Cloud-Thunder Gorge was a famous mountain range east of Kumogakure, renowned throughout the shinobi world for the lightning that constantly danced across its peaks year-round.
These natural lightning strikes were an invaluable resource. Successive Raikage used them to temper and strengthen their Lightning Release Chakra Mode, which was one of the reasons Kumogakure's leaders possessed such terrifying physical power.
The Fourth Raikage, A, had trained here extensively during his youth. However, because of the gorge's remote location and dangerous terrain, few people ever came here.
Dark storm clouds covered the sky.
A fierce white falcon soared through the clouds, its sharp talons gripping two unusual kunai.
As it passed overhead, one of the kunai slipped from its claws and plunged into the lake below with a splash, sending ripples spreading across the water's surface.
The Kumogakure shinobi monitoring the area from afar paid it no attention.
To them, it was no different from bird droppings falling into the lake.
Besides, whenever he finished training, the young Killer B would often come here to drink from the cool waters. The lake was enormous. A little contamination hardly mattered.
Moments later, beside the sunken kunai at the bottom of the lake, a figure suddenly appeared.
The newcomer was a remarkably young man dressed in the Uchiha clan's attire, with a Konoha forehead protector tied across his forehead.
"Infiltration successful."
The person was none other than Hayashi.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had crossed an immense distance in an instant.
He made no attempt to retrieve the kunai.
Leaving the Flying Thunder God formula behind would allow him to enter and leave the area whenever he wished without having to infiltrate again.
The purpose of his visit was simple.
He had come to infiltrate Kumogakure.
Danzo's defection had caused considerable losses for Konoha, making the Fourth Raikage even more aggressive.
Although Kumogakure had not formally declared war, the Raikage had mobilized a thousand shinobi through the Land of Hot Water to probe Konoha's intentions.
Konoha had no desire to start another war.
Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, Hayashi had come alone to Kumogakure.
In truth, even without this mission, he would have come eventually.
The chakra of the Eight-Tails was the only tailed beast chakra he had yet to obtain.
Once he acquired it, he would possess chakra from all nine tailed beasts.
Hayashi remained beneath the water rather than immediately emerging.
He drifted toward a dense patch of reeds and floated silently near the surface.
Then he began gathering natural energy.
Before long, dark markings spread across his face.
Sage Mode activated.
The moment it did, the entire area became crystal clear to his senses.
He could accurately pinpoint every Kumogakure shinobi stationed nearby.
After all, Killer B was both the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki and the Fourth Raikage's adopted brother.
The village could not afford to be careless.
Five ANBU squads, twenty shinobi in total, had been assigned to monitor the area.
Each squad was led by a jōnin, while the remaining members possessed specialized skills of their own.
Working together, they could prevent nearly any intruder from approaching unnoticed.
At the same time, they were there to ensure that Killer B himself did not sneak away from the village.
Unfortunately for them, no amount of perimeter security could defend against the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Under Sage Mode's enhanced perception, every ANBU shinobi stood out like a beacon in the darkness.
One side remained completely unaware.
The other saw everything.
Combined with the overwhelming difference in strength, the outcome was inevitable.
Thud.
The final Kumogakure ANBU collapsed to the ground.
He died without ever understanding what had happened.
Silence returned to the gorge.
Now, only two people remained in the area.
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
And Hayashi.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Enhanced by Sage Chakra, a gigantic fireball over ten meters wide hurtled toward Killer B's residence.
Boom!
The explosion shook the gorge.
Flames surged skyward as shattered wood and stone scattered in every direction.
Half the gorge seemed illuminated by crimson firelight.
The house vanished completely, reduced to rubble and ash.
Amid the burning ruins, a figure slowly rose to his feet.
Standing beneath the flickering glow of the flames, Killer B stared directly at his attacker.
"Konoha's Lightning Flash..."
His expression grew serious.
"Big bro's not in the village, so you came for Gyūki?"
Even under pressure, his words carried their familiar rhythmic cadence.
Killer B was aware of the diplomatic envoy's death in Konoha.
After Danzo became a missing-nin, the Fourth Raikage had chosen to test Konoha's limits.
Although Killer B disagreed with the decision, he had no power to change it.
What he hadn't expected was for Konoha's Lightning Flash to bypass the front lines entirely and appear directly at Cloud-Thunder Gorge.
"I am here for the Eight-Tails," Hayashi replied calmly. "But I have no intention of killing you."
The answer was surprisingly straightforward.
Hayashi genuinely did not plan to kill Killer B.
Although they stood on opposing sides, he held a fairly positive impression of him.
His objective was merely to obtain a portion of the Eight-Tails' chakra, not abduct the tailed beast itself.
There was no reason to take Killer B's life.
More importantly, if he accidentally killed the Jinchūriki, the Eight-Tails would require years to revive.
That would delay the Akatsuki's plans considerably.
Hayashi had no interest in waiting that long.
Unfortunately, Killer B saw things differently.
Enemies rarely trusted one another.
"You killed the old man."
His voice became colder.
"I'll avenge him."
He adjusted his sunglasses.
The old man he referred to was the Third Raikage.
Of course, revenge could only happen if he survived.
Killer B understood his own situation well.
He didn't believe he was stronger than Hayashi.
The surrounding ANBU had yet to appear.
That alone told him everything.
They were likely already dead.
Without hesitation, Killer B decided to strike first.
If victory proved impossible, he would use the opportunity to escape.
One by one, he drew the swords strapped across his body.
It wasn't Three-Sword Style.
It wasn't Seven-Sword Style.
It was Eight-Sword Style.
Though only seven swords were visible, the eighth sword was Killer B himself.
More specifically, his ultimate grappling attack, the Lariat.
As the seven blades emerged, Killer B balanced on one leg.
Swords were held in his hands, clenched between his teeth, tucked beneath his arms, positioned at his waist, and secured around his knees.
The result made him resemble a human porcupine.
Ridiculous at first glance.
Deadly in practice.
Killer B was unquestionably a genius.
Like Kakashi Hatake, he had become a jōnin at an incredibly young age.
Unlike most prodigies, however, he eventually grew into one of Kumogakure's strongest shinobi.
In the future, even the Fourth Raikage would struggle to match him.
Unfortunately, that was the future.
The current Killer B was only fifteen years old.
He had not yet reached his peak.
And the opponent standing before him was Hayashi.
The seven chakra-infused swords began glowing simultaneously.
Killer B's body twisted into a bizarre stance as he launched forward.
His movements appeared chaotic and impossible to predict.
He was both a speed specialist and a swordsmanship genius.
At such a young age, he had already created a unique fighting style entirely his own.
Sakumo Hatake's swordsmanship was also extraordinarily fast, but the two styles were fundamentally different.
Sakumo's speed existed within the instant of the strike itself.
Killer B's speed came from the movement of his entire body.
Every limb became part of the attack.
Every angle was a threat.
His attacks were so unconventional that defending against them was nearly impossible.
Even a Mangekyō Sharingan user with exceptional dynamic vision, such as Sasuke in the future, would struggle to track his movements completely.
And even if the Sharingan could follow him, a shinobi's body still had limits.
Reaction speed alone wasn't enough.
But there was one unavoidable fact.
Killer B was only fifteen years old.