Rumble—
The mountains quaked as chunks of rock blasted outward. A peak collapsed under a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The commotion stunned nearby villagers. They thought a natural disaster was coming.
But after the mountain fell, there were no more large shocks, and panic gradually subsided.
Wind swept the sea of clouds, carrying off the dust. Rain fell from the sky, dousing the nascent wildfires.
On a rocky height, Gusion sat on a boulder. Not far away lay Yugito, unconscious.
Rain pattered on Yugito's pale face, soaking her tea-brown hair and lending her a tragic beauty.
Her face was bloodless, her breathing faint—her chakra signature almost nonexistent.
Shff—shff—
Two figures dropped onto the ridge. Seeing the unconscious Yugito, the Fourth Raikage couldn't hide the anger on his face. "Calamity, you—!"
"Keep it down. She attacked first. I already held back."
Gusion lounged lazily against the boulder. "Unless… what you wanted to see was a corpse?"
Killer Bee crouched to examine Yugito, relieved to find she wasn't dead—then frowned.
Yugito's internal chakra felt far too weak—abnormally so. As a jinchūriki, even on the verge of death she should still radiate enormous chakra.
Tailed Beasts were weapons because their chakra reserves were absurd compared to humans. In a normal fight, you couldn't run them dry.
But Bee sensed that Matatabi inside Yugito was also feeble, as if its chakra had been drained. It might take a long time to recover.
"Yo yo, we rushed over at top speed—only to find Yugito down and beat. Her chakra I can't even read—what kind of trick is this feat—"
Even in a serious moment, Bee kept his rap cadence, though his gaze on Gusion was wary.
The Raikage frowned at Bee's words. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing much. Just making a lively Tailed Beast settle down."
Gusion said flatly. After dropping Yugito, he'd used his Soul-Devourer Ring to wildly siphon Matatabi.
He had to admit—Tailed Beast energy was prime-quality exotic fuel. After draining the Two-Tails, his Soul-Devourer Ring upgraded to epic-grade. Its true-damage effect rose again, making his offense even more brutal.
"Are you alone?"
The Raikage glanced around and exchanged a look with Bee. They hadn't brought other shinobi, figuring that against someone like Gusion, numbers were useless—you needed elites, or you'd just become his charging batteries.
The Raikage also knew Akatsuki typically worked in pairs, so he feared Gusion's partner might be lurking nearby.
"Don't bother looking. It's just me. An undercover op like this—how could I bring a teammate?"
Gusion stood. "So, did you bring what I asked for?"
The Raikage hesitated, also scanning for any medical shinobi Gusion might have brought—he hadn't seen anyone. Did Gusion actually know medical ninjutsu himself?
"I have it. How do you prove you can heal?"
The Raikage said. He might weigh pros and cons when trading the Lightning Release Chakra Mode for unknown intel.
But when it came to his leg, he wasn't going to quibble. Restore peak combat power first—everything else could wait.
Otherwise, with his leg hobbled, even capturing Gusion later would be difficult.
"That's easy."
Gusion walked toward Yugito. Bee instinctively blocked him.
"Move. Don't get in the way. If I wanted her dead, I could have done it already."
Gusion said.
Bee looked to the Raikage for approval. When the Raikage nodded, he stepped aside.
Gusion bent, grabbed Yugito by the collar, and hauled her up. His other hand searched at her chest. The radiance of restoration flared, healing the blade wound that had pierced her torso.
Then his hand moved over her body, sealing and mending her external and internal injuries with speed and efficiency that made the Raikage and Bee click their tongues in amazement.
Gusion's medical ninjutsu was unlike anything they'd seen—fast, efficient, and with superb results.
The chest wound he'd made left not a trace. Her fair skin was flawless, as if she'd never been cut.
When he finished, Gusion casually tossed Yugito back to the ground. "I rarely treat people for free. You've seen the results. Raikage—do you want yours fixed or not?"
The Raikage pondered a few seconds. "Heal me first. Then I'll give you the scroll."
Gusion laughed. "Do I look stupid to you? If I fix your leg and you refuse to pay, then what—team up with your brother to kill me? I'd be taking a loss."
"If I give you the scroll and you don't treat me? Or you fail?"
The Raikage countered. "How do I know?"
"Don't lump me in with people who don't keep their word. If I don't fix you, you can start the fight right here. If I wanted to fight you, why go to all this trouble?"
Gusion held out his hand. "The secret art."
After thinking it over, the Raikage reluctantly formed a seal and used a summoning to fetch the scroll.
Gusion was surprised. Anyone who said the Fourth Raikage was a brainless bruiser—he'd take issue with them.
The Raikage hadn't brought the goods on his person. Even if Gusion killed him, he wouldn't get what he wanted.
Smart.
Gusion accepted the scroll, used his appraisal ability to confirm it, then stowed it.
"Lie down on that rock. And tell your bro to keep his distance. He's got that 'itching to kill me' look."
Gusion said.
