https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-583-The-Choice-for-the-Next-Hokage/12558866/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-585-Reactions-in-the-Ninja-World/12558868/
Chapter 584: My Shadow, Your Regret
Chapter 584: My Shadow, Your Regret
Land of Earth.
Near the Hidden Stone Village.
"We're finally back."
A weary Stone ninja gazed at the city surrounded by mountains and heaved a sigh of relief.
Having survived such a crisis, he counted himself fortunate to be alive.
"Ah, we really lost badly this time," sighed another Stone ninja.
Out of the two thousand-strong ninja squad, only three hundred remained. It was probably the most devastating loss in recent years.
As they drew closer to their homeland, most of the Stone ninja contingent felt a mix of complex emotions.
Even the jinchuriki, Lao Zi, felt the same.
"I hope they send more competent commanders next time," Lao Zi thought to himself.
Lao Zi was usually a loner and had few friends. Most of the fallen Stone ninja were strangers to him, and those he knew, he only recognized by name.
However, the over sixteen hundred Stone ninja who had perished were his fellow villagers, and he couldn't help but feel the weight of their loss.
The guards at the village entrance seemed to have been notified beforehand, as they showed no signs of surprise at the returning Stone ninja squad and merely conducted a brief inspection before letting them through.
Typically, upon returning to the village, the ninja squad would report to the squad commander or other important administrators, while the rest of the squad would disband.
This time, however, many of the high-ranking jonin who held crucial positions, including the commander, had perished, leaving only a handful of survivors who lacked the necessary rank and experience.
Seeing their indecision and inability to come to a conclusion, Lao Zi, accompanied by Han, made his way directly to the Stone ninja hospital.
Although they were the strongest fighters in the Stone ninja force, their positions were not particularly high, and they served primarily as combatants.
Lao Zi figured that since it didn't concern them, it would be better to take Han to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.
After all, Han's severe injuries were partly his fault.
While it was true that he had used his Tailed Beast Ball to help Han, he had also inadvertently blasted him.
Someone noticed Lao Zi's departure from the group and was about to call out to him, but upon remembering the scene of Lao Zi's Tailed Beast Ball engulfing both Stone and Leaf ninja, they closed their mouth and said nothing.
As Lao Zi walked, he was suddenly blocked by several Stone ninja dressed in Anbu attire.
Lao Zi frowned and asked, "What's the matter? Han is injured, and I need to take him to the hospital."
"You don't need to worry about Han. Our people will make sure he receives the best treatment as soon as possible," the leading Anbu member replied calmly.
Two Anbu members from his team then stepped forward to take charge of Han.
Although Lao Zi was a bit displeased, he didn't want to delay Han's treatment, so he didn't interfere.
Turning to leave, Lao Zi headed home, and the Stone Anbu disappeared into the distance.
After walking some distance, the four-tails' voice echoed in Lao Zi's mind.
"They're tracking you."
Lao Zi's frown deepened as he struggled to understand the situation.
During wartime, shouldn't the Anbu be busy with espionage missions in various countries to gather intelligence, as well as preventing spies from other ninja villages from stealing information? Why were they wasting manpower to track him?
He was a jinchuriki capable of full Tailed Beast transformation and had shown no signs of suddenly going berserk.
Upon returning home, Lao Zi cleaned up and rested for a while. Around noon, he went out to buy groceries and prepare a meal.
After finishing the meal, Lao Zi asked the four-tails, "Are they still there?"
"Yes," the four-tails replied.
As Lao Zi washed the dishes, his displeasure grew.
Although they had suffered a defeat, he didn't see how that was his fault.
He had done his best in the battle, and if not for his efforts, the two-thousand-strong ninja squad might have been completely annihilated, with only a hundred or so survivors, or perhaps even wiped out entirely.
As night fell and he prepared for sleep, Lao Zi asked again.
"That group left, but another one took their place," the four-tails replied honestly.
Lao Zi's patience wore thin. They were taking shifts to monitor him around the clock.
Suppressing his anger, he went to sleep.
Although he was in a foul mood, it was already late, and making a commotion would disturb the other villagers.
The next day.
