After the Konoha Summit ended, all the shinobi became busy.
The matters discussed at the conference were extensive and directly affected their lives.
But the most pressing task was undoubtedly the construction of the nine great cities.
The locations had already been pre-selected.
Using distance and territorial boundaries as criteria, the shinobi world was divided into nine regions.
Each of the Five Great Nations would have one city, while the remaining four cities were assigned to the Land of Demons, the Land of Rain, the Land of Hot Water, and the Land of Tea.
The specific names of the cities had yet to be finalized, so they were temporarily referred to as "City" followed by their respective nations.
For instance, the city in the Land of Rain was simply called City of Rain.
The same naming convention applied to the others.
Before construction could begin, however, there was another important task; extracting the nine Tailed Beasts.
Shinho took a sip of water as he pondered.
Samui stood silently in front of the Hokage's desk, awaiting his command.
After the summit, Konan had taken over from Shinho in managing the distribution of the nine shinobi army divisions.
All major shinobi villages, including Konoha, would have their ninjas reassigned.
Thus, which clan and which shinobi would be assigned to which division was an important decision.
Konan and the nine division leaders were currently discussing this matter.
Meanwhile, Mabui represented Konoha in meetings with the other Kage and village leaders.
Her main task was to inform them about the relocation process.
This included the families of herself, Samui, and the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.
However, they would be moving to City of Fire instead of City of Lightning, as they were Hokage's secretaries.
Shinho raised his head and, after a brief pause, said,
"Go inform the Sealing Corps to prepare for the extraction of the Tailed Beasts tomorrow."
"We'll start with Killer Bee."
A flicker of hesitation appeared on Samui's face.
"Is there a problem?"
Shinho raised an eyebrow, turning on his chair.
"Kumogakure has a request."
Samui took a deep bow and said,
"Can the Eight-Tails be assigned to oversee City of Lightning?"
"That won't be an issue."
Shinho's gaze dropped slightly, settling into the depths of the valley as he spoke.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Samui quietly exhaled in relief.
This was, in fact, Killer Bee's request.
As a perfect Jinchūriki, his bond with the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, was unparalleled.
Since he could not prevent the extraction, this was the next best arrangement.
Samui straightened and noticed Shinho's gaze on her.
Almost instinctively, she reached up and unbuttoned the top of her blouse.
Due to gravity, more of her fair skin became exposed.
Shinho's eyes narrowed slightly.
As expected of an excellent Hokage secretary.
She certainly knew how to read him in particular.
"You have to maintain your appearance in front of outsiders."
Shinho said in a serious tone.
"Yes."
Samui's face flushed slightly.
She understood the underlying meaning behind his words.
He was not an outsider.
Which meant, he can do whatever he wants with her.
"Once the Tailed Beast extraction is complete, you and Mabui can take a week off."
Shinho reciprocated her gesture with his own form of appreciation.
Or rather, perhaps it was the other way around, his appreciation came first.
After all, Samui was like a ripe peach, second only to Tsunade.
Though not entirely ripe yet, still a youthful blossom.
"The extraction site will be in the open plains outside Konoha Forest. Tomorrow morning at eight, I will personally oversee it."
Shinho thought for a moment and said.
The clearing outside Konoha Forest was vast enough to accommodate the Tailed Beasts.
His presence was mainly to maintain order.
After all, most of the Tailed Beasts had unruly temperaments.
There was another reason as well.
If anything went wrong during the extraction and a Jinchūriki was at risk, he could personally intervene to save them.
Once the Eight-Tails extraction was complete, he wouldn't need to personally oversee the others.
At that point, the task could be left to the Sealing Corps or the Uchiha Clan.
"Understood."
Samui's usual cold demeanor returned.
"I'll make the necessary arrangements immediately."
She turned to leave but suddenly paused at the doorway.
Samui lowered her head and glanced at her unbuttoned blouse.
She reached up and fastened it again, concealing her exposed skin.
The pristine white blouse once again fit snugly, appearing as if it could barely contain its burden.
At times, Samui felt burdened by it.
But at this moment, she saw it as an advantage.
Shinho watched her disappear through the door.
He withdrew his gaze and stretched lazily.
Once the Tailed Beasts were extracted, the rest of the work would proceed systematically, requiring minimal oversight from him.
He would then be free to focus on his seclusion.
By his estimation, with the assistance of the Third Watch Gu and White Cloud Cushion Gu, he would need about a month.
That was not a particularly long time.
Shinobi missions often lasted several months, or even over a year.
Besides, his seclusion was not a complete detachment from worldly affairs.
He could still check in occasionally.
The only potential complication was his new three students.
After thinking for a moment, Shinho decided to have Shizune train them for a month.
As a medical-nin and a jōnin, she was more than capable of instructing them.
