Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

To be honest, I don't know if Snake has a problem with his aesthetic sense, but the second male lead's Sage Art: Heaven's Seal is really ugly, as ugly as can be. And to make matters worse, he has a pair of incredibly ugly fleshy wings on his back. Even Shinto from a distance gets goosebumps just looking at it.

To be fair, Snake's research and development capabilities are truly remarkable. Despite being unable to cultivate immortal arts himself, he managed to create a Heaven Seal and an Earth Seal through unconventional means. They may be a bit ugly, but they do significantly enhance one's strength. The second male lead in the series managed to put on a spectacular show against the savior who had already summoned five tails, thanks to the Heaven Seal and his supporting character aura. It would take at least several overtimes to determine a winner.

Just when Masato thought the game would go into several overtimes, the savior, out of loyalty to his friends, went all out, avoiding vital points with every attack. In contrast, the second male lead, driven by revenge, had no such reservations. If he couldn't even defeat his childhood friend who had always been a loser, how could he possibly defeat that man in the future?

Finally, blinded by hatred and driven by a desire for immense power, the second male lead, Kuku, used a REWQ combo to take down the savior in one fell swoop, and then Kuku left.

The savior and his companions were left alone, heartbroken...

"Not bad... but next time you fight, don't yell and scream like that brat. It really doesn't fit the image of you Uchiha bastards..."

Seeing the second male lead, Kuku, approaching, Shindou barely suppressed the urge to beat him into a complete idiot. He patted Kuku on the shoulder to encourage him, then hoisted the idiot onto his shoulder and disappeared.

He really didn't dare to stay with the second male lead, who was still completely unable to control his aura. Although it wasn't as overwhelming as that of the old man, it still made him want to punch someone. However, he had important things to do and was too lazy to bother with this brat.

......

Shinto carried the idiot, a fake Jinchuriki, to a secluded spot and tossed him to the ground like trash. Then, looking at the idiot, he began to mentally rehearse and refine his plan. The first step of the plan was naturally to spread the news that he had captured a wild Tailed Beast. His good friend Kakuzu's former employer could help with this, and the news would probably spread after Kakashi and the others returned to Konoha. After all, to those who didn't know, it was a wild Tailed Beast, and apart from not being able to revive after death and having less chakra, this artificial Tailed Beast wasn't much different from a legitimate Tailed Beast.

1059. Did Tsunade bankrupt the Golden Lion?

Moreover, not many people know that this is an artificial tailed beast. Currently, only Orochimaru and he know. Orochimaru is not a gossip and would not expose him, so the first step of the plan can be executed without any problems.

The second step is to give this artificial tailed beast a background and figure out how to convince the Six Paths Sage's mother and Obito that it is a real tailed beast, which is more difficult.

The will of the Six Paths Sage has been present in the ninja world for countless years. It existed while the Six Paths Sage was still alive, and it remained so even after the Six Paths Sage's death. It's a true living history of the ninja world, and making it believe in it won't be easy...

After much deliberation, in order to make the storyline for this artificial tailed beast more plausible and legitimate, Shinto spent several days in the cave brainstorming and finally completed the story. Afterwards, he dusted himself off, carried the idiot to Kakuzu's old employer to verify the idiot's identity, and then took out a large sum of gold dust to have them help spread the news. Although the black market is illegal, the main reason why it has been able to survive in the ninja world for so long and run such a large business is its reputation. Sometimes, the news from the black market is more credible than the official statements of the five great ninja villages.

......

The black market was incredibly efficient, and with Kakuzu, its top agent, vouching for it, they went to great lengths in this matter. In just a few days, the Sand Village's Golden Lion discovered a wild Tailed Beast that had been hiding for who knows how many years in a deserted place. Moreover, after verification by the black market, it was confirmed to be a genuine Tailed Beast.

Because this tailed beast is ownerless and belongs to the public property of the ninja world, the Golden Lion, deeply moved by the countless families destroyed by years of war, has decided to hold a wild tailed beast auction in the Land of Iron early next month. The proceeds from this sale will be used to establish a World Children's Charity Foundation to care for children who have lost their families due to war...

