One day ago.
The Land of Hot Water, outside Hell Valley.
The high-noon sun pierced through the drifting, pale-red mist of Hell Valley, casting sharp shadows upon the towering cliffs that spiked toward the sky like jagged thorns.
Birds dared not fly over, and the spring waters flowed with a scalding heat.
Squatting atop a precipice, a sturdy young man wearing the white single-strap vest and black undergarment of the Hidden Cloud took a deep breath. He withdrew his arm from a boiling hot spring and stood up.
Judging by his appearance, he was the son of the Third Raikage, the one who had already inherited the name "A."
Surveying the rolling mist below—a bottomless abyss where no human trace could be found—the young A furrowed his brow.
"This terrain... it's a natural prison. To contact the Chinoike clan inside without alerting the Uchiha jailers is impossible.
"And to make matters worse, they've tightened security."
He turned back toward a half-crippled old man who stood respectfully behind him. The old man's arm had been vaporized from the shoulder down, and his body was covered in horrific burn scars.
"Ramie," A asked in a heavy voice, "how did you contact the Chinoike clan last time?"
"Lord A, it has always been the Chinoike who initiated contact with us," Ramie replied. "Only someone from their clan could find the secret paths out of the valley without alerting the Uchiha. The only person who knew those paths on our side was Tutai, and he... he died at the hands of Setsuna Uchiha."
"—RAAGH!!"
A's forehead throbbed with sudden fury.
He swung a fist wreathed in crackling lightning, instantly shattering a tree trunk as thick as a man's torso.
Standing beside him was a young man with dark skin and pale yellow hair. He wore black sunglasses and carried seven swords on his back. Killer Bee grinned, raising his arms in a rap gesture and swaying his body as if no one else were there.
"Bakayaro, Konoyaro! Big brother worries over such a small thing, better to move forward with a powerful swing!"
"Lariat, the combo of my brother and me, crushing the old foe with a strike that is free! Oh yeah!!"
Hearing his brother's daily "seizure," A's forehead throbbed again.
Accustomed to this behavior, he decisively chose to ignore Bee's words and kept his gaze fixed on Ramie.
"So, you're saying we can only sit here and wait for news from the Chinoike?"
Looking at A's fist, which was the size of a sandbag, Ramie shrunk back, not daring to answer. Of the three Cloud elites sent for this mission, he was the only one who had escaped back to the village with a missing arm. Having to send the "A-B Combo" to clean up their mess was shameful enough.
At that moment, a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens!
The light exploded against the cliffside, leaving behind a specialized white scroll. Seeing the scroll appear out of thin air, Ramie gasped.
"That's... the Heavenly Transfer Jutsu! The village has sent the latest intelligence?"
The Heavenly Transfer Jutsu was a secret technique unique to the Hidden Cloud. It could transmit any object at the speed of light to any location. It was primarily used for items, as a human body would typically be torn apart by the velocity; the only successful human transfer to date was the Third Raikage.
A raised an eyebrow, picked up the scroll, and unfurled it.
As he read, his expression became exceptionally grim.
"Ren Uchiha?"
"The disciple of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin... The one who killed Ebizō of the Hidden Sand at only twelve years old?"
"The village wants us to team up with the Sand to take this brat's head...
"And the priority of this mission is actually higher than liberating the Chinoike clan?"
Behind him, the faces of the other two men changed simultaneously.
Upon hearing that name, Ramie began to tremble. He felt as if he had been transported back to the abandoned village in the Land of Hot Water, fighting those two Uchiha madmen.
Recalling the boy who had fought Moroi to the death—a boy who didn't hesitate to trade his life for a strike—Ramie felt a wave of cold dread wash over him. He truly never wanted to see that Uchiha freak again.
Moreover, how was it possible? A month ago, the kid was just a weakling who threw shuriken and blew himself up with paper bombs. How could he have grown enough to kill someone like Ebizō?
Meanwhile, Bee's playfulness vanished instantly. His face darkened as he focused on a different piece of information.
The kid was Orochimaru's disciple.
The name "Orochimaru" ignited a deep, smoldering hatred in Bee's eyes. This went back to a tragic event in the Hidden Cloud's recent past: the death of the previous Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Blue B.
Blue B, originally named Fukai, was a man of excellent talent, lineage, and character. He had been a mentor and a hero to Killer Bee.
Three years ago, Bee had become the candidate for the Eight-Tails after passing Tutai's test. Under the guidance of his brother A and Blue B, he had fought through the early stages of the Third Great Ninja War. Blue B had taught him how to avoid losing himself to the Eight-Tails, ultimately allowing Bee to find the path to becoming a Perfect Jinchūriki.
But that mentor had died when the Eight-Tails went on a rampage, causing massive destruction to the village. The Third Raikage and his elites had re-sealed the beast, but eight shinobi had died in the process. It was during this battle that the young A performed the feat of cutting off the Eight-Tails' horn.
Bee had originally thought it was a freak accident. But after becoming the Perfect Jinchūriki, he learned the truth.
Blue B's rampage happened because Orochimaru had targeted a moment of mental weakness to slip into the village. He used a specialized Genjutsu pill to paralyze Blue B, then undid the Iron Armor Seal, unleashing the beast.
Blue B died, and Orochimaru took the opportunity to steal the severed horn of the Eight-Tails for his research.
Due to the effects of the drug, even the Eight-Tails itself couldn't remember what had happened. However, not long ago, the drug's effects had finally worn off. The beast recalled the truth and told Bee.
The culprit behind everything was Orochimaru.
"Brother..."
Bee stepped forward, ready to volunteer to kill this disciple. He wanted Orochimaru to feel the pain of losing someone precious.
Standing at the cliff's edge, the young A pondered for a moment. Though he looked like a brutish man, he possessed a razor-sharp mind. He narrowed his eyes and spoke first.
"This is actually a perfect opportunity!"
"Bee, Ramie—don't bother hiding your tracks. Set out immediately.
"Coordinate with the Sand and kill this brat, Ren Uchiha!"
Ramie stood dazed. Me? Kill Ren Uchiha? Did you not read the report? He just killed Ebizō! How am I supposed to fight that lunatic?
Bee was also surprised, but it was exactly what he wanted.
A bright, fierce grin broke across Bee's face. He slapped the stunned Ramie on the shoulder and began to rap like a rhythmic machine:
"Ramie, let's move with a crazy pace, wipe that Uchiha brat's smile off his face!
"The battle has started, a powerful stride!
"Oh yeah!"
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