~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter! Your votes keep this climbing. Thanks!
A small island in southern Lightning Country. Bright sun, gentle coconut-scented breezes.
Killer Bee lay on his back in the dappled shade of a palm tree, hands cradling his head. Through his sunglasses, he stared straight at the harsh sun overhead, his mind adrift in the profound gratitude of a survivor.
He'd run away. Two months now.
Twice in that time, Sharingan eyes had found him. Twice, he'd nearly died. Twice, Samehada had saved him.
Glug… glug…
Wearing a little hat of woven palm fronds Killer Bee had made, Samehada sucked coconut milk through a hollowed-out pencil. A happy little slurp.
Bee sat up. Grinned. Gave the sword's hilt a fond pat.
"Yo! At a time like this, I wanna rap~! The Uchiha Renaissance was my first pick~! But Friendship Forever hits the spot, no trick~!"
He flopped back down. The playful rhythm died on his lips.
…Been out here so long. Big Bro… must be worried sick.
The air grew still.
The clear blue sky vanished, swallowed by roiling grey clouds.
"The outside world… ain't as fun as I thought."
"Tired. Wanna go home."
Gyūki (Eight-Tails):Seriously, Bee. It's time. The world's uneasy lately. I've got a bad feeling. We need to report what happened—to the Raikage, to the advisors like Darui. Can't risk missing something big.
Killer Bee: "After the rain, yo~! Body's weary, soul is tired~! Not ready for Big Bro's iron fist, I'm uninspired~!"
???: "Regrettably, you are not leaving."
Whoosh!
Raindrops twisted into a sinister spiral!
CRACK!
Lightning split the sky!
A figure in black robes descended. A cold proclamation echoed from behind a white mask.
Obito: "Killer Bee. No one is saving you this time."
Killer Bee: "You're…! The Sharingan dude with the two other Sharingan boys and the shark guy! Don't think a mask hides you, idiot, moron!!!"
Gyūki:HE'S DIFFERENT!!! His chakra is nothing like before! And that left eye… no mistake! That's a Rinnegan!!! Bee, DO NOT ENGAGE! RUN!!!
"On it!!"
Bee snatched up Samehada and shot toward the island's edge without a backward glance!!!
Once he hit the open sea, fused with Samehada, no one could ever track him down!
Obito watched the fleeing figure coldly. He sucked himself into his right eye and reappeared directly in Killer Bee's path.
Gyūki:A space-time eye on the right! Damn it! Bee, charge through! I remember—his body can become intangible! He won't block, he'll let us pass!!!
BOOM.
Killer Bee erupted into Version Two. He lowered his head, horns gleaming—a bull ready to gore.
—Lariat!
THUD…!!
His thick arm slammed solidly—impossibly solidly—into Obito's torso…!!
Bee: "Going physical!?"
Obito (monotone): "How pointless. This futile struggle…"
Behind the mask… the Rinnegan gleamed.
—Preta Path!
Whoosh…!!
The chakra cloak covering Killer Bee's skin… was violently stripped away, sucked clean into Obito's body!!
Gyūki (shocked):Chakra absorption!? The Rinnegan's power!?
BAM!
Bee leapt back, putting distance between them. He landed, and the Version Two cloak flared again!
Gyūki:He just finished absorbing! He can't go intangible again that fast!!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Tailed Beast Bombs fired in rapid succession!
Hiss. Obito calmly raised a palm. A sealing barrier unfolded before it. The bombs touched the barrier, fizzled, and were sealed away.
By then, the Eight-Tails' chakra was fully absorbed.
Obito lowered his hand.
"Useless. Your struggle is meaningless."
Killer Bee, stubborn to the core, hefted the massive Samehada and hurled it forward!!
—Samehada: Chain Slash!!
Obito's right eye narrowed. He let the massive blade phase through his body—then his hand shot out, grasping the weapon's edge.
"I'll be taking Kisame's old tool…"
Whoosh! A vortex erupted from his right eye, violently pulling Samehada into the Kamui dimension!
