"This is the intel I received from the Fire Hidden Village!"
"Fire Hidden Village?" Killer Bee was stunned.
Where did this village come from?
Anyone who didn't know might mistake it for the Leaf Village!
Aren't they afraid the old monkey from Konoha will lose his temper?
The Raikage didn't answer, simply motioning for him to look at the information.
Killer Bee stopped talking and began reading.
However!
The more he read, the more his expression became lively.
Eventually, he looked up, dumbfounded.
"Uchiha? They created a new village? Completely severed ties with Konoha?"
"Fire Hidden Village? Shadow of Fire?"
Even Killer Bee, usually unserious, couldn't help but look perplexed.
"Is this person out of their mind?"
The Raikage glanced at Killer Bee, tilting his head slightly;
Are you really not feeling guilty when you say that?
"Surprised, huh!"
"No, I'm just wondering why Uchiha didn't call themselves the Flame Shadow. Are they worried about having the same name as those idiots from Iwagakure?"
As expected!
The Raikage internally breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew it!
His brother wasn't a normal person either.
So, hearing Killer Bee's words actually made him feel relieved.
Being abnormal is good!
If he were acting normally, the Raikage would've worried that something was wrong with his brother.
It's unsettling when an abnormal person acts normal once in a while.
"By the way!"
The Raikage's expression tightened, and he stared at Killer Bee. "I remember you know Uchiha Itsuki."
"That's right!"
Killer Bee replied straightforwardly. "We became acquainted during the Third Shinobi World War. Back then, he was young but showed exceptional talent in singing. I was sure that if he continued on that path, he'd become famous throughout the ninja world."
Raikage: "..."
"Stop with the singing nonsense. If you mention it one more time, I'll beat you to death!"
As the sound of the Raikage cracking his knuckles echoed, Killer Bee instantly bowed his head.
Can't mess with him!
His brother's punches really hurt when he gets serious.
"Let's get back to the matter of Jinchuriki."
The Raikage's voice lowered. "The intel says Yugito became a perfect Jinchuriki. What do you think?"
"Not sure."
Killer Bee shook his head, a rare hint of hesitation in his eyes.
The Raikage said, "It's said she fully controls the power of the Two-Tails."
"Big bro!"
Killer Bee sighed, "I've said it before: fully controlling a Tailed Beast's power and being a perfect Jinchuriki are two different things."
"Let me explain it again."
"What you call a perfect Jinchuriki requires being completely in sync with the Tailed Beast, becoming one with it, forming a bond. At that point, the Jinchuriki is the Tailed Beast, and the Tailed Beast is the Jinchuriki."
"There have been many Jinchuriki who could control the power of a Tailed Beast."
"The Three-Tails Jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, managed it."
"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, also came close to fully controlling his Tailed Beast."
"The Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails and Six-Tails can also control some of their power. I haven't fought them, so I can't judge how much they've mastered."
"Remember, they've only controlled the power of the Tailed Beasts."
"They use the Tailed Beasts as weapons. I, on the other hand, see Eight-Tails as a companion, a part of me."
The Raikage stroked his chin, muttering, "So, they treat the Tailed Beasts like chakra or a ninjutsu tool, while you treat yours like a clone, right?"
"...Pretty much."
"I understand!" The Raikage nodded. "Prepare yourself!"
"Prepare?"
"A war is coming!"
The Raikage grinned menacingly. "This time, I'm going to crush those damned Uchiha!"
Killer Bee remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"Hehe!"
Inside Killer Bee, Eight-Tails chuckled, "See? Wasn't I right?"
Within his sealed space, Killer Bee sat silently atop the massive Eight-Tails' head.
Eight-Tails lazily said, "I told you, if the Two-Tails fell into enemy hands, the Raikage would definitely use that as an excuse to start a war."
Killer Bee sighed, "We've only had peace for a few years…"
This time, it was the Eight-Tails who comforted Killer Bee. "Don't overthink it. If the Two-Tails is in Uchiha's hands, Raikage will undoubtedly try to reclaim it. The importance of the Tailed Beasts is undeniable. If you were the Raikage, you'd do the same."
"Sigh…"
"War…"
...
The impending war, however, came to an abrupt halt.
The tension between the four major villages—Konoha, Suna, Kumo, and Iwa—was momentarily diffused, all due to Uchiha.
Suna and Iwa observed from the sidelines.
Kumo and Konoha were determined to face Uchiha head-on.
Kumo's reason was the Two-Tails.
A while back, chaos erupted in Kumo, and Uchiha was suspected to be involved.
But Konoha was the most enraged.
The so-called Fire Hidden Village had been established on Konoha's territory, carving out a chunk of their land.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was especially furious, demanding the Hokage swiftly resolve the Uchiha issue.
Losing territory was no small matter.
After a brief discussion, Konoha and Kumo made their decision.
Konoha would deploy 4,000 troops.
Kumo would send 3,000, with Eight-Tails joining the battle.
Both forces, from different directions, marched toward Uchiha.
Fire Hidden Village?
We'll deal with that after we win!
You'll just be wandering rogue ninjas!
Many had underestimated the Fire Hidden Village at first.
But now, with its barriers, over a thousand ninja, Kage-level fighters, and even Tailed Beasts, their perspective had changed.
With a perfect Jinchuriki as well, the situation was far more serious.
Whether they could fend off Konoha and Kumo would shape the future of the ninja world.
People were curious: Would a sixth "Kage" emerge?
...
"Ugh!"
Itsuki sat up and stretched, looking lazy.
Next to him slept Yagura and Yugito.
Rather than sleeping, it was more like they were unconscious.
Last night, these two were thoroughly exhausted by Itsuki.
Although Itsuki was confident in his Uchiha plan, the pressure had built up.
And last night, he released it all.
Yakumo Kurama had stopped by.
She had followed Itsuki, leaving Konoha behind.
The beautiful Genjutsu specialist had hesitated to even enter the room last night, fleeing in embarrassment.
Seeing Itsuki in such high spirits, she feared for her life.
She admitted, she was scared!
"Hey, didn't you go a bit too far?"
A low voice suddenly interrupted.
Yugito, who had been in a deep sleep, suddenly opened her eyes.
Her pupils were eerie slits, one yellow and one blue.
The Two-Tails Matatabi!
"Did I?" Itsuki asked suspiciously, "Yugito seemed pretty happy."
"Bullshit!" Matatabi growled, "She was screaming in pain!"
"Well, that's your chance," Itsuki grinned. "While she's asleep, you can play. Just be sure to come back."
"Hmph!"
Matatabi snorted, dressing Yugito's body and walking out proudly.
As a Tailed Beast, injuries didn't concern her.
Once outside, Matatabi's eyes gleamed.
The taste of freedom!
She hadn't run wild in days!
"Meow!"
With a loud cry, she leaped into the trees, darting between branches.
Watching her disappear into the distance, Itsuki smirked.
Arrogant little cat.
Screaming in pain?
You were screaming just as much when I beat you up.
(End of Chapter)