Morning.
A had expected yet another uneventful day of training. But the moment he opened the door, the familiar sneering face that greeted him each morning was nowhere to be seen.
At first, he assumed Uchiha Kaien had just gone to the bathroom, or maybe he'd gone back to bed.
That is, until he spotted a note left on the table.
He figured it would be some routine reminder—Kaien often went out early to buy fresh ingredients, after all—so he didn't think much of it.
But this time, the message made his eyes widen in disbelief.
"Life in Kumogakure isn't bad, but I'm getting bored. I'm off to chase a broader sky.If either of you manage to become the Fourth Raikage, maybe I'll drop by for a visit. Bye~"
Yeah... that definitely sounded like something he'd say.
But still—
YOU ACTUALLY RAN OFF WITHOUT TELLING US?!
"U! CHI! HA! KAIEN!"
A's face instantly darkened, his fury rising so fast his whole face flushed red. But his younger brother, Killer B, who had just woken up, didn't notice.
He just thought his big bro hadn't washed his face yet.
But the moment he heard A's grinding teeth and saw the note in his hand, B didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The guy they both loved and hated... had finally left.
No more home-cooked meals. They'd have to cook for themselves now. But at least they wouldn't be getting bullied every single day.
A, noticing B's mixed feelings, quickly calmed down.
"Big bro... no one's gonna boss us around anymore!"
"Mm..."
Uchiha Kaien had definitely pushed A around a lot. Not physically, but mentally—A always felt like Kaien looked at him the way one might look at an idiot.
And every time he got angry, Kaien would just throw him a few consoling words, and that would be enough to shut him up.
It was honestly kind of humiliating.
"From now on, you're in charge of cooking. Better start learning!" A suddenly barked, snatching up a piece of bread from the table and biting into it.
Guess they'd be eating out for lunch today.
"Huh?!" Killer B blinked, dumbfounded.
How did this suddenly become his responsibility?
The tiny joy he'd felt from not being Kaien's punching bag anymore instantly faded into despair.
He hated cooking.
Why couldn't A handle it?
"Perfect timing anyway. Blue B's condition has been getting worse, and it's about time you took over as the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki."
"Now that he's gone, even if something goes wrong, no one can pin it on him."
Maybe Kaien had sensed something and left on purpose.
A was quietly turning the situation over in his head.
People thought he was all muscle, but A was actually pretty sharp—he had taken first place in theoretical studies back at the Ninja Academy.
Blue B would occasionally come around to give B pointers. Maybe that smart bastard, Kaien, picked up on the signs and left to avoid getting involved.
The more A thought about it, the more convinced he became that Kaien had vanished to keep suspicion off himself.
After all, jinchūriki weren't just weapons—they were political tools. And there was a difference between using an adult jinchūriki and grooming a child for the role.
Adults, once they were strong enough, didn't care about their identities being exposed—others feared their power.
But kids... they got shunned, hated by the villagers, isolated by fellow shinobi. If they didn't have unshakable willpower, it was easy to lose control.
Killer B was just barely qualified to become the Eight-Tails' host.
"...Oh."
B's feelings were complicated.
He had known since the day he was chosen as the next "B" that this moment would come. Sooner or later, he would inherit the Eight-Tails.
Whether it came a little early or a little late... didn't really matter.
Even though that beautiful bastard had bullied him endlessly, B had honestly enjoyed most of it more than he hated it.
He wasn't sure if becoming a monster would change anything.
From A and B's perspective, Kaien had only stayed in Kumogakure to help the two of them build rapport as the "A and B Combo." They had no idea he'd leave before B officially took over as a jinchūriki.
So despite everything, they still trusted Kaien.
But Blue B's worsening condition... that was something Kaien had likely noticed.
If something went wrong during the handover while Kaien was still around, all three of them could've ended up in serious trouble.
Even a Raikage's son wasn't exempt from sacrificing for the village.
Kaien may have had a decent life in Kumogakure, but the Third Raikage had long noticed some red flags.
With Kaien's Sharingan and the fact that he could go toe-to-toe with A in taijutsu... how had Motoi captured him in the first place?
Had Kaien really just let himself be taken because he thought it would be fun?
Someone with no bonds, no taboos—that kind of person was the most dangerous.
No one knew what Kaien would do next.
And it wasn't impossible that he had been a spy from the start.
Still, Kumogakure didn't want to throw away a Uchiha bloodline that had already awakened the Sharingan. So they'd hoped A could "reform" him through camaraderie.
"Relax. He probably doesn't know you're the Eight-Tails' backup."
The Third Raikage hadn't been able to find a true "B" to match him.
Even Blue B, the current host of the Eight-Tails, couldn't keep up with the Third Raikage's strength. So despite being named Blue B, he was never a true partner.
Kaien leaving at this timing might actually be a blessing in disguise.
That said... now that he was gone, who knew when they'd ever see him again?
A let out a tired sigh.
...
"Let's go. Time to train."
"That's all we're eating today?"
That wasn't like A. Normally he could eat three times this amount.
"Shut up and get moving!"
Without even looking back, A slammed the door open and leapt into the training field.
"...Oh."
Killer B grabbed another piece of bread and followed him out.
...
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kaien's consciousness had already been embedded in one of his phantom beasts, allowing him to move swiftly between the Flying Thunder God seals he had placed throughout the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire.
He'd recalled all the White Zetsus to Konoha the moment he slipped away.
No one else knew the true nature of the phantom beasts—only Kaien.
This time, he didn't even plan to use his own appearance for the phantom.
If he wanted to build up affection points, it'd be way easier using a female avatar. Let the beast do all the flirting.
Might as well play the role of a kind stranger and rescue the Third Kazekage while he was at it.
Kaien was genuinely curious about the Magnet Release: Iron Sand.
Could the Third Kazekage use iron sand to build a mecha?
Ōnoki could create a golem with Earth Release. Surely the Third Kazekage could whip up an iron sand giant?
The journey to Sunagakure was surprisingly long.
Once he entered the Land of Fire, Kaien transformed the phantom into the shape of a cat.
He'd never traveled from the Land of Fire to the Land of Wind before, so he made sure to place several Flying Thunder God markers along the way.
Unlike the Mangekyō patterns his real body used, this cat-shaped version carved tiny paw prints as seals.
They blended in perfectly by the roadside and wouldn't draw attention.
Only when the wind kicked up and sand filled his mouth did Kaien realize he'd reached the edge of the Land of Wind.
"Ugh, sandstorms really suck."
"But hey... bet you didn't see this coming—I can control wind."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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