Ch229- Ransom
The Eight Tails encroaches on our border sir, in full form!”
Huh?
At that moment the world fell from under me. Blood rushed to my head as my heart seized as I pictured the consequences to come. Kumogakure had made their move and it was an even ballzier one than I ever anticipated.
My mind tore the messenger's words apart, translating and applying their significance to the scale of what Kirigakure was capable of. Assuming Killer Bee was the only S-rank combatant on scene then against the likes of Kisame and Juzo they could stall him for the precious moments it’ll take me to bolt from Bar Beach to the field.
I swallowed the surge of cortisol and stilled my nerves, “Take me there, now.” My body moved before his but he kept up. Given how drenched with water he was I knew he’d come a long way to reach Bar Beach’s shore. “Report!”
“I spotted him during coast patrol, sir.” The ANBU reported, his voice terribly strained as he sprinted beside me. “On my way back I fortunately ran into—”
“Yagura!”
I skidded to a stop as the world returned around me—the raucousness of the village, the pounding drums and flutes, the bursts of laughter and clinking cups, the shimmering whirl of silks and Karatachi clan banners rippling like captured waves. It all returned around Mei.
She was already hurrying towards me, the beach wind billowing at her dress. “I’m coming with you!”
I seized a breath and shook my head. “You won’t be fast enough but you can help.”
“What’s happened..?” She cut right through her gaze granting the ANBU permission to continue.
“I ran into Juzo on my way to you, sir. He sent away the Chuunin with him to retrieve Kisame before setting out to face the Eight Tails.” He said, finally catching his breath.
Mei’s expressions darkened. “The Eight Tails?”
The ANBU nodded. “From what I saw, the Jinchuriki must be in full control.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, eyes narrowing.
He gulped. “It dragged ships with it.”
“Ours?”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t tell.”
I sighed and looked off the distant shore. “It doesn’t matter. Kumogakure has come.” I sharply turned to Mei as Isobu’s chakra bubbled out of my skin, my [Stage 0 Chakra Cloak] flaring to life. “Gather Jounin and prepare for an assault, the Jinchuriki could not be alone.”
Mei's soft eyes met my hard gaze— without a word I knew what she was thinking and I’m sure she knew what I was too. War was on our doorstep yet again, despite our best and perhaps foolish efforts to the contrary.
Is there still a point to trying for us?
The question went unanswered, for now I allowed Isobu’s chakra to seep into every muscle fibre as I bolted towards the sea. My fingers flew through handseals as I ran and in a puff of smoke my Bo-staff was summoned into my hands.
I wore no armour but the soft cloth haori prepared for my anniversary, underneath was little more than the regular clothes I’d wear in the office. But my unpreparedness for the battle I was charging head first into didn’t matter, not especially now.
Killer Bee wasn’t removed enough from the Raikage for me to believe his coming here would end peacefully. No matter what my memories told me to believe of the Eight Tails Jinchuriki none of it trumped the fact that he was a cold hard killer when he needed to be and often for the sake of his village— like any other shinobi.
If the Raikage can’t be reasoned with then Killer Bee, Yugito Nii…all of Kumo. It would be war.
I clenched my Bo-staff at the thought of a full blown war, my feet splashing into the sea and my [Water Perception] extending farther as I searched for the spot Killer Bee would be at. Once I’d left shore all there was was water. I racked my mind for the accurate location or at least direction and piecing it together was easy enough— while I didn’t personally remember the ANBU posted to coastal patrols I was the one who set the gradient for said patrols.
I shot off in the direction of one of the four I’d ordered, the closest one to Bar Beach was still several nautical miles away from home. I allowed the fact that I hadn’t found Killer Bee yet to console me— the farther away from home this problem was the better.
“Gyuki is one of the most powerful of my siblings.” Isobu said within my mindscape. “You’ve faced off against Kurama briefly but if Gyuki has found a Jinchuriki like you…”
“It doesn’t matter.” I said aloud, water splashing against my face as I cut through the sea towards its endless horizon. “As long as that Jinchuriki is the enemy of my village then I’ll do what I have to as Mizukage.”
“You must already know then, that Gyuki is one of the most intelligent of us. He’s more willing to see the fair side of humanity than all of my siblings and—”
“If you want me to try and recruit Killer Bee for our plans then ... .you're right, it might be a good idea to just stop and talk. To relate about the things that are true about us Jinchuriki.”
Isobu was quiet, I could sense his satisfaction rise at my words just before I delivered the disappointment. “But again, this is the enemy. As much as I want to have a family of happy go lucky Jinchuriki fighting the birth of the Akatsuki together, I have to stop them from blowing up my village first.”
“Fine. Put your village first but do not shut down the possibility of cooperation, you’re the one who started this idea in the first place, don’t abandon it now because things get tough.”
Tough?
My jaws clenched at the description for this situation. This was a whole lot more than tough, this was alarming. “There’s a lot more at risk than just my village, Isobu and this…this is just highlighting the fact that we’re not prepared to face up against this type of threat. I can’t even fully transform yet.”
“We will practice.” Was all the comfort Isobu could offer before his voice fell with an unmissable dread. “I can sense his chakra…you’re getting closer.”
I was. [Water Perception] allowed me to ‘see’ through the molecules within the ever expanding radius of the ability and right now, within that radius I saw Juzo and Killer Bee. In the very next moment the horizon gave up two large structures floating on the water and the sounds of combat.
The structures quickly made out to be ships, two large yet worn down and half sunken ships dripping with water, algae and vines of seaweed. How they even managed to rise above the sea surface was a miracle.
