章 204: Chapter 204: Man vs. Beast: The Third Raikage Is Injured
If the seal was strong enough, even if there was a problem with the jinchūriki, the tailed beast wouldn't be able to break free so easily. Upon discovering any issue, the sealing squad could immediately reinforce the seal and regain control over the beast.
The Eight-Tails rampaged through the Hidden Cloud Village, causing widespread destruction and countless deaths. The village had been severely weakened. The news spread like wildfire, and even though the Hidden Cloud wanted to contain it, they couldn't stop the word from getting out.
Moreover, the Cloud shinobi didn't have the luxury of worrying about keeping the news under wraps—after all, their Raikage was still locked in battle with the Eight-Tails!
There was no time to worry about controlling the narrative. Besides, with something this big, it was impossible to hide.
Since the situation couldn't be covered up, they might as well focus on containing the beast and deal with everything else later.
It was clear that the Hidden Cloud had been set up. Who was behind it remained a mystery, though. And investigating such a plot wouldn't be easy unless the village responsible deliberately exposed themselves.
But would the Hidden Leaf reveal their hand so easily? If word got out, it would likely provoke a retaliatory strike from the Hidden Cloud.
Busy fighting the Sand Village, the Hidden Leaf would make sure this information was sealed tight.
Thanks to the Eight-Tails' rampage, the Hidden Cloud had suffered heavy losses, its reputation shattered. It would take a long time for the village to recover. Even if the truth were revealed, launching a counterstrike against the Leaf wouldn't be so simple.
"Get out of my way! I don't want to fight—I just want freedom!"
In the Cloud Valley Gorge, the Eight-Tails roared, desperate to escape, but the Third Raikage blocked its path at every turn.
By now, the Eight-Tails had regained its senses. After a grueling battle with the Raikage, it was exhausted.
From the beast's perspective, the Raikage was a madman—unstoppable, unbreakable, and relentlessly determined. The Eight-Tails, one of the most fearsome tailed beasts, was on the verge of collapse, but the Raikage still had energy left to fight.
It was absurd. Who was the real beast here?
Damn it! Not this move again!
The Raikage prepared his signature technique: Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite, a terrifying attack that had made him a legendary figure across the ninja world. Countless enemies had learned to fear this technique.
As the Raikage charged, his hand poised to strike, the Eight-Tails panicked. It had suffered too many defeats at the hands of this move. By now, even the sight of the Raikage raising his hand sent shivers through the beast, its mind scarred by the repeated blows.
Damn it!!
"If I'm going down, so are you!"
In a desperate bid, the Eight-Tails opened its mouth, rapidly forming a Tailed Beast Bomb. The bomb was small but condensed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was ready to fire.
Seeing the bomb, the Raikage's face darkened. He quickened his pace, lightning flashing around him.
"Damn! I'm too late!"
In a flash, the Raikage was upon the Eight-Tails. The beast's eyes widened in shock. Realizing it wouldn't be able to fire in time, the Eight-Tails lowered its head to avoid the blow.
The Tailed Beast Bomb, no longer aimed, plummeted to the ground.
Boom!
A massive explosion rocked the gorge, the Hidden Cloud shinobi stationed nearby startled by the sudden blast.
In the aftermath of the explosion, the Raikage looked down in surprise at his chest. His eyes widened as he saw blood seeping from a wound.
He had been injured—by his own Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.
The Eight-Tails' sudden evasion and the explosion from the bomb had thrown off the Raikage's trajectory. Instead of striking the beast, his attack had pierced his own chest, leaving a deep, jagged wound.
It was one of the few visible scars on the Raikage's otherwise invincible body. The difference? Every other scar had come from fighting enemies, but this one had been self-inflicted.
"Damn old monster..." the Eight-Tails muttered.
Dazed and utterly exhausted, the Eight-Tails was at its limit. After firing one last Tailed Beast Bomb, it had no strength left to continue the fight. The close-range explosion had rattled the beast's mind, leaving it cursing under its breath before collapsing in a heap.
