No, Is That All You've Got?

"Yo, yo, I don't want to be your enemy, but this is the Raikage's mission, yo."

Killer B twisted his body while rapping in a strange, off-key cadence, the seven short blades on his back clattering together.

Jiraiya poked his head out from behind Lin Zi, looked the man up and down, and curled his lip.

"What a weird guy... and his singing is way too strange."

Lin Zi held his Kusanagi Sword horizontally, his golden vertical pupils locked onto Killer B, and asked without looking back.

"Don't kill the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki just yet, but those small fry lying in ambush nearby... can I kill them all?"

"I don't see why not." Jiraiya crossed his arms, looking indifferent. "If they dare to harbor malicious intent toward us, they have to accept the consequences."

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Tsunade suddenly squeezed in between the two, her shoulder bumping into Jiraiya and sending him stumbling.

"Why do you two have so much nonsense to say? Get ready to move!"

Jiraiya took two stumbling steps forward, nearly falling to the ground, and wailed.

"Whoa! Tsunade, wait for us! This is the legendary Sannin teaming up, at least give it some sense of ceremony!"

"I'm heading in too, Jiraiya." Lin Zi turned his head and flashed a grin at Jiraiya. "I'll leave those small fry on the side to you."

"Honestly!" Jiraiya slapped his thigh in complaint. "This Sage always ends up doing the dirty work! Orochimaru, don't you dare drag us down!"

"I know, I know."

Lin Zi pressed his palms together, the chakra around him suddenly growing dense. Two horns erupted from his forehead, and a nictitating membrane slid over his pupils.

Sage Mode, activate!

The Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead fully released, her chakra surging around her like a physical force, causing the ground beneath her to crack inch by inch.

The two lunged at Killer B from the left and right simultaneously.

"You guys are strong, but I'm not afraid, yo." Killer B grinned and reached for his back. "I have a partner who shares my heart, yo."

He whipped out his seven short blades! Two held in his hands, two tucked into his elbows, one bitten between his teeth, and the remaining two wedged against the insides of his knees.

The blade light connected into a single piece, like an iron lotus blooming in an instant, crashing forward with a piercing, wind-tearing shriek.

"Let's see if I can bring you back this time." Lin Zi licked his lips, his snake-like pupils narrowing into slits. "I've always hated being threatened by strangers."

Senjutsu energy blasted outward, pressing the gravel, fallen leaves, and weeds on the ground flat; even the air grew viscous.

"Yo, Orochimaru, your mouth is sharp, yo."

Killer B rapped, his seven blades slashing out at once!

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Lin Zi's Kusanagi Sword transformed into a silver-white streak, colliding frantically with Killer B's web of blades. The sound of clashing metal was as dense as a rainstorm hammering on a tin roof, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Killer B's swordsmanship was truly bizarre; the seven blades struck from completely unexpected angles—elbow strikes, knee thrusts, mouth bites—weaving the blade light into an airtight net.

But Lin Zi was faster.

His arms twisted and turned as if they had no bones, his Kusanagi Sword parrying, flicking, stabbing, and counter-slashing at impossible angles, each strike precisely wedged into the gaps between the seven blades.

Two white snakes slithered quietly from his sleeves, hugging the ground as they swam toward Killer B's feet, waiting for a chance to coil.

"Yo, troublesome, yo!" Killer B leaped backward, his seven blades shifting tactics simultaneously, the edges glowing with blinding lightning.

Lightning Style: Lariat!

The lightning transformed into countless thin snakes, covering Lin Zi's head and face along with the blade net.

Now!

Tsunade had been circling, waiting for the right moment. Her pupils constricted, her feet kicked off the ground, and she transformed into a green blur, cutting straight into Killer B's blind spot!

"Got you!"

She pressed her right fingers together like a blade, chakra highly condensed at her fingertips, forming a deep blue Chakra Scalpel, as precise as a surgeon's tool.

