The ANBU guard squad stationed halfway up the mountainside instantly went on high alert. The terrifying roar of a beast—the voice of the Eight-Tails—echoed through the peaks.
"Disaster! The Eight-Tails has gone berserk!"
The Hidden Cloud ANBU surged toward the summit, but after a few steps, they skidded to a halt. A figure clad in a hooded cloak and a fox mask slowly emerged from the stone steps leading up the mountain.
"I am your opponent. Do not disturb Lord Orochimaru; he gets quite unpleasant when interrupted."
The Cloud ANBU Captain was stunned. "You're just going to name the culprit? Is this a frame-up or a provocation?" His first instinct was a conspiracy. No enemy would boldly announce their identity unless it was a misdirection.
Yagami mused to himself. Orochimaru had come here specifically because Hatake Sakumo had been stealing the spotlight. If Sakumo could cut a Tailed Beast Ball, Orochimaru had to do something even more extravagant. He wanted the world to know he was here. The Hidden Cloud was in for a rough night.
A massive tremor shook the peak. Yagami looked up and saw Manda, the giant snake of Ryuuchi Cave, crushing the summit buildings. Then, the Eight-Tails burst forth.
"A giant snake summon..." Seeing the two behemoths, the Captain finally believed it: Orochimaru of the Sannin was actually here. "Move! Don't let him block us! Kill him!"
Two ANBU squads flanked Yagami in a pincer movement. Yagami formed a single seal.
Water Style: Water Severing Wave!
The Captain's heart nearly stopped. 'So fast!'
A line of water swept horizontally, cutting from the left squad straight through to the right. Eight elite ninjas were bisected at the waist before they could even scream.
With the correct chakra pathways and the "gear pump" dual-vortex firing method, the speed and lethality of the jutsu had reached a new tier. Yagami reminded himself: 'I am 'Fox' right now, not 'White Ghost.' Fox uses Earth, Water, and Sealing. Don't mix them up, or both identities are compromised.'
"Copper Fox! That mask... it's Leaf's Copper Fox!"
The Captain finally recognized the legend. Copper Fox was known for his Absolute Defense and offensive Water Style—specifically the signature jutsu of the Second Hokage. "Use Ninjutsu! Do not get close! He has an Absolute Defense secret technique!"
'Ninjutsu? Perfect,' Yagami thought. 'I'm quite fond of Ninjutsu myself.'
Lightning crawled across the ground like a spiderweb. Seeing the lightning, Yagami knew he couldn't use Earth Style safely. He leaped into the air, dodging the electrical net, and fired more water lines. Every sweep claimed lives. By the time he landed, only the Captain remained of the entire squad.
Yagami winced behind his mask. 'A bit numb.'
The water had occasionally conducted the lightning back to his mouth.
Just then, a boulder the size of a house crashed down from above. The fight between Gyuki and Manda was spilling over. The Eight-Tails had fully manifested—a bull-headed, octopus-tailed titan. Provoked by Manda, it began condensing a Tailed Beast Ball in its mouth. This wasn't the small version from a Version 2 cloak; this was a Full Transformation Tailed Beast Ball.
Desperate, the Cloud Captain lunged with his blade. The sword struck Fox's shoulder with a sharp metallic *clang*. Yagami simply raised his hand and caught the blade.
"Nice sword. It didn't even snap."
Yagami delivered a kick to the Captain's chest. His foot, coated in Bronze Light, shattered the man's sternum instantly.
As the Captain's body flew back, Yagami saw a brilliant blue streak of light! It shrieked with the sound of a thousand lightning bolts, hurtling toward him like a falling meteor.
The Third Raikage!
"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite!"
Yagami's scalp went numb. He instantly manifested his Partial Absolute Defense: Ouroboros. A ring of water, thick as an arm and filled with highly compressed water-natured chakra, spun at high speed around him.
The Four-Finger Nukite slammed into the Ouroboros!
The Third Raikage's expression shifted to one of disbelief. His fingers met massive resistance. The spinning water acted as a kinetic buffer, while the ring itself insulated Yagami from the lightning's paralysis effect.
Half a second later, the Hell Stab pierced the Ouroboros. But the momentum had been drastically bled off. When the fingers finally struck Yagami's chest, the force was survivable.
Yagami's chakra was nearly exhausted from fueling both the Ouroboros and his Bronze Light. He was sent flying, crashing through stone steps, trees, and houses for over a hundred meters before coming to a stop.
The Raikage's lightning nature had partially bypassed his Earth-based Bronze Light, cracking the defense and tearing the flesh and bone of his chest. However, thanks to the Ouroboros, his internal organs were intact. He immediately used Hydrification Healing to close the wound.
'If you're afraid of death, stack defense.' Two defense techniques and one healing jutsu allowed him to tank the legendary Hell Stab.
The Third Raikage watched in shock as the intruder shakily stood back up. 'He... he's standing?'
Yagami wiped the clear water from his palms, ending the healing. Above them, a massive octopus tentacle swept through the air, casting a terrifying shadow. The Eight-Tails was rampaging indiscriminately.
Suddenly, a Tailed Beast Ball flew toward the village center, obliterating a third of a nearby mountain peak. The Third Raikage's eyes filled with agony, then feral rage.
Orochimaru flickered to Yagami's side, staring at him with newfound wonder. "You took a hit from the Third Raikage? Your Absolute Defense is that formidable?"
Yagami's clothes were scorched and bloodied, but he was moving. Orochimaru realized he still hadn't given Fox enough credit.
"I thought I'd be collecting your corpse today," Orochimaru hissed. "An elite Earth/Water specimen... what a waste of a perfect experimental subject the Raikage almost made."
"Lord Orochimaru, a bit of tact would help our relationship," Yagami coughed. "I'm open to collaborating on experiments, but wanting my body is a bit much."
"Let's go," Orochimaru said. "The Eight-Tails has lost it. Let the Cloud deal with the headache."
The Raikage charged again, but the pair had already submerged. With a second Tailed Beast Ball forming in Gyuki's mouth, the Raikage was forced to abandon the chase and leap toward the beast, slamming a fist into the Eight-Tails' side.
From a distant peak, Orochimaru watched the Raikage's punch send the massive Eight-Tails tumbling down the mountain.
"Fox... you truly are a man of surprises. I've certainly picked the right mole."