Since leaving the Leaf Village, Jiraiya had yet to uncover any intelligence regarding Ye Zi. Not even a trace.
He understood the importance of patience and continued gathering information around the Hidden Rain Village. It was as though Ye Zi had vanished entirely from the Rain. Even capturing several members of the Rain Village for interrogation yielded no useful information.
Over time, Jiraiya noticed a new member in the Akatsuki and observed a significant decrease in the movement of Rain Village shinobi entering or leaving the village.
Typically, frequent comings and goings indicate a high volume of mission activity. Early on, members of the Rain Village were indeed active, but recent times saw this activity dwindle significantly.
This shift made Jiraiya suspicious. What was the cause behind this change?
As for the new Akatsuki member, he, too, appeared to be a formidable individual. Jiraiya managed to gather partial details about this member's abilities, he was proficiency in Water Release techniques and expert swordsmanship, with a notably large chakra reserve.
Jiraiya compiled his findings and sent them back to the Leaf Village via a summoning toad.
Given the slow progress, Jiraiya began considering infiltrating the Hidden Rain Village directly to uncover the mysteries shrouding it.
His reconnaissance methods were not limited to passive observation. Most of the time, he followed Rain shinobi leaving the village or occasionally trailed prominent Akatsuki members.
While Leaf Village now held substantial intelligence on the Akatsuki, particularly regarding Ye Zi's abilities as observed during the battle months prior, the mysterious leader of the Akatsuki remained a focal point of interest.
Jiraiya stood amidst the cold rain, droplets streaming down his face, unwavering as he observed the Hidden Rain Village with determined eyes.
....
Valley of Clouds and Lightning
Located on the outskirts of the Land of Lightning, Valley of Clouds and Lightning was a remarkable natural formation far from the Cloud Village itself.
The area was characterized by towering peaks resembling colossal stone pillars, barren and devoid of vegetation. The peaks were widely spaced, forming a scattered forest of stony spires shrouded in clouds at their summits, with seawater from the outer ocean pooling below.
Among the peaks, a few were especially imposing, rising above the rest. On the tallest of these, White Zetsu had partially melded into the ground, with only the upper half of his body visible, hidden behind a protruding rock. His gaze was fixed on a massive platform below, which bore signs of human craftsmanship and rested just above the water level.
Standing on the platform was a tan-skinned young man with sunglasses and short blond hair swaying gently in the breeze. Moving in peculiar poses and rhythmically bobbing his head, he muttered to himself with enthusiasm.
"Today's mood is great, yeah! Time to write some killer rhymes!"
His eyes lit up as he abruptly straightened his posture, pulling out paper and pen to furiously scribble. A pleased grin spread across his face as inspiration struck.
This man was none other than Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki. After the war, the strategic value of jinchūriki diminished. To protect Bee and keep him occupied, the Cloud Village had stationed him in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Given Bee's hyperactive nature and penchant for mischief, sending him on missions made Raikage and the village elders uneasy. Isolating him in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning also served to focus his training.
However, Raikage's son and Bee's longtime partner carried a sense of guilt for this arrangement, recognizing how closely it resembled imprisonment.
Bee, ever the optimist, paid no mind. Even in solitude, he found ways to entertain himself.
Currently, after scribbling several lines of rhymes, Bee began gleefully dancing, only to pause moments later and shout his new poem into the surrounding peaks. His enthusiastic voice echoed across the mountains.
Nearby Cloud shinobi tasked with guarding the area sighed in exasperation.
"Killer Bee-sama's at it again…"
"So ordinary," one muttered under his breath.
"Careful! Say that to his face, and he'll knock you out cold!" another joked.
The first shinobi quickly shrank back, forcing a sheepish laugh.
On the highest peak, White Zetsu grimaced as Bee's loud rhymes reverberated through the valley.
"No matter how many times I hear them, his rhymes are always this bad. And this is the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki? At least his strength is undeniable."
Black Zetsu responded calmly, "Anyone who can fully control a tailed beast is no ordinary ninja."
"True," White Zetsu admitted with a nod.
Despite Bee's antics, White Zetsu observed him closely.
Tasked by Ye Zi to gather intelligence on jinchūriki and the Cloud Village, White Zetsu had already completed surveillance of the Two-Tails' jinchūriki. Now, his focus was on Bee.
As for the Third Raikage, while his abilities were already well-documented, years had passed, and changes were possible. That, however, was a matter for another time. For now, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki took precedence.
Down on the platform, Bee finished his performance with satisfaction. Putting away his notebook, he shifted into his daily training routine.
"Argh! Double Lariat! Oh yeah!"
Killer Bee let out a long, drawn-out note as he tossed seven thin blades into the air. As they fell, he used various parts of his body to catch and control each one.
Using his mouth, the crook of his elbows, under his armpits, and the backs of his knees, he gripped the blades with precision, balancing them with a one-legged stance. Each blade was firmly held in place, forming a bizarre and unique posture.
"Every time I see this, I can't help but marvel. Someone who can control seven blades at once, and use them with such fearsome skill, it's truly extraordinary," White Zetsu remarked with a hint of awe in his gaze.
Killer Bee began wielding the seven blades in a flurry of motion on the platform, creating rapid flashes of blade arcs.
The Seven Swords Style was a technique known for its unpredictable trajectories, woven together by the seven blades in Bee's control. With multiple swords, the barrage of attacks became overwhelming and almost impossible to predict.
Mastering such a technique required exceptional taijutsu skill and unparalleled control over one's body.
Theoretically, Killer Bee was the first ninja in the shinobi world capable of using seven blades simultaneously.
In practice, however, Kimimaro could achieve something similar by forming over a dozen bone swords from various parts of his body. Unlike Bee, Kimimaro didn't need to expend effort to hold them, as the swords were naturally part of his skeletal structure, allowing for devastating taijutsu techniques.
After practicing the Seven Swords Style for about an hour, Killer Bee sheathed the swords with a flourish.
"Now it's time for the grand performance of the mighty Killer Bee and the Octopus King!"
Killer Bee struck a flamboyant pose, his voice brimming with excitement, while the Eight-Tails within his sealed space groaned in exasperation at his antics.
Soon, chakra began to surge from Bee's body. The orange-red chakra of a tailed beast flooded outward as he bypassed the first and second transformation stages, going straight into full tailed beast mode.
A massive cloud of white smoke reminiscent of a summoning jutsu burst forth as Killer Bee transformed into the complete form of the Eight-Tails, a monstrous bull-headed creature with eight tentacle-like tails.
"This guy's abilities are pretty much all documented now," White Zetsu muttered, watching Killer Bee's transformation. Despite being in full tailed beast form, Bee maintained full control of his mind and reason, it was a testament to his mastery over the Eight-Tails.
The intelligence White Zetsu could gather from Bee's routine training was limited. After days of careful observation, the key points of Bee's capabilities had already become apparent.
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Currently on Chapter 521 - On the Eve of Alliance