The news had already spread, and everyone in the ninja world was stunned. The leaders of various countries and villages were also unsettled. The major ninja villages were somewhat better off because they themselves possessed tailed beasts. They knew that although tailed beasts were a nuisance, if handled properly, they were the village's most important nuclear weapon, capable of posing a nuclear threat to other ninja villages. However, if handled improperly, they would cause great harm to the village. Which of the major villages hadn't experienced a tailed beast rampage? Look at Konoha's experience; the entire village had to sell everything it owned and rebuild. Or, like Iwagakure, they would occasionally go to breathe fresh, free air and had to spend a lot of money to buy it back. Moreover, news of tailed beast rampages had never stopped over the years.

Besides, they already have two tailed beasts, so their need for more tailed beasts isn't that great. What they're really concerned about is what Golden Lion Shiki is up to. A world children's charity foundation? And he even said it was based on some kind of sentiment? When did Golden Lion Shiki become so kind? It doesn't fit his character at all!

Of course, they could only keep these questions to themselves. After all, the slogan Golden Lion had shouted this time was indeed too lofty, clearly standing at the highest moral ground in the ninja world, even higher than Konoha. To raise doubts at this point would only invite a barrage of criticism from the outside world...

Moreover, compared to the Golden Lion's "reformation," they were more curious about the origin of this tailed beast. There are only nine tailed beasts in total. However, as everyone knows, apart from the One-Tail which has been sealed in the Sunagakure altar, the history of how many bloody storms these eight tailed beasts have caused in the ninja world over the years is well-documented. If it weren't for the mighty Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, who defeated the other tailed beasts in one fell swoop, the ninja world might still be suffering from the harm caused by the remaining eight tailed beasts.

But how come there's another tailed beast now? Could it be that this one got drunk back then and has been sleeping ever since?

For those small ninja villages, tailed beasts are an enormous temptation. They don't care about such things. Their strength is weak, and they have survived in the ninja world to this day almost entirely by clinging to powerful figures. They also live in constant fear, watching their bosses' every move. If they want to survive better in the ninja world, the stronger they are, the better. A tailed beast can perfectly meet this need.

Moreover, tailed beasts, being guardian deities of villages, are the perfect choice. Regardless of the hassle, one should at least have one. If one had a tailed beast, one could raise the volume of their voice.

Especially the daimyo of those small countries, upon hearing this news, immediately gave their country's ninja village leaders a death order to bring the tailed beast back. It was common for the daimyo of the ninja world to gather and have parties together, but usually the main characters were the daimyo of the five great nations, and they were at most supporting characters.

why?

It's just that their strength is so great.

They're all people who love acting, and after playing supporting roles for so many years, they're bound to fight tooth and nail for the chance to be the lead.

.......

"Mabu-i, where did the tailed beast in Golden Lion's hand come from? Could it be that history is wrong, and there are actually ten tailed beasts in total?"

In Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage frantically tapped his fingers on the table, clearly displaying his extreme anxiety. He had spent the last few days poring over historical records, but to no avail, unable to find the origin of the tailed beast in Shiki's possession. He hesitated for a long time between buying it and not buying it. His sworn brother and Yugito, two Jinchūriki, were out in the village—one was away at a concert, and the other was leading students on a mission. He had no way of verifying the tailed beast's authenticity.

Although Shiki had a good relationship with his father, his father had also said that Shiki was a cunning old fox, though not as obviously cunning as Onoki. So the blame was placed on Onoki. After Mabui analyzed Sunagakure's performance in the three World Wars for him, he also agreed with his father's assessment of Shiki. Therefore, he couldn't determine whether this tailed beast was real or fake. After all, given Shiki's reputation, there was no reason for him to have a fake tailed beast come out and slap him in the face.

But if it's true, why would Golden Lion do this? And what's the origin of this tailed beast? You know, Sunagakure is the last thing that's short of money. As the eldest son of the Miyake clan, the hidden super-power of Sunagakure, Golden Lion is even less short of money. The money that Tsunade spent on him back then could probably buy the Land of Fire... And did Rasa lose his mind, or did Tsunade bankrupt the Miyake clan and he has to sell the tailed beast to pay off his debts?

