Naruto had no intention of reaching out to the Hidden Cloud Village for now.
However, it was clear that the Hidden Cloud had different plans.
"So many people? It seems they're targeting Naruto." Karin's expression remained unchanged. "The Hidden Cloud is much bolder than the Hidden Mist."
Unlike the cautious and unwilling-to-offend Hidden Mist,
the Hidden Cloud came with aggressive momentum!
But she was not afraid, not even slightly disturbed inwardly.
It was only one of the Five Great Nations,
even if the Hidden Cloud had become the strongest village on the continent after the decline of the Leaf Village.
Compared to those beings Naruto had encountered and faced before—
such as the Sage of Six Paths, the God of Death, or even toads that had lived a thousand years—
she had a subtle feeling of, "Ah, ordinary people are quite brave."
"It's fine that they came to us." Naruto shook his head with a smile.
He had thought that something as renowned as the 'Real Waterfall' would be easy to find,
but no trace of that place had been uncovered after extensive searching,
nor had they even met anyone who had heard of it.
The initiative of the Hidden Cloud was thus a good piece of news.
"Which of you two will stay with Karin?" Naruto asked the two foxes on his shoulders.
"The Eight-Tails is coming as well?" Yang Nine-Tails was raring to go. "Let me handle it."
"That guy can take a beating,"
it said, glancing at the crimson sword, its intentions transparent.
It wanted to hone the skills it learned from the Soul Society on the Eight-Tails.
Yin Nine-Tails said nothing, leaping gently onto Karin's head to sit, its action clearly conveying its answer.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Karin clenched her fists.
Naruto nodded, then with a swift step forward, disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The Hidden Cloud team advanced.
"We're getting very close to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," said Shi, a leading Jonin, his tone serious. "According to information from the Land of Fire,"
"the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's sensing range,"
"might extend to forty or fifty kilometers."
"Which means we are now within the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's perception range, and he could appear before us at any moment."
"Stay alert."
Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and a woman with tea-colored braided hair, looked surprised when she heard this. "Fifty kilometers, can it really be that exaggerated?"
The distance seemed beyond belief.
Even the Byakugan, known for its observational prowess, could only see a few kilometers, nowhere near as far.
Shi was about to respond.
"Don't underestimate the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Hidden Cloud." A gentle voice echoed above them, "To be this well-informed."
"But given this situation."
"Why did you come to find me so unthinkingly?"
This group of ninjas immediately halted and formed a defensive formation, glancing upwards.
It was a blond-haired boy standing in the sky, looking down on them.
Behind him, mountains stretched with the highest peak under his feet.
They were at the foot of the mountain, looking up.
Shi's expression changed drastically.
When did this happen?
He had been maintaining his "sensory perception".
No.
His sensory perception was completely ineffective!
He noticed the sky was empty in his perception, no chakra flow, no sense of an entity.
Only visible to the naked eye was a person.
As if he was in another dimension.
Is this the true power of a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a truly formidable ninja?
"The Hidden Cloud's target is me, right?" Naruto asked softly, "What are your intentions?"
It sounded like a question, but there was no questioning tone in his words.
Shi remained silent.
Beside him, another leader of the team, a ninja named Tutai, spoke up, "Lord Uzumaki, we hope you will join the Hidden Cloud."
Naruto turned his head to look at him.
The one-eyed man's breath hitched for a moment; just a simple glance induced an unsettling fear—a terrifying presence: "Your relations with Konoha aren't that good, allow me to speculate."
"Is it because of your status as a Jinchuriki, Lord Uzumaki?"
"If so, please consider our offer from the Hidden Cloud."
"In other villages, Jinchuriki are used as 'tools', but our Hidden Cloud is different."
"We treat the Jinchuriki as heroes."
Tutai tilted his head, looking towards the woman with chestnut-colored braids.
Yugito Nii spoke up, "I can prove that to you."
"Although when I was young, the village was quite ignorant, causing many things that people don't want to remember."
"But thanks to the efforts of Lord Bee and the Raikage, there's been a great change."
She paused slightly, glancing at the small fox on Naruto's shoulder with a meaningful look, "Have you heard of the term 'Perfect Jinchuriki'?"
"When we Jinchuriki use the Tailed Beast's power,"
"the Tailed Beast also absorbs our chakra."
"If the time in the Tailed Beast form is too long, we lose our rationality and may even lose our lives."
"But if we can communicate with the Tailed Beast, when we use its chakra, it won't absorb our own."
"I've only ever heard of one Jinchuriki achieving this level."
