The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails

Qiuyang naturally agreed wholeheartedly with his teacher's request.

But before leaving the group, he made a point of taking Nadeshiko somewhere relatively secluded.

"Why did you bring me here...?"

Nadeshiko's eyes darted away, and she didn't dare meet his gaze.

Without the constraints of her village's old customs and etiquette, the thoughts she had kept hidden in her heart for so long had grown increasingly difficult to ignore.

"Nadeshiko, listen. I have an urgent mission to carry out, so only my teacher and my companions can take you back to your village."

"You didn't need to tell me that."

"I thought so too, but my body wouldn't listen. I just had to tell you, you know?"

His words made Nadeshiko's face turn scarlet. She simply lowered her head without replying, acutely aware of her heart pounding wildly.

But Qiuyang was terribly frustrated. He had no idea why he'd said those things. He should have drawn a clear line between them; that would have been best. But every time, he just... couldn't control himself.

Forget it. Just this once, he'd follow his heart!

To settle his already tumultuous feelings, he needed to try something he'd never used before.

He took out the scroll containing the sealed black flames of Amaterasu that he'd received from his teacher. After unsealing it and releasing the flames, he activated his Mangekyo and froze them in space.

Then he raised a hand and tipped up her chin, making her clear, limpid eyes meet his Mangekyo. In a gentle voice, he said:

"I'm worried Iwagakure might come after you again, so I need to leave you with some protection."

Sharingan: Dojutsu Seal

Nadeshiko stared, entranced by those beautiful, bewitching Mangekyo eyes.

The locked-away Amaterasu flames, along with some of Qiuyang's Mangekyo power, were sealed into her eyes.

It was the Uchiha's unique Dojutsu Transcription, just like how Itachi had hidden Kotoamatsukami's protection of Konoha inside Naruto, and how he had hidden Amaterasu in Sasuke's eyes.

After he finished, his eyes returned to their original black. He found that the beauty's moist eyes were still gazing at him, seeming to hold countless tender feelings.

He suddenly remembered the cave where they'd spent so much time together. Unable to help himself, he rested his forehead against hers and voiced the thought he'd had before: "Nadeshiko, you're really beautiful."

As soon as he said it, he realized he'd behaved inappropriately. After awkwardly saying, "I'm leaving," he fled.

He used the Flying Thunder God to travel a great distance in one breath before finally managing to calm the inexplicable feelings stirring in his heart. Then he formed Hand Seals and summoned Gamakichi.

"Gamakichi, how come you've grown another size?"

"Heh... That's just how our clan is. Those of us built for battle grow pretty fast."

Qiuyang's lips curled into a smile. "Don't you keep inviting me to visit Mount Myoboku again? I happen to have time today. I'll come by and meet the Toad Sage Fukasaku you mentioned last time."

Gamakichi was overjoyed. He immediately released the Summoning Jutsu and returned to Mount Myoboku, then formed Hand Seals and used the Reverse Summoning Technique to summon Qiuyang there.

Qiuyang looked at Mount Myoboku's picturesque scenery and prayed that this... journey to learn Senjutsu would go smoothly.

Another month passed.

Location: Valley of Clouds and Lightning, Kumogakure.

Killer B, carrying several short red-handled blades, was walking down a long flight of stairs with Yugito, whose hair was tied in a long braid.

She had been training with Killer B in Tailed Beast techniques for more than two months, and the results were nothing short of remarkable.

"Lord Killer B, the method you taught me really has improved my rapport with the Two-Tails. I can now stay rational while in human-form Tailed Beast Transformation."

"Tailed Beasts, feelings we treasure, control and teamwork, pay attention. Improve rapport, the secret weapon, oh yeah~"

Killer B, wearing sunglasses, swayed as he sang his reply. He was quite satisfied with Yugito's training results too.

"Then, Lord Killer B, I'll head back to the village to see Lord Raikage. When the time comes... I'll bring up letting you return to the village at an opportune moment."

Killer B nodded along to the music in his heart, but he knew his brother would never agree. He was already thinking about how to slip away and go have fun.

But just as they were parting, a voice suddenly rang out nearby:

"What are you two talking about? You seem to be having a good time."

An enemy attack?

While Killer B remained relaxed, Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, immediately took up a defensive stance and looked toward the source of the voice—a massive boulder.

"Who's there? Come out! Stop skulking around."

"Both of Kumogakure's Perfect Jinchūriki are here. This'll be tricky!"

Qiuyang had just finished learning Sage Mode at Mount Myoboku. He stopped hiding and stepped out from the boulder's blind spot, still dressed in his signature dark outfit.

He hadn't even removed his Konoha Headband. He stood there in his original appearance before the two Jinchūriki.

There was no helping it. He couldn't use genjutsu to control Perfect Jinchūriki, and once he started fighting the two of them, there was no way he could keep his conspicuous techniques hidden.

He might as well face them head-on. It was the perfect chance to test the power of Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode...

Those scarlet eyes... the Sharingan!

Yugito recognized them and immediately thought of the name that had long been famous...

"The Black Flash of Konoha... Aren't you afraid of causing friction between our villages?"

"Huh? Am I really that famous already? But I came all this way just to fight you two. This has nothing to do with our villages."

Qiuyang had already thought of what to say: he'd call it a spar. And if he happened to cut off a bit of the Two-Tails' tissue along the way, that would be perfectly reasonable too, right?

"Even so, you..."

Yugito tried to continue, but the quick-witted Killer B suddenly spoke up beside her:

"A powerful enemy comes to invade, perfect chance to test our training, baka yarō~ konoyarō~"

Yugito stopped speaking and thought it over. She found herself swayed by Killer B's words.

She had no clear idea of how much of the Tailed Beast's power she could bring out. This was the perfect chance to test it against the already somewhat famous Black Flash of Konoha.

"Hmph... You dared to trespass into Kumogakure. If we kill you, I doubt Konoha will have anything to say about it. Come on, let me test what my training can do!"

With that, Yugito immediately transformed into her human-form Tailed Beast state and charged at Qiuyang.

Killer B moved to the side to watch. At the same time, he took out a pen and wrote down the good lines that had come to mind when he saw Qiuyang's Sharingan.

He didn't send any signal to their village either. Killer B believed that, with his current strength, no enemy who came after them would be a match for him.

Meanwhile, Qiuyang had already traded several blows with Yugito in her Tailed Beast form using Taijutsu. He couldn't help marveling that she truly was a Perfect Jinchūriki.

"As expected, a conscious human-form Tailed Beast Transformation is much stronger than Naruto's unconscious transformation back then."

As Qiuyang mused, he used the claws swinging toward him to propel himself into the air, deciding to stop holding back.

"Ninja Art: Fire Mouse Jade!"

More than a dozen mouse-shaped energy blasts shot toward Qiuyang. He brought his hands together, then extended them toward Yugito.

"Wood Release: Bringers of Darkness!"

Countless wooden arms sprang up around Yugito. Under Qiuyang's control, the ones near him blocked all the Fire Mouse Jades.

Killer B, who had been lounging around, was so shocked by Qiuyang's Wood Release that he took off his sunglasses.

Could Konoha be trying to collect the two Tailed Beasts inside them??