Naruto: By lying low and hiding, he eventually became the leader of the Legendary Sannin.

Afei, using Uchiha Shizu's youthful face, revealed a mocking expression and said to Kakuzu opposite him:

"Oh dear, I thought the legendary Lord Kakuzu was a cold-blooded and ruthless person!"

So you still care about our shared hometown and can't bring yourself to kill me~~~

Despite Afei's incessant chatter, Kakuzu remained expressionless.

Along the way, he had developed a certain level of tolerance for Afei's chatter, but even so, the irritation in his heart could not be calmed.

If it weren't for the fact that this mission required Afei's help, given his personality, he probably would have killed this annoying guy halfway there.

He took a deep breath before slowly explaining:

Shut your stinking mouth!

I didn't kill them simply because I was afraid the smell of blood would cause unnecessary trouble.

The seven-tailed beast will arrive at the altar tomorrow, so don't miss it!

Until then, you'd better shut your mouth and stay here.

After saying that, he ignored Ah Fei and sat back in his chair to rest with his eyes closed.

As a former Jonin of Takigakure, Kakuzu naturally knew the village's schedule for offering tribute to the Seven-Tails.

This time, the two of them were naturally there because they were ordered by Madara Uchiha to capture the Tailed Beasts.

However, compared to those tailed beasts that have become jinchūriki, this free-roaming Seven-Tails presents them with some difficulties.

The reason is simple: this seven-tailed fox can fly.

From its appearance, Shichimei is a beetle with six wings and a tail.

It usually uses the Tree of Life as its habitat, and its living area is basically all on the tree. Its whereabouts are difficult to find, after all, the tree is really too big.

In addition, its ability to fly makes it even more difficult for the two of them to catch it.

Fortunately, Kaku, a native of Takigakure, knew that the Seven-Tails would always appear on the monthly tribute day.

So, after calculating the time, the two sneaked into Takigakure Village two days in advance to wait.

Seeing that Kakuzu had closed his eyes and seemed to have no intention of paying attention to him, Tobi could only sit down and stare blankly, feeling a little bored.

The scene shifts, and after discussions with Hikoki, Kagura and the others reached an agreement with him.

Since everyone already knows that Kakuzu and the others' target is the Seven-Tails, it's clear that these two will definitely appear at the altar tomorrow.

For Kagura and the others, the most important goal this time was to rescue Uchiha Shizuka.

Of course, if it could also thwart Madara Uchiha's schemes, Kagura would be happy to see that.

For Takigakure, the Seven-Tails is like the village's guardian deity, and they naturally do not want it to be easily taken away by someone.

So the two sides hit it off and decided to cooperate. After formulating a battle plan, Kagura and the others were arranged to stay in a secluded residential area.

However, as she walked out of the conference room, Kagura found herself holding two bottles.

This is certainly not mineral water, but a specialty of Takigakure Village—"Hero's Water".

This was something Kagura actively requested, and he even collected all the money from the four people to buy these two bottles of liquid.

For Yanmu, this was not some kind of treasure that could not be obtained by outsiders.

In fact, due to Kakuzu's rebellion twenty years ago, Takigakure has not been able to recover its former strength until now.

The decline in national power naturally affected their way of doing things.

Over the years, the Land of Waterfall, by proactively adopting a humble stance, has rarely been drawn into wars.

Under these circumstances, this "heroic water" would rarely be used.

In addition to its aftereffects, Takigakure Village has accumulated a considerable amount of stock over the years.

So when Kagura, his partner, offered to buy it with money, Hikoki agreed after only a slight hesitation.

Excitedly carrying the two bottles of liquid, Kagura immediately hid in her room after arriving at the accommodations arranged for them by Hikoki.

He certainly didn't buy these "hero's waters" for his own consumption or to conduct any strange experiments.

But it was during the later discussion of the battle plan that he finally grasped the thought that had flashed through his mind earlier.

According to Yanmu's account, this liquid is very beneficial to tailed beasts or summoned beasts. So, would it have any effect on his own summoned creature, the snow-white egg?

It's worth noting that after Hiruzen Sarutobi helped him study that egg, he made a deduction.

Kagura's summoning beast is a very powerful creature, but it is still in its infancy.

Moreover, because of its power, it takes much longer for it to hatch than for ordinary summoned beasts.

If that's the case, if I feed this egg some nutrient solution, will it help it hatch earlier?

Thinking of this, Kagura couldn't wait to pour the two bottles of liquid in her hand into a basin.

