My curious adventures with the Nine-Tailed Fox

Zaraki, unable to suppress his anger, spat fiercely onto the ground. A clear expression of contempt was written on his face.

“Hah! A despicable bastard slanders the village hero, lives on, and becomes a Jonin! Where is this village heading?”

Ryuma let out a heavy sigh and slowly removed the ANBU mask from his face. The night air exposed his black hair and coal-black eyes. Despite a deep sword scar stretching from just above his right eye down to his jaw, both of his eyes were perfectly intact. This scar lent a rugged, uncompromising air to his handsome and charismatic face. Fixing his gaze on the darkness of the night, he replied in a calm but weary voice.

“That's how this world is, Zaraki. Sometimes I don't understand why the First Hokage didn't unite the whole world... Haaaahhh...”

After a brief silence, Ryuma’s posture straightened. The weariness in his eyes had been replaced by a sharp seriousness.

“Zaraki, if we do this, there's no turning back... Let alone attacking a ninja of the village, we are talking about attacking a Jonin. Once you start, there is no going back from this.”

Showing no sign of hesitation, Zaraki paused with a relaxed demeanor, as if throwing a weight off his shoulders.

“I'm aware, and I don't care. I don't care about a system that consumes its own heroes. I'd rather cut this off now than have our children or grandchildren experience the same thing in the future. What do you think?”

In the face of his friend's unshakable resolve, Ryuma bowed his head slightly in approval.

“I agree... besides, we owe the captain this much.”

Zaraki crossed his arms over his chest and gave his friend an expectant look.

“Speak then, strategist.”

This manner of address caused Ryuma to grimace. He glared at his friend with a disgruntled expression.

“...Why don't you make a plan?”

Zaraki responded to this complaint with a cheerful chuckle, flexing the muscles of his right arm to show off his strength.

“I'm the muscle, you're the strategist. The captain assigned us like this.”

Groaning helplessly at this familiar excuse, Ryuma threw his head back and closed his eyes. In his mind, he was rapidly weighing possibilities, risks, and moves. When he opened his eyes again after a few seconds of intense focus, the rough outline of the plan had taken shape.

“The first step is evidence; we already talked about that. The second step puts us in a tight spot... either the two of us will push this case forward alone, or we will involve the others.”

This possibility annoyed Zaraki. Letting out a troubled breath, he accepted the reality.

“...Yes, I wished it would just be the two of us, but we need Fox.”

Ryuma shared the same concerns; a clear uneasiness was reflected in his tone.

“...Yes, but she is a mother now... also, because of her position, she might not help us... moreover, she was the youngest member of our group... I don't know if she would disrupt her life for Sakumo-sama. She might even give us away.”

Scratching the back of his neck, Zaraki murmured thoughtfully.

“...She might be the youngest member, but she went on missions with us for a long time. I didn't want to get her involved in this, but we have no choice.”

There was a slight hesitation in Ryuma's voice as he brought up another old friend.

“Well then, should we inform Kenzo, the captain's sole remaining student?”

The moment Zaraki heard this proposal, his facial features hardened and he quickly rejected it.

“No way. Kenzo would indeed be very useful to us, but if he gets involved in this, things will turn ugly. There's a fine balance between the Uchiha and the village; Danzo wants to attack them at every opportunity. Let alone attacking a ninja from within Konoha, if Kenzo even throws a single punch, his clan will pay a heavy price, and things could get even worse! Kenzo absolutely must not get mixed up in this war, for his own good.”

Uchiha Kenzo was Hatake Sakumo's only surviving student. Currently, he was hovering at the absolute peak of the elite Jonin tier and was one of the strongest figures in the Uchiha clan. Although on paper he appeared third in line after the clan leader Fugaku, no one knew the exact limits of his true power. He was a genuine genius who had managed to blend his master Sakumo's legendary swordsmanship with his own Uchiha abilities. However, during that dark period when his master was being isolated, he too had been deliberately distanced, and following Sakumo's suicide, he had completely withdrawn into his shell. Most of the time, he lived a low profile, staying out of sight. Despite this, Zaraki, who had fought him in the past for sparring purposes, was well aware of one truth.

“Kenzo has already reached Kage strength.”

Shocked by this piece of information, Ryuma stared at his friend in sheer disbelief.

“WHAT!?”

Treating his astonishment as entirely natural, Zaraki nodded in confirmation.

“You heard right.”

Ryuma was still trying to comprehend the situation.

“Why doesn't the village know about this!?”

Zaraki’s voice sounded more weary now as he voiced the bitter truth behind the matter.

“...Because Kenzo loathes the village. Combined with the village populace's ostracization of his master and the village administration's attitude toward their clan, I can't blame him.”

Ryuma swallowed hard, trying to process what he had heard.

“...Does the Uchiha clan know this?”

Zaraki shrugged, indicating that he didn't think it was likely.

“...I don't think so... You know, to Kenzo, the captain was like a father. When he committed suicide, Kenzo seemed to lose his purpose... Lately, even though I've been pressuring him to get married, it doesn't seem to have had much effect. Still, the fact that he loves his clan is a plus, but it seems he won't easily take action against the village... I guess he was influenced by the captain's ideology...”

Considering the structure of the clan, Ryuma agreed with him.

“...The Uchihas truly value their honor more than anything else... But I agree with you, and it would be better if Kenzo didn't find out about this situation.”

Zaraki assumed a serious expression, as if to convey just how dangerous things could get.

“Upon hearing that the captain had committed suicide, his Sharingan leaped directly from one tomoe to three tomoe; he experienced a massive amount of emotional intensity back then. If he finds out about this situation...”

