Like Blue B, the Two-Tails Matatabi was also outside the village. However, she wasn't on an island; she was about ten kilometers from Kumogakure, inside a cave.
This was also information they had learned from the shinobi of Kumogakure.
"So this is the Two-Tails Jinchuriki?"
Orochimaru and Keigo Uchiha entered the cave. Inside was an old man who looked to be on the very brink of death.
But strangely, there were no guards here.
"You... Which Hidden Village are you shinobi from?"
Fukuya opened his cloudy eyes and looked at Orochimaru and Keigo. There wasn't the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.
He was incredibly calm.
In his hand was a string of prayer beads, which he gently moved from bead to bead with a steady rhythm. "You shouldn't have come here. This will be your misfortune."
"A monk?"
Orochimaru laughed hoarsely, but his eyes instantly grew wary. "I never expected that the reason the Two-Tails Jinchuriki hadn't appeared for so many years wasn't that there hadn't been a suitable Jinchuriki."
"It was just... because he'd been imprisoned."
"Imprisoned?"
Fukuya's voice was old as he slowly rose to his feet. Though he moved slowly, for some reason Keigo felt a bone-deep chill!
"If I were imprisoned... why would there be no guards here? Young man, I swore an oath as a monk in my youth that I would never kill anyone, so I have stayed here all this time. But that doesn't mean I will spare enemies who invade Kumogakure."
"I don't leave here, but that doesn't mean... I can't control the Two-Tails."
He spoke each word slowly and deliberately.
Then terrifying blue flames appeared around him!
Step by deliberate step, he advanced, his entire body wrapped in Tailed Beast Chakra. He transformed into... a monster!
"I know why this felt so strange."
Keigo's gaze turned cold, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spinning wildly. "This guy... doesn't seem at all exhausted. He's so old, yet his expression is perfectly normal... He seems much stronger than the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki!"
"This guy... can probably completely suppress the Two-Tails!"
Someone came to mind.
Bunpuku, from the original story!
He, too, had suppressed a Tailed Beast for his entire life, though Bunpuku was benevolent and preached compassion.
But the ascetic monk before them was clearly a wrathful guardian!
He used the power of thunder to crush every invading enemy!
"As shinobi, we have no right or wrong. Today, I'm taking the Two-Tails!"
Keigo's gaze was cold, and blue-green lightning flames instantly blazed around him.
"Storm Armor Technique!"
Lightning raged!
This time, with the Absolute Control talent, his Nintaijutsu had been refined until every weakness was corrected. It could now fully rival the Yotsuki Clan's original Nintaijutsu!
Combined with the power of Storm Release, it might even surpass the Yotsuki Clan's techniques!
"A good teacher really matters. If I hadn't watched the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Armor this time, I would have needed at least several more years to reach my current level!"
The violent lightning.
The techniques and attack patterns of his Nintaijutsu grew more and more familiar!
Keigo punched Fukuya away, lightning flashing all around him!
"Against your flames, most people would be helpless. But with the Storm Armor Technique, your flames can't hurt me at all!"
"Sharingan!"
In an instant,
his Sharingan spun wildly. Fukuya froze, but immediately came to his senses, his expression turning terribly grim. "This body is already on the verge of death. I don't have the strength to fight anymore."
"Otherwise... I would take you down with me!"
"But even if I can't kill you, I won't let you take the Two-Tails!"
As he spoke, he actually undid the Iron Armor Seal himself!
Without the slightest hesitation!
Undoing the seal meant... the Jinchuriki's death!
"You're a shinobi worthy of respect. But ever since Kumogakure invaded Konoha, this struggle over the Tailed Beasts was destined never to end."
Keigo calmly watched Fukuya finish what he had started.
The old man slowly closed his eyes, as though he'd just done the last thing expected of a shinobi of Kumogakure.
"The Two-Tails with its seal undone? That... might actually make it easier to deal with."
Orochimaru grinned and shouted, "Summoning Technique: Manda!"
Amid swirling smoke, a gigantic purple snake appeared!
