The Eight Tails encroaches on our border sir, in full form!”
Huh?
At that mont the world fell from under . Blood rushed to my head as my heart seized as I pictured the consequences to co. Kumogakure had made their move and it was an even ballzier one than I ever anticipated.
My mind tore the ssenger's words apart, translating and applying their significance to the scale of what Kirigakure was capable of. Assuming Killer Bee was the only S-rank combatant on scene then against the likes of Kisa and Juzo they could stall him for the precious monts it’ll take to bolt from Bar Beach to the field.
I swallowed the surge of cortisol and stilled my nerves, “Take there, now.” My body moved before his but he kept up. Given how drenched with water he was I knew he’d co a long way to reach Bar Beach’s shore. “Report!”
“I spotted him during coast patrol, sir.” The ANBU reported, his voice terribly strained as he sprinted beside . “On my way back I fortunately ran into—”
“Yagura!”
I skidded to a stop as the world returned around —the raucousness of the village, the pounding drums and flutes, the bursts of laughter and clinking cups, the shimring whirl of silks and Karatachi clan banners rippling like captured waves. It all returned around i.
She was already hurrying towards , the beach wind billowing at her dress. “I’m coming with you!”
I seized a breath and shook my head. “You won’t be fast enough but you can help.”
“What’s happened..?” She cut right through her gaze granting the ANBU permission to continue.
“I ran into Juzo on my way to you, sir. He sent away the Chuunin with him to retrieve Kisa before setting out to face the Eight Tails.” He said, finally catching his breath.
i’s expressions darkened. “The Eight Tails?”
The ANBU nodded. “From what I saw, the Jinchuriki must be in full control.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, eyes narrowing.
He gulped. “It dragged ships with it.”
“Ours?”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t tell.”
I sighed and looked off the distant shore. “It doesn’t matter. Kumogakure has co.” I sharply turned to i as Isobu’s chakra bubbled out of my skin, my [Stage 0 Chakra Cloak] flaring to life. “Gather Jounin and prepare for an assault, the Jinchuriki could not be alone.”
i's soft eyes t my hard gaze— without a word I knew what she was thinking and I’m sure she knew what I was too. War was on our doorstep yet again, despite our best and perhaps foolish efforts to the contrary.
Is there still a point to trying for us?
The question went unanswered, for now I allowed Isobu’s chakra to seep into every muscle fibre as I bolted towards the sea. My fingers flew through handseals as I ran and in a puff of smoke my Bo-staff was summoned into my hands.
I wore no armour but the soft cloth haori prepared for my anniversary, underneath was little more than the regular clothes I’d wear in the office. But my unpreparedness for the battle I was charging head first into didn’t matter, not especially now.
Killer Bee wasn’t removed enough from the Raikage for to believe his coming here would end peacefully. No matter what my mories told to believe of the Eight Tails Jinchuriki none of it trumped the fact that he was a cold hard killer when he needed to be and often for the sake of his village— like any other shinobi.
If the Raikage can’t be reasoned with then Killer Bee, Yugito Nii…all of Kumo. It would be war.
I clenched my Bo-staff at the thought of a full blown war, my feet splashing into the sea and my [Water Perception] extending farther as I searched for the spot Killer Bee would be at. Once I’d left shore all there was was water. I racked my mind for the accurate location or at least direction and piecing it together was easy enough— while I didn’t personally rember the ANBU posted to coastal patrols I was the one who set the gradient for said patrols.
I shot off in the direction of one of the four I’d ordered, the closest one to Bar Beach was still several nautical miles away from ho. I allowed the fact that I hadn’t found Killer Bee yet to console — the farther away from ho this problem was the better.
“Gyuki is one of the most powerful of my siblings.” Isobu said within my mindscape. “You’ve faced off against Kurama briefly but if Gyuki has found a Jinchuriki like you…”
“It doesn’t matter.” I said aloud, water splashing against my face as I cut through the sea towards its endless horizon. “As long as that Jinchuriki is the enemy of my village then I’ll do what I have to as Mizukage.”
“You must already know then, that Gyuki is one of the most intelligent of us. He’s more willing to see the fair side of humanity than all of my siblings and—”
“If you want to try and recruit Killer Bee for our plans then ... .you're right, it might be a good idea to just stop and talk. To relate about the things that are true about us Jinchuriki.”
Isobu was quiet, I could sense his satisfaction rise at my words just before I delivered the disappointnt. “But again, this is the enemy. As much as I want to have a family of happy go lucky Jinchuriki fighting the birth of the Akatsuki together, I have to stop them from blowing up my village first.”
“Fine. Put your village first but do not shut down the possibility of cooperation, you’re the one who started this idea in the first place, don’t abandon it now because things get tough.”
Tough?
My jaws clenched at the description for this situation. This was a whole lot more than tough, this was alarming. “There’s a lot more at risk than just my village, Isobu and this…this is just highlighting the fact that we’re not prepared to face up against this type of threat. I can’t even fully transform yet.”
“We will practice.” Was all the comfort Isobu could offer before his voice fell with an unmissable dread. “I can sense his chakra…you’re getting closer.”
I was. [Water Perception] allowed to ‘see’ through the molecules within the ever expanding radius of the ability and right now, within that radius I saw Juzo and Killer Bee. In the very next mont the horizon gave up two large structures floating on the water and the sounds of combat.
The structures quickly made out to be ships, two large yet worn down and half sunken ships dripping with water, algae and vines of seaweed. How they even managed to rise above the sea surface was a miracle.
