Land of Lightning, Kumogakure
In the dead of night, the Kumogakure was shrouded in thick thunderclouds, with occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the towering Raikage Building. Yugito Nii stood alone by the window of his residence, his fingertips lightly tapping the window frame, his eyes reflecting the lights still shining in the distant research institute.
(Aren't those guys... resting yet?)
Ever since the Heavenly Screen displayed those shocking images of the future Shinobi World, the entire Kumogakure has fallen into a near-frenzied state of preparation for war. The Lord Raikage himself has personally ordered all ninjas to intensify their training while secretly accelerating the research and development of the Chakra Cannon.
As the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, Yugito Nii has been frequently summoned to the research institute to provide samples of the Tailed Beast Chakra to those fanatical researchers. Every time she steps into that steel fortress-like research institute, she can feel the restlessness and ambition permeating the air.
"The Kumogakure must acquire power sufficient to shake the Shinobi World in the future!" -- The Raikage's voice still echoed in her mind.
She recalled the scene she had witnessed at the research center that day—the researchers in white lab coats surrounding the massive prototype Chakra Cannon, their eyes gleaming with an almost morbid excitement. They were discussing how to compress the Tailed Beast Chakra to its limit, how to make the range cover the entire Shinobi World, and even... how to shatter the moon with a single shot.
(Shatter the moon?) Yugito Nii couldn't help but scoff.
(Even those world-destroying ninjas in the Heavenly Screen, none of them have ever managed to send their Ninjutsu to the moon.)
But what unsettled her even more was that the researchers' ideas weren't entirely far-fetched. According to existing theories, if the materials problem could be solved, the Chakra Cannon could indeed withstand the energy output of Tailed Beast. However...
(The corrosive power of the Tailed Beast Chakra is too strong.)
Currently, none of the experimental materials can withstand the Chakra erosion of the Two-Tails for an extended period, and they will disintegrate in a short time. The solution proposed by the research team is surprisingly—to use Chakra Metal entirely.
(How many resources would that take?) Yugito Nii frowned.
(If it were actually built...)
She dared not think any further. If Kumogakure truly possessed this strategic weapon with an ultra-long range and power comparable to a barrage of Tailed Beast Bomb, the future landscape of the Shinobi World would be completely altered. The Lord Raikage would never tolerate other villages threatening Kumogakure's position, and once war broke out...
(Can we really control this power?)
Outside the window, another bolt of lightning struck, illuminating Yugito Nii's solemn face. She looked down at her palms, blue Chakra flowing between her fingertips, carrying the Matatabi.
(If the Chakra Cannon is really completed...)
(Will I also become... a pure "weapon"?)
The thought made her chest tighten. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
(No, Lord Raikage wouldn't do that.)
(Kumogakure needs is deterrence, not destruction.)
But the fanatical gazes of the researchers in the institute made it impossible for her to completely convince herself.
(Perhaps... I should talk to my father.)
The Yugito Nii closed the window and drew the curtains, plunging the room into darkness.
Thunder rumbled deep in the clouds, and the curtains of the Yugito Nii's dwelling were suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightning. She was sitting in front of her dressing table, but the comb remained suspended in mid-air, motionless.
"Hey, Yugito Nii."
"Your Chakra flow these past few days has been like a tangled ball of yarn."
"Could he still be thinking about those things inside the Heavenly Screen?"
The Matatabi's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, with its characteristic languid tone. The sandalwood comb in the Yugito Nii's hand snapped in two with a "crack."
"You're quite perceptive." She tossed the broken comb into the trash can with a wry smile, her fingertips unconsciously tapping out a chaotic rhythm on the table. "I'm thinking about the plans of those people at the research institute..."
Lightning flashed again, casting her swaying shadow on the wall. The dressing mirror reflected her furrowed brows—an expression she'd been making far too often lately.
"If they really built a cannon capable of withstanding the chakra of the Tailed Beast Chakra..." Yugito Nii stared at his reflection in the mirror. "What will the Kumogakure become in the future? Those madmen are even planning to attack targets halfway across the continent from within the village."
"Ha!" The Matatabi inside the sealed space. "You humans just love these fancy little things."
The Yugito Nii the torrential rain began to pound against the glass. The research institute's lights were still blindingly bright, like a monster that never closed its eyes.
"The most terrifying thing is..." Her voice was almost drowned out by the thunder. "According to their theory, this is entirely feasible. If it were all made of Chakra Metal..."
"Then you won't need ninjas in future battles," the Matatabi suddenly interjected. "Just set up a row of iron pipes and fire at each other."
Yugito Nii whirled around, causing the bottles and jars on the dressing table to rattle and clang. The absurd scene gave her a stomachache—when war becomes a game of buttons, human lives are probably less important than statistics.
"Worse still..." Her nails dug into her palms. "What will we Jinchūriki become? Walking Chakra batteries?"
The Matatabi Chakra suddenly surged violently. Inside the sealed space, the enormous cat demon's fur exploded.
"They dare?!"
"I'll tear it to shreds--"
"Calm down." Yugito Nii pressed his hand to his abdomen, feeling the boiling Chakra within him. "This is still just the conceptual stage..."
Amidst the torrential rain, she suddenly heard a metallic, distorted groan. The lights of the research institute in the distance flickered eerily a few times.
The Matatabi gradually calmed down, but its hiss still carried a dangerous undertone.
"Yugito Nii, do you know what's the most ironic thing?"
"If we actually built dozens of those cannons..."
"Its power is probably more terrifying than Nine Tailed Beasts combined."
A sudden clap of thunder illuminated Yugito Nii's pale face. She recalled the battle between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha in the Heavenly Screen, the world-destroying Tailed Beast Bomb... What if humanity created a weapon even more powerful than that...?
"If it were actually developed, the Shinobi World would be plunged into war again..."
"The casualties from the first Third Shinobi World Wars..." Her voice trembled slightly, "They probably didn't even amount to a fraction of the total."
The Matatabi, each time its paws touched the ground, it stirred up ripples of Chakra.
"You humans..."
"Its lifespan is as short as a mayfly's..."
"They're all quite adept at causing destruction."
Yugito Nii suddenly felt like laughing. She looked at herself in the mirror—the lines under her eyes looked exactly like Matatabi's whiskers. How ironic, the one who understood her worries the most at this moment was actually the Tailed Beast inside her that had once hated humans.
"I'm going to see Lord Raikage tomorrow," she suddenly said.
The Matatabi's ears perked up:
"Finally figured it out?"
"That muscle-bound idiot should have been put in charge of that bunch of lunatics a long time ago."
"No," the Yugito Nii interrupted, its gaze hardening. "I want to apply to participate in the entire project."
The sealed space suddenly became eerily quiet.
"Since we can't stop it..." she stroked the winding streaks of rain on the windowpane, "At least we should make sure it's not abused."
The Matatabi remained silent for a long time, then suddenly let out a meaningful purr:
"Yugito Nii..."
"You're much more dangerous than those research fanatics."
The downpour gradually subsided, but the lights in the research institute remained as bright as day.