"Before we start fighting, have you brought the reparations? I don't want to finish a fight only to find out you have no money to pay the bill." Naruto glanced at the rear of the Kumogakure position.
Bee turned and signaled to a Kumogakure Ninja behind him.
That Kumogakure Ninja nodded and performed the Summoning Technique. He tied an intelligence scroll to the summoning beast, then canceled the Summoning Technique. It disappeared from the spot, carrying Bee's order back to the Kumogakure headquarters.
A moment later, Naruto looked up toward the rear of the Kumogakure position, as if sensing something.
A spatial fluctuation unfolded in mid-air, followed immediately by a scroll transporting to the Kumogakure position.
"So this is the Heavenly Transfer Technique? Interesting." Naruto commented.
"The reparations have arrived. Where are my big brother and his guards?"
After confirming the scroll was correct, Bee looked back at Naruto.
"Naturally, they are being held in our rear. After the fight is over, you will naturally see them." Naruto nodded.
"You Konoha bastard, I hope you aren't lying. If you dare to pull any tricks, I will definitely not let you off." Bee stared deeply at Naruto.
Then he turned and gave an order to the Kumogakure troops standing by behind him. "The whole army, retreat ten kilometers!"
"But Bee-sama..."
"That is an order!" Bee interrupted.
Under the order, the Kumogakure troops retreated rapidly.
Naruto also waved his hand behind him, and Kakashi immediately signaled all Anbu and Shikamaru to retreat.
"Naruto, be careful. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is no ordinary opponent." Kakashi advised him in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Naruto, let him witness the burning of youth. Kakashi, Hokage-sama specifically instructed that everything must follow Naruto's arrangements." Guy patted Kakashi on the shoulder:
"Hokage-sama would not hand over command to Naruto for no reason. We must trust Hokage-sama's judgment, and we must also trust Naruto's strength."
Kakashi looked at Naruto's back and nodded.
Everyone quickly retreated, leaving the battlefield to the two of them.
On the open ground between the two armies, soon only Naruto and Bee remained, facing each other from a distance.
Bee drew one of the swords from his back. "You Konoha bastard, I'm going to beat you until you're missing teeth!"
Seven swords were clamped between his hands, armpits, behind his knees, and at his abdomen, the blades arranged in a crisscross pattern. His entire body spun at high speed like a top, the seven swords carrying a sharp whistling wind as they charged straight at Naruto.
Naruto flipped a Kunai into his hand, Wind Chakra wrapping around it. He threw the Kunai toward Bee.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
In mid-air, the Kunai split into two, then into four, multiplying into countless blades that rained down upon the spinning Bee.
Bee's spinning body came to an abrupt halt as he brandished his seven swords into a dense web of slashes before him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of metallic clashes rang out across the open battlefield, as the Kunai themselves into the ground behind Bee.
Bee shook his numb wrists, faint electric arcs still crackling on the blades from the collision with the Wind Chakra.
Before he could catch his breath, Naruto had already appeared in front of him. He was holding a Kunai in his hand, a long blade formed from Wind Chakra condensed upon its edge.
Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!
"Fool, ya fool!" Bee shouted.
Lightning Chakra enveloped his entire body, and under the stimulation, his muscles erupted with even greater speed as he sent his seven swords towards Naruto from different angles simultaneously.
Naruto twisted his wrist, and the Vacuum Blade carved a pale green arc through the air, parrying the first wave of blades. He then used the momentum to turn sideways, the blade sliding down to deflect the sword under his armpit, before flicking his wrist to deflect the two blades at his knees.
Within a few seconds, the two sides exchanged over a dozen moves.
On the Kumo Ninja front, several Jonin stared with wide, unblinking eyes.
"That Konoha Ninja didn't weave a single hand sign when he used the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique just now."
"It's not just the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, that wind blade he condensed when he rushed over was also instantaneous, with no hand signs either."
"What kind of monster is this?"
On the Konoha side, Guy stood behind cover with his arms crossed, his face focused as he watched the two figures intertwining in the center of the battlefield.
"Kakashi, did you see that?"
Kakashi's single eye remained locked onto the battlefield without blinking. "Yeah. Naruto didn't weave any hand signs from start to finish. "
Performing Ninjutsu without hand signs...