On the other side, the Third Raikage, having held out until the Eight-Tails fell, finally allowed himself to relax. As the tension in his body eased, he too collapsed, unconscious.
Thus, the battle between man and beast came to an end—a draw, with neither emerging victorious.
"Raikage-sama!!"
Dodai, along with a team of jonin, rushed into the Cloud Valley Gorge. They immediately carried the Raikage to the hospital for treatment.
"Get the sealing squad here immediately! We need to reseal the Eight-Tails!" Dodai commanded.
"Yes, sir!" the shinobi responded.
With the Raikage being treated and the Eight-Tails sealed away once more, the Cloud shinobi began working around the clock. But rebuilding the village, which had been devastated by the rampage, would take a long time.
When the Third Raikage finally regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a hospital bed.
"Raikage-sama, you're awake," Dodai greeted him, bowing respectfully.
The Raikage shook his head and sat up, his enormous frame causing the bed to creak under his weight. He coughed slightly before asking, "Dodai, has the Eight-Tails been resealed? What's the state of the village?"
Dodai's elated expression faltered as he delivered the grim news.
"The Eight-Tails has been resealed, and now we're just waiting to select a new jinchūriki to complete the process. But as for the village..."
Dodai's brow furrowed as he continued, gritting his teeth. "The damage is severe. Many of our people were killed during the battle, and a large portion of the village's buildings were destroyed. Several foreign tourists and merchants were also caught in the destruction, and we'll need to compensate them as well."
Despite the world running on strength, the Hidden Cloud would still have to give those merchants and tourists an explanation. Without proper compensation and a reasonable explanation, no one would want to come to the Hidden Cloud to do business again.
The Raikage's thick eyebrows knitted together.
"Have you determined the cause of the Eight-Tails' rampage?"
He hadn't been in the village when the attack happened. It wasn't until the ANBU notified him that he returned and got pulled into the fight. Even now, the Raikage didn't know why the Eight-Tails had gone berserk.
"Raikage-sama, I suggest we take this opportunity to conduct a thorough purge. Based on my investigation, this incident was definitely the work of enemy spies," Dodai declared angrily.
"According to our findings, the owner of a small restaurant that the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki frequented was murdered and replaced by a spy. That spy laced the jinchūriki's food with a special drug."
"The jinchūriki unknowingly consumed the drug over time, which eventually eroded his sanity and allowed the Eight-Tails to break free."
"This drug magnified the jinchūriki's inner darkness, fueling the Eight-Tails' fury and triggering the rampage."
"Investigate!" the Raikage roared, slamming his fist down on the bed. The steel-framed hospital bed crumpled under the blow, and the entire ward trembled.
"Raikage-sama, please calm down!" Dodai pleaded, his eyes wide with panic.
The village had already suffered enough damage—if the Raikage lost his temper and demolished the hospital, it would be disastrous. There were too many injured to risk such an outburst.
"I'm fine," the Raikage grumbled, standing up and ripping off the bandages wrapped around his chest. His gaze fell on the jagged lightning-shaped scar on his chest, and his mouth twitched in frustration.
Who would have thought the day would come when the Raikage's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite would be used against himself?
"Raikage-sama, that wound..." Dodai began, hesitant. He knew better than anyone just how durable the Raikage's body was. Even a close-range Tailed Beast Bomb hadn't inflicted too much damage. So how had this scar been made?
Was it the Eight-Tails?
The Cloud's medical staff were equally baffled by the injury. How had the indomitable Raikage sustained such a wound?
"Don't ask." The Raikage cut him off, his face dark with embarrassment.
This was one shameful incident he wasn't about to explain.
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Since it's expensive to continue at the previous pace, I will be releasing 2 chapters per day, with an additional bonus chapter for those who give power stones. Don't worry, once I accumulate a lot of chapters, I will resume the same schedule..
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