The earth trembled as Hanekawa sank deeper underground, transforming the solid ground into fluid beneath him. Like a fish through water, he moved swiftly through the depths, feeling every vibration from above.
The Eight-Tails is a different beast entirely, he thought grimly. That Tailed Beast Ball they haven't used yet? Yeah, that's going to be a problem.
The solution was obvious, though risky: Lightning Style Chakra Mode. In the original timeline, the Third Raikage had relied on it to suppress the Eight-Tails repeatedly. Hanekawa had the entry—a clean 200% boost to attack, speed, and defense. The danger was exposure.
But if I make the Konoha Dragon God big enough, flashy enough... they'll be too distracted to notice the lightning.
He'd burn through his entire chakra reserve creating something unprecedented. A calculated gamble.
"Bi, he's underground," Gyūki's voice rumbled through Killer Bee's mind.
"Found you, sneaky bastard!"
Eight tails erupted skyward, then crashed down with devastating force. The impact sent shockwaves through the earth, cracking it open like an egg.
---
"He can't handle the Eight-Tails alone," Uchiha Shisui said, ignoring the pain in his eyes as he prepared his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Wait," Sakumo commanded, listening to the distant bird calls. "Hanekawa's fine."
Lightning filled one of the massive cracks—Kakashi's Chidori style, unmistakable.
The Fourth Raikage's frown deepened. The longer this drags, the worse for us.
Then the earth shook differently. Not impact—something rising.
A violent wind tore through the underground chasm, carrying debris skyward. Trees, stones, dust—everything scattered like leaves. The sky itself seemed to split open as silvery-white light poured upward.
"Wind Style?" the Fourth Raikage muttered, unease creeping into his chest.
A dragon's roar shattered the air.
From the abyss emerged a colossal silver dragon, horns gleaming, orange-yellow eyes blazing, whiskers flowing like ribbons. It spanned the sky—several times larger than any Konoha Dragon God they'd seen before, rivaling the Eight-Tails in sheer length.
The Yin Seal's release combined with Lightning Style Chakra Mode and the Konoha Dragon God created something that defied belief.
"This... is this Lord Hanekawa?!" a Leaf ninja gasped.
"What technique rivals a tailed beast's power?"
Konoha's morale surged. Cheers erupted across their lines.
The Hidden Cloud ninjas felt their world collapse.
"How strong is he?" Samui's heart sank.
Mabui's hands clenched. No amount of intelligence could process this.
---
The Eight-Tails roared and wrapped its eight tails around itself, forming a spinning sphere of flesh. Wherever it rolled, the ground shattered and winds howled.
The silver dragon descended like a spear.
They collided.
Reality fractured. A superstorm erupted, flattening everything in its path.
"Everyone defend!" Hizashi Hyūga shouted, his Byakugan tracking the invisible chakra currents above.
Earth walls and water barriers rose desperately. The air wave carved through them like knives, leaving countless cuts.
The Eight-Tails screamed—pain, not just anger. Its eight tails collided with the rotating wind blades and were instantly shredded. Chakra healed them immediately, but the agony was undeniable.
It retracted its tails and punched forward with both fists.
Its hands were cut, but the silver dragon was knocked backward. After flying dozens of meters, it stabilized and charged again.
The Eight-Tails grabbed the dragon's body with hands and tails, pulling with terrible force.
The dragon tore apart, violent chakra scattering in all directions—
Then reformed instantly.
As long as I keep spinning, it won't die, Hanekawa's consciousness maintained the technique.
"Damn it!" Gyūki roared, pressing forward again.
Dragon and octopus became one writhing mass. Air waves rolled. Chakra screamed. The ground fractured. Smoke and dust rose like a second sky.
---
"Is this something a human can do?" both sides whispered in awe.
The Fourth Raikage had one thought: When I return, I'm executing whoever sent this monster to Konoha.
Samui bit her lip until it bled, feeling utterly powerless. Before such a creature, she was nothing.
