The ninja world had never been this lively.
Just as Teizawa and the Konoha group were making their way toward Konoha, news of his plan to auction off the Four-Tails spread as if it had grown wings of its own.
From Sunagakure, it flew in every direction, crossing deserts, mountains, and forests.
It reached every corner of the Five Great Nations.
Sunagakure's Kazekage, Teizawa, was going to publicly auction off the Four-Tails jinchuriki in Konoha.
At first, no one believed it.
Auction off a tailed beast?
Was that even something a human being could do?
But soon, more details were confirmed...
The Four-Tails jinchuriki, Roshi, had indeed been captured alive.
Sunagakure was indeed preparing a public auction.
And the location really had been set in Konoha.
The entire ninja world exploded.
Teahouses, taverns, shinobi gathering spots, everywhere people were talking about it.
"You hear? Sunagakure's auctioning off the Four-Tails!"
"No kidding. Who doesn't know by now? Has that Kazekage lost his mind?"
"Lost his mind? That's a tailed beast! Whoever buys it is making a fortune!"
"Easy for you to say. You think Iwagakure's going to let someone else buy it?"
"Iwagakure? They're probably panicking so hard they can't sit still."
"That old Third Tsuchikage is probably biting everyone's head off by now, maybe even his own grandson's."
"Heh. This is going to be good..."
...
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's office.
Bang!
Onoki's withered hand slammed heavily onto the desk.
The force of it made the whole room tremble.
"Bastard!"
His voice was hoarse with rage, and his whole body shook with fury.
"That bastard... how dare he... how dare he!"
A freshly delivered intelligence report lay spread across the desk.
Every word on it stabbed into his heart like a needle.
Public auction of the Four-Tails.
Location: Konoha.
Highest bidder wins.
"Hah... hah..."
Onoki breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling violently.
His wrinkled face was flushed red, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Kitsuchi stood nearby in silence.
Kurotsuchi sat in a chair, one hand lightly resting over her lower abdomen, her expression complicated.
After several seconds of silence, she suddenly spoke.
"I'll go."
Onoki snapped his head toward her.
Meeting her grandfather's gaze, Kurotsuchi spoke in a calm voice tinged with something difficult to detect.
"I'll go to Konoha and bring Roshi back."
She paused, thinking silently to herself:
Maybe for the child's sake... that bastard will show a little mercy?
The moment the thought appeared, she crushed it herself.
Kurotsuchi, what are you thinking?
That bastard locked you up and toyed with you for that long.
And you still expect mercy from him?
But another voice in her mind whispered:
But he did let you go, didn't he?
He did what he said he would...
Her thoughts were a complete mess.
Onoki stared at her for several seconds, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"No need."
His voice was as cold as ice.
"That child of yours will have nothing to do with him in the future."
Kurotsuchi froze.
"That bastard wants to sell a tailed beast? Fine."
Onoki stood and walked to the window, his back to them.
"But he'd better ask whether I agree first."
He turned and looked at Kitsuchi.
"You take a team to Konoha."
Kitsuchi frowned slightly.
"How many?"
"Twenty elite jonin."
Onoki's voice was final.
"Bring Roshi back."
"And if that Kazekage dares to interfere..."
He paused, and a murderous glint flashed through his clouded old eyes.
"Then make sure he learns Iwagakure is not to be trifled with."
Kitsuchi was silent for a second, then nodded.
"Understood."
Kurotsuchi parted her lips, wanting to say something.
But Onoki raised a hand and cut her off.
"You're not going."
He looked at her, and his tone softened a little.
"Rest properly."
Kurotsuchi lowered her head and said nothing more.
But a complicated light flickered in her eyes.
...
Konoha, Hokage's office.
Tsunade sat in her chair, holding the intelligence report in one hand, her expression unreadable.
Shizune stood behind her, her face full of concern.
"Lady Tsunade..."
Tsunade waved a hand, signaling for her not to speak.
She stared at the report for a long time.
So long that Shizune thought she might never say anything.
