Dealing with a brainless brute—now what? Kurama had two choices: first, gamble that A wouldn't act immediately, though this seemed unlikely; second, disperse the shadow clone right away, which wouldn't work since he needed to hold the Fourth Raikage back long enough for the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki to escape.
So, Kurama chose option three.
Strike first!
"Take this!" Kurama made hand signs. "Ninja Art…oh, wait. I don't know ninjutsu."
"Then take this Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Kurama's control over the Tailed Beast Bomb was on a level Naruto couldn't match. Instantly, a purple orb formed, looking just like a Rasengan in Kurama's hand, which he then tossed directly at the Fourth Raikage before immediately turning to run away.
For some reason, even in this serious situation, Kurama couldn't resist yelling, "Take that!"
As the Tailed Beast Bomb flew at him, Raikage's expression shifted slightly. While his Lightning Release armor could block this small Tailed Beast Bomb, he seemed to flinch, maybe out of habit from all the past damage he'd taken from the Eight-Tails. Instinctively, he backed away to dodge it.
When the bomb exploded, a fierce shockwave swept across the land.
Raikage's face darkened. "Oh, Nine-Tails, playing little tricks now, huh?"
With a clap of thunder, Raikage's figure turned into a flash of lightning, disappearing from where he stood. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Kurama, his right hand extending forward.
"Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Spear!"
Kurama: "…"
No need to go this far, really.
This was the strongest single-target Taijutsu technique in the ninja world. The Fourth Raikage once used it to cut off one of the Eight-Tails' left tentacles. If it were his father, the Third Raikage, he'd probably have taken off both tentacles.
This Taijutsu was so strong that if Raikage used the "One-Fingered Spear," even a four-tailed cloak might be pierced right through. Without hesitation, Kurama chose his next move: he stopped and shouted, "Wait! Your brother ran off!"
"Yaaah!" The intense power of the Four-Fingered Spear paused right in front of Kurama, the lightning flashing around it like a sharp blade, prickling Kurama's nerves.
Images of the Third Raikage flashed through his mind—the man known as both the strongest spear and shield. He could go head-to-head with the Eight-Tails and only ever got injured by his own attacks. What a beast of a man.
Kurama muttered to himself, *Is this really a jutsu that a human can invent?*
Raikage halted his hand, his face growing darker. "What did you say?"
"I mean, Killer Bee ran off again while you were out here looking for me," Kurama replied. "I'd already spoken to the Eight-Tails about it. My purpose here was to hold you up so he could escape."
Raikage: "…"
Raikage pulled back his hand, and the Lightning Release armor around him faded a bit. He looked Kurama up and down.
"So, you're really the Nine-Tails? The so-called strongest of the Tailed Beasts looks like *this*?"
To be honest, Raikage couldn't help but feel doubtful. The records in the Land of Thunder described the Nine-Tails as violent, unyielding, and incredibly aggressive—pretty much despising all humans. But the one standing before him? Aside from having Nine-Tails chakra, he didn't match that description at all.
Not only did he shamelessly try to sneak attack with a Tailed Beast Bomb, but he also loudly announced he was going to run. And after he was caught, he even sold out his own allies… Was this really the Nine-Tails?
Raikage's mind flashed back to his encounters with the Eight-Tails, whose power he himself could hardly control. Comparing that strength to this shameless Nine-Tails, he wondered, is this some kind of Tailed Beast trait? How are Tailed Beasts acting even more shameless than humans these days?
"Just look at the current Eight-Tails—it's a kind of change, isn't it?" Kurama shrugged.
*Once you accept your weaknesses, you're unstoppable!*
Raikage considered this silently. It was true. The Eight-Tails had also been wild once. Then one day, after Killer Bee became its Jinchuriki, they suddenly came to an understanding, even unlocking the seal entirely. Since then, whenever Raikage sparred with Killer Bee, Bee could use the Eight-Tails' power as if it were his own. Sometimes, the Eight-Tails even took charge. Eventually, they learned that Killer Bee had become a perfect Jinchuriki.
Later, Killer Bee took the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, as his student and taught her how to control her Tailed Beast. Currently, Yugito is training on Turtle Island, and it's rumored she's close to completing Tailed Beast Transformation. Soon, she'll become a perfect Jinchuriki, like Killer Bee.
Thinking about it this way, maybe Tailed Beasts really do change.
Raikage glanced at Kurama, and an image of Killer Bee flashed through his mind. Then, anger flared across his face. "That guy's planning to escape again, isn't he?! This guy!"
Kurama shrugged—either way, Raikage was already here. With Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails' skills, escaping wouldn't be hard.
Kurama spread his chakra out a bit, connecting with the Eight-Tails' chakra.
Inside the Tailed Beast's mental space, Kurama opened his eyes and looked at the Eight-Tails.
"I've got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"
Gyuki's mouth froze mid-sentence, instinctively answering, "Good news."
"The good news is, Fourth Raikage A is here with me," Kurama said with a serious expression.
"Then I'll notify Killer Bee right away," Gyuki replied, grinning. Then, as if he'd thought of something, he asked, "What's the bad news?"
"The bad news is that I can't beat Raikage. To keep this shadow clone from getting dispersed, I told him about your plan to escape," Kurama chuckled.
Gyuki: "..."
Gyuki's face turned red with frustration. "Enough! I need to go tell Killer Bee right now. With Raikage's speed, he'll be back in less than twenty minutes."
Twenty minutes. Killer Bee's Lightning Release armor couldn't keep up with Raikage's. Killer Bee specialized in taijutsu, which didn't match Raikage's ninja taijutsu, so by the time A returned, Killer Bee might not even have left the village yet. No choice—he had to tell Killer Bee to hurry.
Before leaving, Gyuki gave Kurama a long look.
"I don't know what you've gone through all these years, but Kurama, you're a tailed beast, not a human. Try to keep some dignity."
When Gyuki was gone, Kurama scoffed, watching the direction he'd left.
"Dignity? To me, stubbornly clinging to useless pride is what's shameful. If that pride made me strong enough to defeat Otsutsuki Kaguya, then yes, I'd feel more pride than ever."
"But it doesn't." Kurama's form began to fade. "Gyuki, have the centuries of being hunted by humans taught you nothing about how this world really works? Tailed beasts... just stuck in their own ways."
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