"Meow~" Takeshi immediately threw Yugito to the ground, careful to avoid getting blood on his fur. He definitely didn't want to take another bath.
"Takeshi? Who is she?" Tsunade asked, a little confused, momentarily forgetting about the blood.
She looked closer, recognizing the girl as a ninja from Kumogakure, barely twelve years old. She didn't seem like a threat at first glance, but sensing her chakra... 'Fuinjutsu?'
"A Two-Tails Jinchuriki!"
A Jinchuriki? Tsunade shot to her feet, rushing over in surprise. In that moment, her hemophobia was the last thing on her mind. A Jinchuriki, actually kidnapped by Takeshi and Minato. 'You guys are unbelievable!'
As the thought hit her, everything clicked into place.
Why Minato had fired a signal flare. Of course, Kumogakure's ninja would be desperate after losing a jinchuriki. If Konoha lost the Nine-Tails, the entire village would mobilize to get it back. Anyone who got in their way would become an enemy of all of Konoha.
Normally, no one would dare something like this. But with Konoha and Kumo already at each other's throats, what was there to be afraid of?
"This is huge! Huge! We can negotiate with Kumo... Wait. There has to be more to it. You didn't... did you injure the Third Raikage too? Because there is no way he didn't try to stop both of you!" Tsunade's mind raced.
Without somehow taking the Third Raikage out of the picture, how could Takeshi and Minato have possibly managed to work together and capture the Two-Tails? With the Third Raikage's short fuse, if Minato and Takeshi had tried causing trouble in front of him, his fists would have started flying ages ago.
After the two of them had apparently tricked him for days, the Third Raikage probably wanted to hit someone already.
"Meow! His right hand looks like... it'll need your help for healing." Takeshi nodded.
At the time, the Raikage's Lightning Release: Thunder Armor had scattered, which definitely showed he was injured. But knowing his durability, his body should be mostly fine. Just that hand...
The Raikage clan were all ruthless individuals. It wasn't impossible he might have simply chopped off his own right hand.
"That's fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!"
"Mmmph! Mmmph!" While Tsunade spun happily, Yugito wanted to object but couldn't, just letting out a frustrated cry on the ground.
The Third Raikage? Injured? 'How could that be! He's invincible!' Yugito's heart simply refused to believe it. In her mind, the Third was the very symbol of invincibility. 'Didn't he take down the Eight-Tails single-handedly? How could he possibly be defeated by a mere black cat?!'
"Meow! Behave yourself." Takeshi lightly swatted her on her face. *Pa! Pa!*
Yugito glared angrily at the black cat. A second later, she was caught in a genjutsu. Normally, the presence of the Two-Tails would make her immune, but with the Tailed Beast sealed and completely unable to move... well.
"..."
'Ruthless,' Tsunade thought. 'He'd even lay a paw on a young girl like that. But... she is a Jinchuriki. If that seal wasn't tight, she wouldn't be contained by ordinary restraints.'
Tsunade watched for a few moments. The intensity from before faded, and seeing the blood started to make her feel a bit overwhelmed again. She quickly looked away, picked up some military ration pills from the side, and handed them to Takeshi.
"Here," she said. "My special recipe. The recovery effect is amplified."
"Meow!" Takeshi took the pills and swallowed one.
'Ugh~ Just as bad as ever to eat... But the effect is way better than Kabuto's. Didn't feel like a rock in his stomach, either. Almost as good as the system's special cat food... As expected of Tsunade, her personal touch made a difference. Saved a hundred points.'
He swallowed one and felt his stamina gradually recovering.
"There might be fighting north of here. I'll go take a look, meow."
"Okay, I'll handle the Jinchuriki," Tsunade nodded.
She was thankful Danzo was dead. If he were still alive and knew they'd captured a jinchuriki, he'd have sent Root immediately to claim her. Unlike now. It's honestly good to be rid of someone who couldn't keep his mouth shut. Though, there were still two old fossils in the village, one of them decaying...
*Tsk.*
She didn't exactly mourn Danzo, but she appreciated his absence. Then, she called some shinobi over to take charge of Yugito.
As for Takeshi, he had already streaked out of the camp, heading north.
There was indeed a fight going on there. Midway, he heard the faint sounds of combat, the noise of explosive tags and the flash of light from ninjutsu. Occasionally, the crash of large trees toppling reached him.
Takeshi wasn't in good shape. His chakra was only about half recovered, which felt unsafe for a black cat used to going into action with full reserves. But the situation was urgent. Even Rin and her team had joined the battle. If something happened... Takeshi was worried. Especially as he got closer, he sensed the presence of Nekomata.
"Meow!" A miserable cat cry echoed.
When Takeshi arrived, he saw a bit of a mess. Nekomata had swollen to his giant form, his fur hardened, using it as a shield against Lightning Release ninjutsu. 'Needle Jizo blocked kunai and shuriken... but it wasn't supposed to stop lightning.'
