240. Missing Members

"They're so scattered, and two of them are even in the water."

Uchiha Madara paced through the quiet forest, flipping through the intelligence he had "freely acquired" from the Void Realm. His black eyes glimmered with a calculating light, his expression deep in thought.

The intelligence detailed that the Tailed Beasts were spread across various regions of the shinobi world. Some roamed the vast plains, others lived in canyons, and a few swam through rivers, lakes, and seas. Each seemed to have their own territory, rarely clashing over boundaries.

Hashirama's Wood Style might not be fully effective in aquatic battles. In that case, the ones in the water would be left to him.

"No rush with the aquatic ones—they’ll be mine eventually. For now, I'll start with the Four-Tails."

After careful analysis, Madara decided his first target would be the Four-Tails, located at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water. Without wasting time, he prepared to set off.

Madara's eyes turned crimson in an instant, and a blue aura enveloped him. As his power surged, a massive tengu-shaped Susanoo appeared, towering between the heavens and the earth. Its wings unfurled, generating gusts of wind that bent the surrounding trees.

"Forward! Hokage? Hah, I'll claim that title for myself!"

With the full-body Susanoo, Madara locked onto his target and shot through the sky like a streak of blue lightning. In mere moments, he tore through the clouds, leaving a sharp, azure streak in the vast sky.

"Such a rash guy—not nearly as composed as Gin," mused a lazy woman perched on a gray tiled rooftop. She tapped her smoking pipe, smoothing her wind-tossed hair as she watched Madara's figure vanish over the horizon.

"But, he’s certainly enthusiastic—unlike Gin's laid-back attitude."

Meanwhile, on a sprawling plain in the Land of Fire, a white streak sped across the landscape. Five pure white tails streamed behind it as steam radiated from its body, scorching everything in its wake. It was Kokuo, who loved running freely and was joyously dashing across its territory, completely oblivious to the danger approaching.

“Hey, anyone there?”

Lost in the joy of its sprint, Kokuo suddenly heard a familiar voice echo in its mind. Halting abruptly, it tilted its head and replied, "Is that Shukaku?"

The voice drew Kokuo into the Tailed Beasts' exclusive chatroom. There, in the dim void, only one stout, rotund figure stood.

"Hmph, who else but that idiot raccoon would bother starting a chat?"

Before Kokuo could respond, a snarky voice chimed in, full of mockery. A slender figure clad in a fiery red aura slowly stepped forward.

“Kurama, you moron!”

The chubby Shukaku snapped back angrily at the familiar, grating tone.

“Stop arguing, Shukaku. What happened?”

Before the quarrel could escalate, a calm voice interjected. A sleek blue-flamed cat emerged from the shadows, soothing the tension with a soft tone.

“Matatabi, how have you been?” Muou greeted the blue cat with a grin.

“Not bad—just bored,” Matatabi replied, lazily licking its paw.

“Is everyone else here?”

"I'm here!" A simple, cheerful voice came from a small turtle slowly crawling out of the shadows, its single, innocent eye gleaming with curiosity.

“It’s so hot lately—I feel like I’m melting…” murmured a slug-like creature, its soft voice almost childlike.

“I’m cocooning—don’t disturb me,” came a muffled voice from within a pristine white chrysalis, indicating its owner was undergoing a transformation.

“Hey, I’m bored! Who wants to fight?” A rough voice boomed as eight octopus-like tentacles suddenly swung into view. At the center stood a burly minotaur-like figure, exuding an aura of fierce battle spirit.

“So, anything interesting happening lately?” Shukaku rubbed its round belly and scanned the energetic group, a hint of envy in its coin-shaped eyes.

“Hah, you’re such a disgrace, Shukaku! No wonder the Sage only gave you one tail—you’re the weakest of us all!” Kurama sneered, flashing its teeth in a smug grin.

“Measuring power by tails is the stupidest thing ever, Kurama!”

Shukaku bristled, and if it weren’t for the chatroom's rules, it would’ve unleashed a volley of air bullets at the smug fox.

“Really? Is that so?” Kurama tilted its head, feigning confusion.

“I agree with Shukaku—tail count means nothing,” Matatabi added, shaking its head.

