"What is this flame? Why won't it go out! Help, I'm burning to death!"
"Lord Killer B, please save us..."
Most of the Cloud Ninjas around were engulfed in black flames. No matter how they struggled, used Water Style jutsu, or rolled on the ground, they couldn't extinguish or escape it. The black flames were like bone-eating worms, determined to burn their bones to ash.
"Damn it!"
Yuzuki Man grunted and was about to rush over to help, but Killer B pulled him back.
"Wait! This black flame is strange, don't touch it."
Killer B's black sunglasses flickered with an unusual glint. Though he appeared boisterous, his observation in battle was meticulous.
"This is no ordinary flame. It can even burn the ground, truly terrifying!"
Killer B pointed to a wisp of black flame on the ground, his expression grave. How could this technique be countered?
Unquenchable, inescapable, cut off the parts burned by the black flame?
Killer B shook his head. Some Cloud Ninjas were entirely engulfed, rendering this method useless.
Would a sealing jutsu work? Killer B was unsure.
No matter, he'd try it. If they delayed any longer, they'd all be burned to death.
"Quick, summon the sealing squad to seal the black flame!"
The few lucky ones not entangled by the black flames scrambled away from the battlefield. This was not a place they could fight; the black flames were too dreadful.
Behind his cat-faced mask, Itachi's expression was somewhat pale. Susanoo and Amaterasu were a heavy burden. Most importantly, he had only recently awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, and his ocular power couldn't be used to its full extent.
Susanoo still seemed to have great potential for improvement, but Itachi was young and lacked the chakra to unleash the Mangekyo's true power.
Feeling the stinging pain in his eyes, Itachi suppressed the urge to cover them. The battle wasn't over; he couldn't reveal any weaknesses.
"Little cat, let's finish this quickly. Killing the caster might also extinguish the black flames."
Yuzuki Man's blue flames surged, and he said arrogantly, "You eight-tailed octopus don't need to remind me. Matatabi, let's go!"
"Be careful, I think I sense a familiar scent."
Within Yuzuki Man, a cat demon covered in blue flames sniffed the air. It seemed to have detected a fox's scent, and it wasn't far.
"Relax, this is Cloud Village!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yuzuki Man was completely enveloped in blue flames. A giant blue flame cat demon appeared in Itachi's view, its sharp fangs as large as Itachi's, appearing ferocious.
"Oye! The Eight-Tails, Killer B, that's me! Yeah!"
As Killer B rapped, eight chakra tails surged from behind him, his body wrapped in crimson Tailed Beast chakra. He didn't choose full Tailed Beast transformation; it wasn't that he underestimated Itachi, but the location was still too close to the village. A full Tailed Beast transformation was the maximum limit for one person.
"Lariat!"
Without hesitation, the moment the Tailed Beast Cloak formed, and while Itachi was catching his breath after casting Amaterasu, Killer B, a crimson figure, appeared beside Itachi as if teleporting. The amplification from his Lightning Style and Tailed Beast Cloak had pushed his speed to its limit.
White bones emerged from Killer B's elbow; these were the Eight-Tails' bones, used to enhance the power of the Lariat.
*Slash!*
Under Itachi's horrified gaze, the overwhelming destructive force directly blew off his head and chest cavity. Only the color was different – it was all black, splattering like ink.
"A clone jutsu? When did he cast it?"
Killer B carved a trench in the ground, his pupils beneath his sunglasses scanning the surroundings, searching for Itachi.
Was he casting the black flames, seizing the moment when Killer B and Yuzuki Man were distracted? Such a cautious fellow!
"Little cat, be careful."
"You don't need to tell me!"
Just as Yuzuki Man was about to expand his senses, a sharp pain suddenly struck his back. He leaped into the sky with a forceful push of his four claws. With a loud bang on the ground below, a giant red skeletal arm smashed into the earth, kicking up dust.
Itachi, encased in the red Susanoo, reappeared, though his body trembled slightly. Unfamiliar with using the Mangekyo, activating Susanoo was too much of a burden for Itachi, and his chakra was being consumed too quickly.
However, without Susanoo, the opponent's size was merely tickling him. Itachi didn't believe his Fire Style or taijutsu could be used against a Tailed Beast.
Itachi glanced at Kisame, who was being hammered by the Fourth Raikage not far away, and sighed slightly. Awakening the Mangekyo so recently was still too strenuous.
The situation had turned disadvantageous...
On the other side, Kisame Gaki was covered in wounds from the Fourth Raikage's blows. Fortunately, he had Samehada, which allowed him to steal Ay's chakra to heal his injuries. However, as Ay became more cautious, the situation became increasingly unfavorable for him.
"This damned brute, how are his fists so hard!"
Kisame Gaki had once considered his body's toughness to be top-tier, but after experiencing Ay's fists, he realized his own body was as fragile as paper.
Kisame Gaki painfully parried Ay's punches with Samehada and attempted to steal his chakra, but Ay was prepared. He retracted his fist into an elbow, his body surging with Lightning Style chakra, and placed one hand on Samehada, letting it absorb chakra.
"Heavy Rain Overdrive!"
*Thump!*
Samehada, held by Kisame Gaki, was instantly torn from his grip. His body shot through the sky like a meteor, crashing heavily into a rock face. Rubble rained down, leaving a deep, human-shaped crater.
Ay flung Samehada, which had tried to stab him, aside and said coldly, "Without this sword, let's see how you recover from your injuries."
So what if a little chakra was absorbed? Without this sword, his opponent would be beaten to death within a short time!
Ay was confident!
And his adoptive brother seemed to have the upper hand. Cloud Village would achieve a great victory in this battle!
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Kisame Gaki, spitting blood, crawled out of the crater. Looking at his miserable state, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Why couldn't he defeat anyone! It was a blow to his pride.
Although he had been defeated by Itachi's genjutsu before, Kisame knew it was due to his carelessness and underestimating the Mangekyo Sharingan. If given another chance, he would never have lost so easily.
But this battle with the Fourth Raikage had somewhat crushed his spirit. The opponent's speed was too fast, too fast, giving him no chance to use Water Style jutsu, forcing him into close combat. If he could unleash his "Five-Headed Fish," or "Thousand-Headed Fish," the outcome would be uncertain!
Kisame Gaki felt it was time to call for backup!
But upon seeing Itachi still holding on over there, Kisame's heart felt like crying.
"Brother Itachi, please stop pushing yourself, I'm almost beaten to death!"
Kisame Gaki knew he had no rapport with Shisui; the latter would certainly not come to his rescue. And then there was Lin Yu, whose whereabouts were unknown, with whom he also had no connection. There was even a "debt of a punch."
Only now did Kisame Gaki realize how poor his connections were, with no one to help him.
Kisame Gaki made up his mind: if he could safely return to base this time, he would definitely learn to be a helpful person!