With the sea serpents' sudden appearance, Killer Bee grew even more energized. He waved his hands wildly in front of his chest, rapping his usual incomprehensible lines.
"Whoa! Sea serpents! Not enough for me!"
"Watch me handle these serpents! Oh yeah!"
As his words fell, Killer Bee's body began to transform. Deep crimson octopus tentacles burst forth first, followed by the colossal form of the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, rising above the waves.
Motoi, watching this, felt a surge of relief.
"Bee's control over the Tailed Beast's power is nearly perfect now. Full transformation into a Tailed Beast is child's play for him."
"Bee! Do it—wipe out every last sea serpent!"
But he didn't need to give the order. In his complete Eight-Tails form, Killer Bee had already plunged into the ocean. The instant his massive body hit the water, towering waves exploded outward. Seeing this, Motoi quickly urged his Old Owl to fly higher—no way did he want to get soaked.
The Eight-Tails was part octopus, after all. In the sea, he was in his element.
Yet as soon as Killer Bee submerged, he realized things weren't as simple as he thought. This wasn't just five serpents.
It was an entire swarm—and every single one was enormous.
"Damn, so many sea serpents!"
"But I'm the Eight-Tails! You little serpents, die!"
He swung his massive fists, and the battle between Gyūki and the serpents raged across the sea.
Meanwhile, Kazuyama Gekkō had already slipped behind Kumogakure's two kunoichi.
"Chōmei, give me some Scale Powder—the deep sleep kind."
"On it! This batch will do the trick!"
Kazuyama Gekkō's preferred abduction method was simple: knock them out, take them away, and deal with the rest later.
Mabui and Samui never sensed the danger until it was too late. By the time they reacted, the Scale Powder had already surrounded them.
"Why do I feel... so sleepy..."
"Samui..."
Mabui's head grew heavy, her mind fogging over as if she were about to collapse into slumber. Forcing herself to turn, she saw Samui had already succumbed.
"Damn—"
The word barely left her lips before Mabui followed her into unconsciousness, both women falling asleep right on the sand.
Kazuyama Gekkō released his Transparent Escape Technique, his form slowly surfacing. A satisfied grin tugged at his lips.
"Hehehe, Chōmei, no matter how many times we use it, your Scale Powder never fails. Look—two of them down in an instant."
"Now then, Shadow Clone Technique."
His clones materialized and immediately hoisted Mabui and Samui, one in each arm.
"Lay a hand on my girl, will you? Hmph. From now on, these two will be her guardians."
"Fourth Raikage—this is the price of your own sins."
With Flying Thunder God activated, the clones vanished with their captives, streaking straight toward the Land of Waterfalls. First stop: Orochimaru for a round of brainwashing. Then to Takigakure for reinforcement training and conditioning. Only after that would they truly be his.
Kazuyama Gekkō was a veteran of this routine. Kidnapping and conditioning—business as usual.
"Alright, Chōmei, get ready."
"We're about to test ourselves against the Eight-Tails."
With the rear secured, Kazuyama Gekkō opened his insect eyes, scanning the battlefield across the ocean.
By now, Killer Bee had already reduced more than a dozen sea serpents to smoke. That much told him they had been summoned, not natural. Suspicion immediately turned to Kirigakure—after all, who else would use sea creatures as summons?
Meanwhile, Motoi, circling above, faced his own crisis.
Kazuyama Gekkō wanted to clash with the Eight-Tails, but he couldn't let others witness his presence. That meant the sky watcher had to be taken out. And the simplest way? Knock him out cold.
Motoi's eyes remained locked on the battle below, completely oblivious to the threat approaching from beneath.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The sea roared. A colossal water dragon surged upward, shooting straight into the sky.
"Damn it! Another enemy?!"
The commotion was impossible to miss. Motoi's instincts screamed at him, and his Old Owl didn't wait for orders. Its eyes widened as it beat its wings desperately, climbing higher.
"Hehehe, fast reflexes, Kumogakure."
"But since you've spotted me, I can't let you leave alive."
A figure appeared in Motoi's vision: gray-blue skin, a Mist Village forehead protector on his brow.
Round, unblinking eyes, fin-like features sprouting from his face—he barely looked human. But Motoi was no rookie. Years of experience told him this man was either a wielder of Kekkei Genkai or possessed some other strange ability.
"So it's you Mist ninja!"
"These sea serpents are your doing!"
Motoi instantly drew his conclusion. There was no doubt—this sea serpent attack was the work of Kirigakure. To unleash such beasts against the coastal towns of the Land of Lightning—Mist had truly abandoned all shame.
"Hehehehe. And what of it?"
"You die here!"
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
The figure was none other than Kazuyama Gekkō, transformed to resemble Kisame with the Transformation Technique.
And why Kisame? Easy—his appearance was instantly recognizable. He didn't look trustworthy in the least, and his features were distinct. Who better to frame than him?
As the jutsu erupted, the sea boiled into chaos.
Below, an octopus battled serpents. Above, Kazuyama Gekkō relentlessly pressed Motoi, hammering him with water attacks.
Standing atop the waves, he unleashed torrent after torrent, each jet lashing upward toward the owl and its rider. But it was still only an owl—what kind of owl could fly endlessly into the sky?
"Damn it! Old Owl!"
At last, one of the water blasts struck true, reducing the poor beast to white smoke.
"You're next!"
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
Kazuyama Gekkō crossed his arms, imitating the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, from memory. Chakra roared through his body, and torrents of seawater transformed into bullet-like streams, battering Motoi mid-descent like a human clothes dryer.
"Hehehe, you can't die yet. You're my only chance to frame Mist Village."