Chapter 628: The Sand Village is Attacked—Shukaku is Lost!

What's the fastest way to transfer Tailed Beasts and their Jinchūriki?

Of course, it's the Flying Thunder God Technique.

For other villages, it wasn't much of an issue, but things were a little more complicated when it came to the Hidden Mist Village.

Besides the Flying Thunder God Technique, they also needed someone powerful enough to handle any unforeseen circumstances.

And so, Takuya was pulled into the equation.

Rolling his eyes at the serious-looking Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama, Takuya rubbed his temples.

"I'll handle the Hidden Mist Village, but I'm taking Kushina with me. I won't feel at ease leaving her behind. If you don't like it, I'll just take her back to Konoha."

"I'll handle the Hidden Stone Village then," Tobirama stated, his eyelid twitching slightly, feeling the urge to argue with Takuya.

Did he really have to take his girlfriend everywhere?

Wasn't having his older brother stationed in the Hidden Cloud Village enough protection?

Luckily, he didn't voice these thoughts out loud. Otherwise, Takuya would have simply replied:

"That's exactly why I need to take her with me. If something happens to my girlfriend, who am I supposed to blame?"

Takuya didn't care whether other Jinchūriki lived or died—but Kushina couldn't be put at risk.

Keeping her by his side was the only way to ensure her safety.

"As for the Sand Village, we'll discuss it once the Kazekage arrives. Time is of the essence—let's move."

As the meeting concluded, Takuya approached Yagura for assistance.

"Lend me someone. Get your Mizukage's official documents or a scroll prepared. Otherwise, I won't be able to transfer the Tailed Beast."

"I might as well come with you," Yagura decided.

He hadn't originally planned to leave the Hidden Cloud Village, but knowing that Takuya was taking Kushina along, he figured it would be better to accompany him.

Bringing an escort along would also be wise—if anyone resisted handing over the Tailed Beast, things could get troublesome.

With Master Genji's condition worsening, it was best for Yagura to personally see things through.

"Alright," Takuya agreed.

If Yagura was willing to take the extra trip, all the better.

And so, Yagura, who had barely warmed his seat in the Hidden Cloud Village, left alongside Takuya and his group, boarding a warship bound for the Hidden Mist Village.

Kushina wasn't to be left behind. Minato needed to come along as well, and Nawaki, unwilling to stay behind alone, eagerly tagged along.

With that, the group set sail on Yagura's warship, heading for the Land of Water.

Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama and Onoki's son, Kitsuchi, traveled together to the Hidden Stone Village, carrying the Tsuchikage's official orders.

Bringing back the village's two Jinchūriki wasn't going to be easy.

The biggest challenge was Han and Rōshi.

Rōshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, wasn't the type to simply obey orders.

To be precise, he was a stubborn old man who even Onoki struggled to control.

As Tobirama and Kitsuchi arrived at the Hidden Stone Village, they encountered Rōshi, but what would happen next was anyone's guess.

While the Hidden Stone and Mist Villages had begun their operations, the Sand Village remained unaware of the looming crisis.

Rasa was still on his way to the Hidden Cloud Village.

Before Rasa could arrive, an uninvited guest had already stepped foot into the Land of Wind, swiftly making their way toward the Sand Village.

Days later, when Rasa finally reached the Hidden Cloud Village, he found that everything had already been decided.

He was merely there as a formality.

And that wasn't even the worst part.

The moment he saw Senju Hashirama, Rasa nearly lost control of his bladder.

After all, the Sand Village had once been under Konoha's shadow as a subordinate village.

But after repeatedly challenging Konoha, they had invited disaster upon themselves.

Now, with the "Big Brother" of Konoha appearing, Rasa couldn't help but feel terrified.

Meanwhile, the unexpected visitor had already arrived at the Sand Village.

The Sand Village was nestled deep within the Land of Wind's desert.

Despite the harsh environment, its location served as a natural barrier.

