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Two days later.
"What exactly is your objective?"
"Objective? I don't really have one right now. After all, the Seven-Tails is gone now."
"If you have no objective, then why didn't you kill me? Why capture me instead? And what is this 'Seven-Tails' you mentioned?"
"Don't tell me you don't even know what the Seven-Tails is? Mm... are you a Genin?"
"I'm a newly promoted Chunin. I just went to participate in— Hey! Don't change the subject! I'm asking you what your purpose is in capturing me."
"Like I said, I really don't have any particular purpose."
Kagaya explained to Ajisai beside him with a face full of exasperation.
In the end, Kagaya hadn't killed Ajisai. It was Haku who had said, "This girl has no grudge against us, right?" And Kagaya had immediately reacted and stopped his killing blow.
The reason Kagaya had been about to kill Ajisai wasn't because he was especially bloodthirsty. Rather, after experiencing the Warring States era, Kagaya had inevitably picked up some of the behaviors of that time.
For example, not treating human life as human life.
To put it another way, before going to the Warring States era, when Kagaya was about to kill someone, he would ponder it slightly and consider whether it was necessary. After going to the Warring States era, when Kagaya wanted to kill someone, he wouldn't think about it at all. He would kill if he felt like it.
After all, in that Warring States era, human life was truly the cheapest, most worthless thing imaginable. In that era, if you wanted to kill a dog, you might need to think it over carefully—after all, a dog could still be eaten. But killing a person? You didn't need to consider it at all. As long as they were an enemy, kill them without a second thought.
Human life was worth less than a dog's—that was not an exaggeration in the slightest.
Having lived through that kind of era, Kagaya had subconsciously come to regard human life as very, very cheap. So when Kagaya said he would kill Ajisai, it wasn't because he felt there was any particular grudge between them. It was purely because he felt—it was nothing.
Although this mindset might seem utterly inhuman, anyone who had experienced the Warring States era was destined never to regard human life as truly human again. Except for idealists like Hashirama.
In the original story, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara had dropped two meteorites. If Onoki and Gaara hadn't blocked those two meteorites, just how many people would have died? Yet, did Madara show even a moment's hesitation? Not at all!
Thus, not treating human life as human was a common trait shared by the vast majority of shinobi from the Warring States era. Kagaya couldn't really be blamed for it. In that kind of era, anyone who still dared to hold onto mercy was either courting death or courting death.
It was fortunate that Haku had spoken up and made Kagaya realize that this truly wasn't the Warring States era anymore, and that there was no need to kill a girl who held no enmity against him.
As for capturing Ajisai... well, it wasn't really capturing her. He was simply bringing her along and preventing her from running away.
The initial reason for doing so was to try and get information from her about what the Akatsuki had been up to lately. It was only later that he discovered this Ajisai truly knew absolutely nothing. She was extremely simple-minded and naive, only knowing about an "Angel" and a "Lord Pain," and at most, a Hidden Rain Village. Beyond that, she knew nothing.
Moreover, due to the influence of the "Angel" she spoke of, this Ajisai harbored a certain degree of hostility toward great nation shinobi, believing that the great nations only knew how to bring disaster upon their minor nation.
Alright, truth be told, at this point, Ajisai had no further value to exploit. But Kagaya still kept her by his side, to see if Konan's side would come to retrieve her. If they did, it would be a perfect opportunity to give Konan and the others a proper warning. If they didn't, Kagaya wouldn't be losing anything either.
Ajisai looked at Kagaya expressionlessly.
"You great nation shinobi—when you don't kill us minor nation shinobi and instead capture us, how could there possibly be no ulterior motive?"
Ajisai's voice was very clear and crisp, bearing a slight resemblance to Konan's. It carried a sense of composure. Although this girl was very simple-minded, what was worthy of admiration was that she remained calm from beginning to end, never becoming overly flustered.
Kagaya pressed a hand to his forehead.
"No, seriously—why don't you believe me? I've already said it several times: I am not a great nation shinobi!"
Ajisai glanced at the forehead protector on Haku's forehead off to the side.
"Then why is she wearing a Hidden Mist forehead protector?"
"That's... a long story."
"Hmph. Go on, then. What exactly are you great nation shinobi plotting?"
"Wait a minute. Who exactly captured whom here? I'm the one who captured you, right? What gives you the right to interrogate me?"
"Ah... oh, oh. You're right. I'm sorry."
"Hey, are you an idiot?"
"You're the idiot! I'm a Chunin!"
"Oh. Well, isn't that impressive."
Ajisai's face flushed bright red. If a Genin had said that her being a Chunin was impressive, it would naturally be a compliment. But coming from an unfathomable monster like Kagaya, those words were blatant, naked mockery.
"Y-you... just you remember this! Even if I can't beat you now, sooner or later, the Angel and Lord Pain will make you great nation shinobi understand true power!"
"Sigh~"
Kagaya sighed and stopped talking. This silly girl knew absolutely nothing. There was no point in continuing the conversation.
