"Big bro!"
Killer B's eyes turned fierce as he saw what happened. His tailed beast chakra erupted, and his speed suddenly increased. Might Gai had originally planned to use Shadow of the Dancing Leaf to launch Killer B into the air, but in an instant, a blade cut him.
Too fast!
Kakashi immediately retreated.
At that moment—
Kyohiko formed hand seals.
Yin Seal: Release!
One of the "pools" broke its seal, and chakra surged forth.
At the same time, the "Gate of Opening" in his body unlocked.
In the next instant—
Whoosh!
Killer B hadn't anticipated that Kyohiko also had a method to boost his speed and explosively release chakra.
By the time he reacted, Kyohiko was already within a single step of him.
His speed was fast enough—he immediately counterattacked with his blade.
But—
In the blink of an eye, Kyohiko split into three, surrounding him from three directions.
Konoha-Style: Crescent Moon Dance!
This was a technique Kyohiko had studied for a long time. He had already grasped the basics earlier, but even now, he had only reached a proficient level.
But he didn't need the true Crescent Moon Dance.
Just like this time—
One of the three immediately dissipated into an afterimage.
Another shadow clone was shattered by Killer B's tail.
But—
The third one emerged from Killer B's blind spot and struck him with a punch.
Superhuman Strength!
Boom!
The explosive burst of chakra sent Killer B flying, slamming him hard into the cliffside. His entire body was embedded deep into the rock.
The mountain cracked, and boulders crumbled from above.
Kakashi silently withdrew his Rasengan.
Gai blinked, stunned. "Kyohiko, isn't that a bit too much? This…"
That punch was terrifying!
If he had taken that hit, even if he didn't die, he'd definitely be severely injured.
"Relax, he's a tailed beast jinchūriki. He'll be fine."
Kyohiko withdrew his chakra.
At this moment, A counterattacked, but Minato had already created distance.
Then, A looked around and froze.
Even Killer B was—
How was that possible?!
"Jonin A, I think this exchange should be over now. Or… do you want to keep fighting?"
Namikaze Minato smiled.
A was unwilling to admit defeat. "This was just because our teamwork wasn't as good as yours. But in a one-on-one fight, I wouldn't—"
Then, he fell silent.
At first, he didn't want to acknowledge his loss. But upon reflection, earlier, he had been slammed into the ground by Minato, and the other three hadn't even moved.
In other words—
He had been hit one-on-one by Minato. If not for his Lightning Release Armor, that strike would have severely injured him. Even with the armor…
Right now, he wasn't in good shape either.
"I know a bit of medical ninjutsu. Let me heal you."
Kyohiko withdrew the chakra from his Yin Seal.
A sighed, about to say something, when suddenly—a terrifying chakra erupted from the cliffside.
Killer B was unleashing more of the tailed beast's power!
"No, Bee! You can't control it yet!"
A's pupils shrank.
This was the precursor to a rampage.
He no longer had time to argue with Minato about who was stronger.
Then, Killer B, now with three tails, burst out from the cliffside.
A was about to rush over and beat some sense into him, forcing him to regain control—
But then, Minato vanished.
The next moment, Minato was already near Killer B.
As Killer B wildly attacked, Minato disappeared again with a Body Flicker, reappearing right beside him. His hand glowed with five elemental energies.
Five Elements Seal!
He pressed it against Killer B's body.
In an instant, the tailed beast chakra receded, and the tails gradually disappeared.
Then, he grabbed Killer B and teleported back to A's side, giving Kyohiko a helpless look.
"Kyohiko, you went a bit too hard."
"That's not on me. I held back with that punch—a jinchūriki wouldn't be seriously injured by it. He must have gotten worried about you and lost control!"
Kyohiko immediately defended himself.
A's veins bulged on his forehead.
These two sounded like they were blaming each other, but in reality, they were just messing with him.
"Too hard"?
They weren't even that badly hurt!
Normally, they'd recover after a short rest and be ready to fight again.
"Bee, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Big bro, you—"
Killer B looked at A with concern.
Kyohiko stepped closer. "I know medical ninjutsu. These kinds of injuries heal quickly. But those two over there—who knows when they'll wake up."
"..."
Mentioning those two made A's shoulder ache again.
Those two jonin had been knocked out before they could even do anything. It wasn't entirely their fault, but their early defeat had definitely contributed to the loss.
A felt his body recovering.
"Thanks."
After some treatment, A was back to normal.
Kakashi watched quietly, secretly impressed.
He knew Minato's strength well. A direct hit from the Rasengan should have left a normal person in far worse condition.
A's Lightning Armor was incredibly tough!
During the fight, Kakashi had been observing while pretending to contribute, but he still couldn't figure out the secret behind the Cloud's Lightning Armor.
"Your name is Kyohiko, right?"
A stretched his limbs.
This kid was skilled—his healing was meticulous, and now he felt completely fine.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, medical ninjutsu…
Was there anything he couldn't do?
In some ways, he was even more outrageous than Senju Tobirama.
A glanced at Killer B.
Killer B's chakra had stabilized, but he could sense another seal inside him now.
