Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

...

"Hey bro, is everything sorted out? What are the details?"

When Masato returned home, Sasori's father, looking quite gossipy, came over. Even the usually indifferent Sasori, while eating breakfast, listened intently. Gossip truly is the most primal human nature...

Hey! This isn't your persona!

"Hey! This is even more melodramatic than a novel! The murderer is that kid Kudo. But the clan leader is quite shrewd, using the guise of recruiting a son-in-law to conduct political work... Speaking of which, you and Yusaori have been married for so many years and only have one son, Sasori. When are you going to give him a younger brother or sister? Look how steady my disciple is, clearing the table in one fell swoop!"

Masato shrugged and teased Sasori's dad, saying he remembered how much trouble Sasori had suffered for years, consuming countless Nara clan tonics to nearly ruin his life. Then, "Conan's dad" unconsciously flicked his gun and blew Sasori's head off – that was incomparable!

"Hey, hey, hey! Brother, I've already fulfilled my duties as a member of the family. You're also a member of the family, so isn't it your turn now?"

Upon hearing what Masato said and sensing his mother's interest, Sasori's father jumped up excitedly. He still vividly remembered the hardships of those years. After finally having Sasori, he had enjoyed a carefree life for over ten years. Now, he was going to have to go back to that life-threatening existence. No wonder he was excited.

They had considered having a second child. With their financial resources, they could easily afford a football team. Seeing that there was little hope for their older brother's child, and with their son growing up, and considering how busy they and Yusa were, having more children to keep their mother company seemed like a good idea. Besides, their son was naturally indifferent; having a few younger siblings might instill a sense of responsibility in him and change him somewhat. However, that was all on a "whatever happens, happens" basis—if it happened, they'd have another; if not, they wouldn't force it. But this kind of purposeful reproduction was something he couldn't afford to experience a second time…

"It's all because those tricks you gave me didn't work, otherwise our dear beauty would be four generations under one roof by now... Hey! Beauty, you promised to support me, you can't go back on your word!"

When Masato saw Sasori's father shift the focus of the fight to him, and saw Chiyo's resentful gaze, he instantly exploded. This old woman was known as a peerless poison master; what if she went too far one day and drugged him, then threw Yusaka's daughter at him...? His virginity would be in danger...

"Hmph! Useless!"

Handsome Scorpion glanced disdainfully at the scoundrel middle-aged man and arrogantly drank his breakfast milk.

"boom!"

"You little brat, stop talking like an adult and stop arguing with your head. If it weren't for your uncle's foresight, you'd be destined to be a single dog. (▼へ▼メ)"

To be looked down upon by a brat even more pathetic than himself, Shinto, with his fiery temper, immediately launched a vicious attack. He realized that this little bastard was getting increasingly itchy for a beating. He had originally planned to beat the kid less when he grew up, but the little bastard was becoming more and more arrogant.

"Hiss...! You bastard, you're asking for it! (╬◣д◢)"

"Ding ding ding...!"

Handsome Scorpion was in so much pain that tears welled up in his eyes. He swung his hand and shot out a pair of green needles. "You bastard, I'm not the same person I used to be. I'll fuck you to death, you old bastard!"

But it was useless; the bullets that hit Masato's chest fell to the ground as if they hit a steel plate.

"Huh? You... you just made a move? (⊙_⊙)?"

Masato, looking completely oblivious, patted his chest and stared at him with a questioning expression, just staring at him...

“That damn bastard…(▼皿▼#)”

Looking at his face, Handsome Scorpion almost bit his teeth until they bled. This bastard was so stubborn... But being the clever guy he was, he didn't do anything else wrong, lest he get another red card and be dragged to the dark room by the woman next door who was drooling over him...

"Hey...! Alright, stop fooling around, Scorpion. He's still your uncle, you can't be so rude..."

It's all a mess. The grandson tried to ambush his uncle, but the attack backfired, and Chiyo sighed, "I wonder if these two were enemies in a past life..."

Although her beloved grandson was a bit ruthless, she wasn't worried about her nephew getting his head stolen. With his toughness, he could withstand even a Tailed Beast Ball; what great things could his few senbon needles possibly accomplish? However, it was never a good idea to lay a hand on family.