After washing up and preparing breakfast for himself, Lao Zi, aware that he was still under surveillance, asked the four-tails for their location.
"They're underground, west of your house," the four-tails answered.
If the Anbu hadn't used Earth Release ninjutsu to sneak underground, the four-tails, with its lava-based chakra as a Tailed Beast, would have been able to detect their presence due to its sensitivity to the earth's energy.
With a stern expression, Lao Zi headed toward the location mentioned by the four-tails and said coldly, "Stop hiding. I know you're here."
A gentle breeze blew, carrying with it a few grains of sand, but the area in front of Lao Zi remained empty.
"Lava Release: Scorching Molten Rock Technique!"
Lao Zi swiftly formed hand seals, concentrating his lava-style chakra, and his aura erupted.
"What are you doing?!" two Stone Anbu ninja exclaimed as they revealed themselves to stop him.
Lao Zi had genuinely killed quite a few Stone ninja on the battlefield, and they dared not gamble on whether he would actually use Lava Release against them.
"That's a question you should be asking yourselves," Lao Zi retorted bluntly. "Why are you constantly monitoring me?! Are you Anbu so idle that you can't put more effort into intelligence gathering? If it weren't for faulty intelligence, our front-line forces wouldn't have suffered such a devastating defeat."
"That's not something you need to worry about," the Stone Anbu insisted. "Intelligence gathering is handled by those responsible, and we are here to protect you."
Their mission was to keep watch, but that was obviously something they couldn't disclose.
"Protection? In the Hidden Stone Village, I, a perfect jinchuriki, need protection?" Lao Zi scoffed.
If his strength required protection within the Stone Village, then the village was truly finished.
"What are you thinking, Onoiki?" Lao Zi wondered, his gaze eventually settling on the tallest rocky building in Iwagakure.
The Anbu were under the direct command of the Tsuchikage, so this order must have come from Onoiki.
Lao Zi was a man of action, and without another word, he strode towards the Tsuchikage's building.
He intended to get answers from Onoiki—to ask him why he was wasting resources and why he was being monitored.
At first, the Anbu didn't know what Lao Zi was up to, but as he drew closer to the Tsuchikage's building, they began to suspect his intentions.
One of them went to report the situation while another tried to stop Lao Zi.
"The Tsuchikage is busy with official duties. You can't disturb him randomly," the Iwagakure Anbu said.
"He has time to order you to watch me but no time to speak with me himself?" Lao Zi ignored the Iwagakure Anbu and continued walking.
The Iwagakure Anbu tried to hold him back, but Lao Zi's immense strength pushed him away.
Without further ado, Lao Zi quickly entered the Tsuchikage's building and made his way straight to the Tsuchikage's office, ignoring any ninja he encountered along the way.
Bang! Lao Zi pushed open the door to the Tsuchikage's office, his eyes fixed on Onoiki, who sat in the office chair.
"My apologies, Tsuchikage-sama," the Anbu bowed his head in apology.
Inside the Tsuchikage's building, they couldn't very well come to blows, so it came down to a test of strength. But with the power of the four-tails, they had no chance of stopping him.
"It's fine. Leave," Onoiki said, his face devoid of emotion, his voice calm.
The Anbu nodded and quickly exited the Tsuchikage's office, closing the door behind him.
Once they were alone, Onoiki's expression changed, and he looked at Lao Zi with a serious gaze.
"Lao Zi, what are you trying to accomplish? Attacking the Anbu and forcibly entering the Tsuchikage's office—these crimes are enough to land you in prison for a decade!" Onoiki said sternly, his formidable aura erupting.
If an ordinary Iwagakure jonin had been standing before him, they would likely have been trembling under the weight of his authority. After all, this was the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, one of the pinnacle leaders in the ninja world, and the man who had led Iwagakure to prosperity.
But standing before him was Lao Zi, the jinchuriki, and a perfected jinchuriki at that, having established a connection with the four-tails.
Lao Zi met Onoiki's gaze unflinchingly and countered, "I want to ask you the same question. As soon as I returned to the village, you sent the Anbu to watch me and even assigned them to protect me. Do the Anbu have that much free time?"
