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Chapter 589: A Journey on a Whim
Chapter 589: A Journey on a Whim
In the Land of Earth, within the hidden village of Iwagakure, an elderly man known as Lao Zi went about his usual routine of preparing dinner for himself. From a young age, he had learned to cook, not out of maturity but out of necessity—his parents had passed away before he could even form lasting memories, and cooking became a survival skill.
Being a jinchuriki also played a role in his isolation. In Iwagakure, Lao Zi was largely shunned and disliked. While his food wasn't tampered with, the constant scowls and disdainful looks from the villagers did little to whet his appetite. As a result, he often bought ingredients and cooked his meals alone. At least this way, he could choose his own vegetables without worrying about their quality.
However, despite his extensive cooking experience, Lao Zi made several mistakes that day. He burned the fish and oversalted the vegetable soup. With a conflicted expression, he forced down the charred piece of fish and took a sip of the overly seasoned soup. "Ohnoki, is this your choice?" he muttered to himself.
The ANBU hadn't disappeared; they had simply been replaced by a new batch, perhaps even more vigilant and formidable to prevent any potential escape attempts. From a darker perspective, it seemed they were determined to keep him caged.
Lao Zi sighed deeply and began to clear the table. "Should I leave?" he asked quietly, addressing the four-tailed beast within him.
Lao Zi's hesitation wasn't due to indecisiveness; rather, he understood the weight of the decision before him and the potential impact it could have on both himself and Iwagakure. He was stubborn, but not without the ability to think things through.
If he chose to leave now, it would deal a significant blow to the hidden village. As a jinchuriki, he wasn't just a powerful asset to the ninja forces; he possessed an extraordinary level of control over them. With the ability to effortlessly destroy mountains using the Tailed Beast Ball, a fully transformed jinchuriki could unleash several such attacks in succession. Even the most renowned and powerful ninja in the ninja world couldn't match that feat—the gap in chakra levels between humans and tailed beasts was simply too vast.
"While it's true that if you leave, I leave with you, I still think you should make the decision that feels right to you," the four-tailed beast replied. From its perspective, it naturally leaned towards leaving Iwagakure. As a self-aware tailed beast, it chafed at being imprisoned and used as a weapon by the village. However, it respected Lao Zi and didn't want to influence his choice, knowing that if he later regretted leaving, it would put the beast in an awkward position as the one who had encouraged him.
"I'm asking you because I can't make up my mind," Lao Zi said helplessly. If he were more decisive, he wouldn't have sought the beast's input.
"You don't need to overthink this," the four-tailed beast advised. "There are only two options: stay or leave. Do whichever feels right."
Lao Zi fell into a thoughtful silence. While the beast's words seemed simplistic, they did pinpoint the heart of the matter. Perhaps he didn't need to consider the potential consequences of his departure so deeply—the impact on Iwagakure, the likelihood of being pursued and branded a fugitive. What he truly needed to contemplate was his own desire—whether he wanted to stay or go.
In that moment, a flood of memories washed over him. He recalled his younger self, diligently training despite being ostracized by the village's ninja and residents due to his status as a jinchuriki. Back then, he had thought that if he could control the power of the tailed beast, perhaps he would be accepted as a normal person. Being able to harness its power meant no uncontrollable rampages, and in a sense, he would just be a ninja with an abundance of chakra.
Yet, his efforts hadn't changed the villagers' attitudes, as he had hoped. Of course, there was some improvement—once his strength became apparent, fewer people dared to openly show their disdain. But this wasn't the kind of change Lao Zi had wanted.
Then, his thoughts turned to the recent war. Following the Rock Tsuchikage's orders, he had fully transformed and used the Tailed Beast Ball to ensure the safe retreat of the ninja forces. He hadn't expected any rewards for his actions, and even though they had successfully broken through, it wasn't a feat to be celebrated. Their path to retreat had been paved with not just the blood of their enemies but also that of their comrades.
What he hadn't anticipated was the surveillance that followed, even after he had explained everything. At times, Lao Zi wondered if he had disobeyed the Tsuchikage's orders, refused to fully transform, and withheld the Tailed Beast Ball, would he have been hailed as a war hero instead?
The confusion on Lao Zi's face faded, and he realized that there was only one answer to this predicament.
"I'm leaving," Lao Zi said firmly to the four-tailed beast.
After making his decision, Lao Zi felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and his entire being lightened.
After careful contemplation, Lao Zi realized that he didn't need to find a reason to leave; in fact, he hardly had any reason to stay.
What could possibly be his reason for staying?
