"Kill me? You Konoha brats sure have some nerve!"
Every hair on the Fourth Raikage's head stood on end as he flew into a rage. The Lightning Release Chakra surrounding his body surged outward, growing several times stronger than it had been in Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"Brat, I originally prepared this move for the Yellow Flash. Since you're so eager to die, I'll show you the strongest Lightning Release Armor!"
"Lightning Release: Lariat!"
Combining the explosive speed of Lightning Release with immense arm strength, he charged at Uchiha Hanazuki, moving faster than the Body Flicker Technique.
"And that's the end of you, Uchiha brat!"
"Is it? No matter how powerful a technique is, it's useless if it can't hit the enemy. Am I right, big guy with no rapping talent?"
Dust scattered everywhere. The powerful blow carved deep furrows into the ground. The Fourth Raikage looked down to find that the only thing left behind was a twisted, warped kunai.
Killer B, who had been picking up a pen and paper to jot down his inspiration, turned his head. Somehow, Hanazuki had appeared beside him, frowning.
"Sure enough, you have no rapping talent, Eight-Tails Jinchuriki uncle."
"Fool! Bastard! You've been going on about how I've got no talent since the beginning! You brat sure are annoying!"
Tentacle-like appendages spread across his arms, their brown skin studded with pale suckers that made for an unsettling sight.
"B! Let this brat see the power of the AB Duo! Lightning Release: Double Lariat!"
"Fool! Bastard! Let us show you our combo technique!"
Chakra that seemed to possess a life of its own enveloped them. As a light red Tailed Beast Cloak appeared around Killer B, he raised his hand just as quickly as the Fourth Raikage. They closed in from both sides in an instant.
"The Tailed Beast Cloak? As expected of a Perfect Jinchuriki who's mastered how to use a Tailed Beast. Here's a parting gift. It's over."
Thud!
Their powerful arms collided, crushing the kunai to pieces in an instant. The chakra mark engraved on its handle flashed, and a black orb encircled by rings appeared before them.
"Spiraling Ring."
A dazzling radiance devoured everything caught in its glow. After a long, profound silence, a deafening explosion followed.
Crash! Boom! Whoosh...
Countless trees and rocks were reduced to dust by the sharp chakra needles. In the center of the forest, all that remained was a massive crater, as if a meteor had struck.
Tentacles spread in every direction as the enormous, bull-headed, octopus-tailed creature stretched its body and roared at the heavens.
"B! You just woke me up so I could take a hit for you? That really hurt!"
The Fourth Raikage, protected beneath the Eight-Tails, appeared once more. He looked around at his subordinates, scattered everywhere and long since dead, his veins bulging with rage.
"Damn brat! How dare you—how dare you make a fool of me like this! That accursed Uchiha brat! I'll find you, and then I'll tear you and that bastard Ōnoki to pieces!"
Seeing this, the Eight-Tails, Gyuki, couldn't help letting out a sigh.
"You've completely lost your temper. Who was that enemy, anyway? Was that brat who made you this angry the ninja who just used a move like a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
"That Uchiha brat—arrogant! Brother and I teamed up, escaped."
Gyuki was surprised, too. He looked at Killer B, who had been rapping and dancing all this time, then pressed him for an answer.
"Are you saying a young Uchiha brat escaped from you and A? Judging by A's condition, he used his strongest Lightning Release Armor. Could that brat use the Body Flicker Technique—and move even faster than the Fourth Raikage? What a remarkable fellow."
"And what's with that chakra I find so irritating? It feels somewhat like the Nine-Tails, but it makes me inexplicably uncomfortable. Am I imagining things?"
While Gyuki was still puzzling over it, far away, near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, several figures dropped from the sky.
"Are we safe?"
Kakashi quickly returned to a guarded stance and surveyed their surroundings. Rin, Obito, Sarutobi Hina... Of the ten three-man squads, only Uchiha Hanazuki had yet to appear.
A moment later, a black-clad figure dropped from the sky and landed right in Anko's arms.
"Sorry, I used up a bit too much chakra. Flying Thunder God over this kind of distance is still too much for me, but at least I managed to get out. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Tch. You're the one who keeps showing off, and you call other people fools."
Even so, Anko carried Hanazuki on her back. The others looked over at them, their expressions varied.
There was relief at having escaped by sheer luck, joy at surviving the ordeal, and feelings too complicated to name. But most of all, there was shock and fear.
"What kind of monster is that guy? He went up against someone like the Fourth Raikage and still survived?"
"The Flying Thunder God is Minato-sensei's technique. How did he learn it?"
"A monster, an honest-to-goodness monster—and he's from the Uchiha Clan, of all people..."
Their whispers didn't escape Uchiha Hanazuki's ears. Anko couldn't help speaking in a low voice.
"This is all because you kept your abilities so well hidden. Now I'm drawing attention, too."
"You don't want to? Then I'll have Uzuki Yugao carry me. She probably won't complain as much, right, Yugao?"
He turned his head slightly, looked the two girls up and down, then flashed Yugao a grin, lost in thought.
Both girls had purple hair and brown eyes, but one had long hair while the other wore fishnet stockings.
The long-haired girl was both alluring and sweet; the short-haired one was both cute and passionate, with a determined streak. They were both beauties in the making.
"You... You have so much to say for someone who needs to be carried. But how did you get away?"
"I have Yugao's Ninja Blade to thank for that. There wasn't enough time, and I hadn't prepared nearly enough Flying Thunder God Kunai, so I had to make do with whatever I could use."
His gaze shifted to the blade stuck in the grass. The technique etched into it with some kind of sharp object was clearly visible in the sunlight.
"You prepared a Body Flicker Technique of this caliber in such a rush? This guy..."
Kakashi's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Even he, a man of few words, began doubting himself. As a member of the famed Uchiha, why had Hanazuki hidden so much of his strength?
"I understand the general situation. The reconnaissance mission failed. You ran into a strike team made up of the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and only escaped by sheer luck?"
"Regardless, we owe you our lives, Uchiha Hanazuki. I'll report your accomplishments to Lord Hokage truthfully."
"Instead of standing around talking, hurry back to Konoha. How long do you plan to stay here? We're not in the Land of Fire, you idiot."
The corner of Sarutobi Hina's mouth twitched, and her expression turned visibly sour. Even as their savior, this brat was just as annoying as ever.
Suddenly, Hanazuki turned his head and shouted sharply.
"Move! Someone's coming!"