Matatabi looked at the friendly smile on Fuma's face, then glanced at the malicious bloodlust lingering in the air. The entire cat curled into a ball, severing all connection with the outside world.
"Shutting Down~"
The cat had already resigned itself to "dying" inside Yunito. It thought that a few years of slumber in nature wouldn't be so bad.
At this moment, Fuma was very close to Yunito, and Matatabi could feel the chakra from Shukaku within Fuma more intensely.
"This is way too much!"
"Did that cursed tanuki get completely devoured by this monster?!"
"Stupid tanuki, after losing so much chakra, can you even revive again?!"
As Matatabi shut itself off, the chakra that had been supporting Yunito vanished as well, and Yugito's pupils began to dilate.
Fuma sighed softly, his large hand gently stroking her back, helping to ease her spine.
The intense pain from the fractures in her spine stimulated her sympathetic nervous system, releasing a flood of adrenaline. Yunito was jolted awake by the surge.
This was a unique emergency treatment method in the ninja world, one that Fuma had mastered.
Fuma exhaled deeply, relieved she hadn't died. He still had something to discuss with Matatabi.
Lowering his voice, he spoke as gently as he could, trying to negotiate with Matatabi one last time, "I don't mean any harm; I just wanted to see you."
"In the legends of the ninja world, Matatabi is always praised as the most beautiful of the Tailed Beasts."
Fuma trailed off, falling silent. Given the current situation, no words seemed adequate. Matatabi wasn't a foolish cat.
Perhaps only Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu" could dispel Matatabi's doubts at this moment.
"Zzzz—!!"
Suddenly, an angry roar of thunder echoed, followed by a thick, lightning-wrapped hand thrusting toward Fuma's chest at high speed.
For once, Fuma's expression grew serious.
As a master of taijutsu, he could sense the power and speed of his enemy just from the sound. This newcomer was not to be trifled with.
Fuma hurled Yugito to the ground and raised his hand, directly meeting the attack head-on.
"Boom!!"
The two enormous forces collided, producing a thunderous crash.
Fuma squinted at his opponent, who was also sizing him up. Neither took the clash to heart.
The one who had attacked Fuma was a tall man with light yellow hair, dark skin, and bulging muscles. This was none other than the Third Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village.
At this moment, the Third Raikage looked even more muscular than Fuma remembered from the Edo Tensei, his eyes full of life and locked onto Fuma.
"Young Konoha ninja, do me a favor. The child of our Hidden Cloud Village got lost in Konoha's forest by accident. Please forgive her."
Fuma stared at the Third Raikage's light yellow hair, silently complaining in his mind, "You're not a redhead, so why are you using the Conqueror's Haki?"
Fuma smiled slightly, glancing at the unconscious Yugito on the ground, and replied:
"Third Raikage, I've heard much about you. I didn't expect you'd come to Konoha all by yourself."
The Third Raikage also smiled back, waving his thick arm. A squad of Hidden Cloud ninjas emerged from the trees.
Fuma squinted his eyes, startled. This was a squad of heavy hitters, and he could sense the chakra of another Tailed Beast.
Within this Hidden Cloud team were several familiar faces, many of whom would appear in the final battle.
The Raikage's son, the future Fourth Raikage, Dodai, and the current Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails were all in the group.
Fuma mentally calculated the strength of both sides, sighing inwardly.
If a conflict broke out with the Hidden Cloud, his side probably wouldn't have much of an advantage.
"Me against the Third Raikage..."
"Minato to handle the Raikage's son and Dodai."
"Sakumo Hatake to take on the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki."
"The key issue is Tsunade and the others' injuries. It's not easy to manage."
Fuma coughed, looked at the Third Raikage, and put on a sincere smile, saying, "Ah, I must give you respect, especially as you're a senior in the taijutsu field."
[A fun fact: The last ninja Fuma called a senior, that ninja's village was just blown to pieces]
Fuma pointed at Yunito on the ground, sighed heavily, and said, "The Uchiha clan originally migrated from the Land of Lightning, so we should have been communicating more all along."
"See, I ended up hitting one of my own people. I feel really bad about it."
The Third Raikage felt a wave of nausea but forced a smile on his face.
When he heard that Matatabi had entered the Land of Fire, he had hurried from the Hidden Cloud to intercept her.
"Yunito still lacks experience, falling into such an obvious trap..."
The Third Raikage lamented inwardly, disappointed.
He squinted his eyes, also calculating the strength of the ninja present. Despite his rough appearance, he had a very meticulous mind.
"I can fight this Uchiha, but I doubt I can end the battle quickly."
"Blue B's state is too unstable. If he uses the Eight-Tails' power, there's a high chance he'll go berserk. Bringing him along was just for show."
"Dodai and the others will have a tough time facing Sakumo Hatake..."
The two powerhouses smiled at each other, with the Third Raikage politely saying, "It's alright. Ninjas from the village need to learn discipline, after all."
"But she's received enough punishment already, so please allow me to take her back."
Fuma nodded, extending his hand to the Third Raikage.
The two large hands clasped together firmly.
Fuma and the Third Raikage simultaneously increased their grip, neither willing to let go first. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
As the pressure of their handshake intensified, Fuma's bloodlust and the Raikage's chakra began to surge.
"Zzzz__!!"
The Third Raikage's chakra crackled with fierce electricity, sizzling in the air. Fuma's dense bloodlust floated in the air, exuding murderous intent.
Their sheer presence caused deep cracks to form in the ground.
The Hidden Cloud ninjas looked on in fear; they'd never seen anyone who could match the Third Raikage in strength.
It was just a handshake, but these two turned it into a life-or-death struggle.
Tsunade and her team arrived just in time to witness the scene. Jiraiya's eyes widened as he turned to Tsunade, expressionless as he quipped:
"As an old friend, I suggest you find a new boyfriend. This guy's becoming less and less human."
Before Tsunade could respond, Orochimaru coolly remarked, "Fuma-kun surpasses a certain toad from Mount Myoboku in every way."
As Tsunade's team arrived, Fuma and the Third Raikage exchanged glances, simultaneously relaxing their grip.
Both were filled with awe and thought in unison:
"This old man is incredibly strong!"
"This kid's strength surpasses mine!"
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