"Scientists really do have a knack for dirty tricks. You even managed to create something like this," Xin remarked, swirling the strange liquid in the vial.
"When are we leaving?" He added.
The Eight-Tails was rampaging, and although the Third Raikage would arrive soon to clean up the mess, the Hidden Cloud Village had already taken quite the beating.
Their mission was practically complete, though the heavy lifting had been done by Orochimaru. Xin had spent his days leisurely exploring the village, even visiting the famous Cloud Valley Gorge. Not a bad trip overall.
Orochimaru, packing up his belongings, chuckled. "Aren't you curious why I invited you on this mission in the first place, Xin?"
Leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs, Xin shrugged. "I figured it out. You're afraid of dying. So, using my connection to Kushina, you took the opportunity to bring me along."
"If things go smoothly, you can retreat easily. But if something goes wrong, two are better than one. Having someone else draw fire increases your chances of escape," Xin explained with a smirk.
Orochimaru wasn't someone who did things out of kindness. Xin knew better than to believe that.
His motives laid bare, Orochimaru didn't seem to mind. He hadn't expected Xin to be fooled in the first place.
Still maintaining his disguise, Orochimaru extended another invitation. "How about watching the rest of the show with me?"
"Of course! Who wouldn't want to see this?" Xin grinned. Events like this didn't happen every day, it'd be a waste not to enjoy the chaos.
Xin also recalled how Orochimaru had slyly taken the broken horn of the Eight-Tails with him. The village was in total disarray, the Eight-Tails rampaging uncontrollably. The seal had been shattered, and it was only a matter of time before the beast fully emerged.
"Rooarrrr!"
At that moment, a massive figure of crimson chakra was tearing through the Hidden Cloud.
The drug Orochimaru had concocted sent the Eight-Tails into a full-blown frenzy, destroying everything in sight.
"Earth Release: Ten Thousand Earth Flow Walls!" One by one, tall earth walls rose, attempting to block the Eight-Tails' rampage. Dodai, the assistant to the Raikage, was working himself to the bone, barking orders.
"Where is the Raikage?!" he shouted, frustration clear in his voice.
The Eight-Tails had gone berserk far too suddenly, and to make things worse, the strongest ninja in the village, the Third Raikage, was out of town. With no other choice, Dodai led the village's jōnin in a desperate attempt to contain the beast.
But trying to stop the Eight-Tails or the Nine-Tails with sheer numbers was pointless. In the face of these tailed beasts, even large groups of shinobi were barely a match.
"Lord Dodai, we've already notified the Raikage. He should be on his way soon."
"Damn it! Hold the line!" Dodai roared.