Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

Zixu quickly located Karin with his perception, and she sensed him as well. The two would soon meet, leaving Rosinante with the unfortunate task of finding Jiraiya.

After all, Jiraiya was not the kind of man to sit in an office handling village affairs. The cage of power could never hold down a wandering dragon.

---

"Karin, why are you here?" Zixu asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Hey, I'm just gathering information," Karin said casually, moving closer to Zixu. She quickly reported the intelligence she had gathered.

"Hmm... It seems Konoha hasn't changed much, but I refuse to believe that Danzo hasn't been up to something behind the scenes," Zixu muttered, his eyes narrowing.

He knew better than to underestimate Konoha's development—especially after inheriting Sarutobi Hiruzen's memories. With that knowledge, he became extremely wary of the largest village in the ninja world.

Danzo had been experimenting with Sharingan and First Hokage cells for a long time. Most of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan—after their massacre—had been seized by the old schemer.

Speaking of Sharingan, one name immediately came to Zixu's mind: Uchiha Shisui.

The wielder of Kotoamatsukami, the most powerful genjutsu ever conceived. This technique could rewrite a person's will without their knowledge, turning them into the caster's puppet.

Although Shisui was said to have committed suicide and destroyed his own eyes, Zixu was certain that Danzo had already seized one of them.

"Still... Kotoamatsukami has a long cooldown. I wonder if he's already used it..." Zixu muttered warily.

Danzo was the type to strike from the shadows. It wouldn't be surprising if Kotoamatsukami had already been used.

"Orochimaru? Uzumaki Naruto? Both are possible targets..." he speculated.

However, since Kotoamatsukami was virtually impossible to defend against, Zixu could only choose to keep his distance from anyone suspicious.

"Whatever. I'll deal with this later."

He glanced around at the familiar village. It had been a long time since he'd returned to Konoha—the place where his dream began.

He let out a faint sigh.

"It's just too bad that Aburame Hatsuizumi and Hyuga Chinano aren't here..." he murmured nostalgically.

---

"You calling us?" a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

Zixu's eyes widened slightly. The voice belonged to Hatsuizumi.

"Sorry for disturbing your alone time," another voice added, colder and more reserved. Even without turning around, Zixu knew it was Hyuga Chinano.

"You... why are you here?!" Karin blurted out in disbelief.

Her eyes widened in shock. She had asked these two before if they were coming, and they both said no.

She had felt relieved back then, but now? This was unfair! They were cheating! She deserved a rematch!

"What's the problem? Our family lived in Konoha before," Hatsuizumi retorted, pushing up his glasses.

"We're just here to see how things are going. Besides, this is a good opportunity to collect some insects. What's wrong with that?"

Zixu, who had been quietly listening, suddenly perked up at Hatsuizumi's mention of insects.

As if a trigger word had been activated, he patted Hatsuizumi's head and grinned.

"Good, good. Well done! You're absolutely right—coming to Konoha is like coming home. There's no need to be so formal. Take whatever you want. Don't hold back!"

"Don't be shy, Chinano," Zixu added with a smirk.

"Why bother using Rosinante's power to dispel the Caged Bird Curse when we can just knock out Hyuga Hiashi and take him away instead?"

Zixu's expression turned mischievous. He casually plotted a kidnapping scheme, treating it like a child's game.

"A thief never leaves empty-handed," he said slyly. "Might as well take advantage of him."

To Zixu's disappointment, the Soul Reaper had grown timid. After being captured by Zixu once, it had learned its lesson and refused to appear, even when Shikigami Fūjin was used. Otherwise, this whole plan would have been much easier.

---

"...No need for that right now," Hyuga Chinano said, her tone exasperated.

She crossed her arms, clearly disapproving of Zixu's over-the-top idea.

"Let's just relax for now. We'll deal with Konoha later. There will be plenty of opportunities."

Even Chinano, who despised Hyuga Hiashi, found Zixu's kidnapping proposal too bold.

After all, they had only just set up a trap to kidnap the Hyuga princess, Hinata.

Now, he was suggesting they kidnap the clan head himself.

"You're insane..." Chinano muttered under her breath.

---

"Is that so?" Zixu shrugged indifferently.

"Fine. I'll go talk to Jiraiya first. If we reach an agreement, I might even be able to visit my old friend openly."

He paused, his eyes gleaming with cold determination.

"**If not, then it's fine too. Just be careful—make sure you're not discovered by Danzo or his lackeys."

Zixu waved at Chinano and the others before leaving to find Rosinante.

The clone had sent him a message earlier, claiming that he had run into some unexpected trouble.

---

"Hmph... leaving just like that? Damn it!" Karin pouted, clenching her handkerchief in frustration.

Her eyes were filled with grievance and unwillingness.

---

"Hmm? That's really tragic." A glimmer of light flashed behind Hatsuizumi's glasses, his expression unreadable.

What evil intentions could she possibly have? She simply wanted to return to the village and take a look around—nothing more.

Chinano sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Stop causing trouble," she muttered with exasperation.

Knowing that the two troublemakers were about to stir things up again, she quickly dragged them away.

"Let's just go shopping," she suggested.

Her distraction tactic worked.

Karin's eyes lit up—new clothes were always a tempting offer.

Meanwhile, Hatsuizumi grew curious. He wanted to see if Konoha's market had any new insect breeds he could experiment with.

Since he had recently encountered bottlenecks with his insect techniques, he was eager to find new inspiration.

Seeing that the trio was behaving for once, Zixu—still hidden in the tree canopy—sighed in relief before silently slipping away.

---

However, Rosinante had indeed run into trouble.

Or rather, it was a predictable kind of trouble.

---

"Oh ho ho ho! Ross! You're in Konoha?"

A boisterous voice echoed, and Tsunade came into view.

Her eyes sparkled like a gold-hunting rat spotting a treasure chest. She lunged at Rosinante, her hands gripping his collar with terrifying strength.

"Come on, let's go! There are new casinos in Konoha! You've got to check them out!"

Her eyes were practically glittering with greed.

---

"I... you've got the wrong person," Rosinante stammered, trying to back away.

However, Tsunade completely ignored him.

"Stop playing dumb. Come with me!" she grinned wickedly.

Her eyes gleamed with joy, having completely forgotten about training Sasuke or challenging Naruto.

Gambling was just more fun.

---

Just when Rosinante thought he was doomed, a familiar voice rang out:

"Let go of that boy!"

Zixu emerged from the crowd, his voice booming with mock heroism.

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