"Sage Art: Massive Rasengan!"
Jiraiya, with the two old toads, Fukasaku and Shima, perched on his shoulders, entered Sage Mode. Although his Sage Mode wasn't as perfected as Naruto's later version, it still brought out a noticeable frog-like appearance. Despite this, Jiraiya seemed to have reached the peak intensity of Kage-level strength in this form.
The massive Rasengan instantly twisted the bodies of dozens of Cloud Shinobi ninjas before slamming deep into the mountain wall behind them. After clearing the enemies in front of him, Jiraiya turned to look back.
Boom.
At that exact moment, the burning blue flames of the two-tailed beast fell heavily to the ground. Its exhausted chakra could no longer sustain its complete-tailed beast form. The size rapidly shrank, and the blue fire surrounding it flickered out in a matter of seconds, leaving it in a normal humanoid state.
"Huh...huh..."
Shisui sat on the ground, clearly exhausted, his Sharingan returning to its usual black pupils. He muttered to himself, "That took a lot of effort…"
"The second tail is down."
On the cliff, Terumi Mei, standing beside Tatsuya with one hand on her hip, brushed her hair from her eyes and asked, "Do you want to replace her with a new Jinchūriki?"
Tatsuya, stroking his chin thoughtfully, replied after a moment's pause, "It's very difficult to cultivate a perfect Jinchūriki. Let's lock her up for now and see if we can persuade her to surrender."
Transferring a tailed beast to someone else was a simple task, but creating a perfect Jinchūriki was a whole other challenge. Throughout history, from the Sengoku era to the present, countless Jinchūriki have died because they couldn't handle the tailed beast. Yet, the number of perfect Jinchūriki is just four. Naruto, Gaara, Killer B and Mabui
"There may be a chance to persuade Mabui, but the other one might be more troublesome."
Tatsuya turned to look at the other side of the battlefield—towards, where Killer B was still locked in battle with Minato and Toad Gamabunta.
He didn't mind this second one as much.
Unfortunately, Tatsuya's position was the opposite of his. Based on his loyalty to the Third Raikage, it seemed unlikely that he would rather die than submit to Tatsuya.
"There's no helping it. It seems Eight Tails' Jinchūriki really has to be changed." Tatsuya sighed with slight regret. "Speaking of Jinchūriki, you have one in Kiri too."
Terumi Mei suddenly chuckled. "Three Tails?"
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. Had they already chosen a new Jinchūriki to inherit Yagura's power?
Just as he spoke, on the right side of the battlefield, Ghost Lantern Manmoon's body began to swell with blood-red bubbles, forming three-tailed silhouettes behind him.
"Ughhh!!!"
In an instant, the mood of Mangetsu Hōzuki became erratic, but the speed and power with which he wielded his double-sword flounder soared to a whole new level. Even the Cloud Shinobi ninjas, renowned for their skill with the Shinobi sword, struggled to match his slashes.
"Is that Mangetsu Hōzuki?" Tatsuya thought inwardly.
It wasn't clear how the kid had died in the original timeline, but at this point, the tailed beast cloak was the limit of his controllable power.
By now, the 500-strong Cloud Shinobi army, led by the Third Raikage, Mabui, and Killer B, had been almost completely wiped out. Only the Third Raikage and Killer B remained, still fighting to stay alive.
"This is war. Forget about the boring rules of one-on-one combat. We need to finish the rest quickly." Tatsuya's voice echoed through the canyon walls. "I'll be waiting for you at Cloud Shinobi Village."
With those words, Tatsuya waved his hand and turned back toward Cloud Shinobi Village. After a short rest, Shisui stood up again, his gaze fixed firmly on Eight Tails. Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before deliberately glancing at the Third Raikage, whose speed was like lightning.
"Master Fukasaku, Master Shima, do you think the genjutsu can work on the Raikage?" Jiraiya asked the two toads perched on his shoulders.
"He is fast, but there should be a chance," Fukasaku replied after observing the Raikage for a few seconds.
"...Alright, let's go!"
Jiraiya nodded, then suddenly leaped into action. Alongside Hatake Sakumo, he began to move into position to outflank the Third Raikage.
...
...
Konoha, 56 years.
This year would go down in the annals of the ninja world. While the major events that followed would overshadow it, this year marked a pivotal moment. Uchiha Itachi massacred nearly 200 elite Uchiha ninjas, including his own father, Uchiha Fugaku.
However, that event almost feels insignificant in comparison.
Hatake Tatsuya, in alliance with the Fifth Mizukage of the Mist, Terumi Mei, assembled a combined force of thousands of Konoha and Mist shinobi. Together, they laid an ambush in Thundercloud Valley, targeting 500 Cloud Shinobi led by the Third Raikage.
The entire series of battles lasted only about six hours. In the end, the combined Konoha and Mist forces emerged victorious.
Two perfect Jinchūriki were captured, including the Two-Tails, who was taken by the Mabui, and Eight-Tails, Killer B. Even with the Third Raikage's peak Kage-level strength, Hatake Sakumo and Jiraiya—who were equally formidable—fought alongside Tatsuya. After struggling for over five hours, the Raikage finally succumbed to exhaustion.
Cloud Shinobi Village was left reeling from the dramatic loss. The entire ninja world understood that this event would usher in significant change.
Sure enough, less than a week later, news arrived from the northern part of the land of Thunder—
Hatake Tatsuya's older brother, White Fang Hatake Sakumo, had assumed the position of Fourth Raikage.
It was clear that Hatake Tatsuya intended to solidify his control over Cloud Shinobi Village, with the properties of the village now falling into the hands of Kirigakure.
....
"Yo! You guys killed Lord Raikage, huh? You think I'm just gonna bow down and run?
Nah, not me, I'm standin' tall, I'll fight for my pride, won't let you make me fall!
Don't think for a second, I'll just be a tool, I'm my own man, and I'm playin' it cool! Yo!"
In the Cloud Shinobi Village Raikage Building, Killer B, bound with restraints, didn't forget to rap, even in his fury.
Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo sat in Raikage's office, already wearing the Raikage's kage hat.
"I still admire you, Killer B of the Eight-Tails," Sakumo said, patting Killer B on the shoulder with a smirk. "But tell me... do you want to die?"
"Hmph!" Killer B grunted defiantly.
"Be more sensible B," Omoi begged B. "Raikage is dead, and we can't lose you too!"
Beside him, Omoi and Karui, Killer B's disciples, cried out in despair, their faces filled with helplessness.
---
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