"This was a collective decision by the Iwagakure higher-ups. It's useless even if you're dissatisfied," Onoiki stated bluntly.
After all, Lao Zi had been discovered, and he wasn't foolish. He knew whether it was protection or surveillance.
"The higher-ups..." Lao Zi's fist clenched, his eyelid twitching.
He had fought hard on the front lines, only to return and be treated with such distrust.
"This is the best outcome. You think about what you did on the battlefield—it's one of the most forbidden taboos!" Onoiki emphasized.
"Some even proposed replacing the four-tails jinchuriki. If it weren't for my strong opposition, you wouldn't be facing mere surveillance by the Anbu," Onoiki continued.
It was true that the idea of replacing the jinchuriki had been brought up in the higher-ups' meeting, but it wasn't as extreme as Onoiki made it sound.
Onoiki was primarily using this opportunity to teach Lao Zi a lesson and hoped that he would change his stubborn personality.
Lao Zi was stunned. He hadn't expected the higher-ups to consider such a thing.
For a jinchuriki, replacing them meant sending the previous jinchuriki to their death.
Once a jinchuriki had a tailed beast sealed within them, their life became linked to the beast. If the tailed beast died and was extracted, the jinchuriki would also perish.
"Whether it was fully transforming into the tailed beast in the middle of the crowd or using the Tailed Beast Ball to break through, it was Iwagakure's command," Lao Zi explained.
He wasn't insane enough to do such things on his own. If it weren't for Iwagakure's self-detonation that stimulated him, he might not have even followed the order.
"The report we received didn't include this," Onoiki shook his head.
Lao Zi was taken aback once more.
He thought of something. The battlefield had been so chaotic, and not many Iwagakure ninja had been close enough to hear Iwagakure's orders.
On top of that, there was also Motsuki, the god of death on the battlefield. The chances of anyone surviving were slim.
"I was injured by Motsuki's Water Release jutsu. When Iwagakure's commander saw this, he ordered me to fully transform and work with him and the Iwagakure blast corps to attack..." Lao Zi tried to explain, recalling the details of that fateful battle.
While he admired Iwagakure's final act of self-sacrifice, Lao Zi didn't want to take the fall for him.
As a jinchuriki, he already endured strange looks from others. If he were also known for slaughtering his comrades, his life in Iwagakure would become unbearable.
"Is there anyone who can vouch for you?" Onoiki asked after hearing Lao Zi's explanation.
"How can you prove that it was Iwagakure's order and not you losing control due to the influence of the tailed beast's chakra?"
Lao Zi opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
He didn't even know if there were any survivors who knew the truth.
"I will send ninja to investigate on your behalf. If there are no issues, then you may leave. I still have work to do," Onoiki said, dismissing him.
In truth, Onoiki already believed Lao Zi's words.
Lao Zi was a proud and stubborn man, the type who wouldn't stoop to lying to evade responsibility.
However, if no one could corroborate Lao Zi's story, Onoiki would maintain the status quo.
Firstly, he couldn't overturn the decision of the higher-ups based solely on his instincts; that would be too arbitrary.
Secondly, he wanted to use this opportunity to teach Lao Zi a lesson and hoped that it would make him more amenable to cooperation.
Even on the bustling commercial street, a path cleared before him, leaving an empty space in his wake.
With an expressionless face, Lao Zi continued toward home, faintly hearing whispers of "monster" and "cruel" behind him.
As a jinchuriki, Lao Zi had experienced such treatment a long time ago.
He didn't understand why he felt so distressed today. Was it because he was treated like a war criminal despite leading the breakthrough? Or was it because he was more sensitive today due to a lack of sleep yesterday?
Lao Zi wasn't sure, but he knew one thing—he felt terrible.
For the following week, Lao Zi rarely left his home, staying indoors most of the time.
When he thought Onoiki should have finished his investigation, Lao Zi returned to the Tsuchikage's building.
This time, the atmosphere was less tense, as Lao Zi had requested the meeting in advance.
"I've asked every ninja from the Grass-Ninja Alliance except you, and none of them heard any similar orders. Do you have anything else to say?" Onoiki cut straight to the chase, wasting no time.