Shing!

A single strike severed the nerves in the muscles of Killer B's left arm.

"Argh!"

Killer B let out a muffled grunt, his left hand instantly losing all strength. The short blade he held clattered to the ground, and the blade tucked into his left elbow lost its support and fell as well.

Two blades, hitting the ground.

Having succeeded, Tsunade immediately retreated, landing beside Lin Zi, and said seriously, "What an ignorant child."

Killer B clutched his completely immobile left arm, cold sweat seeping from his forehead; the ease on his face had finally vanished.

Lin Zi stood with his sword held horizontally, his snake pupils reflecting the man's disheveled state, and spoke slowly.

"Still singing? Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, or are you going to call out your partner?"

Killer B clutched his left arm and grinned.

"Yo yo~ You've thoroughly ticked me off~ The power of the Eight-Tails will make you regret this~"

BOOM!!!

Red chakra erupted from his body, wrapping around him like boiling magma. His pupils constricted into vertical slits, and his entire being radiated a beast-like, violent aura.

"Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak..." Tsunade narrowed her eyes, her fists clenching until they cracked.

Lin Zi tilted his head, his golden vertical pupils filled with disdain. "What is this? The rapper is transforming?"

"Do people from the Cloud Village all have something wrong with their brains?" Tsunade scoffed.

"Probably." Lin Zi shrugged, holding the Kusanagi Sword horizontally in front of him. "Looks intimidating, but I reckon it just makes them even more muddle-headed."

"Enough talk!!"

Killer B roared, five blades swirling with red chakra as he charged straight at them like an out-of-control chariot! His speed was more than double what it had been; the ground shattered beneath his feet, and the lightning crackling on the blades mixed with the Tailed Beast chakra, hissing and popping.

"Well come!"

Lin Zi didn't retreat but advanced instead, slamming his hands into the ground!

"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"

Rumble! The ground exploded as countless stone hands shot up from the earth, gripping Killer B's ankles and waist with a death lock!

"Sage Art: White Rage Technique!"

A Red Light Dragon roared out from Lin Zi's mouth, detonating right in front of Killer B's face! The blinding light and piercing sonic waves instantly tore through the air!

"Ugh!" Killer B was stunned, his vision whiting out as his movements stalled.

Now!

Lin Zi slid across the ground like a snake, the Kusanagi Sword aiming straight for Killer B's throat!

Killer B instinctively tilted his head, the blade grazing his neck and drawing a string of blood, but the Tailed Beast chakra immediately sealed the wound.

"Left side!" Tsunade's voice exploded from the side.

Just as Killer B tried to turn, a sharp pain shot through his left leg!

Sshhh!

Tsunade cut in from his blind spot, her Chakra Scalpel precisely severing the muscle nerves in his left leg.

"Ah!!" Killer B's left leg went limp, and he slammed onto one knee. He tried to stand, but his left leg couldn't muster an ounce of strength.

Lin Zi retreated three steps, the Kusanagi Sword hanging at his side as he flicked the blood off the blade. Tsunade landed beside him, shaking out her wrists.

The two looked at the kneeling Killer B, then exchanged a glance.

"Is that it?" Lin Zi raised an eyebrow.

"A Tailed Beast jinchuriki, nothing more." Tsunade sneered.

Killer B panted heavily, red chakra still churning around him, but he could no longer hold his blades steady.

Just then, slow, leisurely footsteps echoed from the other end of the street.

Jiraiya was completely clean, carrying a fainted Cloud Village ninja in his hand. He tossed the man aside like trash, clapped his hands, and looked at the three of them with a speechless expression.

"Yo, still not done yet?"

He swaggered over, radiating the relaxed energy of someone who had just finished stretching his limbs.

"As expected."

Jiraiya put his hands on his hips and threw his head back in a loud laugh.

"Without Lord Jiraiya here to hold the fort, the two of you would just end up in a bitter struggle!"