**The Squad to Capture the Eight-Tails, Depart!**
Sasori, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Hidan.
Among them, Sasori and Kakuzu were expressionless.
Meanwhile, Deidara and Hidan had sour looks on their faces, and the tension around them was at an all-time high.
**Why?**
They were all members of the Akatsuki, yet Sasori and Kakuzu were given benefits and promises, while they were directly threatened? As if they weren't worth anything?
What's worse, they had no choice but to comply, because Uchiha Itsuki would really kill them on the spot if they didn't.
**Unfair!**
**It's so unfair!**
Couldn't he have at least pretended to offer something to save face?
Didn't Sasori and Kakuzu care about appearances?
But Sasori and Kakuzu completely ignored them.
Kakuzu looked up at Sasori and said, "I find it hard to believe you'd agree to this. What was that thing? It looked like a puppet, and it seemed to be one of the most basic ones. How could something like that sway you?"
He could tell. Maybe Sasori was pretending a bit, but he was genuinely moved by the puppet and agreed to the deal with Uchiha Itsuki.
Sasori responded casually, "It's indeed a basic puppet, but it opened a whole new world for me. Its creator is Monzaemon."
"Oh!" Kakuzu nodded in understanding.
**That explains it!**
Monzaemon! The forefather of puppetry! His puppets would be incredibly tempting to any puppet master.
For someone as skilled as Sasori, the allure must have been even stronger.
Because there might be some of Monzaemon's legacy in his puppets.
If even one puppet was different from the ones that had been passed down, it would be like opening a whole new world for Sasori.
In comparison, capturing the Eight-Tails was nothing.
Their Akatsuki mission was already about capturing the Tailed Beasts anyway, so it was just one more step in that direction.
The only unpleasant part was that Sasori was essentially helping Orochimaru.
In the original story, Sasori and Orochimaru had teamed up at one point, but they never got along well and eventually wanted to kill each other.
Now, because of Itsuki's interference, Sasori had been paired with Deidara from the start, and Orochimaru rarely went out. Still, for some reason, the two continued to hold a grudge.
It was probably the rivalry between researchers.
Sasori and Orochimaru were top-tier scientists in the ninja world.
There were three top scientists in total: Orochimaru, Sasori, and the last one—Hiruko.
Sasori's human puppet technique! Orochimaru's Immortality Jutsu!
And Hiruko...
**Oh!**
Itsuki suddenly realized something.
How had he forgotten about that guy?
Hiruko was also quite valuable. He had fused so many Kekkei Genkai into one body—a rare achievement in research.
All three of them were involved in life-related research.
Sasori leaned toward mechanics.
Orochimaru leaned toward souls.
And Hiruko leaned toward bloodlines!
If those three could somehow join forces...
**Not very likely!**
People like them were too stubborn in their own beliefs.
Itsuki didn't have the confidence to bring them together.
But Hiruko's research on bloodlines gave Itsuki an idea.
Could he...
Could he attempt to give the Uchiha clan the power of the Senju?
Don't say it's impossible. The Sage of Six Paths did it, didn't he?
If even the descendants of the Ōtsutsuki could pull it off, why not the Uchiha clan?
**Who do you think you're underestimating?**
---
The Fourth Raikage, A, was no fool.
Though he appeared brash, he was actually quite meticulous and had the talents of a great leader.
He had long been aware of the Akatsuki's attempts to capture the Tailed Beasts and had even considered striking against them. However, for various reasons, he had been forced to hold off.
But!
When it came to his brother, Killer B, he had reinforced his protection.
Unfortunately!
If the person in question doesn't cooperate, even sending a village's worth of ninja won't help.
Just like now!
"I've shaken them off!"
Killer B excitedly flashed his unique hand signs, while rapping non-stop.
Inside him, the Eight-Tails was utterly speechless.
"B!"
"What's up?"
"Your brother's gonna kill you."
Killer B's excitement was immediately stifled.
Just thinking about his brother's iron fist made his throat tremble twice involuntarily.
When his brother got mad and started hitting people, it really hurt.
But!
He had managed to sneak out, and getting beaten was inevitable anyway, so why not have some fun while he could?
Having thought it through, Killer B's rapping resumed with even more enthusiasm.
"Is that so?" the Eight-Tails yawned lazily inside B's sealed space, snorting. "Do you not realize why the Raikage is so protective of you? Aren't you worried about encountering Uchiha Itsuki again?"
Killer B fell silent once more.
His steps, which had been so carefree, suddenly felt heavy.
Of course he was worried.
