Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 198 The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is missing?

"what?!"

"This is impossible!"

"absurd!"

Exclamations rang out almost simultaneously!
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, couldn't help but show an incredulous surprise!
He turned his head sharply, his sharp gaze like a searchlight, towards Shimura Danzo, who was sitting in the shadows behind him!

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu widened their eyes instantly, turned their heads sharply, and stared at Shimura Danzo, who was sitting on the other side of Sarutobi Hiruzen!

Shimura Danzo had his one eye closed, half of his face hidden in shadow and bandages, looking calm and detached.

At that moment, his single eye suddenly opened, and his pupil contracted sharply, like a startled venomous snake!

The skin under the bandage twitched violently, revealing for the first time an undisguised, utter bewilderment and a sense of absurdity!
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to shout a rebuke, but the sudden and absurd accusation choked him so much that he couldn't utter a single word, leaving only the shock and anger throbbing violently in his single eye.

"Special Envoy of Tsuchikage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions. His voice regained the dignity and composure befitting a Hokage, but it also carried a hint of coldness.

"Watch your words! Shimura Danzo is an advisor and elder of Konoha, who dedicated his life to the village. Such a serious accusation, without solid evidence, is a grave slander and provocation against Konoha and Elder Shimura himself!"

Danzo finally regained his voice, a sinister and cold light flashing from his single eye. His voice was hoarse and filled with oppressive force: "I am Shimura Danzo! I have never set foot in your Land of Lightning in my entire life! I deeply sympathize with the great calamity that has befallen your Hidden Cloud Village. But if you intend to smear me and use this as a pretext to attack Konoha..."

He snorted coldly, his killing intent palpable: "Produce the evidence! Otherwise, Konoha will never let this go!"

Faced with the fierce reaction from Konoha's higher-ups, Tsuchida remained unyielding. He straightened his back and spoke with unwavering conviction: "Evidence? Doesn't firsthand evidence count?! On the battlefield, that Asura was forced to reveal his true form under the combined onslaught of the Raikage, Killer Bee, and Yugito! He activated his Tailed Beast Cloak Mode! And the defining feature of that Tailed Beast Cloak is nine clearly visible chakra tails!"

Tsuchikage's voice suddenly rose, filled with unwavering certainty: "Under the heavens, besides your Konoha's Nine-Tails, what other tailed beast possesses nine tails?!"

These words caused another brief silence to fall over the reception room.

But this time, the shock on the faces of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane was quickly replaced by a sense of absurdity and certainty.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly shook his head, his tone unusually firm: "Tsuchikage, you've been blinded by hatred and the chaos of the battlefield. The seal on the Nine-Tails is Konoha's top secret. But I can tell you definitively that Shura could never be Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Shura could never have used the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Mode!"

Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses and added in an academically rigorous tone, "What your village saw must have been some kind of unknown ninjutsu disguise, or Shura stealing other power fragments related to the Nine-Tails, just like Kinkaku and Ginkaku back then, but it could never be the real power of the Nine-Tails."

When Mitokado Homura deliberately mentioned Kinkaku and Ginkaku, he was saying, "Don't forget that your Hidden Cloud Village also had a fake Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

Koharu Utatane chimed in, her tone tinged with skepticism: "Furthermore, if Shura is truly Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, why would he attack Konoha? And why would he be controlled by Elder Danzo? Envoy Tsuchidai, your village has suffered heavy losses this time, and it's understandable that you're eager to find an outlet for your grief. However, to conclude that it's Konoha's Nine-Tails based solely on the 'nine tails' seen on the battlefield and to accuse our village elder is far too arbitrary, and even smacks of using this opportunity to pressure Konoha and shift the crisis onto them!"

Danzo let out a disdainful snort: "Hmph! A clumsy frame-up! That Asura is cunning and has endless tricks up his sleeve. What's so difficult about imitating a tail? The Hidden Cloud Village is outmatched and suffered a great loss, so they want to throw mud at me and Konoha? What a clever scheme!"

The Konoha leadership, with their clear logic and firm stance, refuted Tsuchikage's accusations in a thoroughly logical and uncompromising manner.

They firmly believed in the absolute nature of sealing techniques and were also convinced of Danzo's "innocence," at least on the surface.