"Humph!"

Handsome Scorpion still gave his grandma face, giving the scoundrel a haughty snort before turning around and walking towards his toys without looking back, followed by a drooling little tail.

"Look at this arrogant brat! Listen to your big brother, work hard while you're young. With this brat's personality, even with my protection, he'll have a hard time in the future. If he ever fails, at least I'll have a backup plan..."

Speechless, Shindou pointed at the handsome Sasori who had left and started complaining to his parents.

642. It's all because my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

"......"

Handsome Scorpion's parents looked up at the sky speechlessly. "He only acts like this with you; we've never seen him shoot us..." (?_?)

When their son first attacked his elder brother, he was only three years old. In front of all the senior members of the Fengying Tower, he shot a thousand sticks. At first, they took this issue very seriously. Their son was very talented, and anyone with eyes could see that. However, the fact that he attacked his family at such a young age made them very concerned. After returning home, the two of them took turns giving their son ideological education.

However, as time went on, the older brother always had a smug and cheeky attitude in front of his son. To be honest, sometimes they even wanted to hit him. And seeing that the son only showed strong emotional fluctuations when facing the older brother, they thought that this was probably the older brother teaching their child. This was their way of getting along, so they stopped interfering. Over the years, although their son occasionally hit the older brother, he knew that the older brother's defense was even tougher than the Third Raikage's, so their son's methods posed no threat to the older brother.

Moreover, in the past two months, they have clearly felt that their son's personality has changed a lot. Although it is not very obvious, they can see that their son is no longer opposed to Xingli, the granddaughter-in-law that his mother has decided on. Although they don't know why, it is a good start.

Just kidding, their precious son has been gnawed clean, even the bone fragments are gone, how could he possibly be resistant...? (?_?)?

"For the time being, let them stay in the village and do some D-rank missions; don't let them go out. You're coming with me to see Fenfu later; he wants to see you..."

Chiyo shook her head and said to her nephew with some sadness.

When it's going to happen, it will happen again. Just yesterday, when Bunpuku said he wanted to see Masato, she guessed what it was about. Bunpuku's time was running out. As a Jinchuriki, his life force was draining much faster than that of a normal person. Bunpuku wasn't a member of the Uzumaki clan. Although he was only the One-Tailed Beast, he had been sealed for so many years as an ordinary person, and he was almost at his limit.

However, what troubled her was that a suitable candidate for the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast had not yet been found, and judging from Bunpuku's appearance, he wouldn't last much longer.

"Received. Speaking of which, I've never seen Bunpuku before. I've never seen this tail before either. I heard it's just a fat cat. It's good to go and see it. By the way, beautiful lady, have you found a Jinchuriki candidate yet?"

He was still trying to fool Sasori's parents, but when he heard Chiyo's words, he remembered that he had lived in Sunagakure for decades and had seen several tailed beasts from other people's villages. He had even killed and eaten the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Seven-Tails several times. But he had never seen his own family's ancestral fat cat. Bunpuku was really stubborn, thinking that Shamon's death was his fault. Even though he already had a complete tailed beast seal, he still wanted to seal himself for decades...

However, it seems a bit early now. Gaara's parents are still teenagers, and it will be another ten years or so before he is born. Before the fat cat met its chosen one, Gaara, it was much more troublesome than the other tailed beasts.

"Sigh. There's no good candidate yet, so let's seal it in the altar for now..."

Chiyo sighed and shook her head. Although sealing someone in an altar is more stable, it poses a much higher safety risk than sealing them in a Jinchuriki. Because it is an altar, it is exposed to a lot of people, and it is easy for someone to unseal it if they don't notice it, unlike a Jinchuriki who is more hidden.

Back in World War II, they were able to discover that the One-Tailed Fox was causing trouble, so this altar is even more so; it's practically their guiding light. Fortunately, her nephew has risen to power and can even make the Seven-Tailed Fox cry. As for the One-Tailed Fox, in her opinion, it's not a big problem. She has experienced the power of the Seven-Tailed Fox, which is much stronger than the One-Tailed Fox. It's no wonder it has six more tails.

"You're too optimistic. This fat cat with one tail is much more difficult to deal with than the seven-tailed one. Let's go check on the situation first."

