"You damn fox!"
Inside the dark, subconscious space, Kurama was about to make some sarcastic remark about the ruined Konohagakure when a loud roar interrupted him.
A certain tanuki's voice echoed from deep within Naruto's mind.
Honestly, Kurama didn't feel like dealing with this guy. The fact that he hadn't already kicked him across the void was him being nice, considering this tanuki nearly got Naruto killed.
But then again, for the stupid tanuki to swallow its pride and reach out like this, something serious must be going on.
Muttering about how he'd deal with the nuisance later, Kurama reluctantly sank deeper into Naruto's subconscious.
The inner world shimmered in its usual strange colors as Kurama's massive form materialized.
Sitting in front of him, Shukaku looked unusually anxious.
The moment Kurama appeared, Shukaku's signature cross-shaped pupils gleamed as he blurted out, "Fox! Get your Jinchuriki moving! The Akatsuki is attacking the Sand Village!"
Kurama had been about to throw out a sarcastic remark, but he froze instead, momentarily caught off guard.
"What the hell are you waiting for!?" Shukaku roared, clearly panicked. "If you don't hurry, I'm seriously gonna get captured!"
Seeing the urgency on his face, Kurama finally reacted. "Wait, did you just say the Akatsuki attacked Sunagakure?"
Weren't they attacking Konohagakure?
Wait… something's not right!
Thinking about it carefully, the only ones attacking Konohagakure were Nagato and Konan. Even Obito didn't show up, and the rest of them were nowhere to be seen.
Kurama's expression changed slightly. "Those guys… could they be attacking Konoha as a distraction while secretly hunting the Tailed Beasts?"
Damn, a two-pronged assault.
But thinking about it, it actually makes sense.
Every member of the Akatsuki is as strong as a Kage. If they launched a blitzkrieg attack on multiple villages at once to capture the Tailed Beasts, there wouldn't be enough time for the villages to react properly.
Kurama's face darkened slightly. "Nagato is using the Six Paths of Pain to keep Konoha occupied while the others go after the Tailed Beasts. And with White Zetsu's intel-gathering ability, any Tailed Beast outside a village doesn't stand a chance."
Which brings up a question—what about Matatabi and Gyūki?
Matatabi might not be a big problem; they were captured in the original story. But Gyūki… that one won't be easy. Plus, Gyūki is still on that Turtle Island…
They didn't run off and get caught, did they?
"What the hell are you thinking?" Shukaku frowned. "I couldn't reach you earlier when I was looking for you! Now Sunagakure has been overrun, and my Jinchūriki is badly injured. If I couldn't contact you again, I was ready to go all out!"
Yeah, right…
Kurama smirked. If Shukaku was asking for help, then he must have already fought with everything he had—and still lost.
Otherwise, with his pride, there's no way he'd ask his old rival for help.
Of course, Kurama kept that thought to himself. If he actually said it out loud, they'd probably have to fight after this rescue mission.
"Got it. Send me your location," Kurama said.
"No problem."
Shukaku tossed over a chakra signal without hesitation. He was clearly desperate.
Honestly, Kurama was a little curious to see what Shukaku would look like when he was really pushed to the edge. Would he actually fall to his knees and beg? If that happened, Kurama could recreate a classic villain moment.
Something like…
"This is what I wanted to see! That envious look on your face! Hmph, hmph, hmph! Hahaha! You're next, Gyūki!"
Now that would be satisfying.
Shukaku suddenly frowned. "You're not planning to ignore my call for help just to watch me suffer, are you?"
Kurama: "..."
Damn, you know me too well.
Kurama cleared his throat and looked away. "Do I seem like that kind of fox?"
Shukaku didn't answer, but the disdain in his eyes said it all.
Kurama couldn't stand that look. He turned around and immediately left the mental space.
Outside, the sun was still shining brightly over Konohagakure, bathing everything in a strange, holy glow.
Probably because they had just defeated an enemy they thought was unbeatable…
But that wasn't important.
As the village celebrated, Kurama opened his eyes in the real world. Seeing Naruto's big, dumb grin, he spoke up without hesitation.
"Hey, Naruto, I got a job for you."
"Huh?"
Naruto was in the middle of telling Jiraiya about everything that had happened recently when he suddenly froze, confused by what Kurama had just said. But he didn't think too much about it—Kurama saying weird things wasn't exactly new. Maybe he was just acting weirder than usual today.
With that thought, Naruto simply ignored Kurama's voice and turned back to his conversation with Jiraiya, bragging about his adventures. Sasuke, sitting nearby, listened with an expression that could only be described as "old man on the subway looking at his phone." He was seriously starting to wonder if he and Naruto had even gone through the same experiences.
Seeing Naruto's completely indifferent expression, Kurama's face darkened.
"You're seriously ignoring me? Your buddy Gaara and that stupid tanuki are about to get captured by the Akatsuki. If you don't go save him now, you'll only be in time to collect his body."
Naruto, who had been speaking enthusiastically just a moment ago, suddenly froze, his expression turning uncertain. He entered his inner world, frowning.
"What do you mean, Kurama? Didn't we already drive off the Akatsuki?"
"First of all, the one who drove off the Akatsuki was Sakura, not you," Kurama corrected him with absolute seriousness. He even pointed a clawed finger at Naruto for emphasis. "Second, I'm not joking."
Seeing Naruto's stunned reaction, Kurama's tone grew heavier.
"I've been thinking—why did the Akatsuki go out of their way to delay you and Sasuke? At first, I assumed they just wanted to stop you from returning to Konoha so they could attack the village without interference."
"Isn't that the reason?" Naruto tilted his head, confused.
"Hard to say." Kurama lifted his head. "This time, the only ones attacking Konoha were Nagato and Konan. Do you know where the rest of them went?"
Seeing Kurama's serious expression, Naruto instinctively sobered up as well.
He thought hard, trying to recall any clues, but after a long pause, he shook his head.
"No idea."
The Akatsuki's goals had always been a bit strange, but from what Kurama said, they were still in the money-gathering stage. The next step would be capturing the Tailed Beasts...
Wait!
A sudden realization hit Naruto like a lightning bolt.
"The rest of them... they're not out capturing the Tailed Beasts, are they?"
"That's the most likely answer," Kurama nodded. "Just now, that old raccoon Shukaku contacted me. He said Sunagakure has already been taken down, and Gaara was badly injured while escaping. He told us to hurry up and help. Given all this, I'd say those bastards have already started hunting the Tailed Beasts."
Naruto clenched his fists tightly.
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