Hot springs.
Without a doubt, the greatest place in the ninja world to unwind.
“Ahhh, this feels amazing.
Nothing beats a good soak.” “You said it.
Maintaining that seal all day is exhausting.” “Alright, drop the shop talk and just enjoy the water.
We still have to swap shifts tonight.”
Three kunoichi lounged comfortably in the steaming water.
They were completely oblivious to the ‘intruder’ perched in the trees right behind them, watching with rapt attention.
‘Tsk, tsk.
The environment really does shape the people,’ Senzan mused inwardly.
‘Living under a waterfall every day does wonders for the skin.
Absolutely flawless.’
He was completely captivated.
Of course, he kept his commentary strictly internal.
As a professional peeping tom, he knew perfectly well that making a sound was a rookie mistake.
‘Wait…
the seal they just mentioned…’ ‘Could it be the Seven-Tails?’
“Neiko Kuroba, watch your hands!” “Aw, why not?
Jonin Sharo, your figure is just—ugh, I’m so jealous!” “Get away from me, you flat-chested washboard!” “Ahhh!
I am not a washboard!”
The ensuing splash fight was a breathtaking display of premium sights, best left to the imagination.
“Alright, calm down and rest up,” the third kunoichi finally spoke.
She was leaning against the edge of the pool with her eyes closed, looking thoroughly relaxed.
“The Seven-Tails’ seal still isn’t fully stable.
Someone will be calling us back for our shift soon.”
But her attempt to restore the peace instantly drew the crosshairs onto her.
“Tch!
Drop the mature act, Chion!” “Take my Dragon Claw!”
In a flash, the tranquil hot spring dissolved into chaotic splashing once again.
Senzan forcefully tamped down his surging blood pressure and silently slipped away from the branch.
His mind immediately went to work dissecting the intel he had just gathered.
‘The Seven-Tails’ seal…’
He hadn’t expected this little detour to Takigakure to actually drop an opportunity like this right into his lap.
Still, as a village possessing a Tailed Beast, Takigakure’s internal defenses were definitely formidable.
But since he was already here, he’d be doing himself a massive disservice if he didn’t at least try.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He was going for it.
For the sake of his dream to take to the skies, a little danger was nothing.
Worst-case scenario, he could always use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to bail.
‘Time to go big or go home!’
Meanwhile, outside the village.
Suzaku and Shibi were sitting on a rocky outcropping, keeping a watchful eye on the distant waterfall.
“Shibi, I’ve suddenly got a really bad feeling,” Suzaku muttered.
“You don’t think that idiot Senzan is going to do something reckless, do you?”
Shibi paused for a moment before shaking his head with a faint smile.
“Suzaku, you know Senzan’s personality.
He is an absolute coward.
In all this time, he’s never once accepted a B-rank mission, and he barely even takes C-ranks.
To quote him directly: ‘Neither missions nor money are as important as staying alive.'”
Suzaku nodded slowly, finding logic in Shibi’s words.
Even though he was a few years older, he knew Senzan quite well.
After all, the Gekko clan was an integral part of the Hidden Leaf and had always been heavily involved in intelligence work.
“Let’s hope I’m just overthinking it, then.”
The location of the Seven-Tails’ seal was situated in the deepest recesses behind the great waterfall.
A massive cave enclosed by roaring waters served as the sealing chamber.
Currently, over a dozen Takigakure shinobi sat in a circle within the cavern.
Each of them wore grave expressions as they channeled chakra into the highly complex sealing formula glowing in front of them.
Violent crashing sounds echoed continuously off the cave walls—a clear sign that Chomei, the Seven-Tails, was thrashing inside.
“Push harder, everyone!” “The seal is almost stabilized!”
The Jonin acting as the anchor gritted his teeth, shouting words of encouragement.
Not too far away, completely concealed by his Transparency Jutsu, Senzan was brainstorming how to distract this entire squad of ninja.
He needed an opening to slip inside.
After mulling it over, Senzan realized he needed a solid master plan.
There were simply too many ninja maintaining the seal, including several highly capable Jonin.
For a lowly Chunin like him to snatch the prize right out from under their noses would be incredibly difficult.
Furthermore, even if he managed to sneak in, figuring out how to seal the Seven-Tails into his own body was an entirely separate issue.
At the thought of sealing, a surge of joy suddenly hit him.
He quickly backed away from the cavern, found a sturdy tree to perch on, and sat cross-legged.
Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out the scroll marked with the character for Seal.
‘Heh heh.
The sealing scroll Jiraiya gave me…’ ‘Ah!
There it is, the Four Symbols Seal…
Hehehe…’
Finding the exact jutsu he needed, Senzan flashed a devious grin, his gaze shifting back toward the distant cave.
His mind raced, piecing together the next phase of his operation.
Step one: Divert the village’s attention.
Step two: Infiltrate the sealing chamber.
Step three: Convince Chomei to enter his body, then seal it away.
‘Well, it sounds simple enough in theory.
Actually pulling it off is going to be a nightmare.’
And so, he orchestrated a meticulously crafted series of events to plunge the village into absolute chaos.
Over the next three days, he thoroughly abused his Transparency Jutsu to steal anything and everything he could get his hands on.
He went as big as doors and windows.
Yes, literally doors and windows.
Deciding to go all in, Senzan worked through the dead of night and unhinged half the doors in the entire village, piling them all into a massive, confusing mound right in the center of the village square.
He also stole on a smaller scale—ninja tools, rations, and snacks.
The sudden, bizarre crime wave sent the entire village into a state of bewildered panic, forcing Takigakure on high alert.
Everyone from Genin to Jonin was forced into continuous, non-stop patrol rotations.
Combined with the taxing effort required to maintain the Seven-Tails’ seal, the Waterfall ninja were rapidly pushed to the brink of exhaustion.
Meanwhile, thanks to his utterly unhinged behavior, Senzan earned a decent boost to his system stats, leaving him absolutely thrilled.
During the daytime hours of those three days, Senzan staked out the sealing cavern.
He discovered that the guard detail on the seal swapped out every eight hours.
During that shift change, he had a tiny window of less than twenty seconds to slip inside.
And that was assuming there weren’t any secondary alarms rigged inside the chamber itself.
Just to be safe, Senzan discreetly placed Flying Thunder God formulas at the north, south, east, and west borders of the village.
If anything went wrong, he was bailing immediately.
Finally, on the fourth day, he made his move.
Seizing the tiny window during the shift change, he activated his Transparency Jutsu and bolted straight into the sealing chamber.
His heart pounded in his chest, and he kept his eyes glued to the floor, terrified of tripping a hidden trap.
But as he ventured deeper into the chamber where Chomei was held, he realized he had been overthinking things.
Takigakure never expected anyone to successfully breach the outer waterfall to enter the village in the first place, let alone infiltrate the deepest, most secure cavern holding the Seven-Tails.
Therefore, aside from the complex formula keeping the beast restrained, there were absolutely zero secondary physical defenses.
Looking up at the massive Tailed Beast bound in heavy chakra chains, Senzan couldn’t help but smile.
It was a very bright, very treacherous smile.