His face was fierce.
His body was enormous!
He was every bit as massive as a Tailed Beast!
"Orochimaru, you woke me up again! This time, I want a hundred sacrifices! If you don't give me a hundred, I'll kill you!"
Manda's fierce snake eyes fixed on Orochimaru. Suddenly, he realized something and looked at the Two-Tails, wreathed in blue flames. His pupils shrank. "Damn you, Orochimaru! You really went and gave me such a troublesome job."
"This time, I want a hundred sacrifices!"
Keigo glanced at him.
His eyes were full of disdain.
So this was Orochimaru's first Summoning Animal? Not only was he disobedient, but he was always demanding sacrifices, and when things got critical, he even ran away. How had Orochimaru put up with him?
Orochimaru: "..."
Feeling Keigo's disdainful gaze, he looked helpless.
It was because he had signed the contract so early.
So he'd ended up signing an equal contract.
It gave him no way to control Manda, which meant he had to offer an equivalent exchange just to get him to do anything. Being humiliated in front of his student... really was frustrating!
"The sacrifices can wait. First, we need to subdue the Two-Tails. Then we can talk about sacrifices!"
Orochimaru's expression turned slightly awkward.
"Fine! I understand!"
Manda gave a savage grin and lunged forward, his fierce speed and massive body stirring up clouds of smoke and dust!
His entire body wrapped around the Two-Tails.
But at the same time, Manda's body stiffened, his face contorting in pain!
"Is... this the Tailed Beast's fire? Even my scales and skin can barely withstand it! Hurry up, Orochimaru! I can't hold on much longer!"
Manda's eyes were filled with murderous fury!
"When this is over, if you don't give me suitable sacrifices, I... will kill you!"
"Understood!"
Orochimaru shouted and lunged forward.
The Kusanagi Sword in his hand flashed with a cold gleam as he plunged it hard into Matatabi's back!
"You wretched humans! You're trying to subdue me again? I'll never submit to you!"
The Two-Tails shrieked, her fur standing on end.
She looked like a cat with its fur all puffed up.
Terrifying deep-blue flames surged out, making even Orochimaru break into a cold sweat.
"So this is the Two-Tails Matatabi's strength? She might not be as physically powerful as the Eight-Tails, but she's just as formidable. She's much harder to deal with than the One-Tails from Sunagakure!"
Orochimaru grinned.
Keigo appeared beside him in an instant, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes!
Blue-green lightning flames blazed around his body!
He was like a Thunder God!
He pounded Matatabi with blow after blow!
"Keigo, don't attack her at close range! The Two-Tails is surrounded by flames from the netherworld. Even I can barely withstand them; we can only attack with weapons! So..."
Seeing Keigo's brutal assault,
Orochimaru's pupils shrank, and he hurriedly tried to stop him.
But the next moment, his words caught in his throat. Keigo was actually... enduring the Netherfire and beating the Two-Tails into helplessness. He was moving too fast for Matatabi to even catch sight of him.
All she could do was roar in pain as Keigo's fists crashed into her again and again!
Keigo's punches came faster and faster, and the lightning around him grew denser.
Blow after blow came like a sudden storm. Even the Two-Tails Matatabi couldn't land a hit on Keigo!
"What terrifying speed, what incredible physical strength. Keigo has now... become a true Quasi-Kage-level powerhouse. In terms of speed and physical strength... I'm no match for him anymore!"
Orochimaru's pupils shrank. He couldn't help but murmur, "Keigo, how did you get even stronger?"
Was it just from watching the Raikage's Lightning Release Nintaijutsu?
What kind of talent was this?
He'd only seen it once, yet he could immediately put it to use. Orochimaru could clearly see that Keigo's movements and actions now... bore a striking resemblance to the Third Raikage's!
The remaining differences weren't because Keigo had learned poorly, but because he'd learned too well.
He'd made the Raikage's techniques his own!
He'd reshaped them into the stances and techniques best suited to him. What kind of monstrous talent was that?