"...The history of the Tailed Beasts is not very long. The current records are all based on the probability of later generations, and the accuracy is not high. If we really want to know if there is a tenth one, we probably have to inform Killer Bee and have him ask the Eight-Tails."

Mabu-yi helplessly shrugged. It was true that the Mabu tribe was highly intelligent, but they weren't all-knowing and all-powerful gods. She wouldn't make things up before she understood this kind of species that could be traced back to ancient times. If she didn't know, she didn't know, so as not to be proven wrong later.

1060. It's normal for men to make mistakes.

Rasa wasn't out of his mind, and the Miyamoto clan wasn't bankrupt either. When they heard that Masato was going to auction off the Tailed Beasts, Rasa, Chiyo, Ebizo, and the others immediately contacted Masato to ask if this bastard had lost his mind.

We Sand Village are so poor we only have money left. If you need money, just say so! How are we supposed to know you need money if you don't tell us?

We've accepted being defeated by that Tsunade for so many years, why the hell do you care about this little bit?

What the hell does it mean to put the tailed beasts up for auction...?

However... I'm sorry, the user you requested is not in the service area...

"That bastard, has he been idle for too long and gone crazy? Selling the Seven-Tails to Konoha last time wasn't enough, now he's doing it again! (▼he▼メ)"

Inside the Kazekage Tower, Ebizo, who had spent many years accompanying Chiyo in vegetarianism, chanting Buddhist scriptures, fishing, and cultivating his mind and body, suddenly exploded on the spot, his old face red as he ranted and rave everywhere. This is a Tailed Beast!

While tailed beasts are indeed a bit troublesome, with this bastard around, the trouble is nonexistent. With such conditions, as long as they bring the tailed beast back to the village and train a Jinchūriki, they'll be another double-flowered red-handed master in a few years. Other villages might complain about having too many tailed beasts, but Sunagakure doesn't have to worry about that.

And this bastard did it! What kind of children's charity foundation is this? If you want money, why don't you just submit a report? Tsunade has already squandered so much of it, do you think you can just withhold a little bit from me?

Realizing that Ebizo was about to have a heart attack, he quickly swallowed a bottle of nitroglycerin to calm himself down...

This time, not only did Ebizo explode on the spot, but Chiyo wasn't much better off. Although she supported her beloved nephew's decisions most of the time, she shared the same opinion as her brother Ebizo regarding the tailed beasts. Back then, this brat took the Seven-Tails to trade with Danzo of Konoha. Although he got a lot of supplies in return, she still hoped that her beloved nephew could bring the Seven-Tails back to the village to strengthen its strength. Fortunately, Konoha couldn't withstand the pressure in the end and gave the Seven-Tails back to Sunagakure, so she didn't bother to say anything.

But this time it was clearly an unclaimed tailed beast. Whoever could take it, bring it back to train a Jinchuriki, and make the village have more powerful members, wouldn't that be great? Why the hell did they sell it again...?

Luo Sha, along with the handsome Sasori's father and the others, looked at the red-faced, swollen-necked old man and woman. They exchanged helpless glances. Although Luo Sha was the Kazekage, this was an era that respected the elderly and cared for the young. Despite his glamorous public image, his seniority was too low. Not to mention that Ebizo and Chiyo were his grandfathers, or even his grandfathers' cousins, Lord Jie was also his father's generation. At this moment, even Lord Jie had no right to speak, let alone Luo Sha. He could only silently watch the two old men and women rage.

Although Shinto was habitually unreliable, he really hadn't expected him to be this unreliable. And judging from Ebizo's words, Shinto was a repeat offender; he'd already betrayed the Seven-Tails once before, something he didn't even know...

"Keep sending people to contact him and make him come back immediately. In short, the Tailed Beasts must not be sold!"

