"That thing" or similar descriptions were commonplace in manga.
Usually referring to something needing long foreshadowing or currently unidentifiable due to circumstances.
But due to writing ability issues—scriptwriters of insufficient level abuse such terms—many things described this way ultimately left one feeling: "That's it?"
But what Hii Kōri and "Vegeta" vaguely discussed was genuinely taboo.
The Nine Tailed Beasts.
Most held by the Five Great Villages—essentially equivalent to nuclear weapons as strategic deterrents in his previous life.
Sunagakure possessed one of them: Shukaku, the One-Tail.
However, that Hashirama could distribute tailed beasts scattered across the ninja world to various nations at the First Five Kage Summit meant he and Madara could spin all nine like basketballs with one hand.
The uninformed might think tailed beasts weren't that intimidating—but it's not like anyone in the ninja world back then could beat those two Gundam pilots.
As "deterrents," tailed beasts' strategic significance was never about clashing with enemy masters. After tying up enemy high-end combat power, you release them to slaughter lower-tier forces or simply plow the land.
Even the Five Great Villages didn't have that many jōnin—their regular highest combat power. Jōnin might be the mainstay, but the real foundation comprised chūnin.
No matter how strong, jōnin couldn't replace thousands of chūnin and genin's work.
Besides, after Hashirama "Mule-ma" and Madara "Duck" went "beyond the time"—discounting terrain advantage and sealing teams (heavily restricted examples)—the current ninja world probably had fewer than ten fingers' worth of people who could spar with tailed beasts. Counting combinations? Under twenty.
Averaged, each village might have one to four such masters. Wartime freely available? Even fewer.
Under these circumstances, tailed beasts' deterrent power manifested.
Moreover, with current productivity levels, if a tailed beast plowed major settlements, even the Great Nations would suffer.
Population plunge, land uninhabitable, production lines complete collapse... haha, hair-pulling just thinking about it.
Exit and restart the game.jpg
But tailed beasts existing in beast form were as hard to tame as wild animals. So utilizing their power generally requires indirect means—sealing them inside jinchūriki.
And Sunagakure's sealing techniques? Those who know, know.
Sunagakure's continued stability owed to decent secrecy—other villages never fully figured them out—and Wind Country's utter lack of invasion value.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have so favored the original parents.
"Jinchūriki..."
Lying on the office sofa, waiting for the Third Kazekage to prepare the permit to meet the One-Tail jinchūriki, Hii Kōri stared idly at the ceiling.
He'd seen similar existences in his previous life—that boy who ate Ryōmen Sukuna's fingers was essentially no different from jinchūriki. Back then, he'd even reread Naruto because of it.
Though indifferent to plot, he'd focus on tailed beasts.
Simple reason: initially seeing the Nine-Tails—"suffering millennia of war, hatred, and betrayal," "incarnation of malice"—sounded very cursed spirit-like.
Imaginary vengeful spirits born from urban legends, famous ghost stories, monsters. Excessive cursed spirits manifesting through obsession with someone. Specific disease cursed spirits born from history's great illnesses. Incarnated bodies from cursed objects affecting humans...
Though he didn't use Cursed Spirit Manipulation, his techniques could turn different classifications of cursed spirits into interesting cursed tools.
Driven by raw material desire, he'd even cultivated cursed spirits himself for a while—too time-consuming, so he stopped.
Then reading further, he discovered tailed beasts were things extracted from alien tree saplings—no curse connection at all. Disgusting.
But having read that far, couldn't waste the manga. Sharing bibliomania with Kyōgoku Natsuhiko, he finished it.
Thus he vaguely remembered the final boss.
That cute-eyebrowed, white-haired alien three-eyed girl's power level was indeed off the charts.
Pity she was an idiot (actual emphasis).
Locked in the moon over a thousand years—even super aliens capable of physically traveling across the universe inevitably become brain-dead.
Besides, no matter how excessive, if you can't release her, she might as well not exist.
Though plot memories weren't deep, even a Conan-style mastermind's filial son story wasn't entirely forgettable.
Original manga timeline unclear anyway—remembering precisely didn't matter. Just know the troublemakers' appearances, following major ninja world events, clues would appear.
So Hii Kōri wasn't worried. Nothing he could interfere yet. Just maintain a steady pace enjoying family life, steadily improve status, expand influence.
"Here. Show this to the prison guards."
Recollection interrupted, Hii Kōri looked up at "Vegeta." The latter waved the permit, then whoosh tossed it to him.
Made from thick cardstock, interlayer containing iron sand. The Third Kazekage could use Magnet Release to manipulate the iron sand to depict complex crests as identification.
"Fine."
Meeting the One-Tail jinchūriki—Hii Kōri felt no tension.
Typically, tailed beast-related missions were S-rank. Yet assigned as A-rank to him—at best special jōnin-level kid—clearly the jinchūriki's status wasn't worrying.
"Oh right, considering this mission's special nature, no need to wait. Mission fee: 600,000 ryō. Collect it with your research funding."
Yes! Exactly what he wanted to hear!
Already at the door, Hii Kōri flashed a "just as planned" smile, then turned to the Third Kazekage with a brilliant grin.
"Hai~ Thank you, Kazekage-sama, for generously opening your pouch. This humble one shall bend every effort for Sunagakure until death~"
"...Maybe just call me Vegeta. That tone's a bit terrifying."
The Third Kazekage hesitates to speak.
"Oh okay. Bye, Vegeta."
***
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