"It's not like you got nothing out of it, Bee," Gyuki's voice rumbled with something that sounded suspiciously like glee. "If you master Chakra Materialization, you could do the same thing."
"Hard or soft, keep trainin' with the blade, oh yeah!"
The black cat's kenjutsu was anything but standard, it was a style made purely for himself. Honestly, it wasn't a contest of sword skills at all. It was a contest of that bizarre ninjutsu of his, the one that let him grow out his fur like hair and keep it unbelievably hard.
Bee couldn't be bothered to comment on that kind of 'kenjutsu.' There was nothing to discuss. It wasn't swordsmanship, it was ninjutsu, plain and simple. But since the cat didn't have claws, no one could really say he was doing it wrong.
"All right, everyone keep training," Ay announced, a familiar weariness settling over him. "I still have to take him around."
'How did this miserable errand fall to me?' he thought. 'Why isn't father hosting the cat himself? He could hold the meeting later!'
'Over two thousand points,' Takeshi thought, quietly delighted. 'This is more than enough.'
Needless to say, most of those points had been contributed by Ay. His method for harvesting them was crude, nothing more than gouging them out of his opponent, but it was effective. At least he could milk some out of Ay. Back in the village, facing those wily old foxes, he wouldn't have gotten a thing.
It just went to show that sometimes a change of scenery was all you needed. If he couldn't thrive in Konoha, so be it... but he had no plans to stay in Kumogakure, either. It wasn't just that the Kumo-nin couldn't stand him, he despised this bird-forsaken wasteland just as much. He'd only consider coming back when the Third Raikage managed to turn this place into something resembling a mountain castle.
So, while Kumogakure might be wishing he would leave, Takeshi himself wanted them to hurry things along so he could get out of here even faster.
'Too damn shabby,' he grumbled to himself. 'Nothing here is worth having.'
There really weren't many places in the village worth visiting. Ay led Takeshi around but didn't dare take him anywhere too crowded with ninja, hoping to avoid a repeat of their earlier encounter. After circling for a while, they ended up at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Within the valley, the faint roll of thunder was a constant presence, punctuated by occasional flashes of lightning.
"This place... mm, the view's all right," Takeshi remarked, glancing around.
'No buildings to speak of,' he noted, scanning the area. 'Just wild, barren, and dangerous land. A good place to train survival skills.'
"There's no helping it, Ay said with a long sigh. "The Land of Lightning doesn't have many scenic spots. And since nobody comes here most of the time, it's the best place for tailed beast training."
The words brought to mind the plight of the jinchuriki. Tailed beasts were symbols of evil and destruction. People feared them, and that fear extended to their hosts. Killer Bee might seem to get along with others, but in truth, it was only the jonin and the ninja he dealt with often who accepted him. At the lower levels, they still despised him.
Ay understood this well. The previous jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails had been driven to the brink by constant exclusion, until one day he finally went berserk. Because of that, their generation, those close to Bee and Yugito, had started to change their attitudes, especially the Third Raikage.
Of course, Takeshi knew the truth: the previous jinchuriki's rampage had been Orochimaru's doing. But Kumogakure didn't know that.
As Ay led the way deeper into the valley, they heard the sound of frantic running echoing from afar. A moment later, Takeshi spotted Yugito scrambling across the mountainsides.
'What a diligent kid,' Takeshi thought, feeling a flicker of admiration.
Sensing their presence, Yugito immediately looked over, then vanished in a blur.
"Ahem, Yugito really is..." Ay began, trailing off awkwardly.
"It's fine, meow," Takeshi said, waving a dismissive paw. "I wasn't planning on taking her with me just yet anyway. Let her lose some weight first. She can eat more later."
'Matatabi will be joining the Neko Clan eventually,' he reasoned. 'And while Yugito is a jinchuriki, her allegiance is on loan to me for now. There will be plenty of chances to discipline her later.'
Of course, he had no intention of bringing her along yet. The girl was a bit too sharp, and the things he needed to do in the near future were crucial groundwork involving many of his own secrets. Bringing Yugito along would just be asking for trouble.
But the way he'd said it was grating, and Yugito burst out of hiding, wrapped in a Transformation Jutsu that made her look as slim and pretty as she had before.
"Meow... you're only fooling yourself. Do you really think that helps?"
"It does! And I'm never falling for your tricks again. I'm back in my village, and from now on, I have nothing to do with you!"
The girl was furious, yet there was a clear note of joy in her voice, like someone who had just escaped a miserable fate.
Ay's expression turned conflicted as he listened. 'Should I tell her father is thinking of... selling her?' he wondered. He sighed inwardly. 'No, that would be too cruel.'
"You sure about that, meow?"
"Absolutely!" Yugito declared.
"Good luck."
Takeshi couldn't be bothered to explain. He'd let the girl enjoy her little victory for now. He could play the part of the defeated dog, giving her the illusion of a win. The happier she was now, the more she'd cry when she learned the truth.
With that thought, he let out a soft sigh and turned to leave.
Yugito was still basking in the satisfaction of having talked back, but a faint unease settled in her heart. Why hadn't the cat gotten angry? Why had he looked so confident?
'Is there something going on behind the scenes?' she wondered, unsettled. She felt like she'd missed some crucial detail.
Inside her, Matatabi stirred. She and Takeshi had an unofficial, unspoken agreement. Back then, she'd hoped he would help get her out, but the black cat had never clearly said yes or no. Had he finally come up with a plan? Had he made some kind of deal with Kumogakure?
And if not...
A wave of anxiety washed over Matatabi. She wanted this to be the price Takeshi was paying to help her, yet she was terrified that the damn cat was just toying with both her and Yugito. It was suffocating, and it was all that twisted cat's fault. If he had a more straightforward, honest personality, she wouldn't have to worry like this.
She cursed him inwardly.
Meanwhile, back in Kumogakure, the discussion was getting heated. The strategy proposed by the Third Raikage had impressed everyone at first glance, but now the old guard was starting to panic. It was a massive gamble, no doubt about it. If they won, it would push the Land of Lightning's economy to a new level.
But... what if they lost?
Losing money and time was one thing, but the real issue was the tailed beast. That was a weapon of war. The Third Raikage argued with the elders for a while before finally slamming his hand on the table.
"If we lose the money, we can earn it back! As for a tailed beast... if our ninja are strong enough, what does it matter if we lose one? Besides, if we sign a contract with the Neko Clan, we can still summon a tailed beast. What's the difference?"
"There is a difference! Having it under our own control, "
"Difference, my ass!" he roared. "I've made my decision. We're following this plan. Anyone for? Anyone against?"
Chakra erupted from the Third Raikage, blasting the table into powder. His ferocious gaze swept over everyone in the room, and a dead silence fell. The whining elders didn't dare say another word.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, the Third Raikage took a deep breath.
"Of course," he said calmly, "since we've agreed to trade a tailed beast, we're not just lending Yugito out. We still have to negotiate the proper terms. Mm. That's that."
"Yes, Raikage-sama," the elders replied in unison.
They had no choice but to accept. If they didn't, and the Third Raikage truly lost his temper, he might just cripple a few of them to make an example.
"Meeting adjourned."
The Third Raikage waved a hand and walked out.
'Stubborn fossils,' he thought. 'It's so much easier to just force the issue. Why even bother with a meeting? Pointless.'
===============
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