"Kyi-kyi-kyiii…!!!" Samehada shrieked in terror!
Killer Bee pulled with all his might, fighting to wrest his partner back!!!
Gyūki:BEE!! LET GO! Or you'll get sucked in too!!
Bee held on, desperate.
Gyūki:BEE…!!!
"Kyi-kyi!!!" A final, pained cry from Samehada. Barbed spines sprouted from its hilt, stabbing Bee's hands and forcing him to release!
"Partner…!!!"
Watching Samehada vanish into the swirling vortex, Killer Bee clenched his bloody fists. For the first time in his life, raw, unfiltered grief and rage twisted his features.
"YOU MASKED BASTARD… YOU'VE PISSED ME OFF FOR REAL!!!"
RRRROOOOAAAARRRR…!!!
Chakra erupted without restraint. Killer Bee transformed, swelling into the full, colossal form of the Eight-Tails!!!
—Eight-Tails Twisting Slash!
Eight massive tentacles coiled with terrifying force, then whipped forward—releasing a devastating torrent of slicing energy!
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK…!!!
The landscape shattered under the onslaught.
Facing the tidal wave of destruction, Obito snorted. A skeletal framework of glowing blue energy ignited and rose around him.
Susanoo. Once awakened, the power remained in the body. Even without eyes, the skeletal form was possible. With one eye… the second stage could be reached.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK…!
Watching the skeleton stand firm amidst the slashing storm…
Gyūki:Susanoo… the Sharingan's power!! He just transplanted the Rinnegan—he can't use that absorption power while maintaining this! Bee! A Tailed Beast Bomb! The biggest one you've got!!
SHOOOOM!!
The Eight-Tails threw its head back. Pitch-black chakra violently gathered and compressed at its mouth, then fired—a cataclysmic sphere aimed directly at the lonely Susanoo skeleton.
"I'LL BLOW YOU TO BITS!!!"
Gyūki:Right… that Susanoo can't block this. His only option is to go intangible and stay that way to survive the blast wave. That's our chance to escape!!
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK…!
At that moment, tendons and muscle-like energy wrapped around the Susanoo's skeleton.
"This form… the limit of a single eye. But it's enough…"
Hiss…
A single, massive black shuriken formed in the Susanoo's hand. It hurled the projectile straight at the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb!
—Kamui Shuriken!
Whoosh…!!
The colossal bomb was caught by the vortex the shuriken spawned… and vanished.
"Returning it."
A smirk played under Obito's mask. He sucked himself in, reappeared directly above the Eight-Tails… and from the swirling vortex of his right eye, the very Tailed Beast Bomb he'd just transferred came crashing down!!!
Killer Bee's eyes widened: "!!"
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM…!!!
A cataclysm of light and sound drowned everything.
When it cleared, the palm-lined paradise was a smoldering crater. The Eight-Tails lay wounded, one of its horns broken off, its single eye glaring with pure hatred at its enemy.
"Time to finish this."
Obito's hands formed a cold, deliberate seal.
—Summoning Jutsu: Gedo Statue!
BOOM…!!
A pillar of white smoke, and the towering, emaciated form of the Gedo Statue appeared.
Obito pulled open his robe. On his chest—right where Sasuke's Chidori had pierced him—was a distinct, familiar face.
The searing pain of that day was fresh.
Obito (murmuring): "Sasuke… I should thank you. If you hadn't killed me once, how could I have been reborn from death? This is an artificial Hashirama body, cultivated long ago by Madara using the statue. I fused with it. Through it, and the Rinnegan's dual enhancement… my ocular power now nearly rivals the original's!!!"
The Gedo Statue's maw opened. Chains shot forth, snaking around the Eight-Tails' neck…!!
Obito raised two fingers. His left eye—the Rinnegan—flared wide open.
"Sealing the Eight-Tails… a few seconds is all I need!"
—Outer Path: Chains of the Gedo Statue!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (180+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/BingeInk
Happy reading, everyone!