The very earth shook, vast chakra waves ripping up trees and scattering dust. From the heart of the storm, a colossal ox-headed octopus emerged into the clearing.
"Tremble before Bee the Great's might, just as a flashy pop idol's track goes ba-ba-ba, so dazzling!"
"Eight-Tails roar! Ka-non-yo-ro!"
The beast spoke in human tones, then released a deafening roar. Its chakra-charged shockwave shattered the air around its maw, echoing in a ring of raw power.
Yagura's expression grew grave beneath his white mask, lips whispering an incantation.
"Child of the heavens, a fortress of iron..."
The ox-headed octopus bellowed. In an instant, its pitch-black, twisted Tailed Beast chakra condensed—countless miniature Tailed Beast Balls rained down on Yagura like a storm.
"Tiger's roar, wolf's dashes—sever heaven and earth before they collapse!"
Bakudō No. 81: Dankū!
A fully incanted Dankū stood firm before Yagura, intercepting the explosive barrage of Gyūki's Tailed Beast Balls.
The small Tailed Beast Balls made a series of dull, thudding impacts, blocked by the invisible barrier.
The residual chakra surged in all directions, uprooting nearly every tree in the forest. Smoke and dust billowed into the sky, and over half the forest was leveled under the force of the blast.
The fully incanted Dankū blocked the Tailed Beast Ball, but the Eight-Tails tore through the explosion's aftershock, lunging straight at Yagura's Dankū. At point-blank range, it opened its jaws and fired another Tailed Beast Ball!
The invisible barrier was forcibly shattered. Fortunately, Yagura's reaction was equally swift. The energy grazed his shoulder and ultimately landed far away, unleashing an enormous explosion of energy.
"Absurd power…"
At the instant of the explosion, Yagura reappeared perched on a distant branch. In the same breath, a shadow loomed behind him—
Eight-Tails' tentacles shot out!
"The strength of this guy is simply incomparable to that of the Three-Tails or Six-Tails!"
Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage once anointed by the Third and among Kirigakure's mightiest, had faced the power of Three- and Six-Tails before. But this was on another level entirely.
It wasn't just chakra difference—it was the emergence of a Perfect Jinchūriki.
The Eight-Tails' tentacle slammed down on Yagura's position—shattering sky and earth. His body burst apart like flowing water.
But at that moment, an unharmed Yagura reappeared on the opposite side. The Eight-Tails' tentacle came crashing down once more.
"To harness Tailed Beast power and retain elite shinobi combat awareness and skills… That is the mark of a true Perfect Jinchūriki," he murmured.
Thus far, no jinchūriki in the Ninja World had achieved real harmony—those using Four-Tails or Five-Tails, even Kushina of the Nine-Tails, had forcibly drawn on tailed-beast power. Killer Bee was the first to master full symbiosis.
(Honestly, Bunpuku was technically the first Perfect Jinchūriki, but old monks don't fight.)
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Eight-Tails' tentacles struck in a relentless storm, trailing afterimages through the sky. Each blow, infused with massive chakra, carried the force to split mountains and shatter stone.
Yagura's figure rippled like a fleeting illusion, but each time it was struck down, a flawless copy appeared in its place.
This immense battle commotion also drew the attention of many.
"He's gone full Tailed Beast Mode…"
The Hidden Cloud elite squad that had advanced ahead fell into stunned silence. None of them had imagined anyone could force Bee to unleash his complete transformation.
Even within Kumogakure, there were few who could match Bee's power—and to push him into full Tailed Beast Mode, only the Fourth Raikage had ever come close.
"Lord Troy, what are we to do?" asked one shinobi.
"If even Bee can't handle that guy, there's even less point in us going over there." Purple-haired Troy in Cloud jonin armor said. "Trust Bee. We stick to our mission."
"Lord Bee's commotion is quite large; Konoha and Iwagakure might detect it, so we must be fast!"
"Full speed to Itano Town!"
"Yes, sir!"
… Meanwhile, within Iwagakure's war tent:
Kitsuchi sat solemnly at the commander's seat. High-ranking officers like Akatsuchi and Hana looked equally grim.
"The Leaf's counteroffensive grows intense. If this continues, we'll lose ground fast."
"And still no sign of Cloud's support!"Akatsuchi cursed.
"They'll only join once we and Leaf are both exhausted," Kitsuchi replied heavily.
Just yesterday, while engaging Konoha's main forces, their support units—medical and reconnaissance squads—were ambushed by Minato Namikaze's strike team. Meanwhile, Rōshi and Han were still locked in battle with the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
"We've committed nearly every available force…"
Just then, an Iwagakure ANBU rushed in and leaned close to Kitsuchi, whispering: "Commander Kitsuchi, the recon unit detected a large-scale chakra signature roughly fifty kilometers to the east. The intel was relayed via reverse summoning."
"The level of that chakra is estimated to be a Tailed Beast!"
"A Tailed Beast?!"
After hearing this, Kitsuchi's plump face furrowed.
There were only nine Tailed Beasts in the world. Iwagakure held two, Konoha one.
Over the past few months, the Tailed Beasts on both sides had clashed repeatedly—each village had long since learned the extent of the other's forces.
And given that only a Tailed Beast could reliably counter another, Konoha would never risk deploying its jinchūriki that far from the front line.
"Can we confirm the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki's location?"
"It's not the Nine-Tails," Kari replied gravely. "Han and Rōshi just engaged her on the battlefield."
That ruled out Konoha.
So then—who?
Kirigakure?