Mabui's expression turned grim. She was already calculating contingencies—if the worst happened, she'd use her Heavenly Transfer Technique to evacuate the Raikage. Preserve the spark.
Shisui's conviction wavered. Even his full Susanoo might not match this.
Asuma could only despair. The gap was insurmountable.
---
Far from the battle, Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura led a contingent of Konoha ninjas toward the Hidden Cloud's new camp. They'd waited half an hour after Hanekawa and Tsunade departed with their thousand-strong force, allowing time to identify and bypass Cloud spies.
"Is that an earthquake?" Danzo asked, pausing.
"No," Orochimaru crouched, placing his hands on the earth. "Tailed beasts fighting."
"Tsunade and Hanekawa won't last long against two fully transformed jinchūriki," Danzo mused. "Not without Kushina Uzumaki."
"Let's move before they're defeated," Orochimaru said.
---
The Eight-Tails' body trembled. It had pushed itself to the limit.
"It's over!" Gyūki roared, raising its bull head.
Chakra condensed in its mouth—terrifying, compressed, absolute. The Tailed Beast Ball formed, even more devastating than the Two-Tails' version.
It fired.
But Hanekawa was faster.
The moment the Eight-Tails' head tilted, he moved. Wind Style was sharp and fast. Combined with Lightning Style Chakra Mode, he became a blur.
In everyone's eyes, the silver dragon simply vanished like lightning.
BOOM.
The Tailed Beast Ball struck earth. A mushroom cloud erupted, reducing everything to ash. Ninjas from both villages scrambled backward, desperate for distance.
"How is he so fast?!" the Fourth Raikage's shock was genuine.
Only three people he knew could dodge a Tailed Beast Ball: himself, the Third Raikage, and Minato Namikaze. All shared one trait—speed.
And Hanekawa had just matched it.
The Fourth Raikage didn't have time to process. Tsunade was already moving.
---
Killer Bee struggled upright, watching the Eight-Tails prepare another Tailed Beast Ball.
"He must be dead!" Bee shouted. "No one survives five Tailed Beast Balls!"
"Shut up," Tsunade snapped, her face pale.
"Is that so?" a familiar voice came from behind Bee.
Killer Bee spun. Hanekawa stood there, completely unharmed, fists clenched.
"This ends now, Bee."
Before Bee could react, a punch sent him into darkness.
Silence fell across the battlefield.
Then three lines of text appeared in Hanekawa's vision:
[S-Rank Talent Entry: Death's Substitute]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat the Eight-Tails Gyūki]
[Effect: Designate any item as a substitute to replace death itself]
A resurrection coin, Hanekawa thought, stunned. Perfect.
---
"No!" the Fourth Raikage's hand stretched out desperately.
"Lord Raikage, take care!" Mabui's hands moved in seals.
Heavenly Transfer Technique!
But light flashed.
Hanekawa appeared before Mabui could complete the jutsu, already anticipating the technique.
When he saw her standing with the Raikage, he'd known immediately.
Magical Naraku-Seeing Technique!
Mabui's eyes met his. Horror flooded her face as she froze in illusion.
"Go to hell!" the Fourth Raikage roared.
Lightning Style: Thunder Plow Hot Knife!
Lightning flashed. He crashed toward Hanekawa like a living blade.
Hanekawa didn't dodge. His chakra was nearly depleted—he was overdrawing the Yin Seal now. But he trusted his instincts.
"Get away!" Tsunade materialized between them.
Strange Power!
Her fist met his elbow. Simultaneously, Sakumo's white blade stabbed from the left.
The Fourth Raikage's chakra surged desperately.
Strongest Lightning Style Armor!
His hair stood on end. He became lightning itself, narrowly escaping the combined assault.
"Hanekawa, are you hurt?!" Tsunade's panic was barely contained.
"Don't worry. Catch the Raikage first," Hanekawa managed, though his face was pale.
"Don't think so!" Mabui and Samui rushed forward, lifting the illusion.
The Heavenly Transfer would take time to recast. They had to save their leader first.