And then I saw them or rather, he saw me. Swords dancing, tentacles protruding Juzo swung wildly at Killer Bee, heaving Kurikiribocho down on his head with wide, heavy swings Killer Bee at most lazily parried before summersaulting away. His lips were moving, saying something that Juzo drowned out with each roar of frustration.
“Juzo!” I called out to the Swordsman. His regular dark cloak was riddled with puncture holes and his opponent, Killer Bee, was just as I remembered, right down to the scarf. “Stand down!” I ordered.
Juzo looked over his shoulder mid stride and still decided to continue his attack. He dashed at Killer Bee, sending Kurikiribocho clashing against the Jinchuriki’s many blades with an oppressive strength to each bastard swing.
I cursed the disobedient fool as my chakra cloak swirled around me, fueling my body with an excess energy I promptly put to use. Wielding my Bo-staff I dashed out towards the swordfighting duo and as if in reaction to me Killer Bee exploded with Tailed Beast chakra too.
“Wooo Weee!” Killer Bee howled, chakra bursting off his skin in a molten blaze. The surge rocked the water outward in expanding rings, sending Juzo flying. His three-tailed cloak hissed and snapped, bubbling with malevolence, each appendage cracking the waves like whips.
I snatched Juzo from his tumble and righted him beside me, “Stay put.” I ordered, glaring down at the murder happy, shark teeth Swordsman.
“I could’ve…taken him.” Juzo muttered believing his own words less and less as Killer Bee’s chakra surge seemed to go on forever.
The Cloud’s Jinchuriki stood there in a pose, his fingers rocking hard above his head, his legs spread and three chakra tails flailing high above him. Finally, he brought his gaze down on us, eyes unreadable behind those dark brown sunglasses.
I stood up straight and walked over, not letting go of my [Stage 0 Chakra Cloak] but also not advancing it. Killer Bee’s taunt and warning was clear, he easily manifested three chakra tails, not nearly equivalent to Isobu’s entirety but enough to pose a mockery of the power I did wield as his Jinchuriki.
“What have you come for, Hachibi Jinchuriki?” I asked, yelling so my voice carried through the sea. “You weren’t invited anywhere near Kirigakure or the Land of Water last I checked.”
Killer Bee grinned. “Yo, Mizukage, three-tails in the flesh, no invite, no welcome, but I’m here to press.” He nodded to his own poor lyricism. “See I brought a ransom, larger than a million for your mansion!”
He jabbed his thumbs at the rugged ships gradually sinking back into the sea. Tentacles lashed from his back, plunging into the depths. With a colossal heave, he lifted the battered ships, seawater cascading in torrents as their broken ribs scraped against each other. The waves bucked and rolled, nearly knocking Juzo back into the water. I eyed them nervously as it just dawned on me that his reinforcement could be hidden within.
But there was nothing to be afraid of, at least not of the ships. His mention of a million ryo made me understand what had brought him here. My mouth tasted bitter with the realization, I swallowed thickly and stepped forward, allowing my Chakra Cloak to dissipate.
“Mizukage-sama!” Juzo alarmed, watching me present myself to the boiling Eight Tails Jinchuriki without the best protection I had in my arsenal.
“It’s okay, Juzo, I don’t believe Killer Bee is here to cause trouble, well, not anymore than he has already.” I shrugged.
Killer Bee smiled. “No, I’m not here for a fight, not here for trouble. Just take me to my friend and we’ll be out on the double!”
I winced at his rap as he slowly returned the favour of trust, his Chakra Cloak receding into his skin.
““Mizukage-sama!”” A horde of voices called out. I looked over my shoulder and there was Mei leading the likes of Fuguki, Kisame, Ao, and a strapped team of ANBU towards me.
I held my hand up, halting their panic as I looked up at Killer Bee. “You shouldn’t be here, but I’m glad we got to meet so soon.”
Bee looked confused but his confident smile remained, even in the face of increasing numbers. I was secretly grateful for Kisame’s presence with Samehada— depending on how things went, that weapon would be pivotal to restraining Bee.
I gestured at the ships, their mass once again sinking without Bee’s tentacles to hold them up. “Those don’t look worth the fifty million ryo I asked for.” I said, blinking at him. “And then there’s the apology, you didn’t come with it, did you?”
Bee’s smile tensed and ultimately fell. “I’m here on a mission to ransom Jay. Your letter set his bounty, one mil ryo clean, but I brought treasure ships, stacked and mean.” he pointed at the ships. “Gold in the hulls, jewels in the floor, more than a million, that’s for sure.”
My throat seized once he confirmed my suspicions— he wasn’t here as a representative of Kumogakure, he was here in defiance, he was here for the friend we captured and lightly interrogated, Jay. This told me exactly what the Raikage was thinking— war.
I stared at the wreck of ships and shook my head, “Somehow I doubt that but I suppose, for the sake of a fellow Jinchuriki, I can trust your word.” His smile returned but only briefly as I immediately asked. “But then, this means war, right?”
Bee took a step back, I sensed his chakra spike as I met his hidden gaze. “I’m not here for a fight, I only want—”
“You only want the spy that destroyed…so much of the internal trust and value of my clans. That helped erode the relationship between Kage, clan and village. You want him back and you want to leave without a hair touched on either of your heads, isn’t that right?”
Killer Bee didn’t answer, his muscles tensed just as mine did. My chakra churned within me, ready to move the moment I decided once and for all there was no more negotiating or reasoning to be had.
But this is Killer Bee not Ay, there’s a chance.
I stepped forward, ignoring how his Bijuu Chakra winds billowed at my haori and smiled up at Bee. “Let’s talk inside.”