Kiyosuke raised his hands again.
"Sage Art…"
Just as he was about to use the White Rage Technique once more, a blood-red chakra burst out of Killer B's body, cloaking him entirely. Two massive horns sprouted from his head, and eight tails lashed behind him—his aura turned monstrous.
Like a cannonball, he shot forward, his muscular arms swinging like a heavy cleaver crashing down.
"Lariat!!!"
It was a devastating strike—if it hit an ordinary person, it wouldn't just mean death; at the very least, it would shatter bones and render them incapable of fighting. Unfortunately, Kiyosuke wasn't an ordinary person. The moment the attack connected, his body exploded into sparks and flame, scattering in every direction.
"Now's my chance!"
Killer B was just about to press the attack when the Eight-Tails inside him suddenly shouted,
"Bee, watch out!"
The warning came just in time—an explosion erupted on his shoulder.
Boom!
Killer B staggered from the searing pain.
"Ow ow ow! Did he slap a tag on me just now?! What speed—damn, that hurts!"
"Huh? What the hell are these?!"
Only now did Killer B notice slips of white paper floating around him. Looking closer—explosive tags.
Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags!!!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
Explosions detonated in rapid succession. The Fourth Raikage shut his eyes and shouted,
"Bee!!!"
"Yoo~!!!"
Killer B's voice rang out through the roar of the blasts, easing the Fourth Raikage's heart a little.
Then Kiyosuke's voice echoed in his ears.
"So worried about him? Then why don't you go die with him!"
In a flash, Kiyosuke appeared beside the Fourth Raikage and shoved him into the smoke and fire of the explosions.
"Die, Killer Bee!"
"You're the one who's gonna die!! Lariat!!"
Recognizing Kiyosuke's voice, Killer B lunged with another Lariat—aimed toward where Kiyosuke had spoken. But what he hit wasn't Kiyosuke—it was his brother, the Fourth Raikage.
Once again, Kiyosuke's real body vanished in a burst of flame.
"No!!! Brother!! Are you okay?!"
Killer B rushed over in panic. Thankfully, the Fourth Raikage had his Lightning Release Armor active—without it, that hit might've killed him. Even so, he was in bad shape. That Lariat, powered by tailed beast chakra, packed a hell of a punch.
"I'm fine, Bee. Be careful. My eyesight hasn't recovered yet."
The Fourth Raikage's eyes burned fiercely. If he didn't get medical attention soon, he might go blind.
"Don't worry! I'll keep you safe!"
Killer B gave a thumbs-up. Eight tails unfurled, forming a protective dome around him and the Fourth Raikage to shield them from further blasts.
Seeing this, Kiyosuke stopped the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. Any more would be a waste—his wallet couldn't take it.
He formed hand seals.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
The earth beneath him seemed to come alive. With a surge of vitality, the ground responded to Kiyosuke's will. Sharp stone spikes burst upward, tunneling straight into the chakra dome surrounding the A-B combo.
He knew Killer B was trying to buy time for the Fourth Raikage to recover.
But he wasn't going to give them that luxury.
"Go ahead and die already! That's your only future!"
Killer B leapt out of the blast zone with his brother in tow. Their barrier vanished.
Kiyosuke seized the opportunity.
"Fire Fist!!!"
A massive flaming fist surged out, radiating unbearable heat as it smashed toward the brothers.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
Killer B roared.
"Gyuki, get ready!"
The tails behind him recoiled, and then thick octopus tentacles unfurled. Killer B transformed—his upper body became that of a bull, and his lower half turned into a massive octopus.
The Eight-Tails—Gyuki!
Complete Tailed Beast Transformation!
Gyuki threw a punch, shattering the Fire Fist.
He opened his mouth wide, a swirling mass of chakra gathering within.
He fired straight at Kiyosuke!
Tailed Beast Bomb!!!
BOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion erupted. Kiyosuke was blasted apart—flames shot everywhere, then gathered into a massive humanoid figure roughly the same size as the Eight-Tails.
Sage Art: Fire Giant!
A gigantic sword, nearly as tall as the Fire Giant itself, appeared in his grasp. The flaming titan raised the blade with both hands and swung it downward.
"Watch me catch that bare-handed!"
Killer B's voice rang out from Gyuki's mouth. The beast clasped its palms together, catching the Blade between them.
Sssss!!!
The flames scorched Gyuki's skin—Killer B cried out in pain and immediately let go.
"Hot hot hot!"
Standing atop one of Gyuki's horns, the Fourth Raikage had recovered some of his vision. He looked up at the towering Fire Giant and shouted,
"Bee! Use Water Release!"
"Got it! Water Release—"
Before he could finish, a massive flaming hand clamped down on Gyuki's mouth, cutting him off mid-jutsu.
"Mmmph!!!"
Searing pain flooded through them both. In retaliation, Gyuki used a tail to grab the Fire Giant and, enduring the burn, hurled it aside. Then he opened his mouth wide—
A raging flood burst forth.
The battlefield, already cratered and scarred, was instantly submerged.
Water surged across the land.
Sssssss!!!
Water flowed over the Fire Giant's legs, attempting to douse it. But Kiyosuke maintained his Sage chakra output, raising the temperature of the flames. The water boiled away faster than it could rise.
The surrounding pool began to bubble and churn.
"Water Release: Boiling Water Dragon Bullet!"
The boiling water surged upward, taking the form of a massive dragon, and slammed into the Eight-Tails.
Scalded and furious, Gyuki roared.
Killer B groaned.
"This guy doesn't seem to have a single weakness! What now?!"
The Fourth Raikage gritted his teeth.
"We wear him down!"
That was their only option now.
Asakawa Kiyosuke wasn't a jinchūriki like his brother—he didn't have a tailed beast feeding him chakra from within. This kind of power had to be burning through his reserves.
If they kept fighting, they'd eventually wear him out.
With that in mind, the Fourth Raikage decided to let Killer B grind Kiyosuke down.
"Understood! Gyuki, let's go!"
"ROAR!!!"
Gyuki took over, throwing another punch.
"It's been a while since I fought a human who could keep up!"
"Oh? Sounds like Kumogakure's gotten soft. I beat the Nine-Tails once, you know."
Kiyosuke commanded the Fire Giant to clash fists with Gyuki.
"That bastard wouldn't have gone down that easily!"
As much as he hated to admit it, the Nine-Tails was the strongest of the nine beasts. Even the Eight-Tails had to team up with the others to take it down. One-on-one? No tailed beast could beat the Nine-Tails.
"Is that so? Doesn't matter!"
Gyuki roared.
The Fire Giant returned the flurry.