Lao Zi remained silent, his gaze fixed on Onoiki.
What else could he say? Blame the ninjas who heard the orders for dying? Or personally seek out the ninjas who broke through and ask them one by one?
"Just behave from now on. Be like Han and follow orders obediently, and you'll be fine," Onoiki said in a soothing tone.
During the war, it was impossible for Iwagakure to suddenly replace their jinchuriki; it would be like cutting off their own arm.
After all, for a jinchuriki to control the power of a tailed beast was no simple task.
"Lift the surveillance on me," Lao Zi said expressionlessly.
After hearing Onoiki's words, he finally understood what the higher-ups were trying to do. The accusation of killing comrades was just an excuse; they wanted to keep him in line.
If it had been in the past, Lao Zi would have endured it.
After all, this was the village that raised him, and he owed a debt of gratitude to Iwagakure.
But this time, Lao Zi couldn't take it anymore. He had followed Iwagakure's orders to the best of his abilities, yet the higher-ups were still dissatisfied and wanted him to be more obedient.
Lao Zi felt that he had done his best for Iwagakure, and if it weren't for the four-tails' help, he would have died on the battlefield.
He had repaid his debt to Iwagakure, and his life now belonged to the four-tails.
Onoiki frowned slightly, wondering why Lao Zi refused to listen to reason.
"If you behave from now on, no one will interfere in your life. I am the Tsuchikage, after all," Onoiki reminded him.
As the Tsuchikage, he had the authority to order the surveillance to be stopped.
"If you don't lift the surveillance, you will regret it," Lao Zi said, turning to leave the Tsuchikage's office.
The higher-ups wanted him to become a mindless task-following machine, but Lao Zi wouldn't oblige.
If Onoiki still insisted on sending the Anbu to watch him, Lao Zi wouldn't kill them, but he would leave Iwagakure.
He couldn't bring himself to kill innocent Iwagakure ninjas, so he'd rather leave and never look back.
Bang! The door to the Tsuchikage's office slammed shut.
Onoiki's face darkened. In all his years as Tsuchikage, Lao Zi was the first person to show him such disrespect.
Just a mere jinchuriki, how dare he!
"Withdraw the Anbu currently monitoring him and put the squad captain in charge!" Onoiki ordered the Anbu.
As the leader of Iwagakure, he couldn't let Lao Zi's threat stand. The Tsuchikage's authority had to be maintained.
So, instead of lifting the surveillance, he decided to intensify it by assigning the elite Anbu squad captain to the task.
"Report to me immediately if Lao Zi makes any unusual moves," Onoiki instructed.
Previously, Onoiki thought that Lao Zi was simply following Iwagakure's orders, but now, his behavior made Onoiki suspect the influence of the tailed beast's chakra. His temper was too volatile.
On the other hand, as Lao Zi left the Tsuchikage's building, he let out a sigh.
Although he had just contemplated leaving Iwagakure if the surveillance continued, the thought of actually leaving made him hesitant.
After all, Iwagakure was his home, and the moment he thought about leaving, he felt lost.
Where would he go if he left? What would he do? Not wanting to dwell on it, Lao Zi shook his head, realizing that his life would be empty without Iwagakure.
"Since I don't know where to go, why not visit every place?" Lao Zi contemplated traveling throughout the ninja world.
Usually, when he went to other countries, it was for missions, and he never had the chance to truly experience the differences between those countries and the Land of Earth.
"The first stop could be the Land of Rain. I'll meet with the ninja instructor, Sou Yuuki, who has over a thousand disciples, and see what it's like to live in a country perpetually shrouded in rain," Lao Zi thought to himself.
Sou Yuuki's accomplishments had gained significant renown throughout the ninja world, and Lao Zi had heard many legends about him.
There were very few people whom Lao Zi admired, but if Sou Yuuki was as the legends described, he would be one of them.
"Stop overthinking. Maybe Onoiki will respect my wishes and lift the surveillance," Lao Zi mused, shaking his head to clear his thoughts as he returned home.
Of course, the best choice for him was to stay in Iwagakure. After all, if he left, it wouldn't be easy to come back.
(End of Chapter)
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