[NTU] [ARC-07-JOUNIN] Chapter : 120 (Patreon)

"Isobu, are you just going to watch?"

Seeing his younger brother, Kyuubi was speechless. Isobu was actually lending his power to their shared vessel.

"Otherwise? If I go berserk, this girl, Nohara Rin, will die."

Faced with Kyuubi’s frustration, Isobu remained calm.

"After spending these past few days with her, I don't mind staying in her body. Besides, I saw that woman's temper and the Uzumaki clan’s sealing technique. We have no chance."

If Nine-Tails’ body wasn’t sealed, they might have had a chance. But in their current situation, even together, they couldn’t break the seal.

Whenever they escape, they get beaten and sealed again. Why endure the pain?

"You’re hopeless..."

Kyuubi was exasperated. While he agreed with Isobu’s assessment, the lack of fight irritated him.

"I'm done with you. Watch your back."

With that, the mini-Kyuubi slowly merged into the air and disappeared from Isobu’s head.

At this time, Obito and Rin were surrounded by Root members.

"Obito, be careful!"

Rin warned Obito as she rushed towards the Root ninjas, hot on their heels.

They faced numerous enemies, and before they could escape far, they were repeatedly intercepted. Rin's efforts slowed them down, allowing their pursuers to catch up.

"Nohara Rin! Don't resist. We're doing this for the village’s sake. As a disciple of Namikaze Minato, where is your 'Will of Fire'? And think about your friend, Uchiha Obito. What will happen to him if he continues to resist?"

Having intercepted them, Aburame Ryoma tried to break Rin's resolve.

The situation was tricky. The Three-Tails’ seal was released, but Rin hadn’t gone berserk. They couldn’t afford to push her too far. The unexpected disruptor was a potential weak point. Initially, they didn’t recognize the disruptor, but Rin’s anxiety revealed Obito’s identity.

Knowing Obito and Rin’s deep bond from his gathered intel, Ryoma decided to use Obito to weaken Rin's resolve. If words could make her lose the will to fight, it could buy them time to gather more manpower.

"Nohara Rin, if things escalate, we might not be able to control you with our current forces."

"Rin! Don’t listen to their lies! They’re just stalling. Let’s break through this barrier. Once outside, Kushina will save us!"

Obito’s mind cleared when it came to matters involving Rin. Through his sharingan, he quickly grasped why they were being intercepted within the barrier.

He revealed the enemy’s plot to Rin.

“Yeah! I'll take the lead this time, you have to cooperate with me!”

Clenching her fists, Nohara Rin charged towards the Root members, blocking their path.

This time, she wanted to be the one to protect Obito.

“Be careful with the Jinchuuriki, and avoid close combat.”

“Damn, there's also this Uchiha. His movements are very unpredictable.”

With abundant chakra, Rin's every punch and kick packed tremendous power. Sometimes, just a strong shout could generate a wind pressure comparable to an ordinary C-rank ninjutsu. With an Sharingan user at her side to cover her flanks, these Root ninjas had no choice but to watch helplessly as the pair edged closer to the barrier.

“Damn it!”

Furious at the ineffectiveness of his subordinates, Aburame Ryoma decided to take matters into his own hands. But before acting, he gave his subordinates one last instruction.

“Inform Danzo-sama!”

With that, he transformed into a black cloud of insects and surged towards Obito and Rin.

After observing for so long, he had discovered some clues. Although Nohara Rin could use the tailed beast's power to some extent, her body was clearly not well adapted to this foreign chakra. Each time she seriously injured one of his subordinates, her body trembled uncontrollably—a clear side effect of using the tailed beast chakra.

As long as he could exhaust her, they would no longer have the strength to break through. As for the Uchiha brat, while he was troublesome, Ryoma didn’t consider him a significant threat. Moreover, there was another critical weakness: every time Rin attacked, even if she hit her target, it only caused her companions to be seriously injured and lose combat effectiveness.

This emboldened his subordinates’ attacks and further drained Rin’s energy. She was indeed worthy of being the disciple of the Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato.

“Rin! Be careful!”

Seeing a dense cloud of insects rushing towards Rin, Obito quickly used a powerful fireball technique to block the swarm. He didn't forget to warn Rin, who stood beside him. At the same time, he noticed many tiny insects emitting chakra light slowly approaching them—not only from the air but also crawling on the ground.

Without needing to think, he knew these were Aburame clan tricks and began to eliminate these nuisances.

“Sharingan? You're really a problem!”

After his ninjutsu was discovered, Aburame Ryoma sighed. No wonder his boss was so wary of these people.

—

Just as Obito and Rin were locked in a fierce battle, far away in the Land of Water, an elderly man contemplated the girl standing before him.

“You mean to say, the Third Hokage wants to send the new Three-Tails Jinchūriki to our Kirigakure?”

“He proposes she serve as a bridge between our Kirigakure and Konoha to enhance communication between the two villages.”

