"Lord Bee…"
Some Kumogakure shinobi looked worried.
Mabui, standing nearby, replied calmly, "Lord Bee knows the difference between necessary missions and personal feelings. To the Raikage, he would never lie."
The Fourth Raikage gave a short nod. "Don't worry about Bee. He's just a little displeased, that's all."
Then his sharp gaze turned toward the intelligence division shinobi. "From here on, I need you to keep gathering intel on Konoha's current forces—especially the Uchiha clan. I need to understand the scope of their unique powers."
"Yes, sir!"
The Next Day
Once again warmly received, the three Konoha shinobi arrived at Kumogakure's main gates.
The moment they stepped inside, their hitai-ate glinting in the sunlight—
Boom!
Special fireworks burst into the sky, scattering lightning-bright sparks across the clouds.
Kakashi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered under his breath, "That startled me… I almost pulled out a kunai."
Uchiha Shion waved at the cheering crowd and leaned close to him, whispering with a smile, "Kumogakure isn't foolish enough to attack us here in front of everyone."
"Right…"
Kakashi quickly composed himself, raising his hand to wave and smile back.
As for the third of their party…
"Hahaha! Who would've thought I'd be welcomed like this!"
"Friends of Kumogakure, I am Konoha's proud Blue Beast—Maito Guy!"
"Your reception fills me with the flames of youth! This—this is what youth should feel like: burning, boundless, unstoppable!"
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Guy bounded left and right, bowing and thanking everyone with such enthusiasm that Kakashi's eyelids twitched. This guy adjusts to situations way too fast… ridiculous.
Shion simply smiled as he looked around at the villagers' faces. Their joy was genuine, their smiles heartfelt.
Because for them, an alliance with Konoha meant another step closer to peace.
For ordinary people at the bottom, as long as there was no war, this was the best era they could hope for.
Perhaps the root of everything lay with the shinobi leadership. Over the years, war had broken out again and again, giving rise to resentment and grudges that never faded. Those who carried that hatred would never welcome peace—because peace meant losing their chance for revenge.
Shion's gaze swept the crowd. Mixed among the smiles, he noticed eyes filled with hostility—people who had lost loved ones to Konoha's blades. For them, peace was nothing but a cruel denial of their grief.
The long street from Kumogakure's gates led straight to the Raikage's tower. There, on the high platform, Kakashi formally presented the alliance scroll as Konoha's envoy.
The Fourth Raikage pressed his seal onto the parchment.
Cheers erupted like thunder across the street. To the people, it meant only one thing: peace would continue.
Today, Kumogakure had forged an alliance with Konohagakure.
"Whew…"
Kakashi finally let out the breath he'd been holding. Thankfully, nothing had gone wrong. Perhaps he had been overthinking after all.
As long as they remained cautious when Kumogakure's envoys visited Konoha, everything should be fine.
The Raikage's voice rumbled. "As a show of sincerity, I ask that you remain in Kumogakure for another two days. And Bee has also requested another spar with Uchiha Shion—to see if you've fallen behind."
Kakashi hesitated. "Our village has been quite busy lately, we were hoping—"
"Hm?"
The Raikage's glare was like a hammer striking down. "Is this Konoha's attitude toward an alliance? This concerns relations between two nations, White Fang's brat!"
"…Ugh."
Left without a choice, Kakashi nodded.
The one singled out—Shion—only smiled, staying silent.
Perhaps if all the warmongers' heads were twisted off, true unification and peace wouldn't be impossible after all.
Cloud and Thunder Gorge
Kumogakure might have felt barren, but at sunrise its scenery was breathtaking.
Take the Cloud and Thunder Gorge, for instance. Standing at its edge, Uchiha Shion's feet were planted above a sea of clouds—it truly felt like walking on the sky.
Beside him, Killer Bee paced back and forth, arms swinging.
"Right? Feels like flying, don't it? This cloud-walkin' vibe, got your knees shakin'? Any fear? Yeah!"
Shion smirked. "I'm not afraid of heights."
Bee cut off his rhymes and plopped down on a rock beside him. "So, you gonna fight me? See if you've grown stronger?"
Shion chuckled. "If I don't, your brother won't let us leave."
"…?!"
Bee studied him for a moment before asking, "You already figured something out?"
Shion didn't answer that pointed question. Instead, he rose to his feet. "Last time, neither of us showed our full strength. A perfect Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails… I want to see if I can actually beat that."
Bee grinned and thrust out his fist.
Shion only shook his head. "You know I don't do fist bumps. Too many secrets in my head. And besides… our positions aren't exactly aligned right now."
"Then come on!"
Shion's Mangekyō Sharingan flared open, its pattern spinning vividly in his eyes.
A blade appeared in his hand—its edge bursting into flames.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Shion vanished, reappearing behind Bee with his flaming blade slashing downward.
So fast!
Eight crimson chakra tails erupted from Bee's back, whipping around to shatter the flame-edge.
"You're a bit reckless, aren't you?"
But as his chakra tails scattered the flames, Shion had already slipped through, blade flashing down toward Bee's back.
Slash!
Though Bee countered, a searing cut still opened across his shoulder.
Hiss!
Covered in crimson chakra, the wound closed instantly.
So the recovery speed of a Jinchūriki really is that remarkable.
Dodging another lashing tail, Shion smirked, his eyes locking onto Bee's.
Genjutsu—Sharingan!
Darkness swallowed Bee's senses. All around him echoed jeers and curses, countless voices clawing at his mind.
But within moments, the Eight-Tails stirred, flooding Bee's body with its chakra. The illusion shattered, darkness dissolving.
"Guh!"
But in that same instant, a deep wound tore open across Bee's chest, blood spraying.
"Bee!!!"
The Eight-Tails' voice roared inside his head as Bee staggered back.
"Bee! His speed is insane. The moment you broke the illusion, he already struck at your chest."
Bee clenched his teeth and nodded. "Then it's time—another form! Yeah!"
Boom!!!
An eruption of chakra blasted the clouds away, shockwaves ripping through the gorge.
Bee's body transformed—horns, humanoid shape, eight massive tails behind him, his entire frame cloaked in deep crimson chakra.
"Rrrroooaaarrr!!!"
The roar shook the cliffs.
Shion grimaced. "Tch. No need to be so loud—I can see you've gone all out. Half-beast transformation, and you can still stay in control… no doubt, you're far stronger than most Jinchūriki."