A lone figure moved slowly forward.
There was one thing, a fact that the Third Hokage probably would have never guessed.
Itsuki had been planning something against the Hidden Cloud Village for quite a while.
Even if the Third Hokage hadn't 'pressured' him, Itsuki would have eventually come to the Hidden Cloud anyway.
The chaos currently happening in the Hidden Cloud was precisely because Itsuki had initiated his "Hunt the Cat" plan ahead of time.
From the very start, Itsuki had his eyes on Nibi, the Two-Tails.
In his grand scheme, tailed beasts were essential.
So, years ago, he had already begun planting people in the Hidden Cloud Village.
By now, dozens of families had become residents of the Hidden Cloud.
And that was only to play it safe. Otherwise, he could have placed even more people.
At this moment, those people had sprung into action.
Originally, Itsuki planned to wait another year before causing chaos in the Hidden Cloud.
Danzo, Hiruzen, I owe you one—no, I owe you both.
Just you wait!
An eye for an eye!
When I return, I'll bring you a special gift.
What's that? The ANBU are already causing trouble for the Third Hokage?
Well, then I'll make it a buy-one-get-one deal!
That's just how generous the Uchiha are!
"Stop!"
A harsh shout rang out.
A middle-aged ninja with scars on his face glared coldly at Itsuki, "Who are you?"
Itsuki smiled as he gazed at the man, sighing softly, "Impressive strength, to actually be able to notice me."
Itsuki had cloaked himself in a subtle genjutsu barrier.
Weaker people would instinctively ignore him as they passed by.
This man was a Jonin!
Not just any Jonin, but a strong one.
At the very least, he was on the level of someone like Kakashi.
Wait, is Kakashi no longer just a chakra measuring stick but a benchmark for strength now?
"Me?" Itsuki smiled, locking eyes with the man. "I'm the one who's going to kill you."
"Ugh!"
As soon as the words fell, the middle-aged ninja realized he couldn't move.
"You… Ahhh!!!"
*Splat!*
Blood sprayed everywhere.
A lot of blood.
It was as if all the blood in the man's body had been drained.
Itsuki looked on calmly, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan glinting malevolently.
He continued walking forward, humming a tune to himself.
Little kitty! Where are you?
Your master has come to find you.
Don't deny it—you belong to me now.
Not even Madara or Hashirama could stop this.
…
Suddenly, a pair of gem-like eyes snapped open.
Inside those eyes was pure malice and brutality.
But in the next instant, they reverted to normal human eyes.
"Ugh!"
"Yugito, what's going on? You woke me up."
A lazy voice spoke, tinged with irritation.
"There's something wrong."
A voice appeared out of nowhere, heavy with concern.
It felt a deep unease, like it was being stalked by some monstrous beast.
But it was the tailed beast, after all!
"Wrong? What could possibly be wrong?"
The speaker was a woman with straight, tea-colored hair.
Her hair was long, tied into a thick braid.
She had an exquisite face and a languid demeanor. Stretching as she stood, she showed off her graceful figure.
She was Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki!
At that moment, she seemed completely indifferent. "The Raikage told me to hide out in this backwater place. I doubt even the people in the Hidden Cloud could find me here."
Matatabi, the Two-Tails, suddenly spoke, "If something happened to you here, the Hidden Cloud wouldn't know."
"Something happened? To me?"
Yugito blinked, then burst into laughter, her expression full of pride. "Who could possibly harm me?"
She was already quite powerful, and on top of that, she had a tailed beast.
And besides!
She could control a portion of the tailed beast's power.
Looking around the entire Hidden Cloud Village, other than the Raikage and that freak Killer Bee, who else was even worth her attention?
Looking across the entire Hidden Cloud Village, besides the Raikage and that freak Killer Bee, who else was worth her attention?
"Well..."
A voice suddenly echoed.
Itsuki slowly walked in, looking at the somewhat dazed Yugito, and smiled, "Can I raise my hand for that?"
"Oh, and he's even a little cutie!"
Yugito lazily smiled, with a bit of allure in her expression.
But—
Her eyes gradually sharpened, with a wild, animalistic nature starting to overshadow her human side.
Itsuki flashed a grin, "Cute? Sure, but as for the 'little' part, I'll have to firmly disagree."
"Meow!"
A sharp cat-like cry rang out.
"Boom!!!"
Itsuki appeared ten meters away, watching Yugito with some amusement, and said helplessly, "Little kitty, that's not fair—attacking without warning?"
Yugito still smiled lazily, but the murderous intent around her was boiling!
Threads of burning blue began to spread across her graceful figure.
Snap!
With a soft crack, her braided hair came loose as she dropped to all fours.
It was as if she had unlocked some kind of seal, and blue flames shot skyward.
A gigantic blue demon cat apparition appeared behind Yugito.
"Meow!!!"
"Whoa! You're really down on all fours, and with a curve like that!" Itsuki's eyes widened, muttering, "Little kitty, why do you always make me think such inappropriate things?"
"Die, brat!"
Yugito screamed and spewed a ball of flames from her mouth.
"Fire Style..."
Itsuki clapped his hands together, shouting, "Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Boom!!!"
A massive fireball, a hundred meters in diameter, hurtled toward Yugito.
It was like a falling meteor!
Yugito: "..."
Matatabi (Two-Tails): "..."
Boom!
First, the Two-Tails' fireball was swallowed by the Great Fireball, and then Yugito, covered in blue flames, was consumed as well.
Thud!
With a muffled thud.
Yugito was blasted away, crashing into a wall, her whole body smoking.
"Ow..."
The Two-Tails grunted, gritting its teeth and glaring at Itsuki, "Where the hell did this monster come from?"
You're calling him a monster?
Yugito paused and then started cursing wildly, "Great Fireball Jutsu? Uchiha, huh? Damn it, even the legendary Madara Uchiha wasn't this strong."
"Great Fireball?" The Two-Tails was stunned. "Is the Great Fireball from your clan always this big? Damn, that thing's bigger than my true form!"
Over a hundred meters!
A tailed beast's size is tied to its chakra.
The more chakra it has, the bigger its form becomes.
At its peak, the Two-Tails wondered, was it even a hundred meters tall?
Even Madara Uchiha never pulled off a Great Fireball that big!
"Two-Tails, show me some real power, or we're both gonna die here!" Yugito shouted.
"Got it!"
A huge amount of chakra surged into Yugito's body.
At this moment, Yugito could only use part of the Two-Tails' power.
Compared to Killer Bee, who was a perfect jinchuriki, she was far behind.
That's why, in the Hidden Cloud hierarchy, she ranked below Killer Bee.
Far below!
In the original story, after the Akatsuki captured the Two-Tails, the Hidden Cloud searched for it, but held back a little.
No village wanted a repeat of what happened with the Third Kazekage.
When the Third Kazekage disappeared, the Hidden Sand went all out searching for him, which led to them being attacked and suffering enormous losses. That was one of the sparks that ignited the Third Great Ninja War.
But—
When Killer Bee went missing, the Raikage lost his mind. Not only did he demand a Five Kage Summit, but he also took a series of extreme measures.
Thinking about this,
Itsuki couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the little kitty.
From now on, I'll be the one to take care of you!
(End of Chapter)