BOOM.
The Raikage, who had just started moving, was sent flying by a punch to the face.
He slid backward, his feet carving deep trenches into the earth, before finally screeching to a halt.
"It seems it wasn't a coincidence earlier," the Raikage grunted.
He glanced at the shattered fragments of his Lightning Armor falling from his shoulder.
Then he looked at Makoto, who was casually shaking out his hand.
During their first exchange, A had noticed Makoto wasn't faster than him. He had just moved preemptively, like he knew the future.
This time, when A attacked mid-sentence Makoto still beat him to the punch.
Literally.
A had tried to dodge, but the blow still clipped his shoulder with the force of a wrecking ball.
'He's stronger than me, too,' A realized, his eyes narrowing. 'This kid is a monster.'
In the ninja world, most people min-max their stats.
High attack, low defense. High speed, glass jaw.
Only the Raikage lineage possessed high attack, high defense, and god-tier speed.
Only a ninja who reached the absolute pinnacle in a specific area could surpass him.
But this kid seemed to have maxed out everything.
"Raikage," Makoto called out, sounding bored. "You didn't bring the Two-Tails Jinchuriki with you this time, did you?"
"You should understand the role a walking disaster plays on the battlefield. Aren't you afraid of getting wiped out by our Jinchuriku instead?"
"If you dont use the Tailed Beast's power," Makoto lectured, wagging a finger, "you won't be able to carry out those fancy reforms I mentioned. The commotion caused by a Tailed Beast is big. You can't hide it."
"But now, everyone will know that Kumogakure lost because they didn't bring their pet monster, not because they were outclassed by Iwagakure new system."
Hearing this, the Raikage paused.
His gaze swept over to Iwagakure ninja behind Kurotsuchi, looking for the threat.
Finally, his eyes settled on the girl with the mint-green hair standing next to Kakuzu.
"Where are the Four-Tails and Five-Tails?" A growled. "Don't tell me the 'Jinchuriki' you're threatening me with is her?"
Fu looked to be about twelve.
If she were in the Academy, she'd still be learning how to throw shuriken without hitting her own foot.
At that age, controlling a Tailed Beast was usually impossible.
"Fu," Makoto patted Fu's head. "Tell Chomei to give the Raikage a little peek. Just the tip."
"Ah? Okay!"
Once freed from the gag, Fu immediately closed her eyes to communicate with her tenant.
"Chomei! Chomei! Please lend me your power!"
Inside the seal, the Seven-Tails was confused af.
'How does this human know my name? Only those I acknowledge know my name! Is he a stalker?!'
"Chomei! Are you there? Hello?!"
Chomei sighed, vibrating its wings.
"Fu, your tiny body can't handle too much of my power. Let that guy figure it out himself!"
"Chomei, I'm fine! He saved me from the creepy muscle man! I have to help him! I can't just die here!" Fu argued stubbornly.
Makoto felt her trembling and he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine. Don't go overboard. Just flash him a little. Scare him off."
"Okay... Chomei, let's just listen to him..."
The Raikage, standing not far away, watched the girl mutter to herself.
He couldn't hear the bug, but he heard Fu.
And he realized something critical.
She knows the Beast's name.
As the leader of the village that practically majored in Jinchuriki Studies, A knew the drill.
Mastering Tailed Beast chakra through brute force training? Doable.
Roshi and Han did it.
But befriending the Beast? That was the holy grail.
That was Killer Bee territory.
That meant this little girl was a Perfect Jinchuriki in the making.
The Raikage looked at Fu with burning, hungry eyes.
'I want her.'
Fu opened her eyes and accidentally met the Raikage's intense stare.
She shrieked.
"Chomei, save me! I don't want to be taken away by this weird uncle! He's looking at me like I'm a delicious food!"
"Let's start with four tails," Makoto whispered.
Sensing Fu's genuine fear of being kidnapped by a black man full of muscle, Chomei sighed and opened the valve.
VWOOM.
Crimson chakra exploded from Fu's body.
Four tails of dense, bubbling red energy sprouted from her back.