It is more likely that this was an attempt by the Hidden Cloud Village to blackmail or divert attention after their crushing defeat.

Seeing the resolute and unyielding attitude of Konoha's higher-ups, especially Danzo's undisguised chilling killing intent, Tsuchita knew that further arguing would be pointless and would only lead to a complete breakdown in relations.

However, he also obtained the important information he wanted.

So Tu Tai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging anger. His face was ashen, and his single eye flashed with resentment and humiliation.

"Fine! Well done, Konoha!" Tsuchida's voice trembled with suppressed anger. "Since your village is so evasive and protective, then this negotiation ends here! I hope your village will think twice before acting! Let's go!"

He abruptly waved his hand, filled with resentment, and strode out of the reception room without looking back.

Hii and the other Cloud Village ninja followed closely behind. Before leaving, Hii's calm eyes swept over several high-ranking members of Konoha, especially Shimura Danzo, with a hint of probing in his gaze.

Watching the Cloud Village members angrily depart, Hiruzen Sarutobi wearily rubbed his temples and ordered the Anbu at the door, "See them out."

When the door to the reception room closed again, leaving only the four high-ranking officials of Konoha inside, the suppressed anger finally erupted.

"Outrageous! This is simply too much!" Shimura Danzo slammed his fist on the table, his single eye flashing with cold light and murderous intent.

"That damned Shura! He caused such a huge mess in Kumogakure, and he even dared to frame me! Is he declaring war on Konoha?!" Danzo's face, hidden beneath bandages, was contorted with rage.

Danzo couldn't understand what he had done to offend Shura.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, picked up his fallen pipe, relit it, and took a deep drag. Through the swirling smoke, his voice was both reassuring and grave: "Danzo, calm down. This is clearly Shura's scheme, an attempt to incite conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure so he can reap the benefits. Kumogakure has suffered such a heavy blow, and Tsuchidae and the others are in a state of panic, losing their composure. We must not panic."

"Hmph!" Danzo snorted coldly and got up to leave the conference room.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Danzo's departing figure, his wrinkled face furrowed with worry. He picked up his pipe again, and wisps of smoke rose from it.

Advisors Mitokado and Koharu Utatane sat upright, their faces equally somber.

the other side.

The atmosphere was equally oppressive inside the inn arranged for the Kumogakure special envoy in Konoha Village.

Back at the inn, Tsuchida dismissed the other guards, leaving only Nozomi in the room.

He shed the tough mask of his role as special envoy, sat wearily beside a low table, and gazed out the window at the bustling streets of Konoha, his eyes empty and cold. This "strategist" of Kumogakure had completely lost the sorrow and anger he had just displayed, and had regained his usual composure.

The blond-haired girl, Xi, knelt quietly opposite him, her posture respectful.

"Xi." Tu Tai's voice, slightly hoarse, broke the silence: "Did you sense anything in the conference room just now?"

He knew that Shina's keen perception was a key asset on this trip.

Xi lowered his head slightly, his blond hair gleaming softly under the light. He recalled the details of the meeting, his voice clear and calm: "Reporting to Lord Tsuchidai, I sensed it the whole time. Shimura Danzo's aura... was gloomy, obscure, and carried a heavy feeling like rotten roots, full of scheming and... the smell of blood."

"But it's completely different from the aura emanating from the Asura on the battlefield of Hell Valley. The Asura's aura... was violent, dark, and profound, like a bottomless abyss, and it carried an inhuman, almost tangible, tailed beast pressure. The nature of their chakra and their mental fluctuations are completely different, so they could never be the same person."

Upon hearing this, Tu Tai's single eye flashed with a hint of understanding, but he showed little surprise; rather, it seemed as if it confirmed something.

He picked up the teacup that had long since gone cold, took a sip, and felt a bitter taste spread across his tongue.

Seeing Tsuchikage's reaction, Xi's handsome face showed a hint of confusion: "Lord Tsuchikage, there is something I don't understand. Now that Kumogakure has suffered such a great calamity, and the Raikage and the two Jinchuriki are seriously injured, they are at their weakest. Shouldn't our purpose here be to seek an alliance with Konoha to jointly deal with that Asura who threatens the entire ninja world?"

"Or, to guard against a possible attack from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth after they learn of our weakness?"