Seeing that Chiyo clearly lacked the tension she displayed when sealing the Seven-Tails, he reminded her that when she sealed the Seven-Tails, Chiyo had wanted him to fight the One-Tails, hoping he could turn it into something like the Seven-Tails. However, he refused. Although he hadn't paid close attention to the plot back then, he knew that the One-Tails and Nine-Tails were the two most special ones: one was clearly the weakest but was made the leader by the Six Paths, and the other was clearly the strongest but became the subordinate. Both were people who believed their fate was in their own hands...

......

Share in the blessings.

Born into the Sand Village, he was an ordinary man, yet destined for an extraordinary life. From the moment he ascended to the top, he became the Sand Village's Jinchūriki, a tailed beast. For the first few years, the Sand Village's sealing techniques were so weak that there were always a few days a month when the beasts would riot, making those early years incredibly difficult for him. Buddhism emphasizes universal salvation, but with the One-Tailed Beast inside him, any deaths it caused were attributed to him, completely contradicting his beliefs. Before the First Shinobi World War, Shinto "retrieved" the complete tailed beast sealing technique from Konoha, finally freeing him. Although the One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku, was incredibly lively, completely lacking the awareness of maintaining a noble and aloof image as a tailed beast, constantly chattering away inside him, as a highly accomplished Buddhist monk, he was more prone to babbling than anyone else…

Although Bunfuku never went to the front lines to kill anyone for the village, his contributions to the village were greater than those of Chiyo and even surpassed those of Ebizo, who served as a military minister for two reigns over several decades. He was a meritorious figure who silently dedicated himself to the stability and peaceful development of the village.

"Hi! You must be Fenfu, right? It's an honor to meet you! I grew up listening to your legends. If my uncle hadn't discovered it early, I would have shaved my head and become a monk to follow in your footsteps..."

When Shinto followed Chiyo to a place filled with all sorts of messy barriers, and saw this illustrious old monk, Shinto felt that based on his many years of contributions to the village, he should give him a free shout-out.

“…”

Chiyo rolled her eyes behind her, the sad atmosphere she had painstakingly built up was shattered by her precious nephew.

"Heh heh, finally we get to meet our Sand Village's renowned Golden Shiki! We never imagined that Sand Village would produce someone like Hashirama Senju. Truly, the heavens are blessing our Sand Village..."

Sitting in the center of the barrier, Fenfu opened his eyes. Even though his life force was waning, hearing these words made him feel incredibly comfortable and relaxed, as if he could live for another five hundred years...

He dedicated his life to quiet service; what could be more worthy of recognition from future generations than this?

643. A fat cat is much easier to fool.

"Haha, you flatter me, senior. I only chop down leaves and beat up tailed beasts. How can I compare? Your contributions to the village are truly meritorious and will benefit future generations!"

He'd heard all sorts of praise over the years, but no matter what, he still enjoyed it. Since people were praising him so much, he couldn't very well not praise them back, could he?

"Kid, which tailed beast did you beat up? Tell me."

Just as Shinto finished boasting and while the old monk Bunpuku was still enjoying himself, the fat cat lying in his belly heard the brat outside bragging about beating up the tailed beasts. Instantly, it perked up and showed no signs of being sealed. Although it was still lying down, its mental state was incredibly good.

It had grudges against its second to ninth brothers. Back when they were fighting for the leadership, those underlings bullied it a lot, saying it was no match for them. Anyway, it had never seen this kid before, so there was no way it could have been beaten up by him. So it must have been its underlings who got hammered by him. Although it didn't know if the kid was just bragging, hearing that its underlings had been beaten up made it feel damn good!

"The one speaking must be the legendary leader of the tailed beasts, the One-Tailed Fat... cough! Shukaku, right? Although I've only heard his voice and never seen the beast, I could tell from your voice just now that you're different from your underlings. I'm not trying to be mean, but your underlings are really rude. Every time we meet, they spew filth at me. They only learn their lesson after being beaten up. You should educate your underlings more often. How can a noble tailed beast be so vulgar? Sigh! There aren't many tailed beasts with such high standards like you these days. In all these years, I've only encountered one. Tell me, how come the difference between tailed beasts is so great?"

