"Let me handle the Nine-Tails from the Hidden Mist Village!" Sasuke declared, directly choosing the Nine-Tails. Naruto opened his mouth he had originally wanted to face the Nine-Tails himself. The Nine-Tails within Naruto was also curious to see what its counterpart from another timeline looked like.
But as Naruto opened his mouth, about to speak, Shikamaru, standing beside him, nodded decisively and turned to him.
"Naruto, you should take care of the Seven-Tails."
"Why?" Naruto was confused. Why was he being relegated to only handling the Seven-Tails?
"You're the Hokage of Konoha. Can you just leave the village so easily?" Shikamaru reasoned. "Especially in this unique situation. The Seven-Tails is right here in the Land of Fire. After capturing it, you can return much faster."
Hearing this, Naruto wasn't entirely pleased, but Shikamaru continued, "What if some special situation arises in Konoha? Or what if another powerful figure from the past suddenly appears in the village? If the Hokage isn't present, who will protect Konoha?"
Alright, that was an argument Naruto couldn't refuse. He could only nod helplessly, agreeing with Shikamaru's logic.
Seeing Naruto rendered speechless, the First Hokage chuckled.
"Then the Eight-Tails..."
"I will deal with the Eight-Tails!" Indra interjected.
While the First Hokage was still processing, Madara, beside him, spoke up immediately, "Leave the Six-Tails to me!"
Well then! The Tailed Beasts with the higher number of tails were all claimed by them.
Ashura glanced at Hashirama. The only ones left were the Five-Tails and the Three-Tails. Both beasts were in Iwagakure; it was indeed suitable for the two of them to go there together.
As for the Four-Tails and the Two-Tails: Kakashi and White Fang would handle the Two-Tails, while Itachi and Neji would take care of the Four-Tails.
Essentially, all the Tailed Beasts had been assigned.
But there was still one more matter.
Shikamaru looked at everyone.
"At this stage, the Allied Shinobi Villages still exist. If you all go directly, it might cause some trouble!"
"So, if possible, I suggest each of you lead a Genin team, entering the territories of other villages under the guise of carrying out a mission!"
"This way, capturing the Tailed Beasts will be much more convenient!"
"And by bringing Genin teams, the other villages won't have any grounds for complaint."
Capturing Tailed Beasts with a Genin team? Did the shinobi world even have such a configuration for capturing Tailed Beasts? But who could argue, given how many Kage-level shinobi Konoha currently possessed?
Whether it was Hashirama, Madara, Ashura, or Indra, news about them likely hadn't spread yet. The other villages wouldn't know their true identities and would just see them as ordinary Jonin leading Genin teams. Even if they were suspicious, they couldn't possibly suspect they were hunting Tailed Beasts. A single Jonin leading three Genin to capture a Tailed Beast? Wasn't that just suicide?
Unless it was someone like Naruto, the Hokage.
But Konoha only had one Naruto. Of course, Sasuke might attract attention. After all, during the Chunin Exams, Sasuke had single-handedly fought against the Otsutsuki clan and was also known for having defeated Naruto in the past. He was indeed quite conspicuous.
But Sasuke just needed a little disguise.
"Sasuke, your situation is rather unique. Many people throughout the shinobi world still remember your name," Shikamaru advised. "So, for this operation, you'll need to disguise yourself."
"No problem." Sasuke nodded. He didn't want to make a big scene going into the Hidden Mist Village either. What if that guy Ao managed to escape? A disguise was essential.
"You can disguise yourself as the supervising Jonin of Team 7, Konohamaru!"
Konohamaru?
Sasuke paused for a moment. Konohamaru Sarutobi?
Team 7 again?
Was this intentional or...?
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who gave a helpless, wry smile.
"Sasuke, I can only feel at ease entrusting Boruto to you. Please, help me look after Boruto!"
Alright! It seemed it was indeed a special arrangement, but it stemmed from a father's love for his son, hoping nothing would happen to him. Sasuke could understand that sentiment. Genin were required to cooperate in this operation, and even the Hokage's son couldn't be granted an exception not to participate. But by participating, the Hokage could still provide some advantages for his son.
"Don't worry! Boruto will be safe with me!"
"That's good!"
"When do we depart?"
"We'll leave tomorrow afternoon," Shikamaru stated. "By the time you all leave the Land of Fire's border, it should be around dusk. Nighttime is perfect for traveling."
This arrangement was excellent.
Sasuke nodded. "Alright! Let's head out tomorrow afternoon then!"
"Right, before that, you should all probably go meet the Genin teams you'll be responsible for!"
This was naturally necessary. Indra and Ashura, in particular, were curious about these Genin teams. A product of this era, perhaps! A group of young kid ninjas... quite interesting.
After everyone had left, Shikamaru chuckled. "Using these Kage-level... no, more accurately, beyond-Kage-level shinobi to lead Genin teams... this will be the opportunity of a lifetime for those kids!"
"Let's hope these youngsters seize it!"
Naruto smiled faintly. "The prerequisite is whether these legends even deem the Genin kids worthy of their attention!"
Certainly, Hashirama, Madara, Indra, and Ashura were all supreme powerhouses.
But!
Their standards were extraordinarily high. How could ordinary Genin possibly catch their eye?
Still, it was worth a try. If these kids could learn even a single technique or half a move from them, they would benefit immensely for their entire lives. At the same time, Konoha's new generation would become even more promising. This was a little scheme hatched by Shikamaru and Naruto.
As for Sasuke meeting the new era's Team 7, he didn't need to go anywhere special. Itachi informed him that Team 7 was gathering at his home. Sasuke just needed to go back to meet all of them.
Sasuke had already met the members of this Team 7 before: Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki.
Speaking of whom, Sasuke actually held Mitsuki in high regard. Exceptionally gifted, and his body's potential was also immense. If he trained diligently, becoming a super shinobi proficient in all Five Natures wouldn't be too difficult in the future. Moreover, with his innate Sage Transformation ability, Mitsuki's chakra would become considerably vast, potentially reaching a level comparable to a Tailed Beast.
Back at the Uchiha residence.
Sasuke pushed open the door. Mita was busy preparing various pastries. The three kids sitting in the living room were enjoying the treats.
Hearing the door open, the three immediately stood up.
"Uncle Sasuke!" Sarada called out, her voice a little soft and tinged with embarrassment.
Boruto, beside her, had eyes shining brightly. Finally, a chance to interact with Sasuke himself! The man even stronger than his own dad. He absolutely had to become his disciple.
Sasuke glanced at the three. "Finish eating and meet me in the backyard!"
"Before we leave, let's get acquainted. You all understand what this mission entails, right?"
The three nodded. They had already been briefed before. Naruto had also spoken to Boruto privately.
Sasuke went directly to the yard. The three kids stopped eating immediately and followed him out, looking quite eager.
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