Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 455 The Shameless Nine-Tailed Fox

Konoha, Hokage's office.

"I plan to take my three apprentices with me on this trip, so they can broaden their horizons. What do you think?"

As soon as Taiichi finished speaking, Minato's expression turned cold.

"Taiyi, do you know what you're saying? They're still kids who haven't graduated yet. How can you let them participate in this kind of mission?"

"Uh—" Taiyi scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm not taking them on a mission, I'm just taking them out for a break. This is a crucial time for their Sage Mode training. They can't relax, but they also can't overtrain, so I need to keep an eye on them."

Minato understood, but was also surprised. He knew about Professor Taichi and the other two using Sage Mode, but he hadn't expected this—

"Have those three little guys really mastered the basics?"

Taiyi's mouth was practically stretched to his ears, his smugness completely undisguised.

"That's right. At the current pace, it's estimated that we'll be able to apply Sage Mode to actual combat in about six months."

"Oh, that's really good news." Minato smiled again. He paced back and forth a few times, considering Taiichi's strength and the children's need for training. Finally, he made up his mind, "Don't take them on any risks. This is a time of peace. We don't need to expose the children to these things prematurely."

"Look at what you're saying, do you think I'm that kind of person?" Taiyi waved his hand nonchalantly. "Then I'll take them away, no take-backs!"

After saying that, without waiting for Minato's response, he used the Flying Thunder God technique to leave the office.

"You're not—" Minato stared at the empty office, speechless for a long time before finally managing to utter the rest of his words, "Is this the kind of person you are?"

On the forest path leading to the Land of Rain, four figures were moving forward at a steady pace.

Leading the group was Matsushita Taichi, with his three disciples following closely behind at the normal marching pace of ninjas.

A gentle breeze rustled through the treetops.

The atmosphere in the group was initially somewhat silent. After all, it was the first time the three children had officially left the village with their teacher. Although they were not exactly on a mission, only they themselves knew the standards.

However, they hadn't gone far when the three of them couldn't contain their excitement and started chatting away.

until----

"Teacher!" Jiang Tai kept looking around, as if searching for something. "I always feel like something is following us. Do you have that feeling too?"

Since cultivating the Immortal Mode, Jiang Tai's senses have become extremely sharp, and he was the first to notice the anomaly.

The group gradually came to a stop because of Jiang Tai's question.

Yami and Itachi also looked around warily, trying to find the thing that Jiang Tai had mentioned.

Tai smiled with satisfaction, looked at Jiang Tai, and praised, "Good lad, your vigilance is commendable."

Then he shouted loudly towards the bushes to his upper right, "We've been following you all this way, so stop hiding! You've been spotted!"

The three little ones all turned their gazes toward the direction Taiyi had called out. There was a moment of silence, and then, as if stimulated by the four gazes, the leaves began to rustle.

The three children immediately became serious and took out kunai from their ninja tool bags to be on guard.

The leaves swayed more and more violently, as if something was getting closer and closer. The three little ones became more and more nervous, and they couldn't help but tighten their grip on the kunai.

A leaf drifted down in front of Jiang Tai, briefly obscuring his vision. Just then, a fiery red shadow darted out from the swaying leaf like lightning.

Without thinking twice, Jiang Tai threw the kunai from his hand and flung it straight at the red figure.

Following closely behind, seeing Jiang Tai attack, Yami and Itachi also threw their kunai at the same time.

"Slap, slap, slap"

Three quick parries were made in quick succession, and three kunai were sent flying.

"Damn it, you three brats, know who I am. I'm letting you pet my fur for free."

An angry whimpering sound came, and the three little ones immediately stopped what they were doing.

Itachi, who was the fastest at forming hand seals, had already begun to inhale, gathering his chakra to his throat, just short of exhaling the Great Fireball from his mouth.

"Nine-Tailed Fox—Boss, it's you?"

Jiang Tai stammered, his eyes somewhat vacant. What had they been guarding for all this time?

Yami and Itachi also put away their weapons and let out a long breath. That moment was their first "real combat," and now that they had recovered, they felt a bit sore and weak from the excessive adrenaline.

Nine-Tailed Fox glanced sideways at Jiang Tai, snorting disdainfully, "What? Can't I come? Do you own this road?"

"No, no—" Jiang Tai shrank his neck.

This kid gets beaten up by the Nine-Tails quite a bit at home, under the guise of "training." He's starting to feel the effects of the stress.