Upon suddenly hearing the fat cat's voice, Masato was certain that this fat cat must have been beaten up by its brothers when it was the real boss. This fat cat has a very extreme personality. If you can't win by punching, you might as well try a different approach. Maybe you can get along well. The eight-core high-tech processor is running smoothly. Just say whatever comes to mind. As long as you belittle its brothers and praise it, that's all that matters!

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. Those bastards really need to be taught a lesson. How can noble tailed beasts be so rude? It's so shameful..."

Inside the fat cat's belly, the words "Head of the Tailed Beasts" flashed through its mind. As if finding itself, it nodded frantically. Yes, as the eldest brother of those bastards, it had a duty to teach its underlings...

Honestly, the one-tailed fox is much easier to fool. Perhaps it's because its tail is so valuable, and it was sealed away for longer than its brothers. This makes it more naive and innocent than its siblings, but also because it only has one tail, its brain capacity is smaller...

“(⊙_⊙)?(⊙_⊙)?(⊙_⊙)?”

Bunpuku and Chiyo stared blankly as Shinto chatted with Shukaku, especially since Shukaku was actually talking to Shinto. They were surprised that it was possible to play around like this.

They knew all too well how volatile Shukaku was. They had given him countless moral education lessons over the years, but the "child" inside him never listened to them and would kill at the drop of a hat. Over the years, the Land of Wind had suffered countless times from the "child's" rampages.

Now he's practically become best buddies with Masato.

Should we do this?

If it's so easy to appease it by praising it and belittling its tailed beast... what were they doing all those years ago?

Didn't Shamen die for nothing?

Chiyo wanted to slap herself. If only she'd known her precious nephew was this capable, she would have let him chat with Ichio decades ago...

"That's why I say, among the tailed beasts, only you, Shukaku, the One-Tail, are truly reasonable. Hearing you speak so eloquently, I know you're a cultured and refined tailed beast, far more cultured than your underlings. You must have read quite a few books these past few years, right? Could you recommend a few for me to read when I have time... Your underlings, instead of spending their time reading more to improve their literary cultivation, are always fighting and killing each other. I even heard someone say that the One-Tail has a rather volatile temper, and they're quick to kill people. I was immediately displeased. If you said other tailed beasts were like that, I could accept it, especially the Nine-Tail, which is incredibly inferior, always wanting to eat people. But you, Shukaku, the One-Tail, are a high-quality tailed beast, practically a positive force among tailed beasts. Can they compare to you? Don't you think so?"

"Yes, yes, that's right! You don't know, the Sage of Six Paths said a lot about them back then. How could they compare to me? They're disobedient little brothers. You don't know how hard it is for us big brothers!!"

The fat cat inside Fenfu's belly was so moved. After so many years, it had finally met a kindred spirit. Luckily, it hadn't come too late... Hmm, when it had time, it would have Fenfu read books and newspapers to it, so it could become a high-quality tailed beast. It especially couldn't be like Kurama, who was so uncivilized... Fighting and killing all the time, it was too disgraceful for tailed beasts!

"By the way, you know we're humans, and our vitality can't compare to that of you noble Tailed Beasts. You've lived inside Bunpuku's belly for decades, and we've found that Bunpuku's belly can't contain your noble aura. We're considering getting you a high-class new home soon, what do you think? While I personally have no aversion to a cultured and refined Tailed Beast like you, you've read so many books over the years, you should know that this is our human world. A body as tall and imposing as yours naturally creates an invisible pressure for humans. Those ordinary mortals don't have the mental fortitude to easily cause unnecessary trouble. If they cause trouble, it will ruin your bright image, which wouldn't be good, would it? But you also know that your underlings have seriously damaged your image as a Tailed Beast over the years. They don't understand you, so they're worried that you'll be like them after you come out. I've repeatedly assured them that you won't cause trouble, but they just won't believe me, which is why they sent me to talk to you. Sigh! All the image you've worked so hard to maintain has been ruined by your underlings! It's really..."