This was the first time in many years that Chiyo had given orders to the Kazekage. Since Sunagawa took over and she stepped down, she hadn't given orders to anyone for many years. She always let her precious nephew handle things. Although the Kazekage was her junior, he was still the one in charge and she had to give him face. However, this time she wasn't in the mood to consider Rasa's feelings.

"Mother, could it be that my brother didn't bring the Tailed Beasts back because of the Akatsuki organization? After all, taming a Tailed Beast isn't easy..."

At this moment, Handsome Scorpion's father calmly analyzed the situation.

Their previous plan was to wait until the Akatsuki sent someone to take down the Tailed Beast, then they would make a show of it and let them take the Tailed Beast away. According to Shuri's certification as a sealing master and the Seven-Tails' statement, the Tailed Beast could indeed sever its own tail and leave it inside the Jinchuriki to save the Jinchuriki's life.

However, it's difficult to persuade the tailed beasts. The Seven-Tails agreed to sever its own tail to save Gaara and Shuri because it had lived with them for so many years and had a relatively easy-going personality. The One-Tails agreed to sever its own tail to save Gaara and Shuri because it had been tricked by its older brother and had grown up watching and teaching Gaara over the years. But this wild tailed beast clearly doesn't have much of a bond with them, and if they bring it back, it could easily affect their plans.

"...Oh well! Forget about it, let him be crazy if he wants to."

Upon hearing what Sasori's father said, Chiyo and Ebizo suddenly fell silent.

Yeah! They were so busy venting their anger that they really forgot about the Akatsuki's purpose. Now that Sasori's dad says it, it seems to make sense. When they first learned about the Akatsuki's lineup, they even complained that their village had too many tailed beasts.

Looking at the handsome middle-aged Sasori's father and Rasa, Chiyo and Ebizo couldn't help but sigh that they might really be getting old, and their thinking couldn't keep up with the younger generation...

"Grandma, Chongming just told me that there is no tenth tailed beast in the world. According to him, the Sage of Six Paths only gave birth to nine brothers..."

At this moment, Shuri spoke to Chiyo and the others with a strange expression.

"What?! There's no tenth tailed beast? Then where did Masato get this one?"

Chiyo and the others asked in shock upon hearing this.

Could it be that brat is trying to get something for nothing?

But that doesn't make sense. That brat has a sense of shame too. Now that the news has spread throughout the ninja world, wouldn't he lose face if he couldn't produce a tailed beast?

"You'll have to ask Uncle. Even Chongming doesn't know, but it's certain there isn't a tenth tailed beast in the world..."

Xiuli helplessly shrugged.

"What exactly is this brat trying to do...?"

Ebizo rubbed his temples, his head aching. He naturally didn't doubt Shuri's words. If even the tailed beasts didn't know how many brothers they had, then they certainly couldn't know. Since the Seven-Tails said there were only nine tailed beasts in the world, then there must be only nine. There couldn't be one more. But the problem was that Masato, that bastard, couldn't be contacted at all. He didn't know if he had really gotten something for nothing or if he actually had a tailed beast. If he had a tailed beast, then where did he get it?

The Seven-Tailed Fox said that the nine brothers were born from the Sage of Six Paths. Although this statement is somewhat absurd, how could the Sage of Six Paths give birth to nine monsters? Besides, wasn't the Sage of Six Paths male?

However, there is no evidence to prove that the nine tailed beasts were not born of the Sage of Six Paths. Since people say so, then so be it. With Shinto holding such a grand auction, does that mean the one he has is the Sage of Six Paths' illegitimate child?

Well, even the Sage of Six Paths is human; it's normal for him to make mistakes that even men make...

1061. Nagato: Where do we put the extra one?

"Lord Tsuchikage, that's a Tailed Beast in Shiki's hand. Should we fight for it?"

In Iwagakure, Kurajiro, the security captain of Onoki, who had been eyeing the position of Grand Marshal for many years, was a little agitated, and even his breathing became rapid.