Last time, he'd barely escaped with his life after facing Uchiha Itsuki.
Luckily, he had the ability to sacrifice a tail to escape.
But...
The same trick wouldn't work twice against Uchiha Itsuki.
"Come on, Gyūki!" B encouraged the Eight-Tails. "If we team up, we can definitely beat him."
"You don't sound too confident when you say that."
"Enough with the talk about Uchiha Itsuki!"
Killer B suddenly shouted, "He's been in Konoha lately; he hasn't even left the village."
"He can teleport with the Flying Raijin. He can go wherever he wants."
Killer B: "..."
"Gyūki, can you just give it a rest?"
"I'm just reminding you!" The Eight-Tails spoke seriously, "Uchiha Itsuki is a very dangerous opponent, and you're already on his radar. He could appear before you at any time."
"Sigh!"
B sighed helplessly. "Everyone knows the Akatsuki is collecting Tailed Beasts. Itsuki's a member of the Akatsuki, so why doesn't anyone step in?"
"Politics!"
The Eight-Tails said flatly, "Human politics are a mess. The Raikage has to think about a lot of things. And Uchiha Itsuki isn't acting alone. Forget those other villages—just the Uchiha clan alone is enough to teach everyone a lesson."
Is the Uchiha clan strong?
**They're insanely strong!**
During the Second Shinobi World War, Uchiha Fugaku, while hiding his Mangekyō Sharingan, led his clan against an entire village.
They nearly made Kirigakure close its doors.
Now, with so many more Uchiha wielding Mangekyō Sharingan, plus the monster that is Uchiha Itsuki, if they went up against Kirigakure again, they'd probably wipe it out.
Why was it so easy for the newly formed Village Hidden in the Fire to join the ranks of the top six ninja villages, with its Kage recognized as one of the new Five Kage?
Because of strength!
The Village Hidden in the Fire has the strength to back it up.
You could say that, right now, the most powerful force in the shinobi world might very well be the Village Hidden in the Fire.
Otherwise, why did the village, which was just established, immediately become a top-tier ninja village?
Do you think the other villages just let that happen?
No, it was because the Village Hidden in the Fire fought for its place, blade by blade.
"Hm?"
Suddenly!
As Killer B was moving forward, he stopped in his tracks.
Inside his body, the Eight-Tails lifted its head, a fierce expression on its face.
"B!"
"Yeah?"
Killer B nodded, tilted his head, and rapped, "Who's the fool, yo, appearing before the great Killer B, yo? Don't believe I'll slice ya, yo?"
"Heh, I don't believe you."
A familiar voice whispered in B's ear.
Immediately after, Uchiha Itsuki stepped out from behind a large tree.
"Aw crap!"
Killer B shouted, instantly transforming into his Tailed Beast form, taking the shape of the Eight-Tails. He shot a Tailed Beast Ball from his mouth, then turned and fled.
The whole process was so smooth that Itsuki stood there stunned.
He stared at the incoming Tailed Beast Ball, momentarily dumbfounded.
"What an idiot!"
A low roar echoed.
Immediately after, Sasori's tailed beast stretched out, wrapping around Uchiha Itsuki, pulling him back.
"Boom!!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded violently on the spot.
Even though Sasori had rescued him, Uchiha Itsuki was still too close to the explosion.
He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Bang!"
In a puff of white smoke, Uchiha Itsuki vanished, replaced by Deidara.
Transformation Jutsu!
Sasori coldly stared at the blood-spitting Deidara and said, "Having fun? How does it feel to transform into Uchiha Itsuki? So happy you want die?"
Deidara didn't even have the strength to curse.
He just collapsed to the ground, his eyes unfocused, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, and his body occasionally twitching.
That Tailed Beast Bomb had nearly killed him.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Two figures flashed by, and Hidan and Kakuzu appeared.
Both of them looked puzzled. "What's going on?"
"Hmph!"
Sasori snorted, glancing at his broken tail in frustration. "This idiot insisted on using the Transformation Jutsu to turn into Uchiha Itsuki, saying the Eight-Tails was scared of him. He thought transforming into Itsuki might yield better results."
Results?
You almost died, you moron.
Luckily, I reacted quickly, pulling you back with my tail in time. In the final moment, I had to break off the tailed beast to fling you away, or there wouldn't even be ashes left of you.
Even so, Deidara was gravely injured by the Tailed Beast Bomb.
The only thing to be thankful for was that the Eight-Tails really did fear Itsuki. When it fired the Tailed Beast Bomb, it wasn't aimed carefully, and the chakra it accumulated wasn't much. Otherwise, forget Deidara—even I, who was nearby, might have been buried with him.
