With Uchiha Madara appearing, who in the Hidden Cloud Village could possibly stand against him?
Even the Third Raikage, hailed as the strongest Raikage in history—someone who could wrestle the Eight-Tails barehanded—had never managed to injure Madara in the slightest. A man like that existed on an entirely different level from any Kage.
"Oh?" Uchiha Ran asked with mild curiosity. "Then why were you attacking with such enthusiasm just now? Were you dissatisfied with me… or with Hashirama?"
"I—I would never dare!" the Eight-Tails hurriedly replied. "Before you, Madara-sama, little Eight will always be obedient and loyal!"
It forced the words out while suppressing the nausea twisting inside it.
There was no choice.
Even as the second-strongest Tailed Beast, even as Killer B's 'Brother Ox,' in front of this man, it was nothing more than a junior.
"Heh." Ran sneered. "No need for you to persuade anyone. Just rest for now."
In an instant, his three-tomoe Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyō. With a casual sweep of illusion, both Killer B and the Eight-Tails were dragged into genjutsu.
The Eight-Tails' true body emerged at once. Its eyes turned white, consciousness wiped clean. About ten seconds later, the pale pupils reshaped themselves—forming the pattern of Ran's Mangekyō.
A deep, oppressive roar shook the battlefield.
"Moooo—!"
It sounded like a bull's cry, yet carried a crushing pressure that weighed on everyone present.
---
The Fourth Raikage, A, was sheltering behind a massive boulder. He had already sensed something was wrong—Killer B had stopped firing Tailed Beast Balls.
When he heard that roar, his heart skipped.
So it wasn't exhaustion.
Killer B had paid a huge price.
Full Tailed Beast Transformation.
Bee was actually willing to do this to break through Konoha.
With that kind of resolve, how could the Hidden Cloud Village fail?
A stepped forward and roared, "All Hidden Cloud shinobi—attack Konoha! Whoever breaches the gates first gets one-tenth of all the spoils!"
At his words, the Cloud ninja's breathing grew heavy. Their eyes turned red with greed and bloodlust.
The Land of Lightning had always been brutal. Before the Hidden Cloud Village was founded, bandit clans ruled the land.
The Uchiha had once been similar—until their endless war with the Senju consumed them instead.
Now, those ancient instincts were being stirred again.
"Awooo!"
"Kill the Konoha dogs!"
"Konoha women are the best—once the village falls, we take whatever we want!"
---
Uchiha Shisui watched them coldly.
Susanoo's emerald spear solidified further in his grasp. With a single horizontal sweep—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Nearly twenty charging Cloud ninja were blown apart. The instant their bodies touched the spear, overwhelming force crushed them into fragments.
For a moment, clarity returned to the frenzied attackers. They stared at the towering green Susanoo, hearts pounding.
A spat in disgust. "Useless trash! It's just a Susanoo! We've got over three thousand men—are you scared of one person?!"
At that moment, the Eight-Tails arrived.
Its massive body moved far faster than expected, reaching A's position almost instantly.
A didn't look closely—if he had noticed the figure standing atop its head, he wouldn't have been so calm.
"Bee!" A shouted. "Go hold off Uchiha Shisui! When Konoha falls, the credit will be yours!"
The Eight-Tails suddenly stopped.
It turned its head.
A frowned. "What are you—"
A tentacle slammed toward him.
A's pupils shrank. Chakra exploded from his body. "You bastard! What are you doing?!"
Lightning gathered on his hand.
"Lightning Release: Hell Stab!"
His strike severed the incoming tentacle cleanly.
Normally, the Eight-Tails would have howled in pain.
This time, it didn't even react.
It glanced at A once—then charged straight toward the Cloud army.
"Bee! Stop!" A shouted. "Those are our comrades!"
The answer was another tentacle.
A gritted his teeth and unleashed Hell Stab again, smashing it apart.
But the Eight-Tails had already prepared its gift.
A fully formed Tailed Beast Ball, aimed directly at the center of the Hidden Cloud formation.
The ninja there saw it—and smiled.
That attack had crushed Susanoo before.
But then realization hit.
They didn't have Susanoo.
Their defensive ninjutsu were paper-thin.
"No—no—no!"
"The Eight-Tails is out of control!"
"Murder! Murder!"
"Lord Killer B, what are you doing?!"
"Killer B—what have you done?!"
Amid screams, curses, and despair, the Tailed Beast Ball detonated.
The explosion swallowed everything.
Hundreds of Cloud ninja vanished instantly. Those who survived were maimed—limbs torn away, blood flooding the ground.
Silence followed.
Dead silence.
Survivors stared at the Eight-Tails with bloodshot eyes, hatred so intense they wanted to tear it apart.
---
Uchiha Ran stood atop the Eight-Tails' head, gazing down at the devastation. A faint smile curled his lips.
Big mouths came with a price.
"NO!!!" A had completely lost himself.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode erupted as he sprinted up the Eight-Tails' body, bounding along its tentacles toward the top.
And there—he saw Ran.
Instantly, he understood everything.
"You!" A roared, charging without hesitation. "Lightning Release: Hell Stab! Die, you monster!"
Ran looked at him indifferently.
A blue skeletal Susanoo formed around his body.
He wasn't some reckless fool fresh off awakening the Mangekyō.
He possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
A Kage-level opponent—
Wasn't even on the same level anymore.
------
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