In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

"Damn it!" Killer B controlled Hachibi to raise its head, and a huge Bijudama slowly took shape.

Naruto, who was not far away, looked at the huge Bijudama, and felt a surge of irritation and uncontrollable rage in his heart. He took a deep breath and stared at Hachibi coldly.

Reaching out his hand toward Killer B, who had turned into Hachibi, he commanded, "Restrain him."

The Adamantine Sealing Chains seemed to be alive, and it suddenly tightened the moment Naruto gave the command. The golden chains locked onto the forming black Bijudama, and with a bang, it strangled the Bijudama that had not yet fully formed.

Even though the Bijudama wasn't fully formed, being torn apart by the golden chains caused it to split in two and swayed in the air for a moment. After a short pause, it actually split into two directions and headed straight for the village.

"Oh no!" Yugito no longer cared about Killer B's predicament, and spat out a Flaming Cat Roar from her mouths to chase after one half of the black Bijudama.

At the next second, she was also tightly bound by the golden chains, and the fire in her throat that had just spurted out of the Flaming Cat Roar was immediately silenced.

"B!" At this moment, a powerful voice came from a distance.

The Yondaime Raikage, wearing a white robe and glowing with blue lightning, descended from the sky and punched the incomplete Bijudama that was on the verge of exploding.

The other half of the incomplete Bijudama was shattered by Raikage with a resounding explosion.

Koyuki, who was hiding in the bushes, was completely confused. She couldn't see clearly from a distance. She wondered why the style of the battle suddenly changed.

'What is that creature that looks like a cross between a bull and an octopus? Ah, and that giant blue flaming cat!'

Just as she was wondering if Naruto would also transform into some giant creature, a swarm of golden chains appeared, binding the two beasts.

'But the way they were tied up looked strange, was that some kind of tortoise shell binding technique? How shameful!'

…

Meanwhile, in Konoha..

In the Hokage's Office, Tsunade sat in a chair, deep in thought, with grim expression.

There was a knock on the door and Shizune walked in with some documents. Seeing that Tsunade was in a bad mood, she hesitated for a moment before placing the documents on the desk and speaking up.

"Tsunade-sama, the delegation from Sunagakure has arrived. Also, the Land of Birds has sent an envoy and they're waiting for you below."

"The Land of Birds? What are they here for?" Tsunade rubbed her temples, a trace of annoyance flashed in her eyes, and she grabbed a glass from the table and took a sip.

She could understand why Sunagakure would send people to investigate the disappearance of the Kyubi. Tsunade was even prepared to renegotiate the alliance treaty, or possibly the entire alliance itself.

'But the Land of Birds? They're just a minor, insignificant country. What were they doing meddling at a time like this?!'

"Tsunade-sama, have you forgotten?" Shizune smiled awkwardly, "The Land of Birds signed a friendship treaty with Konoha, though it's not quite at the level of a full alliance."

"When did that happen?" Tsunade was stunned for a moment. She genuinely forgot about such thing.

"After Team 3 and Naruto completed the mission in the Land of Birds, the new Daimyo of the Land of Birds, Toki, sent envoys here to sign a mutually beneficial trade and friendship treaty with Konoha." Shizune explained.

"So far, relations between both sides have been positive."

"What are they doing here at a time like this?" Tsunade asked, feeling more frustrated as she thought of Danzo, who always exploited every situation, and the two stubborn old Advisors clinging to their ways.

The Kyubi's problem hadn't been properly addressed during Sandaime's time. He was constantly hindered by his old colleagues and the other higher-ups, dragging the situation out and turning the Kyubi's Jinchuriki into a ticking time bomb.

She wished those damned higher-ups could see how far their so-called Biju's Jinchuriki has grown! But now, they're still greedily trying to control the Kyubi.

'How stupid! Even now, they still don't understand that the complete disappearance of the Kyubi's Jinchuriki would actually be the best outcome for Konoha.'

Rubbing her temples, Tsunade realized one thing: As long as Danzo remained in power, Konoha would have no future.

Hearing this, Shizune hesitated before responding, "The other party wants to deepen their alliance with Konoha. The Land of Birds seems eager to collaborate further with us. They're not here to terminate the relationship."

"A deeper alliance?" Tsunade was a little surprised. "Why?"

"As far as I know, the Land of Birds has never expressed much interest in closer ties with Konoha before, right?"

"That's correct, Tsunade-sama." Shizune replied dutifully, "Their first real interaction with us is after the Cursed Warrior mission in the Land of Birds that Team 3 and Naruto dealt with."

Tsunade pondered for a moment, frowned, and asked, "Shizune, do we still have the report on that mission? And bring me the mutually beneficial treaty that was signed with them as well."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama, please wait a moment, I'll look for it." Shizune nodded and walked over to a nearby file cabinet, which contained the mission reports of the past three years.

After rifling through the neatly arranged documents, Shizune found the mission report of the Team 3 in the Land of Birds.

Tsunade took the report and lazily leaned back in her chair, then read it carefully.

Shizune stood quietly by her side, watching the subtle changes in Tsunade's expression out of the corner of her eye.

Bang!

Tsunade suddenly her hand on the table and said angrily through gritted teeth.

"What deeper cooperation! Princess Toki? That damn woman has ulterior motives, she just wants to steal Naruto away."

Shizune was startled, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She looked at Tsunade and timidly asked, "Should we reject the proposal?"

"Are you crazy? Of course we have to accept it!" Tsunade took a deep breath, calming herself, "This is something that benefits Konoha, so why would we refuse?"

"Yes." Shizune smiled, "However, Tsunade-sama, the delegation from Sunagakure has arrived. It's about time for you to meet them."

Tsunade pursed her lips dismissively and let out a nonchalant 'oh', but showing no hint of moving.

Shizune, feeling somewhat helpless in the face of Tsunade's stubbornness, could only smile wryly. She also knew that Sunagakure's visit likely wouldn't be a friendly one. Although they were allies in name, the truth was that their cooperation was driven by mutual benefit, and tensions could easily flare up behind closed doors.

Tsunade's reluctance to attend was likely because she didn't want to see Danzo and the two old Advisors with their self-righteous attitudes. If Sunagakure used the fact that Konoha didn't have Biju to put pressure on her, the situation could turn very unfavorable for Tsunade.

The summer breeze was blowing, and the pages of paper were turning with a rustling sound. Tsunade raised her hand, pointed to the door and said, "Damn those old bastards!"