The Eight-Tails let out a painful roar as the Tailed Beast Bomb it was gathering dispersed into nothing. Its massive face was nearly deformed from the blow, and its body slid further across the ground.
"Lord Raikage!!"
The Third Raikage had finally arrived. The Hidden Cloud shinobi cheered as their warrior god appeared on the battlefield.
The Third Raikage's expression was serious as he commanded, "Dodai, take your men and assist the injured immediately. Investigate the cause of the Eight-Tails' rampage. I will handle the beast."
Fighting tailed beasts was something the Third Raikage had plenty of experience with. "Roar!"
The Eight-Tails, frustrated and furious after repeated defeats, roared and lashed out with its eight massive tails, thrashing them wildly in the Raikage's direction.
"Watch out, Lord Raikage!" Dodai yelled in alarm.
But the Raikage remained composed, charging fearlessly toward the beast. His right hand raised, enveloped in terrifying lightning chakra, as he aimed directly at the berserk Eight- Tails. Dangerous!
Even in its rage, the Eight-Tails instinctively recognized the threat. Its tails whipped through the air, trying to strike the Raikage, but his speed was too great for the beast to land a hit.
In desperation, the Eight-Tails wrapped its tails around its own body, using them as a shield. Splat!
The Raikage's Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite pierced through the tails, driving straight into the Eight-Tails' head. With a deafening scream, the beast's left horn snapped clean off, severed by the Raikage's strike.
If the tails hadn't blocked some of the attack, the blow would have landed directly on the Eight-Tails' skull, leaving it in far worse shape.
"What a terrifying attack..." Orochimaru's voice trembled as he watched, his body stiff from the shock of what he had just witnessed.
'Ophis, can you retrieve the Eight-Tails' broken horn?' Xin mentally asked Ophis before turning to Orochimaru.
"We need to leave. The Hidden Cloud shinobi will soon track you down. If we don't go now, it's only a matter of time before they find out, and when they do, we might end up facing the Raikage and the entire village."
Once their identities were exposed, the Hidden Cloud would stop at nothing to hunt them down.
"Let's go!" Orochimaru agreed. The idea of sticking around had lost all appeal.
Originally, Orochimaru had intended to take the broken horn with him, but Xin's warning made him reconsider. To get close to the Eight-Tails and the Raikage now would be far too risky. If they were discovered, things would quickly spiral out of control.
And if the Raikage led a manhunt, it could even force the Hidden Cloud to chase them all the way to the Hidden Leaf, putting Orochimaru in the position of being blamed for everything.
Risking it all for a horn just wasn't worth it.