Not only Uchiha Hikaru, but also the Five Kage—who were finalizing the Allied Shinobi Forces' attack routes with Shikaku Nara in front of the strategic map—looked up at the telegraph operator at the exact same time.
"What did you say?!" ×5
The weight of six pairs of eyes bore down on him at once. Panicking, his focus slipped, and he accidentally caught his right foot on the chair beneath him.
Bang—!
He hit the floor hard, then hurriedly repeated the decoded message.
"An urgent report from the inspection room on Turtle Island! The Nine-Tails jinchūriki—Uzumaki Naruto—is missing!"
The message was repeated clearly.
This time, Uchiha Hikaru was certain he hadn't misheard.
So were the Five Kage.
"Stay here," Hikaru said coldly. "I'll go see what's going on."
The moment his words fell, he vanished.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Hikaru appeared directly outside the jinchūriki training chamber. He lifted his leg and kicked the door in without hesitation.
BOOM!
Inside, the remaining eight Eight-Tails tentacle clones flinched as the shattered door blasted inward, white fragments slamming violently into the far wall.
One of Killer Bee's clones realized it instantly.
Oh shit—how were we exposed this fast?!
The next second, an overwhelming pressure flooded the room.
Hikaru stepped inside.
Three-tomoe Sharingan spun calmly in his eyes as he looked at the eight identical Killer Bees standing there.
"Yo, Killer Bee," Hikaru said lightly.
"You're impressive. Your clone control is excellent. If one of your clones hadn't suddenly vanished, even the Hyūga clan's Byakugan wouldn't have been able to tell you apart."
The eight clones immediately understood—they'd been seen through.
What they couldn't understand was how Hikaru had figured it out so quickly.
Logically speaking, shouldn't he have asked where Naruto went first?
"Oi, Hikaru," one clone laughed awkwardly.
"What are you talking about? Naruto's just stuck in the toilet with diarrhea."
"What happened?"
Right now, Killer Bee's only goal was to stall.
As long as Naruto and the others reached land and headed for the battlefield, it wouldn't matter how furious Hikaru or the Five Kage became afterward.
At this point, dragging the nine jinchūriki back would be impossible.
But Hikaru—already under immense pressure—heard Bee still trying to play dumb.
The pupils in his eyes shifted instantly.
The Rinnegan emerged.
In that moment, the sheer presence of his chakra pressed down like a god descending.
The eight clones felt it immediately.
Like rabbits facing a hawk.
They couldn't resist.
They couldn't even think of fighting back.
"This is—!?"
Before Killer Bee could finish reacting, Hikaru raised his hand.
Eight pale-violet chakra chains burst from his palm, instantly wrapping around and strangling the Eight-Tails' clones.
"Killer Bee," Hikaru said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes,
"you've got guts. Even after the truth's out, you're still trying to buy time for Naruto."
"But with this level of chakra, you think you can pretend to be a jinchūriki?"
"Do you really take Uchiha Hikaru for a fool?"
"I'll count to three," he continued softly.
"You'd better tell me where they are. Right now."
He looked straight at the final remaining clone, still bound tightly by the chains.
The other seven were too noisy.
Hikaru tightened his grip once—
—and their chakra dispersed instantly.
Only one Killer Bee clone remained.
That clone straightened his back, his expression righteous, indignant, and resolute—like a man prepared to die.
"Who do you think I am, huh?!"
"I'm Killer Bee!"
"I'm gonna be the Rap God of the ninja world!"
"How could I sell out my comrades so easily?! You really underestimate me, Uchiha Hikaru!"
Bee remembered Naruto's words clearly.
For the future of ninja-world rap—for the glory of rhythm itself—this was his chance to make his name known to everyone.
"After the war," he continued loudly,
"I'm planning a world tour! I'll need a host—and a rap leader!"
"Two hours ago," he said immediately afterward,
"they escaped through an underground tunnel behind Turtle Island."
"By now, they're probably close to the southern coastline of the Land of the Moon."
In that instant, Killer Bee made the wisest decision of his entire life.
Which way to drag things~
Don't blame me. I just found a more efficient path to my dream.
Naruto… you'll definitely understand your uncle, right~?
Hikaru nodded in satisfaction.
Good.
A shinobi with a flexible moral bottom line and excellent vocal control—truly a perfect rapper.
Then he pulled sharply on the chain in his hand.
The final Killer Bee clone shattered, dissolving into a mass of red tailed beast chakra that was instantly absorbed into the sealing formula.
With another flash of the Flying Thunder God, Hikaru reappeared inside the conference room.
"Hikaru—where did Naruto go?!"
"Hikaru! How could this happen?!"
Among the Five Kage, Tsunade and A were especially agitated—true to their personalities.
"Killer Bee used an Eight-Tails tentacle clone to fool the inspection post," Hikaru said calmly.
"But the Nine-Tails' chakra was too violent. The clone collapsed and exposed everything."
"Naruto has already left with the other eight jinchūriki."
"They're heading for the battlefield—and are close to reaching the coastline."
Tsk—!
Tsunade clenched her fists. A sharp cracking sound rang out as her fingers tightened.
"They want to go to the battlefield?" she snapped.
"They really picked a good spot."
"I remember you left a Flying Thunder God marker there in advance."
"I'm coming with you."
The Raikage ripped off his white cloak without hesitation. Lightning crackled violently across his muscular frame, his hair standing on end.
"That damn brat!"
"Hikaru—take me with you. I'll deal with Killer Bee personally!"
The two stood on either side of Hikaru.
"Everyone else," Hikaru said,
"leave the alliance to you for now. We'll be back shortly."
The moment his sentence ended, the three figures vanished.
In the next instant, they appeared along the southern coastline of the Land of the Moon.
Hikaru immediately pushed his sensory perception to its absolute limit.
Everything within a hundred-mile radius flooded into his awareness.
"There," he said calmly.
"Found them."
About twenty miles to their right—nine chakra signatures, just about to make landfall.
"Follow me."
To save time, Hikaru didn't hold back.
Two roaring hurricanes condensed behind him, merging into a single stream as ethereal wind-wings formed along his back.
With a powerful beat, he launched into the air and shot forward.
Behind him, the Strength of a Hundred Seal bloomed across Tsunade's forehead.
Vivid violet markings spread down both sides of her face, forming a fierce, mask-like pattern around her eyes.
A, meanwhile, activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, electricity surging through his muscles as he stimulated his cells to their peak.
The three of them charged forward at terrifying speed.
Ahead—
Naruto, running at the front of the group, suddenly sensed three overwhelmingly familiar chakra signatures.
His eyes widened.
At the very edge of his vision—
He saw them.