[Hidden Cloud Village]
The Hidden Cloud Village had entered complete lockdown by the time Killer Bee finally returned.
The moment he crossed the village gates in his battered condition, missing an arm and covered in severe burns and deep lacerations, the entire village was thrown into chaos. Medical shinobi rushed him directly toward the hospital while ANBU squads sealed the surrounding area, and within minutes the news had already reached the higher-ups of Kumogakure.
The Eight-Tails jinchuriki had nearly died.
That alone would have been enough to send the entire village into chaos, but that happening after their Raikage went missing.
That was catastrophic.
Fortunately, the wise men in the council had hidden the disappearance of the Raikage from the common populace of Kumogakure.
There were only rumors, spread by factions that would rather have the village go into chaos until another Raikage was appointed, or spies who wanted the village to go into chaos just for the sake of it.
For the next several hours, Bee remained unconscious while the village remained under heavy alert, patrols doubling across the borders as rumors spread rapidly among the shinobi forces. No one knew exactly what had happened yet, only that Bee had encountered something powerful enough to push both him and Gyuki to the edge of death.
By the following day, Bee had finally recovered enough to speak. At times like this, being a Jinchuriki had its advantages.
He was not completely healed, not even close, but he was conscious enough to talk.
The higher-ups did not come personally. Instead, they sent Darui, Samui, and Yugito Nii to question him directly.
The hospital room was quiet as they entered, though the tension inside it was heavy. Bee sat upright against the bed, his body wrapped in bandages while the absence of his arm remained painfully visible beneath the sheets.
Darui frowned immediately. "Damn… they really messed you up."
Bee let out a tired breath. "There was no they..." he said with an anger-filled groan.
"It was one man…" He continued.
"No… calling him even a man at this point isn't right." Bee replied, his usual rap was gone. Completely gone. He was as serious as he could be.
Samui crossed her arms. "Tell us exactly what happened."
For a few seconds, Bee remained silent, his expression unusually serious.
Then he finally spoke.
"I went back near the area where Brother disappeared," he said quietly. "I was checking the surroundings again when I felt something strange there… pressure."
Yugito narrowed her eyes slightly. "Pressure?"
Bee nodded slowly. "It wasn't chakra, and technically I wasn't the one who sensed it, it was the Eight-Tails."
The room became quieter.
"I followed it," Bee continued. "And I found someone there."
"What kind of person?" Darui asked.
Bee's expression darkened slightly at the memory.
"Four arms," he said. "Four eyes. Covered in markings."
Samui frowned. "Some sort of transformation technique?"
"I doubt it, he was using all the limbs in the fight," Bee replied. "But that doesn't matter. Whatever it was… he was a freaking monster."
He looked down briefly at his remaining hand.
"I thought he might know something about Brother's disappearance, so I tried to capture him."
"And?" Yugito asked carefully.
Bee laughed weakly, though there was no humor in it. "Mistake."
The room fell silent again.
"That monster cut my arm off before I even understood what happened," Bee said grimly. "I couldn't see the attack. Couldn't sense it properly either. Even Gyuki got overwhelmed."
Inside him, the Eight-Tails stirred at the memory.
"He nearly destroyed my body entirely," Gyuki growled internally. "If we stayed any longer, we would've died there."
Darui's usual lazy expression disappeared completely. "You're serious…"
Bee nodded. "I had to go full transformation just to survive."
That wasn't very reassuring. Even if Killer Bee couldn't handle that thing, then what kind of power were they facing?
"And then?" Samui asked quietly. Needless to say, it was clear why she had specifically been sent here by the higher-ups.
Bee looked toward the window.
"He almost burned Gyuki alive."
None of them spoke after hearing that. They couldn't even imagine how one was supposed to do that.
Because they understood exactly how insane that statement was.
Finally, Yugito broke the silence. "Did you learn anything useful at all?"
Bee's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Yeah."
Everyone looked at him.
"That monster," Bee said slowly, "was wearing a Konoha forehead protector."
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold.
"So you think it was the Leaf?"
Bee shook his head. "I'm not sure, but whatever it was, someone terrifying is hidden in the Hidden Leaf, and we know nothing about him." Killer Bee said with labored breathing.
Only wondering what would have happened if his brother had come across that four-armed shinobi from the Leaf.
While he had no proof, his gut feeling said that the Raikage's disappearance and that monster being there were connected.
Even Samui stood there in silence, contemplating the terrible situation, let alone Darui and Yugito Nii.
And then finally, as if a Genjutsu had been broken, she snapped out of her daze and said,
"Excuse me, I have to report this to the higher-ups. Bee-san, please take care and rest." Samui said politely before rushing out of the hospital.
And seeing her leave in such a hurry, everyone knew that the time of peace was most likely over.
-x-
Far away from the growing tension within Kumogakure, another hidden village was facing its own problems behind closed doors.
