"Ōnoki's not chasing anymore. Damn, you even know Konan's techniques?"
Jiraiya was utterly dumbfounded.
Ice Release, paper techniques, and...
Was that a tailed beast transformation earlier?
"I studied it a bit and stumbled upon some insights—pure luck!"
Kyōichi replied modestly.
He had already used sealing techniques to patch up the gaps, with the tailed beast chakra now sealed within the Yin Seal.
At the moment, his body bore numerous burns.
As a non-jinchūriki, wielding the violent tailed beast chakra wasn't without cost.
But.
This minor price was negligible compared to the power he had gained.
Kyōichi was a little excited.
If this was just the Four-Tails, how much stronger would the Nine-Tails' chakra be?
Of course.
It would also be far harder to suppress and control.
With his current abilities, borrowing the Nine-Tails' chakra would likely leave him unable to multitask with other ninjutsu—
Much like how no one could use ninjutsu while opening the Eight Gates beyond the third gate.
But with the Four-Tails...
A mere trickle of its chakra was just manageable.
However.
Maintaining the tailed beast state for too long would lead to full-body infiltration by the chakra, resulting in the same issues.
Thus.
His tailed beast state had a time limit.
This required further testing.
Jiraiya watched silently as Kyōichi performed a seamless sequence—sealing, wrapping, summoning, and sending the captive to Shikkotsu Forest.
So proficient!
Definitely not his first time abducting someone.
"And the Ice Release?"
"I originally wanted to research Wood Release, but found it too difficult. Accidentally ended up fusing Ice Release instead... Ah, Wood Release truly lives up to its reputation as a technique even the Nidaime couldn't master."
"..."
Jiraiya suppressed the urge to punch him.
"As for the paper techniques, Konan knows about them too. I even shared my research with her."
"Enough! I'm not interested in hearing this! Stop talking!"
Jiraiya felt mentally exhausted.
This guy.
Even when describing groundbreaking research, he made it sound trivial—as if it were nothing special. It was practically designed to provoke suppressed frustration.
"By the way, I found an Uzumaki descendant in Kusagakure."
"Huh?"
Jiraiya froze for a moment.
Uzumaki clan?
After a brief silence, Kyōichi continued, "She's a girl. Seems like biting her can heal others."
"Did you rescue her?"
"Of course."
Though he hadn't received feedback from his shadow clone, he was certain it had succeeded.
Jiraiya pondered before saying, "I'll tell the old man I was the one who did it!"
"What? No, I meant—do you know a suitable place for her? Bringing her to Konoha isn't ideal right now, and I doubt she'd want to go there anyway."
Kyōichi clarified.
He wasn't well-versed in Uzushiogakure's history, but clearly, its downfall involved many parties. To surviving Uzumaki, Konoha might share some blame.
Otherwise.
Why had none of the fleeing Uzumaki sought refuge in Konoha?
"Let me think, let me think!"
Jiraiya rubbed his temples.
He felt a connection to the Uzumaki clan, so taking the blame was no issue.
But.
Finding her a place to stay...
How would he know?
"Mount Myōboku? No, it's full of toads. Maybe send her to Nagato? Then again, if you rescued her, she might not want to leave your side."
Jiraiya considered it.
If the girl didn't want to go to Konoha, Nagato's place might be the only option—
Assuming she was willing to part with Kyōichi.
After a moment, he nodded. "You're probably right."
...
"Can't I stay with you?"
The girl looked up, her eyes filled with unease and confusion.
"You don't want to go to Amegakure?"
Kyōichi asked.
Ori nodded.
Small villages terrified her. Though Kyōichi mentioned a fellow Uzumaki in Amegakure, there was no guarantee they wouldn't exploit her abilities once discovered.
Kyōichi paused before asking again, "Why don't you want to go to Konoha?"
"Konoha has... scary people."
Ori whispered.
"Scary people?"
Kyōichi pondered.
If he had to guess, the "scary person" was likely either the Sandaime or Danzō—with Danzō being the more probable culprit.
The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, Adamantine Sealing Chains, and their formidable vitality made them "perfect" jinchūriki candidates in many eyes.
Yet.
Apart from Konoha, other villages' jinchūriki were far from "perfect"—especially in Kirigakure.
Given this, Danzō's involvement in Uzushiogakure's fall wasn't implausible.
After a long silence, Kyōichi asked, "Do you know of Tsunade-hime? Her grandmother was Uzumaki Mito-sama."
"Mito-sama? I've heard of her."
Ori nodded.
"If I secretly take you to Konoha, with only her knowing about you, would you go?"
"You're... from Konoha?"
Ori wasn't stupid. Kyōichi's questions made his allegiance clear.
She hesitated.
