Flames of the Eightfold Hell

"No, you've arrived at just the right time, Namikaze Minato!"

Kakashi sheathed White Fang, shook his head at Namikaze Minato, and spoke slowly.

"That yellow hair... and that Body Flicker Technique! There's no mistake, that's the Yellow Flash of Konoha from the intelligence reports. If it's him, I think we should retreat first!"

The Cloud Ninja beside A stepped back two paces, speaking nervously.

A stood calmly in place, a thick, burning desire for battle still evident in his eyes.

"Is that so? So he is the ninja who stopped the plan to capture the Nine-Tails back then."

Seeing that the enemy showed no immediate intention to attack, Namikaze Minato instructed Kakashi to take Obito and Rin and retreat first, while he led the main force to mop up the Cloud Ninja who had invaded Konoha.

After watching Kakashi and the others depart, Namikaze Minato turned his gaze toward the enemy he was about to face.

"You are the son of the Third Raikage of Kumogakure, A, correct?"

Namikaze Minato narrowed his eyes, noting the lightning flickering across A's body as he spoke.

"I've heard your speed is exceptional!"

Killer B slowly walked forward and spoke to the blond man about to face his brother: "With me and my big brother here, we're sure to win, fool, ya fool."

"Still have time to chat!"

Uchiha Shisui chuckled, drew his ninja blade, and closed the distance to Killer B and A in a few flickers.

The blade sliced past the tip of A's mustache, missing his neck by less than half a finger's breadth.

A, having reacted, instantly vanished from where he stood.

"Who is this masked Konoha ninja?"

A stopped on a patch of safe ground and hurriedly asked the Cloud Ninja responsible for intelligence gathering nearby.

The Cloud Ninja shook his head, indicating he had no knowledge of this suddenly appearing Konoha ninja.

"Anbu? Did the Hokage send him?"

Namikaze Minato had originally intended to handle this alone, but seeing someone here who could share the pressure, he felt much more at ease.

"You all handle those Cloud Ninja; leave the A-Bee Duo to me and that Anbu!"

After speaking to the dozen or so Chunin behind him, Namikaze Minato pulled out a dozen Flying Thunder God kunai and scattered them throughout the battlefield.

"Big brother! Leave this troublesome guy to me! Fool, ya fool."

With that, Killer B instantly drew the two long blades on his back, which resembled bee stingers, and attacked Uchiha Shisui.

"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, is it!"

Uchiha Shisui leaped backward, dodging the massive octopus tentacle that had just slammed toward him.

The moment Uchiha Shisui dodged the tentacle, Killer B circled around from below, his long blades instantly thrusting toward Uchiha Shisui before he could even land.

"Susanoo!"

Clang! The long blades struck as if hitting an iron plate, unable to penetrate even a fraction of an inch.

Taking advantage of Killer B's momentary lapse, Uchiha Shisui twisted his body in mid-air, using the momentum to swing his leg and smash it fiercely into Killer B's arm.

"Tch, he actually dodged it!"

Seeing only a single octopus tentacle beneath his feet, Uchiha Shisui quickly pulled back to create distance.

"B! Are you alright!"

A dodged an attack from Namikaze Minato and looked toward Killer B, who had begun to pant heavily.

"You shouldn't be distracted while fighting me!"

Just then, a Flying Thunder God kunai suddenly appeared behind A, and Namikaze Minato appeared right behind him, holding a chakra sphere.

"Damn it! Can't dodge it!"

A looked at Namikaze Minato, who was within arm's reach, and found himself helpless.

"I call this technique: Spiral Heaven-Light Extreme Sharp Slash Void Flash Type One!"

Sshhh! Just as the sphere was about to land on A's back, a massive octopus tentacle blocked it from the outside.

"You're underestimating me! Daring to save someone else while fighting me." Uchiha Shisui shifted his mask slightly, revealing his left Sharingan, and sneered. "Eight-Tails, try my ocular jutsu! Eightfold Hell!"

The moment Uchiha Shisui activated his ocular jutsu, purple-black Karma Flame ignited on Killer B's octopus tentacle, its heat acting directly upon their souls like water from the netherworld or the fires of hell.

"Roasted octopus tentacle? Should taste pretty good."

Uchiha Shisui nodded as he watched his ocular jutsu take effect.

When the strange flames touched him, Killer B's soul shuddered violently, followed by a profound, soul-deep agony, while the Eight-Tails Gyuki within him suffered even more, as if its soul were being plunged into hell itself.

"B!" Seeing Killer B's state, A hurriedly ordered the Cloud Ninja to stall Namikaze Minato and rushed over.

"Retreat!" A scooped up Killer B, who was still burning with flames, and retreated toward their camp under the cover of the Cloud Ninja.

"Retreating already?"

Uchiha Shisui put his mask back on and began to bring his blade down upon the fleeing Cloud Ninja.

The Konoha ninjas were blinded by bloodlust, ignoring potential traps or ambushes ahead as they drew their kunai and began the slaughter.

On the border of the Land of Fields, at the Kumogakure camp, Killer B lay quietly on his bed, surrounded by the sealing team. After all, when a Jinchuriki goes on a campaign, a sealing team is required to reseal the beast should it go berserk.

"This flame cannot be extinguished by water, and we feel no heat when we touch it. It is simply unheard of."

A ninja from the sealing team said while looking at the data.

"Try using the sealing techniques of the Land of Whirlpools!"

"Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method!"

As the sealing technique was activated, the runes within the scroll seemed to come alive, spreading over Killer B's body.

"Success!"

Seeing the flames sealed away, the members of the sealing team breathed a sigh of relief.

A few days later, Killer B slowly regained consciousness.

"B! How are you?"

A hurriedly helped Killer B up and asked with concern.

"Yeah, it was Gyuki who saved my life..."

Killer B stared quietly at the empty void within his gut.

"The Eight-Tails is dead? What on earth was that damned flame..."

"No, Big Brother, the Eight-Tails isn't dead. Its chakra is still inside my body, but it seems to be nothing more than an empty shell now. Its soul appears to have been burned away by those flames."

"A flame that acts upon the soul?"

The researchers nearby had eyes gleaming with excitement. Their research into the soul was like a blank sheet of paper, and they were fanatical about such unknowns.

"Can you still wield the power of the Eight-Tails?"

The sealing team couldn't help but worry. If the Eight-Tails was gone, it meant their village was left with only the Two-Tails.

"Mm, I can still call upon the Eight-Tails' chakra. I am essentially a human Eight-Tails now. Before, I had to negotiate to borrow its power, but now I can call upon it at will. Compared to the perfect Jinchuriki I was before, I am more like a perfect Jinchuriki now."

After saying this, Killer B flipped his palm, and the surrounding chakra began to converge in his hand. Before long, a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb appeared in his grasp.

"That's great! B, in that case, could this be considered a blessing in disguise?"

Seeing the Tailed Beast Bomb in Killer B's hand, A laughed.

In his view, the Eight-Tails was uncontrollable, and since Killer B was his brother, if the Eight-Tails went berserk, his brother would die along with it.

That was something he never wanted to see; even though Killer B was a perfect Jinchuriki, he still couldn't fully set his mind at ease.

"No! Big Brother, I... I have lost an important partner."

Killer B turned his head to the side, tears welling up in his eyes, his voice choked with emotion.