Killer Bee and the six members of the Akatsuki were locked in a fierce battle.
Standing beside Yōsuke, Pakura asked in confusion,
"Yōsuke, aren't you planning to stop the war? If the Hidden Cloud loses both of its tailed beasts, won't the village fly into a rage and launch a retaliatory war?"
Yōsuke explained calmly,
"My current identity is that of someone already dead, so it's best for me to stay hidden in the shadows. That makes things easier to handle. Besides, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki isn't someone who'll lose so easily. There's no need for me to risk exposing myself to help him.
"Still… this is truly fascinating. A perfect jinchūriki—someone who has fully fused their own power with that of the tailed beast. Even I find that level of strength startling."
In Yōsuke's world, even the Twelve Kizuki and the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps were nowhere near comparable to such high-level combat power.
Even Yōsuke himself, if not for the immortal body granted by his demon physique, couldn't say for certain that he would be able to suppress them with absolute confidence. Those endless, bizarre, and mysterious techniques made him feel exceptionally wary.
What Yōsuke didn't know was that Gyūtarō had already informed Asuma and the others that Yōsuke was still alive.
What truly caught Yōsuke's attention was one member of the Akatsuki—someone called Tobi.
He was also wearing a mask, but his attire was completely different from the masked man during the Nine-Tails incident. His frivolous demeanor didn't quite match either, yet Yōsuke still felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Suddenly, the battlefield shifted.
Killer Bee, fully transformed into a tailed beast, spat out massive amounts of ink—this was a sealing technique used in his complete tailed-beast form.
"Ink Clone Sealing Technique!"
The ink rapidly transformed into Killer Bee's clones. The clone closest to Kakuzu successfully restrained four of Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear bodies using a swastika-shaped taijutsu lock.
However, Kakuzu's main body—and the other Akatsuki members—managed to escape the ink clones' encirclement.
Three seconds later, the sealing technique activated, completely sealing Kakuzu's four Earth Grudge Fear bodies.
Enraged, Kakuzu detached the black threads from his arm, separating his wrist from his forearm. Dense black tendrils burst forth and shot toward Killer Bee.
The threads bound Killer B's fully transformed body in place.
At the same time, Sasori controlled Hiruko and thrust its tail stinger toward Killer Bee .
Killer Bee roared and broke free, snapping the black threads apart. One of his octopus tentacles lashed out and struck Sasori.
Hiruko was smashed to pieces instantly.
Sasori's true body was revealed—and to Yōsuke's disbelief, Sasori himself was also a modified human puppet.
With no vital organs, yet still alive—it completely shattered Yōsuke's understanding of biology.
Yōsuke muttered under his breath,
"If Kanae and the others ever find out about this, they'll definitely do everything they can to capture Sasori for research."
Sasori immediately summoned his strongest puppet—the Third Kazekage.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
After forming the Ram (未) hand seal, Sasori caused wave after wave of iron sand to materialize out of thin air. It then transformed into countless fine needles, firing toward Killer Bee at incredible speed.
In his fully transformed state, Killer Bee's massive body made dodging impossible.
He canceled his full transformation and entered a partial tailed-beast state instead. A dark-red chakra cloak formed hardened skeletal armor around him, completely blocking Sasori's needles.
"Lariat!"
Lightning-release chakra surged through Killer Bee's body as he charged straight at Sasori at extreme speed.
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand Wall!"
Sasori used the Third Kazekage's iron sand to create a solid barrier, blocking Killer Bee's path.
Killer Bee punch blasted a massive hole through the wall, but it still managed to halt his charge.
Without stopping, Killer Bee drew a sword and infused it with Lightning Release, increasing its sharpness. By inducing high-frequency vibrations with lightning chakra, the blade achieved penetration power surpassing even Wind Release.
"Supersonic Vibrating Lightning Blade!"
Killer Bee swung his blade toward Hakuji, who had been deliberately holding back and observing the battle.
Hakuji felt speechless—he had been quietly gathering combat data on the Akatsuki, yet still ended up being targeted.
"Flowing Technique—Destructive Kill: Eightfold Core!"
Hakuji unleashed eight rapid strikes from all directions, converging on a single point.
His attacks struck Killer Bee's vital points, while Killer Bee's blade sliced through Hakuji's arm.
Hakuji immediately retreated and shook his severed arm—regenerating it instantly.
Killer Bee grimaced in pain as well, but fortunately the Eight-Tails' chakra continuously repaired his body.
Two immortals.
One puppet master.
One man controlling five grotesque masked creatures.
And two more who hadn't even made a move yet.
Killer Bee's expression turned solemn.
Is this group a circus troupe or something?
Despite the pressure, Killer Bee felt a bit relieved—these people showed zero teamwork. They fought individually, with no coordination whatsoever.
Drawing all his swords, Killer Bee gripped the blades across different parts of his body. With unpredictable, lightning-fast swordsmanship—combined with the speed and power of tailed-beast chakra—he charged straight into the crowd.
Like a spinning top, Killer Bee whirled relentlessly, attacking nonstop.
For the moment, the six Akatsuki members could only retreat and avoid his edge.
After escaping Killer Bee's attack range, Sasori once again had the Third Kazekage form seals.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Gyro!"
A triangular iron-sand construct stood upright in midair, spinning violently before slamming into the ground and racing toward Killer Bee at extreme speed.
Killer Bee leapt into the air. A Tailed Beast Ball formed in his mouth and was fired toward the Akatsuki.
The moment it hit the ground, a massive explosion erupted.
When the smoke cleared, a gigantic triangular iron-sand structure stood there—shielding all of the Akatsuki members.
The Eight-Tails spoke gravely,
"Bee, this battle is dangerous. If things get worse, we should retreat."
Killer Bee shook his head.
"No retreat. I trust that Mabui has already informed Big Brother. And Yugito is still in their hands—I can't let them wreak havoc on the Hidden Cloud."
The Eight-Tails stopped arguing.
"Very well. But be careful of that masked man. When you fired the Tailed Beast Ball earlier, I sensed a power from him that we deeply loathe."
Killer Bee looked at Tobi, who was enthusiastically thanking Sasori for saving him, and asked doubtfully,
"That guy… is he really that strong?"
"They're clearly part of the same organization. We don't know how strong the Yin-Yang man or the masked man are since they haven't fought yet—but the other four are all clearly Kage-level. Someone who moves with people like that can't possibly be weak."
Killer Bee nodded cautiously.
"I'll stay alert."
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