Night had completely swallowed the treacherous mountain ranges of the Land of Lightning, cloaking the mountain-built Kumogakure in darkness, broken only by scattered lights.
Inside the inn room where Ryo, Tsunade, Kushina, and Mikoto were staying, the lamps had long been extinguished. Only the occasional lightning bolt outside the window briefly illuminated the outlines of the furniture within.
Kushina turned over in her sleep, her red hair spilling across the pillow.
She was sleeping deeply, the day's novel experiences having drained much of her energy.
In that quiet stillness, deep within her body, inside the massive and solid seal space, a pair of enormous beastly eyes, glowing with a molten, violent light, suddenly snapped open.
The Nine-Tails slightly raised its coiled body.
A chakra fluctuation, both incredibly familiar and oddly foreign, slipped through the heavy seal barriers like a faint yet unbreakable thread, tugging at its sensitive nerves.
The Eight-Tails. That bastard Gyūki's chakra!
It had been decades... ever since they were divided and sealed in different villages, all contact between the Tailed Beasts had ceased.
A savage glint flickered in Kurama's eyes. It hesitated, then activated the unique spiritual communication method shared only among the Tailed Beasts.
An ancient and secret connection, one that acted directly on the soul level.
[Gyūki? Is that you?] Kurama's deep and intimidating voice echoed through the mental plane.
After a brief silence, a hoarse and heavily nasal tone laced with a distinct mental signature came through.
[Huh? This feeling... Kurama?! Hah! It really is you, you damn fox! Haven't heard from you in decades, I thought the humans had already tamed you into a house pet!]
Confirming it was indeed the Eight-Tails, Kurama let out a disgruntled growl from its throat.
But the next sentence from Gyūki made its entire chakra surge violently.
[Wait a minute! That thought you just sent over... there was a trace of... recognition in it? Toward that little jinchūriki girl? Hah! Hahahaha!]
Gyūki's mental signature surged with blatant mockery.
[What a joke! The almighty Kurama, who used to have his nose so high in the air, actually has a soft spot for a human brat? Has the sun started rising from the west?]
[Shut up, you damn octopus!] Kurama instantly exploded. The chakra in the sealed space raged wildly, shaking the sealing symbols to the point of flickering.
Its massive claw slammed down onto the mental plane, letting out a silent roar.
[Who said I recognized her?! I just... just find that brat... a little less annoying than most. Just a tiny bit!]
How could it ever admit the truth to that damned octopus?
Compromise?
Kurama-sama was forced!
If not for suffering months of Ryo's "physical persuasion," combined with the fact that Kushina really was different from those greedy humans... but could it say that?
Did it not have any pride left?
[Gyūki, shut your damn mouth!] Kurama roared in humiliation, its voice rumbling like thunder.
[My business is none of yours, you damn tentacled freak with fewer tails than me!]
The moment it thought of that humiliating "persuasion" process and Kushina's pure gaze, the Nine-Tails felt a wave of rage rushing to its head.
It rudely cut off the connection, leaving behind only its furious last words:
[Damn octopus-head! Get lost!]
Kurama logged off while cursing!
The Nine-Tails' unilateral disconnection struck Killer Bee, whose seal had only recently stabilized, like a boulder dropped into calm water.
Deep within a Gorge, the massive octopus shadow churned violently in Bee's mental space. Although Kurama's roar hadn't been transmitted, the explosive surge of chakra was reflected instantly on the real-world seal.
"Ugh!" Killer Bee shot up in his sleep, veins bulging beneath his skin as the Tailed Beast's chakra began leaking uncontrollably, seeping out as dark red wisps that scorched the bed beneath him.
He groaned in pain, the phantom image of eight octopus tails flickering behind his back.
Almost simultaneously, several dark shadows moved silently in response to the disturbance.
Kumo's hidden ANBU units tensed like startled panthers.
Multiple black-clad figures silently rushed toward Bee's room, while another figure tore through the night, heading straight for the Raikage's office.
"Eight-Tails' chakra is spiking abnormally!"
"Bee-sama's condition is unstable!"
"Report to the Raikage-sama immediately!"
Alarms flew through communication channels.
The security level in the Gorge rose instantly, and the atmosphere became tense.
Konoha had just arrived, and the Eight-Tails was already acting up?
There was no way this was a coincidence!
All ANBU gazes turned coldly toward the inn where Ryo and the others were staying, eyes sharp with suspicion.
Heavy footsteps broke the silence of the Raikage's office.
The Third Raikage stood before Killer Bee's bed like an iron fortress.
The room still held the faint scent of scorched cloth and residual violent chakra.
Bee had passed out again, his face pale.
The seal array had stabilized under the reinforcement of sealing talismans.
The Raikage's gaze swept over the sealing marks. Once he confirmed they were intact, he withdrew his hand.
His massive frame radiated pressure, and his voice was low and thunderous as he spoke into the Eight-Tails' spiritual space.
"Eight-Tails! Calm down! Or I won't hesitate to beat you down again!"
Deep within the seal, a furious roar, barely restrained, echoed back.
