BENEATH THE DARK, SILENT SURFACE of a deep lake in the Lightning Country, the Eight-Tails rested. Its massive form was fully submerged as it rested on the lake floor.
The beast's eyes were closed, but it was not truly asleep. Its mind was drifting in and out like the bubbles that occasionally escaped its nostrils. And one thought lingered more than others—Arthur Bennett.
The beast kept replaying what Arthur had told it. Such words from a mere man defied its logic. So the beast snorted softly, sending out a stream of bubbles, which floated lazily upward.
Centuries later.
It had been a long time since the beast had last felt the presence of any monks nearby. The ones who had once watched over its shrine had vanished long ago and were replaced by settlers who dared not approach.
Over those centuries, the beast had grown stronger and more wary but also more forgetful of the origins of its existence. Its purpose blurred with time, and it spent its days patrolling its territory while asserting dominance over the land it claimed as its own.
It wasn't until one fateful day that it encountered a certain shinobi that dared to challenge it in the open.
"I am the first Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village," the shinobi claimed.
The battle had been fierce, and the beast felt defeat for the first time by the hands of such a man. And at that moment it was captured and sealed away.
It had later been sold and traded as a tool and a weapon to the Lightning Country. When this happened, it was then sealed inside another man. The beast loathed the idea, even as it understood that this was its new path.
But then something happened. The beast's memories resurfaced of a time when it was very young.
"Your days will soon be filled with bondage," it recalled a young man once said.
The beast's mind replayed those words. Almost a thousand years had passed since then, yet it still remembered the warning from the man. Now, it was in bondage, exactly as the man said would happen.
"Arthur… Ha! So you were right all along." Its thoughts turned to that moment. While it recalled that event, its memories were not perfect—a trait it was widely known for. "What was that other host's name he said I'd be with again?"
Over the next half century, many hosts had come and gone, each one different, each one a cage. The beast's frustration grew. It was waiting, plotting, biding its time, knowing that someday it would find a way to escape its prison made from these so-called Cloud shinobi.
Eventually, the beast's patience was rewarded in part. It finally encountered Killer B.
When they first met, the beast had been aggressive. It did not want to be caged again, and it made that clear through its hostility. But B was different. B was trusting and respectful, like none of the hosts before him.
And the moment it understood that B was a rapper, it remembered all of Arthur's words.
Not only did it understand that they would meet again someday, but it also held onto that hope. Moreover, the beast shared its knowledge with B, explaining who Arthur was and the significance of their connection.
"I dunno Arthur, man, he's a mystery," B rapped. "Reincarnation's deep, too complex for me to see."
The Eight-Tails ignored that awful rap by further telling B that Arthur's true memories might never surface in this lifetime, that he might remain unaware of his past. It also warned B to keep quiet about what it knew and to wait patiently until the time was right.
B listened before promising to keep the secret as a show of respect for the beast's caution. But inside, he felt a strong sense of anticipation. Because anyone who could interact with a Tailed Beast from long ago and live to tell the tale was worth his attention.
As the years passed, the days in the Lightning Country were like any other.
It wasn't until an interesting flyer made its way into the Cloud Village, prompting shinobi across the world to come participate in this newly devised tournament.
While B wanted to attend, he noticed that anyone looking to apply was not allowed to have a bounty on their head. It wouldn't matter to him anyway since his brother, A, would likely never let him attend.
Besides, the same day this tournament was going to be held was also the same day he was to depart on a mission. As such, B declined to enter and carry on about his duties.
When that day arose, Killer B and his squad moved swiftly through the landscape for a mission they were on. B was in good spirits till that sense of normalcy shattered in an instant.
Out of nowhere, a figure appeared—large, with striking white hair. It was Jasper, and he had been using the transformation technique to hide both his appearance and his headband.
"I'm honored to meet the one and only Gyūki," he declared, ignoring B entirely.
"Outta nowhere, someone pops up, tryin' to freeze my flow. Ignorin' me but callin' out my beast is pretty low."
Jasper, unfazed, didn't bother explaining himself at first. Instead, he made his intent clear.
"Listen, I don't want any trouble. That beast inside of you: it belongs to me. So don't try to fight. Just do as I say, and no one gets hurt."
B's eyebrows raised above his shades. It was clear to everyone: Jasper was like everyone else because he wanted B's Tailed Beast. Whatever the reason didn't matter.
As such, B reached into his pocket and drew a handful of knives. Jasper watched as he threw them into the air before catching several of them behind his leg, in his forearms, and in his mouth.
