"Bee! You're still alive!?"
Killer Bee's voice sounded incredibly weak, but to A's ears, it was nothing short of heavenly music.
Obito carefully pulled out the black rod stuck in A's shoulder. A didn't even make a sound. Instead, he rushed to Killer Bee's side and held him tightly in his arms.
Killer Bee glanced at Obito and asked,
"Who is he?"
A wiped away his tears and replied,
"He's one of Hokage-sama's men. If not for him, I would've already died at that Jigen's hands!"
"Cough, cough… I see. Thank you so much..."
Killer Bee struggled to get up from A's embrace, but having just lost his Tailed Beast and been beaten half to death by Jigen, his body had no strength left. In the end, he collapsed powerlessly back into A's arms.
Seeing this, A hurriedly asked,
"Bee, how are you feeling right now?"
Bee waved his hand weakly and said,
"Gyūki left me a piece of its tail. That's the only reason I'm still alive."
Obito raised a brow, recalling how when Nagato captured the Eight-Tails, what he brought back was also just an octopus tentacle.
It seemed that, for Jinchūriki, the Eight-Tails really was the best at keeping its host alive.
Though his life was spared, Killer Bee's heart sank. To him, Gyūki was far more than just a Tailed Beast. After years of being together day and night, he had long since come to see Gyūki as family.
A also knew well how much Bee cared for the Eight-Tails. He sighed and turned to Obito.
"You're one of Hokage-sama's men… Could you take the two of us to see Hokage-sama?"
Obito nodded. His mission had been to find Jigen, and now that he had, it was time to report back.
With a thought, he opened a portal to the outside world and pulled the two brothers through.
Killer Bee and A looked around, stunned.
"This is… Konoha?"
At that moment, they stood in front of the Hokage building. Two Anbu operatives quickly appeared before them. They recognized A as the Fourth Raikage, but awkwardly enough, neither of them knew who Obito was.
Obito simply explained that he was Kaito's subordinate. Since his Sharingan was still active, the Anbu treated him with due respect.
One of them, wearing a monkey mask, was about to go in and report when suddenly, Itachi walked out of the building.
He gave Obito a nod, then said to the two Anbu,
"You're dismissed. He's one of ours."
The two bowed respectfully to Itachi and withdrew.
Itachi then led the three of them to Kaito's office. He told Obito and the brothers to enter, then left directly.
Obito knocked on the door, and Kaito's voice came from inside,
"Come in."
Obito pushed the door open. Bee and A exchanged a look, an uncharacteristic nervousness rising in both of them.
Kaito glanced at the two disheveled brothers behind Obito and asked,
"What's their story?"
Obito explained what had happened in the Valley of Clouds and Thunder. After listening, Kaito cast a sympathetic look toward A.
Kumogakure had been hit by Pain first, and now Jigen had stolen the Eight-Tails. Truly, their misfortune had piled up.
Seeing Kaito again, A's attitude was entirely different from before. Setting aside his pride, he bowed respectfully.
"Hokage-sama, thank you for saving me and Killer Bee!"
Kaito waved a hand dismissively.
"You don't need to thank me. It was Obito who saved you."
"Then I'll thank him as well, of course…"
After a few polite exchanges, Kaito rose from his seat and walked to A. He glanced at the bloodied wound on A's shoulder and asked,
"That's a nasty injury. Jigen's work, right?"
"Uh… yes!"
A instinctively pushed the blame onto Jigen. Obito opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words he wanted to say.
Kaito nodded. He remembered that Jigen liked to use black rods as weapons in his Kāma state, and A's wound did match their shape.
Kaito placed his hand on A's shoulder, channeling a bit of Yang Release chakra.
Under its nourishment, the wound visibly closed at a rapid pace, fully healing within moments.
When Kaito turned to treat Killer Bee, Bee quickly waved him off.
"No need to trouble you, Hokage-sama. The chakra Gyūki left me is enough to heal."
At the mention of Gyūki, a shadow crossed Bee's face. Kaito patted his shoulder lightly, offering comfort.
Kaito himself was surprised that Jigen had absorbed the Eight-Tails. Since when had that man set his sights on Tailed Beasts?
And with the chakra of all but the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails already reclaimed into Kaguya's body, that meant… his next target could only be Kaguya herself.
With that thought, Kaito turned to Obito.
"Take these two to Minato. Have him make arrangements. I'll go deal with this Jigen."
"Understood!"
...
In a forest,
Jigen was gripping a Mist ninja by the throat, lifting him up.
Around him lay the corpses of several fallen Mist-nin. Unfortunate souls—they had just been on a mission, only to stumble across Jigen.
Jigen stared coldly at the one in his hand.
"So that woman went with Uchiha Kaito to Konoha?"
"Y-yes, that's all I know. Please… spare me, I—"
Crack!
With a crisp snap, the Mist-nin's neck twisted, and he fell silent.
Jigen tossed the corpse aside casually, muttering to himself,
"Just who exactly is this Uchiha Kaito? Why would Kaguya follow him?"
Last time, he had been too focused on absorbing the Eight-Tails and forgot to ask where Kaguya had gone. That was why he had left one Mist-nin alive.
That man had participated in the war, and from him, Jigen got the intel he wanted.
Now he was torn—should he keep searching for Kaguya? If he risked breaking down his "vessel" and reincarnating, he was confident he could defeat her and reclaim the chakra fruit.
But with this unknown Uchiha Kaito in the picture, he was hesitant.
He hadn't yet found a proper vessel. If his current body collapsed, that would be the end of him.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. If not for Kaguya, how could he have ended up in such a miserable state?
To be betrayed by the one he was supposed to protect—if word got out, others would laugh themselves to death.
Brooding, Jigen opened a portal to leave. Suddenly, a voice rang out from above.
"Found you, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."