Was it for the ANBU who kept him under constant surveillance? Or for the Iwagakure ninjas and villagers who treated him with disdain and saw him as less than human? Or perhaps for Onoki, who sought to mold him into an emotionless tailed beast weapon?
"Haha, it seems you've finally made up your mind," the four-tailed beast said with a relieved smile.
The four-tailed beast was well aware of all that Lao Zi had endured, having silently witnessed everything from within his body.
It pained the beast to see a diligent young boy transform into a reclusive and stubborn adult due to the treatment he received.
In the beast's opinion, Lao Zi didn't owe Iwagakure anything; if anything, it was the village that was indebted to him.
Lao Zi hadn't begged Onoki to become a jinchuriki; it was a role that had been forced upon him.
Furthermore, Lao Zi had faithfully carried out numerous missions for the village and risked his life for Iwagakure time and again during the war.
In the eyes of the four-tailed beast, there was no fundamental difference between itself and Lao Zi; they were both unfortunate beings confined by the village of Iwagakure.
The only distinction was that the four-tailed beast had not been born in the village, whereas Lao Zi had.
"Let that old geezer Onoki regret his actions," Lao Zi said as he put away the washed bowls and chopsticks, a smile spreading across his face.
Today, he would show Onoki that he was a man of his word.
Lao Zi then stepped out of his house and quietly sat down in the courtyard to read.
He planned to wait until deep into the night before making his escape.
Although he had decided to leave, Lao Zi had no intention of causing a big scene. The ninjas and villagers of Iwagakure were bothersome, but they didn't deserve death.
His very act of leaving the village would create a huge problem for Iwagakure, so there was no need to add to their troubles.
As time passed, the ANBU ninjas keeping watch over Lao Zi grew suspicious. It was unusual for him to spend so much time reading in the courtyard; normally, he wouldn't stay out for this long.
However, this slight change in behavior wasn't significant enough to be considered abnormal, so the ANBU ninjas didn't contact Onoki. They simply made a note of it.
"It's about time," Lao Zi muttered to himself as he closed the book, having noticed that his surroundings had grown completely dark. He got up and walked back into the house, placing the book back in the cabinet.
After all, this had been his home, and even though he was leaving, he didn't want to leave it in disarray. Perhaps there would be a chance to return one day.
Lao Zi tidied up the house and then made his way directly to the hidden location of the Iwagakure ANBU.
He was concerned that there might be sensory ninjas among the ANBU, so instead of using Earth Release to escape, which could immediately give away his location, he opted for a more subtle approach.
"You've discovered us?" One of the ANBU members was slightly taken aback as they saw Lao Zi approaching without any attempt at concealment.
This particular ANBU knew the reason for their assignment, but he hadn't expected Lao Zi's counter-surveillance skills to be so formidable, allowing him to discover them so quickly.
"Lao Zi, what are you up to? Attacking ANBU is a serious offense," the ANBU member warned, revealing himself.
He remained calm, as the previous batch of ANBU ninjas hadn't engaged in combat with Lao Zi, leading him to believe that Lao Zi wouldn't take aggressive action against them.
Lao Zi smiled at the warning. He was about to leave Iwagakure, so their attempts to intimidate him were pointless.
Whoosh!
Without uttering a word, Lao Zi suddenly burst into action, his massive chakra erupting as he flashed behind the two Iwagakure ANBU and struck them with a heavy knife-hand blow.
Bang! Bang!
The two ANBU ninjas crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
After knocking out the ANBU, Lao Zi hid their bodies and quickly dove underground, speeding toward the outskirts of Iwagakure.
Lao Zi didn't know any techniques for knocking people out; he relied solely on controlling his strength to render them unconscious. As a result, he had no idea how long the two ANBU would remain unconscious.
To be safe, it was best to make his escape as soon as possible.
To aid Lao Zi in his escape from Iwagakure, the four-tailed beast focused all its efforts on refining chakra to assist Lao Zi, pushing his strength to its peak.
The four-tailed beast was also excited to finally be free after being trapped in Iwagakure for so many years, serving as little more than a battery.
As Lao Zi burst out of Iwagakure, he returned to the surface and looked back at the village that had been his home for several decades.
When he had first contemplated leaving, his heart had been filled with turmoil.
But now that he had made up his mind, he felt a twinge of reluctance to part with Iwagakure.
However, the act of knocking out the ANBU had brought a sense of liberation, and Lao Zi couldn't help but feel a surge of exhilaration.
Lao Zi burst out laughing and, with a surge of chakra, continued to speed away.