"That's our Killer Bee of the Raikage."
Yugito's gaze fell on the man beside her, wearing sunglasses with dark skin.
He nodded slightly, coolly.
"I'm not a perfect Jinchuriki yet," she continued, "but my communication with the Two-Tails is going well. Maybe in a few years, I can reach an understanding and become a perfect Jinchuriki."
"A village that can produce two perfect Jinchuriki."
Naruto chuckled, shaking his head, "Aren't you underestimating me a bit?"
"I've already reconciled with the Nine-Tails."
Yang Nine-Tails tilted its head slightly and gave an imperceptible nod.
"Moreover,"
Naruto walked above the clouds, stepping forward to a higher position, "I have already broken out of the cage."
"You inside it want to pull me back."
"Such a thing,"
"is not at all beautiful."
Tutai frowned, maintaining a respectful demeanor, "Lord Uzumaki, are you really not reconsidering?"
"If I continue to refuse, are you going to attack me?"
Naruto's gaze swept backward from Tutai, scanning the crowd.
"Then I'm sorry, but it must be this way."
Tutai raised his hand, "Form the ranks!"
"Mission, capture the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki."
"Lord Uzumaki, this is your last chance to reconsider."
"Before the elite troops of our Raikage, even if you are a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."
Naruto interrupted him with a slight grin, "You seem confident."
"Do you think it's because of the numbers?"
"But—"
"No matter how many ants there are, they can never shake an elephant."
Ants?
Tutai couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
This kid's tone was truly arrogant!
In their group, there were dozens of Jonin!
They could easily decide the outcome of a war, and their strength was enough to destroy any village on the continent except for the Five Great Ninja Villages.
He didn't deny Naruto's power.
But to compare himself to an elephant and reduce these Jonin to ants, was this not—
The thought hadn't even finished spinning in his head.
Suddenly, a wave of pressure descended.
"Creak—creak—"
He could even hear the air groaning under the strain.
His body froze, chakra flow stalled, and the air became heavy.
It felt like a mountain was pressing down on him.
With difficulty, he turned his head to the side.
The two Jinchuriki nearby had grave expressions, but they were doing slightly better than him; they could still stand upright, their backs unbent by the pressure.
Like him, Shee was hunched over, his face fraught with tension.
Still.
At least those two could remain standing, however difficult it was.
The other Jonin and the accompanying Chunin were in utter disarray, their entire beings pinned mercilessly to the ground by this overwhelming force, unable to move, completely at its mercy.
"It's not genjutsu," Shee gritted out through clenched teeth, "I don't know what kind of power this is."
"But it must be that strong aura mentioned in the reports, capable of rendering those of lesser strength immobile."
Internally, he was in turmoil.
The words in the intelligence reports felt powerless.
Even with the detailed writing, reading it at first seemed exaggerated.
But compared to reality.
The words could only describe the tip of the iceberg of this monster's ability.
Tuta clenched his fists. "An ant?" He admitted his earlier thoughts had been somewhat naive. Naruto's words weren't an exaggeration at all. In fact, they were almost too polite. An ant, when facing an elephant, may not inflict any harm, but at least it can move freely. Yet, in front of Naruto, they couldn't even lift their heads to look at him. "I'll join Bee to restrain him!" Yugito declared, raising her hands and forming a seal. "Quickly, find a way to break this technique."
Killer Bee drew his sword, with lightning-style chakra coursing violently through it. On Naruto's shoulder, the Nine-Tails grinned, "Naruto, you handle the Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Leave the Eight-Tails to me!" It leapt from Naruto's shoulder, gripping the sword dubbed "Nine-Tails" in its mouth, and pounced toward Killer Bee.
It drew an arc in the air. Its form expanded and grew larger with each leap, turning into a vast, dark shadow that startled those who could glance up at the battlefield.
"Nine-Tails? But isn't the Jinchuriki still standing there? Has the Nine-Tails broken free?"
"Bee, watch out!" the Eight-Tails warned within Killer Bee's mind. "That Nine-Tails rascal, who knows how it escaped."
"Even without the Jinchuriki, its sheer power is still immense!"
Killer Bee nodded. A massive octopus tentacle lashed out from his back, smashing toward the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails raised a paw, clutching the scarlet blade. As it grew to match its massive size, it slashed fiercely downward.
Naruto watched them. "Naruto Uzumaki! Now's not the time to be concerned with the Tailed Beasts." Yugito shouted sternly, forming another seal.
Several blue lights emanated from her mouth, resembling faint, mouse-shaped azure flames.
(End of Chapter)