And then I saw them or rather, he saw . Swords dancing, tentacles protruding Juzo swung wildly at Killer Bee, heaving Kurikiribocho down on his head with wide, heavy swings Killer Bee at most lazily parried before sumrsaulting away. His lips were moving, saying sothing that Juzo drowned out with each roar of frustration.
“Juzo!” I called out to the Swordsman. His regular dark cloak was riddled with puncture holes and his opponent, Killer Bee, was just as I rembered, right down to the scarf. “Stand down!” I ordered.
Juzo looked over his shoulder mid stride and still decided to continue his attack. He dashed at Killer Bee, sending Kurikiribocho clashing against the Jinchuriki’s many blades with an oppressive strength to each bastard swing.
I cursed the disobedient fool as my chakra cloak swirled around , fueling my body with an excess energy I promptly put to use. Wielding my Bo-staff I dashed out towards the swordfighting duo and as if in reaction to Killer Bee exploded with Tailed Beast chakra too.
“Wooo Weee!” Killer Bee howled, chakra bursting off his skin in a molten blaze. The surge rocked the water outward in expanding rings, sending Juzo flying. His three-tailed cloak hissed and snapped, bubbling with malevolence, each appendage cracking the waves like whips.
I snatched Juzo from his tumble and righted him beside , “Stay put.” I ordered, glaring down at the murder happy, shark teeth Swordsman.
“I could’ve…taken him.” Juzo muttered believing his own words less and less as Killer Bee’s chakra surge seed to go on forever.
The Cloud’s Jinchuriki stood there in a pose, his fingers rocking hard above his head, his legs spread and three chakra tails flailing high above him. Finally, he brought his gaze down on us, eyes unreadable behind those dark brown sunglasses.
I stood up straight and walked over, not letting go of my [Stage 0 Chakra Cloak] but also not advancing it. Killer Bee’s taunt and warning was clear, he easily manifested three chakra tails, not nearly equivalent to Isobu’s entirety but enough to pose a mockery of the power I did wield as his Jinchuriki.
“What have you co for, Hachibi Jinchuriki?” I asked, yelling so my voice carried through the sea. “You weren’t invited anywhere near Kirigakure or the Land of Water last I checked.”
Killer Bee grinned. “Yo, Mizukage, three-tails in the flesh, no invite, no welco, but I’m here to press.” He nodded to his own poor lyricism. “See I brought a ransom, larger than a million for your mansion!”
He jabbed his thumbs at the rugged ships gradually sinking back into the sea. Tentacles lashed from his back, plunging into the depths. With a colossal heave, he lifted the battered ships, seawater cascading in torrents as their broken ribs scraped against each other. The waves bucked and rolled, nearly knocking Juzo back into the water. I eyed them nervously as it just dawned on that his reinforcent could be hidden within.
But there was nothing to be afraid of, at least not of the ships. His ntion of a million ryo made understand what had brought him here. My mouth tasted bitter with the realization, I swallowed thickly and stepped forward, allowing my Chakra Cloak to dissipate.
“Mizukage-sama!” Juzo alard, watching present myself to the boiling Eight Tails Jinchuriki without the best protection I had in my arsenal.
“It’s okay, Juzo, I don’t believe Killer Bee is here to cause trouble, well, not anymore than he has already.” I shrugged.
Killer Bee smiled. “No, I’m not here for a fight, not here for trouble. Just take to my friend and we’ll be out on the double!”
I winced at his rap as he slowly returned the favour of trust, his Chakra Cloak receding into his skin.
““Mizukage-sama!”” A horde of voices called out. I looked over my shoulder and there was i leading the likes of Fuguki, Kisa, Ao, and a strapped team of ANBU towards .
I held my hand up, halting their panic as I looked up at Killer Bee. “You shouldn’t be here, but I’m glad we got to et so soon.”
Bee looked confused but his confident smile remained, even in the face of increasing numbers. I was secretly grateful for Kisa’s presence with Sahada— depending on how things went, that weapon would be pivotal to restraining Bee.
I gestured at the ships, their mass once again sinking without Bee’s tentacles to hold them up. “Those don’t look worth the fifty million ryo I asked for.” I said, blinking at him. “And then there’s the apology, you didn’t co with it, did you?”
Bee’s smile tensed and ultimately fell. “I’m here on a mission to ransom Jay. Your letter set his bounty, one mil ryo clean, but I brought treasure ships, stacked and an.” he pointed at the ships. “Gold in the hulls, jewels in the floor, more than a million, that’s for sure.”
My throat seized once he confird my suspicions— he wasn’t here as a representative of Kumogakure, he was here in defiance, he was here for the friend we captured and lightly interrogated, Jay. This told exactly what the Raikage was thinking— war.
I stared at the wreck of ships and shook my head, “Sohow I doubt that but I suppose, for the sake of a fellow Jinchuriki, I can trust your word.” His smile returned but only briefly as I imdiately asked. “But then, this ans war, right?”
Bee took a step back, I sensed his chakra spike as I t his hidden gaze. “I’m not here for a fight, I only want—”
“You only want the spy that destroyed…so much of the internal trust and value of my clans. That helped erode the relationship between Kage, clan and village. You want him back and you want to leave without a hair touched on either of your heads, isn’t that right?”
Killer Bee didn’t answer, his muscles tensed just as mine did. My chakra churned within , ready to move the mont I decided once and for all there was no more negotiating or reasoning to be had.
But this is Killer Bee not Ay, there’s a chance.
I stepped forward, ignoring how his Bijuu Chakra winds billowed at my haori and smiled up at Bee. “Let’s talk inside.”
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