There was no one in Iwagakure that he cared about, nor anyone who cared about him. Thinking carefully, there was indeed nothing worth reminiscing about.
On the other hand, the night shift members of Iwagakure's Barrier Team noticed someone breaking out of the village from underground and immediately reported the information.
The unconscious ANBU members also hurried to pass on the information about Lao Zi's attack as soon as they regained consciousness.
"Third Tsuchikage-sama, something terrible has happened!"
Hearing the ANBU's voice, Ohnoki, who had already gone to bed, sat up abruptly.
"What's the matter?" Ohnoki asked quickly, pulling a garment over himself.
For them to wake him up after he had already retired for the night, it must be an extremely important matter.
"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Lao Zi, has knocked out the ANBU protecting him and escaped the village alone," the ANBU reported urgently.
"How dare he!" Ohnoki exclaimed, his eyes widening in anger as he clenched his fists.
He hadn't expected Lao Zi to be so decisive, threatening him just that morning and then escaping from Iwagakure that very night.
However, Ohnoki knew that now was not the time to dwell on Lao Zi's character. He immediately shouted out a series of commands.
"Dispatch a team to secretly search for him, and notify the squads at the borders to join the search as well. Under no circumstances can we let Lao Zi leave the Land of Earth!"
A missing Jinchuriki was more troublesome than a dead one.
If a Jinchuriki died, the Tailed Beast would eventually revive itself, and they could capture it again, seal it into a suitable ninja, and create a new Jinchuriki.
But if a Jinchuriki deserted, the situation became much more complex.
If the Jinchuriki hid in some corner and never reappeared until their dying breath, Iwagakure would permanently lose that Tailed Beast.
And if the Jinchuriki was captured by another ninja village, the consequences would be even worse.
These were all scenarios that Ohnoki could not tolerate.
"Gather all informed ninjas and instruct them to keep Lao Zi's escape a secret. We cannot let the other ninja villages find out about this," Ohnoki continued, issuing more orders.
If Lao Zi had even half a brain, he wouldn't reveal his identity as a Jinchuriki outside the village.
Doing so would be akin to signing his own death warrant.
Ninja villages unaware of Lao Zi's escape might try to take him out, seeing it as an opportunity to weaken Iwagakure by eliminating one of their Jinchurikis.
And those villages that knew of his escape might also harbor designs on the Tailed Beast within him.
In any case, if Lao Zi dared to expose his identity as the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, he would certainly meet a grim fate.
This presented Ohnoki with an opportunity to deceive.
Even though Lao Zi had fled, he could pretend that he hadn't and maintain the appearance that Iwagakure still had two Jinchurikis.
Jinchurikis were not meant to be deployed lightly; they were super weapons of mass destruction.
As long as Lao Zi didn't show his face outside the village, their enemies would have to consider the potential of his involvement in any conflict with Iwagakure.
"Yes!" The ANBU bowed and quickly disappeared to carry out Ohnoki's instructions.
"It's come to this," Ohnoki muttered, massaging his temples with a pained expression.
He never imagined that Lao Zi would run off so soon. This was the village that raised him, and yet he was abandoning it without a second thought?
Did he not pay attention during the Will of Stone lessons at the Ninja Academy, or were the teachers just that incompetent?
"We should have taken this more seriously," Ohnoki sighed.
He regretted not taking more drastic measures when he had the chance.
In hindsight, he should have either lifted the surveillance or, conversely, intensified it significantly.
Knowing his personality, Ohnoki would have likely leaned towards the latter.
If he gave in to Lao Zi's demand to stop the surveillance today, what other demands might he make tomorrow? Ohnoki refused to compromise to the point where he ended up with an uncontrollable Jinchuriki.
Since Lao Zi had already made the decision to defect, he must have been contemplating it for a while.
In Ohnoki's opinion, monitoring was the right choice, especially considering that this was a Jinchuriki who had "accidentally" killed several of his comrades on the battlefield.
However, despite his efforts to avoid thinking about it, a certain thought kept nagging at the back of Ohnoki's mind.
Perhaps it wasn't just Lao Zi who was stubborn; perhaps he himself was equally so.
If either of them had been less stubborn, things might have turned out differently.
Shaking off these thoughts, Ohnoki quickly changed into his clothes and made his way to the Tsuchikage Tower.
There was no point in dwelling on what-ifs; the fact was that Lao Zi had defected, and no amount of speculation would change that.
What he needed to focus on now was minimizing the impact of this incident on Iwagakure.
(End of Chapter)
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