Was that a sealing technique earlier?
"Jonin Minato—"
"Got it."
Minato nodded, formed hand seals, and pressed his palm against the same spot as before.
Five Elements Unsealing!
The seal was released, and Killer B's chakra returned to normal. But A shot him a look, and Killer B immediately suppressed his emotions, reining in his chakra.
Kyohiko watched silently, not interfering.
As they talked—
The two other jonin finally woke up in the distance.
Murasame and Wada looked dazed.
A didn't scold them—he just gave them a glance before leading everyone back to Kumogakure.
---
Back in the village, many came to greet them, including the Third Raikage.
He was even more imposing and muscular than A.
Just one look told you he was incredibly strong.
"Welcome, guests from Konoha. Please, come in."
The Third Raikage smiled as he ushered them inside.
The Raikage himself had come to greet them.
This was a gesture of great respect, and Minato responded with equal courtesy, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
After parting ways with the Konoha group, A finally had time to address the two jonin who had been with him.
"How did you two get knocked out?"
"Uh… we don't know. We were keeping an eye on those two kids charging at us—Kyohiko was so strong, so they couldn't be weak either. But then someone suddenly flew at us from behind…"
They were still confused, even now.
A finally understood.
Kunai.
That special teleportation technique required kunai as markers. It was a space-time ninjutsu.
"I see."
A nodded, not blaming them. He just patted their shoulders. "Don't dwell on it. After you two were taken out, I also took a hit from him."
"What?!"
The two exchanged shocked glances.
For A—someone so competitive—to admit he'd been at a disadvantage was almost like admitting defeat, especially since neither side had fought to kill.
Was this really A talking?
"..."
A had no response.
He knew how others saw him, but right now, he didn't feel like explaining. He just waved them off and headed for the Raikage's office.
Once inside, the Konoha team was settled in.
Dodai stepped forward. "Come on, let's go upstairs and discuss what happened."
"Right."
A followed closely behind.
Upon entering the office, the Third Raikage chuckled. "Well? Took a big loss, didn't you?"
"How did you know?"
A was stunned.
From the moment they met until now, the Third Raikage and Dodai shouldn't have had any contact with outsiders from Konoha.
Had he sent someone to spy?
No!
A knew his father well—if he had entrusted the task to him, he wouldn't have sent anyone else…
The Third Raikage sneered. "Don't bother thinking about it. Don't I know your personality? If you'd won, you would've bragged about it the second you walked in. Would you have stayed silent this long?"
A really wanted to argue.
If he had won, he would have been happy and might have shown it a little, but it wasn't like he'd—
…
Fine.
His current demeanor did look like someone who had lost.
A lowered his head. "We lost. And it was a complete defeat. I still haven't figured out how to counter them."
"Explain in detail."
The Third Raikage straightened up.
It was rare to hear his son describe a loss as complete.
A began, "Namikaze Minato has mastered a space-time ninjutsu that uses kunai—probably some kind of marking on them—to teleport instantly."
The Third Raikage and Dodai exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave.
Then, he looked back at A.
"That's the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"Flying Thunder God?"
A vaguely recalled something.
The Third Raikage reminded him, "Remember how Senju Tobirama was once called the fastest shinobi in the world?"
A father knew his son best.
A's ambition was to become the fastest shinobi alive, so with that reminder, he immediately remembered where he'd heard of it.
Some records he'd skimmed through mentioned Tobirama's Flying Thunder God.
Of course—
Kumogakure didn't have many details, just that he possessed a space-time ninjutsu allowing true instantaneous movement.
"So, he's mastered Tobirama's technique…"
A muttered to himself.
Tobirama was a genius, a legend—losing to someone who inherited his power wasn't that shameful.
But—
He quickly realized he was just making excuses.
Mastering it was a feat in itself!
In terms of speed, Minato was faster than him.
A collected his thoughts and continued, "Aside from Minato, that Ryoho Kyohiko is also strong—way stronger than last year!"
"That was expected. But how much stronger?"
Dodai's curiosity was piqued.
Ryoho Kyohiko…
He'd seen him last year in Takigakure. He was impressive, but not enough to earn A's praise, right?
"He's already a jonin—and among jonin, he's in the upper tier."
A's assessment was blunt.
Dodai looked at the Raikage, his eyes wide with disbelief.
They'd hyped him up, pushing Konoha to promote him to jonin, hoping to set him up for a fall.
But—
Had he actually reached that level?
No way!
"How old is he again?"
Dodai murmured, his face full of shock.
A, who had been feeling conflicted, smirked at Dodai's reaction.
"I felt the same way at first—didn't believe it. But his Water Dragon Bullet is unusual… and then there's this terrifying strength, probably learned from Tsunade…"
A listed them one by one.
When he mentioned Kyohiko sending a partially transformed Killer B flying, the Third Raikage and Dodai couldn't hold back their disbelief.
Exactly.
That was Tsunade's monstrous strength. And the kid knew medical ninjutsu too…
Any one of these techniques would take a shinobi years to master, yet Kyohiko had trained all of them to a high level.
If A hadn't witnessed it himself, they'd never believe such a genius existed.
