Chapter 20: Leading the Team

"Mū-sama, we have the latest intel!"

An Iwagakure ANBU rushed in, urgency in his tone. Mū, seated behind a desk and reviewing a stack of official documents, gave a slight nod.

"Speak."

"We've located the Nine-Tails you've been searching for. It appeared yesterday in Takigakure. According to the intel, the Land of Lightning recently dispatched a squad of elite Kumo shinobi in an attempt to capture it. They failed. It's said the famous Gold and Silver Brothers from Kumogakure were devoured by the beast."

Mū's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he issued an order.

"Prepare to depart immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

He stood and began donning his battle armor. A clone had already been set up earlier to collect senjutsu chakra, just as Naruto would have done in the near future. The moment that clone was dispelled, Mū would be ready to activate Sage Mode without delay.

"Also, bring Ōnoki."

He realized it had been days since he last spoke to the boy. Between endless paperwork and village responsibilities, he hadn't even followed up after giving him the Rasengan scroll. It was time. Ōnoki needed to see the world outside, to face the reality of Tailed Beasts with his own eyes and expand his perspective.

"Nanahachi, lead the ANBU squad and wait at the village gate. I'll catch up soon."

He shot a glance at Nanahachi Fūma and issued the order before launching into the air.

Mū soared swiftly through the sky and soon landed at Ōnoki's house. Though Ōnoki was Sekkō's grandson, he'd been living on his own for a while now.

"Hm? Why's the door shut?"

The door was sealed tight, and Mū's brow furrowed slightly. He instinctively activated his sensory abilities to scan the interior. Then he heard something. What he heard... made his expression freeze.

"Hehehe... Iwagakure Rain-sis... my beloved..."

"You're the best... you're my mommy..."

Mū's eyes went wide with disbelief. That "Rain-sis" from Iwagakure... wasn't she the muscular old lady selling pancakes at the village gate? Built like the Raikage, with biceps bigger than most men's thighs, she looked like she could use Ōnoki as a drinking cup.

He never imagined this was the kind of woman Ōnoki fancied. It explained a lot, actually. Why Ōnoki was so short, but his son ended up tall, and his granddaughter was basically the embodiment of "Leg no Jutsu."

An old proverb from his memory surfaced in Mū's mind: "Of all sins, lust is the root of the worst."

Should he go in now... or pretend he hadn't heard any of it?

He hesitated. If he barged in, would it scar the boy for life? But time was running out. The ANBU team was already assembled at the village gate, ready to set out for the Nine-Tails mission.

Decision made.

BANG BANG BANG!!

"Open the door!!"

His voice thundered through the house like a storm.

"Sensei! G-give me five minutes!!!" Ōnoki's panicked voice rang from inside the house.

Mū's expression darkened. I flew all the way here, and not only is this brat delaying liftoff, he's trying to take off without even requesting clearance? Ōnoki, Mu should elbow you straight into next week.

BAM!

Without a second thought, Mū slammed a sharp elbow into the door and knocked it open.

There he saw the so-called legendary pilot of Iwagakure caught mid-flight in one of the most humiliating states imaginable. Ōnoki was tangled in blankets, face flushed with panic, eyes wide with desperation. He looked like a boy who'd been struck by lightning, overwhelmed, caught off guard, shackled by desire from every angle, and drowning in his own embarrassment.

"Ahhh! Sensei! You weren't supposed to come in!!! Let me explain!!! I was... I was practicing the Rasengan!! I almost had it!!"

Flustered beyond repair, he scrambled to sit up, pulling the blanket higher as if it could shield his dignity. But his eyes and the half-covered mess around him betrayed every word. There was no training happening here, unless it was training in shameless excuses.

"Come, come." Mū's expression didn't change. "You were practicing Rasengan... in bed?"

Faced with that deadpan stare, Ōnoki's defense crumbled even further. Yet the little guy held his ground, stubbornly claiming he'd been working on chakra nature control, refining the spin and rotation while lying down.

"Yeah yeah. Save it." Mū sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Stop whatever this is. We're going to capture the Nine-Tails."

"Alright! Sensei, just let me put on my pants..." Ōnoki began to scramble out of bed.

…

The scene cut to a remote mountain valley, where the Nine-Tails erupted from the forest, one paw clutching its backside in visible pain.

"Damn that old man Hagoromo! What the hell was he thinking, giving chakra to these humans?! And Indra! That brat even taught them how to use hand seals!!" it bellowed, frustration pouring from every syllable.

Its once majestic coat was now a disaster. Patches of its fur were soaked from Water Style jutsu, others still smoldering from Fire Style attacks. The massive fox looked like it had survived three natural disasters in a row. Just two weeks ago, it had been resting in the Land of Lightning, planning to stop by and mess with that idiot Gyūki. Instead, a squad of Kumo shinobi ambushed it, launching a surprise capture attempt.