Ever since his last attempt to persuade his boss to launch a war was thwarted by Tsuchiki, he had been looking for an opportunity. Although his family still retained its prestigious name and glory after his father's death, it was no longer what it used to be. His greatest ambition was to bring the family back to its peak, but he had never had the chance. This time, the tailed beast in Golden Lion's possession might be an opportunity. If he could bring the tailed beast back to the village, and given his years of serving as the boss's security captain, even if he couldn't kick Tsuchiki out of office and take the position of Grand Marshal, he could at least elevate the family's status.

He knew the village was heavily in debt, but his family still had some savings. If it could help the family return to its former glory, they wouldn't mind paying for the purchase of the tailed beasts themselves.

"...No need. Let's find out the origin of the tailed beast in Golden Lion's hand first. I've been reading through historical records these past few days, and I've never heard of a tenth tailed beast in all these years."

Onoki calmly shook his head, though he had something on his mind but found it difficult to speak.

The Four-Tails and Five-Tails alone have been giving him a huge headache lately. He even had to sneak into his secret stash and spend a fortune to have Kakuzu help him bring back Old Purple and Han. If another one joins Old Purple and Han's team and there's another Prison Break 2, his secret stash won't be able to hold up. He used to be young and reckless, spending money recklessly, but now he's saving up a dowry for his precious granddaughter...

He felt he could live ten years longer if he didn't see even a single piece of news about that bastard, the Golden Lion.

.......

Meanwhile, the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure was simply curious about the origin of the Tailed Beast in Shiki's possession, and had no interest in it whatsoever. They didn't even know the origin of the two Tailed Beasts in their own village, so why would they bother buying another one?

Konoha received the news and learned about the Land of Sky from Kakashi and others, and also learned that the tailed beast in Shiki's possession was obtained from the Land of Sky.

At first, Koharu and Homura were quite upset, but since the Savior and Kurama were currently in a honeymoon period, they began to have some doubts after learning from Kurama that there was no tenth tailed beast in the world.

It's fair to say that the three giants of Konoha have lost much of their power since Nawaki took over. Their former protectors have all gone to work for their teacher. Nawaki is still a child, but Tsunade is not. Since Nawaki took over, he's been surrounded by Tsunade and Sakumo every day. Sakumo is alright, but the key is that Tsunade doesn't buy into their seniority. So, their influence has been dwindling, and even the logistics department, which they've managed for years, has been taken over by Tsunade. Now, they have high status in Konoha, but little real power. They often have to sneak around to get a little extra money.

At this moment, they truly missed the days when their friend was still alive, but it was too late to say anything now. They were the ones who invited him back; he chose this path, and even if he had to crawl, he would finish it...

It wasn't just the major ninja villages that remained skeptical; many smaller ninja villages shared the same view, since it was generally accepted that there were only nine tailed beasts in the world.

However, considering the reputation of the Golden Lion, there seemed to be no reason for him to lie to them. Wouldn't that ruin his own reputation? The Golden Lion wasn't that stupid. Besides, the Daimyo had given a death order. Was he really going to hand over his entire fortune to them just for a chance to be the protagonist?

.......

"Konan, how's it going? Have you found any records about this tailed beast?"

In the Land of Rain, Nagato stared at the enormous monster before him with a furrowed brow, counting on his fingers as he looked at it. When he saw his companion approaching, he asked...

If we're talking about who reacted the most to the tailed beast in Shinto's hands, besides Obito and the will of the Six Paths' mother, it would be the veteran rice carrier Nagato. In their plan, the tailed beast was of paramount importance. When he heard that Shiki had an unclaimed tailed beast, he was first stunned, and then immediately asked his friends to search for clues about this tailed beast.

He was carefully observing the huge monster in front of him. This monster was given to him by the masked man. It had nine holes, each representing one of the nine tailed beasts. If all nine holes were filled, it could be made into a super apocalyptic nuclear weapon.

But now that a wild tailed beast has suddenly appeared, a problem arises. He counted repeatedly for a long time, even worried that his math might have been taught by that illiterate Jiraiya. If he was wrong, he could go to Kakuzu to learn some basic counting. He counted from head to toe many times, and this big monster, apart from its mouth and buttocks, definitely only had nine normal holes.