Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 348 The Last Day

"You have no idea... there's not a single good person in the Nara family, especially that Nara Shikaku, he's practically inhuman! He even fools foxes!"

"No matter what, I am a tailed beast, and the Nine-Tails at that, the one with the most tails and the strongest..."

"Back then, all humans called me the Nine-Tailed Fox. And now?"

"I can't even get a bottle of wine to drink..."

"Coo coo coo..."

After a good cry and snot, the little nine-tailed fox held the bottle in its two paws and downed it in one gulp.

"belch!!"

After letting out a burp, Little Nine-Tailed Fox plopped down on the ground.

"You ask me if I want to make money? Of course I do! Eating meat costs money, drinking alcohol costs money, even taking a bath and grooming at the village hot spring costs money..."

After a series of bombardments, Heitu was momentarily stunned.

Take a bath and groom your hair?

Although I've always known that Kurama is very different from other Jinchūriki or Tailed Beasts in Konoha, drinking alcohol, eating meat, and rubbing its fur? That's really... unique!

"With the Nine-Tails' power... do these things really need to be solved with money?"

Little Nine-Tailed Fox glanced at Black Earth: "What do you know? Although in the past few thousand years, it's true that if I roared, everyone would be afraid of me, but even then, no one would dare to mess with me!"

"That's good, at least there won't be any negative emotions. They're quite happy that they're making money. Except for me, who's a little unhappy because there's never enough money."

"You have no idea... the devil in my house is terrifying. Ever since I was caught bringing alcohol home, things have been a mess..."

The big devil in the house?

Kurotsuchi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is Lord Nine-Tailed Fox referring to Lord Yun?"

Little Nine-Tailed Fox chuckled: "Yun boy is nothing. At home, even Yun has to listen to the Great Demon King."

At this point, the little nine-tailed fox pried open the wine bottle with one paw: "Alright, we've talked enough. Are you planning to give me another 20,000 taels? Or do you have some plan that requires you to keep me occupied?"

Upon hearing this, Heitu immediately remembered the purpose of his visit.

So he said, "Actually... I came to see Lord Nine-Tails this time for the purpose of cooperation."

Cooperation?

Nine-Tails scoffed and tapped its fox ears: "What's the point of cooperating with a bunch of genin like you? You probably still have some money on you. A couple more times and we'll have ransacked you."

Hei Tu's eyes twitched upon hearing this.

Although I knew all along that the person in front of me would definitely be watching our group, is it really okay to say it so directly?

Little Nine-Tailed Fox continued, "Don't worry, as long as you don't resist, once the money is all taken, you're done. It'll just be a bit humiliating to search you one by one, but as long as you don't resist, I won't kill you before searching."

Little Nine-Tailed Fox gave a strange smile and said, "This is a hidden rule. I only told you this because you chatted with me for a while. The price is 20,000 taels."

"Huh? Hehe..."

Qian chuckled twice, and Heitu still gave him another 20,000 taels.

He then said, "Because we didn't expect you to be there at the beginning of the second exam, everyone was not well prepared, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kurama interrupted him.

"Don't talk about how much money I'll get once we're out. The rules set by that kid Yun don't allow it. If I want to rob you again after we're out, it'll be a war, otherwise it's definitely not allowed."

Upon hearing this, Heitu pondered for a moment.

After a pause, she smiled and said, "The exam should definitely be completed in the second exam. After the second exam, that life-or-death agreement will be invalid, so it's normal for Lord Nine-Tailed Fox to be worried about us..."

"The cooperation I'm referring to concerns you about the Konoha genin."

Konoha's genin? Those blond-haired brats, I guess.

Little Nine-Tailed Fox chuckled: "You think that just a few words from now on are enough to make your relationship with me surpass theirs?"

Kurotsuchi shook her head slightly: "Of course not, but judging from the encounter just now, the rules that Lord Yun set for you, Konoha and us must be different, right?"

"For example, they don't have a rule about paying for lives; if you're caught, you'll be imprisoned. Also, because they know more about the Nine-Tails than we do, they're much better prepared."

More adequate?

The little nine-tailed fox, resting its chin on its paw, asked, "Did they prepare a lot of money?"