Then, he saw Rin treating the wounded under Nekomata. 'Poor Nekomata,' Takeshi thought. 'Looks rough. After all, Nekomata was a major fighting force for the Ninja Cat Fortress now. Being summoned as a meat shield was truly putting it through hardship.'
Just then, a flash of lightning ripped through the trees, and a figure closed the distance with frightening speed. It was the Fourth Raikage Candidate, Ay. His target: Rin.
Though Ay didn't know Rin, anyone young enough to be in this kind of battle who also used medical ninjutsu must have decent strength or talent. Capturing her would give him leverage against Tsunade. He was already desperate, grasping at any straw. Any medical ninja who entered his sight now, he wanted to capture.
Not every cat was Takeshi. He didn't believe this cat had the same strength.
Minato wanted to provide support, but he was running on fumes. He'd spent what little chakra he had saving others just now and was completely spent.
Obito saw Ay's target. "Rin!" he shouted.
But Obito couldn't hope to match Ay's speed, or even Killer Bee's.
Kakashi saw it too. He brought his Twin Blades Kiba together, lightning crackled along them, and he shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
"Bee, cover me."
"Yo, Big Bro Ay, charge right in, ho! I'm your hype man, let the battle begin, yo!" Killer Bee rhymed, brandishing his swords as he followed right behind. His speed was no match for Ay, but relative to ordinary ninja, he wasn't slow at all. At least compared to Kakashi, there was no problem.
*Clang!* Steel met steel with a crisp sound. The lightning from the Twin Blades Fang struck like a blade, but Killer Bee had Lightning Release: Thunder Armor on, which could nullify a lot of damage, especially Lightning Release ninjutsu.
Genma and Ebisu stood in front of Rin, their palms slick with cold sweat. Nekomata roared, ready to fight with everything he had, even knowing he was outmatched.
Rin glanced aside, worry in her heart, but her hands didn't falter. She continued the treatment in an orderly manner. When Ay got closer, she decisively picked up the wounded, ready to retreat.
Then, a black shadow streaked past.
*Boom!* With a single swipe, Ay was sent flying.
"Whoa, Big Bro Ay, look out, yo! We gotta retreat! No time to put on a show, oh no!"
Killer Bee was clashing swords with Kakashi. He saw a figure flying back, and his strength on the sword faltered. Not only that, the next second, he and Ay were both sent flying.
*Crash!* *Thud!* After several loud crashes and thuds, Ay and Bee finally stopped when they hit a tree. The Kumo ninja quickly provided support and cover.
Minato arrived next to Rin, grip on his kunai loose, crouching and panting. He was at his limit.
After a roar, everyone witnessed a force of nature. The giant black cat was terrifyingly fast, streaking across the battlefield, batting opponents aside like flies. A single swipe could gouge the earth, let alone pulverize a ninja.
In the blink of an eye, he'd charged in front of Ay.
Because Bee had served as a cushion, Ay wasn't seriously injured this time. As the black cat charged over, Ay reacted instantly, swinging a hand blade charged with lightning. Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop.
The Third and Fourth Raikage Candidate both mastered this jutsu, it was essentially their clan's signature Ninjutsu Taijutsu, and it was very powerful.
However...
No matter how powerful it is, you have to be able to hit the target. Especially Nintaijutsu. Ninjutsu Taijutsu is still fundamentally taijutsu. It's not a wide-area attack or an instant-hit jutsu, it relies on landing a physical strike.
But Ay couldn't match Takeshi's reaction speed. A cat's reflexes were simply on another level. Ay's hand blade was about to connect, but he saw the black cat quickly swing his paw and swat violently.
*Boom!* The simplest close-quarters collision, but with Super Strength added. Ay would have been knocked down long ago if not for his Lightning Release: Thunder Armor. He was knocked off course, and Takeshi opened his mouth, spitting out a Wind Release bullet.
Then...
Ice Release.
Bee, already injured, was instantly frozen solid. A flash of Flying Thunder God, and the frozen jinchuriki appeared right next to Minato.
"You damn filty cat!?" Ay roared in anger. "First Yugito, now Bee? Are all Konoha's shinobi this underhanded? Fight me head-on, you coward! What's with all these cheap tricks?!"
In his rage, he forgot that he couldn't even match the black cat in close combat...
Mainly because the cat's speed and reaction speed were too fast. Ay's specialties, speed and strength, were completely ineffective against Takeshi. While his defense was formidable, it wasn't the near-impregnable hide of the Third Raikage.
If he had that level of defense, Takeshi wouldn't dare fight him head-on with only half his chakra firepower.
===============
Dear Readers and Fans,
For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further.
https://www.pat reon.com/8Ashes8
(no space)
You can read upto 7 Chapters in advance.