Chapter 19: Let Me Have Some Fun
"Ashī..."
Looking at the severed head, the Fourth Raikage's brow furrowed deeply, anger suddenly surging within him.
Ashī. An Elite Jōnin he had stationed at the border, a rare sword master within the Cloud Village.
But now...
That familiar face held only terror, and faint confusion.
Ashī must have seen something horrifying before seeing his own headless body.
Until the moment of death, he couldn't even react before his head was instantly severed...
It seems it wasn't just Konoha's people; even their Cloud ninja were attacked!
"Big Bro, what happened?"
Seeing the situation, the usually flippant Killer Bee's expression also turned serious.
Ashī was one of his few avid fans; he had even personally guided Ashī's swordsmanship before.
"Yo yo~ Took out an Elite Jōnin, clean and neat, Big Bro, this is tough, oh~"
Hearing Killer Bee's rap, the Fourth Raikage merely frowned slightly.
He understood Killer Bee's meaning.
"Elite Jōnin" isn't a precise power ranking but a title the ninja world uses for the best among Jōnin (lit. the cream of the crop), as there's still a significant power gap within the Jōnin rank.
The number of Jōnin in the Cloud Village wasn't small compared to other villages, but there were still only about one hundred fifty.
And "Elite Jōnin" like Ashī were renowned throughout the entire ninja world, already top-tier combatants in their respective villages, even potential candidates for 'Kage'.
But now, one was dispatched so cleanly.
It was hard to imagine just how terrifying the enemy's strength was.
The Fourth Raikage knelt, closed Ashī's unseeing eyes, and then checked the fatal wounds on the other corpses.
"...Ashī was killed instantly by a high-speed Lightning Release ninjutsu. It does indeed look very similar to the Lariat."
The Fourth Raikage's frown deepened. Killer Bee beside him spoke up: "Yo yo~ Yeah~ Gyūki says, Tailed Beast chakra~ Fool~ Bakayarō~"
So it really is a Jinchūriki?
Tailed Beast Cloak plus high-speed Lightning Release ninjutsu – no wonder Konoha insisted the Cloud struck first.
The Fourth Raikage looked up at Killer Bee: "Can the Eight-Tails identify which Tailed Beast's chakra this is?"
"Cannot~ But can confirm it is, a Perfect Jinchūriki~" Killer Bee shook his head, then added.
The normally violent Tailed Beast chakra was actually so calm and peaceful.
Undoubtedly, only a Perfect Jinchūriki, who had achieved mutual understanding and acceptance with their Tailed Beast and successfully controlled its chakra, could achieve this.
The Eight-Tails Gyūki's voice echoed in Killer Bee's mind: "Right now, you're the only Perfect Jinchūriki in the entire ninja world. When did a new Perfect Jinchūriki appear?"
Just as the two were trying to gather more information from the scene...
Rustle rustle rustle~
The Fourth Raikage abruptly stood up, lightning crackling around his tense body, eyes fixed intently on the depths of the forest.
"AWOOO!!!"
A wolf howl suddenly rang out.
Immediately following, more and more howls echoed, shattering the night's tranquility.
Pairs of green-glowing pupils emerged from the shadows, and one jackal after another, baring sharp teeth, walked out from the woods.
"A wolf pack?"
The Fourth Raikage looked down from his height at the pack, a trace of solemnity rising in his heart.
These jackals' eyes all glowed green, staring fixedly at the headless corpses, saliva dripping from their mouths, clearly extremely hungry.
But not a single one moved forward to feast; instead, they surrounded the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee, seeming to wait for something.
"Rats hiding in the shadows! If you have the guts, get out here!"
Lightning crackled (zīlālā) around the Fourth Raikage's body as he roared at the dark forest.
Rustle rustle rustle~
"Don't bluff now, okay? That only makes you look fierce on the outside but timid within."
A voice tinged with amusement emerged from the forest's darkness, but contradicting it, an ice-cold killing intent rapidly spread towards the AB duo.
The greed in the wolves' eyes turned to fear. They all lowered their bodies and retreated, clearing a path.
A figure wearing a fur-collared black long robe and a white three-eyed fox mask slowly walked out from the shadows.
But the very next second...
Fourth Raikage A and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki Killer Bee flickered, instantly vanishing from their spots.
Boom!
A huge explosion sounded, the earth trembled, the ground abruptly caved in, and web-like cracks spread outwards.
"Rats who only hide in the dark!"
A and Killer Bee stood in the deep crater; the spot they had attacked was empty.
At this moment, the lightning around A seemed to have condensed into armor, while Killer Bee was enveloped in a light red Tailed Beast Cloak.
"Bee! Be careful! This guy is strong!"
"Yeah, I know~"
Killer Bee's expression became even graver, the Tailed Beast chakra around him turning a deeper red, as if about to solidify.
His entire body was covered in dark red Tailed Beast chakra, tails gradually sprouted behind him, and hard, sharp bones formed at his elbows.
"Such violent fellows."
Menma stood on a tree branch, looking down at the two brutes below, commenting nonchalantly.
He then formed a hand seal, and immense chakra fluctuations spread out.
"Kyūmen Suppāka! (Nine Masked Beasts!)"
Following this, an array formed by nine circles appeared behind Menma.
Blue, White, Vermilion, Black, Sky, South, North, Three, Jade!
Buzz!
The circle inscribed with 'Blue' (青) flashed with blazing light, and a long, slender figure poked its head out from within the circle.
Boom!
A and B didn't just stand there foolishly. They simultaneously pushed off the ground, the immense force cracking the earth beneath them.
"Bee!"
"Big Bro!"
"Double Lariat!!"
The two charged towards Menma one after the other.
Their movement speed alone broke the sound barrier, leaving deep cracks in the ground along their path.
The scene seemed to freeze.
Time ticked by slowly.
Uzumaki Menma stood foolishly rooted to the spot, seemingly completely unable to react.
But just as A and B's attack was about to land...
"ROAR!!"
An earth-shattering roar echoed as a summoned beast wearing the same mask as Menma appeared.
Kyūmen Suppāka: Seiryū! (Nine Masked Beasts: Azure Dragon!)
Although the Azure Dragon's body was huge, its speed was extremely fast.
Before A and B could halt their attack, its incredibly thick tail smashed directly towards them, violently swatting them back.
"What a strange summoning technique! Why are the chakra fluctuations so obscure?"
A straightened up, rubbing his wrist, looking at the bizarre summoned beast in the air—one he had never seen before—his eyes filled with ice-cold killing intent!
"Bee! Violent, ferocious, exceptionally evil and ominous!"
Gyūki's voice sounded: "That's a new type of summoning technique fused with Tailed Beast chakra! Don't let it touch me!!"
As soon as the words fell, before Killer Bee could react...
"You two seemed to be having fun just now!"
Menma's voice was full of amusement: "Then let me have some fun now!"