Though they'd suffered heavy losses, with Yuki Yoru—essentially a walking natural disaster—and a new alliance with Konoha, it wasn't impossible they had come to offer support.
But the Three-Tails had vanished at Higashimatsuyama after its jinchūriki's death.
And the Six-Tails had been slain by Yuki Yoru himself within Kirigakure.
That meant they shouldn't have any Tailed Beasts left.
Then... Kumogakure?
Kitsuchi's eyes narrowed sharply, realization flashing through them.
His father had already signed a covert alliance with the Hidden Cloud. If the chakra signature was truly theirs, Konoha was in for a rude awakening.
But if Cloud had intended to ambush them, then unleashing such massive Tailed Beast chakra made no sense—it completely blew the element of surprise.
Thus Kitsuchi ordered: "Fire the special signal flare. Scouts, confirm what we're dealing with!"
"Yes, sir!"
The ANBU vanished into shadows. Officers eyed the huge strategic map, glinting with anticipation: if Cloud had truly brought the Eight-Tails, this could be the turning point.
"Let's prepare counterattack," Kitsuchi said with burning eyes. "Hana, Akatsuchi—ready your squads."
"Yes, sir!"
… Back at the Konoha command tent:
Fugaku had still not reported the situation with Shisui.
But as he adjusted his state and stepped out of the tent, he noticed a flurry of movement—scout-nin darting back and forth across the camp.
"What? Massive Tailed Beast chakra?"
Upon learning that a powerful chakra signature had erupted nearly a hundred li away, Fugaku's eyes narrowed sharply. His first thought was a surprise strike from Iwagakure.
But he calmed himself quickly. The Four-Tails and Five-Tails were still locked in battle with Kushina. Iwa wouldn't risk deploying them elsewhere now.
That meant…
"A third party," he muttered.
He headed for the central command tent, where Danzo, Orochimaru, and Utatane Koharu had already assembled.
"Have we confirmed the intel?" Fugaku asked, his voice low and steady.
Danzo gave him a sidelong glance and shook his head.
"I've already dispatched Minato, but it'll take time. There's no Flying Thunder God seal in that direction."
"In any case," Orochimaru rasped, "recon doesn't matter if we can't secure our position. What matters now is reinforcing our defenses."
"The Four-Tails and Five-Tails just clashed with Kushina and were injured. Iwagakure can't deploy them again so soon. Sunagakure has surrendered. Kirigakure is our ally. That leaves only one possibility: the Hidden Cloud."
"They were spotted not long ago near the Land of Hot Water," he added. "And with our forces locked in deadlock with Iwa, it's the perfect time for them to strike—typical vulture strategy."
Everyone in the room fell silent.
They had only just begun turning the tide against Iwagakure, having poured immense manpower and resources into pushing the front lines out of the Land of Fire and into the Land of Grass. If the Hidden Cloud chose this moment to strike...
"Bad news!"
The tent flap burst open, and a Hyūga scout stepped in, clearly out of breath.
"Reverse-summoned intel just came in—our outpost at Itano Town is under heavy assault by Hidden Cloud shinobi. It's on the verge of falling!"
"What? That fast?!"
Danzo rose to his feet, slamming a hand on the table. "Those Hidden Cloud bastards—striking now of all times…"
He scowled. "Fine. I'll go teach them a lesson they won't forget."
"No. Let me handle it," Orochimaru said suddenly, stepping forward.
"There's a good chance they've brought a Jinchūriki. When it comes to fighting monsters of that scale—leave it to me."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, studying him for a moment before nodding.
"Very well. No need to hold back. Make sure those bastards remember this lesson."
Orochimaru's grin widened. "Leave it to me."
… Deep in the forest:
Yagura stood firm before the mountain-sized Eight-Tails, gripping Rinka.
The beast raised all eight tentacles, its bulk spinning like a cyclone!
"Monster…" Yagura whispered.
A hurricane blast of chakra shredded the surroundings—rocks splintered, even the canopy seemed to pull away in fear.
This is the true power of a Tailed Beast—raw, indiscriminate force.
Yagura's body was crushed into water droplets; the Beast's spin continued until every trace of forest debris vanished.
Then, Bee's voice cut through the wreckage:
"Yo yo yo—mess with Bee the Great, you're getting sent to meet death! Oh yeah!"
The Tailed Beast chakra dissipated, and Killer Bee's human form reappeared. He looked around at the devastation.
"Oops, maybe that was… a bit loud. Surprise attack's blown, yo."
"No matter—unstoppable Killer Bee's on the scene! Ain't nobody standing in my way, Eight-Tails roar, Ka-non-yo-ro!"
He leapt away, racing toward Itano Town.
After he vanished, the forest air rippled and coalesced into another water mirror.
Reflected within it emerged the figure of the Thirteenth Squad Captain
"An absolute beast…" the captain mused. "But our mission's done."
A low voice, tinged with awe, slipped from beneath the mask as he surveyed the scene.
With a flick of his wrist, he released two specialized spiritual tools. Guided by his Reiryoku, they traced looping kido strokes across his right arm like flowing calligraphy.
Dark patterns spread from his forearm to his palm, then flared outward—shaping themselves into a glowing, square spiritual array.
Bakudō No. 77: Tenteikūra.
"Mizukage-sama, the coordinates of the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki have been locked. Monitoring Microbes and spiritual seeds have been successfully implanted across all three states: full Tailed Beast Mode, partial transformation, and human form."
"Additionally, the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki was not present among the assault team..."