Then...
"That bastard."
Tsunade suddenly laughed.
There was helplessness in that smile, admiration too, and also the faintest trace of... anticipation?
"Dragging the Four-Tails all the way to Konoha just to sell it."
She set down the report and leaned back in her chair.
"He really has the nerve."
Shizune asked cautiously, "Then what should we do?"
Tsunade was silent for a few seconds.
Then she rose to her feet.
She walked to the window and looked out at Konoha's peaceful streets in the distance.
"Get things ready," she said.
"A big show is about to start."
...
Kumogakure, Raikage's office.
"Hahahaha!"
A burst of boisterous laughter made even the windows buzz.
The Fourth Raikage, A, that dark-skinned, massively built man who radiated brute force from every pore, was currently laughing with his head thrown back.
He was laughing so hard tears were almost coming out.
"Onoki! That old fossil! Hahahaha!"
He slapped the desk with one huge hand.
The force made the whole table shake three times over.
"Seeing that old bastard get humiliated feels better than winning ten fights myself!"
Beside him, Mabui, dressed in a professional skirt suit and glasses, pressed a hand to her forehead in resignation.
Their Raikage was good in every other way.
He was just far too emotional.
"Lord Raikage."
She tried to steer the conversation back on course.
"How should Kumogakure respond to this matter?"
A's laughter finally subsided a little.
But the smug delight at someone else's misfortune remained impossible to hide.
"Respond?"
He arched a thick brow.
"Of course we're going to join the fun!"
Mabui had expected that answer, but still asked in a composed tone, "You mean... send someone to participate in the auction?"
"The auction?"
A blanked for a second, then burst out laughing again.
"What auction? I'm going to make things harder for Onoki!"
He stood up and lowered his voice.
Looking out toward the distant peaks shrouded in clouds and mist, a crafty glint flashed in his eyes.
"That old bastard Onoki is definitely panicking right now."
"He'll absolutely send people to Konoha and do everything he can to get the Four-Tails back."
"And us..."
He turned around, baring a fierce grin.
"We'll go make things even harder for him."
Mabui considered it for a second.
"You mean... drive up the bidding?"
"Exactly!"
A nodded hard.
"Send Samui's team to Konoha. They don't need to seriously buy it. They just need to keep raising the price."
"Whatever the Iwagakure people offer, we go higher. Make them bleed a little more."
Then he added, "Of course, if the price is right... buying the Four-Tails ourselves wouldn't be out of the question."
Mabui frowned slightly.
"Lord Raikage, are you sure about this?"
"Our relationship with Iwagakure is already tense. If this time..."
"Tense?"
A gave a cold laugh.
"My old man died at the hands of Iwagakure's people. How much more tense do you think things can get?"
Mabui fell silent.
She knew that was a wound A would never forget.
The Third Raikage, A's father...
Back then, he had fought ten thousand enemies alone and finally died from exhaustion.
The ones who killed him were Iwagakure's army of thousands.
A had kept that blood debt in his heart ever since.
"Send Samui and the others."
A's voice calmed, but it carried unquestionable resolve.
"Tell them to play it by ear."
"If they can raise the price, raise it. If they can make people miserable, do it."
"And if they can get the Four-Tails back..."
He paused, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
"So much the better."
Mabui nodded.
"Understood."
She turned to leave, but when she reached the door, she suddenly stopped.
"Lord Raikage, what about Konoha's side?"
"Konoha?"
A paused for a second, then laughed.
"That woman Tsunade is sharper than anyone."
"The only reason she'd agree to hold the auction in Konoha is because she wants a cut of the profits."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about her. Let her skim some broker's fees if she wants. After all..."
He grinned, his smile full of meaning.
"The livelier this show gets, the better."
Mabui nodded and pushed the door open.
The office fell silent once more.
A sat back down in his chair and looked at the intelligence report on his desk, the smile on his lips slowly deepening.
Onoki, Onoki...
he thought to himself.
This time, I'm going to make you pay dearly.
(End of Chapter)
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