Fortunately, it was strong enough to fight them off, and even managed to devour the two leading the charge. But that came with a cost. Ever since it swallowed those two, it had felt like something was gnawing from the inside of its belly. Only now had that nausea started to fade.

"Disgusting humans," it muttered with disdain, spitting to the side before looking around for a new place to sleep. Over the centuries, slumber had been its only reliable escape from this miserable world.

Unfortunately, the peace wouldn't last long.

Mū and his unit were closing in fast. His sensory abilities, sharpened to a razor's edge, immediately picked up on the colossal chakra signature in the distance. It was like a mountain of fire, impossible to miss.

"Prepare for combat! We'll immobilize the Nine-Tails with Earth Style first. Everyone else, wait for my signal. Ōnoki, stay back and observe from a distance. Don't get close."

The team moved in sync, adjusting positions, making sure each member understood their role. Mū stayed at the front, sharp-eyed and focused, every step calculated.

Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails, having just finished relieving itself, paused and turned its head slightly. It sensed movement. That chakra. That formation. That battle stance.

You've got to be kidding me.

Another team? Another group of lunatics trying to capture me?

ROAR!!!

It unleashed a thunderous roar, loud enough to shake the mountains. The sound echoed through the valley like a thunderclap, meant to strike fear into the hearts of any approaching shinobi.

But Mū didn't flinch. He pushed forward even faster, chakra flaring subtly around him as he closed the gap between them.

"Still trying to blow hot air at me, you overgrown mutt?" he muttered, cracking his knuckles mid-flight. The fox's attempt to intimidate him didn't even register as a threat.

This furball really thought that kind of roar would make him back off?

Not a chance.

"ANBU Squad One, flank left! Squad Two, flank right! Everyone else, wait for my signal to restrain it! I'll hit it head-on!" Mū's voice rang out across the battlefield, calm and commanding.

"Understood!" The ANBU responded in unison, splitting off with practiced precision. Squad One darted left, weaving between rocks and trees, while Squad Two moved right, forming a crescent formation around the Nine-Tails. Their coordination was flawless, trained, disciplined, and swift.

"Damn you!!! RAAAHH!!!" The Nine-Tails roared in fury, slamming its tails toward the incoming threat.

Hovering midair, Mū twisted his body with fluid grace, evading the attack with ease. In the same motion, he formed a quick seal.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"

He swept his arm down, sending blades of compressed wind howling toward the beast.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Jolt!" shouted another shinobi as the ANBU unleashed a barrage of jutsu. Wind Style techniques sliced the air, and bolts of lightning crashed into the Nine-Tails' limbs, trying to paralyze it mid-charge. But to the great beast, the barrage was more irritating than damaging, like a swarm of insects buzzing too close.

Not that Mū expected more from them. They weren't there to deal the finishing blow; they were there to support. He could end this now if he wanted. One well-placed Dust Release to the forehead, and it would be over in seconds. But that wasn't the plan.

He didn't want to kill the Nine-Tails. He wanted to dissect it.

"Humans!!" the beast snarled, rage twisting its face. Chakra swirled rapidly in its mouth as it began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb, the air crackling with unstable energy.

But before it could finish,

WHRRRRR— BOOM!

A spiraling mass of cutting wind slammed into its forehead.

"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"

From high above, Mū hurled the jutsu down with brutal accuracy. The Rasenshuriken collided with the fox's skull and detonated on impact, forcing the colossal creature to the ground. Its head crashed into the earth with a deafening thud, shaking the terrain and sending up a cloud of dust.

The ANBU stood in stunned silence for a moment. Their jutsu had barely irritated the beast, but Mū's attack had sent it face-first into the dirt like it weighed nothing.

"As expected of Mū-sama..." one of the ANBU whispered, awe in his voice.

They'd been scratching at the Nine-Tails like fleas. Mū had just grated it into the earth like a radish.

"He's incredible... Sensei's power is really unfathomable..." From a safe distance, Ōnoki's eyes lit up with amazement. The sheer scale of the battle filled him with awe. He clenched his fists unconsciously, his heart pounding. When would he be strong enough to fight like that?

Mū didn't let up.

"Earth Style: Rock Prison!"

His hands blurred through a new sequence of seals. Pillars of stone erupted from the ground, slamming into the Nine-Tails and encasing its limbs. The stone wrapped fast and tight, forming a temporary restraint that slowed its movements.

"Bastard!!" the fox howled, shaking violently.

The Rasenshuriken had definitely shaken it up, but it wasn't nearly enough to cause permanent harm. With a roar, it reared back and flexed its muscles, shattering the prison of stone with brute force.

It opened its maw wide and released a compressed blast of raw energy, not quite a full Tailed Beast Bomb, but still a devastating shockwave. A hurricane of air exploded from its mouth, ripping through the battlefield like a divine wind.

Mū didn't hesitate; he dispelled his clone. At that moment, nature chakra surged into him, and his body froze.

He entered Sage Mode.

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