The night was deep.
The Hidden Cloud Village was also quiet. The two ninjas guarding the village gate couldn't help but yawn.
"Tell me, what's the point of guarding the gate? Who would be stupid enough to cause trouble in the Hidden Cloud Village?" one guard complained.
The other guard gave him a light punch. "Stop complaining and just do your job. If the Hidden Cloud Anbu hears you, you'll be in trouble!"
Their conversation ended as they leaned against the gate, staring ahead. Just then, a black shadow flashed past. The two tried to shout but found they couldn't make a sound.
Touching their necks, they felt something wet. Lifting their hands, they saw a crimson color—blood!
Yugito killed the two Cloud ninjas with a single strike, slitting their throats. Her eyes were cold, and her figure cast a perfect arc under the moonlight.
Just as she was about to cross the border of the Land of Lightning, a sword embedded itself in the ground in front of her.
Yugito's pupils shrank. "Killer B, it's you."
"That's right, it's me." Killer B had no mood for rapping this time. Ever since Yugito asked that question earlier, he had sensed something off about her and kept an eye on her.
He never expected Yugito would kill fellow villagers and attempt to leave the Land of Lightning. Did she not understand the duty and mission of a jinchūriki?
"Move. This has nothing to do with you." Yugito suppressed her anger. After all, the Eight-Tails was one of the top three strongest tailed beasts. If Killer B really wanted to capture her, her chances of escaping were almost zero.
"..." Killer B didn't speak. Instead, he pulled his sword from the ground and pointed it at Yugito. "Either come back with me to correct your mistake, or die here."
Matatabi spoke up. "Hey, kid, don't you know how miserable Yugito's life has been? She was abused by the Raikage's men since childhood and deceived for over twenty years!"
"I know. That's exactly why I didn't kill her on the spot. Matatabi, you understand how important a jinchūriki is to the village. I don't need to explain that to you." Killer B's unusually serious tone made Matatabi feel uneasy.
"Take it easy." Matatabi fell silent. Sometimes, it couldn't understand how Killer B, despite suffering similar treatment, could remain so optimistic and devoted to the Hidden Cloud Village.
Now, it seemed this wasn't genuine optimism. Perhaps tonight's Killer B was his true self.
"Matatabi, help me!" Yugito roared.
"Got it!" Matatabi immediately channeled chakra to Yugito, who instantly launched dozens of Cat Fireballs!
"Gyūki!" Killer B shouted.
"On it!" A dark red tailed beast cloak enveloped Killer B. The Cat Fireballs exploded against it but didn't harm him at all.
Killer B swung his sword at Yugito.
Ding! System prompt: The Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito is currently fighting Killer B at the border of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. Assist her in defecting from the Hidden Cloud!
Uchiha Ryun was taken aback. He had just been about to sleep when a mission popped up. But why was Yugito defecting?
The system transmitted images of Yugito's childhood and the Third Raikage's orchestrated abuse to Ryun.
Tsk, so the Third Raikage, with that stern face, was actually this kind of person!
Ding! Yugito is currently at a disadvantage. Host is requested to provide assistance. Reward: Matatabi's chakra (renewable).
Ryun's eyes lit up. Now that was more like it. You can't expect a horse to run without feeding it!
He activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and teleported to the border.
Killer B swung his tail, attempting to wrap it around Yugito. She summoned cat claws and sliced it off.
In the next moment, Killer B appeared above her with dual swords, ready to strike her down.
At that moment, Uchiha Ryun appeared, blocking the attack with his Flame Fan. With a cold snort, he exerted force with his arm, sending Killer B flying.
"Not good, retreat now, Killer B!" Gyūki's sense of unease grew stronger.
Yugito opened her eyes and saw the person standing in front of her. She froze—Uchiha Ryun?
"Hey, stop standing there dumbfounded. If you're going to run, do it now. I'll keep him busy." Ryun smirked and charged at Killer B.
Killer B, unwilling to give up, raised his sword and rushed at Ryun.
"Overestimating yourself." Ryun's voice was calm. With a single kick, Killer B was sent flying, vomiting blood.
"B! You can't beat him. Fall back!" Gyūki was frantic.
Killer B nodded and prepared to retreat, but Ryun glanced at him. "You attacked me and think you can just leave? Too late..."
Ryun's six-tomoe Rinnegan pattern appeared, and the moon turned red. Killer B instantly lost the ability to move.
Gyūki inside him trembled in fear as Ryun's genjutsu invaded Killer B's consciousness. "Gyūki, I can call you that, right?"
Gyūki was stunned. "You know about me?"
"Your face is full of stories!" Ryun rolled his eyes.
"Yugito's had a hard life. Do me a favor and pretend you didn't see anything tonight, alright?" Ryun smiled.
"Do I even have a choice?" Gyūki laughed bitterly. The Mangekyō Sharingan was its natural counter.
"Smart beast. I'll erase Killer B's memory of fighting Yugito and modify it so he just failed to catch up with her. Got it?" Ryun said.
Gyūki nodded repeatedly. "Understood, understood!"
"Good. You're not bad." Ryun chuckled before leaving the consciousness space. He wasn't afraid of Gyūki going back on its word. Even the Nine-Tails wasn't a threat to him now, let alone the Eight-Tails.
Ryun modified Killer B's memory: He saw a black figure kill the two guards, chased after it, but failed to catch up.
Then, he released the genjutsu and left, heading in the direction Yugito had fled.
Heh, now that Yugito's a rogue ninja, it's only natural for me, the Vice-Hokage, to recruit her!
Ding! Mission complete. Reward: Renewable Two-Tails chakra!
A blue light flashed, and Ryun's chakra increased from 500 "Kakashi units" to 700. He couldn't help but laugh. This boost was nearly half of a Sage Body's chakra reserve.
Poor Kakashi, becoming a unit of measurement before he was even born.
Ryun shook his head and prepared to catch up with Yugito.
The next morning, the Hidden Cloud announced to the ninja world that the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito, had been branded an S-rank rogue ninja with a bounty of one billion ryo!
The ninja world was shocked!
Yugito, wearing a hat and tightly wrapped in clothing, passed through a town and saw her own bounty notice.
She couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "How generous. A billion ryo, just like that. Should I be proud or sad?"
For a moment, she felt lost. Then, Uchiha Ryun's voice rang out.
"If you're feeling lost, why not come back to Konoha with me? Our village is united, at least we don't scheme against our own people." Ryun smiled.
His words weren't wrong. The current Konoha was indeed like that, unlike in the original timeline.
Yugito's heart trembled. "Your village even accepts rogue ninjas?"
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