A trace of worry surfaced on Haku's face to the side. "Kagaya... this forehead protector of mine... I'll take it off."
Kagaya waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't. How can you change something you like just because of some doubts raised by this girl? If you like it, keep wearing it. If it really comes down to it, let her Angel come and hold me accountable."
Karin stared at Ajisai with clear displeasure. She was extremely dissatisfied with how this person was treating Kagaya.
But regardless, they still had to continue their journey. Kagaya's group pressed on, weaving through the forest.
By now, Kagaya had already learned that the Seven-Tails had been captured. The news had come from Itachi.
Since the Seven-Tails had already been captured, there was no further disruption to be made. After weighing his options for a moment, Kagaya decided that they hadn't traveled all this distance for nothing. They might as well change direction and head to Ryuchi Cave instead. It was a perfect opportunity to learn that Inorganic Reanimation technique, and to visit the White Snake Sage as well.
Speaking of Inorganic Reanimation, Kagaya couldn't help but feel a headache coming on again. This technique was truly, insanely difficult to learn. Kagaya felt it was even harder than the Flying Thunder God. The simple truth was that Kagaya had a natural talent for the Flying Thunder God, but when it came to Inorganic Reanimation, he had no such talent.
Not having talent didn't necessarily mean he couldn't learn it. But without talent, the speed of learning would definitely be extremely slow.
Ten days later.
Kagaya arrived at Ryuchi Cave and met the White Snake Sage.
The White Snake Sage exhaled a smoke ring.
"Let me think... it's been about a hundred years, hasn't it? So you brat are from this era, huh. But what are you coming to see me for? Disturbing an old lady's sleep is no virtue, brat."
Kagaya closed his eyes. A moment later, purple eyeshadow appeared at the corners of his eyes.
"White Snake Sage, regarding Inorganic Reanimation—"
The White Snake Sage directly cut him off.
"Don't even start. I've already told you—this technique can only be comprehended, not taught. Don't expect anything from me. But I must say... you brat, you spent such an absurdly long time learning Senjutsu, like a complete fool. Yet, after learning Senjutsu, you can enter Sage Mode so quickly. That genuinely shocked me."
Kagaya scratched his head in puzzlement. "Huh? What's so special about entering Sage Mode quickly?"
The White Snake Sage explained. "Generally speaking, the faster one learns Senjutsu, the higher their talent in that area. You spent seven months learning it, I think—I can't quite remember. But regardless of how many months, you took a relatively long time to learn it. You belong to the type with very poor talent. However, after you finished learning Senjutsu, the speed at which you enter Sage Mode is extremely fast. Normally, the slower someone learns, the longer it takes them to enter Sage Mode after learning it. But with you, something's off. You learned it so slowly, yet you enter Sage Mode so quickly."
After thinking for a moment, the White Snake Sage added,
"As I suspected, the main reason you took so long to learn Senjutsu was your Sharingan causing trouble, wasn't it? Could it be that your actual Senjutsu talent is quite high? Hm, that's unclear. In any case, being able to enter Sage Mode so quickly is a good thing for you."
Kagaya searched his memories. In the original story, both Naruto and Jiraiya had needed a period of preparation to enter Sage Mode. But he himself didn't seem to need that long. He only needed to calm his mind for a few seconds. The only one he seemingly couldn't compare to was Hashirama—Hashirama could enter Sage Mode instantaneously.
Did that mean... his Senjutsu talent really was very high?
Then why was Inorganic Reanimation so hard?!
Damn it!
What Kagaya didn't know was that, in the original story, Minato had also known Senjutsu. However, Minato's Senjutsu talent was very poor. Although he had learned Senjutsu, the time he needed to enter Sage Mode was far too long—even longer than Jiraiya's. This had caused Minato to basically abandon using Senjutsu. During his lifetime, Minato had practically never used Senjutsu.
"Take your time learning it. If there's nothing else, don't come disturbing me again."
Leaving those words behind, the White Snake Sage sank into a deep slumber.
Karin hugged her arms, her body trembling slightly. Looking at that colossal white serpent before her, goosebumps had risen all over her skin. Only after seeing it fall asleep did she whisper to Haku.
"Haku... that snake... how can it be so... so huge and awful."
In the end, Karin hadn't dared to utter the word "disgusting." It was rather adorable.
Haku shook his head without answering, but his eyes clearly revealed a certain degree of discomfort.
Humans harbored an instinctive fear toward snakes. And when a snake's coiled body became densely packed and clustered together, it not only inspired fear but also a certain degree of revulsion.
For a snake as massive as the White Snake Sage, wasn't its coiled serpentine body exactly that—densely packed and clustered?
Ajisai was the most peculiar. She looked at the White Snake Sage with keen, lively interest. When she had first seen the White Snake Sage, Ajisai had even exclaimed, "What a huge snake! Let's catch one to keep as a summon beast!"
