Deva Path Pain's face remained entirely expressionless, offering only a silent nod. His objective of making Konohagakure experience pain had already been achieved. Furthermore, Kumogakure would now clearly see the true strength of Akatsuki, which would undoubtedly bring in more requests and lucrative commissions.
"The direction they went... is to the left," Killer B pointed toward a specific path.
Up until now, no ripples of chakra had traveled from the distance. This meant that Yugito had not undergone a Full Tailed Beast Transformation, indicating her life shouldn't be in immediate danger. A Tailed Beast would never sit idly by and watch its Jinchuriki die; no matter how much they detested humans, they would rather endure decades of imprisonment than face the process of revival.
"Let your Kumogakure forces handle it. Pain requires rest," Konan stepped forward and spoke up.
A jutsu of such monumental scale placed a massive burden on Nagato. It could even take a toll on his lifespan, making a thorough recovery absolutely essential.
"Your Akatsuki organization can head back to the camp first." Killer B turned around to rally the remaining Kumogakure shinobi, preparing to pursue Shimizu's location and reinforce Yugito.
Meanwhile, a dry dirt wall bore numerous damp marks, as if it had recently been thoroughly drenched. Debris fell from the structure, mixing with the water on the ground to form a muddy slush.
Yugito lay collapsed on the ground. The wounds covering her body were shocking to behold, bearing testimony to a brutal and ruthless ordeal. Crimson blood snaked down her thighs, dripping heavily into the mud below.
Her once-bright eyes were now completely dull and vacant, her long eyelashes casting faint, delicate shadows across her eyelids. Her long blonde hair was scattered wildly across the floor, strands stained with muddy water clinging tightly to her face, making her look incredibly wretched. Her hollow gaze made it seem as though her soul had already drifted far away, leaving nothing but a broken, exhausted shell behind.
"Use the Tailed Beast chakra to heal your wounds."
An invisible force of visual prowess erupted from the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in Shimizu's eyes, flooding directly into the gaze of the battered, dying Yugito. The Genjutsu binding her shattered instantly, allowing the Tailed Beast chakra to surge through her pathway system once more. A light-blue, flame-like shroud of chakra enveloped her entire body, initiating the healing process.
Shimizu crossed his arms. He had exerted a fraction of his true power just now, yet he hadn't fully enjoyed himself. Right now, he was still in his Cursed Seal mode.
One had to understand that this monstrous physical strength was capable of shattering a dozens-of-meters-tall boulder with a single punch. It was a miracle that Yugito had even managed to survive his brutal assault under the Cursed Seal mode. After all, very few women possessed the rapid regeneration of a Jinchuriki like Yugito did. Rin Nohara, for instance, had a level of control over the Three-Tails that fell far short of Yugito's, making her healing capabilities vastly inferior.
However, the current Yugito was still not resilient enough to fully withstand Shimizu's onslaught. She needed to draw upon even more of the Tailed Beast's true power. But if it came to that, Yugito would never willingly comply.
"What did you do to Lady Yugito?!"
Samui's injuries were far lighter than Yugito's, allowing her to recover her stamina much earlier. She stared at Shimizu with absolute vigilance.
"Atonement, of course. Although your sins are monumental, I am magnanimous enough to grant you both a single chance."
Shimizu used a Wind Release technique to whip Yugito through the air, bringing her right before him. In the original timeline, Yugito had met a tragic and brutal end precisely because she blindly sacrificed herself for Kumogakure, chasing personal glory only to throw her life away.
In the Book of Soldiers (Hyo no Sho), Kumogakure was described as a village akin to the mafia. While that entry highlighted their mafia-like solidarity, it also implicitly alluded to their mafia-like habits. The traditional mafia engaged in gambling, prostitution, narcotics trafficking, arms smuggling, and professional criminal activities such as kidnapping, murder, and extortion. Kumogakure had checked quite a few of those boxes—kidnapping, pillaging, and breaking treaties. They had truly played those dirty tricks to perfection. It could be said that among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure appeared the most boisterous and upright on the surface, but was actually the most despicable.
Shimizu sliced away a portion of the manifested Two-Tails chakra from her exterior, sealing it securely inside a storage scroll. Tailed Beast chakra was premium material, highly valuable for research. Every single piece of Tailed Beast chakra served as a raw ingredient for synthesizing the Ten-Tails.
Previously, Shimizu had obtained the comb once used by Kaguya Otsutsuki, but because it belonged to an era far too ancient, he had struggled to gather anything meaningful from it. Waiting for a technological breakthrough to extract her genetic information would simply take far too long. Therefore, Shimizu shifted his approach, planning to reverse-engineer the components of the Ten-Tails first to see if he could find any lingering traces of Kaguya within them. If Kaguya had truly fused completely with the Ten-Tails, then the nine modern Tailed Beasts were all fragments of her being. Collecting all of their chakra was equivalent to gathering pieces of her original material, making it highly probable that he could obtain her genetic code.
Sizzle—
The sound of burning flesh echoed, kicking up a small cloud of smoke. When Shimizu withdrew his hand from Yugito's abdomen, an identical brand to the one he had left on Mei Terumi was visible.
"From now on, you will provide me with intelligence on a regular schedule. Leave the information at these designated locations." Shimizu pulled out a list of addresses.
They were commercial shops run by the Uchiha Clan on the outside. The Uchiha Clan was a massive faction within Konohagakure; to support such a large number of clansmen, they naturally maintained an extensive network of businesses. Very few fools would ever dare to cause trouble in an Uchiha-owned establishment. Those Uchiha who lacked shinobi talent but possessed a keen mind for business usually fared quite well. Only the subset of the clan who could neither handle business nor make a living as active shinobi ended up impoverished.