---
"Hanekawa!" the Fourth Raikage's eyes burned with hatred. This boy had destroyed everything.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
With his new A-Rank "Cat Catcher" trait and B-Rank "Fire Style Specialist" entry, Hanekawa's Fire Style power increased by 250%. The fireball that erupted was enormous, heat waves spreading in all directions.
The Fourth Raikage sensed the danger and moved left in a lightning flash.
Uchiha Shisui blocked his path.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
The Raikage's vision blurred. He entered a dark illusion space.
Magical Shackle Technique!
Shisui's seals bound him. Massive iron nails fell from the sky, pinning his limbs.
The Fourth Raikage's muscles bulged. Lightning surrounded him. The illusion shattered.
But as his eyes opened, Tsunade and Hanekawa's fists were already there.
Strange Power!
Teacher and student punched simultaneously.
Even with the Strongest Lightning Armor, the Fourth Raikage couldn't withstand it. He flew backward, crashing into the earth with bone-breaking force.
The ground cracked. Rocks scattered.
"Cough... cough..." The Fourth Raikage struggled upright, spitting charred blood.
"I don't lose easily!" he roared, concentrating chakra into his elbow.
Heavy Flow!
He moved like lightning, aiming for Hanekawa's center.
Earth Style: Rock Fist!
Hanekawa's arms turned to stone. The collision produced a dull crack—his stone arms fractured but held.
Strange Power!
Tsunade stepped forward, her punch connecting perfectly.
The Strongest Lightning Armor exploded, revealing gaps in his defense.
Uchiha Style: Sword Jumping Flame!
Shisui drew his blade, slashing through the opening. A flaming arc flew like an arrow.
The Fourth Raikage cut it in half, but the effort cost him.
Lightning Style Ninja Art: Instantaneous Body Flicker!
He disappeared, reappearing behind Hanekawa.
But Hanekawa could react. He'd learned Lightning Style Chakra Mode too.
Water Style: Water Flash Technique!
His body became liquid. The Raikage's punch passed through empty water.
He stepped into the pool—
Scarlet eyes suddenly appeared before him.
The Fourth Raikage froze in illusion.
Strange Power!
Tsunade's kick connected perfectly. The Strongest Lightning Armor finally shattered.
He crashed into the earth like a meteor, creating a crater several meters wide.
"Cough... cough... cough..."
Blood poured from his mouth with each breath.
"That's enough, Raikage," Tsunade said, walking forward slowly.
As he tried to move, her fist met his face.
He collapsed.
---
"All Hidden Cloud ninjas, stop!" Tsunade's voice echoed across the battlefield. "If anyone moves, I kill the Raikage!"
The Cloud ninjas froze. Their invincible leader—defeated.
After seconds of stunned silence, they threw down their weapons in surrender.
Mabui staggered backward, dizzy. This was worse than her worst calculations. She'd failed to evacuate the Raikage. The Hidden Cloud's leadership was completely destroyed.
"How... how could this happen?" Samui whispered, staring at Hanekawa.
All of this began with him. But the root cause was the Hidden Cloud's own decision to send him to Konoha.
---
"We won!" Hizashi Hyūga shouted.
The cry spread like wildfire. Konoha's surviving ninjas erupted in cheers, unable to contain their joy.
Hanekawa's legs gave out. Fatigue crashed over him like a wave.
He fell backward into soft warmth.
"Hanekawa!" Tsunade caught him, suppressing her panic. "Are you okay?"
"Just... chakra depleted," he managed. "Nothing else."
Tsunade's hand moved across his body, her chakra checking for injuries. Relief flooded through her. No external damage. No internal injuries.
Miraculous.
Then wind rushed overhead.
Orochimaru and Danzo descended with their contingent, skidding to a halt.
"What happened here?!" Danzo's voice was hollow with shock.
The Fourth Raikage, Killer Bee, and Gyūki—all defeated?
Orochimaru's expression was equally confused.
How?
---
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