“Then let’s fight and find out!” Gyuki, the Eight-Tails, excitedly flexed its tentacles, challenging the group with fiery eyes.

“Hey, don’t forget the Sage’s orders! We’re supposed to stay far away from each other—preferably never meet again in this lifetime,” the single-eyed Isobu warned, its tone contemplative.

“Uh, then why did I see you near my territory last week?”

Gyuki scratched its horn, looking confused.

“Oh, that! I spotted a beautiful turtle and wanted to make friends—I didn’t realize I entered your land.” Isobu shyly ducked its head.

"Shukaku, what’s it like being imprisoned by humans?" Kurama’s mischievous voice interrupted the chatter, drawing everyone’s attention to the disgruntled raccoon.

“Yeah, tell us! We’re curious!”

The unsealed Tailed Beasts crowded closer, their curious eyes gleaming. Most of them had only been used as tools of war by humans—none had experienced true imprisonment.

“Hah! Who said I’m imprisoned? The humans revere me, offer me tributes, and sing for me daily. It’s a life of luxury!” Shukaku boasted, though its voice betrayed a hint of indignation.

“Really? Didn’t someone here cry about their captivity before?” Kurama smirked, clearly unconvinced.

“Shut up! I was moved by their songs, okay?” Shukaku roared, its coin eyes blazing.

"One day, you’ll end up like me—bound and humiliated!"

“Me? Hah, don’t make me laugh,” Kurama retorted, rolling its eyes dramatically.

“Wait—where’s Son Goku?”

Kokuo's cheerful voice suddenly turned serious as it scanned the group.

“Huh? Yeah, where’s that loudmouth? He’s usually the life of the party,” Gyuki said, puzzled.

The group fell silent, their attempts to summon Son Goku met with nothing. After a long pause, a hulking figure finally emerged from the shadows, but something was wrong.

“Everyone... be careful. There’s someone—”

Before Son Goku could finish, its form rapidly shrank. In the blink of an eye, the hulking beast dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind an eerie chill that sent shivers down the Tailed Beasts’ spines.

“What just happened?!”

Saiken, the timid Six-Tails, trembled uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the cold, oppressive aura.

“This feeling… Indra?”

Matatabi’s blue flames flickered as it identified the sinister power.

“Impossible! Indra’s been dead for centuries!”


Kurama shook his head. Having roamed the ninja world for years as a seasoned troublemaker, he knew all too well the extent of human strength. Indra had long since passed away, and while his descendants still existed in the ninja world, their power was nowhere near his level.

"What’s going on with Son Goku, then?"

Gyūki, standing nearby, had all eight of his tails straightened out, his usual arrogance replaced with suspicion. He asked uneasily,
"Kokuo, you’re closer to Son Goku. Why don’t you go and check things out?"

Seeing the other tailed beasts growing restless, Kurama—priding himself as the leader—stepped forward, turned to Kokuo, and commanded,
"Go on."

"Fine, fine," Kokuo grumbled. Under normal circumstances, he might have retorted, “I’m a tailed beast too, you know.” But sensing the unusual situation, and for the greater good, he chose not to argue.

Nodding, he left the chatroom.


"I remember... Son Goku lives over there~"

On the plains, Kokuo shook his large head and, after locating the volcanic area where Son Goku resided, bolted off at full speed, leaving a white streak in his wake.

Clop, clop, clop.

The crisp sound of Kokuo's hooves echoed as steam radiated from his body, scorching everything nearby. But as he charged forward, he noticed a figure in the distance—a long-haired human standing right in his path, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"A human? Here? Hmph, must have a death wish," Kokuo scoffed. As a tailed beast, there was no reason to change his course for a mere human.

Lowering his head, he accelerated, ready to plow through this foolish obstacle. His horns could easily split mountains.

"So this is a tailed beast. Just as Tobirama described—a dangerous creature," thought Senju Hashirama, standing calmly as the massive Kokuo hurtled toward him.

Frowning slightly, Hashirama sensed the surging chakra within the beast. Left unchecked, this creature could destroy an entire city in under half an hour.

"That human… has a death wish?" Kokuo's thoughts flickered, but then he detected a familiar, powerful energy emanating from the human. Startled, he realized,
"This... this is Asura’s power?"