The Raikage hesitated, then said, "Bee, carry Yugito and fall back a bit."
He also felt that killing Gusion now wouldn't benefit them. They still had a shared interest. Gusion hadn't killed Yugito—no reason to kill him.
Once the Raikage lay down, Gusion placed his hand on the leg he'd once severed. Naturally, he knew exactly how to treat it.
The Radiance of Restoration lit, and the Raikage felt a tingling at the old break, followed by the comfort of clear, flowing blood.
In just seven or eight seconds, the stiffness in his leg vanished completely. It felt almost exactly like the original.
Before he could marvel at Gusion's miraculous medical ninjutsu, Gusion's next words made him tense.
"Raikage, I could've easily killed you just now."
Gusion smiled, then stepped back. "But I keep my word. If I say I'll heal your leg, I won't pull any tricks."
He looked at Bee, who was hurrying back. "Hey—fire an Eight-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb over here. I need something to show when I report in."
Bee looked to the Raikage, uncertain.
The Raikage gave Gusion a complicated look. The more he saw, the less he understood this "Calamity." His instincts said Gusion was telling the truth.
In that moment, if Gusion had suddenly slashed or blasted him with that bloodline-limit lightning, he might really have died.
Why? Just because the Calamity kept his promises? Or… was he entertaining the thought of joining Kumogakure?
"Bee. Do it."
The Raikage said.
Bee didn't hesitate. He entered Tailed Beast Mode, condensed a massive black Tailed Beast Bomb, and fired it to Gusion's flank.
The high-energy sphere roared past Gusion, slammed into the mountains beyond, and set off a deafening quake. Two peaks vanished.
Amid the rain of stone and the gale, Gusion's cloak billowed. He turned and walked into the clouds.
…
After Gusion left the mountains of Kumogakure, a figure emerged from the shattered terrain. With fern-like collars at his neck, it was Zetsu, Akatsuki's intelligence-gatherer.
Surveying the battlefield where the very landscape had been altered, White Zetsu sighed. "Calamity really stirred things up. Too bad he didn't catch the Two-Tails."
"That's to be expected. The Raikage and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki were both there. The fact that he got out in one piece is already impressive."
Black Zetsu said. "Looks like Pain will have to fetch the Two-Tails himself."
"Why didn't Orochimaru go with Calamity? If he had…"
White Zetsu mused. Their two voices traded off from half a face each—eerie to any outsider.
"That Orochimaru needs a little knock on the head. The Organization doesn't keep freeloaders."
Black Zetsu said thoughtfully.
…
Elsewhere, after finishing in the Land of Lightning, Gusion headed south, crossing the sea toward Kirigakure.
He had no idea Nagato had sent Zetsu to investigate. By luck, he avoided being caught trading with the Raikage.
Right now, he just wanted to reach Kirigakure and be onstage when the curtains rose.
He'd been in this world for a while. The early setup was complete. It was time to start pushing.
Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Konohagakure, Sunagakure—all would be drawn into his chain plan. As for the Land of Earth, he hadn't yet found a way to farm exploration value there, but once the world's overall pattern shifted, a Great Nation like the Land of Earth couldn't stay out of it.
…
Land of Water, outside Kirigakure's border.
The woods were hazy. Miasma and fog entwined, and venomous insects ran rampant.
Ordinary folk would never come to this quiet place—yet it reverberated now with the roar of battle.
"Wind Style: Typhoon Sweep."
A steady voice sounded in the forest, and a cyclone tore through, scouring away the fog and miasma. Trees toppled, exposing the hidden shinobi.
Jūzō Biwa sprang back, swinging his blade to knock aside a shuriken from afar.
Sweat beaded his brow as he stared at the short-statured man ahead, feeling suffocating pressure.
He and his teammate had been sent to infiltrate near Kirigakure and gather intel, but somehow their cover was blown. The Fourth Mizukage found them and attacked immediately.
As Mizukage and a perfect jinchūriki, Yagura's power was no joke. In a single exchange, he crushed Jūzō's teammate beneath Coral Palm.
When he died, his body was covered in coral—no longer human, a hideous end.
As an old hand from the Mizukage's camp, Jūzō knew how terrifying Yagura was. He ran without hesitation. But Yagura neither forgave nor gave him a chance to explain, chasing him into this miasmic swampwood.
"Jūzō, you shouldn't have joined the Akatsuki after you defected."
Yagura's voice was low as he walked toward Jūzō with steady steps. "I could have spared you."
Yagura knew his sins were heavy. He could understand those who defected or even tried to kill him. But as a traditional Kage, he still believed in the old creed: If the lord commands you to die, a vassal cannot refuse.
He had been brutal and unjust—that was his fault. But defecting because you couldn't take it—that was also wrong.
Even if he could accept the Seven Swordsmen's defection, he could not accept defectors joining the Akatsuki he hated most.
Staring at the steadily approaching Mizukage, sweat streamed down Jūzō's forehead. He desperately wanted to say it again: "Huh? Me—fight the Mizukage?"