Which had forced Kagaya to use his ocular jutsu to make Ajisai shut up.
The White Snake Sage wasn't something you could just "catch"! Even Kagaya wouldn't dare to try. The Sages of these Three Great Sacred Lands were somewhat mystical. Although their combat abilities didn't seem particularly strong, some of their methods were beyond the imagination of ordinary people. If you could avoid provoking them, you tried your absolute best not to.
After emerging from Ryuchi Cave, Karin looked at Ajisai with a face full of interest.
"Say... do you really like catching summon beasts?"
Ajisai hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. "Mm."
Karin's face immediately lit up with a beaming smile.
"Hey, um... how about you help me catch a summon beast? What do you say?"
Ajisai inquired.
"What kind of summon beast do you want?"
Karin pondered for a moment, then spoke.
"One that can beat people up! A really, really strong one!"
Ajisai nodded.
"Alright. When we encounter one, I'll help you catch one."
Karin smiled. "Thank you!"
Then, Karin and Ajisai locked eyes and stood completely still. Following that, both of them simultaneously took a step back.
Ajisai was the first to speak."I almost let you confuse me! Me and you aren't friends. Why should I help you catch a summon beast?!"
Karin gave a cold snort. "I remembered too! You—you've been captured, and yet you're still so ungracious and rude! I wouldn't want someone like you helping me catch a summon beast anyway!"
"..."
"..."
Time flew by like a shuttle. Very quickly, three months passed.
Inside the Akatsuki's base, multicolored, illusory phantoms materialized one after another.
After a long while, everyone had finally assembled. Pain swept his gaze across them, confirmed once more that all were present, and then spoke.
"We've obtained intelligence on the Five-Tails."
Sasori spoke up. "The Five-Tails? Isn't that the Tailed Beast belonging to the Hidden Stone Village—the village Deidara here is from? The Hidden Stone is the hidden village of a great nation. Leader, didn't we agree not to provoke the great nations before dealing with the One-Tail? Why are we moving against the Five-Tails now?"
Pain explained. "Same as last time. Although this Five-Tails is the Hidden Stone's Tailed Beast, the Hidden Stone seems to dislike it quite a bit. The current Five-Tails Jinchuriki isn't in the Hidden Stone; he's wandering outside. In fact, from my perspective, the Hidden Stone Village seems to dislike the very existence of Tailed Beasts. Other great nation hidden villages hide their Tailed Beasts away like trump cards, but the Hidden Stone seems to not care about them at all. The Five-Tails is ostracized by them, and the Four-Tails even left the village to become a wandering monk. It's rather amusing."
Sasori chuckled.
"Is that so? A village that doesn't value its Tailed Beasts... this is the first I've heard of such a thing."
Deidara spoke up. "The Hidden Stone has that old man around. Tailed Beasts aren't all that important. It's normal that they aren't valued."
Pain looked toward Deidara.
"The Tsuchikage, Onoki? That man is indeed an exceedingly troublesome figure. If it's him, he's certainly qualified to not place much importance on Tailed Beasts."
Among the current Five Kage, if one had to pick who was the absolute strongest, Onoki had a very high probability of being chosen. The sole remaining wielder of a Kekkei Tota in the current era, possessing the Dust Release capable of annihilating Susanoo dozens of meters tall—it could be said that even if Pain himself went forth, victory wasn't guaranteed.
If Kagaya hadn't appeared, in the era after the Third Hokage's fall and before Naruto and Sasuke's rise, Onoki would likely be the number one in the entire world.
It was just a shame that, in the original story, Onoki had been so brutally beaten by Madara, who kept calling him "little brat," which had greatly diminished Onoki's prestige and aura.
Otherwise, if one looked closely, they would discover: during the battle of the Five Kage against Madara, Tsunade and the Raikage had fought tooth and nail just to inflict some cracks or small gaps in the Susanoo. Yet later, Onoki, borrowing the chakra of the Five Kage for a single all-out attack, directly obliterated multiple Susanoo that were dozens of meters tall. The disparity was extremely clear.
Perhaps Onoki's back pain and short stature easily gave people the false impression of weakness. But a shinobi's strength is absolutely not determined by outward appearance. Otherwise, wouldn't Kakuzu in his Earth Grudge Fear form be the weakest in the entire shinobi world?
The power of Dust Release—and this was no joke—even the currently near-invincible Kagaya wouldn't dare to stand still and take a full-power attack from Onoki head-on.
Against any of the other Five Kage, Kagaya was confident he could activate his Susanoo and directly tank their full-power attack. Onoki alone was the absolute exception. He absolutely wouldn't dare.
Pain continued.
"The Tsuchikage might be very strong, but what we're discussing now isn't how to deal with the Tsuchikage. The fact that he's strong is actually perfect. The Hidden Stone not valuing Tailed Beasts is the best scenario for us. This way, we won't attract excessive attention from the Hidden Stone. Alright... who among you will go and capture the Five-Tails?"