Back in the day, his teacher had developed the signless Rasengan. And now, Naruto had already surpassed his father.
"How on earth did Naruto do it?" Guy asked.
Kakashi was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "I don't know either."
Behind a shrub in the darkness, two White Zetsu had their lower halves buried in the ground, with only their heads exposed, staring intently at the battlefield.
"Did you see that? The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki performed Ninjutsu without weaving hand signs."
"I saw it. This talent is too terrifying. Should we report this to Obito?"
"Not yet. Wait until the battle ends, then report the complete intelligence together. Obito will be even more interested. Keep watching for now."
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
—
On the battlefield
"Bee, this ninja is a Wind Release user. Your Lightning Release is at a disadvantage against him." Eight-Tails' voice rang out in Bee's consciousness.
It had been observing every one of Naruto's movements, and the more it watched, the more something felt off.
The black-haired boy opposite him was handling Bee's Kenjutsu with ease the entire time, without even disrupting his breathing rhythm. Every slash Bee dealt was parried by the opponent in the most energy-efficient way, yet every counter-strike the opponent returned forced Bee to retreat half a step.
This wasn't an evenly matched fight, this was a master toying with a novice.
'This guy is fast, has quick reactions, and is a Wind Release user. My Lightning Release Kenjutsu just can't unleash its power!' Bee said to Eight-Tails.
He performed a wide, sweeping slash to temporarily push Naruto back, taking a moment to catch his breath during the gap.
He realized that in his normal state, he couldn't gain any advantage in a Taijutsu clash. The opponent's physical strength and power were beyond his understanding of a ninja.
"I have no choice but to use Gyūki's Chakra. Let's go, Gyūki."
Dark red Chakra gushed out from Bee's body, condensing into a thick Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak on his skin. Several dark red tails unfurled behind him.
Bee stomped his feet hard against the ground, transforming into a dark red blur. His speed increased several times over, and in an instant, he lunged in front of Naruto. His right fist, wreathed in Eight-Tails Chakra, smashed towards Naruto's face.
A cheer erupted from the Kumo Ninja front.
"Bee-sama is using the power of Eight-Tails!"
"That Konoha Ninja is done for!"
On the Konoha side, everyone collectively held their breath.
Guy turned back and whispered to the Anbu behind him, "Stay steady. Trust in Naruto."
Kakashi stared at the center of the field without a word, the dark red light of the Tailed Beast Chakra reflecting in his eyes.
The White Zetsu in the shadows grew excited.
"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is getting serious. I wonder if the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has mastered the power of Nine-Tails."
"According to Itachi's intelligence, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki can resist his Genjutsu, which is usually a sign of a Perfect Jinchuriki. That means he has very likely already mastered the power of Nine-Tails."
"Keep watching, the answer will be revealed soon."
Just then, the sight in the center of the battlefield made all the spectators widen their eyes in unison.
Facing Bee's full-force punch wreathed in Eight-Tails Chakra, Naruto raised his right hand, a layer of blue Chakra condensing on his fist.
Boom!
Bee was repelled by this pure force, stumbling back three steps, and several fine cracks appeared on the dark red Tailed Beast Chakra over his fist.
Naruto seized the opportunity to pursue, pushing off the ground with both feet. With blue Chakra condensed around both fists, he closed the distance to Bee and landed several punches in succession on the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak covering Bee's chest and abdomen.
With every punch that landed, the dark red Tailed Beast Chakra buckled inward, cracks spreading like spiderwebs, and large chunks of dark red Chakra fragments flaked off from Bee's body.
"How can a human ninja possibly withstand Gyūki's power using only his own Chakra?"
Bee retreated step by step under the continuous heavy blows, his heels plowing two deep furrows into the ground.
The Kumo Ninjas were collectively stunned, and the people from Konoha also exchanged bewildered glances.
From beginning to end, Naruto had not used any of Nine-Tails's power. It was purely his own Chakra going head-to-head.
The two White Zetsu in the shadows were also dumbfounded.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki isn't using Nine-Tails's Chakra, it's his own power."
"How can a human possibly possess enough Chakra to go head-to-head with a Tailed Beast?"