Then asked, "What would I have to give in return?"
"Nothing at all. Your healing ability is remarkable, but believe me, I'm not that desperate. I'm a decent medic-nin myself."
Kyōichi manifested medical chakra in his palm.
Ori stared in surprise.
Medical ninjutsu?
She didn't know it, but she'd heard of Kusagakure's medics using such techniques. Yet she was certain none of them matched this man's prowess.
Moreover.
Tsunade's reputation was known even to her.
The greatest medic-nin in the world!
That was how Kusagakure referred to her—a title Ori had secretly admired. Combined with Tsunade's lineage, her resistance wavered slightly.
If it was her... Konoha might be acceptable.
"Alright, then it's settled. I'll take you to Konoha discreetly. No third person will know."
Kyōichi was confident in this.
But first.
He needed to teach Ori the Transformation Technique.
Thanks to his earlier "snack" in Kusagakure, this shadow clone still had ample chakra reserves—enough to last until they reached Konoha's vicinity.
As he instructed her, he guided her toward the village.
...
Kyōichi received some feedback.
A meager reward.
But.
At least it confirmed his shadow clone had indeed rescued the Uzumaki descendant and was now on good terms with her. He just wasn't sure of the details.
More pressing matters demanded his attention, or he'd have asked Katsuyu for updates.
They had reached the Land of Grass's border.
However.
A new problem arose.
"Take the jinchūriki back and have the old man send a message to Ōnoki. This jinchūriki... is a hot potato."
Jiraiya sighed.
They'd only set out to assassinate the Explosion Corps captain. Who'd have thought they'd end up kidnapping a jinchūriki?
Killing a few people was one thing.
But a jinchūriki...
That touched a nerve for all major villages.
"Agreed. But I'd like to try a little experiment first."
Kyōichi said.
He knew the trouble keeping the Four-Tails' jinchūriki would bring, so he'd never intended to hold onto Rōshi.
They returned to camp under cover of darkness, with few aware of their arrival—except Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Not because Hiruzen was perceptive.
But because Kyōichi and Jiraiya went straight to him.
"You killed many Iwa ninja... and captured their Four-Tails jinchūriki?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "You two..."
"Sensei, this wasn't really my doing. I was just the distraction and cleanup crew."
Jiraiya smiled wryly.
Kyōichi had handled all the key moments.
Gari. Rōshi.
Just those two were enough to steal the spotlight.
Hiruzen stared at Kyōichi, speechless for a long moment.
He thought...
Thank goodness Danzō hadn't made a move on Kyōichi yet. Otherwise, his old friend's survival might be in question.
Then.
His next thought was—
Now the Kusa leader had nothing to say.
Regardless of who had taken the missing Kusa ninja, it definitely couldn't have been Kyōichi. Who could split off a shadow clone while executing a near-S-rank mission?
Smiling faintly, he said, "We'll discuss specifics tomorrow. Rest for now. I'll keep watch for Ōnoki."
"Yes!"
Kyōichi's mental energy was drained, leaving him weary.
Jiraiya played along.
He didn't mention the Uzumaki descendant to Hiruzen, pretending ignorance as he and Kyōichi left to rest.
Shortly after, Hiruzen dispatched an ANBU team to Kusagakure.
The deed was done—time to go public.
After all...
A giant toad was impossible to hide.
When the Kusa leader received the news, he was stunned. If he'd been certain Konoha was behind the abduction earlier, now he had doubts.
Two men had infiltrated Iwa's territory, wiped out multiple elite squads, and subdued the Four-Tails jinchūriki—such individuals could've easily crushed Kusagakure in one strike.
Whether it was Kanda Kyōichi or not, this incident had to be unrelated to Konoha!
The next day.
"Hokage-sama, I apologize for my earlier rudeness. This is a small token of Kusagakure's remorse."
The Kusa leader arrived early.
Hiruzen smiled genially. "Kyōichi is guarding the jinchūriki, so he can't meet you. But I believe we can clear up any misunderstandings now."
"Indeed. After investigating, I've ruled out Konoha's involvement. It must've been those damned Iwa ninja—they likely had spies in our territory."
The Kusa leader feigned outrage.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes before nodding. "The Iwa ninja? Possible. What did this person look like? A name? We can demand their return during prisoner exchanges."
"No need, no need..."
The Kusa leader shook his head, cursing inwardly.
He had no idea who was responsible, but it certainly wasn't the Iwa ninja. Respectfully, he asked, "Hokage-sama, with such a victory, will Konoha still withdraw?"
"We're leaving ahead of schedule—today."
Hiruzen confirmed.
The Kusa leader looked up, startled, but said nothing further.
Next door, Kyōichi smirked coldly.
We gave you a chance yesterday.
You blew it.