Having achieved his goal, Kazama saw no need to keep fighting Yugito Nii just to prove a point. He didn't want to humiliate Kumogakure too much, especially since this was their village's Chunin Exams. Besides, he'd already won two matches in a row, making a name for Konohagakure.
So, Kazama leaped out of the arena, cupped his hands toward Yugito, and said, "I surrender!"
"What?!"
Yugito had expected Kazama to fight her to the death, given his strength. His sudden surrender left her stunned, wondering what kind of game he was playing.
The referee, eager for Kazama to lose, rushed to the stage and declared Yugito the winner. But Yugito, still in her Nibi Matatabi form, kicked the referee off the platform.
"Are you deliberately letting me win?" she demanded. She knew Kazama hadn't gone all out and wanted to keep fighting.
Kazama couldn't help but chuckle. "A female ninja this competitive? How's she ever gonna find a husband?"
He faced Yugito again and said, "I'm really no match for you. I gave it everything I had, no holding back, I swear."
"Cut the nonsense! Today, it's you or me!" Yugito snapped.
"Enough, Yugito. Pull back the Nibi's chakra," the Yondaime Raikage ordered, stepping in front of her.
No matter how frustrated she was, Yugito couldn't defy the Raikage. Reluctantly, she backed down.
"Not bad, Konoha ninja. You're as impressive as expected!" the Raikage said, about to praise Kazama further when a panicked subordinate rushed over.
"Lord Raikage, it's bad! The Hachibi inside Lord Killer Bee is going out of control—it's about to go berserk!"
"What?!" Kazama and the Raikage exclaimed in unison.
"All ninjas, follow me to suppress the Hachibi!" the Raikage commanded. Yugito, Darui, and the others immediately followed him.
Kazama frowned. "I thought Killer Bee and the Hachibi got along great, like they were in perfect sync. Why would it suddenly go berserk?"
Shaking his head, he muttered, "Whatever. Kumogakure's problems aren't my business as an outsider."
Finding a quiet spot, Kazama began studying his three newly acquired strange flames. "Hiyun Suiyan (Fire Cloud Water Flame) and Kaishin En (Sea Heart Flame) can boost my Suiton (Water Release) attacks to the max. But this Enraku Shin'en (Fallen Heart Flame) is insane—it can ignite an enemy's inner fire, burning them to ashes from the inside out. Totally unstoppable!"
As he toyed with the flames, a loud roar echoed nearby. Activating his super perception, Kazama realized the Raikage and his team were battling a berserk Killer Bee, whose chakra had reached the seven-tail level.
"*Raigoku Suirei Sendaimai!*" (Lightning Oppression Horizontal Thousand Generations Dance)
"*Ranton: Reizā Saikōsu!*" (Storm Release: Laser Lock)
The Raikage tried using his signature Raiton (Lightning Release) technique, alongside Darui's Ranton Kekkei Genkai, to knock out the rampaging Killer Bee and reinforce the Hachibi's seal. But Darui's strength was no match for a Tailed Beast-transformed Bee. In a single clash, Bee sent Darui crashing to the ground. If not for the Raikage's lightning-fast speed, Darui would've been killed by the mindless Killer Bee.
"Lord Raikage, what do we do now?" someone asked.
"We need someone with even stronger Ranton to help me, or we'll never subdue Killer Bee!" the Raikage said.
"That's gonna be tough!" the group replied, skeptical. In all of Kumogakure, only Darui could use Ranton, and his current strength was clearly insufficient.
"There's one other person!" the Raikage declared.
"Who?!"
"Sanada Kazama!"
The crowd gasped in shock at the Raikage's words.