…
The Next Day;
At precisely eight in the morning.
The shinobi of Kumogakure stood on the plains outside Konoha Forest, their expressions heavy with concern.
"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."
Killer Bee grinned. "I already talked to Gyūki. Even if the extraction fails, it has a way to keep me alive."
"That's good to hear."
The Fourth Raikage's expression, however, remained grim.
These past days, he hadn't been in a good mood at all.
After all, they were now under someone else's rule.
With his explosive temper, if it weren't for the people and shinobi of Kumogakure, he would rather die than surrender.
"Are you the only ones who know about this method?"
Mabui suddenly asked.
"Of course."
Killer Bee was slightly confused. "Why do you ask?"
"I never quite understood why the Hokage wanted to start the extraction process with you."
Mabui spoke in a serious tone. "But now, it seems possible that he knows you won't die."
"Impossible!"
Killer Bee rejected the idea without hesitation.
"It's possible."
Samui remained calm. "Lord Hokage has no reason to target Kumogakure specifically."
If Shinho truly wanted to kill Killer Bee, he wouldn't need to wait until now or use such a complicated method.
"Hey!"
Yugito Nii scowled in displeasure. "Why are you two defending that bastard, calling him 'Lord Hokage' every time?"
Samui pursed her lips and fell into silence.
Lately, she had begun to change her view of Shinho.
Even though she was well aware that he was an enemy.
"Keep your voice down."
Mabui glanced at the Sealing Corps in the distance. "We must be careful with our words in Konoha."
"Hmph, I'm not afraid of him anyway!"
Yugito Nii snorted.
"You can say whatever you want in private, but don't say it to his face."
Mabui understood her personality and didn't try to stop her, just gaving her a reminder.
Yugito Nii's face was full of dissatisfaction.
She was about to retort when she noticed Shinho approaching.
She opened her mouth but, in the end, said nothing.
"Lord Hokage."
The members of the Sealing Corps bowed respectfully.
The shinobi of Kumogakure followed suit, though the Fourth Raikage did so begrudgingly, while Yugito was visibly resentful.
That cat really needed some discipline.
"Let's begin."
Shinho glanced at her, nodded, and gave the order.
"Yes, sir!"
The Sealing Corps moved to the center of the open field.
Killer Bee took a deep breath as they encircled him.
The Fourth Raikage, Yugito Nii, and the other Kumogakure shinobi stood at a distance, watching with expressions ranging from solemn to anxious.
Samui and Mabui, as Hokage's secretaries, stood on either side of Shinho.
Yet their emotions mirrored those of the Raikage and the others.
"What were you talking about just now?"
Shinho asked casually.
The process of extracting a Tailed Beast was quite intricate.
The Sealing Corps was still engraving the sealing formulas on the ground, so there was still some time before the procedure could begin.
"Uh?"
Mabui was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.
"We were discussing whether Lord Hokage already knew how Eight-Tails' could ensure Bee's survival."
Samui answered directly.
Mabui instinctively turned to her.
Was this really something they should be saying out loud?
What was going on?
"I did know."
Shinho admitted openly.
"Y-You… How did you?"
Mabui couldn't help but ask.
Even they had only just learned about it.
Unless Killer Bee had betrayed them, there was no way Shinho should have known.
But would an Eight-Tails Jinchūriki betray them?
That was obviously impossible.
"It's a secret."
Shinho chuckled lightly.
"…"
Mabui hesitated, wanting to say more but ultimately staying silent.
In her mind, Shinho's mysterious and unfathomable nature deepened yet again.
Combined with his overwhelming strength, she felt as though she might never be able to escape his looming shadow.
Shinho turned his head slightly and glanced at Samui.
Obedient, huh?
He had been considering punishing her a little if she refused to speak.
But now that wasn't necessary.
Hmm.
If punishment was unnecessary, what about a reward?
Shinho fell into thought.
Samui caught his gaze and felt a slight tremor in her heart.
For a brief moment, even Killer Bee's survival was pushed to the back of her mind.
Until a sharp cry of pain rang out through the surroundings.
Shinho lifted his head and raised an eyebrow.
The Sealing Corps had just removed the seal on Killer Bee's abdomen.
A massive surge of chakra erupted from within.
The scene resembledquite a bit like a C section.
The chakra continued to expand, gradually forming the shape of the Eight-Tails, Gyūki.
Boom!
The ground trembled slightly.
For the first time in years, the Eight-Tails was freed from its Jinchūriki's prison.
But it did not feel joy.
Because it was simply moving from one small prison to a slightly larger one.
It was still not truly free.
And… it actually liked Killer Bee.
It wasn't too keen on parting ways.
Gyūki instinctively turned its gaze toward Shinho.
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