Naruto shook his head.
"No, we have no plans to attack Amegakure. We only want to deal with Akatsuki. If we can take out their leader, the Akatsuki organization will naturally collapse. We've already joined forces with Sunagakure and Kumogakure to take down Akatsuki."
"What about Iwagakure?" Mei Terumi asked. "Have you contacted them?"
"No," Naruto frowned, recalling the stubborn old man's rejection of their proposal. A flicker of displeasure crossed his face. "After we made our suggestion, Iwagakure actually attacked Sunagakure during the Chunin Exams. Naturally, the old Tsuchikage refused us outright. He said something like, 'These matters should be resolved by ourselves,' and wouldn't engage in any meaningful discussion with us. Besides, we have no reason to pull you into this mess either. After all, Kiri has already lost its tailed beasts. Unless you've got your own reasons for wanting revenge on Akatsuki, I don't think it's worth your while getting involved."
Mei gave a wistful smile.
"Thank you for sharing this information about Akatsuki and their leader, but you're right—it would bring Kiri no benefit to wage war for a goal without clear advantages. I'm sorry."
Naruto returned the smile.
"It's okay—I wasn't expecting you to jump on board right away anyway. Still, maybe there's another way you could help me. If I'm going to fight Pain again before I'm ready, I need to become stronger. Is there any way you could help me learn to control the tailed beast better?"
Ao let out a sigh.
"That's impossible, kid. Our village's last jinchuriki was Ephemeral, who held the Six-Tails. He vanished from the village long ago, taking the techniques for controlling tailed beasts with him. We've never been able to find him, and now it seems likely that he's already been captured by Akatsuki. We've lost his trail completely. We're powerless to do anything."
"A complete failure..." Naruto muttered, disappointment heavy in his voice. "So there really isn't any way at all?"
"The only one who can help a jinchuriki control a tailed beast's power is another jinchuriki," Mei Terumi replied. "Each tailed beast possesses different abilities, so techniques that work for us may not apply to you, Naruto-kun. The Nine-Tails is the most dangerous and powerful among them. Compared to it, both the Three-Tails and Six-Tails are much more docile. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to harness the Nine-Tails' power."
Her words weren't wrong. Each village had its own methods for training jinchuriki. It was no wonder Naruto had never truly had the chance to learn how to control the Nine-Tails.
Over the years, he'd relied solely on meditation, attempting to establish some kind of connection with the beast sealed inside him. Through relentless training and sheer willpower, Naruto had barely managed to control the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak—up to four tails' worth of chakra. But that seemed to be his limit. He'd spent two whole years, but still couldn't break through. Except for one method—one Master Jiraiya had told him about—there was no other way.
"Guess there's no way around it—I'll have to face the Nine-Tails head-on," Naruto thought gravely. "This one's definitely not something I can run from."
He shook his head, pushing aside his doubts. After all, life had never come easy to him.
He bowed deeply to the Mizukage.
"Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Lady Mizukage. We should take our leave now."
"Wait a moment..." Mei Terumi called out to Naruto, who was about to leave. "Perhaps you'd be willing to do me a small favor. It could help build trust between Konoha and us, and foster an alliance between our villages."
Naruto glanced at his teammates. All of them gave their nod of approval.
"I think we're all willing to help," he said. If it meant gaining a strong ally against Akatsuki, then at the very least, he should hear her out.
"Wonderful," Mei said. "As you know, our village is known for having the seven strongest swordsmen in the world. Currently, the only one of the Seven Ninja Swords still in our possession is the Hiramekarei, wielded by Chojuro. I'm sure you understand—your Team 7 defeated Zabuza years ago, and you must know where it ended up."
"It should still be at the site where we sealed it," Naruto nodded. "We left it there as Zabuza's gravestone. Only members of our team know where it is. Are you asking me to retrieve it for you?"
It wouldn't be difficult for him. That weapon had been their spoils of war after all, and he'd already defeated its former wielder. Anyone else would need time to get used to wielding it... more importantly, this was about forming an alliance with Kirigakure.
The Mizukage smiled brightly and motioned for the boy beside her to step forward.
"Exactly. And it would be even better if you could go together with Chojuro—he can help confirm its authenticity." She turned to Chojuro. "Chojuro, would you mind doing me this favor?"
At the Mizukage's call, the boy's face flushed red as he stammered,
"Ah, of course, Lady Mizukage! I'd be honored to serve you!"
"Great, that settles it," Naruto said, glancing at his teammates. "We'll head out to the Land of Waves right away to retrieve Zabuza's sword, as a gesture of goodwill."
He turned toward the Mizukage and extended his hand. "It's been an honor meeting you today, Lady Mizukage. I hope this mission will mark the beginning of a new chapter between our two villages."
With that, he lowered his hand and bowed deeply. "Oh, sorry—I forgot I'm not Hokage yet. I shouldn't assume the position to shake your hand."
Mei let out a soft chuckle, rose to her feet, and gently tapped Naruto's forehead with her fingertip.
"That's okay, Naruto-kun. You're such an interesting kid—you don't care at all about us being foreign ninjas. You didn't even bring up my village's past like most diplomats would. I really appreciate that."
"It's nothing," Naruto said shyly, scratching his head. "If retrieving Zabuza's sword can improve relations between our villages, I'd gladly help. I promise."
##Orochimaru's Secret Base##
"Let me go!"
"A man shouted frantically from inside the prison cell, slamming his hands against the heavy iron bars. 'I'm not leaving! Only Kimimaro can control me! You can forget it!' With that, he retreated deeper into the cell and slammed the door shut.
Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin stood outside, exchanging uneasy glances.
Suigetsu was the first to break the silence:"
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