Shinto, having said his piece, continued to belittle his brothers while getting to the point. He said that Mito Uzumaki's sealing techniques were very effective, and with the One-Tailed Beast's strength being so weak, even if they forcibly sealed it, as long as a barrier was set up outside, the forced sealing wouldn't affect the village. However, this was only a temporary solution. If they didn't appease it, the next Jinchuriki, Gaara, might end up like in the original story, living with deep-seated hatred and constantly sporting panda eyes. How miserable that would be! The lazybones couldn't even imagine how Gaara had managed to live to thirteen...

644. I never knew mouths could be this powerful.

"...What you said makes some sense. Those bastards are always shouting for violence, they really have no manners. I've lived in Fenfu's belly for decades, I'm getting a bit tired of it, it's time for a change. When you go back, tell them not to worry, this old man is a cultured tailed beast, I certainly won't be as rude as those bastards. Alright, you guys go back too, this old man is going to read a book... Old man Fenfu, go find me some books to read."

The fat cat inside Fenfu's belly felt a mix of emotions as it was blown about. It secretly vowed to be a cultured, refined, and civilized three-good tailed beast, maintaining the lofty image it had cultivated for so many years, and resolutely refusing to be associated with its few scoundrel underlings!

"Okay...okay...(⊙_⊙)"

Fenfu nodded blankly, feeling that he had wasted all these years. Thinking back to when he became a Jinchūriki, he had been living in constant fear for decades, not even daring to sleep too soundly, for fear that Shukaku would come out and cause trouble while he was sleeping. Ever since he first encountered the One-Tailed Shukaku, he had been shocked by the boundless hatred and resentment Shukaku had shown him. Although he didn't know why Shukaku had such a great hatred for humans, or what terrible things people had done to Shukaku that made it hold a grudge for so many years, he was deeply influenced by Buddhist thought and had always been committed to eliminating Shukaku's hatred for humans, hoping that it could become a loving family with humans.

Even though each of Shukaku's rampages caused the destruction of families and the separation of wives and children, he still kept saying that Shukaku should let go of his hatred and become a loyal friend of humans, so that everyone could live in harmony...

Despite his decades of efforts, Shukaku's attitude towards humans remained unchanged. However, he had a general idea of ​​the reasons behind this. Shukaku was likely sealed away for too long, as tailed beasts have infinite life force and had lost their freedom over those infinite years. Putting himself in Shukaku's shoes, if he hadn't encountered Buddhism back then, he might have also harbored resentment towards heaven and earth during the decades he lost his freedom after becoming a Jinchūriki. He knew that giving Shukaku freedom and not sealing it away might alleviate some of Shukaku's hatred towards humans, but he clearly couldn't do that. Shukaku was simply too powerful, and releasing it would only wreak havoc on the village and threaten more villagers. So, in the last few years, knowing that his life was nearing its end, he stopped telling Shukaku to let go of its hatred and simply patiently hoped to build a friendship with it.

After all, they had known each other for decades, and he could sense that Shukaku wasn't as hostile towards him as before. Therefore, he didn't want Shukaku to harm the village again after his death. He asked Chiyo if he could meet Shiki, whom he hadn't seen in so many years. Firstly, he had heard Chiyo say that Shiki could even make the Seven-Tails cry, and that sealing the Seven-Tails had gone very smoothly, so he wanted to meet this core ace of Sunagakure. Secondly, just in case, although he didn't want Shukaku to go berserk, he would have no choice but to let Shiki use force.

The first impression he got of this Golden Lion was that he was unreliable. He didn't have the aura of a strong person at all. Aren't strong people usually tall, cold, and cool? This guy praised him from the first meeting. Although he was quite pleased with the praise, this kid just seemed unreliable no matter how you looked at him!

But when he saw how this kid had completely fooled Shukaku with just a few words, it was as if a new world had opened up for him. It was like a sudden awakening; he realized that words weren't just for talking, but could be so powerful. He and Shukaku had known each other for decades and were still only friends, while this guy had practically become sworn brothers after just a few minutes of conversation. All those years of his life had been for nothing...

"Alright! Senior Bunpuku, when you have time, please read some classic texts to this great 'Tailed Beast Leader' Shukaku, and humbly accept his teachings. Such opportunities are rare...ヾ(^?^)?"

As Masato spoke, he winked at the old monk Bunpuku, "See? From now on, just shamelessly praise him!"