Inside the Kazekage's office, Rasa paced back and forth with visible frustration, his cloak shifting behind him as the atmosphere inside the room grew heavier with every passing second.
"What is that snake-man up to!" He snarled to himself in irritation.
Standing before him was a single ANBU operative, kneeling silently while delivering the latest report.
"There has still been no contact from Orochimaru," the masked shinobi reported carefully. "Our scouts have failed to locate any confirmed movements from him or his forces."
Rasa's expression darkened further.
Days had passed already, yet there was still nothing. No messages. No updates. No confirmation regarding their agreement to invade Konoha together during the Chunin Exam finals.
That silence worried him.
Orochimaru disappearing now, of all times, was not normal. He feared that Konoha had somehow found out about their plan.
Still, after several long moments of thought, Rasa finally stopped pacing and looked toward the ANBU with a colder, more resolved expression.
"The operation will continue," he said firmly.
The ANBU looked slightly surprised. "My Lord Kazekage? Even without Orochimaru's support, we shouldn't…"
"I know," Rasa replied without hesitation. "But we no longer have the luxury of backing away."
His voice remained calm, but the frustration underneath it was clear.
Sunagakure's condition had worsened over the years, and the Land of Wind's daimyo continued to reduce the financial support given to the village, favoring cheaper mercenary forces over their own shinobi. Missions were decreasing. Resources were shrinking.
The village's economy was slowly collapsing.
If they failed now, Sunagakure might not survive much longer under its current burden.
"We need this invasion," Rasa said quietly. "Without it, the village will continue weakening until we can no longer recover."
The ANBU lowered his head slightly. "Understood."
Rasa turned toward the window overlooking the village, his eyes narrowing slightly as his thoughts moved toward the other allies involved in the operation.
"Send a message to Kirigakure," he ordered. "Inform the Hidden Mist that the plan remains active."
"The Hidden Mist is still participating?" the ANBU asked carefully.
"They committed themselves already," Rasa replied. "If Orochimaru has abandoned the operation, then we will move forward with whoever remains."
The ANBU nodded immediately. "At once, Kazekage-sama."
With that, the shinobi vanished from the room, leaving Rasa standing alone once more.
The invasion was approaching quickly.
And whether Orochimaru returned or not—
The wheels had already begun turning toward war.
-x-
Inside the Mizukage's office, Mei Terumi stood quietly near the window, her arms crossed as she looked out toward the mist-covered village below, her expression thoughtful yet troubled.
The room itself remained silent except for the faint sound of papers shifting behind her, where Ao stood reviewing the latest intelligence reports gathered by Kirigakure scouts.
"There's still nothing from Orochimaru," Ao said after a moment, lowering the scroll slightly.
"I know." Mei nodded with a grumble, as if that exact fact was bothering her currently.
"That snake was never trustworthy to begin with," she replied calmly. "I expected problems the moment we agreed to work with him."
And truthfully, she had never fully trusted the plan in the first place. Never put too many of her eggs into that basket of ideas.
It was an opportunity which she didn't wish to miss, however, unlike Sunagakure, Kirigakure wasn't desperate for it.
Kirigakure had only agreed to participate in the so-called Konoha Crush because the Hidden Mist was still recovering from the damage left behind by the Bloody Mist era. Their economy had suffered heavily over the years, their military strength weakened from internal bloodshed and political instability, and like the Hidden Sand, they needed opportunities to rebuild their standing among the great villages.
Mei was cautious about this invasion from the beginning, especially after what happened to Yagura.
Her expression darkened slightly at the thought. The reports still bothered her even now. A perfect jinchuriki did not simply die in battle against a child.
No, to Mei, the entire incident sounded more like an excuse for Yagura to disappear on his own terms rather than an actual defeat.
Still… that uncertainty remained dangerous.
"We still don't know what Konoha is hiding," Mei said quietly. "That's what concerns me."
Ao nodded slowly. "The other villages have mostly recovered since the war ended. Nearly fifteen years of peace gave everyone time to rebuild their strength."
"Exactly," Mei replied. "The great villages are preparing for another war whether they admit it or not."
Her gaze shifted slightly toward the village outside.
"But Kirigakure hasn't recovered as quickly as the others."
Ao remained silent at that. He couldn't help but sigh. It was true, the village was improving from what it had become under Yagura's Bloody Mist era, but it was still the shadow of the real Hidden Mist Ao remembered.
After a long pause, Ao finally asked, "Then what should we do about Orochimaru's plan?"
Mei's eyes narrowed slightly as she made her decision.
"We continue for now," she said firmly. "But Kirigakure will not strike first."
Ao looked up. "You mean we wait?"
"Yes," Mei answered immediately. "If the attack on Konoha shows real signs of success, then we join the battle. If not…"
Her voice remained calm.
"We pull back immediately."
Ao nodded slowly. "Understood, Mizukage-sama."
xXx
A/N : I know, I know, the chapter didn't progress the story at all, but I had to show in one of the chapters what going on all over the world as well.
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