"Teacher, get ready to use the Sealing Jutsu! I'll suppress her with my Sharingan, and Manda can hold the Two-Tails down!"
A sharp gleam flashed in Keigo's eyes. He was as composed as a machine.
Lightning flickered around him.
He shot forward!
"Damn brat, who do you think you are to give me orders?"
Manda's eyes were cold as he flicked his tongue. "I can't hold on any longer. Why should I care what you're trying to do? Orochimaru, don't forget my sacrifices!"
He gave a savage grin.
His massive form vanished in an instant, turning into a great cloud of smoke.
"Though I never got along with that Fukuya fellow, he wasn't a bad person. Today... you're all going to die with him!"
The Two-Tails' voice sounded like that of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl. It was beautiful, yet now it was filled with fury!
In the blink of an eye,
the entire cave was filled with terrifying deep-blue flames.
They blazed fiercely.
Like the fires of hell!
But the next moment, the Two-Tails abruptly turned and shot away!
"So you talked about revenge, but really you just want to escape?"
Keigo's eyes flashed. In the next moment, he brought his hands together and shouted, "Storm Release: Heaven and Earth Cage!"
A blue sphere of light appeared in his hands, and he hurled it forward!
In an instant, it transformed into a gigantic hemispherical cage, trapping the Two-Tails inside.
"Damn humans! You're always coming up with all sorts of tricky techniques!"
The Two-Tails bared her teeth, staring at Keigo in fear.
This guy... wasn't even from Kumogakure.
Yet he had Lightning Release like the Raikage, terrifying physical strength, and could even withstand the flames around her. He was a nightmare to deal with—and now he had a way to stop her from escaping!
"Contract!"
Keigo gave a quiet shout, and the cage instantly shrank, binding Matatabi tight!
"Teacher!"
He shouted, his eyes spinning wildly!
The Two-Tails' gaze turned vacant. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan wasn't enough to control a Tailed Beast, but Keigo's Three-Tomoe Sharingan, which was nearly a Mangekyō Sharingan, could control one for a brief moment.
"I really can't figure out whether you're the assistant or I am, Keigo. But... working with you feels pretty good!"
Orochimaru grinned.
He shot forward!
His hands plunged into the Two-Tails' body. "Five Elements Seal!"
The next moment, the Two-Tails' enormous body was sucked into a scroll. At the very last moment, Matatabi regained her senses. Her deep, dark eyes stared at Keigo, full of resentment. "Damn human... I'll never forgive you!"
"Phew!"
Orochimaru rolled up the scroll and looked at Keigo with admiration. "I didn't expect you to get even stronger, brat. At this point, even I would have a hard time dealing with you."
"Absolute speed, strength, and physical toughness, on top of your Sharingan. You're a true Quasi-Kage-level powerhouse now."
"A twelve-year-old Quasi-Kage... If the old man heard about this, he'd go crazy."
He shook his head helplessly, a trace of envy in his eyes.
"My Nintaijutsu had some flaws. After the Raikage's instruction just now, I gained new insights into both Nintaijutsu and Lightning Release," Keigo said with a smile. "If not for the Raikage, I think it would have taken me at least another year to become a Quasi-Kage-level powerhouse."
That's right.
At least a year!
He would have needed to experiment and find his way through it all. But with the Raikage's example to follow, he only needed to copy and adapt it, then find the techniques that suited him!
"Should we keep this a secret?"
As they quickly fled, Orochimaru asked hoarsely.
Since they were escaping in the opposite direction from the Eight-Tails, they didn't have to worry about the Raikage catching up anytime soon. As for anyone else, they weren't a match for them!
"Keep it secret. There are still some things we need to take care of."
Keigo Uchiha thought it over for a moment, then slowly spoke.
Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully. Looking toward the battlefield behind them, where flames still blazed, he grinned. "Keigo, we should consider doing more things like this in the future."
A thunderbolt raged in the direction of the battlefield they had just left!
A furious figure could be glimpsed in the distance!
