Chapter 36 : Pet List!

Somewhere in the ninja world, Uchiha Obito gazed at Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan through a live feed. 

Those eyes once belonged to him, and he had entrusted them to Kakashi. But now, he yearned to reclaim them. 

The convergence of these two Mangekyō Sharingan would undoubtedly greatly enhance his power.

"Don't fret. Now is not the time to reveal my intentions. When the moment is right, I will retrieve Kakashi's eyes," Obito muttered to himself.

To achieve his ultimate goal, he was willing to go to extreme lengths, even if it meant harming his dearest mentor. 

Killing Kakashi, his once-loyal partner, was not beyond consideration if ruthlessness was required.

However, he couldn't act now; doing so would disappoint Rin. In Obito's heart, Rin was the only one worth caring about.

...

After Kakashi and the others returned to Konoha, the inauguration ceremony for the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, took place. 

Konoha had officially entered the era of the Fifth Hokage. Compared to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsunade's mindset was more progressive, and she immediately began to abolish outdated regulations one by one.

Of course, Danzo and other old figures impeded Tsunade's reforms, forcing her to proceed cautiously. Changing Konoha entirely would not be an easy task.

During this time, the surface of the ninja world seemed relatively peaceful, with the major ninja villages accumulating their strength. 

Little did they know that the Akatsuki organization had already initiated their campaign to capture the tailed beasts.

The appearance of the Golden List had accelerated the Akatsuki's capture plan by three years.

Half a month later, Akatsuki members Deidara and the Red Sand Scorpion, Sasori invaded Sunagakure, causing significant casualties.

What was most critical was that Gaara had insufficient time to grow, rendering him powerless. 

However, the Golden List's live broadcast room had exposed their invasion plan. 

Just when all seemed lost, Chiyo, the elder advisor of Sunagakure, appeared, and later in the battle, Konoha's support arrived. 

Ultimately, the battle concluded with the death of the Red Sand Sasori and Deidara's escape. 

However, Shukaku, the One-Tail, was captured, and Gaara died, only to be resurrected through Chiyo's secret technique at the cost of her own life.

Simultaneously, other Jinchūriki were targeted one by one, with several being captured. 

For instance, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki had Matabi stripped and perished. 

The Four-Tails and Five-Tails were also apprehended, leading to the deaths of their respective Jinchūriki.

All of these captures occurred swiftly, and the Akatsuki organization paid a relatively small price, losing only the Red Sand Scorpion, Sasori.

The Fourth Raikage was incensed after the Second-Tails Jinchūriki was killed and the tailed beast taken. In the live studio:

[Fourth Raikage: "Akatsuki, what is the meaning of this? Why did you kill our Second-Tails Jinchūriki from the Cloud Shinobi Village?"]

[Tsunade: "Akatsuki also attempted to capture Naruto but was repelled. They also captured Fifth Kazekage Gaara. If not for the sacrifice of Sunagakure's Chiyo, Gaara would have perished."]

[Third Hokage: "Is the Akatsuki organization confronting the Five Great Ninja Villages alone?"]

[Tsunade: "Nagato, Konan, you were disciples of Jiraiya. Why did you do this?"]

[Hidan: "Nagato has no comment."]

[Fourth Raikage: "From this day forward, Cloud Shinobi Village places Akatsuki on our must-kill list. Any encounter with Akatsuki members will result in no mercy."]

[Hidan: "Hahaha, who kills whom is not certain."]

[Fourth Hokage: "Obito, why are you doing this? Do you know why the Akatsuki wants to capture the tailed beasts?"]

[Uchiha Obito: "Minato-sensei, I have no comment either."]

...

In Konoha, Kakashi and Jiraiya visited Tsunade's Hokage office.

"Jiraiya, take Naruto to train and keep him in Konoha. His presence is too conspicuous and dangerous," Tsunade suggested.

"Tsunade, that makes sense. Although Konoha is powerful, the members of Akatsuki are shrouded in mystery. Naruto staying in Konoha would expose his location, making him vulnerable to a sudden attack by Akatsuki's organization. We agree," Jiraiya concurred.

Subsequently, Jiraiya left Konoha with Naruto, not divulging Naruto's whereabouts to anyone. 

The other Jinchūriki also took extreme measures to conceal themselves from Akatsuki's members.

At this juncture, it was evident to all that the Akatsuki organization was formidable. Even the might of a ninja village might not be enough to confront them.

Time passed, and half a year had elapsed since the end of the Weapon List.

On this day, the live broadcast room was unblocked, and chaos erupted within it. 

Initially, Akatsuki's operatives were subjected to relentless criticism by ninja viewers. For half an hour, the live chat was inundated with comments.

While the Akatsuki organization's members were well aware of this, they paid little heed to the negative comments. Later, they didn't even bother responding.

[Nohara Rin: "Obito, why did you join such a nefarious organization as Akatsuki?"]

[Uchiha Obito: "Rin, I have my reasons."]

[Nohara Rin: "Please, do not harm Kakashi, alright?"]

Upon reading Lin's message, Obito felt a surge of anger.

"Kakashi again? Why do you only care about Kakashi?" Obito exclaimed in frustration.

However, he quickly regained his composure.

"It doesn't matter. In the future, I'll create a world just for the two of us, and we'll be together forever," Obito whispered, lost in his vision of the future.

This corrupt and desolate world had to be eradicated!

Just then, the live broadcast room announced the third list.

[Pet List!]

The moment this list was revealed, it sparked intense discussions among viewers.

It seemed that capturing the tailed beasts had slipped from their minds. Instead, they were fixated on the new list. 

If they could derive benefits from it and grow stronger, they might not need to be concerned about the Akatsuki organization.

Konoha, for instance, was now so powerful that even the Akatsuki organization dared not attack. This was largely due to Might Guy, a formidable Taijutsu ninja, and his potent abilities. 

Although no one knew exactly how powerful Might Guy had become, it was undoubtedly immense. Tsunade had also reaped benefits from the Taijutsu list, further augmenting her strength.

In the studio:

[Senju Hashirama: "The Pet List. We humans are certainly not included. Are the Tailed Beasts considered pets?"]

[Nine Tails: "Senju Hashirama, you are considered pets. We are Tailed Beasts! Understand?"]

[Senju Hashirama: "What's wrong with being a pet? Aren't Tailed Beasts pets?"]

[Eight Tails: "Well, we are considered pets, and there are benefits. At least we can earn rewards!"]

[Nine Tails: "Yes, that's right!"]

[One Tail: "Nine Tails, you spineless fellow, I look down on you!"]

[Nine Tails: "Speaking of the One Tail, you were captured by the Akatsuki organization. How are you now?"]

[One Tail: "I'm imprisoned within the Gedo Statue. There's no way to escape!"]

[Nine Tails: "The Gedo Statue, isn't that inside the body of the Ten Tails? Why is the Akatsuki organization trying to capture us?"]

[One Tail: "Gaara, hurry and strengthen yourself. Save me by defeating them!"]

[Gaara: "Shukaku, don't worry. I'll definitely come to rescue you!"]

"Master, can I make it into the top ten of the Pet List?" Garaga asked Yasao.

**********

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