Taiyi saw everything, including how the three little ones had handled it, and was quite satisfied.

He stepped forward and patted Jiang Tai, who was about to speak, then looked down at Jiuwei walking over, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

"You rascal, why aren't you staying home? What brought you here by sneaking around?"

These words seemed to have flipped a switch. The Nine-Tailed Fox immediately changed its expression, adopting a fawning look. With a leap, it jumped onto Taiyi's shoulder, its fluffy tail wrapping around Taiyi's neck in a pleading manner. Its voice softened, even carrying a hint of grievance.

"Taiyi, how can you say that? I'm just worried about you! The Bear Country is such a remote and impoverished place, I've heard there are strange poisonous afflictions there, it's always good to have more people—more foxes to look after you!"

It deliberately spoke in a pitiful tone, which made Itachi and Yami, who were standing next to it, exchange a secret glance. No matter how you looked at it, it sounded awkward coming from Kurama's mouth.

Taiyi glanced at it with a half-smile, but didn't reply.

Seeing that this move wasn't very effective, Nine-Tails rolled its eyes and immediately changed its strategy.

It stopped squatting and lay down, its two front paws gripping Taiyi's collar, its furry head close to Taiyi's ear, and began to mutter in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Look how well-behaved I've been lately—since that woman Tsunade ran away, I haven't caused a single trouble. I've even been playing with the village kids. I swear, I'm more obedient than the stone lion in front of Minato's house!"

As it spoke, it nuzzled Taiyi's cheek with its head, its crimson fur soft and warm.

"Just take me out for some fresh air, okay? I've been cooped up in the village for so long, my fur is practically turning brown! I promise, this time I'll obey orders! If you tell me to go east, I won't go west; if you tell me to catch a dog, I won't catch a chicken! If I don't behave, you can put me back in the seal and lock me up for three days—no, five days of solitary confinement!"

It got more and more excited as it talked, even raising one of its front paws and holding it to its ear like a human making an oath, its expression one of forced "utmost sincerity," but unfortunately its darting golden eyes betrayed it.

Taiichi felt a little ticklish from being rubbed by it, tilted his head slightly, but still teased, "Oh? So obedient? Then how come I heard Mizuki say the other day that there were two grilled saury missing from the kitchen?"

Nine-Tails' body froze instantly.

"—Th-that's—" It stammered for two seconds, then puffed out its little chest, its voice thick with conviction, "That's because I, the great one, am helping them taste the saltiness! What if the flavor isn't right? You won't enjoy it, will you? I'm just trying to help!"

"Pfft." Yamei couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered her mouth.

Nine-Tailed Fox turned around and glared at her in embarrassment and anger, flicking its tail threateningly, but immediately reverted to its pitiful appearance and continued its "offensive" against Taiyi.

"Taiichi—please, Taiichi—take me with you! Look how strong I am, I can be a henchman in a pinch, isn't that a great deal! Plus, I have keen senses, I might be able to find those missing ninjas faster than you guys! I'm very useful!"

It began to list its "advantages," from its combat prowess to its perception, and even its ability to be cute and amusing, praising itself to the skies.

Finally, it even put its two front paws together and moved them up and down, making a gesture similar to "bowing," blinking its big eyes and drawing out its words: "Take me with you—please—okay!"

That deliberately affected, sickeningly sweet child's voice gave Tai a chill down his spine, and even Itachi's lips twitched slightly.

Taiyi sighed, stretched out his finger, and flicked the Nine-Tails' forehead lightly.

"Ouch!" Nine-Tails clutched its head, but its eyes lit up. Taiichi didn't refuse outright!

"I can take you there," Taiyi said slowly. Nine-Tails was right; its abilities were indeed very suitable for this kind of mission.

"Really?!" Nine-Tails almost jumped up.

"But—" Taiyi's tone shifted, his eyes sharpening, "Three rules. First, all actions must be under my command; no one may act without my permission. Second, protect the three of them."

He pointed to his apprentice behind him. "Third, if he dares to steal food or drink again, or cause any unnecessary trouble—"

He paused, watching Kurama's body tense up instantly, and slowly uttered the second half of his sentence: "After I come back, I'll find Tsunade-sensei and have her give you a physical exam."

Nine-Tailed Fox's fur bristled instantly. Imagining that terrifying scene, the entire fox trembled.

However, a fox is still a fox, and no one can bury a fox's heart that yearns for "freedom".