Kurotsuchi nodded: "If you were to meet us again, we probably wouldn't even be able to scrape together 900,000 taels. But they're different. When Itachi Uchiha gave some hints, they were more likely to guess that you were in this examination hall."

"Given their understanding of you, they would have prepared a lot of money in the half hour before entry. However, they didn't expect that because of Lord Yun's rules, their money wouldn't have any effect."

Little Nine-Tailed Fox nodded: "Even if they have prepared a lot of money, I can't rob them. That's the rule too. The only way I can get some money is through you guys."

Hei Tu shook his head slightly.

"You arrested them, and then, out of friendship among the five villages, we felt it wasn't right for them to be eliminated like this, so we launched a rescue operation. But the rescue was certainly not free..."

"Although the rescue ultimately failed, we still need to collect the money. We were relentlessly pursued by you all day, so we had no choice but to hand over all our money to you..."

"Lord Kurama, do you think this is reasonable?"

As Kurotsuchi spoke, the little nine-tailed fox's vertical pupils grew brighter and brighter.

Yup!

Although I can't rob them myself, I can take the genin from Iwagakure and Kirigakure!

Thinking of this, the Nine-Tailed Fox smiled kindly at Kurotsuchi.

Their eyes met, and for a moment they both burst into laughter.

"I like you, little girl from Iwagakure! You're smart and don't cheat foxes, much better than those bastards from the Nara clan."

Kurotsuchi bowed slightly: "Actually, I imagine that if you, Lord Kurama, could take down Team 7, there would be some special benefits, wouldn't there?"

The Nine-Tails chuckled, "From 50/50 to 30/70, hehe! If those three brats hadn't had their powers sealed, I'd actually be a little worried, especially Hinata. Her power is so great, it could knock half my body out. One punch and she'd be knocked unconscious..."

The Nine-Tails swallowed back what it was about to say, and looked at Kurotsuchi with a dangerous glint in its eyes.

Under that gaze, Kurotsuchi quickly replied, "What did you just say? You wiped them all out with a single punch? Lord Kurama is truly amazing! No wonder you're the strongest tailed beast!"

The little nine-tailed fox laughed arrogantly, patting the black soil with its paw: "You're a good girl, I agree to this collaboration!"

Hearing this, Heitu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If cooperation can be achieved, then the advantage will be on our side.

Uchiha Yun's decision to include Kurama in the second exam was an unexpected turn of events for everyone.

Although it is more demanding for Konoha's genin, it requires that one's own people be smart enough to gain this advantage.

Otherwise, it would be like before, where even though the rules of Konoha were stricter, the Nine-Tails' unexpectedness was still exploited by the opponent, and even saved their teammates.

……

"Currently, our five teams are having good luck with their scrolls. We've already managed to form two sets of Heaven and Earth scrolls, meaning we're still missing two sets and one Earth scroll."

Shikamaru looked at Neji and said, "How's the recovery going? It might seem a bit heartless, but we really need to gather the scrolls and head to the tower as soon as possible."

Neji shook his head: "We're fine, we can fight. But it's only the second day, right? Is it really that urgent?"

Sasuke chimed in, "If the other side is smart enough, they should already be making contact with the Nine-Tails."

"Most of our Team 7's power has been sealed. We probably have no chance against a Tailed Beast."

Naruto was taken aback: "The little Nine-Tails will help them?"

Shikamaru nodded: "Naruto, how much money have you prepared?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto took out his wallet, counted the money, and then took out a large wad of change from his backpack.

"Because of the final bidding, quite a lot was made, 500,000 taels."

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a puzzled expression: "Didn't you complain about being broke after the dinner? How come you suddenly have so much money again?"

"Huh? Haha..."

Naruto scratched his head and chuckled, but didn't dare say anything.

Shikamaru then asked a few other people.

As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, perhaps due to the combination of her Tenseigan and her appetite, she always carries 500,000 ryo in her wallet.

Another outrageous thing is that Tian Tian, ​​who was kidnapped once, actually had two million taels of silver.

This situation made Shikamaru swallow hard: "The Nine-Tails didn't steal you, so it seems this is one of the rules."