"The Raikage really is a monster. Did he already deal with the Eight-Tails?"
Orochimaru felt a chill in his heart. Facing someone like that was terrifying.
It was like facing a human-shaped Tailed Beast!
Utterly brutal!
"Let's go!"
Keigo Uchiha said quietly.
The two of them sped up!
Inside the cave where the Two-Tails had been sealed.
Looking at the old, lifeless corpse, lightning crackling all over him, the Raikage's forehead veins bulged!
"Damn it! Damn it! What... exactly happened?"
He slammed his fist into the boulder beside him.
The boulder shattered instantly.
"I even gave up fighting the Eight-Tails with Taijutsu so I could subdue it as quickly as possible. I used my strongest technique to take it down, and now... you're telling me the Two-Tails was stolen!?"
His face turned purplish red, the veins on his forehead standing out with rage.
He breathed heavily, so furious he was about to cough up blood!
His battle with the Eight-Tails had left him utterly exhausted!
"Lord Raikage, according to our analysis... the enemy took advantage of the Eight-Tails' rampage to come here, seal the Two-Tails, and take it away. And because you were fighting the Eight-Tails, no one was keeping an eye on the Two-Tails..."
A shinobi's forehead streamed with cold sweat. He looked close to tears.
The other Kumogakure shinobi were nearly in tears too, feeling utterly useless.
"We're sorry, Lord Raikage!"
Their faces were full of guilt. Lord Raikage had fought the Eight-Tails alone so they wouldn't get hurt, but they hadn't even managed to guard the Two-Tails.
It was utterly humiliating!
They had let down Lord Raikage, who had always been so considerate of them!
"Don't waste time saying useless things!"
The Raikage gasped heavily. The lightning surrounding him faded, and his eyes blazed with fury. "Ai! Take Killer B and the elite shinobi after them! And all the other Kumogakure shinobi, sweep the area! I want them... dead and buried!"
His chakra was nearly depleted.
He couldn't go after them himself, so he had to rely on his son, Ai, and Killer B!
"Damn it! The enemy must have counted on me being unable to pursue them after subduing the Eight-Tails. It's even possible... that they were the ones who let the Eight-Tails loose!"
A chilling glint flashed in his eyes!
He was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
"Leave it to me, Father. I'll bring them all back!"
Ai's eyes were cold. Though still young, his broad shoulders and powerful muscles already set him apart from ordinary men. Beside him stood Killer B, a little shorter, whose chakra was perfectly compatible with his.
He set off in pursuit with more than a dozen elite shinobi.
The Two-Tails was an important weapon of Kumogakure. They absolutely couldn't lose it!
"Father came from the Eight-Tails' location. If the enemy wants to escape, they can only go in the opposite direction—and that's also the direction closest to the other great nations."
He shot forward like a bolt of lightning!
Half an hour later, he spotted two figures fleeing ahead.
"You damn fools! Stop right there! You dared to cause trouble in Kumogakure. I'll never let you get away with it!"
Lightning crackled around Ai as he glared furiously.
"No one gets to bully Kumogakure!"
What the hell!
Keigo Uchiha glanced back and saw Ai's furious, snarling face. "Was the Fourth Raikage already this short-tempered when he was young? No wonder he was so hotheaded in the original story that he was willing to cripple his own arm just to take Sasuke down."
His mouth twitched.
As expected, the Raikage's temperament ran in the family. They were all classic hotheaded brutes.
If this guy found out that the ones who'd knocked him out and extracted the secret techniques of the Yotsuki Clan back then were the Uchiha Clan, he'd probably be angry enough to start a war with Konoha.
"What now? You're the one who asked us to slow down, Keigo."
Orochimaru looked curious.
With their speed, escaping wouldn't have been a problem unless the Third Raikage himself pursued them. But Keigo Uchiha had deliberately slowed down.
"The fight between the Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails drained all his chakra and stamina. There's no way he can pursue us, so... we don't need to run that fast."
Keigo Uchiha grinned, a curious glint in his eyes.