"Why... do you have to question Konoha so forcefully, and even accuse their elders?"

"Wouldn't this... push potential allies to the opposite side?"

Tu Tai put down his teacup and let out a soft, ambiguous hum.

He looked at his intelligent but still somewhat naive subordinate, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his single eye.

"Seeking an alliance? Pleading weakness for help?" Tu Tai's voice was deep and tinged with coldness: "Xi, you are still too young."

"The ninja world has never been peaceful. When you expose your wounds and show weakness, the surrounding countries will only pounce on you like hungry wolves, more excited than they will offer a helping hand."

He paused, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table: "Onoki of Iwagakure, that old fox of a two-scaled scale, has a nose sharper than anyone else. He couldn't possibly be unaware of something this big happening in Kumogakure. The more eager we appear to be to seek outside help, the more convinced he'll be that Kumogakure is so weak that it's at our mercy! He'll pounce on us without hesitation and bite off a piece of our flesh, or even more!"

A resolute glint flashed in Tsuchikage's single eye: "Therefore, we must act even more fiercely! Like a wounded porcupine, the weaker it is, the more it must raise all its quills! We must use the most intense attitude, even at the cost of creating friction, to question Konoha!"

"We need to show Onoki and all the other ninja villages that although Kumogakure has been injured, it is still fierce! It still has the madness to take others down with it! That way, they will be wary, they will hesitate, and they will not dare to attack us easily! This is the survival strategy of bluffing!"

"Besides, we are only arguing with Konoha now, not going to war. Onoki won't be the first to stick his neck out."

"After all, in the last great war, Iwagakure almost wiped out an entire generation."

Xi suddenly understood, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes: "I see! Lord Tsuchidae is truly farsighted! Then... you insist on accusing Shimura Danzo and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."

“That’s another purpose, a test!” Tsuchitai’s eyes sharpened. “Based on the reactions of Konoha’s higher-ups, especially Hiruzen Sarutobi, I can basically confirm two things.”

"First, they knew nothing about the battle in Hell Valley. I deliberately misrepresented so many details of the battle in order to observe their reaction."

"Therefore, I have concluded the second point: the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha is very likely... missing!"

"Or, at least, it's in a state of some kind of out-of-control situation!"

Xi looked confused again: "Missing? Out of control? Why do you say that? Aren't they insisting...?"

Tsuchida shook his head, revealing a cold smile that seemed to understand the ways of the world: "Nozomi, not all Jinchuriki are like Lord Killer Bee and Lord Yugito, able to reconcile with the Tailed Beasts and become perfect Jinchuriki."

"The vast majority of Jinchūriki are tragic figures."

Looking at the handsome young man in front of him, Tsuchida seemed to recall the days when he was young and followed the Third Raikage.

Before he knew it, he had grown old. The Fourth Raikage needed more young people around him, and Hijiri, a versatile ninja skilled in three rare abilities—genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and sensory ninjutsu—was the ninja the village was focusing on developing.

Tsuchikage hopes that he can grow into the 'left hand' of the Fourth Raikage.

Therefore, Tsuchita patiently analyzed the situation of major powers, the relationships between ninja villages, and the situation of the jinchūriki for Hijiri.

"The Jinchuriki of each of the major ninja villages are always regarded as monsters by the villagers because of their uncontrollable rampages. They are feared, rejected, and even hated by the villagers. They themselves also suffer from the erosion of the Tailed Beast Chakra and the influence of negative emotions, and their minds are in a state of pain and torment for a long time."

His voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible pity: "Such people inevitably have a huge estrangement from the village. When their power grows to a certain level, when the pain and resentment in their hearts accumulate to an unbearable degree..."

"Choosing to leave the village, or even turning against it, is entirely possible. The Konoha leadership's certainty and refusal to discuss the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's condition precisely demonstrates their deep-seated reluctance to discuss this matter, and they may have already lost control of that Jinchuriki!"

"That Shura... might have some connection with this out-of-control Nine-Tails Jinchuriki that we don't yet know about!"

"This is the biggest gain from our trip, aside from the 'bluff'!"

Silence fell in the room.

Xi digested Tu Tai's analysis, his handsome face showing a solemn expression.

(End of this chapter)