"Deal!" it immediately agreed loudly, afraid that Taiyi would change his mind. It even stretched out its little paw to give Taiyi a high five. "I guarantee I'll complete the mission! I'll be absolutely obedient! I'll be absolutely well-behaved!"

Taiyi shook his head helplessly, but in the end he couldn't help but smile and gently touched its paw.

"Alright, remember what you said. Let's go."

"Alright!" Nine-Tailed Fox immediately became arrogant, squatted down on Taiyi's shoulder again, its fluffy tail swaying proudly. It even turned around and raised its chin at the three children, looking like it was showing off, "Look, I succeeded."

The group set off again. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the group of four people and one fox.

Nine-Tails squinted, savoring the long-lost sense of freedom in the open fields outside the village, so happy she almost hummed a song.

The road to the Bear Kingdom is still long, but with the addition of this lively fox, the journey will not be boring.

The Land of Bears is a small country nestled between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.

Unlike the Bird Country, a small country that is often used as a battlefield by the Wind and Earth Kingdoms, the Bear Country is almost entirely surrounded by a ring-shaped canyon.

The canyon is filled with miasma year-round, which not only isolates the Bear Kingdom from the outside world but also protects its safety and ensures its independence.

Inside the canyon, the Star Ninja Village is nestled deep in a dense forest. The entire village consists of only about eighty ninjas and is named after a strange meteorite that fell here two hundred years ago.

Inside the tallest wooden building in the center of the village, the Third Hoshikage was deep in thought with his eyes closed. Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the window, and the door was flung open.

"Lord Hoshikage!"

Yinghuoxing knelt on one knee, her forehead glistening with sweat beneath her headband.

He had just returned from a border patrol mission when he heard news that sent chills down his spine.

"When I was resupplying in a small town on the outskirts of the canyon, I overheard the locals talking about how two Konoha ninja teams had gone missing near the town."

The Third Hoshikage opened his eyes, his deeply wrinkled face showing a solemn expression: "Explain in detail."

"Yes. According to the townspeople—"

Silence fell over the room. Firefly looked up and saw the Third Hoshikage's fingers tapping lightly on the table, a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought.

"Konoha will not allow its ninjas to disappear without a trace."

After a long silence, the Third Hokage slowly spoke, "Especially the fact that two teams have disappeared one after another—this has gone beyond the scope of ordinary mission accidents. Once Konoha sends people to investigate and discovers that the incident occurred on our border—"

"They might suspect we did it," Firefly Star chimed in, his voice hoarse. "These great ninja villages are always ruthless and domineering. Even if it's just to give the village an explanation, Konoha needs a spies." And we—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: Hoshigakure was too weak, too weak to withstand the suspicion of any major ninja village.

The Third Hoshikage stood up and walked to the window. From here, one could see the forbidden tower in the center of the village, where the meteorite known as "Star" was sealed. It was the source of all ninjutsu in Hoshigakure, as well as their greatest secret and Achilles' heel.

"We can't let Konoha turn their attention to the village." He turned around, his gaze firm. "Hotaru-hime, you set off immediately to that town, wait for the people from Konoha, and fully cooperate with their investigation. You must show them that Hoshigakure has nothing to do with this and is willing to help find out the truth."

Firefly nodded emphatically: "Understood! I'll do it right away—"

"Remember," the Third Hoshikage interrupted him, "your mission is to avoid conflict, not to get involved in the investigation. If you discover any signs of danger, retreat immediately and send a message back to the village. We—can't afford to gamble."

"yes!"

Firefly turned and left, the sound of the wooden door closing echoing in the empty room. The Third Hoshikage looked out the window again, muttering to himself, "I hope it's not too late—"

At the same time, outside that small town, deep in the dense forest.

Three figures faced off, the atmosphere tense and ready to clash.

"I have completed the test as you requested!" Red Star, wearing a star-patterned headband, lowered his voice, but his anger almost burst forth from his words. "Two Konoha teams, completely wiped clean, even the traces were erased! And now you tell me that's not enough?"

The two people standing opposite him, dressed in the same black robe with red clouds, were Kakuzu and Hiruko, who had recently joined the Akatsuki organization.

"The test is over." Kakuzu's voice was flat. "But the Akatsuki's rules are: completing the test only means you're qualified to join. Formal membership requires the personal approval of the leader, Pain. And until then—" He held up one finger, "you're not a formal member of the organization, and we have no obligation to handle your personal affairs."