"That's it?"
Hidan and Kakuzu were speechless.
How bored do you have to be to transform into Uchiha Itsuki?
Granted, the effect was pretty good; it startled both of them.
You have to admit, no matter where Uchiha Itsuki shows up, he freaks people out.
But still…
The price you paid was a severe injury, and you almost died.
Kakuzu crouched down helplessly, stitching Deidara's wounds with his Earth Grudge Fear threads.
"All I can do is stitch him up."
"That's enough!" Sasori said coldly. "He needs to learn his lesson anyway."
"So, what do we do now?" Hidan shrugged. "The Eight-Tails seems to have run away, and it ran pretty fast."
Kakuzu and Sasori: "…"
Deidara, lying on the ground: "…"
It really did run fast!
It looked like all eight legs were sprinting.
"Chase it!"
"Got it!"
Kakuzu and Hidan nodded in agreement.
If the four of them couldn't catch one Eight-Tails, that would be ridiculous.
They'd lose all their credibility!
…
Watching the Eight-Tails scurry away on all fours, Killer B was a bit speechless.
"Octo, do we really need to run this fast?"
It's not like we can't run, but isn't this a bit too fast?
"What are you talking about?"
The Eight-Tails paused and said, "B, you're the one running."
"Nonsense, you're in control of the body right now."
"Bullcrap!"
They nearly started cursing each other.
Neither wanted to admit they were the one controlling the body to flee.
However!
Once the Eight-Tails transformed, it ran incredibly fast.
Sasori, Kakuzu, and the others chased for ages, but they couldn't even catch its dust trail.
"…"
"Is this really the Eight-Tails?" Kakuzu muttered. "It's running way too fast. We've been chasing it this long, and still haven't caught up?"
Sasori, beside him, was both angry and speechless.
Uchiha Itsuki, this is your fault!
"What do we do now?" Hidan asked helplessly. "It's running so fast, we can't catch it. We can't just go back empty-handed, right?"
"No problem, keep chasing!"
"Keep chasing?"
"Yeah!" Kakuzu glanced in the direction the Eight-Tails had fled and said slowly, "It's running in the wrong direction. That's not towards the Hidden Cloud Village."
"How's that possible?"
Sasori was a bit surprised. "If it's so scared, shouldn't it run straight back to its village?"
"It's panicking."
Those simple words made both Sasori and Hidan understand.
True!
As soon as it saw Uchiha Itsuki, Killer B fired a Tailed Beast Bomb and immediately started running, not caring about anything else.
He didn't even avoid obstacles. Trees? Gone.
There was even a small mountain that he smashed through without a second thought.
This retreat was unstoppable.
The three of them started chasing again.
Compared to Uchiha Itsuki, there was one thing they were confident in: patience.
Uchiha Itsuki might not have the patience to chase them, but they did.
So what if you run? They had plenty of time to slowly hunt the Eight-Tails down.
They were determined to capture the Eight-Tails. Nobody else could interfere except Uchiha Itsuki.
…
"Phew!"
Finally too exhausted to run any further, Killer B stopped.
He collapsed on the ground, completely drained.
The Eight-Tails sighed. "If you're so afraid of Uchiha Itsuki, why did you leave the village? At least in the village, Raikage would be there to back you up."
The Ai-B combo was famous throughout the ninja world.
When they fought together, their power wasn't just one plus one—it multiplied.
"You don't understand, Octo. I did it for the good of the village!" Killer B said. "Now that I'm gone, the village is safe. Otherwise, Uchiha Itsuki might have attacked the Hidden Cloud Village."
"Haha!" The Eight-Tails snorted. "You think I'd believe that?"
Killer B, who's both weak and playful!
"Believe what you want!"
Killer B lazily replied.
"Not running anymore?"
"Run? For what?"
Killer B nonchalantly said, "Uchiha Itsuki doesn't have the patience to chase me, and besides, he has the Flying Thunder God technique… wait!"
Killer B suddenly sat up.
The Eight-Tails was also stunned.
"That's right!"
The Eight-Tails asked cautiously from inside Killer B, "Uchiha Itsuki can use the Flying Thunder God technique. If he wanted to chase you, you wouldn't be able to run, right?"
"Then why…"
Killer B suddenly realized something and gritted his teeth. "That wasn't Uchiha Itsuki just now! Transformation Jutsu? Damn it, someone used the Transformation Jutsu?!"
(End of Chapter)