"Looking at him, I feel like I'm seeing Senju Tobirama all over again…"
The Third Raikage sighed deeply.
Then, he let out a long, heavy breath.
"I really want to strangle a genius like this. Give him ten, twenty years—how powerful and terrifying would Konoha become? By then, what chance would Kumogakure have?"
The Third Raikage considered himself strong, unafraid of anyone in Konoha right now. But he would grow old, while Kyohiko would only get stronger.
And at a ridiculous pace!
The office fell dead silent.
A's eyes burned with ferocity. "Then let's kill them. Like we did back then—"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The Third Raikage's fingers drummed against the desk, his thoughts growing more chaotic with each tap, his expression darkening.
After a long pause, he shook his head.
"Too difficult."
If Tsunade dared to send them here, she must have been confident in their safety.
Shinobi battles weren't just about strength—they were about intelligence, tactics.
They knew too little about these four from Konoha. Acting rashly could ruin relations and leave them with nothing to show for it.
A hesitated, then said, "I've heard Iwagakure is planning to move against Konoha. If we act now, we could join them—"
"Idiot!"
The Third Raikage shot him a cold glare. "When will you learn to think with something other than your muscles?"
A obediently lowered his head and took the scolding.
"Ever watched kids in the village fight? When it's few against many, how do they do it?"
"Huh?"
A was confused, but after a moment of recollection, he understood his father's point.
Kumogakure had a fierce culture—small-scale fights among the village children happened often.
When outnumbered, the side with more people would often hesitate—because whoever struck first would get ganged up on.
They couldn't afford to be the first to act.
A bowed his head. "I understand!"
---
"Kyohiko, we can't let our guard down tonight."
"Understood."
Kyohiko pointed to a tree outside the window, and Minato nodded in comprehension.
During their journey, they hadn't revealed anything about Wood Release. Even in Kusagakure, they hadn't used it openly.
Kumogakure definitely didn't know that Kyohiko's shadow clone was hidden in that tree.
Once Kakashi and Gai were inside, Minato set up a barrier to isolate the room, his expression turning serious.
"The atmosphere in Kumogakure isn't right."
"It's like Kusagakure. After years of peace, people aren't satisfied anymore—they want more, better land."
Kyohiko's analysis was blunt.
Minato nodded, then turned to Gai.
"Gai…"
"Yes!"
Gai immediately stood at attention.
Minato waved his hand.
"No need for that. Right now, we're just discussing things. Relax."
He voiced his concerns.
Among the four of them, he, Kyohiko, and Kakashi all had contracts with Mount Myōboku. In a crisis, they could use Reverse Summoning to escape to the toads' domain.
But—
Might Gai didn't.
The contract wasn't with him, and a temporary one wasn't feasible, so…
"We need to prepare for the worst. If Kumogakure moves against us, I'll send you back to Nara Shikaku immediately. Don't worry about us."
"Understood."
Gai nodded firmly.
Afterward, Minato summoned a toad, relaying his plan and instructing it to report back to Fukasaku and Shima.
Safety measures were now in place.
Only then did they move on to the next topic.
"Kyohiko, Killer B is likely the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki. And just as you said before, their approach to tailed beasts is completely different from ours."
"Right. Compared to Nii Yugito, Killer B is stronger. He can freely control one of the Eight-Tails' tails and maintain full rationality even in his one-tailed state..."
However—
The current Killer B didn't seem to have fully mastered the Eight-Tails' power yet. Otherwise, instead of a three-tailed rampage, he would have transformed fully into Gyūki.
After reviewing the battle, the four of them had a pretty clear understanding of Killer B's situation.
"Kumogakure's jinchūriki aim to control the tailed beast's power for their own use, unlike us, who rely more on sealing techniques and the Uzumaki clan's methods to suppress and borrow its strength."
Minato summarized.
Kyohiko thought for a moment, then couldn't help adding, "A mentioned that Killer B hasn't fully mastered it yet. What I'm worried about is—what exactly do they consider 'mastery'? Full tailed beast transformation?"
"Full tailed beast transformation..."
Minato fell silent for a few seconds.
If the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails could fully transform and remain under the shinobi's control, they would be absolute terrors on the battlefield.
If that were the case, Kumogakure would turn hostile.
"Right. We need to send this information back to Konoha so they can factor it into their plans."
"Next is the Lightning Release Armor..."
Kyohiko looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi shook his head, his face full of confusion.
"Normally, that kind of Lightning Release can enhance defense, but it shouldn't be this strong..."
"And this isn't even its peak. The Third Raikage is known as the 'Strongest Shield.' Rumor has it his Lightning Armor can even withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb."
Minato shared some of the intel he'd picked up.
Kakashi couldn't hide his shock.
"A… Tailed Beast Bomb?!"
He'd read about Tailed Beast Bombs in the Second Hokage's notes that Kyohiko had shared.
That kind of power was insane!
For the Third Raikage to block it—was he even human?
"Does he have some kind of Kekkei Genkai?"
"No, but it might be related to their unique physical constitution."
Minato didn't know much more about it either.