313. Arrangements Regarding the Tailed Beasts

While the railway project was in full swing and the village's reconstruction was progressing rapidly, Danzo also had some new matters to address.

For example…

The Tailed Beasts.

That's right. After the Nine-Tails incident, the number of Tailed Beasts in Konoha had increased from one to three.


The Seven-Tails, which had participated in the attack on Konoha, was still being suppressed by the Barrier Team in the Forest of Death.

"It's time to resolve this issue," Danzo said, slowly rising with the support of his cane. As he began walking toward the Forest of Death, he ordered, "Summon [Dog]."

Upon hearing this, a shadow nearby flickered slightly, and a Root ninja hidden within it disappeared instantly.

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Forest of Death

This vast, primeval forest was one of Konoha's most famous forbidden zones.

It was home to a large number of poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, whose sizes far exceeded those of ordinary creatures, posing a threat to most genin and chūnin.

Ordinary villagers didn't even dare to approach it.

After the Seven-Tails, known as Chōmei, was imprisoned here by Danzo, the forest became an even more terrifying forbidden area.

Not only were genin and chūnin barred from entering, but even jōnin were prohibited from approaching without permission.

After all, the power of the Tailed Beasts was well-known—they were feared as natural disasters! Without the restraint of a Kage-level shinobi, even a jōnin would be nothing more than cannon fodder against a rampaging Tailed Beast.

For instance, at this very moment, the Seven-Tails, which resembled a sacred beetle, erupted with an astonishing aura.

A terrifying hurricane raged around it, and its sharp, blade-like horns slashed through the air like spears.

Any giant tree that was even slightly touched was immediately uprooted. In just a few seconds, the Seven-Tails had flattened a large swath of the forest.

This was the terrifying power of a Tailed Beast!

Seeing this, the Root ninja tasked with monitoring the Seven-Tails hurriedly prepared to send a signal to Danzo.

However, a voice stopped them.

"No need to rush. Leave this to me."

The calm and composed voice of Aburame Ryoma rang out.

Immediately, the deputy leader of Root stepped through the barrier and appeared before the Seven-Tails.

Since Danzo had given specific instructions, the surrounding Root ninja did not interfere but remained ready to provide support at any moment.

"Calm down, Chōmei! Do you want to be severely wounded by Lord Danzo again?"

Ryoma's words caused the Seven-Tails to pause momentarily, as it quickly recalled the fear of being dominated by Danzo.

Every time it went on a rampage, that man would appear out of nowhere and slash it several times… leaving it severely injured.

At this thought, the Seven-Tails felt a faint ache on its body, and its gaze began to clear.

Seeing that the Seven-Tails had somewhat calmed down, Ryoma quickly brought out his trump card.

He untied the insect gourd from his back and opened it.

Instantly, a peculiar scent wafted out, capturing the Seven-Tails' attention and further soothing its agitated state.

This was a special concoction Ryoma had developed with the help of Hiruko, combining the Aburame clan's secret medicines to create a super weapon specifically targeting insect-like creatures.

It was essentially a special pheromone designed to attract insects, and when paired with the Aburame clan's insect manipulation techniques, it could effectively suppress the excitement of insect-like beings.

"Who would have thought that the Seven-Tails, a chakra entity, would share some similarities with ordinary insects in certain aspects?"

As the Seven-Tails gradually calmed down, Danzo appeared within the barrier, leaning on his cane.

Accompanying him were Hiruko, now the chief scientist of Root, [Dog] Kakashi, and… the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!

Minato looked at the now-calm Seven-Tails with some surprise. "A Tailed Beast, known as a natural disaster, can actually be subdued by a small secret medicine?"

Hearing this, Danzo smiled faintly.

"Don't celebrate too soon. Tailed Beasts aren't that fragile. Even the Aburame clan's enhanced secret medicine can only weaken the Seven-Tails for a short period. The effect will wear off soon, so we must act quickly."

As Danzo spoke, Minato noticed that the Seven-Tails' chakra was indeed becoming active again.

He nodded in agreement and immediately turned his gaze to the silver-haired ninja standing beside Danzo.

Although the man wore a mask, Minato could easily recognize him as his student—Kakashi.

However, his current identity was that of a member of Root's Earth Branch Squad—[Dog].

"Are you ready?" Minato asked Kakashi, a hint of concern in his eyes.

In Danzo's plan, Aburame Ryoma would become the new jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails, while the Five-Tails within him would be transferred to Kakashi.

This arrangement was primarily based on compatibility with the Tailed Beasts.

After becoming the Five-Tails' jinchūriki, Ryoma had struggled to make significant progress in strength due to a personality mismatch with the Five-Tails.

To address this, Danzo planned to replace the Five-Tails within him with the Seven-Tails.


Given Ryoma's lifelong experience with insects and his deep understanding of their behavior, it was likely that he could establish a good rapport with the Seven-Tails and potentially even achieve the status of a perfect jinchūriki!

As for Kakashi, after receiving Obito's gift and transplanting his Sharingan, he had earned the reputation of the "Copy Ninja."

However, without Uchiha blood, he was unable to control the activation and deactivation of the Sharingan.


As a result, he was forced to keep it active at all times, consuming a massive amount of chakra and earning him the infamous title of the "chakra-deficient ninja" in the original story.

Chakra had become Kakashi's greatest weakness.

Becoming the Five-Tails' jinchūriki was undoubtedly the best way for him to overcome this limitation and enhance his strength.

As a jinchūriki, his chakra reserves would increase dramatically, not only compensating for the drain caused by the Sharingan but also allowing him to allocate more chakra to learning and performing additional jutsu.

Additionally, the Five-Tails' characteristics would further enhance his speed and taijutsu!

Fully aware of his shortcomings, Kakashi naturally wouldn't pass up this opportunity.

Whether for his own sake or for Danzo's, he had to give it a try.

Thus, when faced with Minato's slightly concerned inquiry, Kakashi nodded without hesitation.

"I'm ready."

After saying this, Kakashi stepped forward, mask in place, and stood beside Aburame Ryoma, who was still the Five-Tails' jinchūriki.

As Danzo watched the two standing side by side, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in his eyes.


He was eager to see what kind of sparks would fly when a fully-charged Kakashi and the Seven-Tails' Aburame came together!