"He steps up, frontin', think he's got what it takes," B mumbled. "I'll shed his blood, leave him drownin' in these stakes."
The rest of his squad tensed, readying themselves for battle. And to their surprise, Jasper looked as calm as can be. He even went as far as shaking his head in disapproval to say, "I told you already, I don't want to fight. Especially with other Cloud ninjas around you."
But when those same ninjas pulled out their weapons, he knew a battle was inevitable.
For a moment, they jousted—B lunging forward, Jasper dodging with surprising agility. The clash was interesting, to say the least. Each attack was testing the other's skill. And only after B's squad understood that they were only getting in the way did they back off to spectate the matter.
Now B had more room to work with. But so did Jasper.
It wasn't long until B actually found himself being pushed back. He was still keeping up with the pace, but there was something odd about fighting Jasper. It was as if the latter knew all of B's moves beforehand. Even a basic lariat was dodged with ease.
Slowly, Jasper began to overwhelm B. When B's companions saw the danger, they hurried to call for backup. B, seeing this, knew he had to try even harder. So he was prepared to unleash his Tailed Beast.
Jasper, sensing the shift, decided it was time to retreat. The last thing he wanted was for word to get out that he was fighting a Tailed Beast. That was simply asking to stir up trouble among the other players.
Just as B was about to transform, Jasper called out, "Gyūki, if you can hear me, I'm not your enemy. Your brothers are your real enemies!" And then, without warning, he turned and fled.
The scene left everyone stunned. B stood there for a moment before choosing to sit on the grass. His remaining squad didn't understand what just happened or who the attacker was.
Within moments, backup arrived, including the Raikage himself, who was flanked by his personal guards like Darui and others.
"What's going on here?" A demand.
None could explain the strange encounter, so the Raikage ordered a full sweep of the area. Sad for them, they came up short. No sign of Jasper could be found.
Days passed, but the incident remained fresh in everyone's mind. B kept replaying the encounter, trying to piece together what it could mean. Who was that attacker? Why did he claim the beast inside him belonged to him? And what was the significance of his words about Gyūki's "brothers"?
Either way, the days in the Cloud Village returned to normal.
Some time later, B was sent out once again. This time on a mission that would take him close to where the Five-Tails and its host, Han, had been known to reside—close to the Land of Earth.
Unbeknownst to B and Han, that very moment, a strange sensation washed over their Tailed Beasts. The Eight-Tails and the Five-Tails, sensing each other's presence, reacted as if possessed. Then suddenly, both hosts' minds and bodies were no longer their own, and their beasts' instincts took over.
Each transformed into their Version Two forms raced toward one another from a far distance. A battle quickly ensued the moment they met. And for two days, Han and B fought each other without anyone being in control.
The Tailed Beasts, sensing the chaos, drew their hosts into another realm to communicate telepathically. The two hosts questioned what was happening. To their confusion, the Eight-Tails instructed them to wait.
"Wait for who?" Han demanded.
"Arthur Bennett," the Eight-Tails announced.
The first to react to that name was none other than the Five-Tails. It had been a long, long time since it had heard of that name.
"What do you know of Arthur?" it asked the Eight Tails.
"Oh-ho," the other beast announced. "So you met him, too, aye?"
The Five-Tails gave a slow nod, causing confusion mainly among Han. And because those two hosts were trapped here, they decided it best to gather information on their predicament.
Han revealed that he had encountered a white-haired shinobi, quite similar in appearance to the one B met. One thing led to another, and Han was asked to relinquish the Five-Tails. Of course, he refused, so the unknown shinobi told him that he'd be better off fighting the other Tailed Beasts than having one himself.
While that had angered Han, the unknown shinobi fled, leaving Han and the Five-Tails perplexed at the sudden intrusion.
Now in this present moment, while they were not in control of their bodies, Han believed that this was the working of the Cloud shinobi. B argued in a rap that he had nothing to do with this and that it was tied to Arthur instead.
This led Hand to pester the Five-Tails about who this Arthur was exactly. Yet, to his surprise, the Five-Tails refused to answer. This also shocked B because at least the Eight-Tails was kind enough to explain to him who Arthur was.
"Why are you keeping secrets from me?" Han growled.
"Let's just say you'll find a reason to thank him once he arrives," the Five-Tails replied.
Now, the Five-Tails had sensed Arthur back at the tournament. But Arthur refrained from approaching it, so the Five-Tails respected the decision and left the matter alone until a proper meeting would unfold.
The Eight-Tails itself had just used Arthur's name. That only left the Five-Tails secretly in wait for the two to meet again.