Shimizu set Yugito down and walked over to Samui.
"You wouldn't want Yugito to experience something like that ever again, would you?"
Samui's pupils contracted violently as she stared straight at Shimizu. The crimson gaze of the Uchiha seemed to carry a trace of deep mockery.
This time, Yugito hadn't been able to fully satisfy him. He would simply wait until next time. A fully Tailed-Beast-transformed Yugito would adopt feline traits. He quite looked forward to finding out what a cat-girl Yugito would taste like.
Furthermore, the current Samui's chest dimensions could not compare to what they would be over a decade later; she was still far too young. Since Samui and Yugito shared such a deep, unbreakable sisterly bond, he would let them maintain that closeness together when the time came.
Sizzle—
Strands of white smoke wafted up from Samui's chest. She instinctively wanted to retreat, but looking at Yugito's wretched state, she forced her feet to stay rooted to the spot. When she finally looked up again, Shimizu had completely vanished without a trace.
At this moment, only she and Yugito remained inside the ruined earth house, amidst a thoroughly desecrated scene and the profound... humiliation left behind by Shimizu.
Yes, a systematic and undeniable humiliation.
Standing inside the dilapidated structure, the searing, burning pain on her chest served as a constant reminder of the disgrace she had just endured. Her gaze locked tightly onto the two characters for "Shimizu" branded right into the center of her chest. Every stroke felt like a thorn piercing deeply into her heart. It was a shame that could not be hidden, causing her hands to tremble uncontrollably.
Both she and Lady Yugito were the pride of Kumogakure—confident, resilient, and unyielding. Yet at this moment, they felt completely trampled upon. Despite Samui's desperate attempts to maintain her composure, a tempest of fury and hatred surged violently within her soul.
Suppressing her tears, she turned her head to look at Yugito lying on the floor. The always-steadfast Yugito was now sprawled there as helplessly as a wounded animal, her abdomen bearing the exact same brand of shame.
It all boiled down to them being far too weak. The weak possessed no right to dignity.
"Uchiha... Shimizu..."
That contemptuous gaze and careless, casual tone were deeply etched into Samui's mind. He possessed a handsome face, yet he was nothing more than a demon clad in human skin.
Samui dug her fingernails so deeply into her palms that fresh blood began to seep through the gaps of her fingers, but she didn't care in the slightest.
"Intelligence, is it? You truly underestimate Kumogakure." Samui shook her head.
Even if she had to go through this again, she would never betray Kumogakure's secrets. After this ordeal, Lady Yugito would absolutely never lose to Shimizu again. In Samui's eyes, Shimizu had merely relied on his Kekkei Genkai to launch a cowardly ambush. Otherwise, once the full extent of the Tailed Beast's power was unleashed, how could Shimizu Uchiha possibly stand against it?
"Hold on." Killer B suddenly signaled for a halt.
The accompanying Kumogakure shinobi exchanged confused glances. They were currently positioned at the base of a mountain. Atop the peak, an isolated earth house stood conspicuously.
Just as Killer B was consulting with the Eight-Tails, Gyuki, within his mindscape about whether this was a trap, two female figures descended from the mountain.
"It's Lady Yugito and Samui! They've both returned safely!"
"Fantastic! It looks like they didn't sustain any major injuries."
"As expected of a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki! Even Shimizu Uchiha, who is renowned for his Body Flicker technique, couldn't take Samui away in front of Lady Yugito!"
Once the Kumogakure shinobi clearly discerned the faces of the two women, they began to marvel at Yugito's immense strength. They had all witnessed Shimizu Uchiha abducting Samui with their own eyes, and Yugito had been delayed for a brief moment before giving chase. To actually catch up to him despite that delay meant her speed was beyond reproach.
Killer B looked toward Yugito and Samui walking down the slope, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. Yugito's face was deathly pale, and the usual confidence and brilliance she carried seemed to be heavily suppressed by something. She walked slowly, her gait somewhat unnatural. She paused occasionally as if adjusting her breathing, or perhaps enduring some sort of hidden pain. Samui walked closely by her side, her head lowered the entire time, seemingly devoid of interest in her surroundings.
Killer B instinctively felt that something was amiss, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He scratched his head, wondering if he was simply overthinking things. Yugito was a Jinchuriki who had survived countless battles. Shimizu Uchiha, at the end of the day, belonged to the Uchiha Clan and possessed incredible speed. While the Tailed Beast Chakra Mode granted a speed boost, her raw mobility experience certainly wouldn't match a shinobi who specialized purely in the Body Flicker technique. It wouldn't be strange for Shimizu Uchiha to leave them feeling exhausted or showing a bit of abnormality.
He stepped forward, utilizing his usual upbeat, rhyming banter to lighten the atmosphere.
"Yo~ Yugito! Looks like you've got the skills to pays the bills, oh yeah!" Killer B struck a rhythmic posing gesture.
To his immense surprise, Yugito's face bore absolutely no trace of joy. She remained as cold as frost, casting a silent, chilling glance toward him.
Killer B had originally intended to keep rapping a few more bars, but the sheer coldness in Yugito's eyes caused the words to die in his throat. Based on his understanding of Yugito, whenever she was in a good mood, she would always throw out a few sharp retorts upon seeing him rap and dance. Why was her face so utterly frozen now, looking exactly like she did the last time she fell under the influence of Shimizu Uchiha's Sharingan Genjutsu?
"Where is Shimizu Uchiha?"
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