"Nee, you're called Fū, right? You're also a Jinchūriki?" Naruto leaned over curiously.

Fū smiled brightly.

"That's right! I'm the Jinchūriki of the Nanabi (Seven-Tails)! Gaara is the Jinchūriki of the Ichibi (One-Tail)! And you're the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi (Nine-Tails)! We're all Jinchūriki! So, let's be friends!"

Naruto grinned, flashing his big smile.

"Yeah! Please take care of me, dattebayo!"

Just like that, the three Jinchūriki became friends.

Natsuki watched the scene, unsure how to put his feelings into words. Maybe it was because Jinchūriki all had such similar childhoods—each carrying loneliness and pain—that they naturally empathized with one another. Especially with Fū and Naruto being so cheerful, the three quickly found themselves chatting away.

After hearing Kakashi's report, Tsunade nodded with approval.

"You all did very well this time. With talents like you in Konoha, the village's future will surely grow brighter!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, laughing sheepishly.

"Hehe, Granny Tsunade, you're praising me too much."

"I wasn't praising you!"

Tsunade shot the blond a sharp look.

"Though you've grown, Naruto, this mission also revealed a lot of your weaknesses. Your strength still has much room for improvement. From now on, continue your training under Jiraiya, and aim to raise your power even further!"

Naruto opened his mouth as if to protest, but finally just nodded. He knew all too well that his performance had been lacking—most of the time it had been everyone else carrying the fight.

Even Sakura, whose strength had always been the lowest, had made a great contribution this time with her medical ninjutsu, proving she was ready to stand on her own.

But him...

Fū clapped him on the shoulder.

"I also want to get stronger. Let's train together!"

Gaara added quietly, "Me too. Being captured this time showed me my shortcomings. I also want to become stronger."

That finally reignited Naruto's spirit.

"Alright! Then the three of us Jinchūriki will work together, and one day we'll be the ones protecting everyone!"

And then—because Naruto was too noisy—the three of them were kicked out.

Of course, it was only on the surface. There was another plan in motion.

Tsunade explained,

"Akatsuki won't stop here, so we must have people watching over the Jinchūriki at all times. Naruto will continue training under Jiraiya. Since Fū is a girl, she'll be looked after by Tenten. Gaara will be under Kakashi's watch. During the day they'll mostly be training together, so that should be easier—but the real focus will be keeping them safe at night."

Both Tenten and Kakashi nodded in acceptance.

"As for Natsuki, Sasuke, and Neji, you three will form a special action squad. If Akatsuki makes a move, you'll be the first to respond. The others must remain ready to provide support at any moment."

That was the temporary arrangement, though it could change depending on the situation.

Once they left the Hokage's office, Tenten only had time to steal a quick kiss on Natsuki's lips before hurrying off to keep an eye on Fū.

Natsuki immediately grumbled about the so-called "mission." How unfair was it that he couldn't even spend proper time being intimate with his girlfriend inside the village? Outrageous!

But beneath his annoyance, he was also deep in thought.

Akatsuki had officially begun their hunt for the Tailed Beasts, though their first two attempts had ended in failure. Now with three—no, four—Jinchūriki gathered in Konoha, it seemed inevitable that an invasion of the village wasn't far off. Yet, by logic, Konoha would be left for last. Akatsuki would probably target the more isolated Jinchūriki first.

There was also the matter of Itachi. Now that he knew Sasuke had become a Jinchūriki, he would never stand by idly. The moment Akatsuki moved, Itachi would surely warn them. There was no way he would allow his younger brother to be harmed.

And sooner or later, the brothers would face their destined battle. With Itachi afflicted by the deadly kekkei illness, his time was running short. Before death, he would undoubtedly seek a final confrontation with Sasuke.

"Man... it feels like everything is crashing down at once. Total chaos. How am I supposed to plan for all this? It's a headache. Still, the most important thing is moving the main story forward. Maybe I should just drop some spoilers... At the very least, Tsunade and Jiraiya need to know the truth about Uchiha Madara, Nagato, and Obito. If everyone understands the reality, then a lot of problems will become much easier to deal with."

Natsuki sighed as he returned home, continuing to sort through his thoughts.

He had already gone over the entire history of the shinobi world. Even if the future wasn't entirely certain, the past was fixed. Since no one else knew it, why not share?

Just then, the sound of knocking echoed at the gate.

Natsuki opened the door—and found Naruto, Fū, and Gaara standing outside.

Naruto raised a hand in greeting.

"Yo! Natsuki, I was hoping you could teach me how to get stronger. When Fū and Gaara heard, they came along too!"

Natsuki's face darkened with exasperation, but he still invited them in and poured tea before speaking.

"Didn't Tsunade-sama assign you to train under Jiraiya-sama? Why are you here instead?"

"Well, the Pervy Sage went off to the women's bathhouse to 'collect research material.'"

Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, but then added seriously,

"The Pervy Sage is strong, sure, but you're even stronger, Natsuki! I've heard about it—Sasuke and Neji grew a lot thanks to your advice. Same with Tenten and Shino. Now they're all way stronger than me! So you must have some secret method, dattebayo!"

Fū chimed in eagerly.

"Yeah! Natsuki really is amazing—he must have a secret!"

Gaara didn't speak, but his steady nod showed agreement. After all, Natsuki had once forced Shukaku into retreat years ago. And that was three years ago—he must have grown even more powerful since then.

Naruto had also told them that Natsuki had repelled Akatsuki members multiple times, even killing one or two. That level of strength was something worth learning from.

Natsuki, however, was at a loss. This wasn't part of the plan at all. He was supposed to be on standby with Sasuke and Neji as the special action squad, ready to deploy at any time. There was no way he could handle full-time teaching on top of that!

What the hell was Jiraiya doing?!

Just then, the front door opened. Tenten returned carrying a basket of groceries, smiling warmly.

"I just came back from the market with some ingredients. Since we have guests, why don't we all have dinner here together?"

Originally, Tenten was meant to shadow Fū in secret. But since Fū had come to their home, there was no need for stealth. Instead, she decided to openly host them and prepare a meal for everyone. That would certainly be more comfortable than awkwardly trailing from the shadows.

"Oh, thank you, Tenten!" Fū replied without hesitation, before suddenly realizing.

"Wait—'home'? This is Natsuki's house, right? Does that mean... Tenten lives here too?"

Tenten nodded matter-of-factly.

"Of course. Natsuki and I are lovers. We've been living together for a while now. Didn't you know?"

"Eh?!!! You—you're already living together?!"

Even Naruto was shocked.

"I knew you two were dating, but to already be living together—that's way too fast!"

Natsuki leaned back, perfectly calm.

"What's the big deal? The whole village knows."

The three single Jinchūriki: ...This world doesn't seem like the one we know anymore...

(End of Chapter)

[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]

[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]

[Thanks for Reading!]