"Hmph!"
"Konoha's shinobi are nothing but an empty reputation."
"How does a village like that deserve the richest resources in the shinobi world?"
"Sooner or later, Kumogakure will be the strongest village of them all!"
Crackling with arcs of lightning, A slammed the Root operative's corpse to the ground.
Konoha ninja? Utter garbage—not even worth his time.
Behind him, Mamoru Yotsuki cautioned, "Lord A, one of them escaped. Should we pursue?"
"No need," A said with disdain. "If those Konoha worms dare cause trouble, kill every last one."
Mamoru fell silent.
There were only eight of them on this outing, but aside from A and Killer B, the other six were all jōnin-level.
With a lineup like that, there was little to fear.
"By the way, the Uchiha encampment is just ahead. How do we handle it?"
"It would be best if they willingly hand over some children. If they're unwilling..."
A smiled. "Then we'll just take them by force!"
If it were monsters like Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or Sakumo Hatake, he might hesitate.
But the Uchiha? Aside from that so-called Wicked Eye Fugaku, what other name among them was worth remembering?
He was curious to see what the vaunted Sharingan could do against his Lightning Release Armor.
————
They didn't bother hiding their approach, and the Uchiha scouts spotted them with ease.
Before they drew too close to the clan's territory, Yuzuru Uchiha led a group out to intercept them.
Seeing A and Killer B in the flesh, Yuzuru could feel the raw strength in their towering frames.
Those corded muscles—there was a brutal kind of beauty to them.
Just standing there, the pressure they radiated was palpable.
"Uchiha shinobi," Mamoru Yotsuki called out, "you have one chance—return with Lord A to live in Kumogakure."
The arrogance matched the Sand-nin from before, word for word.
Yuzuru had expected as much.
After all, not everyone was like Ōnoki, who had personally experienced the god-like power of the Uchiha clan.
To earn respect, you first had to show overwhelming strength.
When Yuzuru didn't answer, Mamoru's tone turned cold. "Be smart about this. Otherwise, we'll settle it by force."
Hearing this, Fugaku took a step forward and said with a cold expression, "Then let me see if your so-called force is nothing but a joke."
"B, you go."
"…"
"B!"
Thump!
A's fist crashed down on Killer B's head. Only then did B snap out of his trance, tucking away the notebook and pencil he'd been jotting rhymes in.
He nodded absently and strode ahead with his head down.
In the next instant, he snapped his wrist and hurled the pencil.
Charged with Lightning Release chakra, it shot toward Fugaku's heart at blistering speed.
Fugaku's three-tomoe Sharingan flared to life. He drew his blade in a flashing arc.
Clang!
The pencil split cleanly in midair.
B's expression grew serious.
So that's the famed Sharingan.
Even at that speed, he tracked it perfectly?
B put away the notebook for good, drew the long blade strapped to his back, and charged straight at Fugaku.
"Close combat?"
"So you really are underestimating me."
Fugaku snorted and met him head-on, blade leveled.
Steel rang the instant they clashed.
"Rough Spin Heron Striking Sword!"
With seven blades whirling in a seamless flow, B pressed offense and defense at once, each edge slicing for one of Fugaku's vital points.
Fugaku's heart lurched; his three tomoe spun faster.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Steel struck steel in a relentless rhythm, shallow cuts opening across Fugaku's clothes.
His face tightened.
He'd woven genjutsu into his swordplay, and yet—this opponent seemed utterly unaffected.
Seizing a moment to break away, Fugaku flashed through hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A towering fireball roared forth, swallowing everything ahead.
In the same breath, Fugaku whipped out a sealing scroll—unfurling a storm of shuriken and several massive Fūma shuriken.
"Go!"
All the blades streaked into the flames at once, razor-thin wires lacing inward to scythe through the fire's heart.
Seeing this, the Uchiha clansmen who came with Yuzuru all had excited expressions on their faces.
They'd won!
But A, Mamoru, and the others watched without a change in expression.
When the flames finally dispersed, the expected carnage did not appear.
A massive octopus tail had wrapped B's body, shielding him from every attack.
"That's…"
"A Tailed Beast?!"
Everyone's jaw dropped—everyone but Yuzuru.
Weren't Tailed Beasts supposed to be strategic assets?
What was one doing here?
And more—
If he'd drawn on a Tailed Beast's power, why hadn't this Kumogakure jinchuriki gone berserk?
"Using the Eight-Tails, on the battlefield I shine! Saw this comin', it was all by design! Lord Killer B is Kumogakure's pride, an attack like a tickle just makes me laugh inside!"
"Yo~ Bakayarō, Konoyarō!"
B shimmied into an impromptu rap, flipping Fugaku the finger more than once.
Fugaku's face darkened, but he didn't charge in.
A jinchuriki who could freely wield a beast's power would not be so easily dealt with…
"If that's all you've got," A said, stepping forward as lightning flared around him, "then let's end this little farce."
He entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Blue bolts danced across his body, and his figure vanished.
Even with three-tomoe Sharingan, Fugaku could barely track him.
He swung as the lightning blur rushed in—
—but in a heartbeat, A knocked the blade clean from his hands.
Just as the fist, wreathed in lightning, was about to hit Fugaku's head, a jet-black skeletal giant hand slapped A, sending him flying.
Yuzuru stood with his arms crossed, now covered by a layer of a jet-black skeleton that constantly emanated a wicked, ominous aura.
"Your strength has piqued my interest enough to make a move."
"Now—dance, and try to entertain me." (T/N: Oof, a nice burn from Yuzuru)
T/n:
If you like the novel so far, please leave me a 5-star review
I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a Review—Power Stones
patreon.com/Hard_Worker +50 chapters