Tian Tian scratched his head: "At that time, Master Nine-Tailed Fox was indeed a little emotional, but he was still quite restrained."

Neji understood a bit more at this point: "So, the other party will persuade Lord Kurama to join forces with them because of this money, right? If they can't rob us, then it's in accordance with the rules if we get robbed by Iwagakure and Kirigakure and they take it back."

Shikamaru nodded: "That's true."

On the other side, Xiao Li rummaged through his pockets and found he was penniless.

He then laughed and said, "So, does that mean I'm safe? Hahaha! I don't have a single penny!"

Sai smiled and said, "But because of Tenten, I suppose Lord Kurama will think the three of you are the richest, right? For example, what if you hide? If you get caught, won't Iwagakure torture you severely?"

Uh!

Xiao Li looked dejected.

After thinking for a moment, Sasuke asked Shikamaru, "What if we throw all our money away and let Kurama find it?"

Shikamaru shook his head with a wry smile: "Compared to the ninjas from other villages, we definitely know more about the Nine-Tails, but compared to Brother Yun, he definitely knows more."

"If I'm not mistaken, Brother Yun will definitely come to wait for Little Nine-Tailed Fox as the exam nears its end. How much money we get depends on whether it can catch us."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's eye twitched.

Doing this... they really have confidence in us!

I don't know whether to feel frustrated or proud.

At this moment, the mice made of ink wash returned.

Sai smiled and looked into the distant jungle: "Someone's coming, carrying a big gourd. The One-Tailed Jinchuriki of Iwagakure."

Shikamaru's gaze sharpened: "How far?"

"Nearly one kilometer."

Neji didn't need to be reminded; he simply activated his Byakugan and looked over.

Karin and Hinata were focused on the Nine-Tails and the villages of Iwagakure and Kirigakure, so they didn't notice the reconnaissance in the other direction. This part was left to Sai and the reconnaissance team.

"Chirp chirp chirp..."

Another batch of mice returned, but this time before Sai could speak, Neji said directly, "They've left, but it seems they've already discovered us. Did they not come directly because of the number of people?"

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief, but also frowned.

The One-Tailed Jinchuriki is also a perfect Jinchuriki, just like Naruto, able to control the power of the Tailed Beast.

In this situation, since most of Class 7's power has been sealed, the opponent shouldn't be so cautious.

but……

I remember that the Jinchūriki seemed to have an unusual relationship with Brother Yun. If the other party was also guessing Brother Yun's intentions, then that could be explained.

Do the fifteen people on our side really have enough power to fight against the Nine-Tails?

……

"Did you find something, Gaara?"

"The people of Konoha."

"Shall we try and test the waters?"

"All the new recruits for this year's Chunin Exams in Konoha have gathered, and there's another class with a total of fifteen people."

"I heard that the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki can't use the Nine-Tails' power, so we should have a chance too, right?"

"If they truly lack the power to turn the tide, do you think this is Lord Yun's objective?"

In short, Temari and Masaki looked at each other from behind.

Since his father passed away, Gaara has changed a lot and has started to think about many more things.

……

As darkness fell, Gaara raised his hand, and all three of them stopped in their tracks.

The next moment, an eyeball made of sand floated to Gaara's side.

"This is my sincerity, and it also shows that I have discovered your tricks."

As soon as the words were spoken, three figures landed.

Omoi, chewing on a lollipop, looked at Gaara: "This is really troublesome... I just wanted to get through this exam safely."

Karui, standing to the side, also looked at the three: "The relationship between Sunagakure and Konoha, and your relationship with that person seem quite close, so what is your purpose in seeking us out...?"

Gaara remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know either."

? ? ? ×5

Not only Karui and his two companions, but also Temari and Masaki were stunned by this answer.

Gaara shook his head slightly: "I haven't really figured out why I'm looking for you yet. After all, it concerns the future of a village. I've made up my mind, but I'm still hesitant."

"The situation in Kumogakure and Sunagakure is not much different. The Fourth Kazekage is dead, and the Fifth Raikage is the same. It seems that we have lost the power to fight for it."

Karui frowned slightly: "It's good that you understand. This is also what Omoi and I planned."