“And, in return for the Three-Tails, they also hope to end the war with Konoha and sign a peace agreement?”

“Yes,” Terumi Mei replied. “The other side sent the Yellow Flash to negotiate with us. To make contact, he captured Mangetsu and me in advance.”

“After explaining his purpose, he released us.”

Facing Elder Genji, Mei recounted the events in detail.

“Yellow Flash?” Elder Genji mused, listening to her report. He had only heard of Namikaze Minato by reputation, yet Minato had swiftly restrained this promising junior. He had previously thought that Minato’s fame was merely a cover for Onoki's embarrassment.

And the proposal... it genuinely surprised him. It was unheard of for a ninja from one village to serve as the Jinchūriki for another. Even if the person acted as a bridge between Kirigakure and Konoha, it seemed …wrong.

However, it was worth considering. As long as the Three-Tails returned to Kirigakure, the candidate for Jinchūriki could be changed at any time. This was likely the best solution Minato could devise. For Nohara Rin, her safety would hinge on the stability of relations between Konoha and Kirigakure. Should relations turn sour, she would be the first to suffer.

The Third Hokage likely agreed because it benefited Konoha. A Konoha ninja becoming the Jinchūriki of the Kirigakure would ultimately be advantageous for Konoha. The success of this arrangement, however, depended on Minato’s ability to maintain good relations with Kirigakure after becoming Hokage.

Success or failure, Genji was indifferent. It was an experiment worth attempting.

“Has the Yellow Flash arrived in our village?” Yuanshi asked after a moment’s thought.

“Yes, he followed us directly to the village. He hopes to meet with you and the Third Mizukage to discuss the Three-Tails and peace between our villages,” Terumi Mei confirmed.

Initially, she had reservations about bringing Minato directly to the village, but his sincere attitude and Yagura’s interest persuaded her. She definitely didn’t bring him back because Mangetsu teased her about being infatuated with the handsome Konoha ninja. Although he was indeed quite handsome.

“It seems the Third Hokage is very sincere this time, even sending his successor.”

“Successor? Elder, do you mean that innocent guy will be the future Fourth Hokage?”

“How is this possible? This guy’s thoughts are so naive. How could Konoha choose him to be Hokage?”

After a few days of contact, Terumi Mei had some understanding of Namikaze Minato, but this kind of person seemed simply unsuitable for being a Kage.

“Naive?” Elder Genji chuckled. He had seen many so-called naive people. The First Hokage, who created the ninja village system and distributed the tailed beasts among the major ninja villages, was also considered extremely naive...

“Mei, you don’t understand yet. The name of a person doesn’t spread through the ninja world so quickly without the cooperation of the village behind it.”

“This Minato is indeed the likely successor to the Third Hokage. But whether he can surpass other competitors will depend on his own abilities.”

As someone older than Sarutobi Hiruzen, Genji knew that the fame of any ninja in the world could not be separated from the support of their village.

“This man… he is the sensei of the new Jinchūriki. He came here not only to gauge our village's stance on the war and to serve as a front for peace negotiations but also to ensure his student’s safety by contacting us in advance.”

Though surprised at the idea of such a sunny and innocent man becoming the Fourth Hokage, Terumi Mei took Genshi’s words seriously.

“Jinchūriki’s sensei? This…”

Genji was taken aback by the news. He couldn’t tell if it was a coincidence or if the Third Mizukage had planned it.

How did it happen that this Three-Tails vessel was Namikaze Minato’s disciple? And now, because of this incident, Minato has come to Kirigakure.

He had seen too many conspiracies to overlook this. Perhaps his own Mizukage had done this intentionally, preparing to use this as an opportunity to negotiate peace with Konoha.

Or maybe it was a chance to eliminate the Yellow Flash and undermine Konoha’s morale.

He shared his thoughts with Mei, seeking the opinion of the apprentice he was nurturing.

“Hmm…”

After hearing what Elder Genji said, Mei took a while to process it. As he pointed out, this was such a huge coincidence that they had to consider it carefully.

“Could this be a trap specifically prepared by the Third Mizukage for the Yellow Flash?”

After pondering for a long time, Mei concluded that it was more likely that the Third Mizukage intended to kill Minato rather than sign a peace agreement with Konoha.

“I think so too,” Genji agreed.

“Then, are you still going to meet him? This man is too dangerous. You should be cautious.”

Seeing the elder agree with her, Mei frowned. She felt conflicted. On one hand, she doubted they could detain Minato. On the other hand, she felt a tinge of regret.

It was distressing that such a sunny and handsome man had to become her enemy.

“There is no need to meet him in person. Isn’t that what shadow clones are for?”

“Also, I’m very curious to see if Konoha will produce another leader with a personality like the First Hokage. It would be interesting to meet him.”

Though he had never met the God of Shinobi himself, Genji had heard plenty about him from the First Mizukage and his guards.