Ryuma completed the sentence himself, a distinct worry written on his face.

“He might awaken the Mangekyo and his mind could go mad... The Second Hokage conducted various research on this matter. We want to clean the system, but Kenzo might want to destroy it.”

Zaraki still believed they needed an insurance policy just in case.

“Even so, let's inform Kenzo if necessary; ROOT is no simple enemy.”

Finding this idea logical, Ryuma approved.

“Agreed, though it should be a last resort... What about Kakashi?”

At the mention of this name, Zaraki brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed it firmly, as if suffering from a severe headache.

“No... leave him be. What he went through is too heavy even for a normal ninja; if I were in his shoes, I would either collapse or commit suicide. He already acts like a walking dead. On top of that, if he learns the truth behind his father's death...”

Ryuma was of the same opinion; he could see that Kakashi's breaking point had long been exceeded.

“He would either shatter psychologically or go insane.”

Zaraki added in a tone searching for a glimmer of hope.

“Exactly... maybe the Yondaime's orphan can break his gloom. After all, when his own teacher's son arrives at his doorstep, I don't think he'll be able to ignore him.”

Ryuma approved, accepting the situation. In fact, all members of the Wolves Brigade had tried to look after Kakashi and extend a helping hand in the past. However, the young ninja had built such an impenetrable, thick wall around himself that he made it perfectly clear from his every demeanor that he did not want to communicate with them. This rigid attitude had ultimately caused all of them to step back in despair. Pushing these memories out of his mind, Zaraki refocused his attention on the matter at hand and asked.

“What about the rest of the team? Should we bring the others into play? After all, the workload is immense.”

Thinking of the risks, Ryuma quickly objected.

“No way, let's just work the two of us for now. Dealing with ROOT is no simple matter. We must gather the evidence first.”

Zaraki conceded this and turned his question in a different direction.

“What about our remaining plans?”

Ryuma let out a troubled breath. The topic had shifted to the highest level of village politics.

“...Zaraki, the Hokage needs to change. If the Third learns about the situation, he might help us, but the probability of him not letting us completely destroy Danzo is very high... There is a strange bond between the two of them, and Danzo exploits this bond very well... Furthermore, the Third is not as harsh as he used to be, and right now, the village is truly at its weakest period... The Third might block this investigation... Frankly, if I were in his position, even I would prevent the risk of an internal conflict... especially if the opponent is someone who holds the best intelligence network in the village...”

For Zaraki, the topic of the Third Hokage was always a bleeding wound. He wasn't entirely sure what he should feel; he was trapped between a deep affection for the man and a massive disappointment he couldn't swallow. This dilemma was reflected in his voice as well.

“I realized that from the very start, Ryuma... so what are we going to do?”

Ryuma knew the path to a solution was very narrow.

“...Frankly, we can't do anything without finding a solid candidate to become Hokage... We have two options...”

Zaraki guessed the names immediately.

“Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama...”

Ryuma nodded in confirmation.

“Yes. Let's gather evidence—let's gather everything we possibly can—and give it to them... Our chances are higher if one of them becomes Hokage... The real question is, who?”

With a slight smile on his lips, Zaraki put forth his own opinion.

“I think the most ideal person in this situation is Tsunade-sama. Even though Jiraiya-sama is reliable, he has little interest in the Hokage seat... Besides, we need a dominant and fierce leader... Tsunade-sama seems the most ideal; she can take charge of the village with her prestige, lineage, strength, and authority. Even if Jiraiya-sama can be tough, he wouldn't immediately take harsh measures against his own people; he would want to compromise first. But Tsunade-sama gets things done.”

Ryuma agreed with this analysis, but he had to voice that massive problem which seemed impossible to overcome.

“I would want that too, but there is a major obstacle in front of Tsunade-sama.”

Furrowing his brows, Zaraki asked curiously. What could possibly stop a legendary Sannin?

“What is it?”

Ryuma quickly scanned the surroundings and lowered his voice completely. He spoke in such a low whisper that Zaraki could only read the words from his friend's lip movements. He froze in the face of the truth he heard. He couldn't believe it. The thoughts racing through his mind were shocking.

'That fierce, heroic, dominant woman... our best doctor has developed hemophobia!?'

The plight of a legendary figure who, like himself, had been raised in the midst of war and possessed a wild, unyielding character, deeply affected Zaraki. The painful realization continued to echo inside him.

'So beneath that strong woman lies a broken soul who has lost everything...'

Cursing to himself in the face of the helplessness he felt against this heavy truth, Zaraki muttered,

“Damn it...”

Sharing his sentiments, Ryuma tilted his head back and gazed into the darkness of the night sky.

“That leaves Jiraiya-sama... it might be hard to convince him...”

A throbbing began in Zaraki's temples. He knew very well what kind of man Jiraiya was. Trying to get someone with such a free spirit to sit in that chair was a task as difficult as convincing Danzo to willingly commit suicide.

“We're stuck right from the start...”

Unable to find a way out either, Ryuma sank into silence. For a while, the two just listened to the sounds of the night, thinking carefully. Minutes later, a new possibility occurred to Zaraki.

“What about Fugaku-sama? Isn't he suitable for this job?”

Letting out another troubled breath, Ryuma laid out the brutal reality brought by inter-clan dynamics.

“I thought about it too. Frankly, I could say he is the best candidate... but the village wouldn't want an Uchiha in the Hokage seat... That's why Fugaku-sama withdrew his candidacy; he knew he wouldn't get votes, or even if he did, the village would manipulate the polling... If we try to bring him to power, we'll give the enemy leverage. In fact, we would push a clan off a cliff with our own hands... we might even trigger a civil war.”