"So fast. Well then—Wood Release: Binding Hand Technique!"

Hashirama, his eyes thoughtful, slapped his hands to the ground. Instantly, massive wooden hands burst forth, grabbing at the bewildered Kokuo.

"What the—!" Startled, Kokuo reflexively unleashed his Boil Release, hoping to melt the wooden hands. But to his horror, the wood regenerated almost instantly, new shoots sprouting where the old ones burned away.

"Is this human… one of Asura’s descendants?" The once-arrogant Kokuo now wanted nothing more than to flee. But just as he prepared to bolt, Hashirama made his move.

"Wood Release: Wood Golem Jutsu."

A towering wooden golem appeared, its limbs wrapped with writhing wooden dragons that attacked Kokuo from all sides.

"Damn it!" Kokuo roared, sensing the immense power within the dragons.

Opening his mouth, he began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Tailed Beast Bomb, huh? Not on my watch!"

Before Kokuo could launch his attack, Hashirama’s wooden golem charged, its massive hand slamming down on Kokuo's head. The sheer force closed Kokuo's mouth, causing the Tailed Beast Bomb to fizzle out into harmless waves of energy.

Furious, Kokuo struggled to rise, his boiling aura heating the air. But Hashirama, unfazed, clasped his hands together.

"Wood Release: Silent Binding Technique."

As Hashirama activated his jutsu, the golem’s massive hand glowed with an ancient, calming power. Kokuo's struggles slowed, and soon the tailed beast collapsed, snoring loudly. Satisfied, Hashirama retracted the golem’s hand.

"Training at Ryūchi Cave paid off," Hashirama mused. "These new jutsu are proving incredibly useful!"

With a grin, he directed the wooden golem to lift the unconscious Kokuo and carry him back to Konoha.

"Madara, you’re definitely losing this time!"


---

Meanwhile, in the chatroom, the remaining tailed beasts grew increasingly uneasy. First Son Goku disappeared, and now Kokuo had gone silent as well. Never before had they been unable to contact one of their own.

"Maybe Kokuo just got carried away and forgot to respond," Kurama suggested, trying to ease the tension. But his fox eyes betrayed his inner worry.

"Matatabi, you go next," Kurama ordered, turning to the blue-furred cat.

"No!" Matatabi leapt up as if his tail had been stepped on.

"Isobu..."

"I’m a turtle! Land isn’t exactly my strong suit," Isobu retorted, withdrawing into his shell.

"Don’t look at me. I’m too slow," Saiken, the slug-like Six-Tails, muttered.

"I’m in a cocoon phase."

"Well, don’t count on me either," Gyūki said, waving his tentacles dismissively.

"Tch. Useless, all of you! Fine, I’ll handle it myself!" Kurama huffed, rolling his eyes. Just as he prepared to leave the chatroom, Matatabi suddenly exclaimed,

"Wait—Son Goku’s here! He just showed up near me!"

"Really?" Kurama let out a sigh of relief. "At least he’s safe."

But before he could relax, Matatabi screamed,
"Son Goku, are you insane?!"

The line cut out abruptly.

"Matatabi? Matatabi!" Kurama called out frantically, but there was no response. The chilling silence that followed sent shivers down the spines of the remaining tailed beasts.

"Stay calm, everyone. Don’t panic!" Kurama urged, though he himself was starting to sweat.

"I’m out! I’m going back to the swamp!" Saiken declared, slinking out of the chatroom.

"Wait, don’t go—"

But Saiken ignored Kurama and, returning to the real world, began slinking toward the safety of his swamp.

"Excuse me, are you a slug sage?"

Saiken froze. The voice came from right behind him. Slowly, he turned to see a black-haired human holding a piece of paper, examining him with a curious look.

"You have six tails… Oh, I see, you’re a tailed beast! I thought you might be related to the slug sage," the man said cheerfully.

Saiken didn’t bother with pleasantries. He spat a stream of acid at the human.

"As expected. Dangerous creatures," Hashirama muttered as he dodged effortlessly.

Clapping his hands together, Hashirama summoned his wooden golem once more.
"My wood golem is very big. Try to endure it."