"Hmph! Damn human! Once I'm free, I'll make all of Kumo taste true pain!"
The voice was filled with hatred and unwillingness, but also a hint of wariness.
The Raikage's face remained cold and unmoved.
He once again sensed the seal, confirming the turbulence had subsided.
He didn't stay any longer, turning and striding out of the room.
The heavy metal doors of the Raikage's office closed behind him.
Only a single lamp remained lit inside, casting a harsh, cold light.
Standing before the large floor-to-ceiling window, he stared down at the sleeping village.
The distant mountains were reduced to vague silhouettes under the deep blue night.
"Something's wrong," he finally said, his deep voice breaking the silence. "The Eight-Tails inside Bee has never been this agitated before."
From the shadows in the corner, the strategist Tōtai stepped out silently and adjusted his glasses.
"Raikage-sama, the timing is too suspicious. Konoha's people arrived today."
The Raikage slowly turned around, his brow furrowed.
"Surveillance reports? Any contact?"
"None," Dodai replied decisively. "Kamiyama Ryo and his team entered the inn and haven't left since. Bee-sama was in the Gorge the entire night. There was absolutely no physical contact between them."
He paused, eyes sharp.
"The issue may not be physical contact, but resonance."
The Raikage's eyes narrowed.
"You're suggesting... the Nine-Tails?"
"It's Uzumaki Kushina," Dodai said clearly, spitting out the name. "That red-haired girl. Given the Eight-Tails' abnormal state, and the strength shown by Kamiyama Ryo today... I suspect she is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
"Uzumaki clan... Nine-Tails' jinchūriki..." The Raikage stroked his short beard, eyes flashing with sharp light. "The connection between Tailed Beasts... The Nine-Tails must have triggered the Eight-Tails! But," his voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief, "Has the Hokage gone insane?! Letting the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki leave the village? And even come to Kumo?!"
Dodai's gaze deepened. He leaned forward slightly, voice low and persuasive.
"Raikage-sama, if Uzumaki Kushina really is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki..."
He paused deliberately.
"Then she's currently... in Kumogakure! On your territory! It's like they've brought their most precious treasure and handed it over to us!"
He emphasized the word "treasure" with clarity.
This was the branding of Kumogakure.
Since the First Raikage, Kumo had been known for its aggressive plundering—secret techniques, bloodlines, talent. If they wanted it, they took it.
The vitality and sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan had always been Kumo's target, let alone the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Dodai's words ignited a storm in the Raikage's chest.
He stared hard at Dodai, his pupils brimming with uncontainable greed.
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. The power to control the strongest Tailed Beast.
If they seized her... Kumo would reign above the other four great shinobi villages. Konoha and Iwa would kneel beneath the thunder of the Land of Lightning!
A grand vision unfurled in his mind: Kumogakure sweeping across the ninja world, the banner of the Land of Lightning flying across all nations. He would become the greatest Raikage in history.
The fire of ambition devoured all reason.
His breathing grew heavy, chest rising and falling.
But the image from the shopping district earlier, the one that struck like lightning into the soul, returned—Kamiyama Ryo. Just a calm glance, and an invisible storm swept through the streets. Kumo's elite collapsed en masse. That kind of power, which bypassed physical defense and struck the soul directly, was impossible to guard against.
Worse yet, the man mastered the Flying Thunder God.
That meant even if Kumo paid a huge price to trap Ryo, he could teleport away instantly.
If they tore the façade now and failed to capture the Nine-Tails...
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Konoha's retaliation. The entire shinobi world turning against them...
Could Kumogakure survive?
Cold sweat beaded on the Raikage's forehead.
The burning ambition and harsh reality clashed violently. His dark face twitched, his expression torn between greed and dread.
The office was dead silent. Only his ragged breathing and Dodai's cold stare remained.
Time seemed to freeze.
Finally, the Raikage shut his eyes. When he reopened them, the raging waves within had been forcibly suppressed into a deep pool. But the fire at the bottom hadn't gone out. It was merely frozen.
He slowly, heavily spoke, voice hoarse and deep.
"Dodai... I understand your intentions."
"But this... concerns the village's survival."
"I need... to think."
"To think very carefully."
Inside the inn room, the moonlight was swallowed by clouds. Darkness before dawn settled over everything.
Kushina turned over, mumbling softly.
Mikoto's breathing remained steady.
Ryo sat cross-legged by the window, still awake.
His powerful Observation Haki had long since enveloped the area around the inn.
Several malicious, cold and sticky gazes locked onto the building like poisonous snakes.
They were the eyes of Kumo's elite ANBU, filled with vigilance and hostility.
Tsunade sat up quietly.
Her gaze met Ryo's silently.
Both of them could feel the heavy pressure in the air, and the greed of Kumogakure, like a starving beast eyeing its prey.
Tsunade frowned slightly.
Ryo shook his head gently, signaling her to stay calm.
He looked out at the deep night.
Kumogakure crouched in the dark, like a feral steel beast.
Dawn was near, but the ambition clouding the Raikage's tower was darker and more dangerous than the night itself.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)