Gaara replied, "The Kage of Iwagakure and Kirigakure are still here. They haven't yet experienced the feeling of despair, so they still dare to fight."

"But we are different. The so-called spark of the future will only work if there is a future. If there is no future, then the spark is just nonsense."

Omoi, standing to the side, was somewhat irritated: "So what exactly do you want to do? Let me make this clear first, we're not going to team up with Iwagakure and Kirigakure. They might not be a match for Konoha's genin."

Gaara nodded: "Then... how about we join forces? If we can reach an agreement, whether or not we take action is up to each of us. Let's see what they do first, and then we'll make our own plans."

Karui remained silent for a long time.

"Should we send those guys to test the waters first? If it doesn't work out, so be it; but if it does..."

Gaara nodded: "Lord Yun... is actually quite easy to talk to sometimes."

Uh!

……

Three days later, the second exam was coming to an end.

Once the hidden rules were figured out, everyone had their own strategy for the second exam.

Shikamaru and the others were anxious to gather the Heaven and Earth Scroll, while Kurotsuchi, after failing to intercept the Nine-Tails twice, realized that the other side must have a powerful sensory ninja.

So, after some persuasion, Little Nine-Tailed Fox settled down near the tower, while Kurotsuchi led people to search for scrolls everywhere.

In the end, the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Mist Village naturally didn't have enough scrolls, but they didn't care.

The purpose of collecting the scrolls is to stall Shikamaru and the others; it doesn't matter if some of them are eliminated.

This approach has indeed worked; as of now, the 15-person team is still missing a Heavenly Scroll.

As for Gaara and Karui's two teams, they were complete after Gaara took a scroll. They also hid near the tower, relying on Gaara's Eyes of Sand and his senses to avoid the Nine-Tails.

After finding money for no reason multiple times, Nine-Tailed Fox finally understood.

After all, he was the half-human jinchūriki of that stupid tanuki at home, so they didn't go all the way to kill him, since they probably didn't have any money left.

As for the other small ninja village squads, they have all been wiped out under the attack from three sides.

That's basically the situation.

After Shikamaru finished speaking, he looked at everyone and said, "We're still missing the Heavenly Scroll. If everyone wants to pass, we have to challenge Accelerator."

"According to Karin's senses, Sunagakure and Kumogakure have also joined forces. With a perfect Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast, our chances of winning are actually not very high either."

Sasuke, standing nearby, frowned deeply: "So we still have no choice but to confront them head-on, choosing Sunagakure and Kumogakure as our targets?"

Shikamaru replied, "No. The attitudes of Sunagakure and Kumogakure are still ambiguous, but the Nine-Tails and the Hidden Stone and Mist Villages definitely want us all eliminated."

"If we engage in combat with Sunagakure and Kumogakure and fail to eliminate the One-Tailed Jinchuriki in a short time, we will be caught in a pincer attack."

At that moment, Neji stepped out.

"It was because of us in the first place that some things were exposed. You're just one reel away from elimination, but we can still help you hold them off."

Shino calmly said, "If Sasuke and Karin join forces, it's not impossible to control the One-Tailed Jinchuriki in a short time... but the risk is too great, the risk of total annihilation."

Sai smiled and said, "All the enemies' target is Team 7... We can accept being eliminated next year, but if we let them succeed..."

"Although I don't know how it will turn out, it should be related to the village's strategy, right? Or perhaps Lord Yun's strategy?"

He stood up abruptly, stroking the dog's teeth: "Let Naruto and the others take the scroll to the tower. We can't let those bastards succeed!"

Qu Gen also said, "Let's hold them off. The village and Lord Yun's strategy cannot be lost, and they will have to pay a price."

At this moment, Naruto, who had been frowning, spoke up.

"Perhaps... Brother Yun's confidence comes from me?"

Shikamaru looked over in an instant.

This was something he had never been able to understand, because if the opponent could react in time and he would inevitably lose, that would be too unfair.

……

(I've been experiencing some throbbing in my left chest for the past couple of days. It's not pain, but a tight, throbbing sensation. Damn, I'm a little scared.)

(End of this chapter)