Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 116: The Solution to Fighting Akatsuki—Call Grandpa!

The intelligence network of the Five Great Shinobi Villages was far inferior to White Zetsu's. As a result, by the time the Hidden Mist Village realized something was amiss, their Six-Tails Jinchūriki had already been captured.

When the Mist shinobi finally arrived at the scene, they were greeted by nothing but a devastated landscape. Utakata was nowhere to be found.

At that moment, they knew with certainty—the Six-Tails had been taken!

The grim news struck the leadership of the Hidden Mist Village like a hammer blow.

Their village had already suffered greatly in recent years. The population issue was particularly dire—years of conflict had crippled their ability to produce new generations of capable shinobi. Without manpower, there was no way to rebuild the strength of the village.

Now, with the loss of not one but two of their most powerful assets—the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails—they had no way to stand up against an external invasion.

"What's left for us?"

If other shinobi villages decided to attack, what could they use to defend themselves?

For the first time in its history, the Hidden Mist found itself teetering on the brink of collapse.

---

"Elder Genji, what should we do now?"

Mizukage Mei Terumi sat in the meeting chamber, her face clouded with worry. For the first time in her life, she was utterly lost.

"Sigh…"

Genji, one of the village's elder advisors, let out a heavy sigh. His once-steely resolve had been worn down by these repeated disasters.

"Spread the news. There's no point in trying to hide it anymore."

"The Akatsuki is targeting Tailed Beasts. With the strength we currently possess, there's no way we can keep them safe."

"At the very least, no shinobi lives were lost this time, which is a small blessing."

"Our next move… depends on how the other villages respond. Let's see what stance they take toward Akatsuki."

"For now, our priority is rebuilding the Hidden Mist. Put all other matters aside."

---

Mei Terumi clenched her fists, her frustration evident.

She felt helpless. The Hidden Mist had been infiltrated and controlled by enemies before—enemies who had turned their Fourth Mizukage into a puppet. Now, their village had been humiliated again, losing two of their Tailed Beasts to unknown attackers.

It was like the Hidden Mist had become the personal playground of outside forces, a place where enemies came and went as they pleased.

The Hidden Mist's pride and dignity were being trampled.

Still, Mei reminded herself that, as bad as their situation was, it was nothing compared to what had happened to the Hidden Leaf.

At least the Mist hadn't been destroyed outright.

---

The Hidden Mist Village wasted no time in spreading word of their loss.

In doing so, they confirmed a terrifying reality:

The Akatsuki had already captured six Tailed Beasts.

The Seven-Tails from the Hidden Waterfall Village.

The Two-Tails from the Hidden Cloud Village.

The Four-Tails and Five-Tails from the Hidden Stone Village.

The Three-Tails and Six-Tails from the Hidden Mist Village.

The news sent shockwaves through the shinobi world.

Possessing a single Tailed Beast was enough to elevate a village to the status of a Great Nation.

So what did it mean when the Akatsuki possessed six of them?

---

The Five Great Shinobi Villages had always been the dominant forces in the shinobi world, their borders clearly defined, their power unchallenged.

Now, the emergence of the Akatsuki—an independent, organized group of rogue ninja—had shattered the established order.

The shinobi world was facing a threat unlike anything it had seen since the days of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

---

The Hidden Leaf Village—Fire Country

In the Hokage's office, Tsunade leaned against her desk with a tired expression.

"Shikaku, what do you think of this situation?"

Nara Shikaku, her most trusted advisor, took the intelligence report from her hands. He studied it closely, his mind racing to piece together the big picture.

After a long silence, he let out a weary sigh.

"The Akatsuki's intentions are clear—they're after the remaining Tailed Beasts. That leaves the Eight-Tails, the One-Tail, and the Nine-Tails."

He paused for a moment.

"Given the situation… the Hidden Leaf is their most likely target. Both the One-Tail and the Nine-Tails are here."

"We need to start preparing immediately."

---

Tsunade groaned and rubbed her temples.

The Akatsuki was a nightmare. The Leaf had barely recovered from its previous destruction—now it faced the very real threat of annihilation.

And in this situation, she knew there was only one thing left to do:

Call Grandpa.

If the Hidden Leaf was to stand any chance of survival, she needed the First Hokage's strength.

Of course, Tsunade wasn't referring to actually summoning Hashirama Senju—she was thinking of something far simpler:

---

"Shikaku," Tsunade said, her voice resolute. "Gather Jiraiya and Orochimaru."

Shikaku nodded, turning to leave. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he stopped.

"There's one other matter we should address, Lady Hokage."

"What?" Tsunade asked, frowning.

"Uchiha Yi," Shikaku said carefully.

Tsunade's expression darkened.

"If the Akatsuki targets the Hidden Leaf… what will uchiha Yi do?"

"We need to clarify his position—whether he stands with us or against us."

---

Tsunade fell silent.

She had spent enough time around Itsu recently to get a feel for his attitude. In her opinion, the young man neither liked nor hated the Hidden Leaf.

He didn't seem to harbor any intentions of destroying the village, but he also didn't care enough to protect it either.

In other words, his neutrality made him unpredictable.

And in a crisis like this, unpredictability could prove fatal.

---

"Fine," Tsunade said at last. "I'll talk to him myself."

"Get Jiraiya and Orochimaru ready. I'll take care of Itsu."

With that, she stormed out of the Hokage's office, leaving Shizune behind to deal with the pile of paperwork she'd abandoned.

Shikaku sighed in relief. He knew Tsunade would handle it—she was the Hokage, after all.

But deep down, he couldn't help but worry.

If the Akatsuki came for the Nine-Tails… would the Leaf really be able to stop them?

---

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