Surrounded by towering sandstone mountains, the village sat in the middle of a massive bowl-shaped terrain, with only a narrow path leading inside.

Unless someone flew in directly, infiltrating the village was extremely difficult.

Because of this, the Sand Village had the smallest defensive force among the Five Great Shinobi Villages—storming it head-on was practically impossible.

Unfortunately, none of those natural advantages mattered to the uninvited guest.

In a secluded street within the village, a swirling black vortex appeared in the air.

Moments later, a figure emerged from the vortex, stepping into the village undetected.

The Sand Village's shinobi remained completely oblivious.

"As expected, this place is as desolate as ever," the figure murmured.

The howling wind carried grains of sand and small stones, casting an eerie, dim atmosphere over the village.

Not a single soul roamed the streets.

Black Zetsu moved stealthily through the village, heading toward the underground prison that White Zetsu had located.

Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Sand Village was the only one that had never conducted a full sweep for White Zetsu infiltrators.

The last time Takuya had been invited to help, he had barely begun his journey to the Land of Wind before he was forced to cut it short and return to Konoha with Kushina.

As a result, the Sand Village had never been rid of its White Zetsu problem.

With White Zetsu hiding within the village, uncovering its secrets was trivial.

Finding the Jinchūriki's location was an easy task.

Unlike other villages, where repeated Tailed Beast rampages had fostered resentment toward Jinchūriki, the Sand Village had a different approach.

Here, the Jinchūriki had no freedom.

They were locked away in a dark, sunless dungeon.

Even while imprisoned, they were under constant surveillance to prevent a Tailed Beast rampage.

For someone like Shukaku, breaking the will of its host was second nature.

Being a Jinchūriki of the One-Tail was a nightmare.

This was why Shukaku's rampages were more frequent than those of other Tailed Beasts.

Another factor was the village's poor sealing techniques.

Compared to the other Great Villages, the Sand Village's Fūinjutsu was barely passable.

In the depths of an underground prison, several Sand shinobi stood guard.

Suddenly, the air twisted.

A cloaked figure appeared before them, leaving them momentarily stunned.

The guards had never experienced anything like this before.

"You—who are you?!" the leading Jōnin demanded.

At the same time, he signaled his subordinates to trigger the alarm.

The enemy had infiltrated the village, and their target was the Jinchūriki.

Under the Jōnin's command, the guards drew their weapons and launched an attack on Black Zetsu.

But Black Zetsu remained motionless.

The moment their weapons passed through his body, the Sand shinobi were dumbfounded.

A deafening explosion followed.

The battle was over.

All that remained was a pile of corpses.

As the village's alarm blared, Black Zetsu acted as if he hadn't heard it, making his way deeper into the underground prison.

"Enemy attack!"

The piercing alarm sent the entire Sand Village into chaos.

One by one, Sand shinobi rushed toward the underground prison.

Chiyo, who had been in the Kazekage's office, hurriedly led reinforcements to the scene.

But before they could reach the prison, a thunderous explosion shook the village.

A colossal figure emerged.

A monstrous roar echoed through the air.

Shukaku had broken free.

Thick, purple chains wrapped around its neck like unbreakable shackles, preventing it from struggling.

Shukaku was forcibly dragged away, disappearing into the gaping maw of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Boom!

With Shukaku sealed, the statue vanished.

Only destruction and corpses remained.

Black Zetsu had no interest in further confrontation.

With the One-Tail secured, he entered Kamui's dimension and swiftly departed from the Sand Village.

He had more targets to claim.

Before the Five Great Shinobi Villages could rally together, he intended to capture as many Tailed Beasts as possible.

From infiltration to escape, the entire ordeal lasted less than three minutes.

Just like that, the Sand Village had lost its Tailed Beast.

All that was left were ruins, bodies, and unanswered questions.

They hadn't even seen their enemy's face before it was all over.

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01. 

DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING