Inside the briefing hall of the Grass Village, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
Negishi Kusanagi, the newly appointed leader of the Independence Faction, sat at the head of the table with a dark, grim expression. Below him, the surviving ninjas gathered in small clusters, whispering urgently among themselves.
"It's already been two days."
"He still hasn't co back."
"I told you from the start—borrowing a Tailed Beast? It's completely a scam."
"What do we do now? Konoha and Iwagakure are already preparing to deploy their armies. We're dead at..."
"Should we just run for it?"
"Run? Where to? The entire shinobi world is watching us right now. The mont we step outside, we'll beco sitting ducks!"
"Even that is better than waiting around here to die!"
The argunts grew louder and louder, rapidly spiraling out of control.
SLAM!
Negishi Kusanagi struck the table heavily. The room instantly fell silent, every eye shifting toward him.
"Before Shiraki left, he explicitly told us to wait for his return. Until he gets back, no one is permitted to leave."
"But Leader..."
"No buts," Kusanagi said, fixing his gaze on the dissenting ninja. "If you want to walk out that door right now, I won't stop you. But the absolute second you step outside, you are no longer a ninja of the Grass Village. Whether you live or die after that has nothing to do with ."
The ninja opened his mouth to reply, but ultimately lost his nerve and didn't dare move.
Right at that mont, a sudden commotion echoed from outside the doors.
The gathered crowd turned in unison as the heavy doors slid open. A distinct silhouette stepped into the threshold, flanked closely by a young, red-haired girl.
Shiraki—or rather, Abura Shisui operating under his warti alias—walked smoothly into the briefing hall, casting a calm eye across the room.
"So, everyone is here."
One of the ninjas couldn't hold back and blurted out: "Shiraki! You claid you went to borrow a Tailed Beast. Well? Did you actually get it?"
"I got it."
"You got it? Where is it then? Pull it out and show us," a Jonin replied in a mocking tone. From his posture, it was clear he didn't believe a single word.
Shisui offered no verbal reply. He simply turned on his heel and walked back toward the exit. "Follow ."
The ninjas exchanged skeptical glances, but despite their lingering disbelief, they systematically filed out behind him.
The clearing outside the village.
Several hundred Grass ninjas converged on the open field, their collective gaze locked tightly onto Shisui. Standing at the dead center of the clearing, he reached behind his back and unrolled a massive summoning scroll.
Biting his thumb to draw blood, his fingers blurred through a sequence of hand signs before he slamd both palms heavily against the earth: "Summoning Jutsu!"
BOOM!
A massive cloud of white smoke erupted across the field. The exact fraction of a second the smoke drifted away, every single person present sucked in a sharp, terrified breath.
It was the Seven-Tails, Choi.
Six massive, iridescent wings fanned slowly, their purple armor plating glinting brilliantly under the sunlight. Her golden, multifaceted compound eyes looked down upon the gathered crowd with a mixture of curiosity and playful amusent.
"Hello there, everyone!"
The Seven-Tails spoke, her voice remarkably crisp and clear. "My na is Choi, but you can all call Lucky Seven!"
Staring up at the colossal, towering entity, the gathered ninjas were completely dumbfounded, frozen like statues where they stood.
Silence. A heavy, deathly silence blanketed the clearing.
"A-A Tailed Beast! Quick, run for your lives!"
"The monster spoke!"
"It... it can actually speak human language!"
The crowd instantly erupted into absolute chaos. So ninjas felt their legs buckle as they collapsed to their knees, others spun around in a desperate bid to flee, while a few drew their kunai with hands trembling in pure terror.
Right then, Choi peered up at the clear blue sky, her mood exceptionally bright. Having been sealed away in darkness for so long, she felt an intense urge to spread her wings and soar.
However, even the gentle, casual flap of her massive wings unleashed a violent surge of wind pressure across the clearing. The ninjas standing closest to her were instantly sent tumbling head over heels across the dirt.
They scread in panic: "Disaster! The Tailed Beast is going on a rampage!"
"Run!"
"Wait, don't run! If we scatter now, we're finished! We can only stand a chance if we combine our forces to fight!"
Yet, amidst the absolute bedlam, Shisui calmly walked directly to Choi's side. He reached out an arm, gently stroking the massive snout she willingly lowered toward him.
The crowd fell dead silent once more. They watched in sheer disbelief as the legendary engine of destruction leaned into the man's palm, nuzzling against his hand like an affectionate pet.
"How is this possible... how can a Tailed Beast be so docile around a human?"
Shisui turned around, facing the thoroughly stunned shinobi. "A Tailed Beast is not so mindless natural disaster. Just like humans, they possess their own intellect and their own complex emotions. Choi has a wonderful personality; as long as you do not actively provoke her, she will not harm a single soul."
Standing right behind him, Choi nodded her massive head in agreent: "Yes, yes, exactly! I don't eat humans, and I don't like fighting. I only get angry because those people always lock up without a word and never bother to listen to what I'm saying."
The ninjas exchanged bewildered glances. Was this truly what a Tailed Beast was like?
Shisui gently patted Choi's head. "Go on and play. When you're tired, you can head back to the Sacred Land."
Choi's golden eyes lit up. "Wonderful!"
With a powerful flap of her wings, the Seven-Tails launched herself into the sky, her massive silhouette carving through the clouds. She darted through the atmosphere, occasionally diving and looping in elegant patterns, letting out joyful, resonant cries.
The crowd stood rooted to the spot, staring up blankly at the sky. That was a Tailed Beast—a legendary cataclysm—yet right now, it was soaring through the air like a perfectly happy bird.
Shisui retracted his gaze, turning his attention back to the gathered ninjas. "Now then. Does anyone else still doubt whether I successfully borrowed the Tailed Beast?"
No one questioned him, and no one harbored any further thoughts of fleeing the village.
After all, the Grass Village had officially beco a power backed by a Tailed Beast—and more importantly, they could perfectly deploy its strength without even requiring a Jinchuriki host. What other village in the current shinobi world could boast such a feat?
However, a new concern quickly surfaced. A Tailed Beast worked perfectly as a strategic deterrent, but how were they supposed to fight on the front lines when the war actually broke out?
Regarding this point, Shisui was naturally fully prepared. He unrolled the massive summoning scroll across the ground before them.
"This is the official contract scroll for the Dragonfly Sacred Land. From among your ranks, I will personally select one hundred individuals to beco the vanguard Dragonfly Users."
Forming another rapid sequence of hand signs, a series of compact smoke bursts manifested in the air. As the haze cleared, dozens of hovering dragonflies erged.
They varied drastically in size; the smallest were re hand-spans long, while the largest boasted a wingspan stretching well over two ters, their erald wings vibrating against the air with a distinct, sharp hum.
"These dragonflies can be considered descendants of Choi. They possess high intelligence, can comprehend complex commands, and share a ntal link with their contractors. However, not just anyone can sign this pact. To beco a Dragonfly User, you must first earn their individual recognition."
A ninja raised his hand from the crowd. "Lord Shiraki, once we forge a contract with these dragonflies, what exactly can we do in battle?"
Shisui explained smoothly: "An exceptional number of things."
He signaled the largest erald dragonfly to descend, stepping lightly onto its hardened back. The creature fanned its wings, launching into the air to carry him through a series of precise, low-altitude banking maneuvers.
"Reconnaissance, aerial combat, high-speed transit, and synchronized elental jutsu—as long as you can conceptualize it, they can achieve it."
Shisui touched back down on the grass, facing the awestruck crowd. "Furthermore, the Dragonfly Sacred Land possesses a specialized secret technique—Insect-Human Fusion.
Once you master this style, you can briefly rge your form with your dragonfly, granting you independent flight capabilities and access to their unique, high-yield Wind Style jutsu."
The eyes of every ninja present widened to their absolute limits. Flight—that was an ability that countless shinobi dread of their entire lives.
"However," Shisui's tone shifted into a serious note, "to master these arts, you must undergo exceptionally rigorous training. Over the coming days, I will oversee your instruction personally to weed out the unsuitable and select the final core vanguard."
"As for those who are filtered out, do not lose heart. It simply ans your physical constitution isn't a natural match for the contract, not that you lack capability as a shinobi."
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