The air grew heavy with malice. Usually, Tailed Beast chakra makes people go insane with hatred.
But Fu? She was a ray of sunshine.
She didn't have any hate to amplify. So she just stood there, glowing red, looking like a very angry, very dangerous glow-stick.
"Retreat!"
The Raikage didn't hesitate.
He barked the order instantly.
He weighed the pros and cons in a millisecond.
Pro: He gets the girl.
Con: He has to fight a guy who is faster and stronger than him, plus a semi-transformed Jinchuriki, plus the Tsuchikage.
And as Makoto pointed out, if this turns into a Bijuu battle, the secrecy is blown.
"Tsuchikage!" A shouted, pointing a thick finger at Kurotsuchi. "If you dare monopolize the Waterfall's Tailed Beast, I'll join forces with Konoha and wipe you off the map!"
He glared at Fu one last time—like a man forced to leave an all-you-can-eat buffet—and vanished in a bolt of lightning.
The Kumo ninja scrambled to follow him.
"Alright, show's over! Move out!" Kurotsuchi ordered her troops to pull back as well.
The surroundings fell silent, save for the roar of the massive waterfall nearby.
The red chakra cloak faded from Fu's body. S
he stumbled, panting. Her skin was burned and corroded from the caustic energy.
Makoto crouched down and placed a glowing green hand on her shoulder.
"Ow... thanks..." Fu winced, blushing slightly as she looked at his face. "I-I'm fine... Huh?"
She looked down.
The burns on her arms and chest, which had been stinging like fire a second ago, were gone.
Her skin was smooth again.
"You know Medical Ninjutsu too?" Kurotsuchi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Something like that," Makoto shrugged.
"...Medical Ninjutsu, Super Strength," Kurotsuchi smirked. "You're basically Tsunade with a dick."
"..."
"Kakuzu-senpai! Thank you for saving me earlier!"
Fu ignored the banter and ran up to Kakuzu, her eyes sparkling.
"I know about you! You were a legendary ninja from my village! The elders used to tell scary stories about you to make us eat our vegetables!"
"Kakuzu-senpai, and you, Mister Handsome... my name is Fu! Let's be friends!"
Fu tilted her head, grinning widely.
She looked like a puppy begging for treats.
"..."
Kakuzu stared at her. Then he glanced at Makoto.
His eyes said: 'Can I kill her? She's loud and annoying', but Makoto ignored him.
"Fu," Makoto smiled, extending a hand. "Would you like to join us?"
"Join?" Fu blinked. "But that black uncle said if I joined the Iwagakure, he'd start a war."
"He said you couldn't join Iwagakure," Makoto corrected. "He didn't say anything about us."
"We are 'The World's Dawn'. We are dedicated to bringing joy to the world, protecting the innocent, and making sure creepy uncles like him don't put girls in sacks."
"Wow! That sounds amazing!" Fu jumped up, pumping her fist. "I'll join! I'll join! Can I get a cool cloak?"
"Aren't you afraid the Raikage might declare war on you someday?" Kurotsuchi asked, watching Makoto sweet-talk the naive girl.
"You're basically stealing his favorite toy."
"If he really can't let go of Fu," Makoto smirked dangerously. "I'll just have to go steal his Eight-Tails too. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword."
"?"
Kurotsuchi blinked.
Steal the Eight-Tails?
"You've got some huge balls, eyeing the Cloud's Perfect Jinchuriki," Kurotsuchi scoffed. "But good luck with that. Bee and the Raikage are brothers. Their bond is unbreakable. He wouldn't be swayed by your smooth talk like this airhead."
She gestured to Fu, who was currently poking Kakuzu's mask.
"Maybe he'll fall for me because I'm handsome?" Makoto joked, winking at her.
He patted Fu on the back and started walking away.
"Huh?"
Kurotsuchi stood there, mouth agape.
Fall for him?
'Did... did he just imply he was going to seduce Killer Bee?'
"Wait!" Kurotsuchi shouted after him. "Are you saying you're going to use a Honey Trap on a man?! What the fuck is wrong with your organization?!"