To prevent the Hidden Cloud Village from suffering further destruction, Killer Bee fought while steadily retreating, gradually drawing the battlefield outside the village.
During a brief lull in the fighting, Zetsu quietly reminded Tobi,
"The Fourth Raikage, A, has already entered the Land of Lightning with a squad of shinobi. We need to deal with the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki as soon as possible."
Obito dropped his previous playful attitude and said seriously,
"I know."
He activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and locked eyes with Killer Bee.
The overwhelming ocular power of the Mangekyō took effect without Killer Bee realizing it. His movements slowed, and the rhythm of his attacks began to falter.
"So it really is him!"
Watching from the sidelines, Yōsuke immediately recognized the truth when he saw the shape of Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan and Killer Bee's abnormal condition.
Itachi had once told Yōsuke that every Uchiha awakened a unique Mangekyō pattern. Because of that, Yōsuke could now be absolutely certain—the masked man before him was the very same culprit behind the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
"Pakura, stay here and don't move," Yōsuke said gravely. "That masked man was responsible for the Nine-Tails disaster in Konoha. I have to step in."
Pakura nodded solemnly.
"Alright. Be careful."
Under the illusion of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Killer Bee was momentarily trapped—but the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, immediately disrupted the flow of chakra within his body, breaking the genjutsu.
However, just as Killer Bee escaped with Gyūki's help, Gyūki himself was suddenly caught in the illusion.
Inside his mindscape, Killer B saw Gyūki's eyes transform into the pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan, filling him with shock.
"The Uchiha clan?! Weren't they wiped out by Konoha? Only a handful were said to have escaped… Could the survivors have joined this mysterious organization?!"
There was no time to think further.
Hidan, Sasori, and Kakuzu launched a coordinated attack toward Killer Bee.
Facing three enemies at once, with Gyūki temporarily incapacitated by genjutsu and no room to dodge, Killer Bee could only guard his vital points and wait for an opening to wake Gyūki.
At that critical moment—
"Sun Breathing, Tenth Form: Flaming Train!"
Yōsuke appeared on the battlefield in an instant. After flipping through the air, he unleashed a flaming, crescent-shaped horizontal slash toward Hidan, Sasori, and Kakuzu.
Caught off guard, the three were forced to retreat and evade the attack.
Taking advantage of the opening, Killer Bee successfully awakened Gyūki from the Mangekyō's illusion.
Hidan glared irritably at the unexpected intruder.
"Tch—Cloud Village reinforcements?"
Killer Bee turned toward Yōsuke in confusion.
"Who are you?"
"Just passing through. Don't ask questions—they're coming," Yōsuke replied curtly.
The Akatsuki members—including Hakuji—charged forward simultaneously.
Killer Bee once again entered full tailed-beast transformation. In his beast form, he fired consecutive Tailed Beast Balls toward the six enemies.
Explosions erupted one after another, violently reshaping the terrain.
Within the thick smoke, Yōsuke raised an eyebrow toward Hakuji. Instantly understanding his intent, Hakuji moved in deliberately.
"Flowing Technique—Destructive Kill: Annihilation Form!"
Hakuji threw a devastating punch straight at Yōsuke.
Yōsuke responded with a single sword slash.
At the moment their attacks collided, Hakuji was sent flying backward. To make it convincing, he even spat out a mouthful of blood.
At the same time, reinforcements finally arrived.
The Fourth Raikage, A, charged onto the battlefield.
Taking in the devastated terrain, Yugito's severely wounded and unconscious body, and Killer Bee's battered state, A let out a furious roar:
"You bastards—die! Liger Bomb!"
Lightning chakra surged into A's arm as he struck with a lightning-enhanced hand chop toward the nearest enemy—Sasori.
At that moment, Sasori's Third Kazekage puppet was engaged with Killer Bee, leaving Sasori's main body exposed.
Against the Raikage's overwhelming speed, Sasori's right chest was shattered instantly by the blow.
Fortunately, Sasori's core was located there—otherwise, that strike would have ended him outright.
Sasori hastily pulled the Third Kazekage back to defend, but the speed of his iron sand control was no match for the Raikage.
At the same time, Hidan charged toward A, swinging his blood-red triple-bladed scythe.
"Aiming at Bee!" the Raikage shouted.
Killer Bee instantly understood.
Lightning chakra erupted around both brothers, crackling wildly across their bodies.
"Double Lariat!"
The Raikage and Killer Bee charged Hidan from front and back simultaneously.
Although Hidan possessed immortality and exceptional taijutsu skill, his speed was far inferior to the A–B brothers.
Before he could react, the attack struck.
His head was sent flying into the air, landing on the ground and rolling twice before coming to a stop.
Cloud shinobi continued to arrive, quickly surrounding the six Akatsuki members.
Even in this desperate situation, the Akatsuki did not panic.
Kakuzu seized the opportunity to stitch Hidan's head back onto his body with black threads. After regrouping, the six gathered together.
Zetsu sneered coldly.
"Your reinforcements sure came fast. But our mission is essentially complete. Tobi—it's time to retreat."
Obito mocked exaggeratedly,
"Oh my, are we running already? How thrilling. Smash everything and leave—they can only watch helplessly."
The Raikage was furious beyond measure. Lightning chakra surged violently around his body, mirroring his rage.
"Trying to escape?! You're underestimating the Hidden Cloud! Liger Bomb: Thousand Generations Dance!"
He concentrated lightning chakra in his hands and charged forward.
Obito waved dismissively at him.
"See you next time. We'll be taking the Two-Tails with us."
Space warped around Obito.
By the time the Raikage's attack landed, all six Akatsuki members had vanished.
The enraged Raikage slammed his fist into the ground. The earth shook violently, the land beneath his feet shattering instantly.
"Summon every shinobi in the Hidden Cloud! We will find every last one of those bastards!"