At that moment, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki — Killer Bee — suddenly stiffened mid-training.
He sensed a presence approaching… and it was one he didn't recognize.
Stopping his practice, he turned his head sharply.
Standing before him was a man dressed in black, wearing a white mask.
Even though they hadn't exchanged blows yet, that aura — that pressure — made Bee instantly alert.
This man was strong.
Strong enough to make him take things seriously.
When the stranger came closer, Killer Bee demanded coldly,
"Who are you?"
This place — Turtle Island — was one of the Hidden Cloud's most secretive locations.
Only a handful of people even knew it existed.
So how did this stranger find his way here?
And judging by the direction he was walking, he wasn't just wandering around — he was here for Bee specifically.
The masked man spoke calmly.
"Uchiha Madara."
Killer Bee froze.
Behind his sunglasses, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
There was only one man in history who bore that name — the Uchiha Madara, known as the Demon of the Ninja World.
The man who betrayed Konoha, attacked it, and was ultimately slain by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
That legendary battle had shaken the entire shinobi world.
The two titans' fight was so destructive that it reshaped the very land itself —
more devastating than any war between nations.
Bee knew those stories well. Everyone did.
Which is exactly why he didn't believe this man for a second.
Even if Madara had somehow survived, he would now be ancient —
frail, his chakra diminished, his power long gone.
The man before him didn't look like that at all.
He felt dangerous.
So Killer Bee's tone turned hostile.
"Who the hell are you really?"
The man — Uchiha Ryosuke — didn't look surprised.
He had expected the doubt.
No one would believe Uchiha Madara still lived.
"Believe it or not," he said evenly, "I've come to take the Eight-Tails from you."
"If you know what's good for you, surrender it willingly."
"Otherwise… you'll just end up suffering for nothing."
That did it.
Killer Bee's expression hardened with fury.
Take the Eight-Tails?
That was no different from demanding his life.
His mentor and predecessor, Fukai — the previous jinchūriki — had died that way, tricked by Orochimaru and drained of his tailed beast.
The extraction had killed him instantly.
Bee clenched his fists.
No matter who this masked man was, even if he were really Madara,
there was no way in hell he'd just hand over Gyūki.
And if the man was here for the Eight-Tails, then he was an invader.
An enemy.
There was no reason to hold back.
With a burst of chakra, Bee's body erupted in a fiery red cloak —
the Version 1 Tailed Beast Mode.
His speed and strength skyrocketed.
This was his strongest human form, the perfect balance between man and beast.
He charged forward in a flash, confident that he could cut this guy down with ease.
Ryosuke sighed softly as the jinchūriki rushed him.
He had expected this.
No one would ever surrender their tailed beast willingly.
He reached into his cloak and drew a single kunai,
his eyes glowing as he focused chakra into his Sharingan.
A swirl of crimson patterns appeared in his pupils —
the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
He was ready to meet Killer Bee head-on.
The moment Bee saw those eyes, he felt his heart jolt.
Mangekyō Sharingan?!
Only the Uchiha clan possessed such a dojutsu.
Uchiha Ryosuke had it.
Uchiha Madara had it.
Could this masked man really be… Madara?
But at this distance, he couldn't afford to hesitate.
Pulling back now would just leave him open to a counterattack.
He would have to test this man's strength himself!
With a powerful leap, Killer Bee launched his Seven Swords Style —
wielding blades with his hands, elbows, knees, and neck.
Seven points of steel flashed toward Ryosuke from impossible angles,
a whirlwind of unpredictable slashes.
No one could block them all — at least, no one normal.
Beeut Ryosuke wasn't normal.
To him, those blinding attacks were slow —
each one laid bare under the clarity of his Eternal Mangekyō.
His movements calm and precise, Ryosuke parried every strike,
steel clashing against steel in a shower of sparks.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Killer Bee's eyes widened behind his shades.
Impossible.
He was using seven blades, all attacking at once —
and the man before him had deflected every one of them with just a single kunai.
He had trained tirelessly, honing his swordsmanship and taijutsu to perfection.
Each blade he wielded was meant to kill, not just impress.
Yet this masked man had stopped him — effortlessly.
Unwilling to accept it, Bee poured more of the Eight-Tails' chakra into his body.
The crimson cloak deepened in color,
his power and speed climbing even higher.
His attacks grew faster, heavier, sharper.
Ryosuke's expression didn't change.
He matched the jinchūriki blow for blow,
his movements growing slightly more forceful —
just enough to suppress Bee completely.
For all his strength, Killer Bee found himself unable to break through.
No matter how fast he moved or how fiercely he swung,
the masked man read every move before it even began.
Bee gritted his teeth.
This guy was too strong.
Even in close combat — his specialty — he couldn't land a single hit.
Could it really be… that this man was Uchiha Madara?
If so, then this fight was far more dangerous than he'd thought.
He leapt backward, widening the distance between them.
Ryosuke didn't pursue — he stood calmly where he was,
clearly in no rush to finish things.
Bee exhaled slowly, regaining his footing.
"Who the hell are you really?" he demanded again.
Ryosuke smiled faintly beneath the mask.
"Didn't I already tell you?"
He couldn't use the power of the Eight Gates right now —
so he'd have to rely solely on his Eternal Mangekyō.
Chakra surged into his eyes once more,
and a crimson glow burst forth from his pupils.
In that instant, the Sharingan's genjutsu was unleashed.
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