Only after pouring it out did Kagura truly see the true nature of the "Hero's Water".

It is actually a slightly golden liquid with tiny, star-like particles floating in it, which looks quite beautiful.

Without further hesitation, after a simple spirit summoning, Kagura summoned the egg.

After placing the snow-white egg inside, Kagura took a few steps back and carefully observed it.

To be honest, he was a little afraid that he might do something wrong and cause the egg to die in the womb.

Under his anxious gaze, the scene before him finally changed.

Suddenly, the egg in the water shook as if excited, and then Kagura could clearly see those star-like particles constantly approaching the eggshell and disappearing.

After watching for several minutes, Kagura finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the egg in front of her was absorbing the energy from the liquid.

At this moment, he couldn't help but look forward to what would happen after the egg hatched.

Chapter 86: Battle Against the Tailed Beasts?

At noon the next day, beneath the altar in Takigakure Village.

Kagura and her three companions, along with a group of Jonin from Takigakure, lay in ambush below, their eyes fixed on the altar.

Kagura sat at the table all night observing that egg.

To his dismay, all the stars in the "Hero's Water" were absorbed, and even the golden liquid returned to its clear color.

Like a satisfied diner after a feast, the egg shook slightly as if letting out a burp, and then remained still.

Kagura clearly didn't understand what was going on with her at the moment.

Are you too full to eat and ready to rest, or are you still not full?

But even if Kagura wasn't full, she couldn't bring herself to ask Hikogi for another meal, could she?

In any case, this can be considered a strategic item for Takigakure Village.

Besides, the four of them don't have a single penny left, so they can't buy anything...

Kagura, who had been full of hope, ultimately returned home disappointed.

In the end, he could only put the egg away in disappointment and focus his attention on the mission.

Hidden among the trees beneath the altar, Jiraiya couldn't help but ask Hikoki:

"We've been waiting all morning, will that tailed beast ever come?"

Before Hikoki could reply, Kagura suddenly raised her right hand to stop their conversation.

Everyone followed his gaze and looked up at the sky, where they saw a small black dot appear.

As the black dot drew closer, everyone gradually saw its true form.

This is a beetle with six wings and a tail; it is none other than the legendary Seven-Tailed Chongming.

As it approached, its body gradually enlarged.

Finally, just when the ambushing crowd was almost driven unconscious by the noise of its flapping wings, it landed on the altar.

Although its eyes were covered by an iron-like shell, people could still see the joy on its face when it looked at the "Hero's Water" on the altar.

It raised its seemingly clumsy forelimbs and picked up the bottle of liquid in front of it.

Under Kagura's astonished gaze, it gently twisted open the bottle's mouth with its disproportionately large forelimbs.

Then, like an impatient drunkard, he raised the bottle and drank it all in one gulp.

After throwing away the empty bottle, Seven-Tails let out a comfortable hiss and stood there motionless for a long time, as if savoring the rare drink.

At that moment, an abnormal mutation occurred.

Suddenly, a large crack appeared in the ground beneath the Seven-Tails' feet, and a giant Buddha that Kagura and the others were extremely familiar with suddenly appeared before the Seven-Tails.

Clearly, centuries of comfortable living had caused the Seven-Tails to lose its sense of vigilance.

Faced with the sudden appearance of the enormous Buddha statue, the Seven-Tailed Fox stood frozen in place, seemingly still bewildered.

But the giant Buddha clearly wouldn't wait for it; its countless arms moved with lightning speed.

Before the Seven-Tailed Fox could react, it was already tightly bound by countless arms and firmly pinned to the ground.

A red light flashed beneath its eye mask, and the top horn on its head slightly lifted, clearly indicating that it was about to unleash some kind of skill.

But then, a white, withered branch suddenly appeared on its head.

The moment the slender white twigs touched its body, they spread across its armor-like shell like rapidly multiplying vines.

The branch, like the most terrifying worm, frantically burrowed into the cracks in its shell, relentlessly penetrating its flesh.

Unable to endure the pain any longer, Shigeaki Nanao let out a mournful cry.

As its constantly twisting body stopped moving, two people shrouded in black robes appeared.

It was Kakuzu and Tobi.

Ignoring the Seven-Tails, which had already been brought under control, Kakuzu turned his gaze to another location, the very spot where Kagura and the others were lying in ambush.

His hoarse voice echoed throughout the battlefield:

"Aren't you going to show up?"

Upon hearing this, Kagura and the others realized that the other party already knew of their existence.