Hidden Cloud's Brightest Rising Star of the Past

"Ten years ago, the Eight-Tails went berserk."

Dodai took a deep breath and faced Sora's icy gaze, speaking in a grave voice.

"That Eight-Tails rampage far exceeded any before it. It even completely destroyed the Iron Armor Seal and broke free."

"Blue B, the jinchuriki, died on the spot, and the village suffered extremely severe damage."

"Eighteen jonin alone died in battle, and even the Third Raikage sustained considerable injuries."

"Sora, I know you've been wronged, but Blue B is already dead. The village needs you now. I hope you'll put the greater good first!"

As Sora's former teacher.

Dodai understood his student's temperament all too well.

He knew why Sora had become the way he was, and he knew what mattered most to him.

Better to guide than to block.

But how one guided him was a question in itself.

That was why the higher-ups had sent him to persuade Sora.

"Sora, the village needs you now. We need you."

"Do you remember your mother's hopes? You are the one inheriting the title of Light of the Clouds, the one destined to lead Hidden Cloud to the pinnacle of glory, Sora."

"Shut up!"

Sora's cold voice cut off Dodai's meaningless platitudes.

"Who is the current Eight-Tails jinchuriki?"

"...Killer B."

"[B]?"

Sora tilted his head slightly and let out a soft sneer.

Hidden Cloud was a unique village. Once each Raikage became the Kage, they would abandon their former name and take on the alias "A."

That was, [A].

And every [A] would have an exclusive partner, [B], forming an [A] duo.

Back then, the Third Raikage had considered Sora the most qualified candidate to become the Fourth A's partner.

But before he could be given the title, an accident struck first.

After that, Sora's temperament changed drastically. He even left Hidden Cloud, and the matter was dropped.

Who would have thought that the title now had an inheritor?

Seeing the expression on Sora's face, Dodai hurriedly said, "No, Sora. That kid B is decent enough, but you really were the most suitable choice back then..."

"Don't disgust me with that nonsense. I never agreed to become anyone's B."

Sora's tone was indifferent.

He had no hobby of being someone's dog.

Even if he really had to choose some AB partner, he could only be the [A].

And [B] absolutely could not be that guy A.

How could you become my [B] when you haven't even been approved? I'm not some Chengdu bro.

Sensing Sora's indifferent emotional feedback, Dodai could not help growing anxious.

"Sora, I know the village disappointed you before, but those were measures born of necessity. This time, the village truly needs you."

"You are Hidden Cloud's pride, the one meant to restore the title of Light of the Clouds!"

"The pride who hasn't returned to the village once in over ten years? Restore the title of the most vicious major criminal?"

"Sora!"

Seeing that Sora remained utterly unmoved, Dodai gritted his teeth.

"What exactly do you want!"

"What I want... doesn't Teacher Dodai already know?"

"But the village can never give you the Eight-Tails!"

Dodai roared, and the entire room abruptly fell silent under the force of his agitation.

The reason Sora had left the village and come here in the first place was because he had disagreed with the higher-ups over how to handle the Eight-Tails.

To Hidden Cloud, the Eight-Tails' strategic significance and value ranked second only to the Raikage.

Not to mention that the Eight-Tails had now been sealed inside Killer B.

Killer B and the future Fourth A worked together with perfect coordination.

Even the Third Raikage had praised how compatible they were.

They could be called Rabbit Tank BEST MATCH!

Handing over the Eight-Tails would be no different from taking Killer B's life, and it would mean destroying such a perfect brotherly partnership.

No matter how one looked at it, the higher-ups could never hand the Eight-Tails over to Sora.

"If that's the case, then there's nothing to discuss."

Sora wore a helpless expression.

"I believe that even without me, a powerful village like this can overcome its difficulties."

"Sora..."

Dodai's voice was interrupted by hurried footsteps outside.

Through the slightly open door, more than a dozen figures saw what was happening inside, and their expressions changed drastically.

"Yamada! What the hell is this?!"

Sora glanced at the man leading them. "If Teacher Dodai has nothing else to say, then this teacher-student reunion will end here. I still have important matters to deal with."

"Sora, give the village a chance. Give us a chance."

"I already gave you a—"

"Blood Wrist!"

A dog-like bark interrupted their conversation.

"You bastard, what have you done?! Do you even know your place?! We're the ones feeding you, and you dare lay a hand on Yamada? You orphaned bastard born of a bitch..."

An indescribable, savage gleam flashed through Sora's eyes. Blood-red fist wind mixed with flickering lightning, like the most dazzling fireworks of the summer night.

Even Dodai failed to react in time.

A streak of blood lightning flashed. With a deafening boom, the entire wall collapsed.

The dozen or so people who had barged into the room were blasted into a puddle of bloody flesh and scraps, completely merging with the rubble on the ground.

Dark red, foul-smelling blood splattered the surroundings.

Dodai stood frozen in place, while Samui was utterly stunned.

In that instant, she seemed to see death descend upon her. Even breathing felt like an extravagance.

It was not until the stench assaulted her nostrils that Samui came back to her senses.

As a ninja, she had naturally seen blood, and she had seen all kinds of people die miserable deaths.

But this explosive devastation—a mixture of minced flesh and shattered bones smeared across the wall—was truly her first time seeing something like it.

The nauseating stench churned her stomach.

Even with her mental resilience, she nearly could not endure it.

"Sora..."

Dodai looked at the man before him with a complicated expression.

Only now did he begin to understand how enormous a blow that incident from years ago had dealt Sora.

Once the brightest star of Hidden Cloud, a genius capable of inheriting the title Light of the Clouds, he had become like this.

Dodai's lips trembled.

He wanted to say something, yet stopped himself.

So much time had passed. As for who had borne what responsibility for that incident, who could truly explain it clearly—or shoulder it?

"Sorry. Mosquitoes buzzing by your ears in summer have to be swatted to death."

Sora wiped away blood that was not there from his hand and looked at Dodai with a calm, ordinary expression. "Sorry you had to see that, Teacher Dodai."

"..."

After a long silence, Dodai took out a scroll from his ninja tool pouch.

Sora casually accepted it and opened it.

After only one glance, surprise appeared on his face.

Dense curse markings covered the entire scroll. At its center was a single engraved character: "Tiger."

"I can't give you the Eight-Tails, but I truly hope you can come help the village. The village really needs your strength."

"And... you probably want to return to the battlefield too, don't you?"