
This battle left Jiraiya feeling helpless, and Orochimaru was in a similar state.
The two struggled against the tailed beasts because they lacked effective techniques for dealing with them.
That gap needed to be filled. Otherwise, they'd find themselves just as powerless next time they faced tailed beasts.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both having a hard time, which showed just how strong the future Akatsuki would become.
Of course, the Akatsuki members were all exceptional in their own right, and many had specific means to counter tailed beasts.
Using Samehada to strike down the Three-Tails?
Forget it.
Samehada was actually loyal to the Three-Tails.
Looking at Samehada, Takuya shook his head, abandoning that idea.
"Hey, big guy, where do you think you're going?"
Just as the Three-Tails' attention shifted back to Jiraiya, Takuya threw a lightning explosive at it. The Three-Tails, being adept with Water Release, was vulnerable to lightning.
Sensing danger, the massive creature turned its body instantly, moving with surprising speed.
"Boom!!!"
A loud explosion echoed. Despite its renowned defense, the Three-Tails let out a roar as a blackened mark appeared on its thick shell from the lightning blast.
Intelligence really does make a difference.
Seeing the disheveled states of Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Takuya couldn't help but smile.
He remembered that in the original story, Deidara had managed to bring down the Three-Tails.
Of course, the Akatsuki had gathered a lot of information and had specific plans, allowing them to efficiently capture tailed beasts. That wasn't to say that Jiraiya or Orochimaru weren't strong; they just lacked the information and the right tools for the task.
Without these, they were at a disadvantage when facing the tailed beasts.
"Finally, you're here."
Hearing the explosion, Orochimaru quickly retreated. Minato brought Jiraiya over to him, and Orochimaru, out of breath, told Minato,
"Minato, take me away slowly while attracting its attention. Jiraiya, you go get the others to evacuate. Once everything is done, regroup."
"And get the injured out quickly. I've already sent our people to move essential supplies."
"Got it. Be careful."
Jiraiya nodded, looking at the battered Orochimaru. He couldn't help but smile.
How tragic—he was even worse off than me.
Orochimaru felt somewhat insulted by that, but there was no time to argue.
With Minato's help, both of them swiftly withdrew. The furious Six-Tails chased after Orochimaru, leaving the battlefield.
Although Orochimaru had no special way to deal with tailed beasts, he had inflicted enough damage on the Six-Tails to have it completely focused on him.
With the Six-Tails led away, the Three-Tails now faced Takuya.
"Tailed Beast Bomb?"
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
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