Master Sabu and Toroi had taken Team Tango to a harbor. Meeting up with Hikaru, he led the group to his ship where several ninja were already waiting for them
"Thanks for getting this together on such short notice Hikaru-dono"
"It's no trouble at all Master Sabu. I just wish I could've done more"
"It's more than enough, come on you three. As soon as you're on board, we can take off. Our destination isn't that far, so everyone will get briefed along the way"
Once they were on the ship, Hikaru set sail. Heading to the west, outside their country's borders. On deck, Rei found the familiar figures of Musai, Osoi's son whom he just met yesterday. And Hikaru's second-in-command, Funsui, the ninja Team Tango encountered during their first trip to Genbu Island
Sabu stood at the tip of the bow, gathering everyone's attention for an important message
"Alright everyone, eyes up. The place we're going to is a nameless island, home to aggressive wildlife. My contact there, Kintarō, has done something I'd never thought he'd do...send an S.O.S." (Sabu)
"This island is under attack? What kind of enemies will we be facing?" (Musai)
"His message was brief, but according to him, it's several troops of mercenaries. Though they haven't breached the island yet" (Sabu)
"Not yet? Considering the length of time since you got his message, how is that possible?" (Rei)
Just as Sabu was about to respond, the doors to the captain's cabin opened. Two men appeared, one was Killer B, and other was the Lightning Daimyō's righthand man Tekkan
"Tekkan-san! What are you doing here?" (Tai)
"I'm here to oversee diplomatic relations as we travel through foreign waters. Not to mention, our relationship with Takigakure1Hidden Waterfall Villageand the island in question" (Tekkan)
"Right, Tekkan-dono. Why don't you explain, considering you're the one most versed in said subject" (Toroi)
"Yes. The island you're going to is under ownership of Takigakure, but is overseen by Kumogakure. This is possible through a certain aggreement between the two nations generations ago" (Tekkan)
"Master Sabu mentioned this island is home to dangerous creatures, it sounds an awful lot like Genbu Island" (Tai)
"I won't say they don't have a connection, but there are many differences...besides one of them being on the back of a giant turtle" (Tekkan)
"The people of our land have protected Genbu for hundreds of years. But as time passed, the animals on the island began to grow. Eventually, certain wildlife became too powerful...and hostile. They had to be moved somewhere else" (Toroi)
"That somewhere else being this island were visiting now" (Rei)
The situation became more clear to Rei. Like a zoo, the animals growing on Genbu had to be isolated in order to avoid killing one another. The purpose of the island they were going to was hosting all the "bad" ones
Because Team Tango held the best score for the Genbu island test, they were the obvious choice of Genin for this mission. Killer B was likely brought along for the same reason, as he was the most experienced with taming wild creatures
Suzu interjected, as she still felt something was off with this situation
"There's one thing bothering me. If this island is ours, why is under Takigakure's ownership?" (Suzu)
"An astute question Suzu. The creatures on Genbu were not trained by shinobi, so it took much longer for them to grow and evolve into the massive beasts they are today. They became a real problem during the era of the 1st Raikage" (Sabu)
"At that time, another event was taking a place as well. The very first Gokage2Five ShadowSummit. Specifically, The 1st Hokage handing out the Tailed Beasts. Can you remember what happened next?" (Tekkan)
"Um. Uh...well..." (Tai)
"The Sand already had the One-Tail and just asked for money and fertile land. The Leaf kept the strongest one, the Nine-Tails and other nations including us got two to keep the balance" (Suzu)
"Correct! The Stone received the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, the Mist gained the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, and we the Cloud obtained the Two-Tails and-" (Tekkan)
♫ Eight Tails! Can't ya see?! Dats me! The rappin', Killer Bee!
A Tailed Beast inside! Chillin' with mah patna, we do it live!
Ya know my might, ain't no fight, we brighter than a light!
Eight Tails and Killer Bee, a team to the highest degree, WHEEEE!!!! ♫ (Killer B)
"..." (Everyone)
"..." (Tekkan)
"A nice rhythm, but you're still lacking something B, I just can't put my finger on it" (Sabu)
"Ahem! As I was saying, a total of eight Tailed Beasts were in the possession of the Five Great Nations, but what about the last one? Do you know how the Seven-Tails ended up in the hands of a nation not belonging to the Five?" (Tekkan)
{Oh, I see there where this going} (Rei)
Tekkan went on to explain the history of Kumogakure's relationship with Takigakure. The Seven-Tails was the only Beast with the ability to fly, thus allowing it to remain out of the 1st Hokage's grasp. Eventually, Kumo managed to corner it but were unsure of what to do next
Keeping a third beast would disrupt the delicate power balance the nations had worked so hard to maintain. It was then problems on Genbu surfaced and the 1st Raikage needed a solution. He approached the newly formed nation and made a deal
"In exchange for this Tailed Beast, please allow us access to your special island"
"That was the deal the 1st made, and Takigakure accepted" (Tekkan)
"Special island?" (Tai)
"This island we're going to is equipped a special barrier to prevent intrusion...or escape" (Sabu)
"That's why these enemies attacking the island now haven't breached it yet, now I understand" (Rei)
"Correct" (Sabu)
"Considering Kumogakure is more than capable of doing the same thing, I can only assume we made this deal with Takigakure because-" (Funsui)
"It's a costly endeavor, to constantly maintain such a barrier for an extended period of time requires resources and personnel. Plus, they agreed not to charge us anything for it in exchange for the beast. We basically got a tax-free island, solved Genbu's problem, and maintained peace. Not a bad deal if I do say so myself" (Tekkan)
"So that's why we need a politician like yourself for this mission" (Musai)
With that, clarity emerged in the minds of everyone present. Except for Tekkan, Toroi, and Sabu, everyone else had received this mission at the last minute
"Your mission isn't to fight enemies, it's to help Kintarō and I placate these animals, that's your priority. Once this task is done, then we can focus on identifying who exactly is responsible for this intrusion" (Sabu)
WHISTLE!
Hikaru whistled from the helm before making an announcement
"We're approaching our destination!" (Hikaru)
The sight of a massive island could be seen in the distance. The Genin ran past Sabu to the tip of the deck in order to get a better view
"Wow" (Suzu)
"I know, unlike the one on Genbu's back, it doesn't look like a deathtrap for humans" (Tai)
"Hahaha! Don't let its beautiful appearance deceive you. The island on Genbu's shell might as well be a vacation home compared to that place. I guarantee anything and everything there wants to kill you" (Sabu)
"And that is exactly why I'll be staying on the ship" (Tekkan)
"Ah! That's right, how could I have forgotten!" (Sabu)
"Master Sabu?" (Tekkan)
Sabu stood by the side of deck and faced everyone
"While this island doesn't have an official name, it does have a nickname given its secondary purpose for Kumogakure shinobi" (Sabu)
"You never mentioned that" (Tekkan)
"It has another purpose for serving our ninja?" (Funsui)
"What are you talking about Master?" (Toroi)
"Hehe, while I did say the island is home to feral creatures, I never implied they couldn't be tamed...by shinobi" (Sabu)
"...!" (Suzu)
"Tamed by...you don't mean for-?!" (Tai)
"I figured as much, with all this talk of giant animals" (Rei)
As the corners of his lips rose, Sabu continued with a bow
"My fellow comrades, I humbly welcome you to...Summoning Island"