"Wouldn't it be better to sow discord within Kumogakure?"
He had Storm Release.
And he also had Lightning Release Nintaijutsu, the perfect means of concealment.
Orochimaru's body shuddered, and his amber eyes immediately lit up with excitement!
"What a brilliant plan!"
"I thought I was already devious enough, but you're even worse, Keigo!"
Keigo Uchiha: "...If that's how you see it, I can stop supporting your experiments from now on. And... I don't like the look of your Manda. You should breed a new giant snake when you have time."
"Use Manda's blood and Senju Hashirama's cells. If you can breed a new giant snake, it should be even stronger than Manda."
As he spoke,
he casually tossed Orochimaru a jar of blood.
"This is... Manda's blood?"
Orochimaru was startled, then immediately understood the benefits of Keigo Uchiha's suggestion. "That... might actually be a good idea. I'll test it when we get back. I've been fed up with that Manda for a long time!"
He had already been thinking about creating a new Manda.
He just hadn't had the time lately. Keigo's suggestion made him all the more certain.
Manda... wasn't a good Summoning Animal. That thing was a pain to use!
"Storm Release: Thundercloud Cavity Wave!"
Keigo Uchiha formed four Hand Seals a second. He shouted, and gray thunderclouds filled the air, spreading at terrifying speed until they enveloped everyone.
There was no way to dodge it.
If they chose to pursue them,
they would inevitably have to cross through the thunderclouds.
The next moment, before they could react,
Keigo Uchiha's cold voice rang out. "We were from the same village, so I was going to let you off. But since you insist on chasing us, then... you can all just die!"
He snapped his fingers.
In an instant,
terrifying lightning seemed to grow eyes, spreading through the thunderclouds and striking everyone. The lightning raged!
Countless screams erupted from within the clouds.
Everyone except the Jonin collapsed, trembling, and fell into a severe, unconscious state. By the time Ai angrily charged through the thunderclouds, the two men were long gone.
"Damn it!"
His eyes burned with fury, lightning crackling around him as he stared at the fading thunderclouds and the blue-green lightning flickering over the Kumogakure shinobi. "This is... Storm Release!"
"There's a traitor in the village!"
"How could this happen? Why does the enemy know Storm Release... Could that person really have been a traitor from our village!?"
"It must have been! Only Kumogakure has Storm Release. Return to the village at once! I'll investigate and find out exactly who the traitor is!"
Ai's eyes were ice-cold.
Chilling to behold!
Elsewhere,
Keigo Uchiha and Orochimaru successfully crossed the border out of Kumogakure and arrived at a brothel in the Land of Iron.
Or rather, a geisha house.
"Hahaha, how delightful! With you using Storm Release, Keigo, Kumogakure will certainly think there's a traitor among them. They'll never guess that we're behind it."
Orochimaru's eyes shone with excitement.
The two of them pushed open the door and entered the geisha house. Inside, women sang and laughed as they swayed like water snakes. Their lovely faces and delicate fragrance set the imagination running.
"Working with you is always interesting, Keigo. I thought capturing the Eight-Tails was out of the question, but we ended up getting the Two-Tails instead."
Orochimaru was quite pleased.
That meant he could start researching the Tailed Beasts!
"The Two-Tails has a fairly gentle personality. The Nine Tailed Beasts' temperaments have a lot to do with their appearances. As a cat, the Two-Tails is very docile when it meets a suitable Jinchuriki."
"The One-Tails is a tanuki. It's naturally short-tempered and playful, much like the Nine-Tails, which is a fox."
"As a fox, the Nine-Tails is difficult to tame and has a wild nature."
Keigo Uchiha spoke calmly. Perhaps when the Sage of Six Paths divided the Ten-Tails into the Nine Tailed Beasts, he had based them on real creatures, naturally giving them their animal temperaments.
The two of them chatted openly.
Their expressions were calm.
Yet their eyes rested on one of the patrons, who stood rigid, cold sweat streaming down his forehead!
Before you continue