Following the trace of the Flying Thunder God Technique, Reiji moved swiftly through the towering mountain ranges.
Before long, he arrived at the place where it had all begun—Temple of Wind and Thunder.
The Flying Thunder God mark he had placed on the Jinchūriki was still inside the Sealed Fire Cavern beneath the temple.
At present, aside from a few monks, there wasn't a single ninja guarding the Temple of Wind and Thunder..
It had to be said—this move by the Raikage was clever.
Without the Flying Thunder God mark, even Reiji might not have thought to check here.
After all, with the Two-Tails already sealed, who would bother with a place that had seemingly lost its value?
As expected, no one becomes a Kage without a certain level of cunning.
Gazing down at Fūrai Temple from above, Reiji formed a hand seal with one hand—and vanished instantly.
The world spun.
When he reappeared, Reiji stood inside the underground Sealed Fire Cavern.
In the empty cavern, a man wearing a Kumogakure ninja uniform sat cross-legged on a mat, eyes closed.
It looked like he was struggling to suppress the Two-Tails within him.
"Hey there, kitty. I'm here~"
Without the slightest sense of guilt, Reiji raised a hand and cheerfully greeted her.
His voice echoed through the cavern.
Not far away, the Jinchūriki, Taku, suddenly opened his eyes. A flash of panic crossed his gaze.
"Who are you?!"
Reiji, now back to his usual self, smiled and politely rubbed his chin.
"Hi, I'm Reiji Sakuhō."
The moment Reiji finished speaking, blazing chakra surged from Taku's body.
Clearly, the cat had sensed him.
Taku's brow furrowed. He shut his eyes tightly, focusing his chakra to suppress the beast within.
Reiji, unwilling to see Matatabi suffer, reached out a hand and gently said,
"Hey, handsome, don't suppress her anymore. I'm taking her with me—won't cause you guys any trouble."
Hearing that, Taku's heart sank like a stone.
If he'd only been 90% sure this kid had bad intentions before—
Now he was absolutely certain.
Clenching his fists, Taku's expression turned deadly serious as he shouted,
"You think you can just waltz in and take the Two-Tails? Keep dreaming!
I'll show you the power of a Tailed Beast!"
With that, he jumped up and began channeling his chakra.
"Two-Tails! Lend me your strength!"
Nothing.
Seeing the confusion on Taku's face, Reiji scratched his head, trying to stifle a chuckle.
"Uh... maybe try again?"
Taku, now fuming, struck a dramatic pose and roared again,
"Two-Tails! Power!"
Still nothing.
Reiji couldn't hold it in any longer—he burst into laughter and even gave Taku a thumbs-up.
I've never seen such an awkward Jinchūriki.
It's like firing a cannon at your own rear!
After laughing for a while, Reiji waved his hands in mock surrender, catching his breath.
"Alright, alright, you really are something."
That did it—Taku snapped. His brow furrowed fiercely as he drew the ninja blade from his back.
"Bastard! Even without the Tailed Beast, taking down a brat like you is no big deal!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Reiji's figure vanished.
A second later, the "brat" was right in front of him—five clawed fingers ablaze with flame.
"Five Elements Unseal!"
With a faint sizzle, Reiji pressed his fingers to Taku's abdomen.
In an instant, Taku felt the world spin. His blade slipped from his grasp.
Then, a thunderous roar erupted as the massive form of the Two-Tails, Matatabi, was forcefully torn from his body, draining the last of his life.
...
Ten kilometers away in Kumogakure—
Inside the Raikage Building, in the secretary's office.
Amai lay across her desk, cheeks tinged red, daydreaming about her outing with Reiji.
Suddenly, a flurry of urgent knocks snapped her out of it.
"Who is it?" Amai asked, frowning in annoyance.
"Urgent! Lord Raikage is requesting you!" came the hurried voice from beyond the door.
At once, Amai jumped to her feet, pushing everything else from her mind.
She hurried out of the secretary's office and into the adjacent Raikage's office.
As she entered, she saw Tsuchishige pacing back and forth, his face etched with anxiety and frustration.
"What's going on? Where is Lord Raikage?" Amai asked sharply, scanning the room in her high heels.
"Uh..." Tsuchishige's expression shifted, a flicker of panic in his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh.
"Lord Raikage went to the Land of Grass. He should have arrived by now."
"What?!" Amai gasped, her face turning serious as she fixed her gaze on him. "Then who has been acting as Raikage these past two days?!"
"It was me," Tsuchishige admitted with another deep sigh.
At that, Amai gave him a long, cold stare. Her voice dropped, now laced with ice.
"Then what do you want from me?"
Tsuchishige pressed his furrowed brow, then finally spoke.
"The Eight-Tails... the Eight-Tails..."
"What about the Eight-Tails?!" Amai's heart sank, and she pressed for an answer.
"The Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki has gone missing!"
"That's impossible! Lock down the Raikage Building immediately!"
"It's already been done," Tsuchishige replied, slumping into a chair. He buried his face in his hands, veins bulging on his forehead.
This was a disaster.
Even as a senior advisor, he couldn't shoulder this kind of failure.
Worse, such a grave dereliction of duty could bring ruin to his entire clan.
The thought alone made him restless.
Seeing Tsuchishige looking completely lost, Amai's brows knitted tightly. Her voice turned stern.
"What exactly happened? I only took five days off—how did Raikage-sama slip out of the village?!"
At her demand, Tsuchishige raised his head and anxiously recounted everything that had transpired.
By the end, Amai felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head.
This... this was greed that should never have been indulged!
And you... you're a senior advisor—why didn't you stop Lord Raikage?
Foolishness!
Setting aside the urge to reprimand him, Amai quickly walked to the Raikage's sofa and rang a small bell.
Ding!
In a flash, a hooded ANBU appeared in front of her.
"Contact Lord Raikage immediately! Tell Tsuchibune to bring him back!"
The ANBU didn't move right away. Instead, he hesitated.
"Lady Amai... the Field Division already searched. Deputy Director Ryuun is missing."
"Then search his house! Go!" Amai barked.
The ANBU flinched, then lowered his head and replied,
"We did. There's no trace of him.
There are no signs of a struggle at the Field Division—not even the dust on the table has been disturbed."
At those words, Amai's expression grew even more grim. Her perfectly sculpted features were etched with icy resolve.
What now?
Setting aside the fact that the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki was her uncle—the Eight-Tails itself was a power the village absolutely could not afford to lose.
The worst part? They had no way to contact Lord Raikage.
Suppressing the dread bubbling inside, Amai quickly gave her orders.
"Keep looking for Ryuun! Send a team of ANBU to the Land of Grass—deliver the intel!
Alert the entire village. Have the civilians gather in the underground shelters and prepare for the Eight-Tails to be released!
And summon every available combat force. From this moment on, all units are under direct command!"
"Yes!" The ANBU nodded and vanished with a flicker.
Just as Amai's thoughts were racing, a high-ranking Kumogakure official burst through the door, his chubby face pale with shock.
"Tsuchishige! Amai! It's Iwagakure—they're here!"
Before he could finish—
A thunderous roar shook the entire village.
Across from the Raikage Building, on the mountain peak, eight massive, octopus-like tails burst forth and wrapped tightly around the cliffs.
The Eight-Tails... had been unsealed!