I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived!

Despite its immense size, the Three-Tails still paled in comparison to the Gedo Statue.

Summoned by Gensou, the projections of various members began to appear on the ten fingers of the statue.

Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, Uchiha Izumi, Uchiha Gin, and Uchiha Sasuke—who hadn't participated last time—all made their appearances.

Including Gensou himself and the physical presence of Deidara and Kisame, there were now nine individuals, each standing on one of the statue's fingers.

After obtaining the Rinnegan, Gensou had used its power to craft additional Akatsuki rings, which he distributed to the three Uchiha, allowing them to project their images here.

Standing for the first time in the spot that once belonged to Itachi, Sasuke glanced curiously at the assembled group before his attention was drawn to the imposing Gedo Statue.

The loud crash of the Three-Tails hitting the ground pulled his focus. For the first time, he took a direct and comprehensive look at the tailed beast.

From the opposite finger, Deidara noticed Sasuke and spoke with interest,

"Itachi's little brother? I wonder how much of his strength you've inherited?"

Sasuke turned his gaze toward Deidara and replied coolly, "You're welcome to find out."

Deidara's lips twitched.

No doubt about it—they were brothers. Sasuke's tone and expression were just as irritating as Itachi's.

He grimaced at the thought.

Would this guy be his next partner? Or perhaps one of the other Uchiha here? Either way, his upcoming missions seemed destined to be unpleasant.

While Deidara's expression shifted rapidly, Hidan spoke up,

"Work already? Weren't we just saying the Three-Tails was impossible to locate? How did it suddenly turn up?"

Lately, Hidan had been preoccupied with refining his new doctrine, scratching his head so much he'd almost gone bald.

If given the choice, he'd rather keep pondering his religion than engage in the dull task of extracting a tailed beast.

However, knowing that Gensou—far more powerful than his so-called god—was present, Hidan quickly shut his mouth after voicing his complaint.

"The other tailed beasts should be next, right?" Kakuzu asked eagerly, his demeanor completely different. He was ready to take advantage of the tailed beast hunt to earn some extra cash.

"Yes," Gensou confirmed with a nod. "The tailed beast capture plan is entering its final phase. I will assign relevant missions to you all shortly."

"For now, we begin extracting the Three-Tails."

With Gensou's command, everyone straightened their expressions and began forming seals.

The Gedo Statue opened its massive mouth, and as the chakra of the Three-Tails poured in, the colossal beast slowly floated upward.

Compared to the last extraction, the process was faster due to the increased number of participants and Gensou leading the operation in person.

Gensou estimated it would take about an hour to complete. Closing his eyes, he focused on the task.

Meanwhile, as Tsunade's new orders reached Kakashi's team, the Konoha ninja, having achieved nothing, begrudgingly began their return.

"If only Naruto were here," Sakura said wistfully along the way.

Feeling obligated to respond as a teammate, Sai replied, "That's true, Naruto is strong."

But he missed the point.

Sakura shook her head. "It's not just because he's strong. Naruto always brings unexpected surprises. And with him around, he inspires everyone to keep fighting, no matter how tough things get."

"I see..."

Sai glanced at their subdued group and began to understand Sakura's sentiment. He looked at her and asked, "So, where is Naruto now?"

Naruto had been absent for a long time, missing many significant events.

Sakura shook her head. "According to Jiraiya-sama, Naruto is training in a very mysterious place."

After a moment of thought, Sai said, "Then... let's hope Naruto returns soon."

"Yes," Sakura said, gazing into the distance. "I hope he comes back soon."

"Why can't I go back yet? How much longer do I have to drink this disgusting green soup?"

Naruto, the very person on Sakura's mind, was currently pulling at his hair in frustration, staring at a bowl of green soup filled with wiggling insects.

No matter how many times he drank it, he just couldn't get used to it!

"Shima-sama, I've already mastered Sage Mode! Why won't you let me leave? The village and my friends need me!" Naruto complained, leaning as far as he could away from the so-called "nutritious soup."

Shima, wearing an apron and busy in the kitchen, didn't even turn around as she replied,

"Mastered it? You mean that constipated look you make while gathering chakra, and then barely maintaining Sage Mode for five minutes? Sure, you're better than little Jiraiya, but compared to your village's First Hokage or that Gensou I saw recently, you've got a long way to go!"

Hearing her mention Gensou, Naruto fell silent.

"Sasuke..."

He regretted not being present during the events Shima had described.

Naruto's urgency to return to the village stemmed from his desire not to miss any more crucial moments.

But Shima wasn't wrong.

Naruto looked down at his hands.

Even with Sage Mode, he was still far behind Gensou.

If he couldn't bring Sasuke back, then what was the point?

Resigned, Naruto decided to continue his rigorous training.

With the air of a man facing execution, he gulped down the green soup and immediately bolted outside to practice using the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"Naruto! I just perfected a new recipe for the nutritious soup—hey! Don't run so fast!"

Shima, carrying an even greener soup, sighed as she watched Naruto flee.

She handed the bowl to Fukasaku and asked, "What do you think, dear?"

"It's excellent!" Fukasaku praised.

Shima smiled proudly. "See? It's delicious! Naruto just doesn't appreciate good food."

"Naruto..."

Fukasaku watched the young man training by the waterfall and said quietly,

"Naruto's mastered Sage Mode. He could leave now."

"I know," Shima replied absentmindedly, brainstorming her next soup recipe. "But the Great Lord said Naruto should stay longer."

"The Great Lord..." Fukasaku hesitated before continuing, "Something seems off about him lately."

Shima's eyes lit up. "You think he's gone senile too?"

"That's not it. It's... something else. It feels like he's not as carefree as he used to be."

(End of Chapter)

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